One miniature game theme I have not explored to any great extent is horror.
Certainly there are some creepy miniatures in some of the games which hit the table, but none exactly fit the overall theme 'horror'.
So when I got my hands of Strange Aeons: A Miniature Skirmish Game of Eldritch Horror, I was intrigued as it was a new theme to explore.
In truth, as I read through the rules, Strange Aeons is not just horror, but a horror with strong 'pulp' elements, which I have to say I liked.
Game creator 'Uncle' Mike Atkinson, a Canadian, which to me lifts interest in the game another tick, said horror has always been an interest.
"I am a huge horror fan and collector; books, movies, comics, models, art, anything really," he said via an email interview. "If you spend enough time in the genre I guess you eventually start to see all the Lovecraft connections running through a lot of stuff - at least I did. I wanted to be a part of that expanding story and I wanted a game where you could fight all the monsters I loved so much. So, I guess everyone ever related to horror in whatever form was my inspiration."
Atkinson's introduction in the rule book delves into how he came to create the game in greater detail.
"Looking back on it all now, I still believe that I did all this for the sanest of reasons. Wanting nothing more than a quick bit of tabletop enjoyment to pass the time on evenings dreary, to breathe life into little lead men and to see them struggle for my enjoyment. I found, like Dr. Frankenstein before me, that my creation had grown quite out of control ..
Atkinson said for him, everything evolved from the theme of Strange Aeons.
"Theme was the first thing. Everything relates to the central theme of humanities endless and eventually futile struggle with forces beyond its comprehension," he said.
Not that having his eye on the target of a horror theme made the creation process for Strange Aeon easy.
"The team and I worked on the game for about five years before its release," said Atkinson. "Somewhere around year three was when it became more serious. I guess you never know if a product is viable. You just do what you like and hope there are other people out there as crazy as you."
Atkinson said the struggle is always maintaining balance within the game, while ensuring players enjoy the experience provided by the game.
"Obviously I love our Godling model, which is huge and detailed and I have wanted every day since I was 12-years-old," said Atkinson. "But, my personal favourite is one of the Familiars; the one standing on its haunches and smiling, that little rat-thing has my face, and dies every time I use it."
And again like the best in mini games, more is to come to enhance Strange Aeons.
"We just released our cult vs. cult game as a PDF and have a crazy expansion planned for later next year, bigger games, more tentacles, death and madnessl.
In terms of a low model count, fun, Canadian-made miniature offering Strange Aeons certainly offers a lot, so make sure to check out the game at www.strange-aeons.ca
If anyone is interested feel free to contact [email protected]
