Three Plains’ Mission Statement and Road Map

Introduction

Welcome to my little corner of the internet!

For more years than I care to admit—whenever my other work permits—I’ve been developing my passion project: Three Plains.

This page explains what Three Plains is and how I plan to continue developing it. This document also serves as a working roadmap, which I’ll keep updating to mark progress, track developments, and outline future plans. If you want to keep an eye on how things are coming along, this is the place to do it.

Three Plains and My Aims

Three Plains is an old-world fantasy tabletop wargame. My inspiration came from Warhammer Fantasy, a game I loved growing up.

Just like Fantasy, Three Plains is played with miniatures. Two or more players compete using six-sided dice, a tape measure, and cards.

However, while it shares similarities, Three Plains also stands apart in key ways:

  • It’s set at 15mm scale, rather than 35mm like Fantasy.
  • Hero units are powerful, but can’t win the battle alone. True strength lies in how you use your regiments.
  • The game is completely free—rules are downloadable as PDFs, and all models are print-and-play.
  • There’s no black powder—the setting is earlier in its development, think ancient or bronze age.

Road Map

As I’ve continued developing Three Plains, I’ve looked back and realised some earlier work wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be. That’s why I’m now working on a revamp: Three Plains 4.0.

This isn’t a complete restart—many models, rules, and testing are already done. The revamp is more about refining and upgrading.

I’m starting with the Orcs.

🔄 = To Do | ✅ = Done | 🛠️ = In Progress

🛠️ Orc Codex – In Progress

Thankfully, the Orc Codex’s layout and rules are already in pretty good shape and don’t need too much work. I’ve completed one full read-through and will be starting another soon.

Below are all the changes I’m planning to make—or have already made—to the Codex:

Changes:

  • ❌ Troll Carnage and Siege Models have been removed. The Orcs already have plenty of big hitters—adding more would be overkill. Siege battles didn’t test well. They were slow-paced and didn’t offer much for players, despite needing a lot of setup.
  • 🛠️ Iron Sides (super-powered Orc chariots) are still under review. I’m still undecided if they’re necessary—why take a regular chariot if you can take a better one?
  • ✅ The Orcs have officially been renamed from Black Land Orcs to Shadow Land Orcs.
  • 📖 I’ve recently added a new short story that focuses on the male Orcs—no Snorts allowed! The Snorts (female Orcs) have taken much of the spotlight, as they are the true rulers of the Orcs. So, I thought it’d be fun to explore things from the lads’ perspective for a change. If you’d like to read the new short story, you can do so HERE.
  • 🎨 I’m also regularly adding new artwork, including updated headers and footers to bring the Codex to life.

When complete, the Shadow Land Orc Codex 4.0 will be released alongside the updated Three Plains Rulebook 4.0 and the Herlanceian Codex 4.0.

👉 You can check out the current Orc Codex HERE.

🛠️ Orc Models – In Progress

All Orc models are being updated.

✅ Units – Complete

  • ✅ Grunt, Blue Orc, and Saw Drummers & Banner Holders (½ Done)
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Hand Weapons & Shields
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Hand Weapons & Shields
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Spears & Shields
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Spears & Shields
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Great Blades
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Great Blades
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Great Hammers
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Great Hammers
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Two Hand Weapons
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Two Hand Weapons
  • ✅ Orc Grunts – Clubs & War Nets
  • ✅ Armoured Orc Grunts – Clubs & War Nets
  • ✅ Orc Archers (with & without Light Armour)
  • ✅ Grunt Slingers (with Shields)
  • ✅ Orc Noms
  • ✅ Blue Orcs – Two Hand Weapons
  • ✅ Blue Orc Slingers
  • ✅ Orc Saws – Two Hand Weapons
  • ✅ Orc Saws – Great Blades

🔄 War Machines

  • ✅ Grunt Chariots
  • 🔄 Iron Sides – Under Consideration

🛠️ Beasts

  • 🛠️ Tabers & Their Piper (being reimagined)
  • 🔄 Giant Wolf Spiders & Orc Masters
  • 🔄 Black Land Trolls

🔄 Characters

  • 🔄 Iron Mothers
  • 🔄 Big Daddas
  • 🔄 Young Bulls
  • 🔄 Insaneos
  • 🔄 Nutters
  • 🔄 Hags
  • 🔄 Runts

🔄 Herlanceian Codex & Models

Just like the Orcs, the Herlanceians will be completely revamped.

That said, their codex is in a solid state and mostly just needs streamlining and new artwork.

The new Herlanceian Codex will be released at the same time as the updated Three Plains Rulebook.

👉 You can download the current Herlanceian Codex HERE.

🛠️ Three Plains Rulebook 4.0 – In Progress

While most of the rules are solid, I’ll be giving the rulebook a visual overhaul, along with spelling and grammar corrections.

Once the Herlanceians are updated, the Three Plains Rulebook 4.0 will be released alongside the new Orc and Herlanceian Codexes.

🔄 The Outcasts – The Undead

By far, the most frequently requested faction is:
“When are you doing the Undead?”

So next on the list will be The Outcasts, a Necromancer-based army featuring:

  • Skeleton Warriors
  • Wights
  • Vampires
  • Zombies
  • Ghosts

We’ve explored multiple Undead faction concepts in the past—like The Restless, Vampire Clans, and even a Zombie-only faction. But this time, the goal is to combine the best of all of them into one satisfying, terrifying army.

The Outcasts will be released alongside Three Plains Rulebook 4.1, which will include new mechanics to support the faction.

🔄 The Golden Masters – The Elfs

Last but by no means least, I’ll be revamping the Elfs, also known as the Golden Masters.

Their Codex is already in a good place, but their models are due for a full update.

That’s the plan so far—thanks for reading!

Let me know what you think, and as always, feel free to share this post. If you want to support my efforts, you can do so on Patreon.

Dave