Raising the stakes and the logs: meet more Lumberjacks.

“A dedicated fan of the game before even the first words of an alliance between the two guilds had been uttered, it had actually been Oak’s idea to set up plays around the log piles. It was something she’d learned from watching Honour guiding the Farmer’s Guild in the early days, before they won their first championship.

Of the others, although Flint had spent some time with each player, the striker had taken a particular shine to Tinder. The pair had spent long hours on the field drilling passes, shots, and tackles between themselves and had achieved tremendous results. Despite his stocky build, Tinder had begun to move like a forward and commanded a quiet confidence whilst on the ball.”

Welcome back, sportsfans, to the next cut of our progress towards felling the Lumberjacks Guild. Missed our overview article last week? You can catch the backswing here!

Today we’ll be exploring the stat cards of the revealed cast of the Lumberjacks Guild. And why, now, more than five years after the release of the last official team, the Shepherds Guild, we’ve chosen to release the next Minor Guild.

Time to get the sawdust flying — the Lumberjacks are clocking in for pre-order at the Steamforged store.

A quick chop through the highlights

• Meet more of the crew — meet Bucker & Itsa. Get to know the latest members of the Lumberjacks Guild.

• Carve up the pitch with skill — Cards revealed! Find out how the crew plays and start planning your field tactics.

• Bucker’ up. — The Lumberjacks old Raedlander takes up the Mason mantle.

Seasoned pros and splintered toes

Bucker - Built like a barn, hits like a tree

“Bucker was the only one amongst the Lumberjacks that Mallet had found much difficulty with. The man had been stubborn in the way that only Raeds could truly be, his sour behaviour making his own life harder to a point that seemed entirely non-sensical to everyone other than Bucker himself.

For a time, he’d resisted instruction, leaving Mallet wondering if Bucker had harboured aspirations to become team captain himself. Eventually, he’d worked it out, whilst listening to them talk at the campfire one evening. Bucker had been an Old Raedlander during the Century Wars and was still carrying an unhealthy dose of animosity as a result. Mallet knew he wasn’t the person to work on that but did know how to motivate old soldiers.”

Every team needs someone who can take a hit and give it right back, and Bucker was born for that job. The old Raedlander doesn’t just swing an axe, he practically is one.

His Splitting Strikes cleave through clustered foes, spreading pain like splinters, while Axe A Question lets team up with Oak or Mallet to give engaged foes a splitting headache.

Add a hefty armour pierce from Anatomical Precision and that lovely Assist from his old mates Oak and Mallet, and you’ve got a man who turns every fight into a woodshop demonstration.

Itsa me, the desert hunter.

“We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The land has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. 

Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life. Now our minds are one.”

- Excerpt, Unknown Indari blessing of gratitude. 

The Lumberjacks’ resident daredevil, Itsa brings desert hunter expertise to the Timberlands. With a stride that covers the pitch quicker than a buzzsaw, Itsa’s always where the action is, vaulting obstacles and dancing through rough ground like it’s nothing. 

“The next morning, Mallet and Oak had embarked on a training regime designed to enforce discipline amongst the Lumberjacks, giving Bucker a sense of familiarity to latch onto. From then onwards, he’d obeyed orders from both Mallet and Oak to the letter, taking militaristic pride in doing so.

‘Reminds me of a younger version of myself in some ways.’ Mallet chuckled. ‘I wasn’t so easy to get on with back when we first started out, I’d wager.’

Mallet imagined Greyscales laughing at that.

‘Here’s something that would have got a rise out of you then—the last player, Itsa, used to be a Hunter. Not one of the northern ones from the forest though, like we usually see. A real rarity, a Hunter from the deserts.’ Mallet chuckled. ‘Believe the scuttlebutt, and they hunt dragons out in the wastes. Guess life as a rigger climbing up and down trees is a lot less dangerous, eh?’

Itsa is an intrepid scout and source of wisdom for the Lumberjacks both on and off the pitch, guiding them in honorable and sustainable methods of harvesting lumber. 

On the pitch, Itsa focuses on providing the lumberjacks with utility and mobility. Itsa brings respectable stats and playbook focused on ball retrieval and scoring goals. A low momentous tackle, 6”/9” movement, and a 3/8" KICK, along with 5 DEF, allow Itsa to get and score goals when needed. If we peek ahead at the back of his card, we also see Light Footed, allowing him to ignore the movement penalty for rough ground.

However, much of Itsa’s power goes beyond personal output, and to the utility he brings to the team. He brings 3 character plays. Quick Time and Marked for Felling both provide mobility and movement to the team. Itsa can reposition a friendly model back into range of a logpile marker, or extend the threat range of friendly models. Marked for Felling serves an additional unique purpose. With two logpile markers, which are obstructions, along with all of the standard terrain on the pitch, it can become difficult to find efficient charge lanes for models to engage opponents. Itsa allows friendly models to charge over obstructions, providing additional ways for your team to get to where they need to be.

The third character play on Itsa’s card, Reconnaissance, serves a similar role by addressing another limitation of logpile markers. As obstructions, logpile markers grant cover to any model within 1”, including enemy models. Itsa allows the friendly team to ignore that penalty, which if you ignore the differences between the removal of a negative stimulus compared to the addition of a positive one, is effectively a situational TAC bonus aura to the friendly Lumberjacks models.

Lastly, we see how Itsa can benefit from being around logpile markers through his trait Eye of the Sun Father.

First, note the range of 4” here - Itsa can stray a bit farther from the trees than most of his guildmates. This ability allows Itsa to make a pass or use a character play without spending influence, providing Itsa and the team with influence efficiency, and access to ball movement, which can be used in a number of ways - repositioning models, extending threat ranges, and so on. 

See why the Lumberjacks are the professionals

Oak - The heartwood of the guild

The Lumberjack’s captain, Oak, is a towering and opposing figure who doesn’t ask how hard the work is. She may bend, but she never breaks, and suffers no mistakes. But under the surface…

Oak - as strong as the mountains themselves, and nearly as unmoving.

- Mallet, Mason’s Guild. 

Starting off with her stats and playbook, Oak brings solid values across the board, other than slightly below average movement. She has access to a combined tackle and knock down, as well as damage and access to guild ball results to trigger her powerful character plays…more on those in a moment. At the top of her book, she can push through that key damage she may need to get takeouts herself. 

Oak brings two character plays, both which amplify the damage output of the rest of the squad. Bull of the Woods provides Oak with Lend a Hand - increasing the dice on attacks from other friendly models against enemies she is engaged with. Cut Em Down reduces the defense and movement of enemy models in her melee zone. Once Oak has her plays up, remaining close to her is certainly an occupational hazard.

On the back of her card, Oak brings several traits which further synergize with a play pattern of getting in and setting up her team. Between a Rock… allows Oak to reposition during an opponent’s activation, putting herself in a position to set up your next activation by applying bonus TAC or reducing an opposing model’s DEF. It can also be used in many other clever ways, such as providing an additional crowd out to an opposing model, extending Oak’s own threat range, or blocking movement and placement for opposing models. 

Now Bends… But Never Breaks is the first ability that showcases the interaction between logpile markers and the Lumberjacks. While Oak is within 1” of a friendly logpile marker, she will gain stoic, allowing her to ignore the first push per turn. This makes it more challenging for opposing teams to deal with the pressure and threat she brings.

Caber Toss, in addition to be an excellent visual for how Oak deal with logs after she has cut them down, showcases another aspect of Lumberjacks gameplay - the ability to reposition logpile markers to where they are most needed. For Oak, this ability allows her to move a logpile marker into the best position so that she and her team can benefit from being nearby, or can move to the next area where they need to be. 

Lastly, Oak’s legendary ability Fell Swing allows for a single turn of extra attacks for the team, as well as another ability to reposition both logpile markers on the pitch with a large degree of flexibility. With the perfect setup, Oak can provide her team with up to 6 attacks that do not require influence. Eat your heart out, Honor. However, proper planning is key, as it is also quite easy and likely to get much less out of the first part of the legendary if your team is out of position. 

Overall, Oak is a captain that brings respectable output on her own, however truly excels when her setup and utility abilities are used effectively to enable the output and abilities of the rest of the squad and drive them to better heights - the mark of a leader.

Tinder - Fired up and ready to kick off

Once a tree is felled and split into logs, they still have to get from the forest to civilization. This is Tinder’s job - moving around logs and players on the pitch. Well, that and being the favored protege of the legendary Flint. 

Tinder’s playbook and stats really scream (Like the dedicated fans of a superstar) that this squaddie wants to play some football. 

Boasting a 2” melee, a solid TAC 5, and a 4/6” KICK, combined with a momentous tackle result on his 1st column, and momentous push-dodge on column 2, Tinder can be quite good at taking the ball off of an opponent and making an accurate pass (perhaps to the best and most charismatic guild ball player in the world) on to a teammate. Sporting moderate durability with a DEF of 4 and 1 ARM, alongside 14 health and tricky access to damage, Tinder is not necessarily a squaddie who will want to stick around too long in the middle of the fight. 

Tinder’s character plays all revolve around repositioning models and logpile markers. Swipe Right allows him to once per turn push an enemy model, while also repositioning a logpile marker within 1”. This allows Tinder to set up teammates by pushing enemies into threat range, or into the melee range of your team, while also putting a logpile in the right spot. Conversely, Skidding allows Tinder to move friendly models towards a logpile marker on the pitch. This can be used to extend threat range towards an enemy team, or for a goal run. Since the play is not once per turn, but rather just once per model, it also can be used to allow Tinder to reposition a scrum, pulling multiple friendly models towards a well-placed log. 

Models and Log Piles are actually not the only thing Tinder can move. His trait, Putting Out Fires allows him to choose a friendly logpile marker within 4” and remove and then reallocate influence amongst other friendly models within 4” of that Log Pile marker. This makes Lumberjack influence allocation very flexible in the right situations. Accidentally put too much influence on a model? Swap it over to another squaddie that is in position to go into a model that has been set up by Oak. 

Tinder’s Legendary Play, This Should Be Overtime… allows Tinder a 2nd method of repositioning logpile markers. Note that the range of this play is unlimited, meaning Tinder can be anywhere on the pitch and take a logpile marker from anywhere on the pitch, placing it within 4” of him. This allows for a one time major reset of a Log Pile marker, if you have placed it incorrectly or just need it in a new area of the pitch immediately.

This Legendary also provides Tinder with some important utility when playing up for the Mason’s Guild. Tinder allows Mason’s to better utilize the single Log Pile marker that they get access to. Particularly when pairing Tinder and Bucker in Masons, Tinder can reposition the logpile marker so that Bucker can stick to what he does best…chopping. 

Lastly, Tinder gains an additional benefit when playing on the pitch with (the G.O.A.T of Guild Ball) Flint. Synchronized allows Flint to use Pass & Move or make a Snap Shot for 1 less momentum when receiving a pass from Tinder. This provides both Tinder and Flint with easy access to additional dodges, allowing for longer threats on goal or to reposition to safety after getting a ball. It also sets up even more opportunities for Flint to miss a bonus time 5 die snapshot to win the game. 

Tinder brings many tools to the Lumberjacks, providing them with a nearly unparalleled level of flexibility on the pitch, as well as strong options to shift into a more goal-focused gameplan. Guess it does pay to learn from the best. 

Time to get the sawdust flying — the Lumberjacks are clocking in for pre-order at the Steamforged store.

Masons crossovers: prepare for a smashing match

Lumberjacks, in their strict profession need a hearty diet to sustain themselves through strenuous labour. Ol' Bucker here was on a temporary diet, hence the 30mm base. He'll be back on the pork & beans in no time. And a 40mm base.

Remember last week we showed you Tinder and the mystery Mason crossover? Well mystery no more.

Our ‘jack in the shadow is none other than the Lumberjacks military woodchuck; Bucker.

The crossover pack features Tinder and Bucker, both reimagined in the disciplined, crafted style of the Masons Guild. And, of course, both will be fully playable in a Masons team.

Crafted by Masons, tempered by timber. Pre-order the Masons × Lumberjacks crossover pack today.

Heading to Lock & Load 2025?

Grab your boots, polish your playbooks, and rally the crew, because it’s match day at Lock & Load 2025.

Weekend badges and Saturday 1-day passes are live now on Warfaire Weekend. Get stuck into open play or enter the Guild Ball tournament. This is your shot at a full day of Guild Ball play, where coaches from across the globe will meet on the pitch for pride, prizes, and plenty of post-match stories.

And here’s a reason to pack your axe and jersey (don’t actually pack an axe): we’re bringing a limited number of early Lumberjacks Guild sets to Lock & Load 2025. 

That’s right, you’ll be able to swipe right in and claim the brand-new Minor Guild before anyone else, while stocks last. 

If you’ve already pre-ordered, it’s your first chance to see them in person. If not, now’s the perfect time to get the Lumberjacks in your locker room, gear up and bring a bit of sawdust to the pitch, and splinters to your foes.

So, sharpen those saws, gather your guildmates, and get ready for a weekend packed with sport, laughter, and a whole lot of momentum – the pitch is waiting.

Get your Lock & Load badge & tickets today — Only 8 days to go!

Why the Lumberjacks?

As we said in our last article, as with all new Guild Ball content since the game’s official revival in early 2024, we’ve worked hand in hand with the GBCP on the Lumberjacks Guild. 

After working on the yearly update, focus quickly moved over to the next Minor Guild that’d be introduced to the game. The Lamplighter’s Guild were entirely created and designed by the GBCP and are an officially recognised fan Guild, playable in events. This time, we collectively wanted to add something official to the game’s roster of Guilds.

Some of you may remember that when we stopped developing content for Guild Ball back in 2020, we listed the names of the remaining Minor Guilds we would’ve worked on had development continued. The Minor Guild for the Masons named in that list was originally the Moneylenders Guild.

The GBCP were already well on the way to concepting and designing a number of characters for the Lumberjacks Guild. So naturally we needed to have some collaborative discussions about what to do.

The GBCP absolutely blew us away with exceptional design pitch for what the Lumberjacks Guild could be. We loved the idea so much that we were happy to let go of our early concepts for the Moneylenders, and switch lanes into the Lumberjacks. From there on out, we worked in tandem on a design both SFG and the GBCP were fully committed to.

Once agreed on a design direction for the next Minor Guild, Mat and I reconnected with famed Guild Ball artist Doug Telford to create brand new character artwork, and of course Russ and his team couldn’t wait to get started on a team of brand new Guild Ball miniatures.

And the rest is history!

Why Now?

Speaking of history, it’s been quite some time since Guild Ball’s official revival in February last year, over 18 months in fact. Why release the Lumberjacks Guild now?

Well, as we mentioned, when we started working alongside the GBCP on Guild Ball, the first point of order was the annual balance update set for release in March 2024. Since SFG had only really been back on the scene since the start of February, this didn’t give a lot of time so initially our focus was almost exclusively on landing that update.

Beyond the March update, we started having some “look up and ahead” meetings with the GBCP where we discussed all sorts of ideas for the game and setting our next steps into place. We fixed into a place a number of things:

• Firstly, we agreed to continue with balance updates annually in March, there was a balance update in March 2025 and the next one is scheduled for release in March 2026

• Secondly, we agreed to start development on a brand new Game Plan deck, the existing one at the time was several years old at that point and had been pressed into service far longer than it was ever intended to - the new Game Plan deck released in May 2025

• Thirdly, we agreed to work on the next Minor Guild. The minor Guilds are a large and unfinished aspect of Guild Ball. We know it’s something you, the fans, really want. Working through these absolutely makes sense for a method of adding new releases to the game

What that next Minor Guild would be was definitely a topic of some discussion. 

While the Alchemists now have the Lamplighters, the Masons, Brewers, and Blacksmiths were all missing their Minor Guilds. There isn't a strategic reason for releasing the remaining Minor Guilds in a specific order, so it really came down to which concepts we felt were the strongest and most exciting to work on next.

As we mentioned in our last article, we were absolutely blown away by the quality of the idea the GBCP pitched to us for the Lumberjacks Guild and it’s fair to say this is the main reason this is the Guild we went with.

Fans of the Brewers and the Blacksmiths, don’t worry, your turn will come around. We just need longer to work the designs to a standard we’re happy with.

Your first swing at Guild Ball starts here

If you’ve never played Guild Ball, now’s the perfect time to draft your dream team for the pitch.

Net yourself FREE digital Starter Set STLs, including members of the Masons Guild, allies of the upcoming Lumberjacks — and everything you need to start playing, two guilds, 16 miniatures and an 8-piece terrain set.

Download the starter set and free rules and cards, and get back on the pitch.

Grab your plaid flannel and lace your boots — pre-order your Lumberjacks today.

Don’t miss the kick-off! 

Subscribe to the Steamforged newsletter to get the latest Guild Ball updates — including Lumberjack reveals, pre-order news, and more!

Until then, stay sharp, stay sturdy, and absolutely…

Stay choppy.