live [KS] Dwarven Forge Cities Untold: Lowtown (Starting Feb. 12th) Now Live!

[Grumpy Gnome]

The next Kickstarter from Dwarven Forge is now live!

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwarvenforge/cities-untold-lowtown-ttrpg-terrain-by-dwarven-forge/description

Lots of very cool modular structures and assorted accessories are anticipated. 

https://citiesuntold.dwarvenforge.com/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=QdXBiGtqwnoPD8hDYv8iC9pfQaOczmErcXwhgqP5XY4a2NOq6VNaSGES_jRg8J2b.W4mvB8

The preview photos look to me to have more quirky charm than precious DF buildings. 

If you are curious, they showed more prototypes and talked about how the Kickstarter will work on Twitch. 

https://www.twitch.tv/dwarvenforgelive?_kx=QdXBiGtqwnoPD8hDYv8iC9pfQaOczmErcXwhgqP5XY4a2NOq6VNaSGES_jRg8J2b.W4mvB8&utm_medium=campaign&utm_source=Klaviyo

Edited February 12 by Grumpy Gnome

[Adrift]

I dig this set very much. But I also don’t feel like paying $350 for a few hunks of plastic. 

[Grumpy Gnome]

11 minutes ago, Adrift said:

I dig this set very much. But I also don’t feel like paying $350 for a few hunks of plastic. 

 To be fair, it is not 350 Dollars for “a few hunks of plastic”. The artistic skill that goes into creating these deserves a bit more respect than that. 
 

I will admit to being a big fan of Dwarven Forge terrain and purchased quite a bit of it in the past. It is expensive but it is incredibly durable and well designed. The modularity increases replayability “freshness” and reduces storage demands. If you go with factory prepainted it is an additional expense but it saves you a lot of prep time. The factory paintwork may not be brilliant but it suffices until you can tweak it to your own personal tastes. And lookin at the second hand market prices it appears to retain value should you later decide you no longer require it

[amuller33]

5 hours ago, Adrift said:

I dig this set very much. But I also don’t feel like paying $350 for a few hunks of plastic. 

Sums up My thoughts On  most DF projects

[Talae]

I am excited to see where this KS goes with other reveals. Looking great so far! Here is the original thread on this KS: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/100411-cities-untold-lowtown-ttrpg-terrain-by-dwarven-forge/

[ced1106]

DF's changed a lot since their first KS. DF went for the "diorama" target audience, who had the budget for highly detailed, artistic, but expensive terrain pieces. Turned out to be a good move, since, with KS, several companies, including retail company WizKids, went for the original budget "gaming" target audience, who was fine with the simple dungeon game tile designs, and used them more for gaming than display. Of course, with CoVid and the overseas supply chain issues, many of these and other KS companies were wiped out, leaving DF still with the high-end "diorama" terrain tiles, and, say, Archon, going after the budget "gaming" audience. 3d printing, especially designs that are only available as digital files, are disrupting both markets. Myself, I'm on the budget gaming side, so am pretty much backing Archon and Battle Systems nowadays. Still, I do like my original DF KS1 dungeon tiles!

[Talae]

The cost is definitely not for the feint of heart (or wallet). It is definitely the most expensive gaming-related items I own...and I have a fraction of the collection that many do. That being said, the stuff is pretty much indestructible and it looks amazing. 

Edited January 29 by Talae

[Grumpy Gnome]

On 1/26/2023 at 9:28 PM, Talae said:

I am excited to see where this KS goes with other reveals. Looking great so far! Here is the original thread on this KS: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/100411-cities-untold-lowtown-ttrpg-terrain-by-dwarven-forge/

Apologies Talae, I had not seen that original thread. How can we merge the threads?

 

KS now live as well, my original post changed to reflect that. 🙂
 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwarvenforge/cities-untold-lowtown-ttrpg-terrain-by-dwarven-forge/description

Edited February 12 by Grumpy Gnome

[Talae]

On 2/12/2023 at 12:10 PM, Grumpy Gnome said:

Apologies Talae, I had not seen that original thread. How can we merge the threads?

 

KS now live as well, my original post changed to reflect that. 🙂
 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwarvenforge/cities-untold-lowtown-ttrpg-terrain-by-dwarven-forge/description

No qualms here. Just figured mods might merge the threads.

 

The campaign is definitely bigger than I expected since they split it into two Kickstarters (Low Town vs High Town). My budget is super tight, but hopefully that turns around during the PM.

[Grumpy Gnome]

1 hour ago, Talae said:

No qualms here. Just figured mods might merge the threads.

 

The campaign is definitely bigger than I expected since they split it into two Kickstarters (Low Town vs High Town). My budget is super tight, but hopefully that turns around during the PM.

We will try to sell some things to raise funds for the KS but our budget is much tighter now than it was when we pledged for Wildlands. I am surprised to see the KS do quite this well and I am happy for the DF staff but yeah, considering High Town in the future… we just do not have the kind of disposable income we wish we had. These new sculpts have the kind of quirky charm we think will go well with our Hagglethorn Hollow and Tabletop World terrain.

Edited February 14 by Grumpy Gnome

[Talae]

I found this blog post to be informative and an interesting perspective: https://masticongames.substack.com/p/cities-untold?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1219794&post_id=87829468&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

[GoldenPiggy]

I have always wanted to buy Dwarven Forge sets, but I only recently got back into collecting miniatures (mostly to paint), and I don't play TTRPGs regularly anyway so I have little practical use for them.  That said, I am fascinated by this Kickstarter, and rather confused by the numbers.  Right now, the AVERAGE pledge level is about $1,500.  121 backers are in for the $6,800 pledge.  Those numbers just feel insane to me.  I'm in for about $700 on the Reaper Bones 6 Kickstarter, which already seemed really crazy (and well ahead of the average pledge of ~$180), but I can't even fathom dropping the same amount on terrain, even fantastic quality stuff, much less more than double that like the average pledge (or ten times that, like those 121).

 

I guess a lot of gamers have a lot of disposable income.  I have some too, but I can't fathom spending this much of it this way.  Maybe I'll go in for a couple hundred, or maybe that won't even buy me enough to be useful (not that I actually have a use for it...).  It looks like it might be fun to paint, though.

[ced1106]

5 hours ago, GoldenPiggy said:

I guess a lot of gamers have a lot of disposable income. 

 

So how's that GW army going? 🙂

 

I'd say that DF is the display and diorama of terrain. If you want backdrops for your miniatures, it's the best out there. OTOH, For tabletop gaming, I'd go with Archon or Battle Systems. (ObPlug: Archon will have a miniatures KS and BS a dungeon terrain KS "any time now" 😛

[Grumpy Gnome]

Everyone has their own financial priorities. Mrs. GG and I used our vacation money for our Wildlands pledge thanks to the Covid lockdowns. We do not have the same situation this time. However we do not smoke, I gave drinking several years ago, I do not have the Dodge Charger or Ford Mustang that I would like to (but then probably just have parked in a garage), we do not go out for fancy meals/movies/clubbing, we do not ski, own a boat anymore, etc etc. So maybe we can scrape together some money for a pledge but nowhere near as much as we would like. We also take into account that one day Little GG will get the benefit of such durable gaming terrain.

[GoldenPiggy]

 

2 hours ago, Grumpy Gnome said:

Everyone has their own financial priorities.

I definitely understand that.  I realized upon reading your comment that mine came off more than a little judgmental, and I am sorry for that.  I really was not intending to criticize, the whole idea is just strange to me.  Then again, if my wife shared my interest in miniatures and RPGs, it might seem a lot less strange.  If my older kids (12 and 15) were into D&D, that might be different too, but I've never been able to get them hooked.  I also have three-year-old twins, though, and they are fascinated with the miniatures, so maybe my thoughts on this will evolve if they really get into it.

 

5 hours ago, ced1106 said:

So how's that GW army going? 🙂

I'm not sure if you have me confused with someone else or if I just missed the joke.  Either way, though, I appreciate the recommendations, and I will look into those options.  I acquired some Secret Weapon Miniatures terrain for free at ReaperCon, which is largely what has me thinking about terrain in the first place, but there isn't enough there to do much, and the company is apparently closing down anyway so that is not the solution (aside from the fact that the terrain itself is merely okay).