Spiral Arm Studios have unveiled loads of information about their Sci-Fi game coming to Kickstarter at the end of April. A team from Dakka (yes, that Dakka Dakka) have been working on Maelstrom's Edge for a long while now and it's finally coming to fruition. It looks awesome!

What Is Maelstorm's Edge?

Maelstorm's Edge has been in development for three years and is the work of a team of around eight people who wanted to make their own take on the Sci-Fi wargame with an original background and their own models. At a basic level its a squad based skirmish game (twenty to thirty models per side) with tournament quality rules and some fantastic multi-part and multi-pose hard plastic kits. But, we'll get to them later.

"Maelstrom's Edge is a far future science fiction setting where a golden age of exploration and innovation has been ripped apart and humanity is on the very edge of annihilation. The Maelstrom, a gigantic apocalyptic explosion of dark energy, is rapidly expanding out from the heart of the galaxy, destroying everything it touches. As worlds and stars are obliterated from existence, those who have the means flee towards deep space, while those left behind fight for the chance to escape."

The two main factions within the game that are vying for control are the Epirian Foundation and Karist Enclave each of which have very different views on how the coming Maelstrom is to be dealt with.

The Epirians are a faction who have abandoned many of their world but are focused on advanced robotics and geo-engineering protecting their interests with battle hardened soldiers. The Karist Enclave by comparison are convinced that the coming Maelstrom isn't going to destroy them but instead elevate them to a higher plane of existence.

Filling in the gaps around both of these factions are The Broken who are the collection of refugees, revolutionaries, pirates and mercenaries that have been left behind and must band together in order to try and survive the coming destruction of planets and systems.

If you're interested in the background of this universe you can find out more by reading the novels that are available HERE. Since Salute is just around the corner you'll also be able to buy these novels in print too for the first time in limited quantities.

The story itself is going to be moved forward over time and not stay static like, say, Warhammer 40,000. This doesn't mean that factions and units will become obsolete however but it does mean they're going to be able to tell a story alongside their game much like with Warmachine and Hordes.

The Models Of Maelstrom

You can't have a wargame without models and so the team have been working on their own multi-part and multi-pose plastic kits that are based on tried and well loved 28mm-32mm scales. The focus has been on making the miniature something that you not only want to play with right out of the box but also customise and convert.

You can see some of the models above and some of the sprues for the final kits below showing off exactly what kind of kits you're going to be getting for the game. The finished products look very good for a studios first try at hard plastic and I'm very much in love with the heavily armoured Karists.

As well as the factions above you can expect to see The Broken come into their own as well as the Remnant Fleet and Kaigus Pact as things progress. The game has a focus on humans but that doesn't mean you're not going to be seeing a whole lot of aliens in the future too.

The Rules

The rules for this game have been crafted by a stalwart member of their community called yakface who has supported the tournament scene of games and been thanked by many game creators for his attention to detail. Who better to write the rules for your game then?

Maelstrom's Edge works on a squad level with units being made up of between three and five models. Through a method of alternative activation you will find yourself not having to wait around to have your turn and then will be weighing up the different strengths and weakeness of your distinct and various units.

They're promising a very unique set of rules that could well be the focus for a new generation of tabletop wargames. It certainly seem like they've got their heads screwed on with this and hopefully by the time we see the Kickstarter launch we'll have a better idea of how the rules work in more detail.

Salute 2015 & Beyond

What better place to let people have a look at your game than Salute right? The team are going to be there showing off the models, artwork and more for their game as well as the aforementioned sale of novels in print form.

When the Kickstarter hits they are promising that they'll have distribution channels for both the EU and the US and even before then they have major plans to get you sorted with updates in the run up to the campaign.

Keep an eye on this one folks as we think this could be quite the prize Sci-Fi game.

What do you think of the models so far?