Prepare to be amazed by the feats of the Celestian Empire this month, with miniatures sure to turn heads for Dystopian Wars as well as more from Warcradle Scenics.

A monumental shadow is cast across the turbulent seas of Dystopian Wars this month as the Empire showcases the latest fortification in their aerial force with the awe-inspiring Zhanmadao Battlefleet Set. With towering walls and intricate architecture, this imposing castle in the sky is far from the worst sight to see before your inevitable demise.

With the Minerva launching its maiden voyage last month, the Italians continue to support their advances with the deployment of the Italian Support Squadrons this month. Reportings of weird sightings have continued as the Enlightened Aerial Squadrons fly close behind the Thule, ready to blast any helpless vessel out of the water.

The dense fog of Myskham lingers throughout the town once more, the lessened visibility making each building feel completely isolated as the Myskham Town Set becomes available in individual terrain kits.

Due to be released at the end of July 2023.

Dystopian Wars

As if it’s very foundations were planted in the clouds, the Zhanmadao emerges from the sky this month as an exciting release for any Empire player. Sturdy yet ornate, this Empire Sky Fortress is not one to miss.

The Latin Alliance and Enlightened both see more reinforcements released for them with the Italian Support Squadrons and Enlightened Aerial Squadrons, respectively. With units featured in the soon to be releases Minerva and Thule Battlefleet Sets, give your fleet that extra firepower.

Zhanmadao Battlefleet Set

Kai Chen had joined the navy to escape his rural life, see the world and do his part for the Celestian Empire. He’d heard about the Zhanmadao in training camps but even after learning about their use as a central command unit for a battlefleet and seeing diagrams, he was still awestruck when he finally saw a ‘castle in the clouds’ for the first time.

The size of the Fortress was almost incomprehensible to him, larger than any of the naval vessels he had seen in his life by far. The sun played across it and cast shadows in the same way the buildings of his barracks and offices did.

Kai wondered at the power that would keep a thing like this in the air. The crew alone needed to man this wonder of engineering must be in triple figures. That it carried a squadron of fighters as well as their support staff hadn’t yet crossed his mind and already he found it dizzying.

At that moment Kai Chen knew he had made the right decision to join the navy and would make it the rest of his life’s work to be posted aboard a Zhanmadao. This was an example of the Empire’s glory and no one could stand against it.

This box contains:

• 1x Zhanmadao Sky Fortress

• 2x Ziwei Sky Bastions (may also be built as Qianshao Class)

• 6x SRS Tokens

Italian Support Squadrons

“While our discoveries of Sturginium and its uses has ushered in a time of scientific marvels, unrecognisable to those of previous generations, there has also been a recent resurgence of older designs but with vastly more powerful results.”

“The Rostratum Naval Ballista is a perfect example of this. The simple idea of a bolt being launched to impact and pierce a target has been with us since ancient times. The Italian Engineers of the Latin Alliance have advanced this in a way that could only be achieved with hitherto unknown comprehension of engineering.”

“They have designed bolts using current alloys that are a fraction of the weight of a comparable steel structure while losing none of its material hardness. In place of twisted rope they use electro-magnetic rails that fire the bolt at incredible speed. Reports of a projectile impacting on the hull of an enemy vessel and then being hauled in to spin the target to a less desirable facing are troubling and interesting in equal measure.”

“I propose we explore ideas like this further. Imagine the untapped potential we already have in our history. Imagine a trebuchet with a thousand times its previously registered force, Da Vinci’s designs made real or Greek Fire made on an industrial scale.”

Peer of the Enlightened, Robert Abernethy, at a symposium shortly before his disappearance.

This box contains:

• 2x Scorpio Artillery Cruiser (may also be built as Jupiter or Vulcan Class)

• 2x Sagitta Hunter Submarines

• 4x Pugio Destroyers

• 2x SRS Tokens

Enlightened Aerial Squadrons

James Spigot reeled across the deck, feeling that what he saw wouldn’t be out of place in a penny dreadful. Strange saucer shapes soared through the sky, unleashing beams of light that carved through the Crown frigates like a hot knife through butter.

James was thankful that his large battleship was protected by the combined power of their Guardian generators, the vessels on the outskirts of the fighting had no such security.

The smaller of the saucers seemed to have an almost unnatural agility, able to twist and turn, finding new targets before the Crown naval vessels could react. Some launched fighters that were even now buzzing around far above his head.

Ordinary Seaman Spigot saw one of the larger disc shaped flyers approach, only now appreciating its size comparative to his own craft. Without warning a bright ray of energy, tinged with green, burned into the Guardian shield above him.

The fighters exploded like fireworks rippling through the Guardian field and overloading it. The noise of combat in the Ordinary Seaman’s ears was now deafening, no longer blunted by the Guardian field. The last thing James Spigot saw were dozens of metallic spheres, falling from a hatch in the bottom of the larger saucer. The last thing he did was pray.

This box contains:

• 1x Adamski Strike Saucer (may also be built as Haunebu or Valtar Class)

• 2x Euclid Scout Saucers (may also be built as Pytheus Class)

• 2x SRS Tokens

Warcradle Scenics

Travelling down the silent roads of Myskham, it was as if the small town itself grew with every step, as if it didn’t want anyone to leave. Expand your town of Myskham this month as the Town Set becomes available to pre-order as individual terrain kits for your tabletop.

Myskham - Firestation

Myskham has a tendency for dampness and so the chances of an inferno raging through the town are slim. Still, a fire station is a part of any good city's infrastructure. Most are well kept and staffed with volunteers eager to do their part, even if that part is mostly waiting around, playing cards to pass the time.

Station 53, however, is another story. The folks that look after this part of town are kept surprisingly busy. The lack of police in the area means the people manning this station have to deal with more than just their fair share of unexplained fires. Breaking up fights, missing people, and sightings of things that can’t be explained. At least that is what the limited paperwork suggests. Could it be that the firefighters of Station 53 are keeping secrets of their own?

This box contains:

• 1x Myskham Firestation

Myskham - The Elder Sign

The Elder Sign, while not an imposing site, is certainly a local place for local people. Roger Prendergast was feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. Not that he could see the passing of time from the broken clock on the wall.

He nursed his drink. Roger had never tried moonshine before but he had the distinct impression that this was it. He was careful not to spill any for fear of stripping the polish from his shoes.

Despite keeping to himself, he couldn’t help but hear the murmuring coming from the other patrons. It seemed to be an older local dialect, almost unchanged by the passing of time. As if this particular part of town didn’t have access to the outside world, or at least chose not to recognise it. Almost everyone here was stocky, with wrinkled leathery skin, assumedly a product of the local canning factory pumping god-knows-what into the air.

Roger Prendergast hoped his car wouldn’t take much longer to fix. He dreaded the thought of staying for the night.

This box contains:

• 1x Myskham The Elder Sign

Myskham - Subway Station

Most parts of Myskham were connected to the subway system and of those most were perfectly fine to use. Folks living their daily lives, commuting to work, without anything untoward bothering them. There was one station however, on the outskirts of town, that lay unused.

Even by the ne'er-do-wells that called that derelict part of town their home. The rumours were many and varied as to why. Rats the size of dogs, a hideout for a gang of escaped prisoners, unstable architecture that would have it collapse at a moment’s notice.

One deluded person even suggested it was flooded and home to a race of fish people. One thing no one could deny though, was that noise. When all else was quiet, a haunting wail echoed from that mouth to the subterranean world. That was enough to keep anyone away.

This box contains:

• 1x Myskham Subway Station

Myskham - Town House

Rows upon rows of terraces criss-cross this part of Myskham. While the boom of industry was strong, town planners thought they could set themselves up for a massive profit by luring workers to this part of town with affordable housing.

They may have put profits ahead of building quality and size but surely they could make a fortune once the houses were full of young families looking for a place to stay. Unfortunately for their profit margins, those already living in the location, as well as the foul smelling fish canning factories that they were to provide workers to, scared their potential workforce off.

The investors can’t afford to put rent up and a good deal of the current inhabitants aren’t even in the system. What began as an experimental company town, has now become a chaotic warren of buildings with some families having access to two or three houses as they knock walls down and convert some areas into communal spaces. The original architects would barely recognise the place.

This box contains:

• 1x Myskham Town House

Myskham - Urban Scatter

A small, bug-eyed child kicked a can past the Grapevine newsstand. Old magazines whipped around his legs in the cold breeze. String-tied packages of newspapers lay mouldering on the sidewalk.

Folks around here didn’t think much of the city boys and their fake news. They spread information by talking. The gossip among these inhabitants of Myskham spread from house to house faster than a truck could deliver a paper. Those with a suspicious mind might think it was a little too fast to travel, almost as if there was something unnatural going on. Of course, that was impossible. Wasn’t it?

This box contains:

• 1x Myskham Urban Scatter

Myskham - Automobile

While not everyone in Myskham has an automobile, they are quickly becoming commonplace. Even the less savoury parts of the city have got their fair share of vehicles. If you were to ask the locals, few would admit to owning one though.

Most of the automobiles in this part of town are abandoned. Some argue that it’s easier for criminals to lose stolen cars in this part of town thanks to the limited police presence, other folks have less pleasant reasons.

They argue that the civilised citizens of Myskham who end up on the wrong side of town just leave their rides where they are rather than having to deal with anyone with the ‘Myskham look’. Few people like to think of the more dangerous reasons that cars without owners are seen in this part of the city.

This box contains:

• 2x Myskham Automobiles

Which of the new releases are you the most excited for? You can pre-order all these exciting new products at your FLGS or at Wayland Games Online on the 30th of June 2023.

What are you the most excited for? Make sure to let us know over on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and stay up to date with all the new releases right here on the Warcradle Studios Blog.