Before the Antares activity for 2018 gets underway…let’s take a look back at 2017 and what a year it has been!
Happy New Year!
2017 saw a continued expansion to the Antares range. We finished the core units for each faction, released the Chryseis Shard supplement, Hazard suits, several new M4/T7 based vehicles, more Ghar crawlers, more Tsan Ra, and ended the year the much-awaited Boromite Hauler. On the second birthday of Antares, we also saw the launch of the Hükk, the Mercenaries-for-Hire selector and rules and, above all, a new, central hub for all Antares related information: the Nexus.
Grab your own copy of the Chryseis Shard here!
This last year also saw the industrious Andy Hobday having to step aside to focus on other, critical projects and step into other new releases – where his launch skills will no doubt do as much for them they did for Antares! In his place, though, we have Jon Russell and Tim Bancroft. Jon has adopted the Gatebuilders into his worldwide demo team, and Tim has joined us part time to provide and co-ordinate content for us. Tim has already written the 2018 supplement, currently termed ‘Dronescourge’, has redesigned the quick reference sheets, produced more background for us, helped develop the rules, acts as the internal Antares focus (working with Rick) and has edited and assembled the Nexus content.
Some of our 2017 favourites!
What that means is that Warlord Games is extending its support for Antares. Tim and Rick are expanding the background and we’re looking to expand the Nexus and its online functionality still further. Already, we’ve a host of unit and faction information, scenarios, rules advice, and extended background. ‘Rules Central’ is now the focus for the FAQ, errata, online extensions, the rules index, and access to the PDF army lists – if you haven’t seen it, we’d thoroughly recommend a visit!
Check out the Rules Central section of the Nexus here.
So what else does 2018 hold for Antares?
It’s looking to be a great year. We’ve loads of plans, some of which are firmer than others, so we have to say that all the planned releases below are tentative, more so the further out they get. Before we start, though, no doubt the Vorl come to mind: due to the plastics involved, the Vorl are unlikely to be on the table until 2019 but Tim and Rick will be working on the Vorl supplement this year. However, we’ve already seen some sneak peaks, and Warlord boss John Stallard and Studio
head Paul Sawyer mentioned the word ‘vehicles’, so here goes…
First quarter: We’ve already seen the AI X-howitzer, but we can expect a few more support teams coming out for finish off the core army options, as well as some skimmer command units. We’ll also see some command variant models and the flying stands as individual packs. What most of us are excited to see, though, is the arrival of the Isorian combat and transport drones – the Mahran Vesh and Tograh – as well as the Algoryn Defiant transport. Judging by the prototypes, these vehicles all look superb.
Later: In direct response to community requests we’re repackaging the drones and probes and releasing NuHu drone swarms. We’re also hoping to flesh out the core buddy drones, have a number of individual model variations and a squad of panhumans for the Concord, notably the C3 Krasz Assault troops – deadly! From the all-important vehicle perspective, we are likely to see the emergence of the heavy skimmers and combat drones such as the Algoryn’s Bastion, and the Concord/Freeborn equivalent, the M25.
Roundabout mid-year we’ll see the launch of a new supplement, The Dronescourge Return. With this comes a new faction – the Virai Dronescourge. As might be expected, the Virai are virulent drones, sentient machines once wiped out but now re-introduced following the Xilos catastrophe. There are a few extensions to the Ghar in the form of a Ghar Exile army list – Ghar who are escaping Karg and his cronies, but who are too loyal to become Rebels. As Dronescourge focuses on combat in enclosed spaces aboard ships, it also includes an interesting Freeborn pirate privateer and salvageer selector. The Virai drone prototypes look sharp and sinister and need to be handled very differently to the other factions!
Later, we hope to see the Boromite Rock Brood with the much-needed suspensor platform for their handler, more support teams, the Freeborn Meld Skark, a scavenged hauler for the Virai and the unusual Ghar dropper. Phew. There’s more on the cards, too, such as individual model variations, great characters, panhumans, and head sprues.
We’re looking forward to a release-packed year during which the studio will be incredibly busy – and that’s just on Antares!
Have a wonderful 2018.
Dive into the Antares world with the Kar’a Nine starter set!
Sam Phillips