October is a monumental month for us here at Warcradle Studios with massive releases for Dystopian Wars and Warcradle Scenics.

Conflicts are escalated sky high in Dystopian Wars this month as the Sturginium Skies - Two Player Starter Set hits the tabletop. The first Two Player Starter Set for Dystopian Wars since Hunt for the Prometheus, Sturginium Skies sees the Crown’s Canadian air force defend against an incoming Imperium invasion.

But the Dystopian Wars releases don’t stop there! The Empire begin deployment of Ika Colossi to ensnare their enemies with the Ika Colossus Squadrons, and the Akula Battlefleet Set offers the submarines seen in the Black Wolf Battlefleet Set separately.

Get ready to furnish your tabletop with Paddle Steamers and rundown Manors as the Black Lake Bayou Set becomes available to purchase as individual terrain kits.

Due to be released at the end of October 2022

Dystopian Wars

Introduce a whole new dimension of combat to your games of Dystopian Wars this month with the aerial additions in the Sturginium Skies Two Player Starter Set. The Empire and Commonwealth also employ more reinforcements this month with the addition of the Ika Colossus Squadrons and Akula Battlefleet Set respectively.

Sturginium Skies - Two Player Starter Set

Perfect for brand new and entrenched players alike, the Sturginium Skies Two Player Starter Set offers a great way to jump into the action of Dystopian Wars with a mix of entirely plastic aerial and naval units with all you need to start playing the game.

The great powers of the Dystopian Age are constantly testing each other’s boundaries, fighting for territory and resources. The Imperium has decided to make a push into the Labrador Sea, to claim some of the Crown’s Dominions in Canada. It was believed that in the face of an overwhelming military presence in the region, the Crown would yield and allow the fishing and gas fields to be ceded to the Imperium. 

The Imperium

With the knowledge that a rumoured exercise by the Union to the southwest of Canada would draw much of the Canadian air force and focus to counter this buildup, Kommodore Wilhelmina von Hoeppner was given the Kaiser’s blessing to begin the special operation.

The initial forays by the Prussian airships were met by the anticipated patrols from the Canadian Aerial Defence Force. Vast Imperium forces efficiently and ruthlessly silenced these valiant aircraft. leaving the east coast unawares and poorly defended in the face of this Prussian onslaught. It was only in the opening stages of the naval battles that followed that the Crown became aware of the Imperium’s intentions, but by then the Atlantic Fleet had been left very much alone in the fight.  

The Crown

Military campaigns take time and logistics to implement, and in the lull following this initial battle, urgent requests for reinforcements to both the High Commission in Ottawa and Canadian Naval Command. Fortunately, the British 14th Rotor Expeditionary Division was on manoeuvres off the coast of Ireland under Air Marshal Clive Spottswoode. 

Sturginium Skies not only provides everything you need for two players to start playing Dystopian Wars, but it also contains a campaign that showcases the beleaguered Canadian forces as they hold off against a powerful Imperium attack. Will Air Marshal Spottswoode and the 14th Rotor Expedition arrive in time to make a difference for the Crown? Or will Kommodore von Hoeppner and her Prussian battlefleets reach their target for the glory of the Imperium?

This Starter Set will walk players through the rules of Dystopian Wars encounter by encounter, slowly building up to the final confrontation between the Crown and Imperium Forces.

This Box Contains:

• 1 x Stark Imperium Skyfortress

• 2 x Kriegsturm Assault Airship

• 4 x Jaeger Aerial Fast Destroyer

• 4 x Aerial Escort

• 2 x Reiter Cruiser

• 4 x Sigimer Destroyer

• 3 x Prydain War Rotor

• 3 x Tintagel Battle Rotor

• 6 x Saxon Scout Rotor

• 3 x Newfoundland Attack Cruiser

• 6 x Orca Hunter Submarine

• SRS Tokens

• 1 x Rule Book (Revision 3.03) 

• 1 x Campaign Book

• 2 x Victory & Valour card decks (60 cards each)

• 1 x Template set

Ika Colossus Squadrons

Since the creation of the first primitive maps, there have been parts of the world where monsters lay and sailors fear to wonder. The Empire have been inspired by this to create their own monstrosities of the deep. Marvels of engineering created not only to sow fear and doubt in the minds of their enemies but also to demonstrate the mechanical mastery of the Empire.

Using the most advanced engineering techniques, by command of Empress Shinzua herself, huge automata in the form of giant squid have been successfully developed. The layered wax and silk cognition cylinders for these submerged creations are of a complexity that exceeds even those of the Enlightened.

The Ika Colossus have become horror stories told about when crews are safe on shore leave. Any survivors refuse to discuss them while at sea should they incur the wrath of the Ika. In this way the Ika have become exactly what they were designed to be, the monsters that sailors fear.

This box contains:

• 2x Ika Colossus (can be built as either a Kaiju or Okuforu Class Ika Colossus)

• 4x Chita Submersible Escort Automata

Akula Battlefleet Set

Flagship of the Black Wolf Mercenary Fleet and commanded by the charismatic Volodymyr Nikonov, the Death Bringer is feared around the globe. Stolen from the Enlightened during a presentation to the Tsar, Nikonov ensured the Death Bringer was an utterly unique masterpiece by destroying the blueprints and setting the shipyards ablaze.

Extrapolated by Ukrainian engineers from charred blueprints of the stolen Death Bringer, the Akula is still the most powerful in the Ukrainian Submarine Command. One element that was successfully replicated was the Akula’s magnetohydrodynamic drive enabling the boat to approach virtually undetected before striking.

Based in Odesa, Ukrainian Submarine Command (UPK) has the lead in subnautical warfare and exploration for the Commonwealth. With an impressive training academy in nearby Zatoka, the UPK provides a steady supply of skilled submariners and vessels like the lethally fast Khyzhak class.

Fast and deadly, the Piranya hunter submarines patrol in packs along the Black Sea and the Bering Strait. With a complement of twelve, the Piranya make for a close-knit boat crew, ideal for such vessels with sparse living comforts on month-long duty beneath the waves.

This box contains:

• 3x Grand Submarine (can be built as either the Death Bringer or Akula Class ship)

• 6x Khyzhak Attack Submarines

• 6x Piranya Hunter Submarines

Warcradle Scenics

The Black Lake Bayou Set becomes available to pre-order in individual terrain kits this month, allowing you to customise the swampy scenery of your tabletop to match the theme of your wargames.

Black Lake Bayou - Manor

Built many years ago when the French had colonised the local area, the Manor at Black Lake was once a place of opulence where the well-to-do would dine and socialise. Since the Ore War, it has certainly lost its shine. While still an imposing building, it is now for a very different reason. Rumours of it being haunted and the now overgrown local flora make it creepy rather than captivating.

The ‘ownership’ of the building has changed hands many times over the past years with everyone staking a tenuous claim from local moonshiners to Confederate remnants of the Ore War to Mme. Marie Leveau and her entourage. This last entry being the source of many of the macabre tales that seem to centre around this former location of luxury

This set contains:

• 1x Black Lake Manor

Black Lake Bayou - Paddle Steamer

The Paddle Steamer in Black Lake must have had a name at some point but that is now lost to the lake, as is a large section of its hull. Whether by war, accident or the simple passage of time, no one seems to remember but it is now scuppered with anything of use torn from its rotting carcass.

Despite this, there are still determined souls willing to risk their lives delving into the submerged hold, hoping to find the gold that was the prize in a forgotten poker tournament. No one seems to know if this was even real or not but those who search for it often find the bodies of those who went before them. Like those decaying corpses, this Paddle Steamer will eventually be consumed by the bayou, never to be seen again.

This set contains:

• 1x Black Lake Paddle Steamer

Black Lake Bayou - Boat House

While in the grounds of the Black Lake Manor, this Boat House is rarely seen in the same place twice. This is made all the stranger given that no one seems to live there. Clearly, someone does but no living person has ever seen boarding or disembarking this crudely built dwelling. Even when gunfights break out between local bandits and lawmen, no movement is seen across the deck. If anything does make this haphazard construction its home, it seems to be able to sense trouble before it arrives and makes its way elsewhere.

This set contains:

• 1x Black Lake Boat House

Black Lake Bayou - Summer House

The Black Lake Summer House has fallen into a state of almost total decrepitude. Years ago it might have been considered a picturesque folly for effete members of the family to make their dalliances, though like those once young and beautiful people its best days are far behind it. Now it is only home to wildlife and whatever transient creatures traverse the bayou at night. Very occasionally, the tree growing through the roof is used as a dead drop between whoever might be up to nefarious deeds and do not wish to be disturbed.

This set contains:

• 1x Black Lake Summer House

October looks to be one of the biggest months for Dystopian Wars releases with a brand new Two Player Starter Set, Sturginium Skies and much more! Make sure not to miss out when they go live for pre-order on the 30th of September 2022 at your FLGS or Wayland Games Online.

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