Kickstarter Backers Name The Chuhuac APC

The Kickstarter campaign has produced a wealth of feedback and input on the Chuhuac as a whole and so when it came time to name their APC, we thought it'd be fun to put the task to those who backed the campaign. There were a lot of good ideas, and ultimately we went with a combination of some of my favorites with a sprinkling of a little of my own stuff.

Here is what we came up with... 

SIRRUSH "SLASH-CLAW HEN"

The Chuhuac have named this APC after their protective mother hens, a formidable icon in their culture. Even in modern Chuhuac society, mother's are generally absolved of any violence, up to and including murder, when it occurs in defense of young. 

The relationship between Chuhuac warriors and their APC and its crew (often female) mirrors the family bonds of mother and offspring. APC crew are often referred to as"mother", even when male, and take pride in delivering their "clutch" safely to their deployment zone. Warriors are often hyper-protective of their crew and crew seldom pay for meals or entertainment on leave. Nobody messes with a pack's crew.

Humans, having difficulty with the Chuhuac language have named the rig the Trilobite, a name they consider derisive. Even still, this high-brow nomenclature is often abandoned on the battlefield where other terms like "Lizard Limo" and "Pill Bug" are more common.

Attack Bike Concept Drawing

The above art for the attack bike was done by the awesome Jared Blando. He makes this thing look truly wicked. I'm not even sure we'll be able to pack all that yummy detail into the final 15mm scale sculpt.

-Eli

Sooooo....where are we now, Eli?

Folks, I realize the update scene has been rather slow and quiet for a bit but we've reached that point in the game where I am waiting on the work of others.

Right now, I have the sculptor working on the greens for everything but the powersuits, bikes, commandos and of course the APC which is getting ready to go to the printer in the coming week or so. Those things not being sculpted right now, are waiting for final concept art which is being produced as we speak. This art will be clean, nicely finished stuff that will give the sculptor a clear idea of what we want to achieve.

Thanks, 

-Eli

Design History of the Chuhuac APC

New Images of Chuhuac APC 3D Modelling

Hey all,

Sooooo, my 3D guy, the talented Andreas, got me some new images along with the print file for the Chuhuac APC (I need to name this thing). I am posting them here not only to show their relative scale, but also to show what they look like outside of the classic scifi white with red stripe color scheme.

Double Vision - Alien Design Discussion Results

While we're acing toward getting everything going for the Chuhuac we here at LNG continue to discuss the future and what sorts of weird and wild beasties we'd like to see. Sometimes this results in unplanned fun and when Mik threw out the following description...

"Slight, furry, with multiple eyes and bat ears. Long digits. Robes with tac gear"

...we both scribbled out our own interpretations of this alien and sent the image to one another via text message (we're in different states). The images below are what came of that.

Mik's Version

My Version

As you can see both designs have an uncanny resemblance. Two interpretations off the same vague text, doodled hundreds of miles apart with very striking similarities. Not that both have a similar, clunky weapon as well as the same segmented add-ons over the robes. There are differences as well, but it's pretty cool just the same.

Thanks for checking it out,

-Eli

Bike Design Update

There had been some feedback indicating that a smaller windscreen on the attack bike would be better for making it obvious that the bike was being piloted by an alien instead of a human. I took this to heart and present this new sketch showing how this might look.

A Question Grav Bikes

The above scribble demonstrates the current route I'm considering for the Chuhuac bikes. The design is an open-topped, but streamlined affair with the pilot protected behind an aerodynamic fairing. This produces a sleek design but doesn't leave much of the rider exposed.

Now, the issue is that a raptor is a long beasty and any bike design has to account of that neck and tail. I figure the raptors already use their tails for steering, so might have the tail part of the part of the bike work as the steering mechanism. This would leave the raptor's hands free to target and work with that part of his brain that is already keyed in to maneuvering.

It may not make for a wild rider waving guns around and looking about, but it will produce a unique sort of bike that looks different than most out there.

-Eli

Space Raptors Funded!!!

Alright, at the risk of sounding like a big softy, I really have to say that I love you guys.

There is nothing more gratifying than to see an outpouring of support from all corners of the the hobby, the industry, heck even the world for my dream child.

To think that I one time entertained running the campaign for 60 days because I thought it would need time to grow legs and here it's reached its goal in under 24 hours.

To all of you who have pledged the project and to those who have supported the project through spreading the world across your blogs, forums and the various dark and interesting corners of the interwebs a huge THANK YOU.

To those who have yet to pledge or who are having to wait to do so. I thank you as well. This project still has 29 days of life left on Kickstarter. There is plenty of time.

What I think gets me the most, is not just the financial backing, but the wonderful comments and energy you have all brought to this project. Your loyalty and faith in the Space Raptors as a thing is absolutely invigorating and has wiped away all doubts and fears.

Gaming is an amazing hobby and the people in it really are some of the best people out there.

Thank you,

-Eli

Chuhuac - Space Raptor Kickstarter Campaign Ikimasu!!!

In true anime flair we would  like to announce that the Kickstarter campaign for the Chuhuac-Space Raptors is a go.

Chuchuac - Space Raptors Kickstarter Campaign

It's been a bit getting to this point and I'd like to thank everyone who was patient enough to sit and bite nails while we trundled through this process. Thankfully, we'll have even better, flesh-tearing nails in your hands to replace those you lost waiting and will likely continue to shred as we all watch this campaign unfold.

If I can take a moment to address you on a personal level, I'd also like to take a brief moment to explain what my "angle" was on this campaign. It's pretty simple and I had to fight to find ways to get snazzy with the rewards because really what I want to do it get you miniatures to play with. To that end, most of the rewards are structured as what are essentially pre-orders. You help the dream become a reality and you get nifty shinies to play with. The more esoteric rewards come in the form of painted figures and for those of you who really love to live the hobby, a chance to get your creativity into the mix.

Every Kickstarter campaign has had that sweet spot. This is the place where you get a mountain of stuff and you qualify for stretch goals. As a taste of things to come, I have decided to post a short blurb about what will be available to you in our sweet spot.

The goal with the Chuhuac - Space Raptors campaign sweet spot was to give you as complete a fighting force as possible with the items being presented in the campaign. for me, this meant something like a company of minis. To this end, this is what I have come up with -

Chuhuac Battle Force (67 minis total)

1 x Herdmaster (Commander)

Command Element (1 x Revered Leader (Officer), 1 x Data/Comms Tech, 1 x Medic, 1 x Recon Drone

Command Security Element (6 x Trooper w/ Assault Rifle)

2 x Combat Platoons each with Platoon Command Element (4 figures) and 4 x 6-man squads.

Each squad is made up of the following: 1 x Alpha Leader, 3 x Troopers with Assault Rifles, 1 x SAW Gunner, 1 x Plasma Gunner.

In addition to the above miniatures you will also gain access to stretch goals which will add to this force. Everything from spec ops to grav bikes are planned for stretch goals. There could even be an APC and power armor troops.

I am excited to see where this goes and thanks all in advance!

-Eli

Space Bunnies?

So, there was a joke made in my bio bit about space bunnies. While not on the top of my "to do" list I cannot let an idea pass without considering it. The quick doodle to the right was done minutes after reading the comments and then snapped by camera phone (I'm at the office). It's by not means what a final space bunny design would look like, but it does demonstrate a way to take the key features of "bunny" and working them into something alien.

I was thinking that an alien like this might not even be a true mammal. It would be some alien life form. The "ears" might not be part of its anatomy at all and could be simply sensory extension on the battle armor or even modified into some sort of thruster for a jump pack. Of course, it could also be armored housings for some sort of sensory organ attached to the back.

Enjoy!

-Eli

Who are Loud Ninja Games?

As we work toward getting the Kickstarter going, I thought it might be time to take a look at who it is that make up the LNG Team.

While the primary motivating factor is myself, I owe a lot to the support of my wife, Jennifer who has offered to take on the shipping and receiving for the company - no small undertaking. My two daughters also want to help daddy with his new business two. At 13 and 9, they should prove useful in keeping me from going mad.

I am a firm believer that a single mind involved in any creative endeavor is an invitation toward single-mindedness and invariably some sort of error. To this end, I employ a steady stream of feedback and input from my close friends and gaming associates. They help keep me from spiraling into madness and flooding the Internet with armies of space bunnies or something awful like that.

Then there are those who have made tangible contributions to the company. Artists like Chris Miller and Chad Thorson and sculptors like Adam Gayford and Pedro Navaro have all lent their considerable talents toward bringing my concepts to life in pen, ink, and putty. Though they are not employees, without them there would be no LNG.

Charles Branson - Sales and Marketing

I've known Chuck forever and his real gift is in marketing. I'm an artist, which means I am prone to flights of fancy and often lack reason and clarity. Chuck is there to make sure that my ideas make it out of the whirlwind of my mind and out to your tables.

Mik Burns

Mik Burns - Creative Consultant/Designer
Mik brings to the team an incredible creative energy and some solid design ideas. His experience in the gaming hobby and working with various other projects really shines through and has proven invaluable in the recent months as I forge on toward the release of the Chuhuac - Space Raptors. 

Mik is an avid gamer, like myself and most of you, with a broad pallet of interests ranging from historical miniatures through fantasy and science fiction of all types. He's been involved in gaming-based charities (Doctors without Borders, Heroes of Armageddon and Storm Wardens) and public services like Barter Bucket  and is a regular host on the Minions of the Monster Master podcast.

With all this talent backing my crazy ideas, I have no doubt that we can make Loud Ninja Games something special and well worth the wait.

Thank you all,

-Eli