Modiphius Seminar at Dragonmeet '22

I made it to Dragonmeet this year and was able to attend the Seminar as well as quiz a few of the Modiphius staff.

A lot of what was discussed was about Cohors Cthulhu, with a few other bits & pieces. I picked up some more bits on Dune as well. (Already discussed in the Dune section, but I will repost below for completeness)
All notes are my own scribblings so until it is confirmed by Modiphius take with caution. Unless it is Dune, in which case I am confident it is right.

Cohors Cthulhu

  • Combination of RPG & Wargame set around 160AD in the time of Marcus Aurelias.
  • Series of novels following an A-team of characters and other fiction following a B-team.
  • Models will be at 28mm scale to tie into the current industry standard.
  • Wargame will use an already existing ruleset (No detail as to which), but Modiphius is developing an in-house AI structure to be used in solo & cooperative play.
  • Battle scale will be mainly skirmish, from a single model up to multiple squads.
  • There will be a narrative campaign starting out with a single model and building up.
  • As you follow the campaign you will have choices between character boosts or unit expansion.
  • Losing isn’t game over, it just changes the options you can pick from after the battle.
  • RPG will start with the Core book & regional setting expansions (Egypt, Germania, Britannia, Syria, etc…)
  • RPG to be launched via Kickstarter around Summer 2023
  • Wargame to follow late 2023
  • All part of a world building called ‘Against the Gods themselves’ - Ties in with Achtung Cthulhu and possible future products.
  • Concept is a more hopeful Cthulhu setting. You will still die, but your sacrifice may aid those who come after you. In Chris’ words “There is a sliver of hope” (Also “You can punch evil in the face”…)

Dune

  • The Great Game: House of the Landsrand currently in production, Pre-orders Jan 2023, ETA March 2023 for fulfilment.
  • CHOAM to be fleshed out as a faction with talents etc…
  • Imperial Court renamed to Emperor’s Court at Herbert Estate request. Pdf largely done (very pretty) but still going through final editing.
  • No confirmed ETA, but we should get an announcement at UK Games Expo, so expect June time or shortly after.
  • Advanced characters such as Ginaz Swordmasters, Sarduakar, etc to be revealed.
  • Faction Secrets to be laid out in the GM section.
  • Plans for additional accessories (I.e Tokens) are advanced, but what form they will take is still to be finalised. Modiphius are assessing how things like the Asset decks sell before progressing.
  • Special edition covers are under review. Not every future supplement may have multiple covers, but again no final decisions.
  • Approvals from Herbert Estate & Legendary are slower (Possibly something to do with Part 2 & The Sisterhood TV shows being more important…) but are still coming through. Certain aspects have been adopted by the Estate/Legendary for use elsewhere.

Other

  • Skyrim boardgame is currently shipping and should hit retail once kickstarter backers have received their copies.
  • Game will have a ‘resettable legacy’ option. As you play a campaign cards & options are taken out as they are used, but you can reset the game by just shuffling everything back in.
  • Modiphius is working on developing shared worlds in 2d20.
  • You will be able to create products to be used and sold through Modiphius. They will supply templates, artwork etc and provide a storefront (Not many details here) In return they will hold copyright and profits will be split between creator & Modiphius. Other creators can then build upon what has been made.
  • Secret project based on a new internal IP in the works, details to be revealed mid 2023.

Cohors Cthulhu Update

I spoke to Shep, line manager for Cohors, at UKGamesExpo and found a few more bits out. Some timescales have shifted and while things are firming up, the below is not yet carved in stone.

  • Kickstarter for the RPG is now September time.
  • System is semi-compatible with AC. There are tweaks, but fundamentally they are on the same baseline.
  • The wargame has been separated out and will be done in 2024. Mainly due to bandwith on miniature modelling, but also keeping a clean focus for each one.
  • 12-20 hero miniatures will be available for the RPG initially, compatible with the wargame when it comes out.
  • Kickstarter will cover: Players Guide, GMs Guide, GMs screen, Germania Book, Fiction anthology, 12-20 miniatures, Dice Tray, tokens, etc… Some of these may be stretch goals however.
  • Over the subsequent 12 months there will be books on AEgyptus, Londinium & a third released (Not clear on order), though these will be normal pre-orders not part of the kickstarter itself.
  • Intention is to have everything ready for the Kickstarter so delivery will be 3-6 months after the end (Dependent on how well the stretch goals go).