Dark Age: Coolness Overload!
Sweet St. Mary, just what exactly has been going on in Samaria these last few weeks?
I don’t typically like to exaggerate or hyperbolize, but I think my computer just started smoking trying to contain all the awesome that has been going on this July on the Dark Age Facebook Page. They’re showing off literally dozens of new sculpts along with revised cards for nearly every model in the forsaken faction.
It’s all for the upcoming Forsaken book that’s being released at Gencon which is coming up so soon I can hardly believe it.
The Faction is getting a huge overhaul. Every single miniature more than a few years old is getting resculpted. This is a huge deal for those of us who love the game. A lot of Forsaken models, like say the old Bane and Coil sculpts, have been in service for thirteen years or more.
These sculpts, like many of the game’s older models, were based on paintings by the artist Brom. As the game grew, they ran out of Brom paintings, and in the last five years or so, the game has begun to develop a distinct and original aesthetic all it’s own. These new models are stylistically more in line with the current range while still showing off their Brom roots.
Man these Firestorms really needed an update.
There are also loads of brand new models like these mounted Saints. We first saw the rules for these monsters in last years book: Fanaticism. The model for St. Mark made a brief appearance for sale at this year’s Templecon and hadn’t been seen since until his recent return along with the other three.
On top of all that, Dark Age is showing off sculpts for a brand new Saint and his accompanying forces. Isaac and his robots are brand new to the game.
And while there aren’t any minis for them yet the previews for a seventh saint, Joan the Inquisitor, and her cohorts strike me as the most tantalizing of all.
Now a bit of background while I show off more pics. The game takes place on Samaria, a harsh planet whose human inhabitants have only recently begun to claw their way back from a “Dark Age” where most of their technology had been lost. Forsaken are the primary human power in the Dark Age universe. They’ve recovered a lot of technology, much of it more advanced than our own, but it’s concentrated at the top. Most Forsaken citizens would be delighted to own something as advanced as a wheelbarrow. To make matters worse the forsaken governing body is an oppressive theocracy.
The Prevailers were released at last years Gencon
On the battlefield this aspect of their culture is represented by the Prevailers Subfaction with their awesome Archangels. They’re out to crush anyone who gets in their way. But there’s more to the Forsaken. In the harsh lands surrounding Port City, the forces of the Saints are usually (depending on the Saint in question) trying to make people’s lives better.
St. Mary and St. John seem genuinely interested in helping unfortunates. St. Mark uses his title in search of power, but manages to save plenty of lives along the way. How can you be adored and respected if you let everyone who adores you get killed? St. Luke has also come to the aid of many in need, but there’s a good chance he’ll end up using them all in an attempt at revenge against the Prevailer Council responsible for ordering the execution of his family.
Then there’s the renegade St: Johann. He… you know what just stay the hell away from that guy.
If this stuff looks interesting to you, the next steps are to check out the Dark Age Facebook Page, go through some of the other Dark Age articles BoLS has done, or of course visit their homepage. The rules are free there in the downloads tab, along with the cards for every model that’s been released already. There’s even a fan page on Facebook you can check out to see if anyone plays near you. This is where the community is most active, so it’s really a better place to go than the forums.
And if you’re not going to Gencon, just check out the Coolminiornot store during the show. They’ve stated plans to have some early releases on sale in their store for that weekend only. After that you’ll just have to wait for the street date. And it won’t just be Forsaken pre-releases. There’s more Outcast stuff, and the Kukulkani will finally get this crazy thing.
~Hope you enjoyed the article. If you have had literally zero prior interest in Dark Age, are all these cool new models enough to get you to change your mind?
