Year Two Collection Released!

Year Three Begins!  Now that our second year of The Ion Age is at a close its time to release the twelve monthly free miniatures as set which can be bought as a set or as singles.  From September 2014 to August 2015 each of the IMF code monthly free's were given away with all orders month by month.  So if you missed any or want more just check out the Year Two Collection now.  Its been added to a new page that also has the Year One Collection upon it as well as the current month's free miniature keeping the 'years collections' all in one place.

Its been a fast second year for me and for the small team (really just myself and the awesome Sam Croes most of the time) who bring you The Ion Age.  Some of you think we are far bigger, some of you think we are American and a few of you think we are cool young guys.  Well you are right on the last one!  A small team here in Scotland that works hard following its own path for a massive vision of a far future space opera setting.  All of the money you spend with us creates honestly priced new miniatures from a team that loves wargaming.  That now said the 15mm range has just over three hundred different sculpts spread across Retained, Desteria, Muster and Planetary Militia along with Shia Khan Legion, Nox, Pioneers, Maligs and Nox.  We have about thirty different vehicles (not counting sub variants) and a range of buildings with two dozen different pieces.  Not bad in two years eh!  The next year...well we are going to get bigger and bigger and introduce things beyond the current scope of the website as well as more books.

So what is the Year Two Collection?  You can see it HERE. Here is a list of the miniatures by month in this collection:

IMP13 (Sept 2014) - Alouten Veteran in powered armour.

IMP14 (October 2014) - Female Retained Veteran.

IMP15 (November 2014) - The Witch Knight.

IMP16 (December 2014) - Chrimbobot assists Santa Desteria.

IMP17 (January 2015) - The Far Trader.

IMP18 (February 2015) -  Xin Female Youxia.

IMP19 (March 2015) - Happy Burger Bot.

IMP20 (April 2015) - Female Shia Khan Legion Officer.

IMP21 (May 2015) - Planetary Militia Drill Sergeant.

IMP22 (June 2015) - Malig Campaigner (space goblin).

IMP23 (July 2015) - Vending Bot.

IMP24 (August 2015) - Planetary Militia Demolition Expert.

Each miniature is 0.60GBP or the whole set for 7.00GBP or you can purchase three sets and save 10% by selecting that option on the drop down product menu.  That is a very diverse collection of characters and fun 15mm miniatures.  Roll on Year Three!

If you have not yet signed up for our Mailchimp emails then I suggest that you do. The link is on the top of the right hand column of the Ion Age blog for you to sign up. As well as getting the latest news and information and releases you will also get the exclusive down low on the email only special offer each month where one of our codes is 25% to 50% off regular price.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Patrol Angis AAR by Cornflict Cornucopia Blog

Patrol Angis has been out for a couple of months now and its now all over the world and being played by 15mm science fiction wargamers. One person who has taken a real shine to the game system and has a lot to say about it is Chris Walkley who runs the Conflict Cornucopia blog. He has posted up a detailed 'After Action Report' an AAR which takes the reader through one of the scenarios in the book turn by turn looking at the mechanics and it features a good number of photographs as well. Its a good read and will be most useful to those considering the game for their own collection. You can read his post on his blog HERE. 

I also realise that a post that length can be a little daunting to read on the screen in scroll format so I have taken the chance to create a PDF in book layout with the photos for you all to read at your leisure. It can be downloaded for free from our Dropbox HERE. 

If you are keen on Patrol Angis you can purchase it as a book or a game pack with miniatures. Go HERE and see links for other resources and blog posts. 

Either way you choose to purchase Patrol Angis it always comes with the unique Knight Errant 15mm miniature that you can only get with it and of course the current monthly free miniature too. Excellent! 

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Pebeo Paints back in full stock!

All of the miniatures you see on our websites and purchase from us pro-painted and based across Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk and The Ion Age are all painted with Pebeo paints which we offer on each of our websites. This short announcement is to let you know that we now have all colours of paint, all inks and medium along with support items back in full stock as of now. 

The Paint Rack 

Alternative Armies supplies many thousands of pro-painted miniatures to hundreds of happy and returning customers. We aim to offer high quality acrylic paints suitable for use with all manner of wargaming miniatures and kits from white metal to resin and plastic along with terrain piece creation. The Pebeo Studio collection. We use these paints, inks and medium in our own studio painting and offer them to you as well. Excellent pricing and true artist paints that will make your miniatures into small works of fighting art. Professional finish and great coverage too. Have a look HERE for Paints and HERE for Inks and HERE for Brushes. 

Thanks for Reading. 

GBS

IMP24 PM Demolition Expert free miniature for August 2015!

The sound that the Maia 12.7mm Scatter Cannon made as it loosed thousands of large rounds was like the scream of a thousand tortured voices amplified to the point of leaving human hearing.  Even though the weapon was not pointed at the cowering squad its members hugged the ground in near terror as the Warlord continued to rake the lower floors of the office block across the plaza.  At fourteen feet in height the giant humanoid alien held the scatter cannon like a toy and played it back and forth.  Its legs and back were pock marked with impacts from Moth Rifles and its shoulder bled from where a Bodkin AP shot had actually hurt it.  The squad had nothing but their Moth's and the 9mm caseless bullets simply were not strong enough to bring the brute down.  They were stuck and could do nothing for the poor bastards in the building who were dying in the hail.  It was then they heard the running foot steps coming up fast behind them and they turned to look seeing a single trooper at a dead run heading straight for the squad.

Despite the splinters of Rubbacrete and Golglass the running trooper had sure footing and he did not even slow as he reached the prone squad and instead he simply vaulted over them and kept running.  Astonished none of the members of the squad moved and just stared.  In moments the running trooper covered the open ground and launched himself at the alien's back.  As he did so he activated the plasma charge he was carrying in his left hand and used its magnetic clamp to lock it onto the huge shoulder armour the Warlord wore.  Realising it was under attack the alien started to rotate and the scatter cannon chewed its way across the buildings around the plaza.  It was too late to swat its attacker as the trooper used the underside of the giant's right elbow to flip away from the alien.  Rolling and coming up perfectly the trooper came back towards the squad just as fast waving for them to hug the ground.  Throwing himself down the trooper covered his head as the tiny reactor inside the charge overloaded and detonated.  A pressure wave pushed them all into the ground and then the Warlord was simply gone in a cloud of expanding steam and debris.

Sitting up the Demolitions Trooper removed his helmet and smiled at the stunned squad.  They recognised him.  Tanyo Taraman one of the best sportsmen on Carmarthen Prime and star player for the Pelcan Boosters.  The Planetary Militia took all comers in times of need and these were desperate times indeed.  There were more aliens to kill and Tanyo had two more charges locked onto his Aketon armour.  It was going to be a day of play.

Pelcan City, Camarthen Prime, 4334IC

Welcome to August 2015 and now we are now in the month of the release of the Year Two Collection (its online right now but our announcement will be in a couple of days to give IMP24 a chance to shine) and our twenty forth free monthly miniature!  Say hello to the IMP24 Planetary Militia Demolition Expert figure its August 2015's free 15mm miniature. This miniature is automatically put into every order at the rate of one per order regardless of order value.  It can also be bought in any amount on the monthly IMP page of the website for this month only too before being withdrawn on the first of next month.  

Got a target that just will not quit?  A structure that simply will not fall down?  A vehicle beating down on your lads?  You need a Demolitions Expert to put the sucker down for keeps!  Easily slotted into your Planetary Militia forces this miniature is dressed in standard uniform and helmet and posed in the act of throwing the charge he is carrying towards the enemy.  The charge is a micro plasma reactor that overloads and delivers a detonation equal to a round from the main gun of a Taranis tank. A great miniature for your collection. This miniature is in one piece and stands approx 17mm tall.

Of course you earn reward points on all orders too through your account.  We realise that some of you may wish to purchase the currently free miniature to get multiples of it without placing a lot of orders so you can do just that.  Visit this page on the website for the miniature at a fair price for a special miniature.  There is a growing page on the Ion Age website where the current and all former IMP series free miniatures are shown so that you can see what came before.  Enjoy and go HERE. 

As it is the last month of our second year we look back at this time last year and see what the free miniature was at that time.  In August 2015 the free miniature was IMP12 Starvaulter Advisor. This heroic warrior with his laser rifle was our twelfth miniature to be given out free.  You can find this miniature in the Year One Collection if you are lacking it.

July was a cracking month and so many Vending Bots went out across the world that it is in the top three most popular IMP series figures thus far.  Thank you.  August will see the coolness for Patrol Angis continue with new releases and more too including articles.  This begins with the Year Two Collection and then...well you all saw the first look at the 15mm Female Banneret and she is one member of a whole pack which is coming this month and you remember the first look at the SuperBlue well that is this month too!

Thanks for reading.

GBS

Shia Khan Empire in Patrol Angis free PDF download

A thousand years ago the Ban of Prejudice was lifted when in the climactic battle for Aldan IV the accursed Templars detonated the Aldan Crucible and in doing so created a both a dark age and the end of the Great Khanate War. Their matter gateway in the Aldan system destroyed the Shia Khan Empire had no easy way to reach the worlds that became the Prydian Precinct as their empire lay so far away that no Dragon Ship could navigate to that region of space without immense difficulty. Gradually the Shia Khan became a memory and then a legend held by folk as a tale and nothing more. Had it not been for the occasional wreak and discovery of artefacts they would have remained that way. Had it not been for Hugo Sevaris the Khanate would have faded away. But Sevaris became the most notorious traitor in human history when he used arcane knowledge to activate the matter gateway in the Camarthen star system.

Despite a desperate action in the deep Belkus Labyrinth the Camarthen Planetary Militia with the aid of the few hundred Retained Knights of Prydia on the planet could not stem a tide of Shia Khan troops which emerged from the purple light of the matter gateway. A civilian fusion reactor taken from a nearby city was detonated and the Belkus Labyrinth destroyed burying the gateway and those coming from it under hundreds of feet of stone and earth. A message was sent to New Glastonbury at the fastest possible speed.

"A matter gateway is active on Camarthen IV. Losses are mounting, send everything; everyone. Send them now. The Khanate have returned."

It did not take long for the Legions of the Shia Khan Empire to dig their way to the surface and begin once more their determined drive to conquer mankind.

Knight General Obermann. Fleet Command. 4329IC

Here we are today is the day and seventeen pages of free awesome are yours for the download. Thanks to everyone who has registered their interest in this free resource PDF for Patrol Angis we have already emailed the download link to you all first thing today.  The Ion Age is delighted to present to you The Shia Khan Empire in Patrol Angis as a seventeen page PDF which contains fiction, statistics, tables, rank structure and optional test rules along with some photos of our play testing of the rules using the miniatures.  You will need the Patrol Angis book but aside from that all you need is in the PDF.

You can download the free PDF from our Dropbox account by clicking on this link HERE. Enjoy!

There will be a very large expansion to the Khanate when the time comes that their book is ready but this is in the future so for now you have all you need for infantry skirmish using the 15mm scale range as it is right now in Patrol Angis.  Your choice of different troop types be it Legionaries, power armoured Nox, huge Warlords or space goblin Maligs.  There are already more than one hundred and fifteen different Khanate miniatures in 15mm scale and you can see them HERE.

I hope you enjoy this PDF and if you have questions or feedback please do make contact with us.

Now the month will be ending soon which means you have only got a few days to place your monthly order to get everything we have released since the start of July.  I also suggest you sign up for our Mailchimp mailing list (link on right top of blog) for the monthly special email only offer. You will get the immensely popular IMP23 Vending Bot free automatically in your order plus you can also purchase more of it if you wish.  We have shipped out more of the Vending Bot than any other IMP miniature since last year!  

If you are a fan of the Prydian Army of Marcher Barons then you will be keen on our new IAFP02 Retained Lance platoon pack which contains all you need for a force in Patrol Angis and a unique extra free miniature (Retained Strategist) as well.  

In Patrol Angis we outline troop elements and the movement trays you can use with them so this month we released not only eight different sizes with IAF077 Troop Element Trays but also two different sizes of round bases used by Infantry, Battlesuits, Bikes and Portable Weapons with IAF078 20mm Round Bases and IAF079 30mm Round Bases.  We also first looked the coming Retained Female Banneret and Year Two Collection both of which are coming in August.  Finally remember that by placing an order with us you will sign up for an account with the website and that means you get Reward Points in all purchases and the free monthly miniature too.  These points can be used any time to get free products and discounts on orders. 

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Free Shia Khan Empire booklet for Patrol Angis next week!

In defence of a small outpost in a remote but important region of Carmarthen Prime a lance of Retained Knights from the Prydian Army prepare to face the final assault of far greater numbers of Legionaries from the Styx Legion. The outpost contains a data terminal with the co-ordinates of several hidden space capable transports that the Khanate are desperate to gain possession of in order to get off the planet. The Khanate must be stopped! 

Next week before the end of the month The Ion Age will be placing online a free booklet for download. This booklet will contain all the needed statistics tables for using the existing forces of the 15mm scale Shia Khan Empire with the Patrol Angis 15mm skirmish rules. These tables will cover armour, weapons, troop types, troop element structures, ranks and more along with background information on the Khanate and pictures of the miniatures from our play testing of the new statistics and optional new rules in the booklet. At more than a dozen pages its tremendous for something free and paves the way for the Khanate Returns book which is going to be our third title. 

The images in this posting are from the booklet and are in the heat of battle. Below is a reproduction of the main image giving the codes of the miniatures and terrain pieces you can see as we are often being asked this of our images as some of them now contain many different codes. An experiment if you will. 

Roll on next week! 

Thanks for Reading. 

GBS

Beightons Shipyard blog first impressions of Patrol Angis

A good friend of mine and one of the first fans of the new Ion Age has put up his first impressions of Patrol Angis on his wargaming blog. Mark Burgess has a fine collection of our miniatures and was looking forward to getting his hands upon the book that backed them up. Go HERE to read his thoughts. Kind words and thanks Mark! 

We are nearing the end of the second print run of Patrol Angis and we are really pleased with the reception the book and its game pack have had across the web and the world. This is all good news and inspires us into greater efforts in the future. You can find Patrol Angis on our website HERE. 

Duxis Battlesuits take on Khanate Warlords!

Currently we are putting the finishing touches to the big and free PDF for using Shia Khan Empire miniatures in your games of Patrol Angis. Maligs, Legionaries, Pioneers, Nox and Warlords all keen to chew up the Prydian Army. An introduction to their armed forces and their ways along with statistics for weapons, armour, troops and platoons (Ordos). Yours for free before the end of the month by download. Watch this space! 

Thanks for Reading. 

GBS