Man Battlestations Forum
General => News and Rumors => Topic started by: Ruckdog on September 17, 2020, 03:36:02 pm
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Mantic has announced a new naval game for their Kings of War fantasy setting:
https://www.manticgames.com/news/kings-of-war-armada-the-game-of-epic-naval-warfare/
(https://mantic-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/09/armada-pic-transparent-1536x849.png)
At first glance, this looks somewhat interesting, and looks like it could potentially fill the gap in the market left behind by Uncharted Seas. I'm personally interested in seeing if I can get my Dreadfleet models to work with the rules!
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Interesting response already on the Uncharted Seas FB page.
But there's a lot of positivity around about this game; Lots of peoepl who weere put off by the more OTT designs of Man'O'War and UC are very intereseted, iespecially as standard historicals of the pre-Naopoleonic era can be used for factions among the Kingdoms Of Men.
I'm tempted my own self.
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According to the Warlord Wednesday email newsletter, the game will be available for pre-order from Warlord's web store starting this Saturday!
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This does look interesting.
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I just heard an interview with Matt Gilbert from Mantic, and it sounds like the plans are for the majority of the factions within Kings of War to receive fleets in Armada so I couldn't be happier!
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I just heard an interview with Matt Gilbert from Mantic, and it sounds like the plans are for the majority of the factions within Kings of War to receive fleets in Armada so I couldn't be happier!
Neat! Do you have a link to the interview? I'm also rather unfamiliar with the Kings of War setting, so I'm curious as to what the major factions are.
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I just heard an interview with Matt Gilbert from Mantic, and it sounds like the plans are for the majority of the factions within Kings of War to receive fleets in Armada so I couldn't be happier!
Neat! Do you have a link to the interview? I'm also rather unfamiliar with the Kings of War setting, so I'm curious as to what the major factions are.
The interview was on Counter Charge episode #454 posted on 9-17-2020; I usually use iTunes, but their podcast is hosted on ohiohammer.com for direct downloading.
Early next year, their Dwarf and Empire of Dust (Egyptian / WH Tomb Kings equivalent) are planned for release, but I am most looking forward to what would come out for Trident Realms (undersea races), or Northern Alliance (exiled mercenaries / ice based).
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Why would they make a game mat with all of that junk on the edges?
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Why would they make a game mat with all of that junk on the edges?
Yeah, it is a bit more heavily branded than a lot of other mats I've seen. I guess they don't want people to be confused about which game it came from ;D!
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It almost means that you can't tile multiples together for a larger playing surface. Just like Dreadfleet
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It almost means that you can't tile multiples together for a larger playing surface. Just like Dreadfleet
Hard to argue with and best to copy the marketing strategy of a company whos shares are worth several hundred US Dollars each . . .
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It almost means that you can't tile multiples together for a larger playing surface. Just like Dreadfleet
Hard to argue with and best to copy the marketing strategy of a company whos shares are worth several hundred US Dollars each . . .
How is that a marketing strategy though?
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It almost means that you can't tile multiples together for a larger playing surface. Just like Dreadfleet
Hard to argue with and best to copy the marketing strategy of a company whos shares are worth several hundred US Dollars each . . .
How is that a marketing strategy though?
I think he's just saying that GW made their Dreadfleet mat with an obvious border, and since GW is doing well as a business, there is nothing wrong with copying what they did. It's a strained comparison, perhaps.
The artwork around the edge of the mat doesn't really bother me too much, as I have larger generic sea mats already. Honestly, my guess is that if you are serious enough about your naval action to want to play a larger game that would require putting a couple of these mats together, you probably already have a larger sea mat to work with ;D!
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Yah but those mats look awesome
Dreadfleet only required the play area covered by their mat so GW had an excuse.
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I think he's just saying that GW made their Dreadfleet mat with an obvious border, and since GW is doing well as a business, there is nothing wrong with copying what they did. It's a strained comparison, perhaps.
Yes, right on the nail. There's a lot of larger companies in the hobby that are taking on GW ideas simply because they are GW ideas.
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A new set of updates on the mechanics of Kings of War: Armada have been posted on the Mantic blog over the past week, highlighting the differences from Black Seas on initiative, movement, and shooting so far.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/armada/
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So it doesn't use the wake markers?
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So it doesn't use the wake markers?
That appears to be the case. I haven't played Black Seas, so I'm not sure how big of a rules change this is.
Also, Mantic posted some pics of studio painted models for the first 4 fleets they are launching on their FB page:
Basilean Fleet (coming in November)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/122917831_10158552042032319_3215785228385138515_o.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=2&_nc_sid=0debeb&_nc_ohc=1H0_4ysEUbMAX93DT3h&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=0ff6d80a21d34daa3f77e985bb9ff883&oe=5FBD8957)
Orc Fleet (coming in November)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/122897612_10158552042142319_3528442882227045660_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=2&_nc_sid=0debeb&_nc_ohc=iM7pFZ9pFYsAX-KHwSU&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=926681da55bf757e1c3d1a385a2457bc&oe=5FBBE08F)
Dwarf Fleet (coming 2021)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/122491736_10158552042062319_4600902409691977713_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=0debeb&_nc_ohc=l4Tyyg2IoikAX9lucbX&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=65879bf74868a58353fdcfb010c3d53e&oe=5FBDC785)
Empire of Dust (2021)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/122888669_10158552042087319_5213999072137165058_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=0debeb&_nc_ohc=WTu1ShZBZn8AX-_hUdi&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=afbce826a1ab091a32b88516c63bb2a7&oe=5FBDF5E5)
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Very nice. I like the Empire of Dust particularly. Its funny that we all seem to paint our Orc Fleets in brown and red :-)
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New updates to the Mantic blog on Armada were posted today with official mechanics videos linked to the page below…
https://www.manticgames.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-armada/
Their staff also started out on builds / conversions of the first two starter fleets available on the blog that I hope will continue past the release and on through the next two faction fleets. They are all approaching the bases with different methods of building out the water and waves from storm-tossed…
(https://mantic-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/11/martin-boat6-scaled.jpg)
...to placid...
(https://mantic-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/11/rob-boat2-922x385.jpg)
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Some more information on Armada on the Virtual Open Day from Mantic was released this morning, and is viewable at the Youtube video below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63SFJDba_aY
The Armada content begins roughly at 5:15:00, with updates on shipping delays first, XL ship previews at 5:35:00, and concept art for upcoming factions at 5:45:00. Best news out of the show was that the long-range plan for Armada is new releases on a bi-monthly schedule, Dwarves in January, Empire of Dust in March, etc...
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Solitaire scenarios for Kings of War: Armada were posted on the Mantic blog, including flowcharts of how the opponents will act / react through the turn. The monster scenario in particular looks like it is the most approachable since they operate with simplified arcs of fire.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/solo-play-rules-for-kings-of-war-armada/ (https://www.manticgames.com/news/solo-play-rules-for-kings-of-war-armada/)
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Must admit, this is looking better and better!
The scenarios seems well thought-out too. Lot of thinking has gone into this game it appears, and I hope that this is appreciated and reflected in solid sales.
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Mantic put up more previews on for future Armada releases as part of their weekend stream, and is viewable at the Youtube video below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPRS-iMylI
The Armada block begins at 39:00, with more XL ships first, followed by the first expansion book for this summer, and renders of new faction releases later this year. My expectations for the expansion are sky-high!
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It's a ways off, but with everything postponed due to Covid I'm hoping there will be demos of this at Adepticon 2022.
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I already have my preorder in for Seas Aflame, as I was looking forward to the introduction of flying units into the game, but I was not expecting how much was going to be added into Armada. There is a new preview up on Mantic's blog and I never knew that I needed coastal fortifications until I saw it listed here...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/five-reasons-all-armada-players-need-the-new-seas-aflame-supplement/
Also, the mentions of additional scenarios and a campaign framework is also intriguing, not fortification level, but intriguing nonetheless.
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I never knew that I needed coastal fortifications until I saw it listed here...
Oh, one *always* needs coastal terrain for naval combat, especially the defenses. :)
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Today's entry on the end of the year blogs from Mantic was highlighting the upcoming Armada releases planned for the first quarter of 2022. New renders of the Salamander fleet ships are up, but they also have the new Dwarf flyer models up as well which I was glad to see as they show Mantic at their best...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/christmas-blogs-armada-in-2022/
...As soon as the flyer previews were put up last spring, the entire Internet agreed that the single Dwarf flyer was not in any way representative of the faction, and was nowhere near the standards of the other core fleet flyers. Mantic listened, pulled that release, and now has two flyers that are the equal of the other fleets both in quality and style.
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Preorders and previews have been posted by Mantic on their blog below for the Northern Alliance and Varangur...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/northern-alliance-and-varangur-fleet-preview/
...this release is different from prior fleets, because the ships will come with cards supporting two factions in each box. The Northern Alliance is a new and small faction recently released in the parent game Kings of War, and the older Varangur faction has very little model support currently. Both are located in the north of the setting, so putting them together with similar ships makes narrative sense internally, and allows both smaller factions to be brought into the game.
There is a huge number of armies, and sub-armies, in the other Mantic fantasy games, so I hope we will see more multiple use ships or alternative card packs released for existing fleets.
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Sneak peeks on Armada coming up next summer from the Mantic Open Day this week:
Two new fleets for release, Abyssal Dwarves (bad dwarves), and Trident Realms (undersea dwellers of all types) along with new fortification types, interactive terrain types (volcanoes!), and more scenarios to round out the new book.
From the head of Mantic on the Trident Realms delays:
Ronnie...
“When you are making a ship game, you know with open seas, and you have an army that lives in the water, what do you think the most obvious fleet to do is?”
from the crowd...
“Shark”
“Squid”
“Submarine”
“...unintelligible others...”
Ronnie...
“Yeah you see, this was the hardest one to get natural… took two years to agree on”
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Sneak peeks on Armada coming up next summer from the Mantic Open Day this week:
Official dates are not yet published for this year's Armada releases, but in an update email for the Mantic App today, the title of the next book will be Sea of Dread, set for June.
The tentative date for the next two fleets is late March, and the list builder and rule reference components of Armada are being held back from the companion App until that release.
Some of the sea monsters that will be making up the Trident Realms are halfway down the page on the below link...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/what-fantastic-things-are-in-store-for-the-world-of-pannithor/
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March 20th has been set as the release date for the Trident Realm fleet for Armada, and preorder details are linked to the faction background page at Mantic.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/deep-dive-into-the-lore-armada-trident-realm-of-neritica/
The flyer slot for other fleets has been replaced by “swimmer?” choices of monstrous sea creatures that are still smaller than the other sea monsters that fight surfaced, and are presumably able to maneuver beneath enemy ships with the same ease as other aerial units that can move above unhindered.
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It has been a big week for Armada updates leading up to the 2nd Armada National Championship at Adepticon. Part of the event includes bundle discounts from 25% and up on starters or faction collections from the Mantic booth that are far past the 20% discount for full factions from the website currently.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/blood-in-the-water-2nd-annual-adepticon-armada-tournament/
There are also more articles on design, rule walkthroughs, and a short story as well that are all cross linked through each other with more to come up until the big week.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/deep-water-armada-short-story-part-one/
https://www.manticgames.com/news/deep-water-armada-short-story-part-two/
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Neat! Glad to see there is so much support for the game. I really wish I could have made it to Adepticon this year. :(
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The Armada portion of the Mantic companion app is now available, it contains rules, a list builder, and tournament registry aid on the free version.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/time-to-surf-the-digital-seas-armada-hits-the-mantic-companion/
This version of the free rules is indexed and formatted for browser viewing with page annotations back to the two main books and will probably replace the currently cut down pdf version of rules available now. Almost all of the rules are included in the free version, but advanced rules and scenarios all are blocked out with stars and are not visible until the version is upgraded. The one notable omission is the optional magic rules.
>>With a subscription all of the advanced rules are available with related page links, and the scenarios are all described with full color diagrams exactly like the physical books.
The list builder allows quick construction with drop down menus, and as far as I can tell has accurate pointing and special rule inclusions. Just like before, the special rules are all marked in the builder, but without descriptions on the free version. The one omission in the builder is glaring though, no Kingdom of Men ships are included from the standalone fleet with no ships that was designed for quick porting over from historical.
>>With a subscription the advanced rules and fleet special rules appear under the list as upgrades are added onto ships and a linked summary is available for all possible choices. There is also the option to track activations, fire positions, and ship speed on screen while playing.
The tournament aid allows quick reference over to upcoming events with format descriptions, links, and results pages to be filled in after each event. At the moment, the only sort function is by country, but it looks to be easily expandable to other searchable methods. For organizers, there is a walkthrough summary of event calendar creation, list maintenance, and result entry.
Overall, this seems to be great implementation of Armada into an all purpose application, and the best part is any Mantic user with two other companion game system subscriptions will automatically receive Armada access as well as part of their tiered structure for more visibility.
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Mantic has partnered with Warhall for an online Unity version of Armada.
https://www.manticgames.com/news/play-armada-for-free-anytime-anywhere-with-anyone/
Models are loaded for the first few released fleets, except for Kingdoms of Men again, and all of the measurement tools you would need are built into the simulator including turning pivots, and most impressively, a wind initiative tracker that can be drawn progressively across the board when determining activation order.
Integration with the Mantic list builder is also well done, and importing a list from the app populates the appropriate ships from your fleet next to your deployment zone. The first scenarios are also loaded with appropriate terrain, and they resize along with the table which is also user defined, but the zoom on the inbuilt camera limits the largest dimension to five feet.
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More information is out for this summer's expansion to Armada, Seas of Dread...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/ghosts-and-pirates-new-ways-to-play-armada-seas-of-dread-supplement/
...besides the new terrain pieces that were mentioned in earlier previews, two new ways to construct fleets will be included, ghost ships and pirate ships, that will allow variants of play to be built around existing collections.
Also announced are resin upgrade packs on the way...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/friday-pre-orders-coming-home-to-port/
...with new terrain from Seas of Dread, with fortifications from Seas Aflame, and sea monsters as well. Each of these look to be boxed sets only, no individual purchases so far.
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Those are looking really great!
BTW, it looks like Mantic has made the game available to play virtually!
https://www.manticgames.com/news/mantic-joins-forces-with-warhall-the-wargaming-simulator/
@Kelly, want to get a game in sometime? ;)
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This afternoon Mantic opened a new service called the Vault to offer 3D printing files from older resin pieces. Of Armada interest are the first five Basilean and Orc ships from the starter box and boosters for each fleet… the stls are unsupported so they do need some work to adapt them into one’s individual printer but the files are very high definition, and probably are the exact ones from Mantic’s resin production masters...
https://www.manticgames.com/news/mantic-vault-faqs/
Mantic is the first major publisher that I am aware of that is embracing stls to this extent, but they have stated that hard plastic production is continuing separately, and the only Vault releases will be from resin originals post-three years or add-on pieces, so this could be a reasonable hybrid business model.
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The XL size ships and flyer packs for Basileans and Orcs were both released on the Mantic Vault this week, so both of the two first factions are now fully supported via stl files. Also released were the majority of the Dwarf ships with the exception of their flyer pack and smallest ship. Beyond those new Armada ships, there are also options for supported files on each, and my first supported ship was this Dwarf Fury…
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2023/6/4/1168474_sm-Armada%2C%20Dwarves%2C%20Fury%2C%20Mantic%2C%20Vault.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1168474-Armada%2C%20Dwarves%2C%20Fury%2C%20Mantic%2C%20Vault.html)
…I was pleasantly surprised by their supporting, and had no problems detaching them after the print, which is a big difference between my own Isambard Kingdom Brunel approach to adding supports. I have been against presupported stls but these were very well designed, and I did not see any issues with print artifacts.
The file sizes on these new releases are still massive to the point of being unmodifiable, but if the others continue to be easily printable that is a small price to pay.
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The one omission in the builder is glaring though, no Kingdom of Men ships are included from the standalone fleet with no ships that was designed for quick porting over from historical.
New updates are effective today for the online Mantic Companion app, with Kingdoms of Men (!) added into the list builder, along with the two new fleet options introduced by Seas of Dread, the Ghost and Pirate varieties, along with neutral ships available for every fleet.
Even more exciting than the fleet additions is that the list export function now allows ship cards to be printed, and not only prints of the base stats, but the pdf incorporates the adjustments to each ship from the options selected during building. Personally, this will save a lot of copy and pasting on my side, as I have to put those numbers onto cards to remember them.
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A new direction for Armada is out with the release of a Frontier project on MyMiniFactory through next month, covering pdfs of the base game and stls of the original two fleets, Basilea and Orcs. There is nothing much new on the project that has not already been released through the Mantic Vault, so this is mainly a marketing campaign to introduce Armada to existing users of the MyMiniFactory site, and bring them into the game.
https://www.myminifactory.com/frontier/armada-the-game-of-naval-battles-2156