Iron Armstrong

Iron Armstrong is a long-lived example that good things can from terrible incidents. The youngest of three brothers in business together, Adam was always the most reckless and carefree. But he was tested when thieves broke into their factory hoping to steal a new formula, When Adam stood his ground the vial he held was shattered, spraying fluid across his body. At that moment, the storm outside blew the skylights in, and a lightning bolt surged down, causing Adam to fall into a vat of molten metal. He emerged like a man of iron, using new-found strength to capture the fleeing criminals. Over eighty years later, Iron Armstrong looks barely a day older than when he was transformed.

The Iron Armstrong character has been through a few names and conceptual revisions in terms of my plans before finally committing to a more fixed visual while developing Supers Unlimited. There are quite a few influences on this guy, from name, to power set, to look. I wanted someone who had an old fashioned feel to him, and even a little hint of the pulps that predated super-hero comics. While not the most powerful hero of the Covenant of Justice mythos, Iron Armstrong is certainly one of the longest serving.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

The Cowl

She is the last agent of an ancient and secretive order committed to preserving justice. The Cowl now seeks justice on the streets of San Gabriel as she works alongside the Covenant of Justice to fulfil the final duties of the Shadow Order. All she can rely on are her skills, her trusty .45's and the mystical hood which gives her access to the experiences of every agent of the Shadow Order before her.

The Cowl has undergone more change than a character such as Ace. I first envisaged the character as a male protagonist, but realised that didn't need to be the case. The character also had a different name and a slightly back story before evolving into the design shown here.

Although she carries a couple of guns, I don't picture The Cowl as a 'shoot first, ask questions later' type, instead they are her last-ditch back-up in a strange world of very powerful foes.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Ace

The full art for Ace following the sketch previews.

Journalist by day, costumed vigilante by night, Ace is having the time of his life bringing down bad guys – but will his luck eventually run out?

Ace has been part of the Covenant of Justice mythos for many years, and when I embarked on pulling together what I needed for the Supers Unlimited book, he became the second character to get a full visual concept. I wanted something that evoked a sense of body armour for Ace to make up for his lack of powers. I think that when I eventually get him sculpted, the armour will make for some nice surfaces for painting.

As for his mask - that is the classic TMNT-style domino tied in the back - a design I have always liked.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Ace Sketches

The Covenant of Justice characters have been in my head and in my notes for many years (as I mentioned in the Doc Cosmos post), and some, like Doc, have gone through a few changes in that time. One character who has been pretty constant however is Ace, and I am glad to finally have him realised in visual form this year.

These sketches were the basis of the final art pieces for Ace which I will be showing off in due course no doubt!

Like Doc Cosmos, I would really like to get Ace sculpted and cast up, and maybe one day make a small selection of Covenant of Justice minis available, so I hope you like him.

Of the stable of characters, Ace is one of my favourites. He has no powers other than what may border on preternatural good fortune. A guy who is not afraid of a fight, Ace relies on his athleticism, a sharp mind and a smart mouth to get him through, but who knows how long his luck will hold!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Doc Cosmos

Doc Cosmos is a character who has been 'living' with me for quite some time - I first made some notes about him back in 2009, and he has evolved ever since.

He first started life as a kind of unknowing legacy hero in the world background I was building, with an especially bland costume design.

A year later and I was contemplating getting a miniature commissioned and sculpted. That led me to completely redefining his look in a rough pen and ink sketch circa 2010, and then commissioning James Van Schaik to create Doc Cosmos in physical form. With a little help I had the mini cast up and a few copies have made their way into the world.

Cut to 2017, and I have found some time to write and revisit Doc Cosmos and his allies from the Covenant of Justice, as well as their enemies. I recently tackled my third attempt at a full draft 'generic' supers rules system, building on some of the best ideas I have been developing for three other games, while maintaining a core principle that character design should be very simple. While developing these rules (Supers Unlimited) I toyed with approaching a publisher, but instead opted to create something I could self-publish to give me maximum control. To that end I have commissioned some art to help me develop the game book which I plan to sell through Wargames Vault this year.

As a consequence, expect more Supers Unlimited material on this blog in the months ahead!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Welcome to Kitbash Games

This post is intended to do exactly what it says in the title - and act as a welcome to Kitbash Games!

For those who don't know me, I am Leon and have been a gamer for over 30 years, playing minis games, board games, card games and rpgs through much of that time.

I am also in recent years a games developer as a partner in Pulp Monsters (creators of the Pulp City game - check it out if you are not already familiar with it!). That recent history in games development and a desire to stretch additional creative muscles is what has led me to establish Kitbash Games as an outlet for my design whims.

I plan to establish a series of pdf and print on demand products, primarily for skirmish mins gaming, but branching out for one particular IP line I have been developing in recent years. So please stay tuned to the Kitbash Games blog and Facebook page for further announcements!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017