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The frontier of the Union of Federated States is a wild and often lawless place. Ideal for outlaws, renegades and zealots to prey on the locals. Now a force led by the morally bankrupt Enlightened scientist Gustave Eiffel has arrived in the town of Retribution. The mayor sends out a call for aid and is overjoyed to find that the hero of the Union, Nikolai Tesla is in the area. But as the Union forces pull into Retribution it becomes clear that this is no coincidence and all has unfolded to Eiffel's plans for vengeance. The stage is set for an epic showdown in Retribution between these two rivals.

Get into the new edition of Wild West Exodus with Showdown at Retribution - a two-player starter set designed to give you a comprehensive introduction to the savage Wild West in the Dystopian Age. Containing dozens of fantastically detailed Warcradle miniatures, the full third edition rulebook, quick start guide to help you get going straight away and much more - this hefty boxed set is an easy way to explore the game and start your hobby adventure.

Dystopian Wars is a tabletop wargame of naval battles using highly detailed miniatures to represent huge engines of destruction on, above and below the high-seas. Set in an alternate late-Nineteenth Century called the Dystopian Age, super-science fuelled nations clash over resources and power.

Pick your faction and fight for dominance over the seas and skies with incredible machines of war fuelled by extraordinary technology - dread marvels of the Dystopian Age.

This box set contains everything you need to start playing Dystopian Wars with a fleet of ships at your command.

It was thought that what began as a skirmish between two mercenary companies would end with both parties leaving with a bloody nose and no more said of the matter. This turned out to be far from the truth. With their future hiring power in jeopardy, neither of the forces could surrender the fight without losing face. The Crimson League and Honorable Eclipse Company were now locked in battle, both needing to secure their future contracts and, consequently, the future of their very existence.

Reinforcements came in, not just from paid battlefleets but also from the Great Powers of the Union and Sultanate, both eager to have the mercenaries they regularly employed owing them favourable rates in the future. Specialist crews with their John Henry Colossi made their way to where the fighting was thickest while Sadrazam Heavy Cruisers guarded the coastal defence platforms that had become a focus of the fighting. No mercy was given, and no quarter asked.

At the close of the Ore War, Confederate President Davis commanded his forces to stand down. Though General Robert Lee carried out this order, Fleet Admiral Elizabeth Buchanan refused and withdrew her battlefleets southwards to find a safe haven in the Socialist Unity of South America. For the vessels of the Union fleet, while they had served well during the civil war, the fleet was in need of modernising and expanding if the nation was to fulfil its Manifest Destiny as the preeminent Great Power of the Dystopian Age. Newer designs became more common and began to take on frontline roles such as the Constitution, Yorktown and Farragut classes.

The Columbia class was the most powerful vessel found in both the Union and Confederate navies during the Ore War. 12 of these vessels were maintained by each side in the conflict though their rugged design allowed several of these prized vessels to be returned to service after sustaining catastrophic damage. Occasionally this saw Columbia class ships returned to battle in service to the opposing navy. After the CSS Merrimack was sunk by the USS Monitor in the closing stages of the civil war, she was repaired and recommissioned as the Union vessel USS Virginia. That ship, like all Columbia class vessels, was recategorised as a Heavy Battleship, post-war.

The Confederate navy did not fall into despair and disrepair, however, despite the predictions of the Union's analysts. Instead, Admiral Buchanan accepted a seat on the council of the Latin alliance and put her considerable fleet and experienced crews at the disposal of the Socialist Unity of South America (SUSA). The Confederates found surprising common ground with their new compatriots with their refusal to yield to the aggressions of the Union, The fleet was modernised with the best engineering and weaponry available to the Alliance. Within a few years of the Ore War, while the vessels appeared superficially to resemble their Union counterparts, their internal systems and armaments were distinctly a product of their new allegiance to the Alliance.

While SUSA lacks most of the engineering marvels that are becoming commonplace in the north, the Union's continuous martial footing that it has maintained since the end of the war has caused a small but constant flow of disenfranchised or disaffected military personnel and their families to flee southwards. In SUSA they find former brothers and sisters proudly defending the seas of the South-Western Atlantic, swelling the crews with new blood and ideas. It is no surprise that within twelve months of the Providence and Sumter class refits in the Union that similarly renovated vessels were in service to SUSA. Even the Mark II Talon autogyros from the Ore War have slowly been replaced by locally manufactured variants that are the equal of the Mark VI in use today by the Union.

Since Armstrong Custer's famous charge leading the Michigan Wolverine's at Gettysburg, the Iron Horse has become a ubiquitous machine across the frontier. Their combination of speed, firepower and durability led to a massive Union contract with the Covenant of the Enlightened during the Ore War, replacing flesh and blood horses in all cavalry regiments. Now more than a decade later, Iron Horses have become easy to obtain, with Union surplus and frontline shipments making their way onto the black market in vast numbers and the machinery itself proving to be simple to maintain with spare-parts in abundance. While older marks and models of Iron Horse prove to be a little on the temperamental side, the Iron Horse's popularity and variety of designs can be found in use across the Union and beyond.

The Blazer was first used by the Confederate Army during the Battle at Gaine's Mill. The Iron Horse was still in limited service in those early days of the Ore War, but already its endurance and potential were obvious. Twenty-six Iron Horses were heavily modified in the field to mount additional gatling guns and armour plating to shield their riders from the huge attention of enemy fire they would receive once they began their attack. With General John Bell Hood on the lead Blazer, the Confederates tore a bloody hole in the two-mile-long Union flank and the day was carried, despite massive casualties on both sides in the 50,000 soldiers that fought that day. By the time of Gettysburg, both sides had units of Blazers fighting alongside their Iron Horse Cavalry and Blackhooves.

Uniquely found in the Union arsenal, the Iron Eagle is seen by many as the pinnacle of technological evolution for the Iron Horse. More than the replacement of the RJ engine with a voltaic power plant, the Iron Eagle boasts additional armor and electro-weaponry. As the ultimate statement that the Iron Eagle represented the future of Union military prowess, Nikolai Tesla incorporated specially programmed UR-31E Automata to pilot these new machines, giving them a resilience unmatched in the field by other cavalry.

Union workers represent a triumph of technology over magic. Felskar technomancers can transform a subject into a Union Worker in the space of an afternoon. As such, most Union Worker recruits were criminals, made useful to society once again. While resilient, a Union Worker is truly unleashed when wounded, and Union Bosses are adept at inflicting that little bit of motivational pain to keep the unruly Workers pointed at the enemy. As troops, they're inexpensive, numerous, and highly effective: the perfect combination for any commander.

Almost always found in support of large carriers and battleships are squadrons of frontline cruisers built to withstand direct engagement with enemy fleets. The Yorktown, Intrepid, Reliant and Lexington Class Cruisers all boast powerful paddle wheels allowing them to remain agile under fire all the while raining shells upon their enemies. These ships are in turn supported by the ever-vigilant Akron Observers. These rotors watch both the skies and the waves for signs of threats to their squadrons as well as acting as long-range observers for the gun crews on board the ships. Farragut Frigates are also a common addition to any Union fleet. These small but manoeuvrable vessels are able to make fast raids against enemy squadrons or in even greater numbers, larger vessels such as Battleships.

The Union fleet has seen a number of technological improvements since the defection of Nikolai Tesla from the Imperium, and a significant overall increase since the end of the Ore War. Support Cruisers and Automata have all been upgraded by the creative team in the Pipeworks. The Washington Missile Cruiser serves to increase the long-range firepower of the battlefleet as well as providing additional cover against enemy aircraft. Armed with Kettering pattern cruise missiles, the crew of Washington class vessels often make use of observation rotors and spotters in fighter squadrons to ensure the deadly payload strikes true.

The Roanoke Strike Carriers provide air support to any fleets they are attached to. These Cruisers employ powerful electromagnetic catapults to rapidly launch their Corsair strike fighters into the fray, the Roanoke carrier is a valuable vessel in the Union fleet. The class was named after the Union naval base on Roanoke Island, destroyed in 1862 during the Ore War.

A rarer sight are the new Discovery Class Arc Cruisers. Given sufficient development from The Pipeworks to be given general deployment in the Union Fleet, the Discovery class are replete with Edwina Houston and Nikolai Tesla's Arc technologies. These deadly state of the art weapons can flash burn through the hulls of the mightiest enemy battleships in a burst of incandescence.

Finally, with a reputation for working miracles, the crews of Montgomery support ships are always a welcome addition to any battlefleet. Scores of repair teams use a combination of flight gear and escort craft to effect repairs and rescue to friendly vessels in need. These ships are also able to provide field repairs to the RC-52 Patriot Automata. These towering simulacra are designed by the brilliant theoretical engineers at The Pipeworks, and are the largest automata in the Union's military. Just like smaller automata, over time their adaptive computations develop quirks that give veteran Automata distinctive personalities.

The military optimism of the Union is exemplified by their enthusiastic bellows whenever a Union dirigible passes overhead. I’ve had multiple reports from assets placed in vital positions describing their, please excuse the term, “hooting and hollering”. Of course, it shows a lack of engineering skill that they aren’t simply appalled by the reliance on newfangled airship designs over our vastly superior, tried-and-tested rotorcraft. Admittedly they seem to be doing well spreading their influence thanks to the smaller fuel requirements of those designs, but I have no doubt that a minor rerouting of supply lines will remedy the problem. We simply have to make recommendations to any of our forces that they should make an effort to destroy any Bogota Carryalls which accompany the airships so as to cause problems with their logistics. I understand that won’t be easy while taking fire from the airships themselves, but my suggestions certainly make theoretical sense.

- Commodore Gerald St.John-Smythe, debriefing to the Crown Military Intelligence Service

Only moments ago the Alliance patrol was chugging peacefully along. Now there was only chaos and violence. The patrol was making routine rounds 205 Nautical miles from the Bay of Oiapoque that marked the border with SUSA and the Union of Federated States. Merely two days ag this stretch of sea was devoid of any points of interest. Now there was a Farpoint Sentry Platform. The Union had managed to put this into pace with remarkable speed. While technically far enough out to see to not be a breach of any treaties, the Alliance Commodore, Saulo Rezende saw this as an insult. Without any visible backup, he decided to make a name for himself by taking the platform. Had his crew spotted the shapes getting bigger on the horizon, COMO Rezende may have decided against it. Cheyanne Hunter Submarines rose to the surface and unleashed torpedoes against the now outnumbered patrol. Akron Sentry Rotors flew from the skies, hidden in the glare of the midday sun. More terrifying than all of them, a pair of John Henry Vitruvian Colossi had raced in from distance and crushed frigates and cruisers alike with great hammers that annihilated whole sections of a vessel at a time sending men to their watery grave before they could realise what was happening. The last thing that Commodore Saulo Rezende thought of was the skill of the trap that ended him. That, and the crews he had led to their doom.

Nikolai Tesla is not a man to stand still. He is forever moving forward, tinkering with his designs and dreaming up new and ever more challenging projects. The UR-31E is one such progression from the UR-31 Automata, a design that became ubiquitous to replace lost manpower after the Ore War. These so-called 'Teslabots' are hard-wired with either ranged offensive instructions or more defensive, close order ones depending on their equipment loadout. The offensive units are armed with electrocarbines and can disable or even kill enemies with their highly charged weapons. The guard variants are instead equipped with arc-shields and electro batons.

Tonnage: Not Available
Technology: Clan
Unit Type: Aerospace - Spheroid Dropship
Era: Succession Wars
TRO: Technical Readout 3057 Revised