Hey folks,

With the end of the LNG product promotion coming up at the end of this coming Friday (2/7/19), I wanted to post really quickly and thanks folks for the orders we have received so far as well as, and just as importantly, the feedback and ideas that have been shared.

It is clear that there is a lot of love for our products and I do hope to be able to use these ideas as a map for future products. While not every idea may be used, there are still plenty of good solid suggestions with many being drawn from the rich lore that I like to put behind each of my alien races. Most popular seems to be the Ikwen and I cannot say this surprises me as they have a very evocative and deep background to be explored.

With suggestions for existing ranges still pouring in (keep them coming) i would also like to say that this is also a great time to suggest or request new ranges. There is a lot more that could be done outside or to compliment the existing, Chuhuac, Yan'drassi, Iken, and Wasteland ranges. Do you want new aliens? Are there other settings and genres you would like to see explored? Looking for fantasy? Supers? Let us know. We are always listening. Even after the sale is over, your ideas are always welcome.

You still have today and tomorrow to get your 20% off discount on LNG minis so get them while you can. Whether you are starting a new force or expanding on an old one, it's a great time to grab some LNG goodness. Find the sale - HERE

Take care and good gaming,

-Eli

Loud Ninja Games - Owner/lead designer

Posted by Eli Arndt at 7:15 AM 1 comment:

Labels: Chuhuac, Ikwen, sale, Yan'drassi

Loud Ninja Games will be releasing in late November though 15mm.co.uk brand new codes at the core of which are the fantastic Tavshar Archon mecha in 15mm scale. This article by Eli Arndt gives you an introduction to the concepts and story behind the mecha and how they came to be. The sketching here was done by Sam Croes who is a big fan of LNG and who has also painted up an Archon too. See Loud Ninja Games HERE. Take it from here Eli...

The Story of the Archon

The Yan’drassi (YD) Archon mecha started out as an idea for how to add some heavy firepower to the existing YD range. So far, the range includes several infantry option and a light vehicle that has some firepower but not enough to take the fight to an opponent’s medium to heavy vehicle. While tanks and other vehicles are definitely in the realm of possibility for the YD, I felt the first release since the Kickstarter really needed to make a statement and mecha certainly make a statement.

For the design, I contacted sculptor Sean Bullough who had sculpted the original Yan’drassi range and who I knew was a huge anime and mecha fan with a broad frame of reference for the genre and various design aesthetics. I had seen his work with ClearHorizon miniatures first Kickstarter and the great work he had done on their mecha design and so I was confident in his ability to deliver a quality model.

This is one of the first projects I have done where there was no concept art. Sean and I talked about design elements I wanted and drew mostly from references drawn from other existing mecha. The process was a lot of back and forth with me giving some design points and sending and image and Sean sending me his own thoughts and additional reference ideas. Sean has a vast collection of mecha pictures that he was able to draw from so we quickly found our stride in design process. For me, the key was to make a design that looked like it fit in with the existing Yan’drassi aesthetic. This meant rounded shapes. As the Archons are piloted be the YD’s elites, the Tavshar, I also wanted the Archon to resemble the Tavshar Primes. This second element meant making them look like a warrior’s armour as much as a battle ready machine.

For weapons, I wanted the Archon to have a good number of choices. I wanted all versions of the Archon to have missile support so a pair of vertical launch missiles pods was added. The original three weapon options were a basic Shredder rifle, a sword/shield combo and the powerful, lance-like Singularity Cannon capable of launching micro black holes across the battlefield. After these the model had been molded and Gavin and I started talking about release plans, it was decided to add an additional three weapon options to the Archon to provide greater depth and variety to the design. These new parts were designed by Sam Croes and would include a new more powerful Plasma Rifle, a missile launcher version with several add-on missile pods, and a massive Ripper Cannon with an attached combat blade. This brought the total options to six, making the Archon a versatile and unpredictable opponent. There are six different Archon mecha single codes.

The final model does including a lot of individual parts, regardless of which weapon configuration you choose. This was a by product of trying to minimize the number of individual parts that needed to be made, allowing us to then re-use many parts by making the model mostly poseable. This makes the Archon a more advanced model and one that will take a bit of attention with a fantastic reward.

So, where does the Archon fit into the Yan’drassi force structure?

Archons are elite war machines, piloted by Tavshar that have reached the rank of Prime and shown their prowess in battle above other Primes, making them the elite among elites. Archon is not only the name of the mecha but also the new rank of those who pilot them. Each Archon selects its weapon load based on its mission or sometimes the preference of the individual Archon where command edict does not override personal choice. A mix of weapon types is common, allowing Archons operating in force to counter unexpected threats. Archons are most often tasked with providing heavy support to lesser troops alone or in small groups, but may be used as strike teams by themselves.

For general combat Shredder Guns and Plasma Cannons, supported by Heavy Ripper Guns are the most effective, combining withering fire with powerful long-range plasma fire. For heavier targets Singularity Cannons and Missiles are best. On the rare occasions, where assault in necessary, there is nothing better than the combination of a powered blade and shield for wading into enemy formations.

We hope you enjoyed this read and you can find Loud Ninja Games range HERE. There will be one more big article on the Tavshar Archons which will show you all the codes, the poses, the bundles and reaction forces which are being released late November.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Posted by Eli Arndt at 11:33 AM 2 comments:

Labels: 15mm, 15mm.co.uk, Preview, Yan'drassi

This range was created through a successful Kickstarter project that not only achieved its goal but managed to squeeze out a couple of extras along the way, and if that wasn't cool enough, it shipped really quick. While most of the credit for making this happen goes to the backers on Kickstarter, I have to give equal credit to the sculptor, Sean Bullough, and Gavin Syme and crew at 15mm.co.uk for their excellent artistic and technical work - both fast and proficient.

So who are these awesome aliens?

The Yan'drassi are collective of worlds all governed by the enigmatic and seldom (if ever) seen Yan. Each client race does its part to support the greater good of the Yan'drassi. Some do this through industrial, economic, or agricultural means while others have nothing but their own citizens to offer. These worlds with nothing of great value other then their people are those that make up the fighting arm of the Yan'drassi. The most commonly encountered species within the military orders are the Neeks, Tavshar, and Horgosi.

Neeks

Neeks are a diminutive planet-bound species of humanoids who were saved from catastrophic overpopulation by the Yan'drassi. They send countless numbers of their people into the stars to fight for the Yan'drassi. Being very simple creatures, they are the lowest rung of the military order providing ample cannon fodder.

Tavshar

Tavshar are a warrior race who, while possessed of interstellar travel and their own collection of conquered worlds, recognized a greater opportunity for proving themselves in combat by joining the Yan'drassi military order. They are artful, martial, and precise providing the military orders with a core of elite soldiers and leaders for less capable troops like the Neeks.

Horgosi

Leaders

The Yan'drassi mlitary order also includes several sorts of leaders. Often these are just senior Tavshar weilding plasma staffs that function both as ranged weapons and energized melee weapons. They also work to give a nice zap to unruly Neeks. Horgosi will not be led by regular Tavshar leaders and usually follow their own. The exception to this would be the Tavshar Primes which are elite veterans of considerable skill, power, and repute. The Horgosi also have their own Primes.

Support

The Yan'drassi military order has many weapons at its disposal for the support of its troops. This release reveal two of these in the form of the Tavshar Gun Skimmer and the Horgosi Berserker. The gun skimmer allows a single Tavshar to fly about the battlefield bringing the firepower of two plasma guns and a pair of splinter guns to the enemy. Operated in squadron, they are lethal light air support. If needed, their riders can dismount to fight in close combat with plasma pistols.

The Berserker is a dishonored Horgosi made pariah to his people by murdering an opponent in a duel. While brutal to other forms of life, the Horgoi respect their own kind and nowhere else is this displayed more than in their duels for honor and supremacy. Those Horgosi who break this sacred taboo have their horn removed as a show of disgrace and live a marginalized existence on the fringes of their society. The Yan'drassi have turned these outcasts into weapons.

Giving them powered harnesses and with integral force field generators, kinetic force gauntlets and built-in splinter guns, they are charges at the enemy, rending anything unfortunate to get in their way to scraps. If killed, the Berserker's harness overloads and detonates in a powerful ball of plasma energy.

Posted by Eli Arndt at 9:44 AM No comments:

Labels: 15mm, 15mm.co.uk, News, Yan'drassi

Hello all you Loud Ninjas out there,

The Yan'drassi Invasion Kickstarter project has been and continues to be a success and as we move into our last few days, I hope that we will see that last little push to end it on a great note.

This project has produced a nice range of figures across three distinct alien species and has even moved into its first war machine. We have squads of Neeks, Tavshar, and Horgosi as well as characters for the Tavshar and Horgosi called Primes. Their are also unit builder packs, without squad leaders) for those who want larger units than those released in the standard packs. The Tavshar Gun Skimemr is a light attack vehicle being worked on and if the project funds enough, we'll see the release of a battlesuit as well.

Please take a looks at the WIP picture below and consider joining Loud ninja Games and all the wonderful backers in the final push to the Yan'drassi Invasion -

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/485545784/the-yandrassi-invasion-new-15mm-scifi-alien-force

Posted by Eli Arndt at 9:07 AM No comments:

Labels: 15mm, Kickstarter, Scifi, Yan'drassi

Project image

Click image to go to Kickstarter

Hey folks,

We here at Loud Ninja Games are happy to announce our second Kickstarter project - The Yan'Drassi Invasion. This project will bring a second force to our catalog and to your gaming tables and depicts an alien force made up of several species, each filling a role determined by their natural characteristics and strengths.

Check it out and help us bring another cool alien force to the hobby.

-Eli

Posted by Eli Arndt at 7:44 PM No comments:

Labels: 15mm, Announcement, Kickstarter, Yan'drassi