The Comm Guild Maelstrom's Edge

- by Iain Wilson

Maelstrom's Edge V2 is on the way, so this seems like the perfect time to build some new armies! The upcoming V2 Rulebook includes sample lists for each faction, and I thought it would be fun to build them all so that I can use them for some battle reports. I decided to start with the Epirians, because, well, robots are cool.




The force list for this project is focused around bots, although has a few Contractor units in there as well for variety. For simplicity, the rulebook sample list is built as a single detachment led by a Journeyman Handler and includes two Scarecrow Snipers. I decided to tweak things slightly by making one of the Scarecrows a Command unit and splitting some of the bots into a second detachment, but otherwise this force is the same as will appear in the book.



In a force led by a Handler, bots are the main focus. The Journeyman’s Bot Handler ability, improved by the Aerial Uplink, allows them to keep suppression under control for the force’s bots, while their Push the Machines ability allows you to reactivate an already activated bot unit, doubling the effectiveness of the Hunter or a Scarecrow each turn. By including the Command Scarecrow, the force gains an additional command point each turn, and having the second command model allows the force to be more spread out while remaining in a command radius bubble for orders and bot protocols.



These Command models are largely built stock, although I repositioned the head and weapon on the Command Scarecrow, and used a Broken head (with the helmet hung on the belt) for the Journeyman. The Aerial Uplink drone is a 3D print of an upcoming model.

The presence of the Apprentice Handlers in the Spider Drone units gives them the freedom to move out of the Scarecrow or Journeyman’s command radius without losing the benefit of orders and bot protocols.





I used another Broken head for one of the Apprentices, and repositioned some of the Spider Drones' legs to add a little variety in their posing.

The inclusion of a few Contractor units helps provide some additional firepower in the force. The Recon Package in the Scout unit can paint enemy units for the attention of the Strike missiles on the Defender's weapon drones and the Hunter mech.







I used the arms and helmets from the Faction Expansion Sprue on the Contractors, as I wanted this force to have that better armoured look. The drones in these units are 3D prints, and these models are currently available as printable STLs, although a plastic kit is currently in development, for release as soon as possible!

To round out the force, the Firefly drones provide some fast-moving harassment and paint enemies for the Strike missile units, while the Scarecrow and Hunter serve as mobile fire support and focus on taking out enemies too tough for the Contractors or Spiders to deal with. In addition, selecting the Master of Machines faction objective potentially gives the force an additional free bot protocol activation each turn, allowing the Hunter to move more quickly around the battlefield, the Scarecrows to pump out additional firepower, and the Fireflies to more effectively dodge enemy fire.







With everything built and based, I'm looking forward to getting some paint on! I'm going with a blue and black scheme, as I don't have anything already in those colours, making it a nice opportunity to do something different.

Stay tuned for part 2!



To build your own force of remote controlled robotic doom, grab some Epirian models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here!

What are you working on? We would love to see your models and terrain in the Comm Guild Facebook group!

For other building ideas, modeling tutorials, army spotlights and conversion walkthroughs, check out the Hobby section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here. And while you're there, grab a copy of the Maelstrom's Edge V2 Beta rules!

Hakoyu hail from the remote Yedo system, where their society is governed by a code of honor that is hard for others to understand. They believe that individual desires are always inferior to the needs of the group, and their culture is based on mutual respect. As most Hakoyu aren't keen on traveling away from Yedo, they are not a common sight across the spiral arm. Hence, the arrival of one amongst human populations often leads to whispers and suspicion, which is only amplified by their unique physique: four arms and a horn-like protrusion from their foreheads. Hakoyu are traditionally trained in martial arts and carry at least one blade wherever they go. They are not aggressive by nature, though, and tend to keep their calm even when pushed. When a Hakoyu does feel forced to act in self-defense, their lightning reflexes and zealous training mean they can cut down opponents in a fraction of a second.


Hakoyu Grand Masters leading a counterassault against a SecDef attack force.

It's not easy for an outcast to survive alone on the Edge, and the Broken offer the Hakoyu not just a means of escape, but also a collective which can feel much like the communal family structure of Yedo. The Broken, for their part, value the Hakoyu's fighting skills and character. Wielding deadly phase weaponry, able to pass through enemy fields as though they are not there, they provide their squad an upper hand in any close quarter fighting.


The digital file includes a male and female Hakoyu Grand Master body option.

You can find the rules for using Hakoyu Grand Masters in your Broken force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your elite army of restrained but violent doom by grabbing your Hakoyu Grand Master from the webstore here!

This fantastic gun carriage model was made by PDC Gaming for a Kickstarter campaign some years ago. We have managed to pick up one final batch of these kits - PDC Gaming are out of business, and the mould is apparently lost, so once this lot are gone, they're gone for good.

The gun carriage is a multipart plastic kit that allows you to build a track unit with either a turreted or fixed-mount weapon, and four different weapons that slot into place on either variant.


Examples of different weapon variants.

Although not being sold as a part of the core Maelstrom's Edge range, this kit is useful for those looking for a plastic track unit for conversions, or wanting to add some heavier firepower to their games. You can find unofficial rules to use the Epirian 'Thunderbolt' sentry drone in Maelstrom's Edge V2 in the Downloads section here. You can also find a walkthrough for converting an Epirian Uplink Drone using the gun carriage's track unit, an Epirian Hunter, and some other bits and pieces here.


An Epirian Thunderbolt provides some heavy support to ward off a Remnant fire team.

Start building your army of robotically offensive doom by grabbing your gun carriage from the webstore here!

- by Iain Wilson

In science fiction or fantasy wargaming, canon is the collection of stories, background text and artwork that gives the setting life. It tends to evolve as the game does. Early ideas may change into something different as the game expands. New ideas can be added in and third-party material may creep into the mix. Something mentioned in passing might be dropped completely, leading to questions about whether or not it still applies. As time goes on, it can become increasingly difficult to codify exactly what is and isn't still canon.



Some fans take great pleasure in diving deep into this background material, learning as much about the setting as they can. Others take a more casual approach, having a passing familiarity with their faction of choice and not paying much attention to the rest. Many find the background material interesting to read, but without feeling the need to memorise every detail. Some ignore it completely, viewing the game purely through the lens of its ruleset. At the end of the day, it's your hobby, and whichever of these approaches suits you is absolutely fine. The thing to remember is: other hobbyists' view of canon doesn't have to be the same as yours.

For Maelstrom's Edge, we hope that the game's background material will provide inspiration for your hobby. To that end, you should always feel free to take as much or as little from it as you want. Build your force strictly around the published canon, or use it as a launchpad to create a custom background for your force - we love to see hobbyists put their own spin on the universe we have created!

But what happens when your homebrew fiction conflicts with the canon? Maybe you missed some explanation in the official material, or you deliberately chose to ignore a given piece of fiction because you preferred an alternative. Maybe you created something new that doesn't exist in official material. Or, having chosen a force from a colour scheme picture, you created a background for them that turns out to be different from what we publish for them later on. Whatever the reason, your homebrew background material doesn't fit perfectly with 'official' canon, so... now what?

The short answer is - nothing happens.

Your canon is still yours. If it doesn't exactly match what we have published, we're not going to send a SecDef strike team to destroy your miniatures. We would much rather see people enjoying their hobby the way they want to, than feeling the need to change things because they might be considered 'wrong' in some way. How you approach that is up to you. If, for example, your homebrewed Epirian franchise background winds up different to the version we introduce for them, you could change your force to keep up with the evolving canon. However, you could also just treat your force as a splinter group that’s different to the rest of the franchise. There could be multiple franchises going by the same name (It's a big, confusing mess out there with the Maelstrom causing a ruckus!). Your franchise might be from a different point in the timeline, or an alternate timeline altogether. Or, it could just be different because that's what you want it to be. And any of those options is just as valid as any other.

We love the setting we have created for Maelstrom's Edge, and it gives us no end of pleasure to hear from hobbyists who also love it and want to dive deeper into it, whether that's through our fiction or homebrew creations. We want you to enjoy the hobby your way. It's a big universe, full of possibilities, and we're excited to explore it with you!

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When Iain isn’t waxing lyrical about gaming, he’s locked in the basement working on modeling tutorials, army spotlights and conversion walkthroughs, which you can find in the Hobby section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here. And while you're there, grab a copy of the Maelstrom's Edge V2 Beta rules!

SecDef forces excel at rapid insertions and mobile strikes against enemy positions. Sometimes though, even these elite troops run up against opposition that is too well entrenched for a normal assault. Against these targets, boostpack-equipped Rapid Intervention Teams are brought to bear. Selected from amongst the most skilled SecDef veterans and armed with twin Araldyne CB22 Assault Carbines, Rapid Intervention Teams use the greater mobility afforded by their boostpacks to outflank and surprise enemy defenses, quickly overwhelming them with a hail of deadly short-ranged firepower. Where an extra punch is required, Rapid Intervention Teams are equipped with Araldyne CF13 Clingfire Sprayers or FG19 Flakk Guns: more effective and streamlined versions of these ubiquitous weapons, typical of the improvements Araldyne is able to create.


A SecDef Rapid Intervention Team from the Forthrast Reconnaissance Division assaults a patrol of Broken insurgents.

This digital model pack contains STL files for 5 Epirian SecDef Boostpack Troops, used in Epirian forces as Rapid Intervention Teams. Includes both supported and unsupported versions, and multiple equipment options.


The included components.

You can find the rules for using SecDef Rapid Intervention Teams in your Epirian force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your elite army of defensively secure doom by grabbing your troopers from the webstore here!

The past few months have been a little more quiet than usual, as the Maelstrom's Edge team focused on getting the V2 rulebook finished. The good news is: We're finally there! We've hammered out the last of the kinks and polished things up as much as we can, and the book is finally ready to send to the printers!


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So, what's next?

Well, we've still been working on other bits and pieces in the background. We currently have a new plastic frame in tooling that includes four separate small kits - two to bolster the upcoming Kaigus Pact release, some upgrades for the Epirian SecDef, and a plastic replacement for the resin Epirian Contractor Drone!


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Our rollout of 3D printable STL files to go alongside our resin model range is also set to continue, with Epirian SecDef boostpack troops on their way at the start of July.


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After that, there is plenty more to come! We have a number of models currently in development to flesh out gaps in the existing range, along with the aforementioned Kaigus Pact entering the battle as a new faction. We'll have more on these very soon.


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And now that he's released from editing duties, Iain will be getting back to work on modeling articles and battle reports to showcase the new rules. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, try out the Beta version of the V2 rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab models to assemble your force from the webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

- by Iain Wilson

It's been way too long since I made some terrain, so I thought I would squeeze in one last article before Christmas!

My kids had some juice in a takeaway meal the other day that came in an interestingly shaped bottle that I thought was worth having a play with. After giving the empty bottles a wash, I set to with tools and terrain sprue bits and came up with this little advertising hub.




The first step, as mentioned above, was to wash the bottle and remove the label.



I used a razor saw to remove the screw thread part of the neck, and then gave the cut end a bit of a sand to smooth it down.



Then I sprayed inside the bottle with some grey paint. This isn't an essential step, but it does help to make the finished piece a little more opaque, particularly if the exterior paintwork gets scratched on the table later on.



To disguise the bottle's bottom, I grabbed an appropriately sized miniature base and a trio of fans from the second Maelstrom's Edge Terrain Sprue and glued them in place with some Oily Glue.



For the advertising part of the build, I whipped up some signs to fit into the recesses around the bottle, printing them out on photo paper so that they were nice and glossy and bright.



On to painting! I sprayed the bottle with a medium grey primer, and then a zenithal layer (sprayed from an angle above, to leave the darker grey underneath) of a very pale grey. This went straight over the shiny plastic, as the Rustoleum primer that I use generally sticks fairly well. If you're wanting to make your paint more durable and stick better, you can give the outside of the bottle a light sand with some fine sandpaper to break the gloss.



I added in some dark grey (Vallejo Heavy Charcoal) into the deep creases, and added a couple of strips of yellow using Vallejo Nuclear Yellow.



Next up came some weathering with a sponge and some more Heavy Charcoal, before gluing the signs in place.



Finally, I painted up the fans on top with some a Vallejo Beasty Brown basecoat, a drybrush of Citadel Chainmail and a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone, and then dirtied everything up with a drybrush of some more Beasty Brown into the creases and forming some drip marks down the sides. Then I dropped it onto an old base I had prepared a while back, and it was ready for the table!



If you wanted to break up the original bottle shape some more, you could easily add some supporting buttresses around the bottom, or add some lights above the signs.



To build your own pillar of commercial doom, grab the Maelstrom's Edge terrain sprues from the webstore here!

What are you working on? We would love to see your models and terrain in the Comm Guild Facebook group!

For other building ideas, modeling tutorials, army spotlights and conversion walkthroughs, check out the Hobby section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here. And while you're there, grab a copy of the Maelstrom's Edge V2 Beta rules!

Tamakin units are the valuable core of Pact forces. They are equipped with smaller, less powerful variants of the Dart Host and Ripper Claw symbiotes used by Muharis Sentinels, perfect to either make head-on assaults or harass the enemy with short ranged fire. While not particularly effective fighters, the ease with which Tamakin can be spawned allows enormous numbers of them to be thrown at an enemy, while those that do fall are recycled and returned right back into the fray.


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Stay tuned for more sneak peeks! In the meantime, try out the V2 Beta rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab your models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

Like its heavier Militus cousin, the Nimbus battlesuit is a marvel of Artarian engineering. Designed for sniper and scout roles, the Nimbus trades in the Militus' heavier armour in favour of speed and agility. The Nimbus Longshot carries a Torus Sniper Rifle, a specialised modification of the Incursion Rifle, while the Nimbus Pathfinder fills a scouting role, equipped with a short range weaponry and a Pinpoint Scanner that it uses to paint enemy units for the attention of heavier Remnant firepower. Both Nimbus classes can be equipped with an array of additional equipment, including Hologram Projectors and Cloak Generators to confound enemy targeting, Vent Systems to assist with cooling, Thermal Trackers to enhance their already formidable shooting, and a Lorican Boostpack when additional speed is required.


A Nimbus Longshot seeks out their next target.

This month's release includes two packs - A Nimbus Battlesuit pack, and a Nimbus Add-on Parts pack. The Battlesuit pack is a printable digital version of the resin production model, expanded to include an Arc Splitter and variants of the arms with no vent systems, while the Add-on Parts pack includes components designed to fit the plastic Pathfinder kit, to give it access to the same range of weapons and upgrades as the resin kit.

Both digital packs have supported and unsupported versions of the included parts.


A Remnant fire team advances through the twilight.

You can find the rules for using Nimbus Battlesuits in your Artarian Remnant force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your army of elite army of gladiatorial doom by grabbing your battlesuits from the webstore here!

The heaviest of the combat suits available to Lorican Champions, the Brutus is a walking tank, carrying the largest and heaviest hitting weapons in the Remnant arsenal. Brutus Vanquishers provide fire support with massive Fodina Heavy Lasers or Heavy Flechette Launchers, while the Brutus Breacher gets up close and personal with its Arena Shield and Breach Hammer.


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Stay tuned for more sneak peeks! In the meantime, try out the V2 Beta rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab your models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

While on the surface equipped similarly to the troops they command, Triarchs have their pick of the armoury, and so tend to equip themselves with the best available gear. As Karist military forces prefer to dominate through intimidation over outright warfare, Triarchs like to present an impressive profile to their enemies. As such, their armour is often embellished with decorative trim and robes to better show their exalted status within the military caste. For all their pomp and display, however, Triarchs are competent as both commanders and fighters, and will fearlessly lead their forces into fire when the situation warrants it.


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The lowest rank of ordained priest amongst the Kaddar, Proselytizers have yet to develop the oratory skills to sway whole crowds, or lead a large military offensive. As missionaries, Proselytizers work quietly amongst a planet’s population, gathering small groups of believers and setting the stage for their more experienced brethren to expand the movement into something greater. When combat is called for, Proselytizers are embedded within military units, where they inspire the troops to greater efforts, or use vocal tricks and the message of their faith to weaken the combat zeal of nearby enemy troops.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks! In the meantime, try out the V2 Beta rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab your models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

Hellblasters are juvenile Angels formed into a living weapon. Their oversized jaw and excess cybel sacs located around their head allow them to form a massive cybel charge in their maw which they then eject as a deadly ranged projectile. They maintain a focus on their cybel projectiles using their innate ability for kinetic manipulation, preventing them from exploding until they reach their chosen target. These cybel blasts are ideal for clearing out large groupings of infantry, and the mere sight of Hellblasters on the field can cause experienced enemy units to scatter in a panic.


Karist forces advance behind a unit of Hellblasters.

This digital model pack contains STL files for both supported and unsupported versions of the Hellblaster in two different poses.


Angel Hellblaster Render

You can find the rules for using Angel Hellblasters in your Karist force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your army of eldritch alien doom by grabbing your Hellblasters from the webstore here!

The neural link employed by Bot Handlers grants them unparalleled control over their mechanical charges. This allows them to commune with their bots on a level that is impossible to achieve with the mere flesh and blood humans around them. Over years of prolonged use, Handlers begin to increasingly respect the cold precision and quick logic of the machine, and conversely despise the limitations of their own physical form. This leads many to enhance their bodies with bionic limbs, artificial organs and implants to further boost and refine their abilities. The highest ranked Master Bot Handlers take this even further, replacing their organic body entirely with a super-advanced robotic industrial or combat chassis.


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Exceptionally wealthy Master Handlers are often accompanied by Defender Drones, armed with high intensity lasers and packed with proprietary technology not made available to anyone outside of the Foundation elite. Defenders hover noiselessly around their Handler emitting a cascading protective energy field, a visible reminder of the wealth and power of the Foundation.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks! In the meantime, try out the V2 Beta rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab your models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

A couple of weeks ago, we shared updated versions of the Beta Faction Lists for Maelstrom's Edge V2. These documents included some new units for each faction, for which models are currently in development. So this seems like a good time to start sharing some sneak peeks at these new units, to give players an idea of what to expect!

We're kicking things off this week with an addition to the Broken line-up: The Skoti Streamweaver!


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A fascinating and little understood species, Skoti are slow moving herbivores who evolved an innate defensive ability to teleport, which they call a “stream” in their tongue. Similar in function to an Angel’s ability to “rift”, Skoti are generally only able to trigger their stream involuntarily in order to escape danger. This ability is made possible through a unique, massive brain structure composed of multiple nodes stretched along their prehensile necks. Broken weaponsmiths devised a way to boost this ability into something more predictable and useful. The complex machinery on the Skoti's back both provides them with additional energy and helps them with their spatial calculations, allowing their streams to span further distances and stay open long enough to allow friendly units to travel through them. In addition, a Skoti is able to utilize their stream like a weapon, creating an opening above an enemy unit and dropping nearby debris onto them, or in some cases even teleporting the enemy against their will!

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks! In the meantime, try out the V2 Beta rules by grabbing the PDFs from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here, and grab your models from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

You can also find a series of articles looking at different aspects of the V2 game here.

If you have any questions on the V2 rules, the model range, or any other aspect of the Maelstrom's Edge game, feel free to pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

Broken groups tend to be havens for tech-savants and hackers, known collectively as 'Jammers' - rule-breakers ostracised by societies scared of their technological prowess. These maverick inventors thrive amongst the Broken, where their skills are used to break into computer networks, disrupt signals, and set enemy technology against its users. In peacetime, neophyte Sig Jammers serve the needs of a Savant, scrounging parts and carrying out menial tasks. When the Broken go to war, Sig Jammers cause electronic havoc amongst the enemy. Deployed near enemy lines, their disruption equipment degrades weapon systems, disrupts broadcast frequencies, and shuts down targeting and support systems.


A Sig Jammer draws the ire of a Remnant Holista.

This digital model pack contains STL files for both supported and unsupported versions of the Sig Jammer, with two poses and two head variants.


Sig Jammer Render

You can find the rules for using Sig Jammers in your Broken force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your army of tech-wizardy doom by grabbing your Sig Jammer from the webstore here!