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Exit 23 Games is a 2-person team consisting of my retired mum and me. Mum (Tina C) handles all postage and packaging, and I handle everything else (on top of working as a Software Development Coach). What about all those handsome people I see at the Exit 23 Games stand at conventions? I hear you ask; they’re close friends who volunteer their time. Given the opportunity, I’d hire them all, but we’re not there yet.
Why did I start Exit 23 Games? I wanted an Amazon Blood Bowl team where the women had their clothes on and were more representative of what women look like. I launched the team as a Kickstarter project, which exceeded my target and ended on 155% funded. Around the same time, Turbo Dork launched their paint, and I started to import them. I then discovered Relicblade, fell in love with the miniatures, then the game and wanted to make it easier to get hold of in the UK and Europe. Before I knew it, I’d created a business importing niche products from the USA and curating a selection of products I use, and can honestly recommend.
I tend to look for smaller companies to work with and form a congruent relationship with other people who want to do good in the world. In other cases, I love a game and know I can offer a great level of support and excellent customer service. I could sell all things, but then I’d be like every other hobby store on the planet. Instead, I’m focusing on what I think is the good shit and will spend my energy helping people get the best out of them.
Where is Exit 23 Games going? First of all, I’ll be doubling down on the curated hobby collection store concept and providing more product education, such as care instructions, tips, colour theory content, all with a dollop of mindfulness. I want to continue to expand my range of miniatures, release my first card game and continue to promote excellent products made by incredible people. In terms of business growth, I didn’t start Exit 23 to become rich. I want to be able to invest in people and have a positive impact on people's lives by providing a great place and environment to work, which puts their mental and physical well-being first, provides opportunities to grow, and pays a wage that doesn’t just cover living expenses but allows people to thrive rather than survive. Bloody woke, aren’t I!
Kickstarter is still the go-to platform for small companies to launch products. The platform gets plenty of traffic, which provides greater reach. Exit 23 launched with the success of our first Kickstarter campaign and gained the Backer Favourite status. With the Yokai Demonkin project, I aim to delight backers once again by going above and beyond to deliver. The Kickstarter page is a work in progress.
Thank you so much for agreeing to paint my Yokai Demonkin miniatures and help promote the Kickstarter campaign.
In the box, you’ll find 9 unique sculpts. The light grey one is a production model, so you can get an idea of the quality. The rest are 3D prints, including two duplicates of the production miniature, one of which was printed in a larger size (75mm-ish). I like to paint occasional 75mm miniatures as it gives more space to try new techniques. Let me know what you think of the larger print, and if you’d like any of the other miniatures in the larger size, let me know, and I’ll get them printed and sent to you.
The plan is to have 4 pledge levels:
First and foremost, the miniatures are designed to be fun to paint and provide a canvas for painters to express themselves and develop their skills. With digital sculpting, miniatures can have endless detail, and while it can look incredible, it can also be intimidating (I still haven’t painted my GharskulTthrakka miniature from the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40k) and fiddly to paint. Many of the best miniature painters in the world and best examples of miniature painting are done on 75mm scale miniatures or busts, which gives them more room to show of their skills. When designing miniatures, I always envision models at 32m & 54mm (think Warhammer humans & ogres). Even at this scale, the Yokai Demonkin provide plenty of large surface areas for you to paint cloth, skin and hair.
What about game systems? The Yokai Demonkin are scaled to work with any tabletop miniature game from around 28mm scale. Since scale is an odd beast, think Frostgrave, 5 leagues, all the way to Blood Bowl or maybe even a Japanese-inspired Mordheim. If you’re curious about exploring new game systems, I recommend Peachy Tips’ YouTube channel
The first mini is already in production, and the Kickstarter is to raise money to produce moulds for the remaining 8 miniatures (four more Oni and four Bakemon)
Concept art has been produced for another 10 miniatures. The additional miniatures concepts are for 1 more Oni, and several Bakemon, including a lil guy who thinks he can fly, an unhinged tree surgeon, a boisterous bard, and a fox swinging a spikey ball & chain.
Design and brief are by Christopher Chant & Dan Holland. The concept art is all B Mure.
Sculpts are all created by Tom Lishman
Sorry mum.
Looking for demonic minions to support your diabolical plans? The Yokai Demonkin have you covered. No matter the task, no matter the problem - there’s a horrible hellspawn that can help, freshly summoned from the eldritch hellscape they call home.*
(*Integrity of summoning ritual not guaranteed. Buyer assumes all risks related to catastrophic unravelling of demonic bindings. Always read the label.)
Yamamba (山姥)
“Me smash. Smash into goo.”
A mountain-size bruiser for mountain-size problems. Very bad at following complex instructions, but very good at angry smashing. Just point Yamamba at the problem and there won’t be much left when she’s finished.
(Note: Not toilet-trained. Expect significant soiling.)
Ishiatama (石頭)
“Hurr durr.” *Drool*
Poor ol’ Ishi has suffered a lot of head injuries. Frankly, they’ve turned him into a dribbling idiot. But good news! They’ve also rendered him completely insensible to pain. An unstoppable juggernaut with a heart of gold. (Like, actual solid gold. It’s a demon thing.)
Bakaneko (バカ猫)
“HEHE I THROW YOU CATCH OK BOOM-BOOM”
Looking for a wildcard? Bakaneko has you covered. 1 mischievous cat spirit. 2 strong throwing arms. 30 black powder hand grenades. If that sounds like a recipe for unbridled chaos, that’s because it really, really is. Results guaranteed.*
(*Results deeply unpredictable.)
Shirimeh (尻目)
“Hsss…I can sssee your fate and it is ssstupid!”
No depth perception? No problem! Shirimeh’s scrying gaze can see all possible futures and spot opportunities before they’ve even occurred in this timeline. Just don’t look directly into their eyeball, or they’ll turn your heart to stone. (In a bad way, just to be clear).
Akusaru (悪猿)
“Your delicious fear is merely an appetiser before I dine on your fleshy inner parts.”
It’s time for some monkey business, ha ha! But seriously, don’t call him a monkey. He doesn’t like it and he has awfully sharp teeth and enough upper body strength to rip a fragile mortal in half. Volatile, violent and prone to betrayal - but highly results-oriented!
Yurei (幽霊)
“Hee hee! Where Yurei be? Yurei knows, but ye can’t see!”
Now you see him, now you…still see him. Yurei thinks he can turn himself invisible, but no one has the heart to tell him otherwise. He’ll figure out the truth in short order, but in the meantime, he makes an excellent distraction to divert attention from your other demons. Be nice to him. He’s a deluded little fellow.
Haruku (春苦)
“I WAS MEANT FOR MORE THAN THIS I AM AN ARTIST DON’T YOU KNOW”
Haruku was on track for a lucrative and comfortable career as a demonswear catalogue model. Until our summoners wrenched him kicking and screaming into the material plane, that is! Now he’s a peerless combatant, absolutely brimming with rage at his thwarted modelling ambitions.
Yamajo (山女)
“Yamajo crush your skull like ripe, sloppy melon.”
Sibling to the formidable Yamamba, but the two could not be more different. Well, not really that different. They’re both massive smash-loving hulks with a deep and abiding love for wanton destruction. But Yamajo can generally communicate in full sentences(ish).
Oni 1 (Name is in the works!)