Drakenheim Kickstarter Cancelled

Hi all

Thanks to everybody who supported or provided feedback on the project. I now realise some errors from the Kickstarter and have cancelled the funding to spend more time on it. We will be creating a Patreon page where people can help us realise this great game and once we have more to show we will try again at a less ambitious size.

Thanks again to everyone that supported us!

Noctis Gaming Team

Hi all!

We are now live on Kickstarter! Thanks to everyone that has helped us get this far!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/374087173/drakenheim-emerging-empires?ref=user_menu

Please share the project wherever you can :)

The first 1000 pledgers get free dice and if we get enough support Gav Thorpe will be writing a Drakenheim novel!

Noctis Gaming

Drakenheim; Emerging Empires - Kickstarter!

Hi everybody! 

My name is Tim Wingrove, I am the director of Noctis Gaming Ltd and lead designer of Drakenheim; Emerging Empires. I have been a wargamer for 26 years, 8 of which I have been a blogger and written for 2 successful blogs - Battle Bunnies and Age of Warhammer. I have always enjoyed writing and modifying house rules to make games more fun, balanced and entertaining, so the natural progression was to write my own game.

I have always been a massive fan of fantasy and I have been inspired by books such as: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The First Law and Name of the Wind books. I like these settings as they have a gritty realism but still feel fantastical. My aim was to create a game which can be played any way desired - from small RPG or skirmish up to siege battles lasting a whole day. I feel that I have achieved this and I would love to share it with you.

About the rules for Drakenheim:

- Drakenheim is a 20mm tabletop wargame set in the low fantasy world of Mythrandris. Battles are scalable from small warbands all the way up to large sieges. 

- The rules have been created to emphasise the importance of strategy, positioning and movement over lucky dice rolls and endless special abilities.

- A key design choice was to make sure the game felt realistic, while remaining fun for both players - this was achieved by having an ‘active and reactive’ approach to gameplay. For example, when an opponent targets your unit you will have decisions and choices to make that will affect the outcome.

- Although the game is designed to be realistic, it also encourages epic showdowns (imagine the legend of George vs the Dragon), where legendary heroes can do the unbelievable.

- Magic is exceptionally powerful.

- The rules will come in both imperial and metric measurements (this will be standardised for competitive or pick up and play games).

- The core rules will forever be free - this also includes unit scout reports.

Here is a look at how indirect archery works in the game: https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/05/gameplay-focus-indirect-archery.html

Here is a look at how charging works in the game:

https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/05/gameplay-focus-charging_31.html

Although the beta rules are complete they will not be available until the start of September - this is because we have a play-testing pledge.

About the setting for Drakenheim:

- Mythrandris is a low technology, low fantasy world with a touch of dark horror.

- In the current timeline, factions are rebuilding and recolonising throughout the lands of Mythrandris.

- As stretch goals we will be fleshing out Drakenheim with a novella from Gav Thorpe and an art sourcebook from a phenomenal artist (who we are not allowed to announce as yet because he is under contract). 

About the models and factions for Drakenheim:

- We aim to release at least 12 factions. This Kickstarter is for the first 4.

- Humanoid models stand about 20mm to the eyes. Larger models like the Orgrek and the Minotaurs are around 25mm to the eyes.

- The models will come in multi part plastic kits for customisability.

- Where it makes sense - their will be both male and female models for armies.

- The models have been designed to have areas suitable for block colour (for ease of painting) but to also have nice intricate details.

Here is a look at the Corustir:

https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/05/hello-everyone-and-welcome-to-first.html

Here is a look at the Drek:

https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/05/faction-focus-drek.html

Here is a look at the Knight Order:

https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/05/faction-focus-knight-order_30.html

Here is a look at the Bhur:

https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/2019/06/faction-focus-bhur.html

Timeline of the Drakenheim Kickstarter:

Early June 2019 - Drakenheim will launch on Kickstarter.

Early July 2019 - Drakenheim will go to pledge manager through Game on Tabletop (if the Kickstarter is successful).

End of August 2019 - Beta testing weekend.

September 2019 - Beta rules released.

May/June 2020 - Pledges to be sent worldwide and rules published online.

May/June 2020 - If the stretch goal is reached we will have 1-3 Drakenheim themed evenings (depending on popularity) including a comedy musical/play in the Drakenheim universe (codename: Beauty and the Beastman lol) - followed by evening entertainment where attendees can get the pledges in person.

The future of Drakenheim:

- We will be creating at least 12 full factions.

- Terrain ranges will be created for each faction.

- A siege expansion and castles will be released.

- A naval expansion and ships will be released.

- An RPG expansion will be released.

- An App that can track club and friend groups empire building will be released! The App will also have a match finder option.

I hope you have enjoyed reading through this project overview. There is more information here at the Drakenheim blog - https://drakenheimgame.blogspot.com/ and you can preview the Kickstarter here - 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/374087173/876547035?ref=790499&token=4cdff7a2

The first 1000 pledgers get 50 dice for free!

Comment below or drop an email to noctisgamingltd@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Noctis Gaming

Faction Focus - Bhur

Hello everyone and welcome to the final faction focus.

We will be using these articles as an opportunity to have a brief introduction of the four factions from our first Kickstarter.

Today we are looking at the Bhur:

History:

Bhur are the brutal result of the horrific union between man and beast. Aggressive, unnaturally strong and with an insatiable anger and hunger - Bhur are one of the most feared races in Mythrandris. Lurking in caves, ruins or living in huts made of the flesh and bones of their victims, they can be found throughout the wild in great number. Bhur herds can consist of as few as a dozen warriors and as large as a thousand. When the Bhur go to war it is with rampaging Minotaurs and the swift and flexible Centaurs. Led by Shamans, Bulltaurs or Bhurlords the army cares not for riches and gold but only for food, pleasure and sport. They pillage from those they destroy and create the next generation of the herd in rapturous flesh carnivals. Of all the sentient races in Mythrandris, Bhur are one of the least likely to ally or create pacts with others - but it is not entirely unheard of.

How they play:

Bhur are a fast and powerful army. They are a highly mobile force that can cause tremendous damage to a slow or unprepared foe. However, against a well armoured or prepared opposition, the Bhur direct their massive kin the Minotaurs who can bull-charge the sturdiest defence, occupying them long enough for centaurs to flank and assault from behind. The shamans unleash devastating spells in the form of plagues, disease and decay whilst using more natural spells to boost their own warriors.

Miniatures:

We have made the decision to have male and female versions of the Bhur across the whole range. The weapons of the Bhur are crude yet effective while the armour is minimal and creates a feral image - as the Bhur rely on their thick hide for protection. The troop unit will come with dual melee weapons, while the elite unit will come with an imposing two-handed weapon that will be very effective against groups of opposition and heavier units. Minotaurs, which will be even more intimidating and effective then the elite champions, are also equipped with deadly double handed melee weapons and will stand at 25mm to the eyes. The cavalry unit will be Centaurs, which will be equipped with various weapons including a short bow option.

This Minotaur is shown with dual-wield weapons but the finished unit will have two handed weapons:

As an add-on, pledgers will be able to buy mages and warlords which will come in male and female variants, in Bhur (Bhurlord), Minotaur (Bulltaur) and Centaur designs - depending on popularity, these may end up as high quality resin.

Terrain:

As detailed above, Bhur tend to be more nomadic – living out of tents, huts or just in the wild. This makes them very similar to Drek in this regard. Although we have the intention to create a full range of Bhur terrain – we would like to include our pledgers in the decision making process for this and we will listen to feedback once we are in a position to do so.

To the future:

In the future we would like to add:

• a feral pack unit.
• siege units ( both attacking and defending).
• A full range of terrain.
• Naval ships of varying sizes.

That was the last faction focus for this Kickstarter. We have another eight factions that we want to release so we really hope that you have seen something to support in this project.

Please direct any questions to Noctisgamingltd@gmail.com or comment below!