Checkout the new 3D sculpts from Mantic that look to compete with Warhammer 40k. Warpath is starting pick up steam.
Obviously if you play 40k you’ve probably seen Warpath on the shelf at some point but never really pulled the trigger fully on the miniatures.
The next week may be the time to decide if you’re going to want these minis for YOUR tabletop.
Via Mantic (Warpath Kickstarter)
Warpath is a gaming system for playing sci-fi battles, and along with new sets of rules there will also be a new Two Player Starter Set replacing The Fate of the Forgestar. It’s called Operation: Heracles, and it features two opposing forces of Enforcers and Forge Fathers.
Below is Part 1 of the full story behind Operation: Heracles, as well as a detailed look at some of the miniatures that make up one half of the two-player starter set. We’ll cover Part 2 of the story and the Forge Fathers in a future blog very soon.
Operation: Heracles is a set designed to allow you and a mate/partner/pet to get started playing Warpath. It include two basic starter forces, handy if you don’t know which you want to choose or don’t want to go ‘all in’ on one particular faction.
Operation: Heracles – as presented on the Warpath Kickstarter.
Below we take a look at the Enforcer contents in the set – we’ll cover the Forge Fathers in a future update.
Enforcer Lt. Roca*
It is a common misconception that the Enforcers value uniformity above all else. Their standard grey uniforms reinforce this idea, but, in fact, after obedience, imagination is one of the most highly prized personality metric in the corps.
Commander Roca, operating under the callsign ‘Rocker’, proved himself to be both loyal and imaginative during the first decades of his career serving the Council of Seven. As an operator with Strike Teams across the galaxy, Rocker fought with distinction against every threat presented to the GCPS. From Marauders to Elastopods, there are few alien races Rocker has not prosecuted with élan and efficiency and he has also been instrumental in the termination of more than twenty rebel cells along the frontier.
Such versatility and long service would normally see an operator being moved either into the Pathfinder arm of the corps or promoted to a senior command position. But Rocker had no desire to quit frontline service so he was instead promoted to Commander and reassigned as a Forward Observer.
Rocker had been operating in Triton’s sector of space for some time before the arrival of the Bruderheim on a highly classified mission to investigate a recent surge in losses in shipping moving through the area. Piracy has always been an issue in fringe space, and even an uptick in reports of Veer-myn numbers discovered aboard vessels moving coreward was not viewed as particularly disturbing. But reports of ‘ships of the damned’, fleets of vessels previously reported as missing that slide into orbit, answer no hails, but instead immediately attack any other vessels nearby, did cause alarm in Corporation Central.
Solid evidence was hard to come by. Nonetheless Rocker’s recommendation was to increase troop numbers and fortify a number of worlds within the fourth sphere, particularly in lanes likely to be used by vessels moving from the Death Arc. Triton is one such world.
* This miniature variant is exclusive to the Warpath Kickstarter.
Enforcers
The basic building block of most Enforcement groups across space is the Strike Team – Enforcers carrying Genling 45’s and 58 Burst Lasers, working in unison. But their ubiquity does not make them any less elite. Each man or woman in the team is a highly engineered and trained professional killer, built to function with equally cold-blooded efficiency as an individual as in a team, and wears the best armour credits can buy. Their support network is also without rival – no team really works alone, all of them being co-ordinated by the best communications technology and strategic minds in the GCPS.
Enforcers are the mainstay unit of any Enforcer force, highly trained soldiers that carry the best equipment the Council of Seven can buy.
As you can see above, the Enforcer Trooper sprues come with enough options to arm the Enforcers with an Incinerator or Burst Laser. You can also build the miniatures as Assault Enforcers, foregoing the Genling rifles for pistols and wristblades.
Pathfinders
Even amongst the ranks of the Enforcers, the Pathfinders are an elite and highly specialised group. Their role demands that they avoid direct contact with the enemy wherever possible and their standard equipment and weaponry reflect this. Deployed ahead of the main force, the Pathfinders are tasked with gathering all the necessary Intel required to support a successful campaign, while eliminating any obstacles that may hinder the deployment of the main Enforcer vanguard.
Armed with deadly sniper rifles and supported by the D.O.G. Drone, the Pathfinders are the vanguard of the Enforcers, scouting ahead of the main force. Check out the sprues…
Jetbikes
The jump packs built into Enforcer armour were originally designed to aid in zero-gravity ship assaults. The iterations since have seen their use expanded and developed, until today they provide additional mobility in even above-standard gravity, and can to be used in low-altitude insertions directly into combat or behind enemy lines. However, the limited space in the armour’s housing and other considerations means the packs’ capacity is limited to immediate operational surroundings.
The Xian Seng Corporation’s XSG-65 jet bike was designed to fill the gap in the Enforcers’ operational capability, where a greater range of transport was required and drop ship support was unavailable or uneconomical. Though the XSG-65 appears to hover through the air, movement is actually achieved through lift generated by the on-board jet engine and aerofoils. A series of hyper-localised gravitational fields along the chassis provide a high level of stability at low speeds, but true ‘flight’ is difficult at best with the bike’s light frame, and not recommended in combat situations. However, the XSG-65’s speed and manoeuvrability means that over short to medium distances it is often quicker for a squad to respond by jet bike than drop ship.
The Enforcer Jetbike, I think, is one of the best miniatures we’ve ever done. The kit is made up of 2 bikes in hard plastic and includes a variety of underslung weapons.
Each rider is totally separate from the bike, and actually have the same fittings as the plastic Enforcer troopers for extra customisability (yes you can totally make dual pistol wielding riders. Not very practical, but totally badass!)
The Warpath Kickstarter is here, don’t miss this one folks, The campaign ends on the 11th October!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
