The official Ghost in the Shell TTRPG will have its own line of original 28mm miniatures.
If you’re a nerd of a certain vintage like myself, you are undoubtedly familiar with Ghost in the Shell in one of its many incarnations. I’m not even really an anime guy, and I still probably watch the original movie once a year or so. So, of course, the upcoming officially licensed Ghost in the Shell TTRPG from Mantic Games was already on my radar.
But now, they’ve announced a line of Section 9 miniatures to accompany the game when the Backerkit campaign launches on July 29th. They’ve already shown off a few of these figures, and they look amazing. With the new Ghost in the Shell reboot series on Amazon, it’s definitely a good time to jack in.
Ghosts, Shells, and Game Books
Before we talk about the figures, it’s important to stress that this is not a miniatures skirmish game but a traditional tabletop roleplaying game. The miniatures are meant to be engaging visual aids and sources of imaginative inspiration but they are not strictly necessary to play the RPG. Will Mantic publish a GiTS miniatures skirmish game? I sure hope so, but that’s not what we have here.
That said, this does look like a pretty cool RPG. Based on the original GiTS manga by Shirow Masamune, the book’s art has a gritty, 90s cyberpunk feel to it, and the miniatures reflect that aesthetic, as well. The game’s rules are being designed by veteran game designers Alessio Cavatore (Mordheim, Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War) and Zak Barouh (ANIMON STORY, The Dark Crystal Adventure Game). Players will be able to create their own trainee agents in the legendary Section 9 and explore the seamy cybernetic underbelly of cyberpunk Tokyo.
Miniature Agents
Six miniatures have been revealed so far, beginning with who else but Major Motoko Kusanagi herself. Armed with an aggressive SMG and wearing what appears to be the helmet interface for her iconic active camouflage, her foes will never see her coming.
A host of other miniatures accompany her, all of whom will be familiar to fans of the series. The Major’s partner, Batou joins her, along with Section Chief of Public Security Section 9, Aramaki, Section 9 tactical sniper, Saito, and recent recruit Togusa.
And of course, it’s not Ghost in the Shell without the appearance of one of most adorable killing machines ever devised, the Fuchikoma.
These are just super cool figures and I’m extremely excited to see what the future holds for Ghost in the Shell as a game in the hands of Mantic. There’s no official word of a miniatures game but Mantic’s been producing a lot of minis games for a very long time, so a future GiTS skirmish game is something I’d be willing to bet on.
In the meantime, the upcoming Backerkit campaign has a ton of cool stuff lined up on top of the core book and miniatures. A game screen, dice, and more are just a few of the items already promise and if you’re dying to know more you can download a free rulebook teaser now.
What’s your favorite Ghost in the Shell manga/movie/anime?
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Simon Berman has been a wargamer since 1993 and has worked in the tabletop games industry since 2008 as a staff writer for the first three editions of WARMACHINE and HORDES. These days he’s the General President of the Brush Wielders Union, a worldwide organization of miniatures painters of all skill levels, a freelance games writer who has contributed to a number of roleplaying games like Eclipse Phase, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, and The Hammer and the Stake. He runs his own small-press publishing company, Strix Publishing, and paints more miniatures than he can keep track of. Simon lives with his wife in Tacoma, Washington along with a number of cats and a pack of savage wiener dogs.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
