Prestige Traits!

One of the new features in our fantasy supplement Epic Heroes is the introduction of Prestige Traits. These are special abilities or training that enhance or build upon other Traits that must first be had by the model. Once the requirement is met the model may buy the Prestige Trait, which has a Supply Point cost and takes a slot for Trait maximums.

One such Trait builds on the Abomination In...born Trait and represents the mind bending terrors from the great Beyond...

Eldritch Horror (PST)
Requires: Abomination

Teetering on the edge of madness, this dread terror stalks the minds of those who oppose it. As enemies approach, waves of gibbering insanity flood over them, reducing them to mewling idiots, rife with drool.

Enemy models within this model’s CMD/2 Rating in inches suffer a CMD/2 penalty.
10 SP

 

Lovecraft & Smith would approve. :)

Demo Day at Gamescape North!

Our Brink of Battle Demo Cadre made a showing last Sunday at Gamescape North in San Rafael California.  It was me and Drew "Daimyo" Davies throwing dice with the Gamescape crew.

The thing I love about Gamescape North is that they really get behind their products.  As you can see this month they are running a "Play with the Designer" series. I thought that was really neat. 

If you haven't been to Gamescape North you are missing out.  Andre and his staff, Max & Jordan, have the shop running like a well oiled machine.  Just look at the selection below, and talk about friendly service!  Definitely one of my favorite shops.

As many of you know, I used to be a retailer and built a strong customer base at Hobbies of Reno with Alan Washburn. Therefore I appreciate good 'face out' merchandizing. :)  Below you see the kind of company BoB is keeping.  A great compliment to other skirmish options.

And here is Daimyo in the center hard at work.  On the far left is John Murphy, a friend we made at Pacificon earlier this year.  And on the far right is Andre Sisneros, co-owner of Gamescape North.

 

We look forward to doing a demo of Epic Heroes in the near future as we ramp up to ConQuest Sacramento in April!

 

Thanks again to Andre and his team for a day well spent playing Brink of Battle!

Demo Day at Gamescape North!

If you are in the North Bay Area Sunday and want to check out a Brink of Battle game, Drew and I will be at Gamescape North from 12-2pm.

Gamescape North is a great store, with excellent staff, diverse product lines, and plenty of gaming space.

Here's the details if you can drop by:

Gamescape North1225 Fourth Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 457-8698
See you there!

Sneak Peek at Epic Heroes!

Here's a list of new Traits that will be in the Epic Heroes Fantasy Supplement. Just a sneak peak. I stopped at 110, but there are still Power Traits, and new Weapons etc, plus all things Magic. I hope you will like what you see. Here's what we have so far for Champion, Inborn, Prestige, and Profile Traits:

Acrobat
Claw Fighter
Combat Reflexes
Combat Shooter
Heightened Senses
Deflection
Disarm
Expert Sniper
Furious Charge
Iron Will
Killing Stroke
Knight Champion
True Grit
Weapon Mastery
Combat Awareness
Killer’s Instinct
Lighting Reflexes
Parting Strike
Knockdown Attack
Mobile Ambush
Amorphous
Amphibious
Brute
Centaur
Construct
Craven
Extraplanar Origin
Durable
Extra Arms
Feral
Graceful
Grasping Extremities
Horrible Stench
Aquan
Insectoid
Just Won’t Die
Big Bastard
Natural Climber
Organic Weapons
Ratskin
Reptilian
Runt
Sentient Construct
Slithering Body
Stout
Toughskin
Arborean
Undead
Zombie
Valiant Heart
Tunneler
Feyborn
Chameleon
Monkey Grip
Paragon
Vulnerable
Immune
Extra Attack
Battle Fury
Bloodlust
Primal Howl
Archmage
Druid
Diabolist
Heroic Poise
Exemplar
Defensive Trample
Tunnel Rat
Seigecraft
Battle Runner
Woodwise
Precise Strike
Wraith
Vampyre
Lich
Ghost Warrior
Grave Lord
Bloodsucker
Bull Rush
Diabolic Fortitude
Avatar
Ascendant Splendor
Avian
Flight
Danger Sense
Two Weapon Defense
Two Weapon Whirlwind
Two Weapon Hurricane
Battle Born
Book Worm
Barrel Chested
Regeneration
Breath Weapon
Necromancer
Transfix
Hypnotize
Dominate
Defensive Stance
Hard Headed
Mighty Thews
Sure Footed
Zealot
Caracole
Loner
Slippery
Assassin
Fusilier
Henchman
Gang Up
 
Now go tell your friends and get them a copy of Brink of Battle, on  SALE now!

Thanksgiving SALE on Brink of Battle!!!

I love Thanksgiving, and want to share that love with all of you!  We are having a SALE now through Monday on all versions of Brink of Battle on lulu.com and Wargame Vault. 

You can link over to lulu and the prices are already set. Or you can go to Wargame Vault for the PDF and use Coupon Code 31538 for your discount.

Print copies are on lulu for $22.46 USD and PDFs are on lulu and Wargame Vault for $16.49!

Noch Weiter!

 

Busy Busy Busy!

Well, I've been making strides with my day job, but it has left me pretty wiped out for doing much else.  However, writing and play testing continue unabated.

In the coming weeks we'll have some announcements, some new ideas, and some new pics.  Hope, hope...

Pacificon Game Expo After Action Report

Over the Labor Day weekend Strategic Elite traveled to Pacificon Game Expo in Santa Clara California. I had my Cadre members with me, and we locked arms once again with The Launchpad Comics & Games to tag team our demo tables near to their sales booth.

My demo Cadre consisted of Drew Davies & Kris Reedy from the Cen Cal Commanders club, as well as Alan Washburn, Scott Cooksley, and Joe Chinnici from the First Born Gaming club in Reno Nevada.

The Launchpad crew consisted of Mike Todd, Jim Mason, Eva Fullerton, and Bryan Holcomb.

[Above & Below: Alan Washburn & Kris Reedy demo on our Euro Village board]

This was my first outing to a full blown 1200+ person gaming convention. Yes, I know, I've either been too poor as a young man, or too busy as an adult to attend bigger conventions. For me, this was a grand affair. I was also invited to attend the War College as a featured speaker.

The best part was that I was attending with so many of my friends. In addition to everyone listed above, Mike Zabkar from Mike's Games & Collectibles was there sporting his awesome Dust Tactics costume on Saturday (he won the contest), as well as Curtis & Sarah Lyon of Savage Mojo fame.

We arrived later in the evening on friday, got the tables set up and headed out to the Flea Market. I had high hopes that there would be gobs of great stuff, but alas, no, it was my only disappointment. The flea market is the one thing the Staff cannot control. If people don't have stuff to sell, then that's not the Con's fault. So with that we hit the hay and started Saturday fresh.

[Above: Jim Mason, one of the owners of The Launchpad and secret Space Pirate in his spare time.]

Saturday was a bit of a different experience. It seemed to us that the attendees were a bit less energetic than we had thought they would be. The Cadre ran demos all day, and some books were sold.

I spoke at the War College to an audience of two: Kurt & Paul. I had hoped for more, but since nobody knows who I am, or what my game is about, I was thrilled that I had two people willing to llisten!

We had a great time discussing Brink of Battle, and Kurt in particular was a one man whirlwind of excitement! That was a great feeling. Someone getting excited about my brain child is such a rewarding feeling.

We ended the day out on the patio smoking a batch of cigars I bought for the occasion. Then into the main game room for some furious games of Heroclix and Star Trek Tactics.

Sunday was fantastic! We had experienced the kind of energy from the attendees that we had expected to feel on Saturday. We think it had to do with the number of big gaming events in the wargaming room. Greg from the Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento had his Pirates of the Carob-bean Sea mega game in 15mm which is a visual feast!

We also liked the 47 Samurai table, of which I thought I snapped pics, but apparently didn't. It was pretty damn cool. I bought Arkham Horror board game from Mike & Jim, and after a loooong ass day myself, Alan, Drew, Mike Z, and Joe sat down to rummy our fatigued brains through it. And yes, we beat Cthulhu. We bad.

Monday brought more demos, and some lengthy and engaging conversations with new BoB owners/players. I am looking forward to seeing those conversations grow into a much larger Brink of Battle player base.

The Staff

Gabriel Vega and I became fast friends back in March at ConQuest Sacramento. He really cares about the history of this convention, and the people that are involved in its preparation and execution. I look forward to many more opportunities to strengthen our friendship and further the growth of both of these great conventions.

Aldo Ghiozzi took the time to coach me on stretching my distribution of BoB on Saturday. I want to thank him again for bringing me some valuable insights to a side of the industry that I'm not well versed in. Also, he did a great job managing the Dealer's room and making sure we had what we needed. I look forward to working with Aldo in the future.

I got to talk more with Mike Zbella, another great guy. He was Johnny on the Spot with the projector for my presentations. He was zipping around like the Flash making sure all needs were being met for the participants and vendors. Great job Mike.

I also had the pleasure of meeting John Wootress, and getting to know him. We have much in common, and he was even able to join us for a cigar. I don't offer that to just anybody! Great hanging out with you John.

I didn't get to meet Dave Partak, but will make a point of it at ConQuest.

Also, Jackie and Dawn were great to work with, and all in all, we had a great experience with all the staff.

Strategic Elite & The Launchpad also got to form a strategic alliance with Mike's Games & Collectibles, and Curtis & Sarah Lyon, and our friends in First Born Gaming. We will be working together as a team to bring more games, players, and events to the Central Valley and Reno areas.

See you all at ConQuest in 2013.

Noch Weiter!

Bob

We're going to Pacificon!

After a much needed hiatus into my Batcave to recharge my creative batteries, me and the Demo Team are headed out to Santa Clara this weekend for our first Pacificon!!!

Come join us for 4 days of great gaming. We'll be running non-stop demos from 9-5 on Saturday & Sunday, and from 9-1 pm. We will have Romans vs Gauls, Swedes vs German Imperialists, and US Infantry vs Fallschirmjager as well as some Dwarves vs Human Mercs and an Ogre!

I will also be speaking at the War College, so be sure to sign up to learn more about Brink of Battle and its future releases.

See you there!

Bob

Brink of Battle on TV at StocktonCon!!!

I've been hibernating in my Batcave lately, so sorry for no posts. But here's a doozy. We linked arms again with our friends at The Launchpad Comics & Games and went to the first StocktonCon event today.

And we got on TV! You can see the full clip here:

http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7580355-stockton-con/

That's Jim and Dave from The Launchpad and our friend Mike Zabkar from Mike's Collectibles. Strategic Elite, The Launchpad, and Mike's Collectibles all in one 3 minute clip. That's the Trifecta of Gaming Awesome in the Central Valley!

Noch WEITER!

Bob

Demo Day at Wargaming Society of Sacramento!

Drew, Kris, and myself had an opportunity to set up our demo tables at the Wargaming Society of Sacramento's July meeting yesterday. We want to thank the guys for such a warm reception! We'll definitely be back.

We had one table with our WW2 set up of Fallschirmjager & US Infantry squaring off in the wilderness.

The other board had the Renaissance fantasy town set up for our Epic Heroes showdown between a Dwarf Guild and some Human mercenaries accompanied by an ogre named Igor the Terrible!!! Oh yeah!

Noch Weiter!

Action Photos!

Here are some snaps from our Epic Heroes learning games a couple of weeks ago. Mike Zabkar brought out his Chronopia Vulture Warrior Dwarves and they stomped the yard against my fragile Wood Elves of the Wychwood.

Next time!

Q& A with Anatoli's Game Room!

Alex just posted his interview with me discussing everything you want to know about Brink of Battle!

You can read it here http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2012/06/interview-with-robert-faust-writer-of.html

Thanks again Alex!

EPIC HEROES ASHCAN RELEASED!!!

FREE Fantasy Game Supplement for Brink of Battle: Skirmish Gaming through the Ages!

Now you can take the core rules and add Magic, Monsters, and a whole new group of Traits and Gear allowing you to play Fantasy games with your Brink of Battle Rulebook!

Add Fantasy races, Traits, new regular Gear and Magic Gear, as well as Spells and two Plug & Play Fantasy worlds to choose from. Also included is a Sneak Peek at the final supplement due out in January 2013!

Grab your sword and your rulebook and become one of the greats; one of the EPIC HEROES!!!

You can get your FREE copy here http://www.wargamevault.com/product/103402/Epic-Heroes%3A-Skirmish-Gaming-in-the-Realms-of-Fantasy-Ashcan-Edition?manufacturers_id=4496

Dust off your Warbands!!!

Big announcements coming soon from Strategic Elite for Brink of Battle: Skirmish Gaming through the Ages!

Alan and Gilbert have been slaving away at the artwork and I'm going blind crunching rules mechanics. Dust off your fantasy warbands and get ready for more fun than you've had in a long, long time....

Somethings coming...

D-Day Commemoration Sale on Brink of Battle PDF!!!

In commemoration of D-Day June 6th 1944, Brink of Battle is on SALE for $6.00 off current price! Yes, now you can buy the PDF from Wargames Vault for only $16.49!!!

This discounted price will last from June 1st, 2012 through June 6th, 2012. You can get your copy here http://zkluroztcttctzorulkz.wargamevault.com/index.php?discount=30074

Brink of Battle: Skirmish Gaming through the Ages gives you all the rules you need to recreate man-to-man level skirmish games from ANY period in History! Use your existing models and play from 3000 BC to Modern day. Learn more at www.brinkofbattle.com

This offer ends on D-Day, so DON'T DELAY!!!

Noch Weiter!

Bob Faust

More pictures from the re-shoot

Here are some re-shot photos I took today. Still dealing with too much light, believe it or not.

That's Scrote the Butcher giving the 'what for'!

Coming Updates!

Greetings all! I wanted to give an update on where things are with the game.

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. things are full swing on the Fantasy supplement play test. This is a massive project that will likely alter the way people play fantasy skirmish games hence forth.We're taking the "Tool box for the Imagination" concept Anatoli coined to the next level.

In addition to that, I plan on finally getting a battle report done for the game and posted on the site in the next two weeks.

We are also looking into doing short videos that show game play. I also will do a write up on an entire Turn sequence to grant some insight into the game play.

Finally, in the next month I will start a column called 'Take Aim' that will dive into one or two aspects of the rules in greater detail.

Lot's to do, and Guilder to blame for it. I'm swamped. :)

Noch Weiter!

Bob

World War 2 Fallschirmjager & US Infantry!

Here are two pics of the Demo Forces we used for our Brink of Battle WW2 Mediterranean demo.

Thirty Years' War demo game models

These are the models we use for our demo games of Brink of Battle Period 2- Early Modern for the Thirty Years' War. Models are a mix of Perry, Warlord, and Foundry. All painted by yours truly.

New Review from a Solo Wargamer's Perspective!

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to say that Terrement from The Miniatures Page and Terrement's Lair wargaming Blog has posted his thorough and favorable review of Brink of Battle from the viewpoint of a Solo Wargamer!

You can read his review here http://terrement.6sided.net/brink-of-battle-skirmish-gaming-through-the-ages-review-a-different-look-with-emphasis-on-the-solo-gamer%e2%80%99s-perspective/

Noch Weiter!

Bob

Brink of Battle PDF now available at Wargames Vault!

You can now purchase Brink of Battle from Wargames Vault, the largest site for wargame pdf downloads.

You can find it here http://www.wargamevault.com/product/101770/Brink-of-Battle%3A-Skirmish-Gaming-through-the-Ages

Get your copy today!

Brink of Battle turns 6!!! and I turn 42

Yep, it was late in the evening of my 36th birthday when I put pen to paper and began writing what would eventually become Brink of Battle. It has been a fascinating journey to say the least. When I reflect on what has transpired in my life over that period, I am deeply moved.

In that time I fell in love, finished my degree, got my professional licenses, moved out of state, made some great new friends to add to my great old friends, bought a house, got married to my amazing Wife, got promoted, , and experienced a level of joy in my life that I had never known before.

Writing this game has been a part time job through all of those years. I must say, seeing it not only in print, but being so strongly embraced by players has really been a surprisingly humbling experience. It's a piece me being offered to everyone. That thought had never occurred to me before because I was so engrossed in the writing. But when you see the response of those who have purchased and read the book, and they are so friendly, and supportive, and creative, it reminds me how wonderful complete strangers can be. And then some of them begin to really catch the vision of what I've been trying to create, and that is powerful. Yeah, I'm an old man getting misty eyed...

The game has been on the market for one month and the response has been fantastic. And we've barely scratched the surface of potential readership. I am going to be adding the book to Wargames Vault, take out an advertising run in Wargames Illustrated, and send off a copy to the guys at Wargames Soldiers & Strategy for a review in their magazine. Hopefully, that will reach many more people who will then open as Anatoli put it in his review, "A toolbox for the imagination". Well said my friend.

What's Next

Today we posted the first play test document for EPIC HEROES, our Fantasy supplement. EH will let you do several things as you like. You can create your own Fantasy setting, re-create someone else's Fantasy setting, or use the template for my own Fantasy setting. I don't know of another game that gives players that much flexibility in one product. You can download the first release which covers racial traits, which I call Inborn Traits, representing abilities that are inherent to the model organically, rather than as a result of supernatural powers or elite training. In a couple of days we'll add the Play Test feedback form to let you all contribute to what may end up in the final version of the rules.

Well, enough ruminating for now. I'm going to dig out my paintball gun and see if it still works.

Noch Weiter!

Bob

Brink of Battle now available as a PDF!

Brink of Battle is now available as a PDF! Hop on over to our Lulu store and grab a copy today. You can find it here http://www.lulu.com/shop/robert-faust/brink-of-battle-pdf/ebook/product-20059468.html

Noch Weiter!

Bob

FAQ and Force Building Tutorial!

Well, we've had a few weeks of street time with Brink of Battle's release on Lulu.com. Now that many of you have rulebooks, a few consistent questions are coming in.

I'm going to have an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to post in our Other Adventures Forum Official Thread on the Lead Adventure Forum.

I'll also have Alan post it on the website at http://www.brinkofbattle.com/

Since there are no pre-packaged Profiles for your models in this game, many of you have requested a tutorial on how to go about purchasing the Ratings, Traits, and Gear that makes up your model's Profile, and then doing that for the whole Force.

It is a bit different from what most gamers are used to, and that is really the whole point. : ) So this tutorial will help you see a Force built from scratch.

You may notice the hulking badass in the picture above. That's Gath of Baal, also known as the Death Dealer created by Frank Frazetta. And yes, its a nod to the current development of Epic Heroes, our first supplement for Brink of Battle that will allow players to add a Fantasy filter to their BoB games. It will allow you to build your own group driven Fantasy background, or use a few of our own that will be detailed in the book. You will also be able to add Magic and Monsters to the non-Medieval settings like Weird Wild West or Weird War 2!

In a few weeks I'll be posting some Inborn Traits that you can play test with. Inborn Traits are what some would call Racial Abilities. They allow you to build models that are more than Human.

Noch Weiter!

Bob

And MORE ConQuest SAC Brink of Battle PICS!!!

Here are some photos that Chas took:

Swede vs. German - To the Death! Notice the Smoke Tokens in the background. In Brink of Battle smoke is represented both mechanically in the rules as well as in miniature on the tabletop.