(Editor's Note: People have been asking about Drugs used in the FerrumSky Mines for a while. It just so happens that in February of 2016 I jotted down the names of six different drugs and possible game effects. A year and 1 month later, I've crafted explanations and tweaked the effects of what they do. Let me know what you think. -Nick) Common Drugs Found in the FerrumSky Mines Meeting the daily quotas set by the FerrumSky would be a difficult, if not impossible task, were it not for those willing to upset the delicate chemical balance within their own bodies. Work enhancing drugs are often used by the most fervent Loyalists, but even the average miner might find cause to extend their efficiency for the day for some goal outside themselves. Perhaps they have a child to care for, or a friend on their crew who is injured and they feel the need to compensate for. Of course there are those that just do drugs to dull the pain of their awful daily lives, or to step outside th...

It's been a while since I've really gotten stuck into doing some work on my mines. Over the last couple of weeks our beloved pitbull, Ian Mackaynine, has had 3 surgeries. He had a growth removed from his leg, but then he tore out one of his sutures running around the house. For surgery number two they tried a less invasive way of sealing it back up with these weird piercings and a web of sutures that needed to be tighten daily at the vet's office. His leg was just too muscular for any of that nonsense and that surgery completely failed to hold his skin together. Yesterday, they did a whole bunch of cutting and stitching to loosen up his skin and get it all back together. His hind leg was described by one friend as "Frankenbutt" and that pretty much nails what it looks like right now. He's a tough little guy so he's doing okay but I've had to be the dog nanny to keep him on the mend. Honestly, I'd be devastated if I couldn't be there for hi...

Its Wednesday! And that means its terrain time again. For those tuning in now, we've been working on a straight mine tunnel section with an adjustable height hydraulic blast door.We built this piece of scenery in Making Mine Scenery Part VI and focused on the door in Making Mine Scenery Part VII . Where we left off on Sunday was here: At This point the door was complete and the basic drybrushing had been done on the walls. But the "iron mine" specific drybrushing from Making Mine Scenery Part III  had not been done yet. I went through those stages, getting the piece to here: This is the true starting point for today. All of the drybrushing has been completed. Now its time to work on the treadplate. Harkening back to my love of Necromunda when it came out in 1995, I have a thing for "caution stripes". These very dangerous hydraulic doors definitely need caution stripes. I began by painting the treadplate Abaddon Black. This is going to mu...

Today marks the beginning of a two month push to get ready for the launch of the Broken Contract - Deep Underground Kickstarter. Here's another teaser video and expect a big reveal any time now. Thanks to everyone who is following and paying attention! Hopefully there will be a lot to get excited about over the next two months. -Nick

Security Officer size comparison by Geng Gendall. June is coming to an end and July 1st will mark the 2 month push to get ready for the Broken Contract - Deep Underground Kickstarter. Between now and then there will be a lot to do. I'm in the midst of a 5 week Photoshop course that I'm already putting into practice every day so that I can do mock ups and promotional stuff to take the pressure off Sam and Geng so that they can do what they do. This is just a very rough mock up, but it gives an idea of the information that the Stat Cards will have on it. A lot of the text for the Kickstarter page has been in place for months now but I need to go through and streamline it. I do still have to set up the pledge levels and stretch goals. I mapped those out in January but a lot has changed since then so those need an overhaul. Geng is working on concept art between other illustrator gigs, and Sam is in the midst of a large piece meant to be the cover art. Tim Barry has t...

Breaker concept sketch by Geng Gendall based on Nick Tape of the hardcore punk band, Coke Bust. Breakers are workers that have raised their tools as weapons and thrown off their shackles for a chance at freedom. As oppressed and subjugated workers, they needed to be easily identified as such. Several of my friends have commented that they wished the characters in Broken Contract looked more "from the future" which I feel is tough to do without making them either "high tech" with mechanical suits or skin tight compression pants covered in protective pads similar to how Infinity models look in their fitted armor. For myself, the indentured "mudders" from the Jaynestown episode of Firefly or the downtrodden forced laborers from the Seam in the Hunger Games really exemplify how I envision the potential future portrayed in the game. Carhartt gear might not seem very sci-fi but the term "overall" for protective clothes put over other clothes is th...

Updated sketch of Kellerman, the Progen Technician by Sam Alcarez. A few weeks ago I went into some detail about Gen-Mods - genetically modified workers used in the mines. Today's tangent is talk about Progens (progenitor workers) and Drops (recent arrivals). Within the labor colonies throughout the Incorporated Worlds there is a distinction made between what are referred to as Progens and Drops. Progenitor workers were part of the earliest waves of colonists or are direct descendants of those colonists. They carry a sense of entitlement because they were there first and are afforded a slightly superior standard of living by their corporate contract holders to match that entitlement. Drops on the other hand are off-worlders brought fresh to the colonies who are expected to work for less. Not surprisingly, most Breakers are Drops. This is a division deliberately manipulated by the corporations by ensuring that Progens are intermixed into crews, usually as crew leaders, to m...

Another piece of the puzzle that is game development. This is a 3D sculpt in progress courtesy of Tim Barry. One of the really gratifying parts of this project is documenting the process as I see my ideas evolve and take shape. One of my pet projects that should be familiar to anyone who's been following the blog has been to take my friend and play tester, Chuck Hickey, and turn him into a part of the game. From the moment he walked in the door and sat down at the table for his first play testing session he had a fervent enthusiasm to play a Security Officer. With that enthusiasm to crack heads for the corporate Execs combined with his imposing presence I thought he'd make a great character in the game. Security Officer sketch by Geng Gendall featuring Chuck Hickey's mug. At the time the pet project started, Sam had just come on to work on getting the core concepts and look of the setting together. With him tied up I asked Geng Gendall if he could take on my pet...

Solo play testing from last Thursday to feel out if the scenario would work, and actually visualize how it will play. This is an approximation of the board sections for 'Get Kellerman'. The black rectangle would be a giant fan, the grey rectangle is a freight elevator, and a couple of those tunnels will end in rubble/active mining area. In my mind, scenarios are what keep a game varied and interesting. Games like Necromunda and Zombicide, though very different games, got a lot of their personality from an ever changing play environment defined by the scenarios themselves. With that in mind, I knew that linking the scenarios to create an ongoing narrative would be one of the defining characteristics of Broken Contract, but that would only be of value if the scenarios themselves were varied, interesting, and thematic. Thus far, I've play tested a half dozen different scenarios drawing off of the general narrative and the constraints of how I envision the mines. The init...

Early Trest concept art by Sam Alcarez. Possibly too "human"? I think so. This bit of color text probably won't see print, it was written more as me thinking out loud. One of the main characters in Broken Contract - Deep Underground is a Gen-Mod Brute named Trest. Trest is your archetypal ogrish character with high strength and a really big weapon. While working on concept sketches of Trest, Sam had questions that forced me to think a bit harder about how I envisioned Gen-Mods, how they came to be, and their role in this dystopian future. This is my attempt to articulate that. -Nick Science. The quest for understanding and the ability to change destiny through its application has led to wondrous advances in civilization. But science always has an element of fumbling in the dark, as mankind tampers with the unknown. Advancements in Genetic Experiments Genetically modified organisms became a commonly accepted scientific advancement in the 21st century. In an effor...

Will Blood analyzing the board, probably relating the events to some obscure peroid in history, or just wanting gratuitous violence to ensue. He's a complex man. Preparing for AdeptiCon had pushed Broken Contract to the backseat for about a month. Art was being worked on and editing was still happening as I commuted on the train, but there was no time for play testing with myself and many of my play testers immersed in AdeptiCon related projects. Regardless, I brought all of my Broken Contract stuff with me to AdeptiCon in case anyone asked to try it out. A few people did ask, but with the fervor of everything else going I kept my play testing gear up in my room most of the time. On Saturday, however, there was some downtime and Dave Koszka from my old home town of Buffalo, NY asked to give it a go. I was lucky enough to have an hour or so to meet up with him right after his dinner break on Saturday so we sat down to give it a whirl. I gave him the option of trying an already...

Broken Contract is a science fiction miniature strategy game filled with action and adventure. It is set in a dystopian future where humanity has begun colonizing the stars. Most folks live in indentured servitude to draconian mega-corporations. Though most accept their lot in life, there are those who yearn to be free of their masters. They break free from their mining colonies, agri-domes, and factory cities in the hope of starting a new life on the frontiers of backwater planets like Hathor. These once contracted laborers are called Breakers for short. Not surprisingly, these corporations hire overseers from shadowy security firms like Black Squadron Security, and keep them on site to prevent work stoppage and labor revolt. Two or more players take on the roles of Breakers and the Black Squadron trying to either make their great escape or stop it from happening. Ferrumsky Mine. Art by Filip Dudek, Game play in Broken Contract combines elements of traditional board gam...