Privateer Press Hit Kickstarter With Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika
March 6, 2020 by brennon
Privateer Press are on Kickstarter right now as they delve into their new Sci-Fi project, Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. They are already funded and are currently unlocking a selection of different stretch goals as they look to bring a clutch of factions to the tabletop.
Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika is their new game where you take on the role of the aforementioned Warcasters, looking to battle for control of a new Sci-Fi world. Here is a little run-down from Privateer concerning the role you undertake in the game...
"A Warcaster is the pinnacle of power, a being capable of harnessing and manipulating the cosmic forces that can fuel mechanika and conjure ancient reality-warping Cyphers. The mind of a Warcaster has been forged into the ultimate weapon: by channelling Arcanessence, they are able to coordinate an entire battle force while simultaneously augmenting that force’s combat prowess by remotely channelling arcane energies into their weapons, armour, and even their formidable war machines. In a galaxy beleaguered by constant conflict, the Warcasters are the champions of their nations, worlds, and empires, waging war with each other like gods moving pieces across a chessboard."
Taking the lead for this game there are three factions which are available for you to snap up right now. We have The Marcher Worlds...
...The Iron Star Alliance and also The Aeternus Continuum who haven't been quite finalised yet but add a little bit more of an alien vibe to the goings-on in the game.
Both the Iron Star Alliance and the Marcher Worlds don't look too dissimilar in their design with lots of rounded edges for both but the slightly more gangly elements of The Aeternus Continuum are rather fascinating and it would be great to see them painted up soon.
If you're wondering about which of the factions to pick up then the team at Privateer Press have put together two videos looking at them...
Also, if you want to find out more about the gameplay of Warcaster then you can dive in and check out their Staff Showdown video below. They went through a full game and explored a lot of the mechanics on offer.
So, if Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika seems like the game for you then you might want to dive in and give their campaign a look. They seem to have plans to expand the game through successive Kickstarter campaigns, gauging the interest for the game each time they employ the use of the fundraising platform. This could well be a good idea.
Are you tempted by this game?
"So, if Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika seems like the game for you then you might want to dive in and give their campaign a look..."
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Even with all the naysayers and complaining about PP “jumping the shark,” the success of the campaign seems to indicate there’s more interest than was initially expected, especially with all of the new things they have been teasing for the future. The aesthetic is not my cup of tea, but it’s still good to see PP flexing their creative muscles and trying something new (though I’ll always prefer the old industrial aesthetic). Keep it up!
Although I do like the look of the minis, I feel that the price is too high. A single minimal force if £55 and if you want a two starters that almost doubles.
In my opinion a two player starter should be £50-60 ideally, no more than £80.
I’ll wait to see what the retail price is as most sellers knock 20% off.
I’d agree. I was interested when announced, but its a substantial amount of money for even the most basic set-up for two players. Once you start to add up for proper sized forces it gets expensive very quickly when a lot of questions are still open, including the miniature quality.
I am sure there will be quite a few people very happy with this and thats good, hopefully PP make this work.
If they halved the price of everything in the KS I would consider it, but most likely still consider it too expensive.
I’m astounded so many people are willing to pay so much for so little.
I’m curious if there’s still room for another “lifestyle” game in miniature gamer’s wallets. $130 for a two-faction starter set means hundreds of dollars for a dedicated player, and you need that critical mass of players unless you want to spend even more money to buy an army/squad for your gaming buddies. How many of you have spent a big wad on a new game line, only for a company to drop it a few years later? I learned my lesson from the CCG glut of many years ago, although I still pick up nice looking miniatures on the cheap… Read more »
I think the pricing is right in line with Games Workshop. That is not saying that these are good or even expectable prices, just that other companies are expecting, and getting, similar prices for their miniatures.
GW is kind of in an unique position, while PP has been getting hit after hit to their reputation for the last few years. They’re no longer the “up and coming 2nd to GW” challenger, they’re the wash-out revealing their last hurrah. These sculpts look decent, but it seems like just more of the same PP I’ve come to heckle and deride.
It may be just the colours they used but the “The Marcher Worlds” do look a lot like Tau don’t they?
I think it’s all the disks making up their ARC receivers and the yellowish paint job. I really get more of an Infinity vibe, but I can see it. (Personally, a brown or dark green color scheme would fit a bit better)
Interesting I thought about Beyond the Gates of Antares after seeing The Marcher Worlds.
Ooh, nice catch! They do have a bit of the Concord about them; you’d just have to swap out their machine guns for plasma rifles.
it’s not just you.
And I think it is the overall look&feel.
The ‘face’/’head’ of the big model has a very T’au like feel to it.
There’s also the possibility of them both using the same source material for inspiration, because both have a bit of Japanese Mecha feel to them.
I watched the Staff Playthrough video and found the shooting combat baffling. I honestly didn’t understand it one bit. OK, it was perhaps a summary and other videos might give a bit more detail.
I’m also put off by the resin and metal. I know this isn’t really an issue and maybe – quite possibly – I’ve become lazy.
It’s good to see the level of support their getting on Kickstarter.
I think the Iron stars an the Aeternus could be a great Android army.
I’m freaking hyped for this game. They keep pouring out information about it, and it’s all looking amazing. They put out playtest rules on their site, which are pretty quick to read. My basement group is going to do a proxy test game next week. Super excited!
I like the Marcher World designs a lot. Turnaround time is great too for kickstarter standards. And EU friendly shipping.
Pretty well set up peoject.
I hope they do well and it lets them bounce back from the slump they’ve been allegedly in, but for me, it looks like something straight out of 2007, designed to compete with infinity’s 1st edition or maybe even Urban War. And really, mixing metal and resin in the year of our lord 2020?
By mixing resin and metal, they’re able to make everything in-house, and can deliver way faster than if they outsourced their production. PP isn’t as big as GW, so they can’t do mass-produced plastics like them without building a bigger factory, so this way they have control over their production process. I personally don’t have a problem with the mix because they’re able to keep a good amount of detail without all of the mold lines and extensive clean up needed for plastic. I’m not saying you don’t have to do that with resin, but I’ve had better experiences cleaning… Read more »
By “being compatible with” i meant they look about ten years old. I was trying to be nice.
Have you ever said a single truly nice thing about any PP releases? Constructive criticism is one thing, but constantly deriding them because you don’t like the look of their models is another.
I really liked their initial Oroboros offering. The original warpwolf is still one of my favorite wolfen/werewolf models. Not my fault they decided to keep a holding pattern.
Its not like GW is the only company producing in plastic and there are smaller companies than PP offering plastics.
To me the materials of choice prevent me of getting into it.
Out of curiosity, what is it about the blend of resin and metal you don’t like? No judging, I’m just wondering; it seems like there are people on both sides of this.