The new Fanatic Most Wanted Paint Set has been a huge hit with fans, expanding their collection with 22 high-quality paints, with minimal overlap with other sets, as well as an awesome FREE miniature!
This detailed model is a Goblin Warchief from Eldfall Chronicles, an exciting tabletop miniature game by Freecompany. Not only is the miniature exclusive to this set, but it was actually designed specifically for it from the ground up! We were lucky enough to get Ziga, the CEO and Creative Director at Freecompany to sit down with us and talk a bit about the process of creating this miniature, as well as the Eldfall Chronicles game and setting.
Hi Ziga, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your company?
Žiga: We are a small but dedicated team from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Our quest is creating the epic fantasy world of Eldfall Chronicles. We started our journey in 2021 through a successful crowdfunding campaign and have kept expanding our setting since with quality as our top priority. The values that define us are the highest-quality miniatures, immersive worldbuilding, and deep, dynamic gameplay. Currently, Eldfall Chronicles features both skirmish wargame and dungeon-crawl systems, which are compatible with each other. Our goal is to make Eldfall Chronicles an exciting and ever-expanding game that players will enjoy for years to come.
Tell us more about the Most Wanted Set Goblin Warchief, how it differs from the Warchief in the game, and what your design process was like.
Žiga: The Goblin Warchief, as the name suggests, is the chief of a Goblin Wartribe, a new faction introduced to Eldfall Chronicles through the Northern Wind dungeon-crawl expansion. The goblins are a super fun faction to play; they rely on swarm tactics and trickery. The Warchief, towering over other goblins, makes for a powerful and fierce centerpiece of goblin hordes.
The Warchief is a daunting and powerful model—one of the toughest. The idea behind the Warchiefs is that they resemble creatures akin to Hobgoblins or large Orcs in certain other fantasy settings. The Army Painter Warchief reflects all the above in gameplay but comes to the table with a fresh look!
Normally, our Warchiefs wield weaponry and armour pieces inspired by East Asian—particularly Chinese—motifs. The Army Painter Warchief hails from a different region of the world, with armament inspired by Nordic designs. The miniature strikes a dynamic pose, rallying its tiny but teeming horde of goblins to battle. He carries a large greataxe and his looted armor, decorated with trophies from his victories, serving as both a status symbol and semi-functional protection.
The Army Painter's project offered a fun opportunity to depict a creature from our world with a fresh look. This led us to blend a Western-inspired outfit with chaotic features while retaining the physique of our "Hobgoblin/Orc" design. Our goal was to make it large, strong, and fast—a fearsome warrior. We gave it a sturdy, bulky body with clawed, animal-like legs for both brute force and speed.
Working closely with The Army Painter team, we finalized the design and sculpted the miniature. A major challenge was creating a highly dynamic and detailed miniature in a single piece. Fortunately, we use Unicool Hard Plastic, a special resin developed for our miniatures. This hand-cast material is about as durable as hard plastic but allows for fine details, complexity, and dynamic poses, making it possible to cast minis in only a few parts. The final product turned out fantastic!
The whole process was smooth, enjoyable, and positively challenging. The way you guys work is very inspiring and efficient. Warpaints Fanatic is an excellent release, and it’s been a pleasure to collaborate with you for it.
Eldfall Chronicles sounds like a really fun game. Tell us about the universe, Wayfarers, and the most recent Northern Wind expansion.
Žiga: We certainly hope so! Eldfall Chronicles is a tabletop miniature game that combines strategy, lore, and top-quality collectable miniatures. The game is set in the high-fantasy world of Calad, a world that has gone through several cycles of rebirth. It is inhabited by various monsters, creatures, and other beings, and is now in the hands of mortals to explore. Calad is currently recovering from a long war and peace is upheld by four major factions that rival for supremacy.
Players explore the world of Calad, leading factions of adventurers, agents, or others into skirmishes, and embarking on story-driven quests. Eldfall Chronicles features inter-compatible skirmish wargame and dungeon-crawl systems. While the dungeon-crawl emphasizes cooperative and solo narrative experiences, the skirmish wargame facilitates everything from competitive player-vs-player play to cooperative and solo play with game-controlled enemies and monsters.
We are continually expanding the universe. Wayfarers, our first skirmish expansion, broadened the players’ party building options. The upcoming "Northern Wind" dungeon-crawler takes the players to the northern part of the world, placing them in the story of four heroes on a perilous quest to decide the fate of an empire. This stand-alone expansion offers a tactical and narrative-driven dungeon-crawl campaign, fully compatible with the skirmish game and vice versa. Each expansion adds to the game's lore, quests, gameplay, and miniatures, offering new challenges and deeper immersion into the world of Calad.
For those who haven’t heard of your game and universe, why should someone give it a try?
Žiga: Eldfall Chronicles offers a blend of exciting gameplay and deep lore, accompanied by some of the best miniatures available. The gameplay is quick, dynamic, and engaging, simulating realistic combat but adding a tinge of magic. Players are always active, with no waiting between turns. Solo and cooperative play is possible, as the game can control the enemies. Whether you’re drawn to competitive play, solo adventures, or cooperative gaming, Eldfall Chronicles has something for everyone. It’s accessible for newcomers, requiring only a small model count (three on average) to play, while providing depth for experienced players through various tactics, interactions, and party building.
What are you currently working on?
Žiga: While we are working hard on the Northern Wind campaign, bringing out its maximum potential, we also have a couple of other things lined up. One of our objectives for this year is to establish Organized Play for the skirmish wargame, and what better way to start this than with a Tournament Pack containing some amazing elements and prizes? We will be showcasing the Season 1 pack in August! On top of that, we also have some insane faction expansions planned for gradual release in late 2024 or early 2025, so stay tuned!
Thank you so much to Ziga and Freecompany for taking the time to talk to us about the design process behind the Goblin Warchief, and of course, for designing such an awesome mini for our Fanatic Most Wanted Paint Set! You can keep up to date on Eldfall Chronicles through their Discord, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and their website.
