The minds behind LOAD, Archon Studio, are back on Kickstarter with a new project as they bring Vanguard Of War to the tabletop with some great looking miniatures and an interesting game to match.

"The theme of VoW is survival. The world, barely enduring the first invasion of demons is now on the precipice of another. The valiant men and women of the Fateeran Militia have stolen the demon's doomsday weapon but have no chance of escaping with their prize. Securing the artefact in a decrepit church, the heroes must delay an army of monsters while their allies learn how to use the demons' own weapon against them"

In Vanguard Of War, one to four players will take on the role of heroes defending a church in the middle of a ruined city known as The Whispers.

You will be battling against a seemingly endless stream of demons pouring forth to bring you down.

You will need to try and hold out against the forces while you try and understand how to use a doomsday-style weapon against them and turn the tide.

The Game

There are four heroes to choose from initially in the base game allowing you to cooperatively battle against the forces of darkness...

...each with their own array of skills and options when it comes to battering your enemies into submission and cleansing the world of Demons.

The heroes will be spending their time exploring the ruins of Whisper and battling Demons whilst having to deal with Event Cards which cause all kind of problems AND helpful boons for the heroes thanks to the Hope and Darkness mechanic in the game.

Each hero can be upgraded once they've picked up enough resources, known as Essence & Ascension, allowing you to grow and develop your hero throughout a game. This increases all of your statistics and unlocks new skills for you to use in battle.

It wouldn't be a fight without some Demons being thrown into the mix as your deadly enemies.

There are three different types of Demon known as Overlords, Abominations, and Minions, each with their own tricks up their dark sleeves.

• Overlords - The overseers and architects of your demise. They are brutal killers and if you can take one down then you're certainly a mighty group of heroes.
• Abominations - These are the front line troops of the demons who will be leading the vanguard supported by a horde of minions.
• Minions - As lesser creatures, they will be the ones taking on damage before you can even hurt their masters eager to sacrifice themselves so that their bigger, tougher cousins can rip you apart.

If this has got you interested then you can download the Print & Play version of the game HERE and give the game a go yourself while delving deeper into the game rules.

The Pledge & Stretch Goals

Of course to get your hands on this game then you'll need to get pledging and the main game comes packed with some rather awesome components.

All of the miniatures you've seen so far are the final production pieces so what you see is what you get when it comes to the campaign. All of the production is happening inhouse too so that means they have more control.

As well as the main game content that you see above you also have the Pale Rider Expansion to pick up...

...and Delta Squad giving you four new heroes to use in the game as well as some new consumable to use in-game.

Stretch Goals have also been planned out so you can take a look at what is on the horizon as the backers come to support the project.

Has this game caught your eye? The miniatures certainly look good and the fact that it is another fully cooperative experience really does appeal. Hopefully, we'll see some cool gameplay videos as the campaign progresses giving us a window into how it plays beyond the rulebook.

Drop your thoughts below in the comments!