April Game Update

Notice this post is not called “Hyperspace Frontier update”… I realised the name is too similar to some other games out there. Namely Hyperlight Drifter and a miniatures game I just discovered called Hypersteel Nightmare (that looks really fun). I could stick with it but I am stopping to take stock and figure out where I am going, and that also means changing the name.

I have been a little overwhelmed this month, I have been working on a commission which has been amazing, but I can’t share any details of it yet. It’s a very exciting model and I have loved working on it but it has taken up a lot more of my mental energy and time than I expected. I have been far from idle though. I thought about holding these renders back until I was ready to start building some “hype” for the game but I think it’s ok on here:

I have finished two sets of miniatures, the Rangers and Reavers, and I am really pleased with them. The Rangers have landed a Wild West look without necessarily looking historical, they have a nice mix of sci-fi elements and Wild West tropes. The Reavers are really a lot more chaotic and that’s just fun to do. It’s a lot of spikes and bashed elements but I think they have cohesive look. One thing I really enjoyed was doing a lot of masks for the heads. There are unmasked heads but I really liked the idea of them all wearing these over the top masks. Of course you can mix in any heads you like, especially from my kits but they are also scaled to fit with Stargrave and Frostgrave and a whole bunch of other kits.

I really want to dive right into the next set but I actually need to take some time off sculpting and spend maybe a full week painting some. I am putting together a website for Renegade Minis and need some nice pictures of actually painted miniatures to go on it. And having painted miniatures will be great for drip feeding out on socials and taking photos for rulebooks and what have you. In truth though I am really just looking forward to a week focused on painting. I don’t get to do it so often anymore since deciding I want to make my own.

Recalibration

When it comes to making games, this whole process of coming up with a game, writing the rules, creating miniatures, painting, play testing, building a brand, and everything else, well it’s a lot. It’s maybe a little much and another reason I have been feeling overwhelmed is just trying to do everything myself and very much in a bubble. While I don’t mind the work, and can do a lot of the work on my own, when you’re just in your own head with it all the time I think that is reflected in what you make. It loses the spark. It becomes something more mechanical. So there may be some changes coming there. I’ll leave details on that for later.

Since I decided to switch the rules to a universal system that has definitely made some things easier, but it has also opened up a lot of other options and that has caused me to rethink what I’m making. Since there may be some changes to how I make the games then I can’t say for sure what will happen but I expect to work on games that take place in common settings. So if Hyperspace Frontier was a sci-fi western skirmish game set in a lower tech frontier then there is also scope for games that explore other areas of that setting and I think that is really exciting going forward.

So there it is, a vague, rambling update to what has been quite a vague and rambling month. But things are clearing up and I’m looking forward to getting back on some kind of definitive track. Hopefully I’ll have some painted minis and some new designs to show soon.

-Callie