While we hope you are enjoying the Holiday season, there’s exciting news about what you can expect in January from us here at Warcradle Studios. This month is a massive one with plenty to get excited about for Dystopian Wars and Warcradle Scenics.

The Icarus Battlefleet Set sees itself enter the seas of Dystopian Wars for the Enlightened, poised to launch a volley of Squadrons at the first sight of an enemy! Not to be outdone, the Empire employ the use of a terrifying threat as the Heilong Battlefleet Set becomes available to pre-order.

New Year means new starts, and there is no better way to start the year than with a new fleet. If you’ve ever wanted an easy way to get started with the Union, Empire, Sultanate or Alliance, then our new range of Faction Battlefleets are for you.

The Enlightened Advanced Squadrons and Canadian Frontline Squadrons are available to order outside the Archimedes Battlefleet Set, Sturginium Skies and the Protecteur Battlefleet Set.

Finally, the Promethean Complex Set becomes available as individual terrain kits to help you customise your Enlightened complex to host gunfights and twisted experiments.

DYSTOPIAN WARS

This month is packed full of releases for Dystopian Wars; from the introduction of the Icarus and Heilong Battlefleet Sets to the Faction Battlefleet Starter Sets and even the Squadrons - there’s a lot to look forward to.

Icarus Battlefleet Set

One of the largest vessels built by the Yemoja shipyards in Mombasa, the Icarus features multiple vertical magnetic catapults that can simultaneously launch squadrons of fighters.

The class has fabrication and repair facilities comparable to a small naval base and makes use of these to maintain the Icarus’ squadrons and lend support to other vessels in the battlefleet.

Detailed drafts for the Daedalus class Fortified Tethership were found in the personal effects of the renegade Covenant Peer Gjenge Matee. Faithfully following her design, her Promethean Complex produced a marvel of Enlightened naval power. These versatile vessels are especially suited as the flagship of a combined flotilla of aerial and surface ships.

The mainstay of the Antarctic defence fleet, even Lovelace cruisers are wrought as master crafted constructions compared to the mass-produced vessels found in the navies of the other Great Powers.

The first vessel to employ the Heavy Particle Cannon, the Copernicus Heavy Cruiser is used by Commodores to provide devastating frontal attacks and break through blockades.

The pride of any Enlightened Captain, the Antarctica class is a formidable vessel alone. In a squadron they can overcome almost anything the oceans can throw at them.

Lightly armed and fast moving, Stilettos are ideal for outpacing enemy supply lines and outflanking enemy battle lines.

Most often seen at the forefront of Enlightened operations, Ulysses squadrons combine their modest aircraft complement into devastating attack wings supported by fearsome firepower.

Fast and able to deploy a small squadron of Scythe strike craft, the Chatelet are often employed for raiding enemy coastal positions or scouting out Sturginium deposits on the open seas.

Programmed using reams of complex punch cards and launched from specialist carriers or Promethean Complexes far from the fighting, Merian and other Drone ships are some of the most numerous Automata used by the Covenant.

This box contains:

• 1x Icarus Aeronautic Fabricator (can also be built as a Daedalus Fortified Tethership)

• 2x Cruisers (can be built as either a Lovelace, Copernicus, Antarctica, Stiletto, Ulysses or Chatelet Class ship)

• 6 x Frigate Automata (can be built as either a Germain, Merian, Caidin or Prevost pattern ship)

• 2x SRS Tokens

Heilong Battlefleet Set

The largest vessel produced by the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the Heilong strike battleship emphasises combined attacks with deadly rocket and Huoqiang fire to annihilate its foes.

A heavy assault ramp replaces the prow of the Ergun assault battleship. Volleys of alchemical rockets and gun battery fire pummel into enemy emplacements and shore defences, as the vessel closes in, then with a clash of metal, the ramp descends and the assault begins. Scores of heavy infantry pour forth to storm the defenders and sweep away all resistance.

The Tianlong Draconic Colossus uses a combination of rotor engines and repulsion fields to remain aloft. Originally created to patrol the airspace near the Zhanmadao Sky Fortresses and Ziwei Sky Bastions, the Tianlong swoop down, their skilled crews getting the most out of these marvels of Engineering.

The Jian are the mainstay of the Chinese fleet. If all of these capable vessels were lined up bow to stern, they are said to stretch from Shanghai to Tokyo.

The warships of China are the most numerous in the Empire's navy. Their prow mounted chemical flame cannons, known as Huoqiang, make them formidable in any conflict and Chinese ships like the Wusong form the core of most of the Empire's defensive fleets.

The Meru are the heaviest of China’s cruiser squadrons and are considered by the Court of the Jade Mountain to be the equal of Japan’s Yamaguchi Attack Cruisers, much to the derision of their allies across the East China Sea.

Deployed on scouting patrols and in squadrons against lighter adversaries, the Dao make use of their paddlewheels and shallow draught to bring their guns to bear against littoral targets.

Often deployed in support of Tianlong Draconic Colossi, the Gong is a capable vessel with batteries of rocket launchers. These potent weapons rain a storm of explosive warheads on a target, all the more deadly when followed by the attack of an accompanying dragon…

Empire combat doctrine favours clusters of rockets launched in devastating salvos against a single foe. The Shanghai Frigates are designed with this tactic in mind, mounting Dongfeng pattern rocket batteries.

This box contains:

• 1x Battleship (can be built as either a Heilong or Ergun Class ship)

• 1x Tianlong Draconic Colossus

• 1x Cruiser (can be built as either a Jian, Wusong, Meru or Dao Class ship)

• 2x Gong Destroyers

• 2x Shanghai Class Frigates

Faction Battlefleet Starter Sets

Offering a range of must-have units for a specific faction, these Starter Battlefleets present a great way to pick up a new faction. These sets remove the stress of figuring out the best place to start as they offer a perfect jumping-off point into playing a brand new faction at a great price. Complete with a rule book, victory and valor cards, dice and more, now is the perfect time to try out a new faction this New Year.

Union Starter Set - Faction Battlefleet

Headed by the Constitution Class Battleship, this set offers Union players the ability to harness the military might necessary to not waiver in the face of a threat to freedom.

This box contains:

• 1x Constitution Class Battleship

• 2x Frontline Cruisers (can be built as either a Yorktown, Intrepid, Lexington, Reliant Class Ship)

• 4x Farragut Class Frigates

• 2x Akron Observation Rotors

• 2x Union Support Cruisers (can be built as either a Discovery, Roanoke, California, Montgomery, Washington Class Ship)

• 4x RC-52 Patriot Automata

• 2x SRS Tokens

• 1x Rule Book

• 1x Victory and Valor Card Decks

• 20x Action Dice

• 6x Critical Dice

• 1x Token Sheet

• 1x Template

Empire Starter Set - Faction Battlefleet

Take control of a power that has reigned supreme for almost a thousand years, allowing the newer powers to take their positions that they incorrectly assume to be safe. Spread the glory of the Immortal Celestian Empire with the Empire Starter Set - Faction Battlefleet, led by the Kongo Heavy Battleship.

This box contains:

• 1x Kongo Heavy Battleship

• 2x Japanese Cruisers (can be built as either Osaka, Kanagawa, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Miyagi, Yamaguchi, Ishikawa, Honshu Class Ship)

• 4x Kyoto Frigates

• 8x Chita Automata

• 2x Japanese Submersibles (can be built as either Kensai, Ryujin, Mizuchi, Koromodako, Umibozu or Kagutsuchi Class Ship)

• 2x SRS Tokens

• 2x Chubu Submarines

• 2x Sakata Destroyers

• 2x Rin Exosub Tokens

• 1x Rule Book

• 1x Victory and Valor Card Decks

• 20x Action Dice

• 6x Critical Dice

• 1x Token Sheet

• 1x Template

Sultanate Starter Set - Faction Battlefleet

The time for action has come and New Learning has revealed the way for the Sultanate to take back control of the holiest lands. Command your fleet, headed by the Anatolia Battlecruiser and take back control.

This box contains:

• 1x Anatolia Battlecruiser

• 2x Frontline Cruisers (can be built as either Iskander, Pasha, Izmir or Shadrazam Class Shio. Can be combined to build Hurrum Grand Cruiser or Mehmed Grand Monitor Class Ship)

• 2x Support Cruisers (can be built as either Aydin, Mihrimah, Konya, Morea, Constantinople Class Ship. Can be combined to build Nemrut, Bursa or Bayezid Class Ship)

• 4x Temir Frigates

• 4x Escorts Skiffs

• 2x SRS Tokens

• 1x Rule Book

• 1x Victory and Valor Card Decks

• 20x Action Dice

• 6x Critical Dice

• 1x Token Sheet

• 1x Template

Alliance Starter Set - Faction Battlefleet

The Alliance attempt to rise from the ashes and make their voice heard with the introduction of their Faction Battlefleet. Strive to reclaim your once-lost power and authority over Europe, guided into combat by the Oriflamme Battlecruiser.

This box contains:

• 1x Oriflamme Battlecruiser

• 2x Frontline Cruisers (can be built as either Loire, Picardy, Chevalier or Charlemagne Class Ship)

• 4x Ecuyere Frigates

• 2x Levant Vessels (can be built as either Chasseur, Furieux Voliere Class Ship)

• 2x Submarines (can be built as either Epaulard or Sirene Class Ship)

• 2x SRS Tokens

• 1x Rule Book

• 1x Victory and Valor Card Decks

• 20x Action Dice

• 6x Critical Dice

• 1x Token Sheet

• 1x Template

Canadian Frontline Squadrons

The mainstay of the Canadian fleet, these impressive warships are the stalwart frontline in the Crown’s defence against Union expansionist ambitions.

A powerful combination of heavy firepower and an ablative armoured prow, the Bonaventure class serve in the Dominion of Canada’s fiercest fighting in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Built around Arthur McCurdy’s augmented shield generator technology, the Halifax Shield Cruiser is designed to project greater protection to critical elements of Canadian battlefleets.

Built on the Newfoundland hull design and outfitted to support fleet operations, the Toronto class Control Cruisers have a vital role in coordinating Canada’s defences. The installation of a McGill radar array above the bridge provides an impressive fire control suite.

Designed for supporting and reinforcing Canada’s fleet actions, the Yukon class are especially good at establishing blockades and disrupting threats to shipping lanes.

Often the threats to Canada can be deterred or even destroyed long before they engage more visible elements of the Crown battlefleets. Orca Hunter Submarines are silent pack hunters.

This box contains:

• 2x Canadian Frontline Cruisers (can be built as either a Newfoundland, Bonaventure, Halifax, Toronto or Yukon Class ship)

• 4x Orca Hunter Submarines

• 2x SRS Tokens

Enlightened Advanced Squadrons

The Newton class are built by the Yemoja shipyard around a massive spatial displacement drive known as a Void Engine. Able to tear a passage through two otherwise unconnected locations, the Void Engines use technology developed at Wells Chasm.

Dedicated energy transfer conduits allow these floating power stations to augment nearby vessels. Though the Zumeena class is particularly vulnerable to enemy aggression, the benefit to Enlightened scientific advancement far outweighs any loss of life amongst their crews.

Not every Covenant Commodore has access to a Descartes Control Ship and so the Yemoja shipyard created the Vesalius to ensure that the welfare and effectiveness of their cetacean allies is maintained. Of course, in a faction that rarely does things by half measures, there are certain fleets that contain multiple Descartes and Vesalius to support hundreds of Physeters

A battlefleet represents a huge investment of resources and talent for the Covenant of the Enlightened. Deploying several Origen class Lathe Ships in support, ensures that the risks to such an investment are greatly reduced.

Technically an oceanid assault automata rather than a true colossus as it lacks a human crew, the Ketos utilise Sturginium Agitators to wreak carnage against enemy capital ships. The insectile Ketos relies on surprise and cold machine logic to maximise the impact of their attacks.

Designed by Paulette Aronnax, Lotan are amongst the most common of her oceanid assault automata. Shadowing Enlightened convoys, these segmented machines strike unexpectedly when needed, bringing their terrifying Coeus Shockmaw down to rip apart vessels like a sea monster of myth.

This box contains:

• 2x Advance Cruisers (can be built as either a Newton, Zumeena, Vesalius or Origen Class ship)

• 2x Assault Machines (can be built as either a Ketos or Lotan Class machine)

• 2x Enlightened Escorts

• 2x Orca Tokens

Warcradle Scenics

Home to the most nefarious experiments of the Wild West, the Promethean Complex becomes host to yet another gunfight as the Promethean Complex Set becomes available as individual terrain kits. This series of scenics are ideal for Wild West Exodus or any wargame where height advantages and deadly machinery are key themes.

Promethean - Refinery

In the Dystopian Age there are all sorts of curious compounds and esoteric elements that need to be refined before they can be used in engineering applications. These refineries are a common site in and around Promethean complexes. Any visitors are repulsed by the toxic fumes given off by these sites and surprised that any workers in the vicinity could get used to such a foul stench.

This box contains:

• 1x Promethean Refinery

Promethean - Derrick

Derricks are dotted about everywhere in Promethean Complexes. Used for moving heavy loads where it might be required and a construct wouldn’t be practical, they are also converted to pump jacks on occasion. These ubiquitous sights with their hypnotic, repetitive movements are symbolic of the barely human constructs that seem to act the same, all for the benefit of the Covenant of the Enlightened and their goal of global control.

This box contains:

• 1x Promethean Derrick

Promethean - Forge

The forges of a Promethean Complex burn night and day to smelt all sorts of raw materials for use in their engineering breakthroughs. It would be impossible to acquire the vast quantities of iron and other metals from outside so ore is brought in from all over the Union and beyond to keep the fires of industry burning. This has the benefit of making it much more difficult for external governments to keep track of all the wonderful and terrible advances made by the Covenant of the Enlightened.

This box contains:

• 1x Promethean Forge

Promethean - Walkways

The labyrinthine surroundings of a Promethean Complex are home to all sorts of workshops, storage facilities and industrial buildings. Often the only way to traverse these sites is via walkways added after the fact to make sure engineers and construct-drones can get from point A to point F.35b. Access, rather than safety, is the order of the day so handrails are strictly optional. After all, constructs are replaceable and engineers should know better.

This box contains:

• 1x Promethean Walkways

Promethean - Mine Entrances

Often it’s easier for a Promethean Complex to just be built over a mine in the first place. If that’s not an option then the Enlightened have advanced machinery and indentured servants that allow them to mine otherwise deposits of ore inaccessible to the other great powers. Even mines that aren’t fiscally viable are opened given the insatiable hunger the Covenant of the Enlightened have for coal and raw materials.

This box contains:

• 2x Promethean Mine Entrances

We’re starting this year off strong with so many exciting January releases, what are you looking forward to the most? Will you be picking up a new faction in 2023? Make sure not to miss out when these pre-orders go live on the 30th of December 2022 at your FLGS or Wayland Games Online.

Keep up to date with all the latest news and releases on the Warcradle Studios Blog and socials, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.