Part 1: Vision & Mission | Warmachine & Iron Kingdoms Manifesto

So, who had Steamforged buying Warmachine on their 2024 bingo card?

(I can’t take credit for that one — that goes to GuerrillaMiniatureGames — but it did make me chuckle when I saw it.)

Before we get into the details of the post, I’ll take a second to introduce myself. I’m Mat Hart, co-founder and CCO of Steamforged. If you were hanging out in the Warmachine subreddit the day the announcement went live, we may already have spoken. I’ll be back on Reddit from 6:30-7:30pm BST, after this post goes out, so feel free to swing by and say hello! 

Today’s post is the first in a series designed to give you a look behind-the-scenes as we begin this journey. It’s a little daunting for some, I know, but we’ll do everything we can to make this experience an absolute blast! 

Starting here, with Part 1: our vision and mission for the Iron Kingdoms. Then, over the next few months, we’ll be sharing more details on strategy, plans, and thoughts for the future, so we can bring you along for the ride.

One more thing before we dive in: this isn’t a one-size-fits-all post. There’s a lot to communicate over the next few months, and this post won’t have all the answers. As the saying goes, it’s a marathon rather than a sprint, and we’re committed to the long game and supporting sustainable growth. This is just the beginning... 

Entering the Iron Kingdoms

Being a game designer at heart, the Iron Kingdoms is pretty much a dream come true. It’s such a rich and detailed world, with 25 years of history, that the thought of developing games within the setting is genuinely exciting. Even more so because we’ll be working alongside the original visionaries at Privateer Press who brought it to life in the first place.

Speaking for myself, I’ve enjoyed some great times playing the games, reading the lore, and painting minis. And, in doing so, in my own small way, breathing life into this setting for myself and the people I’m lucky enough to play with.

Still, it’s a huge responsibility. There’s so much love for this world, which makes the prospect of helping it grow both thrilling and terrifying. But I believe Steamforged (SFG) is in the ideal position to take on this challenge. 

We have a deep and abiding love for the setting and games, especially Warmachine, throughout our team. (Our company name isn’t a total coincidence.) Over the last decade, we’ve gained valuable experience and learned many important lessons that equip us for this. 

As well as talented industry professionals, our team includes many passionate Warmachine players and painters who’ll bring their experience to the table and enhance the excellent development team already in place at Privateer Press.

Our Mission

Warmachine

The latest version of Warmachine is in a strong position. The rules are clean and tight, while the characters and units released (so far) are landing in the sweet spot of playability, layered options, balance, and fun. The minis are enjoyable to paint and play with, and the current narrative is nuanced and engaging. 

As we’ve said in answers on socials: the current edition of Warmachine will continue as planned, as it’s already heading in a great direction, with the Privateer Press development team in place and the support of our team. Think of us as a force multiplier, bringing all our creative and practical skills to the table to enhance and grow the game. 

So, in short, our first mission is to preserve what’s already excellent, and focus on improving areas that need it. Right now, we have two key priorities:

1. Strengthening the Supply Chain: Ensuring models (and everything else) are always available without interruption. This means not only a bunch of backend work on production facilities, inventory control, and logistics, but also collaborating with our distribution and retail partners worldwide to get Warmachine into your local gaming stores (FLGS).
2. Expanding the Game's Reach: We want to share this game with as many people as possible. That means implementing a solid marketing strategy to help more gamers discover (or rediscover) the Iron Kingdoms. Engaging with the community is crucial, as is building support through organised play, cool events, and narratives for gamers to enjoy. We want to make sure we’re present at key shows, running demos for everyone and anyone.

Beyond this, we’re integrating the SFG and Privateer Press (PP) teams to synergise on great art, engaging story, and exciting design and development. More details on this will follow, but suffice to say things are moving in a very positive direction. 

Warcaster and Riot Quest

The Iron Kingdoms brand encompasses so many products and games that it makes prioritisation essential. We’re under no illusions about the scale of the task ahead. So, for the foreseeable future, we’re committed to focusing on Warmachine, the Iron Kingdoms RPG, and the Formula P3 paint range.

We’ll look at some of the other exciting games in due course but, for now, they’re awaiting their time to shine. For Warcaster and Riot Quest in particular, we’re in the info-gathering phase, and awaiting a time when we can deep dive before any decisions are made. We’ve created a space on our Discord where we’d love to get to know you all, and learn more about your experiences with the games. 

Formula P3 Paint

I don’t want to spoil too much just yet, but let’s just say exciting developments are already underway, and we’re working with some talented painters on developments for this range.

Iron Kingdoms RPG

Next up for the RPG is the Strangelight Workshop Kickstarter, already teased by PP, which we’ll have more news on in the next couple of weeks.

Our Vision

For Warmachine specifically, our vision is pretty simple: we want a game that appeals to a broad range of gamers, be they casual, competitive, or hobbyist.  

The dream is one of fully-painted armies facing off across beautifully designed tables, played at multiple points levels, fostering new friendships and creating great memories of fun and exciting games. 

On a personal level, supporting the painting, hobby, and casual side is key to community growth, in balance with competitive play. Seeing awesome-looking miniatures on the tabletop is one of the greatest organic advertisements you can get for a miniatures game, and that’s something we want to support and encourage.

So, expect lots of painted mini pictures from me and the team, as well as hobby tutorials and videos! 

Part 1 of the Manifesto

I mentioned at the top of this post that this was Part 1. 

There’s plenty going on behind-the-scenes, and we want to be giving you insight wherever we can, which means there’s a bunch for us to cover over the next few months. Some of it we’ll already have shared in comments and AMA responses when these posts come out, but the posts will gather the key details in one place:

• Meet the Team: Introducing key SFG team members, their backgrounds, and roles in this.
• Community Engagement: Our plans for events and organised play, regular content, plus details on where to get news and hang out with us and other players.
• Partnerships: Sharing more insights into the partnership between SFG and PP, and its benefits for the community and the game.
• Shows and Events: Our planned attendance at various shows and events, plus more detail on organised play.
• Commercial Plans: Plans around distribution and retail; what the supply chain looks like and how we’re changing it; more information on Legacy, Unlimited, and organised play; and more details on miniature production. 
• Manufacturing: Demystifying the pipeline, taking a closer look at the manufacturing process, and highlighting the key quality markers we’ll be tracking and improving.
• Roadmap: Finally, sharing our high-level roadmap, including plans and timelines for the future.

So, keep an eye out for the Meet the Team post coming next week.

Speaking of the future, I’m excited to finally share more details on the Cygnar and Khador shots we teased in the announcement…

New 2-Player Starter Set

In the announcement, we shared a tease of some brand new models for Cygnar Storm Legion and Khador Winter Korps. These models will feature in a new 2-player Command Starter Set planned for release later this year!

More details on gameplay and story will follow, but here’s what I can share right now (without getting murdered by marketing):

• This 2-player starter set will be manufactured in hard plastic (known as HIPS) 
• Because it’s for two players, this set includes two Warcasters, two Character Warjacks, two Character Solos, two Character Units and terrain all in one box, proving an ideal entry point into Warmachine

What’s Next?

Separate to the Manifesto series, our next key update will go live when the website transition is done and sales reopen. That post will include updates on several of the upcoming pre-orders that had already been announced by PP. 

The site transition is a monumental task that the team is currently working on. We’d originally slated it to be the end of this week, but after assessing progress and testing user experience today, we’ve made the call to push to early next week. 

Experience has taught us that doing these kinds of things on a Friday can lead to issues over the weekend, and we want to make sure our support team is available to help with any queries. 

As for right now, I’ll include some FAQs at the bottom of this post to answer some of the questions we’ve seen coming up.

(If you’re reading this and you’re a retailer or distributor, here’s a link to a dedicated FAQ doc with answers to retail-specific questions.)

If you’ve got further questions, or just want to hang out with us and other players, make sure you’re in the Steamforged Discord or official Facebook group. And, as a reminder, you can find me in the subreddit tonight right after this post goes live, from 6:30-7:30pm BST. 

The email newsletter is also an excellent way to stay up-to-date on the latest news by getting all the details straight to your inbox. 

Moving Forward with Warmachine

As a closing note, and as some of you might have noticed, we’ve moved away from the MKIV tag for Warmachine. Going forward, we’ll simply be calling it ‘Warmachine’.

This isn’t a change to rules or gameplay, but it is a clear, directional change that will benefit the game in future. Warmachine has been through a lot of editions, and those editions have become the focus. With this change, we’re returning focus to the game as a whole, the Iron Kingdoms, and its evolving storyline. 

I’ll end here, but I just want to thank you for this opportunity. We take this responsibility extremely seriously, and we’ll work our socks off to make it something really special. We can’t wait to get out and play some games with you all!

Mat

FAQ

Is there going to be a new edition of Warmachine or will the current edition continue?

The current edition of Warmachine will continue as planned, with the Privateer Press development team in place and with our support.

Will the transition cause a delay to planned Warmachine releases?

We’ll have more details on this once sales reopen on the website early next week, where we’ll share updates on several of the upcoming pre-orders that had already been announced by PP. 

Are you leaving direct resin?

We and Privateer Press are partnering to continue producing the Warmachine product line using PP’s current direct resin process, as well as expanding with new partners in the UK and Europe. 

It’s an excellent vehicle and modern approach to delivering product, and one of multiple routes to market we’ll continue to explore as we look at new ways to grow the Iron Kingdoms. 

What range will go to HIPS?

To begin with, we’re focusing on Command Starter Sets. They’re a great way to introduce new players to Warmachine, and we want to make sure we’re supporting that journey for both players and retailers. 

We’ll still be supporting the direct resin service, as it’s an important route for the community to access Warmachine.

How quickly will you go into HIPS?

The HIPS process has a long lead time, from the setup to manufacturing the frame overseas. It’ll take some time to get this new process in place, but from the release of the first set later this year, you’ll start to see more on this front as we continue to grow the HIPS range. 

Will SFG offer STL files for Warmachine products?

Although we don’t have plans to make STLs widely available, we’re always looking at new ways customers are interacting with wargames in the tabletop space. For example, more people having access to 3D printers allowed us to release STL files for a free starter set for Guild Ball. That free starter set was wildly popular and a great route for new players to get into the game.

Where can influencers reach out about Warmachine and Steamforged Games (SFG)?

Please send all enquiries to press(at)steamforged.com.

If I have a broken/miscast part, who should I contact?

Please send all requests to our support hub.

​​I have thoughts and ideas about Warmachine gameplay. Where do I send my feedback?
All feedback for Warmachine can still be sent through the Warmachine App. If you have a particular rule or model you’d like to offer thoughts on, you can tap on a model’s card and, in the top right corner, tap the icon to generate a feedback window. 

Will SFG be selling / running Warmachine events at Gen Con?

Yes, we’ll be going ahead with the planned events Privateer Press already announced. Warmachine will be available from our booth (#2329). 

I still have questions! Where can I get answers?

Although there are things we won’t be able to give firm answers on just yet, if you’ve got further questions, or just want to hang out with us and other players, you can find us in the Steamforged Discord or the official Facebook group.