"Once every generation, they come.  Footsteps in the night, mysterious disappearances, tuneless chants echoing down deserted streets, and one crimson eye, flickering madly in the darkness..."

Hi!  Welcome to the second Kickstarter from Forge of Ice!  I'm Alex, and I run the Forge of Ice here in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Eye of the Cyclops is a full encounter set for tabletop Role-Playing Games or miniature wargames.  This sourcebook is my first game booklet, detailing the Cult of the Eye, a secretive Cyclops-worshipping cult that menaces the lost city, Azor.  This is a 30 page system-neutral booklet, light on rules but heavy on background detail.  It comes with a set of four 30mm scale miniatures, a treasure item, and a terrain piece.  Stretch goals will expand this set with additional miniatures, accessories, and more!

The full set includes:

1 "Eye of the Cyclops" 30 page illustrated game booklet.

1 Kandar Itaa, high priest of the Cyclops cult

2 Cult guards, thugs in the service of the cult.  One each of two different sculpts.  Because of an unlocked stretch goal, each guard will also come with a shield.

1 Armored Cyclops, a 40mm tall mutant

1 Eye of the Cyclops, a huge gem embedded in a cyclops skull, displayed on a plinth

1 Shrine of the Cyclops, the centerpiece of the cult's hidden temple

1 Pile of ritual sacrifice skulls, unlocked from a stretch goal

1 Treasure Hoard, unlocked from a stretch goal

Altogether, the full set gets you one boss (Kandar Itaa), two henchmen with shields, one monster, one legendary treasure item (the Eye), one treasure hoard, and one terrain piece, as well as a booklet detailing how to use the cult in your games.  I think it makes for a tidy and versatile little encounter, useful in settings from pulpy versions of ancient Greece or Rome to Conan's Hyboria.  The 'official' setting is the lost city of Azor, which I hope to expand upon with more booklets and a full sourcebook someday.

For completeness' sake:

The $25 "Just the Cult" pledge currently includes:

1 Kandar Itaa, High Priest of the Cult

2 Cult Guards, thugs in service of the cult.  One each of two different sculpts

1 Armored Cyclops, 40mm tall mutant

2 shields (one for each guard, unlocked as a free extra via stretch goals)

1 pile of sacrificial skulls (unlocked as a free extra via stretch goals)

1 treasure hoard (unlocked as a free extra via stretch goals).

At this level you may also buy any of the add-ons, such as the unlocked purchasable figures (the guard captain, the pet lizard, etc) or any other items on the "Purchasable Add-ons" list.

The $43 "All the Miniatures, but no booklet" pledge currently includes:

1 Kandar Itaa, high priest of the Cyclops cult

2 Cult guards, thugs in the service of the cult. One each of two different sculpts.

1 Armored Cyclops, a 40mm tall mutant

1 Eye of the Cyclops, a huge gem embedded in a cyclops skull, displayed on a plinth

1 Shrine of the Cyclops, the centerpiece of the cult's hidden temple

2 Shields, one for each guard (unlocked as a free extra from a stretch goal)

1 Pile of ritual sacrifice skulls, (unlocked as a free extra from a stretch goal)

1 Treasure Hoard, (unlocked as a free extra from a stretch goal)

At this level you may also purchase add-ons such as the figures that were unlocked as stretch goals (the Guard Captain, the pet lizard, etc), or any other figures that are listed in the 'purchasable add-ons' list.

"The creature - I call it 'creature', because a man it was not - stood seven feet tall, its limbs thin and spidery.  It had one great milky eye in the center of its awful face, two pupils darting madly back and forth.  A shriek burst forth from its shattered mouth, teeth jutting at all angles, sideways, up where the nose should have been.  It reached over the wall behind which we had been cowering and grabbed my guard, Erdal-Lemeth, by the neck.  Its fingers were impossibly long and easily encircled his neck, as my own might encircle the grip of a dagger.  The monstrous shriek rose and fell into an inarticulate babbling, and with a grunt, it pulled Erdal-Lemeth up and over the wall and into the darkness beyond.  He never even had a chance to scream, his neck crushed by those hideous pale hands.  I fled, and never looked back."

Once or twice a generation, a baby is born in Azor with a specific and extreme set of deformities.  Nobody knows why - perhaps the alchemical meddling of the pre-human races, or the whim of some cruel and capricious deity, but all such children have a similar profile.  Extremely tall, often over seven feet tall as adults, slender, wiry, and strong.   Their eye sockets never differentiated in the womb, so they live with one half-blind fused orb in the center of their skull.  Usually, those afflicted suffer a tragic fate, being left exposed out in the wilderness, bought by a nobleman to be raised in a menagerie, or thrown into the arena for a spectacle.  But the Cult of the Eye sees them as sacred beings, touched by the Divine, and they will do everything they can to obtain and raise such a child.  The supernatural dread in which they are held makes them useful as enforcers, a monstrous threat to unleash upon the enemies of the cult, and good for instilling fervor in the congregation, too.

This artifact was discovered long ago by miners seeking precious metals in the depths of the earth.  What they found instead terrified them - a monstrous skull, made of stone, seemingly human, but with one great eye in the center and two grotesque fangs protruding from the front where a nose should be.  The Cult of the Eye claimed it, and now, its massive rune-covered bulk forms the centerpiece of their hidden temple.

STRETCH GOALS!

$4000 - ARMORED CYCLOPS UPGRADE - UNLOCKED!!

What Kickstarter would be complete without some stretch goals?  First up, at $4000, is an upgrade to the cyclops, from the current unarmored sculpt to a armored "gladiator" version!  David Soderquist, who sculpted the current cyclops miniature, is working on this armored fellow, and at $4000 the cyclops that you get with the basic set will be replaced with this armored fellow.  The current unarmored version will still be available as a purchasable add-on (and if you prefer the unarmored guy just send me a message and you keep him instead of the new sculpt).  The new one will also be available as a purchasable add-on.

$4500 - Free shields!  UNLOCKED!!

At $4500, every cult guard purchased as a part of this Kickstarter will come with a free shield, and extra shields will be purchasable as add-ons for $1.50 (USD) per shield.

 $5000 - a Guard Captain for the Cult!  Purchasable add-on unlocked!!

At $5000, we'll unlock a guard captain for the cultists as a purchasable add-on for $7 (USD).  Patrick Keith of Bombshell miniatures is sculpting this badass fanatic.


$5400 - Gob Daw!  The Cult Leader's pet lizard, purchasable add-on.  UNLOCKED!!

Large reptiles are common in Azor, and many of them are relatively intelligent and semi-domesticated. Gob Daw is Kandar Itaa's pet and 'watchdog', prone to hissing at and biting anyone who comes too close without showing proper deference to his master.

Don't let his sluggish appearance fool you - while he won't be running any marathons any time soon, Gob Daw is quite capable of a quick lunge, and his bite can easily take off the hand (or, perhaps more likely, the foot!) of any wayward hero that gets in his bad graces.

If we reach $5400, Gob Daw will become purchasable as an add-on for $4.

$5900 - Piles of sacrificial skulls!  UNLOCKED!!

At $5900, every pledge for miniatures ($25 and up) will get a free skull pile with which to decorate their hidden temple!

The cult believes that a single eye is holy, beautiful, and necessary for true spiritual sight.  Members of the cult who die in its service have their skulls carefully cleaned and preserved, the skull delicately carved, the eye sockets enlarged into one massive eye.

Victims of the cult, enemies or human sacrifices, might get to experience the carving taking place while they're still alive...

In addition to the one free skull pile that you'll get with your pledge, additional skull piles will be available as purchasable add-ons for $3 per skull pile.

$7000 - Cult Guard with Spear purchasable add-on!  UNLOCKED!!

Just like the title says, at $7000, I'll have David Soderquist, the sculptor of the Cyclops (and armored cyclops) sculpt a third cult guard, this one armed with a spear & shield.  This extra cult guard will be available as a purchasable add-on for $7.

$7500 - Free treasure pile! - UNLOCKED!

At $7500, Phil Hynes will sculpt a treasure pile, loot stolen by the Cult of the Eye.  An amphora with an unknown substance in it (Oil?  Mercury?  Wine?  Honey?  You'll never know if you don't loot the hoard!), stacks of axehead-style ingots, a pile of coins.  Probably a snake on it, too.  This sculpt has already been commissioned and has been started!  I was planning on having it be an add-on, but things are going well enough that I can add it to the miniatures sets (pledges at the $25, $43 and $50 levels).  I will also make it available as a purchasable add-on for $6 so that you can buy more if you wish!

$8000 - Cult Guard with Bow Purchasable add-on! - UNLOCKED!

At $8000, David Soderquist will sculpt a fourth cult guard, this one armed with a bow.  This extra cult guard will be available as a purchasable add-on for $7 if we reach this funding goal.

$9000 - Cult Guard with Spear #2 Purchasable add-on! - UNLOCKED!

At $9000, David Soderquist will sculpt a fifth cult guard, this one with a spear & shield.  I think I'm not alone when I like my units to have some variety in poses, and this second spearman will help with that a bit.  This extra cult guard will be available as a purchasable add-on for $7 if we reach this funding goal.

$10,000 - Cult Guard with Bow #2 Purchasable add-on! - UNLOCKED!

At $10,000, David Soderquist will sculpt a sixth cult guard, this one with a bow.  Much like the second spearman, a second bowman will serve to add some variety to the forces of the Cult of the Eye.  This figure will be available as a purchasable add-on for $7 if we reach this funding goal.

A few things to note about these add-on figures:To purchase any add-on figures, simply increase your pledge by the appropriate dollar amount.  All prices are listed in US Dollars.

Unless otherwise specified, all miniatures are cast in a lead-free metal alloy. As of this writing, the only items on the list that are not metal are the Sirrush, the Shrine of the Cyclops, and the Crown of the First King. Those items are cast in resin.

If and when new items are added to the add-ons list, I will specify whether they are metal or resin figures, but, nearly everything I produce is in metal.

All figures are provided unpainted and unbased. Most of the painted miniatures in these photos were painted by professional painters such as Andrew Taylor of Antediluvian Miniatures or Rob Wheeler of Pennyfew Painting. Nearly all of the miniatures are sculpted with integral bases sculpted on, similar to most Reaper or Foundry Historical figures. Most of the figures that are photographed with bases were based on metal washers or commercially available display bases. The Sirrush is again an exception here - it is provided with a large resin base to accommodate its bulk.

Some figures require assembly. Most of the miniatures in my range are single-piece castings, both for simplicity's sake and to minimize sculpting and casting costs. However, some of the larger figures require some assembly. The Entelodonts and the Sirrush in particular are large, heavy models, and some modelling skill is highly recommended to assemble them effectively.

Every Sirrush is provided with two different head options, mouth open and closed, to give you some variety if you choose to order more than one.

Kandar-Itaa, Cult Leader - $8
Cult Guard Captain - $7
Cult Guards, set of two figures - $14
Shrine of the Cyclops, Resin Terrain Piece - $12
Azoran Cyclops - $8
Armored Cyclops - $9
Gob Daw, pet lizard - $4
Sacrificial Skull Pile - $3
Cult Treasure Hoard - $6

NEW GUARDS (photos not available as the sculpts have not been completed yet)

Cult Spearman #1 - $7
Cult Spearman #2 - $7

Cult Bowman #1 - $7
Cult Bowman #2 - $7

Sirrush - $50
The Crown of the First King - $10

Sleazy Merchant - $7
Set of two Alert Sentries - $14
Set of four Sleepy Sentries - $28
The Merchant and all six sentries - $45

Snake Priestess #1 - $7
Snake Priestess #2 - $7
Lord of the Jungle - $7
Queen of the Jungle - $7

Histath (snakeman) - $9
Set of three Peafowl - $11
Entelodont, “Skull Pig” - $15
Set of four armored crocodiles - $30
Lion Women of Azor, set of two figures - $14
Lions of Azor, set of two figures - $22

Pterro-Men, set of 3 miniatures - $30

Swamp Scorpion- $8
Dire Otter - $6
Okroi with Baggage, set of two miniatures - $15 

I will be using Backer Kit for add-ons after the end of this campaign.  While you are welcome to do the math and increase your pledge now to increase the funding total of the campaign and unlock stretch goals, you will still be able to purchase add-ons after the end of the campaign, through Backer Kit.

A NOTE ON INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:

Fenris Games (an experienced miniatures company located in the UK) will be handling fulfillment on this Kickstarter in the UK and the EU.  As of this writing I am unsure of the exact shipping costs (I will attempt to put a rough estimate together soon) but orders to Europe and the UK will be shipping from the UK, so, shipping charges should be reasonable. 

All other orders will ship from me here in Alaska.  Most US-based pledges should ship via USPS flat rate priority boxes, with rulebooks going out via media mail.

Non-Eurpoean international orders will ship via the cheapest option available, but that may vary depending on the destination and the size of the pledge (and add-ons, etc).