The anime style sci-fi-fantasy tabletop miniatures game Relic Knights is getting a major overhaul from Ninja Division and Soda Pop Miniatures this year.  Relic Knights: 2nd Edition will release to trade in October, with updated rules, re-sculpted minis, and the new Relic Knights 2nd Edition Two-Player Starter set.

In Relic Knights, players lead their cadre of anime-themed miniatures in desperate battles at the very end of the universe, as the unstoppable Void destroys entire galaxies.  Relic Knights, unlike most miniatures games, uses no dice to resolve battles.  Instead, the game uses cards to control the action.

The new edition of the game is a refinement of the earlier Relic Knights 1.5 ruleset released last year.  The core of the system is the “ready queue,” which forces players to plan ahead by setting the order in which their units will act during the game.  The new edition divides units into “heroes” and “minions,” and gives the more-powerful heroes the ability to activate minions when their turn comes up.

In addition to the revised rules, Relic Knights:  2nd Edition will have updates to every unit in the game, new upgrade options to allow players a greater ability to customize their cadres, and new sculpts for a number of the older miniatures in the line.  All new models will also be released, expanding all of the game’s primary factions and sub-factions.

Soda Pop Miniatures is transitioning the line from a plastic-resin mix to full resin.  All new minis for Relic Knights will be in sculpted resin.  Older models will be replaced with newly sculpted resin versions as the old plastic versions sell out.

The initial launch of the new edition will center on the new two-volume rulebook.  Both volumes will be softcover books, packaged in a hardback slipcase.  The first book, Rules, will be a 112-page book with the game rules and unit profiles for every faction.  Darkspace Calamity, the second volume, will be a 272-page background book and hobby guide, with the history of the Last Galaxy, artwork, and galleries of miniatures.

The Relic Knights 2nd Edition Two-Player Starter will be a boxed set with everything two players need to start playing the game.  It will include a small format version of the rulebook, a quick-start guide, two 35-point armies, each with six models, a 2-foot by 2-foot paper battle map with 3D cardboard terrain pieces, two decks of Esper cards, and a sheet of tokens and markers.

The first expansion for the new edition, Void Break, will release at the same time.  This expansion book has new units for every faction, and introduces a new unit type called the “Avatar.”

Players who own the older version of the game can also get the 2nd Edition Upgrade Deck, which has all the cards needed to use minis from the first edition with the new rules.

The project was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign which gathered $386,826 from 2,489 backers (an average of $155.42 per backer).  The first wave of backer fulfillment is planned for August, with release into the trade to follow. Ninja Division will be releasing later unlocked content in waves throughout the year.

See the gallery for images of the miniatures.