Q: When will the Core Box Set release?
A: We don’t yet have a month beyond “this year.” We’re still finalizing all the production details. But have no fear, literally the ‘second’ we have a month release I’ll be shouting it from the top of the con-towers.
Q: What is the price of the Core Box Set?
A: We’re finally able to announce the price for this epic game. The Core Box Set will be $79.95.
Q: I didn’t realize this was going to be a “big box” game? What’s all going in the Core Box Set.
A: As you can see in the photos of white samples in these previous blogs (here and here), Leviathans will indeed be a “big box” game. At the current time, the Core Box Set will contain the following:
2 rulebooks to transition players from the quick-start
rules to the core rules
8 high-quality, 1200-scale plastic ship miniatures
12 Ship Cards
12 full-color Recognition Cards
1 Leviathans Gazetteer universe primer
2 fiction novellas
2 18” x 22” board-game quality maps
10 custom D12 dice and 2D6
2 reference cards
Leviathans recognition poster
Sheet of faction/ship crests
Template game aides (die cut cardboard counters)
Q: What exactly are the miniatures made of, what’s the scale and what’s the assortment in the Core Box Set?
A: There is a battleship, light cruiser and two destroyers (same miniature) both for the French and British, providing 8 total miniatures in the Core Box Set.
The ships are roughly 1200-scale, which means the battleships are approximately 5.2 inches long, while the destroyers are clocking in at around 2.5 inches long.
All ships are manufactured using HIPS (high-impact polystyrene); the same high quality material used by the best of the table-top miniatures games currently releasing plastic (for those that have purchased it, the Thor and Loki BattleMechs in the BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Box Set are an example of the quality/detail of this plastic).
Q: Will the miniatures come on the sprue or will they be assembled and painted?
A: All miniatures in the Core Box Set, as well as those scheduled for the Fleet Boxes and Ship Boxes, will be assembled and lightly pre-painted.
Q: What does lightly pre-painted mean? Just a basecoat?
A: It’s a little more than that. If you review the gallery section of the website and see the full-color illustrations of the ships, the pre-paint will mirror those illustrations: basecoat color, copper tubing, black on the smoke stacks (as appropriate), and other minor details.
Pre-paints allow anyone to dive into the game and have a great looking force of ships they can field immediately. However, the “lightness” of the pre-paint (along with the quality of the plastic/paint) will ensure that it’s relatively easy for an experienced hobby painter to accentuate the already existing pre-paint, or to simply paint right over it for a much more in-depth style.
Q: Will “on the sprue” ships be available at all?
A: That is up in the air at this time. However, the comments from the growing community here show that there is a market for that, so we’ll be thoroughly investigating how we might provide those.
Note that the decision has already been made that anything in the Core Box Set, Fleet Boxes, Ship Boxes, and even Faction Boxes, will all be pre-assembled and lightly pre-painted. So if we decide to sell the ships on the sprue, those would be a completely separate item; whether sold through stores or simply direct is completely up in the air at this time as we continue to review how we might proceed.
Q: Is any aspect of Leviathans “collectible,” meaning a blind purchase in that I’m not sure what I’m buying?
A: No. A player will know exactly the ships and materials he’s purchasing in every product.
Q: Will additional ships outside of the Core Box Set be available?
A: Yes. The current plan is for a British Fleet Box and French Fleet Box to publish simultaneously with the Core Box Set. Each will contain the four miniatures for that faction from the Core Box Set, but will contain four new variant Ship Cards.
Q: What is the price of the Fleet Boxes?
A: $39.95
Q: How else can I expand my fleet beyond the ships in the Core Box Set and Fleet Boxes?
A: A regular release schedule of Ship Boxes is planned, providing additional models and variants of those miniatures found in the Core Box Set and Fleet Boxes, as well as brand new ship chassis.
Q: How much will they cost?
A: A final retail price has not been determined at this time, primarily because it may shift in scale based upon the exact ships in a Ship Box.
Q: How many factions are in the Core Box Set?
A: The Core Box Set contains a Gazetteer that covers the entire 1910 alternate history setting of Leviathans, and details the eight major factions of the world: British, French, Germans, Italians, Russians, Japanese, Americans and Austro-Hungarians (as well as a section covering minor powers).
However, the Core Box Set only contains miniatures for the British and French.
Q: How will the other six factions be introduced?
A: The current plan has Faction Box Sets releasing down the line following the game launch, pairing up factions as done in the Core Box Set. For example, the current planned first Faction Box Set would contain the Germans and Italians. The Faction Box Set would be accompanied with the simultaneously release of the German Fleet Box and Italian Fleet Box (as done with the Core Box Set and the French/British) and then a regular line of supporting Ship Boxes would soon follow.
Q: Is there elevation in Leviathans? Or is it just a 2D game with aerial visuals?
A: Yes, Leviathans has rules for elevation in game play. However, in an effort to ensure the Core Box Set is smooth and relatively easy to slide into, elevation rules are not found there (those rules will be found in the Captain’s Box; see below). Each ship will be mounted on a stand, which will convey the visual aesthetic of flying battleships despite the 2D nature of the core rules game, with the ability to change elevations for those rules found in the Captain’s Box (once there are photos of the stands available, they’ll be posted).
Q: Previous blog posts mentioned three rulebooks in the Core Box Set. What happened to the “Captain’s Manual?”
A: Despite our best efforts to cram everything and the kitchen sink into this game, we also felt that regardless of its “big box game” size, we needed to keep the price at the lower end of such games.
As such, a Captain’s Box now exists that’ll publish down the line following the release of the Core Box Set. It will contain the Captain’s Manual and a host of die cut gaming pieces needed for those enhanced scenario rules (clouds, mountains, Fog of War Initiative cards, and the all important elevation tokens/rules). At the current time a “British/French Readiness Report” is also planned for this box, expanding upon the details found in the Core Box Set for those two factions.
Q: At one time it was mentioned that the Ship Cards would be styrene and have ‘punch out’ slots. Is that still the case?
A: No. Despite a lot of time working on that concept it simply proved impossible to manufacturer under the constraints needed for the game. Instead, Ship Cards will be a heavy cardstock with a laminate surface that will allow players to easily use dry erase markers during game play (exactly as show in the free Lieutenant’s Manual quick-start rules).
Q: Will there be a point system in Leviathans?
A: Not in the Core Box Set (though there are rules for creating scenarios and guidelines for force selection). However, we’ve been working on a point system for some time and even released an Open Alpha Test of the point system as it pertains to the Lieutenant’s Manual quick-start rules that have been available for some time.
The current plan is to once again embrace the burgeoning community and the Creative Commons aspect of Leviathans and release a Beta Test of the full point system simultaneously with the release of the Core Box Set, which will allow the community to participate in ironing out the final wrinkles in the system, and in the process help to develop a system they will enjoy using. The point system will then be published down the line in the Engineer’s Box, and anyone who provided feedback online will be appropriately credited as participating.
Q: Will there be construction rules in Leviathans?
A: There are no plans for a full construction system for Leviathans. However, a customization system is currently being worked on to release as part of the Engineer’s Box.
