When 3D printers arrived in the consumer landscape, many thought that the dominance of miniatures-making companies like Games Workshop would soon be coming to an end. But while thousands of hobbyists have used cheap 3D printers to make their own armies, the technology has yet to truly break into the mainstream. Meanwhile, Games Workshop is doing fine, thanks. It recently joined companies such as Shell and Unilever as one of Britain’s 100 most valuable companies. But what if all that tabletop 3D printing needs to get off the ground is a different kind of game to make working with all that toxic liquid resin finally worth the trouble for average gamers?
Malediction, an upcoming game from Loot Studios that combines Magic: The Gathering with Warhammer-style miniatures wargaming, leans into this technology by providing a full-fledged physical game packaged with full-color cardboard standees, but also a collection of digital STL files that can be used to print your warbands for pennies at home. Wrap the ambitious idea in a dark fantasy setting born from the mind of Dragonlance co-creator Tracy Hickman, and you have something that could very well be monumental.
Prior to the launch of the campaign, Loot Studios shared an early preproduction prototype of the game with Polygon. Inside, we found that the world of Malediction comes to life through its four factions. Each has distinct and evocative visuals and expressive backgrounds. They are packaged in self-contained boxes that include a rulebook as well as all of the cards, standees, terrain, and accessories needed to play the game. Two players, each with their own box, could have everything required to play a full-fledged battle and compete in this dark world. With the game currently raising money on the crowdfunding site Gamefound in a campaign that’s running until Feb. 2, each faction box can be acquired for $55.90, while all four are available in a bundle for $178.90.
Primal Blood is the most striking faction of the bunch. A tribe of berserkers, cannibals, and fiends, this frenzied group seeks primacy through aggression and strength. The warband consists of fast movers and heavy hitters, sacrificing defense for overwhelming ferocity. They afford the most offensive play style, delivering heavy blows with powerful spells and destructive units.
The Order of the Shattered Throne is the inverse of Primal Blood. As the world’s last bastion against evil, it’s composed of armored knights, priests of light, and disciplined warriors. They seek preservation through stalwart defenses and healing spells. While one could compare them roughly to Warhammer: Age of Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals, they stand out as a unique faction in Malediction due to their isolation and underdog niche. Hickman’s setting is swollen with evil, and this is the lone group dedicated to holding out in the face of it.
Wrap the ambitious idea in a dark fantasy setting born from the mind of Dragonlance co-creator Tracy Hickman, and you have something that could very well be monumental
Mages and mystique dominate Conclave of the Spheres, a collective of spellcasters from the East. Like all of the factions, it features a singular play style that offers tactical divergence from its peers. Here, spells and abilities dominate the arsenal, with a heavy focus on manipulating the battlefield and its inhabitants. Relying on its deep arcane knowledge, the warband is able to strike from a distance while relying on its hand of spell cards to overwhelm and surprise.
Legion of the Fallen are the dark, lifeless organ at the core of Malediction. Its members are intimately familiar with death, and many claim that their home region is afflicted with terrifying horrors. Often, their warbands are built with a large number of fallen undead seeking to flood their opposition’s lines and engulf them in darkness. The faction also shows immense prowess with spells and hexes, able to supplement their high body count with power and intensity.
Each of these warbands features a variety of units that are summoned to the battlefield by playing cards on each turn. These warriors, depicted as either cardboard standees or 3D-printed miniatures, are then placed on the table, ready to be wielded. During the action phase, these units are activated so that they may advance via measured movement with a ruler in the pursuit of combating opponents and claiming precious relics that litter the battlefield. Destroying enemy units and seizing relics award Mastery — effectively, victory points.
In addition to distinct play styles and evocative backgrounds, each faction is injected with additional life through bespoke terrain. Full-color flat cardboard punch-outs are included in every box, along with the option to 3D-print full-blown terrain pieces at home. The cardboard terrain is impressive, as it features sharp details and vivid visuals. These pieces enhance the tone of each faction, and are quite unusual. Primal Blood’s terrain features dismembered giants lying in pools of gore, for instance. This is in stark contrast to Order of the Shattered Throne, which relies on sunlit ruins containing pillars, archways, and flagstone paths. These terrain pieces provide tactical texture to the battlefield by influencing maneuvering, but they also boast special rules that must be taken into consideration. Enter Primal Blood’s macabre troughs, and your unit’s skin will begin to crackle and burn, while storming through Order of the Shattered Throne’s hallowed halls boosts your movement. This further enhances the asymmetry of conflict, and alters the atmosphere through world-building.
One of the big challenges with a game such as this is establishing a healthy player base. This is a lifestyle game that requires a player to dedicate themselves to its intricacies and devote a great deal of time to it. This puts it in direct competition with its primary influences — namely, Magic: The Gathering and Games Workshop’s fantasy skirmish game Warcry. But this is also where the ingenuity of its 3D print model creates opportunity. By offering multiple paths (including just grabbing a box and being totally content with using the standees), it opens itself up to a wider audience, and places itself in the best possible position to succeed.
It’s obvious that a great deal of affection and attention was put into Malediction. Tracy Hickman’s lore shines through with each faction. The game itself has been put through multiple stages of playtesting and does not serve as merely a vehicle to deliver miniatures. This is a full-fledged product line on which Loot Studios is going all in. Whether that is enough to create serious momentum is a question we will soon see answered.
