Sauriana is a 54mm miniature wargame set in an alternate 19th century. Exploring themes of pulp adventure, paleontology, time travel, and rogue science, it is set to explode onto the scene of the wargaming world come October 1st when it launches on Kickstarter.

Today, we bring you the first in our series highlighting the factions that make up the world of Sauriana, their motivations and the Agents among their ranks from which you can build your band. In the game, players build a band of 1-10 Agents, using a set budget agreed upon by the two or more players for a game.

We’ll get more into the rules set itself as we near our launch, but today we’ll be focusing on the background and gameplay for the first major faction: The Explorer’s Club. Much like its real-world namesake, The Explorer’s Club is dedicated to discovery, exploration, and the sciences which support such endeavors.

From archeology and anthropology to big game hunting and (conversely) conservation efforts, the members of the Explorer’s Club are an elite group with talents and resources that are widely varied. While many of these intrepid men and women hail from England, delving into the Dark Continent as the British Empire solidifies its colonial power in the 1800s, just as many are American frontiersmen, fur trappers, and prospectors who seek out the next source of wealth and power.

Some of the Club’s members, even, hail from much shadier provenances, the depths of the Congo or the jungles of Siam.

In the game itself, the Explorer’s Club is extremely varied and flexible. Individual Agents tend to have special interactions with other Agent Types – big game hunters like our Rhinophile, for example, are purpose-built for taking on large animals like Dinosaurs. The character pictured below, however, The Scuted Lady (who we will be showing off in more detail on the Kickstarter campaign) focuses more on controlling friendly Agents and dealing damage close up.

Last week’s post also previewed another Explorer’s Club Agent- The Gamekeeper, with his Gorgonopsid hunting hounds (an ancient, prehistoric ancestor to mammals). The faction is rife with pulp themes drawn from Heart of Darkness, The Lost World, She: A History of Adventure, and King Solomon’s Mines. They embody the spirit of adventure, the dark side of ambition, and the epitome of 19th century colonialism.

Sauriana is a 54mm miniature wargame from FossilPunk Foundry. In the coming weeks, we will introduce you to our other factions and give a preview of models to come. For more information, visit our website, or even preorder The Rhinophile miniature now. There is a lot more content to come, and we’re working hard to get our rulebook ready for print and publication. Sauriana goes on Kickstarter October 1st, 2016, and we need your help to bring it to life!