Enter the Eternal City...Halgrad: Vanguard is here!
Mak: Yesterday, Ironclad Forge attended Border Reiver Wargames Show 2025 to unveil our new tabletop skirmish game, Halgrad.
This was a totally new venture for me. I'd never released a wargame before, nor had I ever ran a sales stall!
As you can imagine, I was really nervous. Putting something new out there can be intimidating, especially when you've got a totally new fantasy setting to deliver, all while standing in the shadow of far more established and experienced games and miniature brands like Warhammer, Bolt Action, or Victrix. Making this a tall order for just about anyone.
I'm not going to lie, by the end of the day, I was astonished.
Despite the lower than expected public traffic at the event, a dozen people still stopped to play a round of our special Halgrad scenario, the Tower of the Craven.
The game was based around Treasure Hunt, the first of the 15 different scenarios included in the Vanguard Rulebook. The objective was simple; run away with as much loot as you can, with bonus points available for those who managed to slay the enemy.
You can download everything you need to play The Tower of the Craven scenario free of charge Here.
The game featured the Deep Dwellers, a faction of Goblins backed up by a horrifying Depth Troll, facing off against the Kingdom of Marocia
The Feedback
After playing a round (or 3), I asked the players what they thought of it, the game, setting, miniatures and so on. The feedback was almost solely positive! People wanted to know about the setting, the miniatures and the games design, describing the game as 'fast paced' and 'really fun', with 'brutal combat mechanics'. Indicating to me that I had in fact achieved what I had set out to do.
On top that, people praised our tabletop, which despite being the smallest table there (a mere 2x2 city scape, covered in terrain from our partners in crime, Conquest Creations - check out their Youtube Channel, by the way) was described as the best table in the show by a good few of the players.
The board was super easy and cheap to make, check out our video guide on Instagram or Facebook for more information.
For Gaming Clubs
Even a few gaming clubs had a try, and were really excited at seeing something new. I extended them an offer, which I will now extend to all of you.
If you are a gaming club, and want to expand your miniatures collection, drop me an email ( Makatironclad@gmail.com ) and we'll set you up with a unique Gaming Club Discount Code, granting 10% off all orders over £30)
(Below) a shot from earlier playtest games
Conclusion
Overall, the launch was a great success, thank you so much to everyone involved!
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