Friday, October 9, 2015

Strange Aeons - Kickstarter Review

Back in October of last year, I put money into a Kickstarter for the Second Edition of Strange Aeons, a set of rules for Lovecraftian skirmish games. A year later, the Kickstarter has finally been completed, and I received my pledge.


Since I didn't have a lot of money to spend a year ago, I went in with a basic pledge - enough to get m the rulebook in both physicial and digital format, the starter set, and a token set. I also received some Kickstarter-only bonuses.

The rulebook is spiral bound, which is extremely useful when reading or playing, as the book will sit flat. It's filled with both fantastic art of Lovecraftian horrors and pictures of the miniatures that the Kickstarter helped to produce.

I can't say much to the quality of the rules themselves, although the previous edition always received high praise. Hopefully I'll get a game in soon enough.


The starter set comes with four Threshold agents (the protagonists of the game, who stand in the way of the cultists and monsters), and I received an additional miniature as a Kickstarter bonus - an Exorcist.  

The resin used for the miniatures is of high quality, with plenty of detail and little flash that only required a short cleaning time to clear away. There are some places where detail gets a little mushed, and I've found a couple holes, but for the most part these are great sculpts.  


Opposing the Threshold agents are the servants of all the insane deities of the cosmos, and the vast majority of them are cultists. The starter set comes with five - a leader, and two each of a knife and gun wielding variety. Additionally, I received a midget cultist and a Maniac.

These sculpts were even better than the Threshold agents, and I can't wait to get them painted up.

It should be noted that UMW have decided to cast the miniatures in two different colored resin - blue for the Threshold, and green for the Lurkers. It helps distinguish the two sides if you don't feel like painting the miniatures.


Of course, it wouldn't be a Lovecraftian game if there weren't any horrors included, so the starter set also includes a Formless Thing and a Fishman. 

When the rest of the miniatures are released, I'll probably be picking up some Innsmouth-themed minis to go along with the Fishman.


Finally, the starter set also comes with four objective markers (three crates and a chest). Kickstarter backers also received a couple extra bonuses - a tombstone with the name "Pickman" on it to be used as a grave marker for certain kinds of Lurkers, and some pumpkins. 

I'm glad that I've finally gotten my pledge after the wait, and now I'm watching UMW's store page for more of the kickstarter miniatures to be released. Hopefully I'll be able to get a game in with Carl, another Lovecraft fan. 

2 comments:

  1. Those minis are lovely. I'm regretting only getting the rules, cards and templates now! Still...very exciting! Can't wait to get a game in!

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    1. I'm looking forward to getting a game in as well! From what I can tell, UMW should start releasing the new resin miniatures sometime early 2016. I've got my money ready.

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