Hello everyone and welcome to today’s spooktacular tour of Dracula’s Tomb for Marvel: Crisis Protocol (insert lightning flash and ominous thunder here).
Way back, when we first decided to dive into Marvel’s more monstrous side, we knew we wanted to do something special to really tie these characters into the overall game. Something that provided players a unique centerpiece to set their Marvel: Crisis Protocol battles squarely in the realm of Marvel monsters.
While our initial conversations began with an idea of doing a Rival Panels with Dracula squaring off against another character, we realized that no single monster could ever be a match on their own against the man, the myth, the legend that is Dracula. So what started as a small scene set around the lord of vampires’ coffin quickly began to evolve. Our imaginations were inspired by the iconic imagery of ancient spiral stone staircases leading down into the menacing, dark depth beneath an ancient castle, the very air becoming stale and musty with the absence of life. The original concept drawing soon extended higher and higher on the digital drawing page as our Creative Director Dallas sketched our verbal descriptions of every classic horror set ever put into media, interpreting the imagery through a skilled hobby miniatures lens.
Thus was born a towering terrain piece, evoking the best of the classic tales of suspense but perfectly suited for the needs of a miniatures game. From that initial sketch we then began discussing how our Marvel monsters would occupy it when not in the midst of the game. Being avid hobbyists and painters as well as players, we always love to ensure that our terrain can be just as exciting to display in our collections between games as the character miniatures themselves.
From that point, what started as a miniatures concept sketch became a road map for a display deserving of entry into the Worthy, one that would be open to anyone who wanted to have a bit of the spooky side of Marvel. In the end, the final concept became the roadmap not just for the sculpting team to create the miniatures but also the road map for the final illustration overseen by Marvel: Crisis Protocol Art Director Josh Colón. The final art piece, which formed a triptych (quadtych, technically) of the four Team Tactic Cards included with the Monsters Unleashed Pack, was based on the final position and composition of the rough concept sketch.
Following the conclusion of the concept was months of sculpting and engineering work, with Atomic Mass Game’s own Sculpting Manager Kevin Kircus doing a lot of the work to try and reign in our creative ambitions into something that would be both practical to produce and compelling on the tabletop. From fallen tapestries to ancient stained glass and ominous crypts, Kevin and the rest of the miniatures team created a stunning centerpiece around which players could take their Crisis Protocol games from the busy downtown city to the mist covered, wolf-howling wilds where sinister forces lurk around every shadow.
Much like the NYC Apartment Building or Sanctum Sanctorum before it, we can’t wait to see how players integrate the Tomb of Dracula as a focal point of their battlefields. Whether as an imposing central obstacle to stage their battles around or as an anchor within one of the battlefield’s quadrants.
And that’s before even considering the impact the Tomb of Dracula can have when players decide to use its special One-Shot Card rules, to enshroud the battlefield in the darkness that the Tomb’s denizens find most comfortable.
That’s all for today, be sure to light those torches, sharpen those stakes, and stay tuned for more insights and info on all things related to Marvel: Crisis Protocol!