Haar Miniature 1-1: Cambric the Itinerant Jurist

What are you asking for? What is it you are doing?

Simply put, I’m asking for $1,650 to bring a character from initial concept right though to the point where he can be put into production as a collector’s miniature. What follows is a rundown of the character, the line who I am and where we are as of 16-Nov-2012.

Who is Cambric?

Our first miniature and the focus of this campaign is Cambric Goayin. He is an itinerant Jurist, an adventuring but practical scholar of the law. Since achieving his confirmation over 10 years ago he has travelled the Archipelago by both land and sea lending his expertise to all those in need regardless of station. He inspects the punishment logs of both ships and settlements he visits to ensure that the Maritime laws that govern the island nations are not applied harshly or indeed to lightly.

As an experienced traveller he has learned the hard way what he require on his journeys and carries everything on his person so as not to be a burden to his companions. A scholar more than a warrior he wears no armour but does carry a number of weapons including his large executioners blade. The sword, as much as a symbol of his office as his red coat, has a weight that moves along the blade with each swing lending each stroke fearsome power

The concept of the itinerant jurist is strongly based on the roaming Brehon judges of Irish history specifically between the 7th century when the orals laws of Ireland where written down for first time…

What is the Haar Miniature Line?

The Haar miniature line will contain heroes, villains, beasts and monsters from our Kharybdis Archipelago setting.  The theme of this world is Woodpunk i.e. Steampunk without the steam. It is a setting recovering from a significant war with many opportunities for those souls brave enough to seize them.  We have 36 concepts currently detailed in three series of 12 and artwork for the first series is already underway. Obviously this will take a number of years to get through just those we have planned at this stage.

All of the miniatures within the Haar line will be limited run with a number between 200 and 700 which will depend on the miniature and their associated costs. Once they are gone they are well… gone. I should emphasize that the final product is not just “a nice miniature” we’re aiming for a type of character pack including the miniature, base, concept art, setting cards, details about the characters back story etc… there will be a lot crammed into each one. We’re also currently looking into the legality of including pre-filled digital character sheets for popular RPGs, though this is currently outside the scope of the campaign.

The target markets for this line are global thanks to eCommerce. The miniatures themselves will be Heroic 28 to 30mm in scale and as such gamers will be able to use them in most games whether they are RPGs, board games or wargames.  I should also say that I am developing a board game within the same setting and players with any of the Haar miniatures can use them in the game, though they do not need to have them to enjoy it.

Who are you?

I’m Darren Barber a long time gamer based in Edinburgh Scotland. For the past 3 years I have been operating Pyre Studios, as a sole trader, a small online retail venture and painting service. I have made the difficult decision to shut down the retail part of the company and transition into the manufacture of my own products. Prior to this I spent 19 years as a project manager within the IT and telecoms sector for some well known multinationals.  

In terms of experience in the manufacture of miniatures and associated products I have none, zip …  nil. I do have close contacts with the manufactures whose products I stocked and they have been very generous with their advice and counsel. While this is a big step for me I feel that it is an informed one. I have already received feedback and constructive criticism on the ideas for this project and I really feel that it’s a go-er.

How the money will be spent

Below is a brief breakdown of where the funds will go. Effectively I’m looking to get to a position where the first miniature can be cast. I have a great imagination but no artistic flair (something that constantly frustrates me!) so I have to use far more talented contractors to realize my ideas. In order the money will be spent on;

1. $550: Concepts, art and packaging design
2. $700: Master miniature sculpt
3. $100: Resin master print (2)
4. $300: Mould creation (est)

Points 1 and 2 are hard costs i.e. I have been quoted, accepted and committed to them. Point 3 is for 2 master prints of the sculpt  and this is really a form of risk mitigation as things never go smoothly and my previous experience in retail gave me an insight into how often things get lost or damaged in the post. Point 4 is an estimate for the casting costs based on advice from other manufacturers and early quotes from casters

Current Status

As mentioned I have 36 character descriptions accompanied by my own rather “unique” stick figure art. rather than rest on my laurels I have done the following;

I have commissioned the character concept for Cambric together with character sketches for the ten characters and 2 monsters in  the first Haar series. The ludicrously talented Carlos Cara has done a phenomenal job in capturing the core of each character from sketch to final concept. As these are character studies they do not represent the final pose of the miniatures.

Olivier Nkweti, the sculptor for Cambric has done a fantastic job of bringing the miniatures character to life and completed the sculpt on the 14th of December. Olivier is grossly tallented and has previously worked for Rakham, Upperdeck, Privateerpress, Wryd, Infinity, CMON and Dark-Age to name just a few...

I have approached several other sculptors at the time of writing this to establish a schedule and wow, are they ever busy people? Two further sculptors have expressed an interest and given a rough schedule of when they are available. More details as they are confirmed

The process of identifying a casting company continues…

While all of this is ongoing I have been continuing to flesh out the setting, its cultures and history, I hope to begin commissioning pieces of setting art early in 2013.

What will you do if you exceed your funding target?

Well firstly let’s not jinx it! Secondly while this campaign will be specifically used for Cambric he is just the first in an ongoing line of miniatures. Any additional funds, after potential stretch goals, will be fed directly into that progamme.

The Kharybdis Archipelago setting lends itself to all forms of gaming so developing the context for the Haar line in conjunction with the miniatures seems like the right thing to do.

What will you do if you do not meet your funding target?

Honestly? All of the above but over a much longer timescale. I am committed to this range of products and its setting.

Stretch Goals:

There are 12 miniatures sketched out for Haar Series 1. Being more realistic perhaps I've outlined the first three stretch goals beyond the funding for Cambric. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves...

$3000: Haar 1-2: Sicilaine:The next character, Sicilaine: Lady of Waves and Rain, member of the 9 Mother Council, will be included in with the $15 & $22 perks. New sketches and concept art will be commissioned alongside the sculpt. A separate painted perk will be added for her ladyship:
Estimated delivery February/March 2013

$4500: Haar 1-3: Tenril Mornen: The third character, Tenril Mornen: Seeker of the Aeryil and hero of Daur Fast. Tenril will be included in with the $15 & $22 perks. New sketches and concept art will be commissioned alongside the sculpt. A separate painted perk will be added for this world weary warrior.
Estimated delivery February/March 2013

$5500: Genre Pack #1: Steampunk. This pack of 12 accessories with a steam punk feel will be added to the $22 & £40 perks. Comprising of ranged and melee weapons and odd looking pieces of equipment this pack will allow you to bring any of the Haar miniatures, or any others for that matter, into your steampunk themed games.
Estimated delivery March 2013

we have other Genre Packs in the works such as high fantasy and arcane-tech or magi-tech. Each will comprise of two sets of between 6 and 8 unique pieces.

Risks

The campaign does not meet its goals

Yeah this is a genuine concern given a) the time of year and b) the economic climate. It is a relatively small amount of funding required for the first miniature and there is a proven market for such product. That said though I think a weather eye will need to be kept on the campaign to pilot it to success.

Increase in costs

At this stage the true cost for a caster has yet to be pinned down but I have used an average of market prices given to me by several other manufacturers and included a 20% contingency. As soon as I pin down the cost I will update the campaign.

Unexpected delays due to use of contractors

Yes, certainly a risk given the nature of the beast. A strong communication plan and regular updates should help with this one. Any changes to delivery dates will be posted on the campaign as soon as they are confirmed.