"Fantasy Wargames In A Doom-Age Of Blackpowder". As taglines for games go, I think Sean Sutter has done a pretty good job with this one for Sludge. This new 28mm wargame is coming soon from the creator of RelicBlade and it looks absolutely awesome!

Sludge // Metal King Studio

Sludge has been designed to be a little more than a traditional Fantasy wargame. The focus here is very much on blending History with Fantasy as part of a twisted take on our own world. This means that as well as being brutal, dirty and pretty grimdark, the game is focused on hobbyists being able to experiment and play around with their collection!

For the most part, Sludge is set during an age of blackpowder. Muskets spread clouds of smoke around the battlefield and ranks of pikes keep your enemies at bay. However, the rules also allow for bows, swords and pretty much anything you can think of from the Medieval period too. It's a real melting pot of Pike & Shotte, Blackpowder and the Medieval.

Sludge // Metal King Studio

The majority of the miniatures that Sean Sutter has been working with for the game so far have been taken from the Perry Miniatures collection with a few resin add-ons which we'll see soon. This should give you a pretty good idea of the kind of theme the game is going for.

All of these historical elements are then blended together with a dark Fantasy theme. The World Tree, Yggdrasil merges with the Nine Rings Of Hell and produces a world that has been twisted and warped, turning pretty much every corner of the world into a hellscape.

Sludge // Metal King Studio

This means that as well as hardened soldiers who are trudging through the mud, you've also got a few Fantasy units that build on the themes of the game. Chaplains bring down the blessings of the Gods whilst Dark Sorcerers weave strange magic and twist the minds of their enemies.

Want To Play? Watch Out For BLASTER Games Anthology Vol. 3!

The new rules for Sludge are going to be included as part of the next issue of BLASTER but you can already get a handle on the game through the Quick Rules Reference and Token Sheet plus this breakdown of army composition from Sutter.

Basilisk Empire Example Army // Sludge

Sutter also provided this to help you get a handle on what you need...

• The Rules: The core rules for sludge will be published in BLASTER Games Anthology Vol. 3. A “quick rules reference” sheet is available to download below.
• Miniatures: Each player will need an army to command. This game is an excuse to make historical fantasy armies and is designed to use 28mm miniatures. All the official photography features models from Perry Miniatures with some resin SLUDGE conversion bits added to shift the setting away from history and into a strange realm. I will go more in-depth about collecting an army in the following section.
• Dice: We use dice to resolve events of chance. You’ll need d10s and d6s. Each player will want at least two d10s and maybe twenty d6s.
• Measuring tool: Ranges are in inches.
• Play Area: Expect to use a 4’x4’ area. 400+ point games probably need a 4’x6’ battlefield. You will also want to build various terrain elements to decorate your battlefield and add strategic complications.
• Tokens: Game effects need to be marked with tokens. Most notable are Stress, and Gore tokens. Gore tokens must be modelled on 1” or 25mm circles. Gore is a physical and psychological presence on the battlefield, and the placement of gore directly changes the game state.

If you're interested in learning more about the hobby side of things and the way you build armies, you can check out the BIG article by Sutter HERE. This game seems like it could be a lot of fun, especially for those who like adding a fantastical edge to their historical games.

Black Site Studio's Sludge Bitz!

As well as the core game being produced by Metal King Studio and the armies being drawn from across the spectrum, the folks at Black Site Studio have also joined the action. They are producing two sets of heads at present to represent two of the factions in Sludge.

Imperial Heads // Sludge

Royalist Heads // Sludge

You can pick up the Imperial and Royalist Heads for you to then drop onto your miniatures from Perry, Warlord, or wherever you get your Black Powder-era armies. This plays into the idea that Sludge is all about converting and tinkering, a real hobbyists endeavour. I'm sure we'll get even more later on down the line to help build on the factions and characters of Sludge.

Does this game speak to you? It certainly has me intrigued!