Guild Ball: Lumberjacks Guild

Steamforged Games präsentieren ein neues Team für Guild Ball: Lumberjacks Guild.

The Lumberjacks carve their way into Guild Ball

 

“Mallet’s mind wandered for a moment. ‘Sort of job I never saw myself doing, honestly. Always thought that was more your style, teaching the young ‘uns.’ The words were absentminded as sorrow rose up to pinch his crow’s feet and leave him staring at the ground for a moment.

It had been good for him to get away from all that bad blood in the big leagues. There was a time when he’d felt utterly lost and betrayed by his guild and the other players. Chisel, Harmony, Champ, Granite, even Tower. He felt like he had nothing in common with them under Hammer’s leadership. They’d gone to a place and mindset he couldn’t reach.

By comparison, he liked the men and women in the Lumberjacks. They were as straight up and down as the trees they felled—no hint of duplicity or ulterior motives. It reminded him of the Mason’s Guild under the Old Man, in years now long gone by.“

Welcome back, sports fans 

To the first in a series of articles that’ll lead us up to the release of the Lumberjacks Guild! As we go, we’ll be discussing the design philosophy behind the Lumberjacks and where they came from as we reveal new artwork, miniatures, and of course, their gameplay.

Time to get the sawdust flying — the Lumberjacks are clocking in for pre-order at the Steamforged store.

Today, you’re swinging into your very first look at the Lumberjacks: a new Minor Guild living on the cutting edge of Guild Ball.

A quick chop through the highlights

• The Lumberjacks Guild hacks its way into pre-order — meet Oak and Tinder, the first of the Lumberjacks crew as they stamp their mark into Guild Ball

• Graft meets craft — see what happens when the Masons and Lumberjacks swap trades, with new alternate sculpts for both guilds.

• Print your teams at home — Guild Ball’s coming to a 3D printer near you. Soon you will be able to buy your favourite guilds to print, paint and play.

• Guild Ball at Lock & Load 2025 —  join the Guild Ball community for Saturday’s official tournament at Warfaire Weekend in St. Louis, Missouri.

• New to Guild Ball? — grab the free digital Starter Set STLs and hit the pitch with two guilds, terrain and more.

How the Lumberjacks took root

As with all new Guild Ball content since early 2024, we’ve worked hand in hand with the Guild Ball Community Project (GBCP) on the Lumberjacks Guild — all the way from character creation to concept artwork, miniature sculpting, and gameplay development.

To kick things off, the GBCP blew us away with an exceptional design pitch for the guild. From there, two of Guild Ball’s original key players — Steamforged co-founder and designer Mat Hart and product owner, Jamie Perkins — oversaw the process end-to-end, honing the Lumberjacks to the keenest wood-cutting edge.

Key members of the GBCP, Michael Klein and Henry Kay, spearheaded playtesting and day-to-day development, aided by the tireless efforts of their volunteer playtesters. Together, they contributed hundreds of hours to help the Lumberjacks progress from theory to reality.

To everyone at the GBCP, you have the gratitude both of everyone at SFG, and fans of Guild Ball worldwide.

Introducing Oak, our first Lumberjack and captain of the Guild.

For the first official Guild to join the game since the Shepherds Guild, we just had to call on the legendary prowess of Guild Ball’s original artist, Doug Telford.

And just as Doug helped shape their look, our lead sculptor Russ Charles ensured every axe, saw, and log pile feels unmistakably Guild Ball. Russ, being responsible for most of theGuild Ball miniatures over the game’s history, oversaw the creation of each sculpt and went to great lengths to ensure they met his exacting standards.

When guilds collide

„…Of the others, although Flint spent some time with each player, the striker had taken a particular shine to Tinder. The pair spent long hours on the field drilling passes, shots, and tackles between themselves and achieved tremendous results. Despite his stocky build, Tinder had begun to move like a forward and commanded a quiet confidence whilst on the ball.”

That spark between Flint and Tinder lit more than just the pitch. Their shared training sessions — striker and winger, veteran and upstart — set the tone for how the Masons and Lumberjacks work together. And now, you can see that partnership brought to life on the pitch.

Masons crossovers: prepare for a smashing match

Alongside the upcoming Guild release, two Lumberjacks will be stepping into Masons garb. 

The crossover pack features Tinder and one mystery squaddie to be revealed soon, both reimagined in the disciplined, crafted style of the Masons Guild. And, of course, both will be fully playable in a Masons team.

Crafted by Masons, tempered by timber. Pre-order the Masons × Lumberjacks crossover pack today.

Lumberjacks Crossovers: Swinging both ways

Looks like a couple of Masons also fancied a change of scenery! 

Like the Lumberjacks crossover models, Flint and Mallet have traded marble for mulch, swapped bricks for birch, and are learning that a hard day’s work in the real outdoors leaves you with sawdust in your hair and a pinecone where it shouldn’t be.

Flint & Mallet’s crossover sculpts capture the hearty nature of the Lumberjacks: all teamwork, hard graft, and a touch of tree-sap.

You have the Mason’s hammers, chisels, and my axe. The Masons x Lumberjacks crossover pack is wedged in for pre-order now.

Print your teams at home

From print to pitch, we’re bringing every sports fan something truly special. Every official Guild’s kitting up for the beautiful game.

With the Lumberjacks carving their way into Guild Ball, we’re bringing every official Guild, including the Lumberjacks, to the MyMiniFactory store as paid digital STL files. From the Butchers and Brewers to the Masons, Morticians, and beyond, the full roster’s warming up to hit MyMiniFactory for you to buy, print, paint, and play.

It’s your chance to draft your dream squad, test out new tactics, and field the teams you’ve always wanted. No scouting required.

We’ll soon be announcing when the full Guild Ball collection is ready to take to the field and the printer. Want to be in the know when it happens? Sign up to the newsletter or join the Discord!

Heading to Lock & Load 2025?

This November, Lock & Load 2025 is rolling into Warfaire Weekend in St Louis, Missouri.

On Saturday, November 15, Guild Ball’s taking to the pitch for a full day of matches and mayhem. Bring your team, square off in matched tournament play. Glory, pride (and prizes) are on the line.

Guild Ball day tickets are out now. The pitch is calling. Grab your badge & book your tickets now at Warfaire Weekend.

But that’s not all. Log the date in your diary because you can get your hands on one of the limited early copies of the Lumberjacks Guild at Lock & Load 2025.

And when you’re not on the pitch? There’s plenty to get stuck into. From Warmachine events and the P3 Grandmaster painting competition to the Warmachine Keynote, streaming live on YouTube — it’s a weekend packed with hobby, gaming, and good company.

Grab your Saturday ticket and get ready to play your part.

On the pitch with the Lumberjacks

The Lumberjacks, minor guild to the Masons Guild, are tough and rugged folks who understand that to get a job done right, each member of the crew has a job to do — and when those trees start falling, everyone needs to look out for one another.

On the pitch, the Lumberjacks adhere to the strong ethos of the Masons; teamwork and flexibility. Each player on the pitch has a role to play, whether that’s finding and setting up the best logs — or unfortunate opposing squaddies — to chop down, taking the swing, or hauling them around afterwards.

The Lumberjacks have access to the characteristic “Mason’s playbook”, including multiple useful momentous results on the first several columns, as well as stronger non-momentous results towards the top end. This provides them with many options to choose from, as well as plenty of flexibility in how they approach the game and respond to what’s happening on the pitch.

Additionally, while Lumberjacks retain some of the Mason’s durability, they sacrifice some  defensive ability for greater offensive output.

The Lumberjacks Guild introduces a new and unique mechanic to Guild Ball: log piles. As long as Lumberjacks stay close to their log piles, they get multiple benefits: More damage, improved mobility, influence efficiency, and durability. Opposing teams will be wise to try to avoid log piles, or risk being felled themselves by axe and saw.

However, the job of a Lumberjack doesn’t end with felling trees. There’s plenty more cutting, hoisting, and hauling to do to get those logs to where they need to go! The Lumberjacks have multiple options for repositioning their log piles right to where the match is and where they’re needed.

The playstyle of the guild focuses on positioning your models and log piles in ways that force the opposing guild into specific areas of the pitch where the Lumberbacks can create favorable engagements, score opportunistic goals, and take out key models.

Then, once things have shifted to another area of the pitch, Lumberjacks will need to use their abilities to reposition themselves and their log piles to new locations in their opponent’s actions.

Let’s take a look at this guild rule in a little more detail.

Stacking the odds: the Log Pile markers

Log pile markers represent a novel and unique application of existing Guild Ball mechanics. Unlike other markers in the game, such as trap and harvest markers, log piles are 40mm markers that function as obstructions – granting cover to any nearby models (friendly and enemy).

After the kickoff, the Lumberjacks player will place two log pile markers on the friendly half of the pitch, and at least 4” apart from one another. These markers remain on the pitch throughout the game, and can be repositioned using various plays and traits. In addition to granting cover, log pile markers provide the Lumberjacks with additional mobility, efficiency,  and offensive or defensive benefits. As there can only ever be two friendly Log pile markers on the pitch at a time, positioning and repositioning Log piles is critically important to the overall Lumberjack’s gameplan.

Cut from the same wood: what defines a Minor Guild?

For the uninitiated, each Minor Guild is allied to one Major Guild. A Major Guild and its allied Minor Guild share 2-4 players that can play for either Guild, in this case the Masons Major Guild.

What makes a minor guild fun to play is that sense of identity. Each one carves out its own space in the wider Guild Ball world, mechanically, visually, and narratively. The Lumberjacks are no different. Their design is rooted in grit, coordination… and quite a few splinters.

Your first swing at Guild Ball starts here

If you’ve never played Guild Ball, now’s the perfect time to draft your dream team for the pitch.

Net yourself FREE digital Starter Set STLs, including members of the Masons Guild, allies of the upcoming Lumberjacks — and everything you need to start playing, two guilds, 16 miniatures and an 8-piece terrain set.

Download the starter set and free rules and cards, and get back on the pitch.

What’s down the trail?

Next week, we’ll reveal more of the Lumberjacks and give you a closer look at what makes the Lumberjacks a cut above the rest on the pitch.

Until then, tell us what you think of those shapes in the shadows. Who, or what, do you think’s hiding back there?

Grab your plaid flannel and lace your boots — pre-order your Lumberjacks today.

Don’t miss the kick-off!

Subscribe to the Steamforged newsletter to get the latest Guild Ball updates — including Lumberjack reveals, pre-order news, and more!

Until then, stay sharp, stay sturdy, and absolutely…

Stay choppy.

Quelle: Steamforged Games