While things have been quiet for the past year on my Ground Pounder project, it has not stagnated. A new sculpt was completed earlier this year by Clint Staples, new concept artwork is continuing to be produced, and I've taken advantage of the lull to work on the most important thing - the rules!
An early draft of the playtest rules has been completed, and is in the hands of a small group of independent playtesters who are reviewing it. I am currently working on the force lists for the first two factions to be released, the Free Strikers and the Ravagers. Initial impressions are that the ruleset is solid, plays fast, and rewards the use of tactics.
The new sculpt finished earlier this year is the Ravager Alpha, seen here. I've only now gotten around to getting a photo studio set up and proper pictures taken of the greens I currently have. The new preview photos are also on the Ground Pounder website.
Additionally, a whole new set of weapons has been designed and sculpted in CAD for the Ravagers, which can also be seen on the website.
I've lined up a caster, and will be sending the models out within the next couple of weeks to have masters made up. The first planned releases will be the Ravager Alpha and Stalker. As soon as pricing for the figures is determined, they will be available for pre-order.
New sculpts are also in the schedule for the end of the year and early next year. I'm looking to round out the Ravagers to include the grunts, a veteran, Hounds, and the Brute.
Additionally, I'm working on a new alien race concept with one of my talented artists. The Drathi are a race of alien warriors, and while their armor and weapons may look primitive, they are actually very advanced. Their weapons and armor are an important aspect in their culture, some having been handed down within their families for generations. Some initial concepts for the Drathi warrior can be seen here:
My tentative plan is to schedule a preview release and demo games at KublaCon 2010 over Memorial Day Weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area.