June was a busy month and I feel like I neglected the blog as a result. Those who backed the Kickstarter have been getting updates every week or two but if you are just a lover of hobby blogs then you may feel like you've been missing out. If you are a fan of the Making Mine Scenery series here on the blog, here's a sneak peak of how the 'It's Time' board is coming along. It isn't finished yet, but it is playable so it got used in today's playtesting. Several weeks back we got the Breaker Crew Leader, Will Kollis, in from Prodos. He was the first model Prodos did for us and I think he came out fantastic. He blends right in with the existing Tim Barry sculpts too. He was quickly followed with several other renders. Prod Gen-Mod with Shock Fists and I-beam. Overseer Billins with Shock Baton and Riot Shield plus alternate bits. Micha Donelly. The blood will be removed from the final version. As you can see, Prodos knocked out som...

Look for this banner at AdeptiCon! I missed my Wednesday blog post because I was sick all week. I may not have been able to muster the strength to work on scenery, but a lot of stuff has been happening behind the scenes. One of the biggest things to transpire recently is the addition of freelance artist, Filip Dudek , onto the project. If you are familiar with the post-apocalyptic RPG, Across the Dead Earth , you'll already know his work. We've been looking for someone to do atmospheric pieces for the rule book and I saw that he might be looking for work so I got in touch. He dove straight in and started producing fantastic work that really captures the feel of the setting and we couldn't be happier to have him on board. The above piece of art is the proof Sam Alcarez sent over adding his latest logo design. This will be our 3'x5' banner marking our territory at AdeptiCon . Here's a better view of the art itself: Filip's work is stunning and h...

Officer Hickley - Prod Goon with Shock Baton. Eager future Prods and Breakers! We've got our first casts in hand, and I have to say that I am ecstatic. Sure, there is always room for improvement and this is a learning process, but it doesn't change that this project has come so far in the last year, and rapid progress has been made in just the last 4 months. Valiant Enterprises has sent over three casts (two that we'll show today) and it was such an epic moment opening that parcel; very exciting indeed. That being said, Officer Hickley (above), was our first sculpt, and now we have him in hand and its a proud moment. Officer Hickley will be a Kickstarter and convention Exclusive character. He's a brutal tool of corporatocracy - a willing bloodthirsty goon. I'm even more excited because he is modeled after my friend and play tester - Chuck Hickey. Trest - Gen-Mod Brute with Rocksaw. Trest stands an epic 38mm from foot to eye. He is a genetically modifie...

Ari Gaylen - the Breaker daredevil 3D sculpt by Tim Barry Its been another exciting week of development in the world of Broken Contract. Prototype figures are now in the hands of the caster and we are now eagerly awaiting our very first master models. We also had a batch of 3D renders from Tim Barry that we had sent back for revision, and two of them came back finalized on Friday. Those have now been sent off to VisionProto for prototyping! The initial model range is really coming together. Last week, I posted the new background and art for Overseer Billins . John Gendall 's next project is actually the last essential piece of art for the initial cast of characters - Kollis, the Breaker Crew Leader. He has all of the references in hand, so hopefully he'll be done sometime this week. Officer Tulson - the Prod gunner 3D sculpt by Tim Barry A couple of days ago I showed a snapshot of a page from the rulebook . That same night Sam sent over a brand new mock-up Stat Card...

We've entered 2015 and I look to the new year with a great sense of excitement. Its a new year, and my partner and I have moved from Chicago to Milwaukee to start a new life. We wanted to save money and slow down our pace to concentrate more heavily on our personal projects, and Broken Contract is one of those projects. Even during the hectic and labored move, I kept my eye on the prize, and that's getting our introductory miniature line and game ready for the public. The 3 newest prototypes from VisionProto. Talla Kellerman, Officer Hickley, and Trest the Gen-Mod Brute. A few days ago a package arrived from VisionProto of three new 3D print prototypes. When I received the first two 3D prints back in October, I was struck by how I felt that the typical approach in wargaming of scaling all humans to the same approximate size felt odd. I envisioned each character we had created to be an individual and some should be diminutive, and some should tower over the others. To ...

Officer Hickley 3D sculpt by Tim Barry Happy Holidays to everyone out there following Broken Contract.We appreciate the support and interest you have all shown over the last year. I started posting about Broken Contract originally on 2ndcitywarzone.blogspot.com a little over a year ago now and when I created this blog, a core group of interested friends and colleagues followed. That group has grown steadily over time. Thank you all for the support! Speaking of 2ndcitywarzone, a month ago I wrote an article about how I got into gaming and how I've always wanted to design games. Its titled "How A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity Changed My Life" and it a good read if you like nostalgia, introspection, or background on how people like myself got involved in gaming. Back to Broken Contract! Long time followers will recognize the above 3D render as the first one I ever posted, way back in June/July. Officer Hickley is not one of the "core" characters to the ...

This week we have two new 3D sculpts to show off, both of Breaker Characters . These have gone through several stages of revision and I think they are where they need to be.  Talla Kellerman the Progen Mechanic 3D sculpt by Tim Barry First we have Talla Kellerman, the Progen Mechanic . Talla is a highly capable technician, and is a great asset to your crew of Breakers. Remembering door codes or getting machinery up and running - if you run into a situation where you need to make an Intellect Check, she's your best bet. However, getting her to join your crew is not as easy. As a Progen, she is child of the original colonists on Hathor, and receives better quarters and wages for her work than the rest of the Tracted workers. This makes breaking a much greater risk because she has more to lose. In the game, she must be negotiated with to join your crew. However, if you get her to join, she'll also be better at negotiating with other Progens you encounter along the way. ...

Breaker - Adesi Haddonis, sculpted by Tim Barry Work on Broken Contract began in October 2013. Over the last year Broken Contract has organically evolved as the background, rules, and art have all been crafted and influenced each other. But as a miniature game, the one thing that was sorely missing from the Kickstarter this September, was physical models to show how far we've come. Broken Contract is more than just an idea, and the development has been put in, but I feel the people needed something more tangible to believe in. I cancelled the Kickstarter so we could work on both a new format, and to give me more time to show the world the concrete results of all of our labor. This past week, for me, was a triumphant step forward in that regard because our very first prototypes arrived in the mail. Prod - Officer Naria Anlika, sculpted by Tim Barry The progression from ideas pulled from influential sources like Hunger Games, Firefly, and Cool Hand Luke to these models...

Officer Naria Anlika 3D sculpt by Tim Barry Today I had this waiting for me in my inbox. This is the sculpt for Officer Naria Anlika. She's equipped with a shock baton and restraints. Here's the art that Tim Barry was working off of: Officer Naria Anlika by Geng Gendall Pay close attention to updates. The Broken Contract Kickstarter launches September 1! -Nick

Adesi Haddonis concept art by Geng Gendall. Designers Note: If you're savvy and have been following the blog you will notice that this exact same art was used for Marius Bickler - the Former Prod. In all honesty, I shoehorned the Marius Bickler story line onto this art and it worked until I got the sculpt he didn't have that grizzled feel. He seemed more like a young man. One of the original character concepts I had somehow seemed more appropriate for this subtly Abercrombie-esque masked man. Adesi Haddonis always thought that being good looking was a benefit, until he got to the Ferrum Sky mines. A recent immigrant from another world, also known as a Drop, Adesi arrived with a toned body, well nourished, and lacking scars or other marks of a hard life. His unusual state drew interest and speculation from both fellow miners and the Prods.  It was clear that he came from a privileged background, but the tale of his transition from that life to one of hardship and depriva...

Breaker - Adesi Haddonis sculpted by Tim Barry. Today, August 1st, begins my 31 day countdown to the Broken Contract - Deep Underground Kickstarter. This is both exciting and terrifying. I've invested so much time into getting this project off the ground. In addition to the time spent writing, re-writing, directing artists, reading and watching everything I can on building a successful Kickstarter, and just pushing numbers around, I've fully immersed myself in this project. I've managed to rally the help of friends and strangers to help realize my vision, but of course it isn't fully realized until there is money to truly make it happen. August will be an endless collection of things to do lists in an effort to be as prepared as possible for the launch on Labor Day. My dry erase board will bear the brunt of these lists, a visual representation of accomplished tasks followed by an endless parade of more tasks. Yesterday I sent a barrage of emails to get more preci...

Officer Hickley sculpt by Tim Barry. Over the last month Tim Barry been working on and off with the first Broken Contract sculpt - Officer Hickley, the Prod Goon. If you missed the Character description written by Chuck Hickey himself, you can check it out here:  XVI. Assembling the Cast - Officer Hickley . Tim Barry has most recently known for sculpting the models for Aetherium by Anvil-Eight Games. I'm really excited with the result and looking forward to more sculpts in the coming months as the project evolves. -Nick

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...

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...