As some of you may have noticed, in recent months it has been decided that we need to take a different approach concerning the direction of the company. This change requires us to select what we consider to be the best product lines available and offer them to you in retail fashion on our website and our physical location. While this may seem a bit strange given our position, we have always considered ourselves a hybrid company and as such have always looked toward innovative ideas and other opportunities to make this company profitable.

So how does all of this affect the Wild Expedition™ product line? I suppose it means that for at least the rest of 2009, our focus will likely be on building the retail side of our business and the manufacturing side will be developed as time permits. We still want to produce all of the great stuff that we have had planned, we just need to take a different direction to get there. Please help support us in this endeavor as we do our best to bring you quality products, not only from our foundry but from other manufacturers as well, at consistently great prices by purchasing from our online store at http://www.miniaturegameworks.com or from our retail location in Stuart Florida.

Thanks for your help...
Happy Gaming!

As some of you may have noticed, in recent months it has been decided that we need to take a different direction concerning the direction of the company. This change requires us to select what we consider to be the best product lines available and offer them to you in retail fashion on our website and our physical location. While this may seem a bit strange given our position, we have always considered ourselves a hybrid company and as such have always looked toward innovative ideas and other ways to make this company profitable.

So how does all of this affect the Dinosaur Expedition™ product line? I suppose it means that for at least the rest of 2009, our focus will likely be on building the retail side of our business and the manufacturing side will be developed as time permits. We still want to produce all of the great stuff that we have had planned, we just need to take a different direction to get there. Please help support us in this endeavor as we do our best to bring you quality products, not only from our foundry but from other manufacturers as well, at consistently great prices by purchasing from our online store at www.miniaturegameworks.com or from our retail location in Stuart Florida.

Thanks for your help...
Happy Gaming!

This castle terms glossary will name and define the parts of castle architecture, castle structure and construction, and will include relevant defense terms.

Adulterine:	The term that is used to define a castle built without royal permission when such permission is required.
Allure:	A walkway along the top of a wall.
Arcade:	An arched covered passageway with columns or piers.
Arch:	A typically curved structural member spanning an opening and serves as a wall support above doors and windows.
Armoury:	A storehouse for the castle's weapons.
Arrow loops:	A vertical narrow slit built into a wall through which arrows are shot.

Additions will be added to this list over time

Hello all,
Just wanted to post an introduction to a new rule set that we will be releasing the first quarter of 2009. While we are almost ready to send the manuscript off to the printers, we are still making final tweaks until the end of the year. We purchased the rules which were previously titled "Into the Dark" from Dan Abbott who is a long-time gamer. Dan's perspective of warfare on the battlefields of the dark and middle ages presented a superb set of rules that capture the difficulties facing leaders of armies at the time, yet remain as enjoyable to play and easy to learn as one could possibly hope for. We feel fortunate that we were able to acquire these rules and though they will look quite different from the original in their final form, the mechanics and core will essential be the same. We anticipate that the need will eventually arise to create a dedicated support area where you will be able to download army lists, orders of battle, supplements and errata. But until that time you can find those items either here, or at the product page for the rules on our regular website.


We would also like to encourage you to post questions and answers to the rules in this forum as this will be the method that we use to review the feedback necessary to make any improvements or changes in the planned second edition release. (projected late 2010 release) We hope you enjoy playing the game and that you will find this product a valuable addition to your hobby repertoire.

Happy Gaming!

Hello All,
You may or may not have noticed that some significant work has been completed on the MGW Forums. The most notable is that we've added content syndication in the form of and RSS or ATOM feed that you can configure and select by clicking the RSS Icon in the area just below the search box in the header above.

We've also upgraded our forum code from 3.0.0RC1 to 3.0.4 so we are now on the latest, greatest revision of code available from the folks at phpBB. The upgrades didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped, so if you find something broken, please let us know so that we can get it fixed.

We hope you enjoy the upgrades and especially the forums!

Happy Gaming!

Well, it has been nearly a month with absolutely no submissions. With that in mind we have dug through the vault of old concepts and ideas and discovered that we had a whole fantasy world that had enough bits and pieces that it not only fit with what we were envisioning for this game, but has enough substance that it establishes the direction the line will take as well as the style of the minis and even some of the faction names.

So what does this mean for the contest? Well, unless we receive submissions with ideas that can be used with the concept work that we currently have, the contest will be over at the end of the year. Jan 1, 2009 will mark the point of no return and we will begin work in full earnest on creating the world of Mythica!

Mythica is a miniatures wargame where players command armies of model soldiers in a struggle to win the day on a tabletop battlefield. This gaming action is set amid a fantasy world like no other, where brave knights, hideous monsters and powerful magic compete for victory in the world of Mythica.

The goal of every Mythica player is to present their army against the armies of other players across the fantastic battlefields of the game. Win or lose, all Mythica battles are entertaining challenges in which you attempt to gain victory over your opponent or opponents by using strategies and tactics that you create while taking advantage of what good luck may come your way, yet ultimately relying upon your abilities to command your army in order to win the day.

To begin your journey into this exciting game and hobby, as with any adventure real or imagined, you will need a few things. The first item you will need is the basic Mythica Rule Book. The second thing you will need is an army of miniatures. As the world of Mythica is revealed, so to will your selections expand in the types of armies that you may want to field in your quest for victory. Next, you will need to find an opponent, either a friend that lives nearby or someone that you may have met at your local game or hobby store, or you can try our online opponent locater for free!

There are two paths into the fantastical world of Mythica; by purchasing a rule book and an army of your choosing or by simply purchasing the Mythica Boxed Game set. (Planned for release 3rd Quarter 2009) Either way, we’re confident that once you visit the world of Mythica, you will want to return often to experience the fantastical escape to a time and place where life as you know it is only limited by the imagination. [or should it be; victory is only limited by the imagination.]

One of the best ways to be introduced to this miniatures wargame is through your local hobby store and a boxed game set. The Mythica Boxed Game sets have everything you need to begin your battles in the fantastic world of Mythica, some having the full game rules, to scenery, to fun gaming scenarios, to over 50 of the most amazingly detailed miniature warriors your eyes have ever feasted upon.

Inside the game set, you'll find the pocket-sized Mythica rulebook that explains the rules, a comprehensive group of scenarios designed to teach the game as you play, and a selection of miniatures representing an evenly divided mix of opposing forces. Those new to Mythica will be able to easily immerse themselves in this fantastical world while simultaneously grasping the rules of the game with everything needed to begin the journey for both starting and experienced gamers alike.

The second way to journey into the realm of Mythica is to simply purchase the Mythica rulebook outright. This comprehensive set of rules has everything you'll need to know about the game and how to play. Included are select scenarios to play, full-color pictures of armies, painting tips, hobby basics and most importantly the backdrop story to the fantastical world of Mythica — the Mythica rulebook has it all. Once you have the rulebook, it's time for the next step: choosing your army!


So there you have the basic introduction to Mythica. There is still much work to be done, but we will be working hard to get this product to market as fast as we possibly can.

Hello All,
Just wanted to let everyone know that we are making a temporary but long-term change in direction for this site. Getting the product lines together in some organized fashion has taken considerably more time than originally estimated and since purchasing a fixer-upper house last year, there really hasn't been a lot of extra time or money to get any of these projects off the ground. So, in an effort to help fund where we want to go with this site and the product offerings, we have decided to begin carrying figure lines from one of our friends in the business. We will be starting off with Ancients and will add new items weekly! So if you want an Armies In Miniature item but don't see it on our site, please send us an email and we'll make it available for you to purchase as we will begin having weekly shipments coming in until we are fully stocked on all figures in all of the AIM ranges. (We already have some inventory that we haven't had a chance to post yet either so again if you don't see it - ask for it - we might already have it.)

Another point to mention, if you do want something it turns out that we don't have in stock, it should take no longer than 1 week to ship it to you as we should begin receiving weekly shipments from CO starting next week.

Happy Gaming!

Just wanted to provide an update in the event that anyone is frequenting the board for news...

We have recently put a call out for a 6mm line sculptor and believe that we are getting close to having some talent available for this product line. That said, it would appear as though we are going to take somewhat of a "shotgun" approach to this and see what sticks. If a given line is stronger than all the rest in initial interest, then we will focus the efforts more on that line and reduce the releases in the other lines to something like maybe one or two SKUs for each line started per month. With some of this, especially Victoriana and Colonial Conquest, we would really like to see some input from the rest of the folks as we have many projects which are being worked now and quite frankly cannot expend any additional resources to develop the ideas. If we don't get much in the way of ideas from customers, we will likely defer to the sculptor(s) and just issue a commission saying "do such and such and see what we come up with..." which may actually reduce the volume of product releases due to a lack of direction. (This might also increase the overall cost as well.)

So Please, Please, become active in the forums and provide ideas so that we can bring these products to you. I realize that we have expended a great deal of time trying to get things up and running but we are so close now that we have very limited resources to do anything except what we have in our major product line plans until we actually begin to generate additional revenues.

Thanks!
and as always...

Happy Gaming!

Since the fantasy line was not in our original plans but we have had enough folks ask for it, we have decided to include it. The question now is - what do we call it? This is where you can help and win some cool prizes in the process!!

To enter you must register on this forum (if not already a member) and post a reply to this topic with your suggestions. Once we have decided, we will lock the topic and announce the winner. This is what we are looking for; your submission MUST BE ORIGINAL. We don't like to create something and just slap any 'ole name to it so we would also like a breakdown of the various figure elements in the line. We plan to produce skeletons, orcs and trolls, dragons, humans (good and evil), elves (good and evil) and other animal factions (wolfen as an example). In order to do this the way that we want, we will need names for the factions. If we find that a submission has only part of what we are looking for, we will declare that submission a "runner-up" and you will get an honorable mention in the line as well as prizes to be determined by the staff at MGW.

So what do you get if you do it all? You will get 2 packs of every figure pack released for an entire year once the product is released - no shipping charges, no handling fees, nada - just lots of minis - FREE!! If we use some part of your submission, you will receive a gift certificate for use on our site at a value we determine commensurate with your submission, but not less than $20 USD.

Remember - let's keep this contest fun and original - if you see a submission that is not original, please PM us and let us know in case we don't catch it. We will do a final search to determine eligibility of the information submitted prior to announcing the winner. We would like to close this competition by the end of December, but will keep it open longer if we have not received the magic entry or entries!

Also, this contest void where prohibited by law - selected materials become the property of Miniature GameWorks.

The following changes have been made to the production order of our lines - if you have an interest in a line that is later in the series, please let us know as your input is the only way that we can determine if our schedules are out of line with your desires!

1) Medieval Crusaders (12mm scale) - [first releases should be available soon!]
2) BaseIt™ figure bases - [DBx master sculpts are completed - final releases should be available soon!]
3) Fantasy Line (12mm scale) - [sculpting should begin in December 2008] (This line has no name yet!)
4) Dinosaur Expedition™ (Multi-Scale) - [artwork and designs completed - sculpting should begin in March]
5) Wild Expedition™ (Scale still being factored) - [artwork and designs completed - sculpting should begin in April]
6) Hundred Years War (12mm scale) - [sculpting should begin in March]
7) Knights at Tournament™ (1:48 scale) [game system being re-written, figure designs are being developed]
8) American Frontier (12mm scale)
9) Street Justice™ (1:48 scale) - [rescheduled to late 2009!]
10) War Between the States (12mm scale)
11) Modern Warriors™ (1:48 scale)
12) Xth Legion™ (12mm scale)
13) Helen of Troy (12mm scale)
14) Wild Wild West (1:48 scale)

The long days of anticipation for the release of this line are finally nearing a close. We have sent our first two foot figures to Sandra to have the final touches put on them and have confirmation that the first two Mounted figures and their steeds should be arriving today for mold making - this should be completed early this week. Our catapult is also completed and Sandra has the design sheets for the crew figures so that item should be available soon. Because of all of these unforeseen delays and other issues we have stumbled upon trying to get our first line out, we are changing our schedules to more closely match what we have experienced to date regarding the time from concept to completion.

Also in an effort to keep things coming every two weeks which is our current release schedule - we are attempting to get more design sheets developed ahead of anticipated sculpting and production schedules so that we can keep the channels filled with product development and actually be ahead of schedule instead of behind schedule.

It would appear that our first two foot knight packs will ship on the new release schedule - Dec 1, 2008. (Preorders are being accepted now!) The two mounted knight packs may be delayed by a week but it should be no more than that - which would mean a Dec 15, 2008 ship date. The first Saracen sku's have been submitted for sculpting as well as a new horse pose (standing). These should be available by the Jan 15 release date if not sooner. However, given the delays we have experienced thus far we are keeping their release date at Jan 15, 2009. The Catapult release date has been changed to Jan 1, 2009. Since we are closed for the New Year holiday, items that means the Jan 1 release date will be shipping Jan 2, 2009. In addition to the figure line work we are also working on scenery items for this scale as well as other scales and will post more information on those items as they become available.

As Always - Happy Gaming!

Since we are getting very close to the release of our first figures in the our Medieval Crusades line, I thought it might be of value to post a few links to articles that explain the crusades and the history behind them. As this post is being prepared, I am finishing up some more research regarding this issue as I have found a difficult time locating accurate sources that are not altered by modern political license taken with the source documents. Rather than repost everything here regarding the history, let me just present the links and you can view what recognized scholars of this period have to say about the history and the issues.

The Real History of the Crusades by Professor Thomas F. Madden: http://www.thearma.org/essays/Crusades.htm
Hollywood's Crusade Against History (our site repost of a work by Christian Action Magazine): http://www.miniaturegameworks.com/crusade-against-history-a-2.html
The Catholic Encyclopedia of the Crusades: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04543c.htm
The Crusades course at Boise State University by Professor E.L. Knox http://crusades.boisestate.edu/classroom.shtml*
Medieval Sourcebook: The Crusades http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1k.html*
Crisis Magazine: April 2002 Issue by Thomas F. Madden: http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3463&Itemid=100
The History of the Crusades by Michoud, and illustrated look at the crusades with illustrations by Gustav Dore: http://www.historyofthecrusades.com/
Crusades at Wikipedia, a good place to start and to find additional resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade

*These sources provide material that appears to have a political bias as the historical elements are presented but in a way that tends to give an inaccurate or subjective representation of historical facts written prior to the 14th century. That said, the information has factual basis and should be considered in your historical research.

This question was posed at another discussion board where I am a member and thought it was something that should be addressed as the answers given were generally not very specific. The following is my response and I decided to post it here because this seems to be a very common question for gamers and some collectors on many forums that I visit...

I use either Model Master Clear Coats if painted with Model Master paints or Vallejo Varnishes if painted with Vallejo paints. Since I no longer use any other paint product, this makes it easy to achieve consistent results that I am very happy with. I have had many models used in catalogs over the years and these two paint "systems" have been part of the key to that success as I no longer struggle with Krylon, Humbrol (Humbrol actually wasn't bad, just can't get it anymore and don't know if they're doing acrylics or not) or any other product that has not really given me the results that I want.

Remember, Model Master and Vallejo are two paint lines that are specifically formulated for models and as such they have a very fine pigment that other non-model specific paints will lack. Oh, and I haven't used oil paints now in well over 10 years. If you have a model to paint that is made of something that is questionable for acrylic paints, then adjust your primer accordingly and use the acrylics to do the actual painting, then you can still use the varnishes or clear coats with the same success you would normally have.

I really can't say enough about these two paint lines as I continue to see a great many modelers struggle with painting issues. I guess I settled on these two products because all of my plastic model buddies (IPMS contest winners) generally stuck with one paint line to complete their entire models and I figured if that concept was good enough for their award winning models, it should be good enough for my gaming miniatures. It has really made a huge difference in my painting and with all of the models that I and my friends have done over the years for catalogs and such, it takes away some of the stress because we can count on consistent results. It really is now all about our techniques and skill and not the paints or finishes.

Oh, if you don't want to use an airbrush, I would also recommend Reaper Pro Paints in addition to the Vallejo line for brush only painting, but use Model Master Clear Coat to finish them if you aren't using Vallejo paints.

Happy Gaming!

Over at another discussion forum a member asked about finishing coats as he has an issue regarding his minis sticking to the finished scenery because of the finish coat. I posted the following and after this post will go back and also tell him to strip the paint from the existing item and repaint following the guidelines included below;

I've made most of the same mistakes that everyone else has, fortunately in my early days in the hobby (read 25 years ago) when the figs weren't so nice or so pricey, but have found a few things to be fairly consistent no matter what I am working on...

1) Always try to use paint from the same manufacturer, including the finishing coats or sealers.

2) When you can't follow rule #1, try to use something that has a well known brand name and read the label carefully - ask friends (other gamers/collectors) FIRST!

3) The first sealer in ALL cases should be a gloss coat - the smaller the figure the thinner the coat.

4) Control the humidity and temp in the area you are working in and after the gloss coat is dry (no less than 24 hours), then apply a flat/satin/matte finish as desired.

5) Whenever possible, base the figure(s) and hold off on sealing the mini(s) until they have been based so that the basing material can be sealed as well. The exception would be for certain groundworks such as lichen, but then again I've had success at sealing these as well.

6) Find a product line for paints and stick to it. It was a very long time before I changed from good ole' fashioned oil to the newer acrylics, but given the newest formulas from Testors (Model Master) and Vallejo (Model Air Paints), I am completely sold and will not go back to oils for anything, and can't think of anything I would have to.

7) Try to use an airbrush for the primer and base coats and the finish/sealer coats if you can do it. The results are well worth the effort and expense of a quality airbrush. Try the Model Master A270 external mix, single action to get started (be careful of the trigger though, they can break off if the brush is dropped the wrong way) or if you are comfortable with a dual action/internal mix, go with a 4300 or a 4700 series brush (Aztek Model Master also). I have several of these and they have been indispensable in achieving the desired results with my minis. (Note: I still brush paint the details using the same paints.)

8) Last thought - do your best to stay away from aerosol type paints - they have never worked for me and quite frankly when I used them, even as primer, I was never all that happy with the results.

Hope these ideas help!

For those who have been waiting for the release of our Medieval Crusades figure range, the wait is almost over! Sandra is finishing the sculpting on the walking horse, the first mounted knight figure and the BaseIt Brand DBx bases. Two Saracen Warrior figures are setup to be sculpted in November along with the standing horse and two more Crusader Knights - one foot and one mounted. The master mold for our first Crusader Knight figure has been completed and the production molds should be finished the first or second week of November as well as the molds for the walking warhorse in full caparison and the first mounted Crusader Knight. The shield molds are complete, so we should also be able to bring the 1st-4th Crusades version of these two knights into production in November as well.

Due to events beyond our control for scenery pieces, we are setting up to cast resin. That means that we should also have some related terrain/accessory pieces available in November or December - depending of course on the ability to get the production molds made by the second week of November. The first releases for this would be a Cheval de frise and an Abatis as well as a stone field wall. We are also looking into producing our own line of scale trees (appropriate for 12mm to start), however unless we quickly work out how we are going to handle the canopy of the tree, these may be delayed until December.

January 2009 should see our first lance bearing knights and more Saracens to include archers for both sides. The first lance armed knights will likely be holding the lances in the upright (vertical) position and couched (horizontal) lance knights are being planned for the next release after that. Rolf at Rofur Flags is also creating a series of medieval banners to be used with our figures so you will be able to get some really nice looking armies on the table.

If you have questions about these releases or future releases - please feel free to contact us using the "Contact Us" link on our website or sending an email to our sales staff at miniaturegameworks.com.

Hey Joe,
Things are getting back on track. We have re-engaged Sandra again for sculpting and should be getting enough figures completed in the month of November that we can actually release some stuff for the Medieval Crusades!

We are also trying to get the first release of our BaseIt bases together so that those may also be available in November. It is our hope to have Saracen figures coming out in December - will likely only be a couple of different poses at that point, but we have to start somewhere.

I'll post more on the Crusades range in the appropriate forum later today.

Quick Tip
Just thought I'd drop a note to give everybody a quick tip on how to add an item to your shopping cart and get back to where you were if you used the "Buy Now" button in a list or wanted to get back to the list after adding an item from the product page.

After you see your shopping cart, click the Continue Shopping button to return to the product detail page. If you look near the top of the site, but under the "Search Forums" block, you will find a string of text something like this;
Home N Scale Modern United States 12030001

The 12030001 is the product sku number and if you were to click on United States, you would be taken to the listing of products that would include product 1203001. Of course if you wanted to look at all of the Modern Armor categories available, you could just click on Modern and see all of the products groups for Modern Armor N-Scale.

Hope this helps!

I hope all is well.

--dj--Joe

It's 2008, just touching base to see what's new or upcoming?

--dj--Joe

Edited. Answered my own query.

This - Yes! Me too want to see, hence the reason that we will work on this as a new product offering. I am skeptical as to whether we can really do this in 6mm scale, but we have decided that we will give it a try and see what we can come up with. The down side is that it will be 2Q in 2008 before we could probably begin working on this - unless we find another sculptor to work with that could take this line and run with it.

Victorian science-fiction This I wish to see!
You talking of folk, top hats and tail coats, blue jeans, or inventions? Electromagnet, gyroscope, steamtrain, machine gun, revolver, auto, motorcycle, lightbulb.

--dj--

We are finalizing the content and composition of our data card design for this range of products and have been provided a few feedback items that, while some of you may have seen a sample, others have not. That said, the attached graphic depicts the front and back of the data card so that you can have a better understanding of what we are doing. Obviously our main emphasis with this line is to provide educational material, and while the aspect of dinosaurs roaming the earth is a bit controversial in some corners of society, we believe that they do have a scientific basis and as such want to provide the most accurate educational material available.

Given all of this we do not want to crowd the real-estate available on the card just for the sake of having the most information. We want the cards to not only be educational in nature, but also to provide a "collector" type of feel to the product and the cards themselves. Rather than provide a laundry list of the suggestions that we have already received (which really isn't alot by the way) we'll let you offer what you see as obvious changes.

................. Card Face ...................


.................... Card Back 1 ......................


.................... Card Back 2 ......................

Ok, I think we have decided on at least the following for production in the 6mm scale range or what we will generically refer to as "Epic Scale";

Wars of Ancient Greece - to include Peloponnesian, Trojan, and Persian conflicts
Imperium Romanum - to cover the entire span of the Roman Empire (510BC-476AD)
Imperium Graecorum - (330AD-1453AD)
Medieval Knights - roughly 11th thru 15/16th centuries - no particular region to be excluded
Colonial Conquest - British and French colonization during the 19th century
Victoriana - 19th century Science-Fiction (We haven't fully agreed on the name for this Victorian Sci-Fi stuff - "SteamPunk" and similar won't work.)

So how and why did we come up with these?
The Wars of Ancient Greece are intended to cover exactly what is included in the description above, however, it doesn't appear appropriate to classify these as Hellenistic Wars as that term doesn't seem to work very well considering the span of conflict.

Imperium Romanum is really a catch-all to cover the Roman Empire from its days as a Republic through its fall as a divided Imperial Monarchy. We chose this term as it is indicative of the territorial conquest of Rome or maybe as some would call Pax Romana. However, since the Pax Romana term seems to have been equally worn out, it just didn't seem to work either as it tends to indicate a climax of Roman conquest and power - which is not exactly the only part of the timeline that we intend to cover with this range.

Imperium Graecorum is probably something not many people are familiar with, so this is still very much under consideration, but it is intended to represent the time in the mediterranean after the fall of the Roman Empire where the Western Roman Empire continued as a civilization that would later come to be known as the Byzantine Empire. Byzantium, as it is sometimes referred to, ended with the fall of its capital Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453AD.

Medieval Knights was chosen as the name for this range as we intend to include not only the English Knights and their enemies, but also the Baltic and other European Knights as well. I think this one has been covered in various parts of the discussion, but if you have something to add, or want to clarify something, please make your post so that we know what you're thinking about the range.

Colonial Conquest will be our reference for this range of figures as it will cover not only the British colonial endeavors, but those of the French as well.

Victoriana is probably the hardest one for us to define and convey, but using the expression Victorian Sci-Fi seems not only too common, but also a bit cheesey, which given the subject area may not be much of a stretch. However, we would like to make this into something that we may expand into our Skirmish scale range of product offerings.

Other periods are still being considered, so obviously this isn't the only stuff that we will produce. If you have new ideas related to what is being discussed in this topic, or have a new period/range that isn't being discussed that you feel there is some reasonable interest in, please make your voice heard. Also know that any other ideas are more than welcome, and we would like to encourage you to provide your ideas and feedback on this discussion as everything presented here will be flexible until we begin to actually schedule sculpting and mold making for this product line.