The gamecrafters at Privateer Press are at it again. After introducing their Iron Kingdoms campaign setting for the d20 RPG and the WARMACHINE miniature wargame, and progressing each of these products a bit through subsequent expansions and add-ons, they’ve decided to take a hard left turn away from giant metal juggernaughts and rifle brigades and into the realm of big brutish wild-men with axes. Hyped as the Next Big Thing in their magazine No Quarter, we finally got some details.

Hordes will be an alternate version of the WARMACHINE miniatures game that focuses on four new factions, some of which we IKRPG fans are already familiar with: a cabal of Druids (presumably Blackclads), the diverse Trollblood populations (including proper Trolls as well as Trollkin), the Skorne (originally seen in the Witchfire trilogy), and the minions of a previously-believed-to-be-destroyed dragon Everblight (the subject of the Wyrmcycle Saga, alluded to in a number of Iron Kingdoms works). This game will have play mechanisms extremely-similar to that of WARMACHINE, and is promised to be fully compatible with the old system. This means you’ll be able to pit Warpwolves and Woldwardens against Cygnaran Longgunners, and Skorne stormtroopers against Cryxian Helljacks.

This also means that a wide assortment of monster miniatures that are Iron Kingdoms-appropriate will be released into the wild. Expect prices on these figures to be more in line with those of wargames minis (which they are) than with traditional RPG minis, of course. This also means that we can probably expect a slowdown in the release of new units and ‘jacks for Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, and the Protectorate, as well as a shift in the tone of the over-arching main plotline of this setting.

I find it interesting that even as the Liber Mechanika is being shipped out, with all its mechanika goodies, the Privateers are focusing onto the wild and hairy portions of their game world. I suspect that given a couple more shifts like this, the Iron Kingdoms will be a remarkably well-rounded place to adventure in.