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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Empire of the Dead - Requiem - KickStarter


Kickstarter seems to be all the rage at the moment for launching new things with the pledge support of backers. However it seems it is also being used to expand upon existing ranges... and this is the plan Westwind Productions have to expand upon their Empire of the Dead, Gothic Horrior/Steampunk skirmish game.


I have dipped my toe thoroughly in this game and find it whole heartedly enjoyable. I have collected starting factions for the Gentlemans club including Zendarians (by chance!) and the Vampire Faction! I have only played a handful of games on a simple rural hamlet terrain setting but these have been immensely fun and the idea of embarking on a decent size campaign certainly appeals.


The only problems I had really were first finding some suitable urban terrain (hopefully more in the pipeline of the self build scratchbuild side of things)... and extra models to add to the existing factions to grow your factions accordingly. I didn't really want to buy duplicate sets as that would be a bit dull, so new models are in demand, and this seems on the horizon, in the form of the Kickstarter, due to go live February 14th...



As yet I have yet to back a kickstarter but I will be giving serious consideration to this one...


Over to Westwind:

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WEST WIND PRODUCTIONS KICKSTARTER



Empire of the Dead Requiem – Proposed Miniatures Release



Q&A



What’s it all about?



Requiem is West Wind’s huge miniatures release for its acclaimed Gothic Horror / Steampunk skirmish game, Empire of the Dead.




What’s in the release?



If we are successful, we plan to make over 80 New miniatures, plus 12 New Victorian machines, carriages, steam powered walkers and Time machines, etc.



What scale are the miniatures?



28mm pewter miniatures, on a 30mm round bevelled base. The carriages will be resin and white metal.



What made you choose the Victorian period and Gothic Horror/ Steampunk ?



We have a long history of games and miniatures based in this period, Vampire Wars was our first Victorian game and Empire of the Dead has its roots in this game.




What kind of miniatures can we expect?



If you love the fictional world of the Gothic novel then you will be very familiar with a lot of the characters we have planned for Requiem; ranging from Vampire Counts to Great Detectives, we have them all, plus more ideas too….......




Tell us more about the Victorian Machines.



Victorian streets were filled with people and machines, in fact if you look at old photos of London around the 1880’s, you can’t move for horse drawn vehicles!  You can expect a London Omnibus, a Hansom Cab, a Victorian horse drawn Fire Engine and a lot more……….



What about the Steampunk stuff?



We have an ingenious Time Machine, ala H.G. Wells, a Steam Powered Exo-skeleton, a Spirit Canon, a steam powered Gyro-copter and many more……...








Why have you gone to Kickstarter?



Its fairly simple, you have to keep up with the times.  We want to fund the out sourcing of our mould making. Currently Andy Cooper splits his time between mould making and sculpting. This is really slowing us down and we need to find a different way to bring our products to market in a more timely manner.



What can we expect from West Wind in the future?



As far as Empire of the Dead is concerned, we have a third part planned. We think it’s a great twist on the traditional Steampunk background but you will have to wait and see.




Can we expect to see Requiem releases in the game stores?



Yes, we are planning on having six new boxed sets on release this summer. However, you will not see any new stuff in shops before we fulfil the pledges to our backers made on Kickstarter.



So is every model made?



No absolutely not, the range is about 40% done. You will see a lot of concept stuff on the Kickstarter. We will be posting up some video updates on where the newest sculpts are up to, and if we achieve our funding, Andy will be freed up to get on and sculpt the rest of the range.







West Wind Contact Details



Please feel free to ask us any questions throughout the Kickstarter, or indeed, if you have any ideas of your own to help things along, we would love to hear about them.  If you need to contact us, please do so via email to mail@westwindproductions.co.uk or phone on 01457 879330.



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So Gothic Horror, Steampunk fans I hope that has wet your appetites at little, at the new wholesome goodness due to come from Westwind. I also hope this means we will get rules for horses and the carriages they propose in the kickstarter!


regards
Scott


[update - KICKSTARTER link here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/832150598/empire-of-the-dead-requiem-0?ref=live ]

[another update - another batch of early bird deals were added to the kickstarter a couple of days after the launch as the first batch was sold out so quickly as US customers had lost the chance to grab these - so have another look for current deals!] 

21 comments:

  1. I got an email from West wind Saying they were going to do a kickstater this week for EotD. Good to see that they have gone ahead with it.

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  2. I can't find their Kickstarter. Do you have a link to it?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that's all that's missing from this detailed post is an actual link to the page! ;)

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    2. Hi Guys, I believe the detail will be announced either on their website or facebook page, on Feb 14th UK time... the info I received to pass on, was their pre-launch media release, to whip up a little interest!
      Try http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/ or here https://en-gb.facebook.com/WestwindProductions

      Hope this helps...

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    3. I'll check out their FB page over the next week.

      I love that comment you left btw. I just wish you guys had taken some photos!

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    4. Cool!
      Lol yeah it was a real fun time, and good memory now looking back. There were photos in the day, but where they've ended up now I've no idea!

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  3. I like the stuff, just don't get why they are doing a KS in the first palce when quite obviously half the stuff is already made? Surely if they'd released some of these last year like promised they'd of kept the momentum of interest going, Instead of promising releases and sneak peaks of miniatures.

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    Replies
    1. I'm certainly not the marketing manager of Westwind! ;-)

      Must admit I was a little surprised when I saw new ranges to be promoted via kickstarter on their Facebook page...

      But I like the game, so was happy help spread the word via a blog post...

      One thing I am looking for is more thralls for the vampire faction!

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    2. Seeing the kickstarter i'm a little happier most of it will be available to buy through normal channels. I was bit annoyed at missing out on figures that where only going to be available through the KS.

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  4. I was attracted by EotD when I i first saw their ad in WI. Cool concept. Thanks for heads up Scott.

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  5. I've gto a diecast horsedrawn Black Maria somewhere in my former model police vehicle collection, Scott. I'll see if I can find it for you.

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    Replies
    1. That would be cool if its the right scale?
      Thanks

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    2. You can get some reasonably price carts off ebay just search

      days gone by horse.

      The horses themselves are bit meh but can be replaced quite easily

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    3. Have i got a deal for you, Scott? One Lledo 'Black Maria' (rather dusty), plus a smashed up plastic brick police station, for free to a loving home:

      http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii137/Arteis/blackmaria2_zps9f8fdc48.jpg

      http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii137/Arteis/blackmaria1_zps7e15dc30.jpg

      Maybe a smidgen small (the driver in the pic is about 1/72), but not too bad ...



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    4. Done deal! A bit of conversion work and repaint, I'm sure its more than useable!

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  6. Hi Scott, in regard to terrain - my buddy Thomas has bought a few of the Sarissa (spelling?) laser cut urban terrain. It looks fantastic even prior to painting ,very nice details and stuff. I look forward to playing games on a more urban board in the near future.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Anatoli, I'll check out Sarissa... Thanks for following too :-)

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  7. Very tempting, thanks for sharing.
    Pat.

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    Replies
    1. Go for it Pat, with your skills you'd make a mesmerizing display no doubt!

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