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!

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 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.


Click for larger image
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.

We recently shared a preview of some Karist Enclave colour schemes that are included in the upcoming Maelstrom's Edge V2 rulebook. As our other original launch faction, it seemed only fitting to give some similar attention to the Epirian Foundation!

The Epirian Foundation‘s robotics and terraforming technologies transformed much of the Spiral Arm. The Foundation took barren, lifeless worlds and made them habitable, exploiting the resources of rocks they couldn’t turn into homes. The Foundation itself was formed as a loose coalition of independent franchises, each specialising in their own unique technologies. This guide shows just some of the many different franchise uniforms. You are of course free to come up with your own colour schemes, whether for a home-made franchise of your own, or as an alternate uniform for an existing franchise - while militia units within a franchise generally all use the same equipment, variations can occur on worlds where specific supply or environmental considerations force them to rely on local alternatives.


(Click the image for a larger version!)

To get started on your own army of corporate doom, pick up the Epirian models, or any of the rest of the range from the webstore here.

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

Remember to also grab a copy of the Maelstrom's Edge V2 Beta rules so you can get into the action!

- by Iain Wilson

Back in 2016, I converted up a model using some spare parts that came to be called an 'Epirian Warden' - a clingfire-toting, flightpack-equipped veteran of the frontier. I also created an unofficial rules card to go with him, for use in V1. Well, following on from the Thunderbolt Sentry Drone a few weeks ago, I have now updated the Warden's rules to suit V2!




You can check out the original Warden conversion article here for ideas on how to build your own, although as an unofficial model you should feel free to build yours however you think appropriate.



You can download the updated rules page for the Epirian Warden along with the Maelstroms' Edge V2 Beta rules from the website here!



To build your own soldier of trailblazing doom, grab some conversion fodder 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.

SecDef, the Epirian Security and Defence force, are the elite amongst the varied Foundation military. The men and women of SecDef are better trained, better armed and better equipped than the Contractors that make up the majority of Epirian defences on frontier worlds. SecDef take only the very best recruits, typically recommended by a trustee after a number of years of dedicated service as a Contractor. Those promoted into SecDef spend over a year training at dedicated off-world bases on Foundation worlds throughout the Spiral Arm, where grizzled veteran instructors inflict a brutal schedule of combat, security and fitness drills. Many recruits wash out during this gruelling period of indoctrination, and only the best of the best become members of the SecDef's feared infantry squads. The Foundation likes to play up this robust selection and training system, because the SecDef are a source of both great pride and great profit. The SecDef are billed by their corporate owners as the ultimate in precision combat. Even one SecDef squad is a honed killing machine, clinical and effective. Rich companies and individuals alike across the galaxy look to hire SecDef infantry as the finest mercenary units, working as bodyguards, military escorts or even leading attacks on rival corporations or hostile alien worlds.



A SecDef unit moves in on a Broken battle line.

SecDef soldiers wear augmented power-assisted exoskeletons, with servo motors boosting the power of their arms and legs. As well as enabling antigrav aerial insertions from high altitude, the exoskeleton also allows them to wear thick ballistic armour without losing full mobility or movement. Their helmets are equipped with state-of-the art targeting and threat-identification heads-up displays, which when coupled with their years of advanced training and experience gives them an unparalleled instinct for tactical action on the battlefield. SecDef infantry sport the most advanced maglock weaponry produced by Araldyne Systems. The superior craftsmanship and state-of-the-art materials in an Araldyne AR60 assault rifle or G20 pistol makes it lighter to hold and more precise, with targeting optics linked into their helmets and a more expensive deadlier armour-piercing round made from rare earth metals. A squad can be supplemented with sniper or machine-gun armed specialists for specific combat roles, whilst the SecDef Annihilator team, armed with two Araldyne CG100 Chainguns, is capable of taking on even the most heavily emplaced fortifications. The combination of intense training, advanced exoskeletons and cutting-edge weaponry makes the SecDef the finest fighting forces in the Epirian Foundation - or for those with the resources to purchase their services.


A SecDef Lieutenant (left) and Medic, holding a strategic location

Promoted from amongst the most capable veteran sergeants, SecDef lieutenants are level-headed combat experts on both a tactical and strategic level with extensive financial and material resources to hand. Often taking on the most difficult (and therefore highest paying) missions with their platoons, the aim of most lieutenants is to accrue enough backpay to purchase a field commander commission, and the heavy combat rig that goes with that position.

SecDef Medics are combat veterans who have received additional training and equipment to administer first aid in the field. Known for being level-headed under fire, medics accompany SecDef tactical teams in the field, where they need to be equally competent at using their carbines or treating wounded squadmates. Equipped with an advanced diagnostics and treatment device and requiring weeks of additional training, medics represent a not-insubstantial investment for SecDef Commanders. While most still attribute significant cost savings to a medic's ability to save the lives of expensive SecDef troopers, the return on investment tends to be carefully monitored by SecDef administration. It's not uncommon for units to be refused additional medics where higher-than-normal attrition rates suggest that high recruitment costs would not be sufficiently reduced by the presence of medical personnel.


SecDef Rapid Intervention units are experts at speedy assaults.

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.


SecDef Field Commanders are a one-man army.

The SecDef value nothing more than completing the job they're assigned to in a timely manner, regardless of what it takes to do so. SecDef Field Commanders are the ultimate representation of that mantra. With prototype machine-assisted armor with the strength of several men, firepower equal to a whole squad and advanced targeting and comm systems allowing them to monitor several different feeds simultaneously in real-time, Force Commanders have all of the tools necessary to decimate the enemy.

As with all SecDef units, Field Commanders tend to carry high-end sophisticated Araldyne weaponry, but in their case, these weapons are mounted onto advanced machine-assisted arms, allowing multiple weapons to be fired simultaneously with ease. Each Field Commander is given complete leeway to choose their own weapons load-out to best support their particular fighting style: Hydraulic Fists to rip the enemy apart at close quarters, Araldyne FG19 Flakk Guns obliterate targets at short range, Araldyne LM14 Machine Guns to mow down foes by the dozen and Araldyne LS99 High-Intensity Lasers to melt through even the toughest armor. Not to mention the option to take either back-mounted cluster missile pods or advanced targeting systems.

Dominate the battlefield with your own SecDef force! You can pick up the SecDef model range from the Maelstrom's Edge webstore!

While you're there, you can download the V2 rules from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here. The Beta rules documents contain all of the rules for playing V2 games, but keep in mind that these are just 'preview' documents - some rules may be revised based on feedback, and the final layout including background material for the factions and the Maelstrom's Edge universe, artwork and other 'flavor' material is missing.

If you have any thoughts on the new rules, pop on over to the Comm Guild Facebook group, or start up a thread in the Maelstrom's Edge section on the Dakka Dakka forums. We welcome any feedback, and would love to hear how everyone's forces stack up in the new rules!

- by Iain Wilson

Alongside the slowly expanding Maelstrom's Edge model range and associated rules, we have from time to time released additional unofficial rules to accompany conversions or kitbashes of models borrowed from other ranges. When we tracked down the PDC Gaming gun carriage and added it to the webstore, we also released some rules to use it in your Epirian force as a Thunderbolt Sentry Drone. This week, we have updated the Thunderbolt rules for use in Maelstrom's Edge V2!




Thunderbolt Sentry Drones add some heavy firepower to Epirian forces, trundling around the battlefield and laying waste to enemy units with a range of different heavy weapons.



You can download the updated rules page for the Thunderbolt Sentry Drone along with the Maelstroms' Edge V2 Beta rules from the website here!

The Thunderbolt is a vehicle, and follows the rules for Large Models. Note that the section on page 27 of the Beta Rules entitled 'DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT' has been removed from the final version of the V2 rules, so this section should be ignored.



To pick up your own gun carriage of superheavy doom, head over to the Maelstrom's Edge webstore here! You will find the gun carriage in the 'Terrain & Accessories' section.

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.

- by Iain Wilson

A few weeks back, we published some sample force lists for the V2 Maelstrom's Edge rules. These got me a little inspired to put together a new force for myself, and so I dove into the unbuilt model pile and put together 120 points based on the Epirian sample list.




The force roster is almost identical to the sample list. I found myself short by one Firefly drone, so I dropped those to a unit of three, and gave the Contractor Defenders a Chaingun drone and one of the Journeymen a second Dominator pistol to make up the difference.


Journeyman Bot Handlers with micro drones (the drones are 3D printed test models - the finished models will be coming in plastic soon!)

I wanted a colour scheme that was quick and easy to paint, and also visually distinct from my existing forces. Starting out with a basecoat of Army Painter Uniform Grey spray, I then added a 'zenithal' highlight by spraying down from above the models with white spray. Over that, I applied a wash of Army Painter Soft Tone. Metal parts were picked out with AK Gunmetal and then washed with Army Painter Dark Tone - two coats for the weapons.


Contractor Defenders.

The pants on the Contractors were painted with a layer of Army Painter Blue Tone to give them a denim look, while the chaps were given a coat of Army Painter Mid Brown wash. I painted the skin with a coat of Army Painter Flesh Wash, and then as it still looked a bit pale added a layer of Mid Brown as well.


Firefly Drones.

For the red details, I painted on a coat of Citadel Blood Angels Red Contrast. This didn't look quite the right tone with the sandy coloured armour, so I added a layer of Army Painter Purple Tone over the top, before highlighting with Army Painter Pixie Pink.


Spider Drones with flakk guns.

I had found with my previous Epirian Bot Force that the weapons on Spider Drones can be a little hard to differentiate from across the table, so I made sure I painted them differently, leaving the machine guns bare metal and adding a red casing on the flakk guns.


Spider Drones with machine guns.

I used Army Painter Ultramarine Blue for lenses and sensors, shading with Purple Tone and highlighting with Army Painter Gorgon Hide.


Hunter mechs and Scarecrow bot.

To finish up, after gluing on some fine sand and a few pebbles for detail, I painted the bases with Uniform Grey, washed over the top with Army Painter Dark Tone, and then drybrushed with Vallejo Light Grey and White before adding some splotches of Mid Brown here and there to break up all of that grey.


The full force deployed.



Get started on your own V2 force by heading over to the Maelstrom's Edge webstore!

While you're there, you can download the V2 rules from the Trial Rules section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here. The Beta rules documents contain all of the rules for playing V2 games, but keep in mind that these are just 'preview' documents - some rules may be revised based on feedback, and the final layout including background material for the factions and the Maelstrom's Edge universe, artwork and other 'flavor' material is missing.

If you have any thoughts on the new rules, pop on over to the Comm Guild Facebook group, or start up a thread in the Maelstrom's Edge section on the Dakka Dakka forums. We welcome any feedback, and would love to hear how everyone's forces stack up in the new rules!

The Security and Defence force, or SecDef, is the elite fighting force of the Epirian Foundation. The men and women of SecDef are better trained, better armed and better equipped than the Contractors that make up the majority of Epirian defences on frontier worlds. SecDef take only the very best recruits, typically recommended by a trustee after a number of years of dedicated service as a Contractor. Those promoted into SecDef spend over a year training at dedicated off-world bases on Foundation worlds throughout the Spiral Arm, where grizzled veteran instructors inflict a brutal schedule of combat, security and fitness drills. Many recruits wash out during this gruelling period of indoctrination, and only the best of the best become members of the SecDef's feared infantry squads. The Foundation likes to play up this robust selection and training system, because the SecDef are a source of both great pride and great profit. The SecDef are billed by their corporate owners as the ultimate in precision combat. Even one SecDef squad is a honed killing machine, clinical and effective. Rich companies and individuals alike across the galaxy look to hire SecDef infantry as the finest mercenary units, working as bodyguards, military escorts or even leading attacks on rival corporations or hostile alien worlds.



In the days before the Maelstrom, the Foundation was a loose affiliation of corporate franchises, competing on designs for robotics and terraforming technologies, and for the rights to mine asteroid belts and transform worlds for new colonies. However, the franchises recognised the need to keep their free market competition civil and productive, and the elected Foundation trustees maintained the trading rights and regulations between franchises, as well as mediating disputes and deciding on the overall direction of the Foundation. The SecDef acted as the enforcement arm of the overarching corporate structure, a hand-picked selection of the best soldiers from across the different franchises, trained up to be the best equipped and trained fighting unit in the corporate sector. Because of this need for independence for the franchises, the SecDef eschewed the use of robots, as these might preferentially benefit an individual franchise. In the time since the Maelstrom, communication, transportation and above all trust across the Spiral Arm has disintegrated, and the Foundation has fragmented into individual franchises, each with their own SecDef division. Despite now being in more direct competition, much of the tactics and philosophy of the original SecDef charter remains in the individual organisations.



The number of soldiers employed in SecDef varies from franchise to franchise, but is typically much lower than the number of Contractors and robotic units. Most franchises like their security and military forces to be represented by robots, acting as a sales tool for the consumer models of the robots seen on the battlefield. However, robots are only as effective as their Bot Handler. With armed conflicts erupting across the Spiral Arm due to the constant threat of the Maelstrom, Foundation forces more often find themselves having to make do with fewer and less well trained Bot Handlers. SecDef forces are therefore often kept in reserve and used to clean things up when the robotic and Contractor units get bogged down or can't overcome a tough enemy. This gives the SecDef of certain franchises a reputation for saving the day, which the trustees utilise to charge even higher rates when the SecDef perform 'consultancy' work for other organisations. Their tough reputation and intense lifestyle means that most SecDef soldiers are much better paid than Contractors or even some Bot Handlers, but they are so in demand that when the contract of a veteran SecDef expires they will often offer themselves up to opposing franchises for better rewards, or even go completely independent, leading to some of the most cut-throat and effective mercenary forces in the galaxy.



The SecDef's weapons and equipment are traditionally manufactured by Araldyne, one of the last great Epirian Foundation franchises. Araldyne were the franchise with operational control over the Foundation just before the Maelstrom hit. Ever since, Araldyne has maintained that they should rightfully be in control of the entire Foundation, and use both political pressure and military force to seize ships, technology or even planets from other franchises, insisting that they do so for the good of the Epirian Foundation as a whole. Their weaponry is more expensive and advanced than most used in the Foundation, prioritising advanced design and optimised technology over the mass-produced weaponry used by much of the Foundation's lesser troops. SecDef infantry are typically seen sporting powerful Araldyne AR60 assault rifles, as well as the heavier models in the Araldyne range such as the LM14 Machine Gun, SR40 Sniper Rifle and CG100 Chaingun. Such is the prevalence of Araldyne technology amongst the SecDef that rumours abound that Araldyne is secretly funding them as part of their goal to take over the Foundation. As a result, some of the more independent Foundation franchises such as the isolationists of Arkacorp refuse to accept Araldyine support for their SecDef, and even manufacture their own inferior copies of the Araldyne equipment. To their chagrin, despite these imitation weapons being more common across the Spiral Arm, they are still called 'Araldyne'-type weaponry, due to the obvious imitation of their competitor's designs.



SecDef soldiers wear augmented power-assisted exoskeletons, with servo motors boosting the power of their arms and legs. As well as enabling antigrav aerial insertions from high altitude, the exoskeleton also allows them to wear thick ballistic armour without losing full mobility or movement. Their helmets are equipped with state-of-the art targeting and threat-identification heads-up displays, which when coupled with their years of advanced training and experience gives them an unparalleled instinct for tactical action on the battlefield. SecDef infantry sport the most advanced maglock weaponry produced by Araldyne Systems. The superior craftsmanship and state-of-the-art materials in an Araldyne AR60 assault rifle or G20 pistol makes it lighter to hold and more precise, with targeting optics linked into their helmets and a more expensive deadlier armour-piercing round made from rare earth metals. A squad can be supplemented with sniper or machine-gun armed specialists for specific combat roles, whilst the SecDef Annihilator team, armed with 2 Araldyne CG100 Chainguns, is capable of taking on even the most heavily emplaced fortifications. When more mobility or faster response is called for, SecDef forces can also include boostpack-equipped Rapid Intervention Teams armed with twin CB22 Assault Carbines, CF13 Clingfire Sprayers or FG19 Flakk Guns.



Promoted from amongst the most capable veteran sergeants, SecDef Lieutenants are found leading platoon-sozed forces. These level-headed combat veterans are experts on both a tactical and strategic level with extensive financial and material resources to hand. Often taking on the most difficult (and therefore highest paying) missions with their platoons, the aim of most lieutenants is to accrue enough backpay to purchase a field commander commission, and the heavy combat rig that goes with that position.





You can find out more about the units available to SecDef forces on the Maelstrom's Edge website. While you're there, you can pick up any of the SecDef models, along with the rest of the Maelstrom's Edge range, from the webstore. You can also find some articles in the Hobby section with conversion walkthroughs and rules for fielding several unofficial units to add even more variety to your SecDef force.


SecDef transport converted from a Miniature Scenery Tactical Response Vehicle, Heavy troopers converted from Epirian Master Bot Handlers, and a walker converted from a Hexy-Shop Heron Light Battlewalker.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions on the Maelstrom's Edge background or gameplay, pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

The one place where the Epirian Foundation truly shines is thanks to the vast army of robotic forces available to them. Originally, huge numbers of automated terraforming robots were dispatched to remote systems to handle the humanification of the worlds and to perform construction duties, but since the Maelstrom began approaching Epirian colonies, many of these automatons have been repurposed to guard the evacuation of threatened worlds. The robots are powerful, but as the number of worlds owned by the Foundation shrinks, their resources are depleted, and so every destroyed robot is viewed as a grave loss, especially their computational cores. Even when damaged beyond repair, provided their broken parts are recovered, new robotic soldiers can be fashioned from the remains, and so any loss in battle is frequently followed by a major campaign to reclaim the lost.



The modular nature of the robotic technology employed by the Foundation allows them to easily refit worker robots for battle when an aggressor appears. The converted mining, shipbuilding and transportation drones that form much of the Foundation’s battleforces are not the most efficient fighters, but they make up for this by the ease in which they can be converted from the ranks of processing cores and modular parts being produced by the Epirian factories.



Most Epirian robots are modular in design, so supply is simple with easier reuse of parts, although the Foundation’s richer inhabitants show off their status by purchasing expensive custom designed robots and vehicles and advanced prototypes. Central processing cores are designed so that a robot can be adapted to many roles, changing only a small, programmed chip to switch a mining robot to a soldier, or convert a butler to a repair bot. Limbs, body parts, tools and weapons are all similarly made to be easily swapped and replaced. From a large selection of parts, many different combinations of robots can be designed and built. This cuts down on the amount of material that is required to take a robotic team through space to a new world. Redundancy, reliability and adaptability typically take precedence over more exotic designs.





You can find out more about the Epirian Foundation on the Maelstrom's Edge website. While you're there, you can pick up any of the Epirian bot models, along with the rest of the Maelstrom's Edge range, from the webstore. Free shipping applies to qualifying orders - check your cart for details.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions on the Maelstrom's Edge background or gameplay, pop in to the Comm Guild Facebook group here.

The Epirian SecDef receives another reinforcement this month, with the addition of a new SecDef Medic! This high quality resin kit contains one Epirian SecDef Medic model with a CB22 Assault Carbine and field diagnostic unit, and a 25mm base. This is an add-on model for SecDef Tactical Teams.



SecDef Medics are combat veterans who have received additional training and equipment to administer first aid in the field. Known for being level-headed under fire, medics accompany SecDef tactical teams in the field, where they need to be equally competent at using their carbines or treating wounded squadmates.



Equipped with an advanced diagnostics and treatment device and requiring weeks of additional training, medics represent a not-insubstantial investment for SecDef Commanders. While most still attribute significant cost savings to a medic's ability to save the lives of expensive SecDef troopers, the return on investment tends to be carefully monitored by SecDef administration. It's not uncommon for units to be refused additional medics where higher-than-normal attrition rates suggest that high recruitment costs would not be sufficiently reduced by the presence of medical personnel.




SecDef Medic Rules Card

You can find the SecDef Medic in the Maelstrom's Edge online store here!

This month, we're revisiting the Epirian SecDef, with the addition of a new SecDef Lieutenant! This high quality resin kit contains one Epirian SecDef Lieutenant model with two weapon options (CB22 Assault Carbine and G20 Pistol) and a 25mm base, and is available now from the Maelstrom's Edge online store here. The SecDef Lieutenant is a Command model, and lets you field a force comprised entirely of SecDef units!



Anyone underestimating a SecDef lieutenant is about to pay dearly for his mistake. Promoted from amongst the most capable veteran sergeants, SecDef lieutenants are level-headed combat experts on both a tactical and strategic level with extensive financial and material resources to hand. Often taking on the most difficult (and therefore highest paying) missions with their platoons, the aim of most lieutenants is to accrue enough backpay to purchase a field commander commission, and the heavy combat rig that goes with that position.



While technically tasked with safeguarding the same corporate goals as every other Epirian division, issues can arise when SecDef units are forced to cooperate with Bot Handler commanders in the field. Their philosophy, character and approach are almost diametrically opposed to that of the average Handler. The SecDef's innate distaste for bots results in them having little faith in the abilities of their robotic allies, having seen them fail once too many in their long careers where they believe proper SecDef infantry would have got the job done. Nevertheless, they are professional enough to let the deadly Hunter Warmechs profit from their shoulder-mounted target designator. Many a foe has perished under a hail of strike missiles shortly after a SecDef lieutenant is inserted into enemy lines, quickly identifying and painting the largest threat.




SecDef Lieutenant Rules Card

You can find the SecDef Lieutenant in the Maelstrom's Edge online store here!