Vorl in Antares

The free, Antares 2 SF, tabletop wargame Rick and I maintain has recently had a real boost in the release of the long-awaited Vorl, designed by the talented sculpture Joey Pruitt. The species is very different and plays differently to the humans in that setting. What’s great is that these continue and help set the tone for the future of the game in that they are released in free, 3D-print-ready format (.stls and, due to the kind efforts of Jon Harrington, pre-supported, 3-up, Chitubox format).

The digest post for the Vorl and associated articles can be found here on the website for the game, the Antares Nexus (also on WordPress).

The release of the Vorl is something we’ve wanted for a while as the Vorl Ordo are a major faction in the Antares universe, having about a fifth of the total number of Antarean gates under their control (see the map: there are more gates around the equator than at higher/lower latitudes). They have also been an enemy of panhumans for many ages, such enmity driven much more by a biological necessity than a random hatred – such motivations generally being important in Antares.

We’ve had players release other .stls already – a couple of transports and a few smaller pieces (see here), but this release fills in a gap in the figures available that was there from the beginning of the game. It would be nice to see more free .stls released, and we may have a few lined up, but just the release of a core species that fleshes out a hole in the universe’s backstory really is a delight (they are wonderful sculpts, too!).

A new state of affairs

There’s been a lot happening in the last six months. In the same week I was referred for quick-response cancer assessment, I was told I would be made redundant, along with other people from my workplace, and that the games line I was working on would be wound up. Interesting times!

But things aren’t all black. I’ve had interviews for other jobs, and one is in the pipeline (though redundancy pay has been used up!). Rick Priestley and I (see the Nexus About page) discussed continuing the wargames rules with a new edition outside Warlord Games. Rick also persuaded Warlord to shift the production of existing items in the line to their sister company, Skytrex, so the game would not go into hibernation.

So, Antares 2 was born. Warlor allowed me to work on it whilst I worked out my notice, then Rick and I released it in a free, downloadable format that was designed to be easy to maintain. I also created a new WordPress-based, wiki-like website for the 2nd edition (see What’s New in V2) with free, downloadable army lists and a lot of new material – as well as revamped versions of the existing articles.

Whilst Skytrex is not producing new items apart from those already in the pipeline (a scurrilous reprobatee called Dirag and new versions of the Isorian phase troopers – to be released in July), there is an opportunity: 3D printing and .stls. Whilst Rick and I are not using this as a commercial concern, the prevalence of 3D printers amongst the hobby community has meant we’ve been able to allow players to produce their own 3D prints for items that don’t exist: the free, downloadable .stls mean we can let players print their own…

This is fantastic. The Vorl have been a major presence in the Antares universe since it was launched, but have never been released. We got in touch with Joey Pruitt, a designer in the states, who is an Anatres fan and has already produced some interesting insects. He designed us some excellent Vorl – and very strange they are, too. In fact, so strange, have a look at these speed-painted by Ruben Lopez Catalan. For Rick and I it’s a wonderful sight, one that is likely to give Antares 2 a boost, but it’s also a step along a new paradigm, one in which games are free, models are what players want (some players still prefer plastic or metal, and that’s fine – it’s easier to produce some in those formats, too).

Of course, I now have to design and test the Vorl army list. But it’s all good fun and we’ll just have to see how this new adventure goes!

Vorl speed-painted by Ruben Lopez Catalan