MekaTac: GSRE – VOTOMS – Quick and Dirty!

Has it been a month? Sorry, folks.

Watching the prequel series for Armored Trooper VOTOMS – Pailsen Files - and became inspired. Possessed. Mildly amused? Anyway, whipped up a quick set of extra rules to game the AT combats.

Please note that this is not an exact simulation, but a playable abstraction using MekaTac: GSRE as the framework, which may be downloaded for FREE here.

The anthropomorphic mecha suits are only 10 to 15 feet in height and are used more like heavy or elite infantry than walking tanks. As such, they should be given their own “scale” for Meka Tac: GRSE. On a hex map, a modest house would now occupy several hexes, so combat inside industrial structures like factories or refineries is possible.

Their “gliding wheel” special ground movement (powered roller-skates) is covered by Enhanced Engines and the “arm punch” system counts as a Melee Weapon.

Your average AT would be look like this:
Mech Size: 5, Size Class: Medium, IM +1, MP 6 +2, HP 50

Base Frame: Melee Weapon (2D6, 1 space), Enhanced Engines (+2 MP, 1 space), and 3 spaces left for weapons and other systems.


Weapons List

Rifle: Rail Gun (AP). (2 spaces)
- Reload: Ammo Carrier. (1 space)

SMG: Rail Gun (AI). (2 spaces)
- Reload: Ammo Carrier. (1 space)

Shotgun: Rail Gun (HE). (2 spaces)
- Reload: Ammo Carrier. (1 space)

Grenade Launcher: Medium Mortar (HE) (2 spaces)
- Reload: Ammo Carrier. (1 space)

Small/Medium/Large Flamethrower. (1/2/3 spaces)

Rocket Gun: 2 x Small Missile Launchers (AP), linked. (2 spaces)

Bazooka: Rail Cannon (AP). (3 spaces)

Small Missile Launcher (AP). (1 space)

Large Missile Launcher (AP). (1 space)


Firing Arcs:

All Missile Launchers - either Pod or regularly mounted - are Front Arc. All other weapons are considered hand-held, and may be Front, Left or Right Arcs. Note that the Rocket Gun may be F/L/R Arc.


The following additional systems are allowed, but only once per mecha and only if there is space available after purchasing weapons:

Armor x 1 (1 space)
Camo Netting x 1 (1 space)
Targeter x 1 (1 space)
1 additional Enhanced Engines (1 space)


Buildings:

Walls block Line-of-Sight, unless it's mostly open or transparent. Assign a number of hit points for each hex a building occupies. When half the hexes on one level are destroyed, the building will collapse. Each hex of rubble has a movement penalty of +2MP, but gives a cover bonus of -2. And mech in a hex that is collapsing if hit by debris on a roll of 7+, with a +1 for each level after the first, taking 1D6 damage for every level.

Residential:   15HP per hex - 1 to 3 levels
Commercial:    25HP per hex - 1 to 10 levels
Industrial:    35HP per hex - 1 to 5 levels
Fortification: 45+HP per hex - 1 to 4 levels



Optional rules:

* Double the ranges of all weapons.
* Use of pods for any type of missile launcher.
* If the attacker used any of the additional MP given by the mecha's Enhanced Engines this activation, any attacks he makes have a -1 Attack Modifier due to its faster movement.
* Make a roll on the Critical Hit Table for every 10 points of damage taken. This represents the volatility of the polymer ringer fluid.


For miniatures, I suggest Dream Pod 9’s HEAVY GEAR mecha; either the older 1/87 (roughly 20mm or HO scale) or the newer 1/144 (roughly 12mm or N scale). If you have the gashapon, even better! Adjust "hex" sizes accordingly.


//end

10K Visits? Thanks! And Sunder the Stars WIP Rules Page Added!

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10,000 visits! Thank you, all!


Sunder the Stars now has a Works In Progress (W.I.P.) section for rules ideas that are still in the testing stage. Please give them a try and let me know how they worked!


The two games of StS at Fall In! were run on schedule, though the weather and the Halloween weekend kept many regular attendees at home. Both sessions were 4-player games: the first was two teams with 2 fleets per side, the second was 2 teams of a fleet per side. Victory conditions: sink 50% of the enemy’s fleet in hull size. Sorry, no photos.


Game One:
The Grand Terran Imperium and the Union of Queens
vs.
League of the Wolf Stars and the High Lords of Hephaestus

Each fleet consisted of MD, BB, CM x 3, DD x 6, and FF x 6.

The Terran/Queens took an early lead and held it until the Hepheastians finally cleared the gas and dust clouds, bringing their superior batteries to bear and sinking the Queen’s Flagship – the MegaDreadnought! The Wolves immediately followed suit and sank the Terran MD flagship. The turn was finished and game was conceded to the League of the Wolf Stars and the High Lords of Hephaestus.


Game Two:
League of the Wolf Stars
vs.
The High Lords of Hephaestus

Each team had two task forces consisting of MD, DD x 3, FF x 3, and CM x 3, DD x 3, FF x 3.

The Hepheastians were confident but the Wolves split their rack attacks to spread their opponent’s point defense as thinly as possible, doing more damage with the throwaway attacks than the primary thrusts. The Wolves took the lead and kept it, sinking 50% of the Hepheastians for the win.

Sunder the Stars at FALL IN!

Clans of the Great Hunt Fleet - Work In Progress.

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I'll be running 2 games of Sunder the Stars at FALL IN!, October 28-30.

F-303 - Sunder the Stars: Fleet Battle
Friday, Oct. 28, 3:00 PM, 4 hrs, 8 players

S-304 - Sunder the Stars: Fleet Battle
Saturday, Oct. 29, 3:00 PM, 4 hrs, 8 players

Space fleets clash for dominance in the Sunder the Stars universe! Why micromanage a single ship when you may command many? This session will introduce the rules to new players. All will be provided. Experienced players are more than welcome.

Rules may be found here: http://home.dejazzd.com/broadsword/Sunder_the_Stars/StS_Downloads_Page.html

See you there!

Sunder the Stars: FAQ is up!

Started the Frequently Asked Questions page for SUNDER THE STARS, which may be found here: http://home.dejazzd.com/broadsword/Sunder_the_Stars/StS_FAQ_Page.html
More to come! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunder the Stars: LAUNCH!

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SUNDER THE STARS core rules are available for download, along with fleet record sheets, counters, a QRS, and some other goodies. And it's free. Just go here: http://home.dejazzd.com/broadsword/Sunder_the_Stars/StS_Index_Page.html

Sunder the Stars is a space fleet combat game that can be played on a hex board or open table.

It is designed to handle task force actions and fleet engagements.

All combat is determined by opposed rolls.

Initiative-based, individual activations for ships and squadrons.

A simple mechanism allows for each ship's combat effectiveness to degrade as it takes damage.

The game does not require a control sheet for each individual ship, only each type of ship in your fleet and a few "counters" for special situations.

Plenty of optional rules to tailor the game to your style of play.

Ship and fleet construction rules are included.


Supplemental material is being developed: star bases and planetary facilities, new fleets, a campaign system, etc. These future releases will be announced on this blog.

Mecha, Starships and Calamities!

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Managed to sneak in a couple games of MEKA TAC – GIANT STOMPY ROBOTS EDITION using the Mapless Mayhem and Gladiator rules over the past few weeks. Really needed it. The photo is from the game with Doctor Merkury, Iron Ivan Keith and Comrade R. It was a two-on-two fight ending in a points tie, but my mecha was the last one standing. Doctor Merkury did most of the work, though.

Here are the bots:

VS.

The cards are for Mapless Mayhem, so all the ranges and Move Points are in inches. The empty brackets next to the weapons allow for the players to select the type of ammunition: High Explosive (HE), Armor Piercing (AP) or Artificial Intelligence (AI).

____

There was a medium-sized crisis at the hov which could have been much, much worse. Nothing insurmountable, but it was really annoying; requiring time, effort and money that would have been better spent elsewhere. That’s why the SUNDER THE STARS rules have yet to hit RIVETSANDSTEAM.COM. It’ll be announced here. The plan is for next week. And there’s no faster way to make the gods laugh then to tell them your plans.

Historical Miniature Wargaming is...

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The prevailing bias has been in no way concealed, and anything useful gleaned from the following would be implemented at your own risk. There may also be dabbling in hyperbole and sarcasm. You have been warned.

Is it me, or is it every week some Historical Miniature Wargaming enthusiast declares that it is the end of the hobby? Sometimes they offer a rationalization - often the advent of some new game or pastime that would cause the other enthusiasts to forsake the holy path for a less worthy pursuit - or it's just some metaphysical "feeling" they get, like after eating radishes.

For your convenience, the most notable portents cited in these declarations are listed, chronology, below:

1954 Charles S. Roberts publishes “Tactics” board wargame - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1958 William Higinbotham creates the first video game: "Tennis for Two" - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1972 Magnavox's Odyssey (first home video game system) is released - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1974 Dungeons & Dragons is published by TSR - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1977 Ogre microgame is published by Metagaming Concepts - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1977 Traveller Science Fiction RPG is published by Game Designers' Workshop - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1983 Warhammer Fantasy Battle miniature tabletop wargame is published by Games Workshop - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1987 Warhammer 40,000 miniature tabletop wargame is also published by Games Workshop - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1989 Commercial traffic allowed upon the Internet - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

1993 Wizards of the Coast releases Magic the Gathering collectable card game - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

2000 WizKids releases “Mage Knight”, a collectable, already painted miniature game - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.

2002 Battlefront Miniatures Ltd. publishes “Flames of War” - heralding the End of Historical Miniature Wargaming.¹

2011 Still getting table-love.

Local and regional survival is a case-by-case issue – as it is for any hobby - but, overall, Historical Miniature Wargaming seems to be doing well. In point of fact: there are more miniature manufacturers and more publishers of more rules for more periods than ever before. There will always be the instant gratification and the “it’s always MY turn” appeal of videogames, but, for now, figures are getting painted, games are getting played and the smallest of details are getting argued over. All in the name of this thing called "fun".

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Vikings to paint.



¹Yes, Flames of War IS a miniature wargame set in a historical period (which some may have heard of) called "World War Two", rumored to have occurred some time before CE2000. But many Historical Miniature Wargamers do not consider it a "proper" Historical Miniature Wargame. This may be due to the fact that it's too popular. Nothing says "Look out! This is a bad game!" like popularity. Everyone knows that obscurity, incomprehensibility and inaccessibility (with a mountain of indecipherable charts thrown in for good measure) are the hallmarks of a "good" game.

New Edition of RAVENFEAST!

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A new version of the rules I've been using for the "Battle of Trollford" convention games is here! They're based on the no longer available “ONE PAGE FANTASY SKIRMISH” by John David Slor, but reshaped for Viking saga skirmishing with several additions: morale, shield walls, different ranges for missile weapons, extra wounds, basing suggestions and "death worthy of a song". And, yes, they're FREE!

http://home.dejazzd.com/broadsword/Feasting_Ravens/FR_OPFS_PAGES/FR_OPFS_House_Rules_Page01_Files/Raven%20Feast%201_1.pdf

RAVENFEST is meant for clashes of warbands; about 20 figures per player. A short list of example stats are given and may be completely ignored, as rules for creating stats for your figures are included. Fantasy elements are also there, but optional. The basic game has been distilled down to only 2 pages.

Lord Thunderous!

"LORDS OF DARKNESS!"
*Vfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfv*

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An in-production and readily available figure from Reaper Miniatures #02233 - Dantrag of Heimdall, sculpted by Sandra Garrity http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/02233/sku-down/02233.

This was one of the unwanted figures of an lot won on an online auction. You'll notice that it was painted before the whole reason the lot was bid upon to begin with. It's not a bad figure - actually, it's quite good. Sandra Garrity always delivers, and the whole Arnohld as Conan vibe works. But the sword blade was broken off. A day or three in purple stuff can get rid of a bad paint job, but bits broken off means more planning. Another sword? An Axe? A mace? Couldn't decide. And it would have sat in a little drawer for thirty years but for Doctor Merkury running a playtest for his science-fantasy skirmish project: "Age of Saints"!

How about a barbarian of darkness with a plasma sword; a sort of anti-Thundarr? Heaven knows I've been looking for a 25/28mm figure of Thundarr the Barbarian since AD1980. (Yes, I know it's available in 15mm.) But what to use for the blade? Chopping up a Star Wars figure wouldn't work because of the rubbery material and the transparent blade might fog over or melt once it gets hit by the dip. Transparent plastic rod could work, but the same problems might occur and may not hold up to stresses of gaming. I paint playing pieces, not inmates for dioramas. Having spent the past few months building flight stands for ships used in SUNDER THE STARS, an idea struck: piano wire! It's small, light, on hand, and drawn from steel. The blade of that plasma sword will outlive all of us. Just had to remember to file down the "pointy end" so it's dull and harmless, cut off the old crossguard and glue a small bit of plastic tube above the grip.

Figure mounted on a 25mm diameter wooden disk.

Painting: Primed white, then hit the exposed flesh with beige red. Inside the mouth was black and the teeth were white. Fur and hair were black, then drybrushed with German grey. Bindings for the leggings were German grey. Eyes were white with black dots. Belt, circlet and bracer were yellow ocher, then bronze. Jewel in circlet was white, then metallic red.

The blade was the tricky part. Neon paint? Not that I haven't gamed under black lights before, but that was the '70's. Just paint it red? Then it would look like a red boken, not a plasma blade. Decided to paint it with red ink, then wash away the middle half of the blade with a paintbrush dipped in water. Most of the ink came away, but the color in the tiny depressions stayed. Cool! As close to Jack Kirby as I was going to get! A bit more red ink towards the tip and grip, and finished! The rest of the sword was yellow ocher, then bronze.

The base was covered with a slurry of ballast, sand, PVA glue and water before priming and painted with medium gray. The facing lozenge was white, then red ink, yellow ocher, then bronze, and outlined with black.

The entire figure was then dipped with a concoction of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Tudor, except for the blade. That was covered with plain polyurethane clear gloss varnish. The base was flocked with patches of PVA glue, static grass and flock. Finally, the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Movie Review/Public Service: Conan (2011)

Viewed, most decidedly, in NOT-3D*.

Short review - Even though it was in color and in focus: don't. Just don't. I really wanted to like this movie, but couldn't. If you absolutely must see it, wait until it hits the $1 overnight rental or your public library.

The new Conan movie has been treated as something completely divorced from Arnohld's CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984)**, and it was a very messy separation. It's a whole new Conan: a re-imaging of an interpretation AND a rebooting, too. Admittedly, a franchise piece tends to give the audience old enough to remember the earlier incarnations certain expectations. The Wild Wild West (1999) took fond memories of the 60's television show and had the fresh prince trample them to death. I won't even discuss AVATAR: The Last Airbender (2010).

Nothing against Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan and the rest of the cast as they did the best they could with what little the writers gave them. A wealth of Robert E. Howard's original works, fifty years of pastiches, comics, and even 3 of its own TV shows (two animated, one live-action), and this is the best they could come up with? The music wasn't even memorable.

Though filmed in Bulgaria, the computer generated landscapes were more Azeroth than Hyborian. As were the weapons. As was the armor. Sigh. Does Blizzard get a cut?

Instead of groaning on about this, I'll just list some of the thoughts that were going through my head while watching this movie.

... born in a shieldwall...

Ron Pearlman! Cool! Like the beard.

Rubber-baby made out of buggy bumpers!

The Last of the Mohicans takes a very strange turn.

Remember all these faces, kids, 'cause they're all gonna die - one at a time and in great pain!

Hey! It's Kahl Ronon!

Boobies!

More computer generated blood than mankind was meant to endure!

Eight elephant drive! How much more green can you get in a SUV?

It's the little brother of the octopus monster from Pirates of the Caribbean!

We waited 30 years for this?

I can't imagine how 3D would improve this theatrical experience. Maybe scratch-n-sniff.


Update: It finally hit me. The story was basically DEATH RIDES A HORSE, minus Lee Van Cleef's character, with Hyborian swordsmen and wizards instead of wild West gunfighters. DRaH was a great little movie, and still has the most vindictive gunfight in film history!


So, in conclusion: don't.


*Like 8-tracks and pet rocks, this too shall pass. Unless 3D evolves to a point where it doesn't require glasses, stops inflicting headaches on the paying public to create its illusions, no longer requires a premium and, dare I say, some worthwhile programming, it shall remain a novelty that doesn't justify the added expense or aggravation.

**I would add a snarky comment about CtD, but what can be said here that hasn't been said everywhere else in the past 29 years?

Weird War 2: German Powered Armor

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And another in-production and readily available figure! This time from Northstar Military Figures - Projekt X: PX1007 - Power Armour Soldat http://www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?prod=3597.

Figure is 1/48th scale, but, as it's powered armor, being ever so slightly bigger doesn't matter. Mounted on a 25mm round plastic base.

Painting: Decided to go with formal black instead of pea-dot camo. Primed black, then painted black. Some of the exposed mechanisms were gunmetal. Hellhound red for trim and silver for the sigils. Lime green for the lenses in the helmet and any exposed gauges. The machine gun was German grey, then gunmetal, and the stock was dark brown, then mahogany. The black parts were then lightly drybrushed with German grey. The base was puttied flat before priming, then painted flat earth. The facing lozenge was red outlined with black.

The entire figure was then dipped in polyurethane clear gloss varnish. The base was flocked with patches of PVA glue and flock and static grass. Finally, the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Suitable for Weird War 2, Pulp Super Science, Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game. Paint it Afrika Korps yellow for PA, and white to repel the 1947 expedition of Admiral Byrd and 4,000 well-armed friends into Neuschwabenland.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/


Post Script ~

Finally saw the CAPTAIN AMERICA movie. Good time was had and the DVD is definitely going into the collection! (Take that endorsement as you will, considering that a copy of Soul Cinema's BLACULA and SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM double feature DVD was purchased, today. Only 5 bucks at le Mart du Kay!) But, was I the only one who felt the urge to watch SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW afterward?

Observation - Rebellious Youth

Each new generation of youth tries to upset its predecessors by dressing inappropriately, behaving unacceptably and listening to music they claim as their own. The current trend of relaxing dress codes means that no one has the need to fear being under-dressed for any occasion. The totalitarian enforcement of political correctness and universal acceptance allows even the most egregious faux pas to be met with, at worst, strained tolerance. With the advent of digital media, “old” music no longer fades into obscurity, but may be retained throughout the life of the listener. Soon the youth of the world, in a fit of desperation, may only have one avenue of rebellion: practicing behavior learned from American situational comedies of the 1950’s while clad in dinner jackets and cocktail dresses with Mel Tormé playing softly in the background.

SUNDER THE STARS: 3rd Playtest!

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This was the third playtest for SUNDER THE STARS held two weeks ago at Comic Store West with the Army Group York miniature wargaming group. In play were optional terrain items - a large planet, three gas clouds (-1 to hit per hex) and two each of dust clouds (-2 to hit per hex) and asteroid fields (-2 to hit per hex AND a chance of colliding with something unpleasant). Zach had brought some handmade terrain to liven up my rather flat paper terrain with the pertinent rules printed on them to speed play. We had three hours, so the optional shield setting rules were dispensed with as the rules needed to be taught and the game played to conclusion by closing time.

A new group of players had chosen the same old adversaries: the Grand Terran Imperium vs. the League of the Star Wolves. Yes, the Wedgians and the Vikings were at it again! No love for the Buggians?

For the Wedgians ~ 50 points of ships for each player.

Commodore Tony - Battleship, Medium Cruiser and 2 Frigates.

Captain Dieter - Medium Cruiser, 2 Destroyers and 2 Frigates.


For the Vikings ~ 50 points of ships for each player.

Jarl Zach - Battleship, Medium Cruiser and 2 Frigates.

Shipmaster Thomas - Medium Cruiser, 2 Destroyers and 2 Frigates.


The teams rolled off and the Vikings had to set up first. They divided their forces for any eventuality. The Wedgians then deployed their fleet - all to one side and away from the Viking battleship!



By the end of the first turn, the Wedgians had sunk a Viking cruiser and frigate, while Shipmaster Thomas dispatched one Wedgian cruiser, a frigate and damaged another frigate. Both sides attacked then tried to take advantage of available cover. Jarl Zack's forces were too far away to aid his sword-brother.



The Wedgians had dispatched a Viking destroyer and frigate while Shipmaster Thomas sank a Wedgian frigate and had bloodied both of their destroyers and another frigate. Fear not, brave Thomas! Your Jarl had not forsaken you!



Well, maybe there was a little forsaking. With Shipmaster Thomas' last destroyer out of the way, Commodore Tony sent his battleship to deal with the smaller units of Jarl Zack's remaining fleet while the surviving elements of both his and Captain Dieter's forces hunted the Viking battleship - which meant they had to abandon the "Dray Maneuver" and left the cover of the gas clouds for open felt.



VENGEANCE! The Wedgian battleship was sunk and their cruiser heavily damaged in the storm of direct fire and homing weapons from the remains of the Viking fleet! Jarl Zack's flagship withstood withering Wedgian attacks without a scratch! For the sake of Wedgians with delicate constitutions, any further images shall be withheld. The Vikings swept the skies of the remaining enemy vessels.

Two hours and fifteen minutes from setup and teaching the rules to the end of the game, with time left for a leisurely breakdown and after-game kibitzing.

Tony and Dieter took advantage of deploying after their opponents by concentrating their forces against one enemy group and making use of available cover. Thomas had a desperate fight to delay the Wedgians long enough to allow Zack's forces - and his battleship - to get to where the action was. Dieter used the planet to shield one of his destroyers from Zack's ships while getting clear shots at Thomas. Had Zack's battleship been farther away, it would have been a very different game.

Terrain did not slow the game down noticeably and was sufficiently thick in some cases to prevent attacks altogether. The players had to include the terrain effects in their decisions on movement and firing. The weapon ranges seemed to be working, as well. The last thing I wanted is a "push all the figures into the middle of the table and roll lots of dice" or a "just sit there and shoot at everything" game.

Tony has expressed a desire to buy a fleet and has cursed me for it. Zach has instructed me to bring SUNDER THE STARS as backup game when attending Monday nights. I think they liked it. Development shall continue.


The game mat and ships used for the Grand Terran Imperium are from the Terran Federation range, part of the Galactic Knights line produced by Monday Knight Productions.

The ships used for the League of the Star Wolves are available from Ravenstar Studios.

Additional shots of both sets of ships may be seen here: Starship Size Comparison.

       Wins/Losses
Wedgians: 1/2
Buggians: 1/0
Vikings:  1/1

99 kEn of the Wastelands!

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This Barb-B needed her kEn.

Yet another in-production and readily available figure? My reputation is ruined! This time from Reaper Miniatures, Chronoscope 50138: ALF 24, Robot Assistant http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/robot/sku-down/50138.

Ditched the lippy base and mounted the figure on a proper 25mm round plastic base.

Had to do something with all the leftover silver paint/purple ink mix, so...

Painting: Primed white, then hit the main surfaces with silver paint/purple ink mix and the exposed, inner workings with gunmetal. The base was covered with a slurry of ballast, sand, PVA glue and water before priming and painted with medium gray. The facing lozenge was silver paint/purple ink mix outlined with gunmetal. The entire figure was then dipped with a concoction of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Ebony. The base was flocked with patches of PVA glue and pink flock used for detailing the upholstery of model cars. Finally, the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

SUNDER THE STARS: 2nd Playtest!

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This was the second playtest for SUNDER THE STARS held 3 weeks ago. In play were the optional terrain items - a large planet, small moon and various gas clouds - and the optional shield settings - double front, double back and maximum. There were 4 players: Bryan, Rob, Jason and Ricardo, with this humble narrator as referee. The players formed two teams, selecting one member of each team as "commander", and each player had 50 points of ships command.


Fleet commander Rob and future Hero of Terra (posthumously) Bryan each took a taskforce from The Grand Terran Imperium, consisting of one medium cruiser, two destroyers and two frigates.


Jarl Jason and shipmaster Ricardo took their forces from The League of the Star Wolves: one medium cruiser, two destroyers and two frigates for Ricardo and a battleship, one medium cruiser and two frigates for Jason.



The table was set up lengthwise, allowing plenty of room for maneuvering before hostilities could commence. The moon and planet did not figure into their tactics as both were at the extreme ends of the table. In the game they were impassible areas that spell instant annihilation for any spacecraft that entered their space/hex.

Both sides took advantage of the optional shield settings and locked them on double front. That doubled the shield value against all attacks from the front 180°, but defending against attacks from the rear would not get the benefit of shields in the defense rolls.



The gas clouds, however, had been embraced by Commodore Rob. Get used to seeing his ships there. They impart a -1 to hit modifier for every hex/2" fired through.
:[Ricardo shows off his hyper-dimensional jazz hands.]:



Commodore Rob also employed a unique tactic for his flagship: hiding way back, out of harm's way holding the ship in tactical reserve.
:[Hyper-dimensional jazz hands does have a price. It took weeks for Ricardo's fingers to return to their natural color]:



Jarl Jason and his staunch ally Ricardo continued their advance. Their missing frigate and two other ships with damage tracking dice told of their losses.



Bryan's force had been reduced to a cruiser and a destroyer, and Ricardo's forces had been whittled down to just a cruiser, while Jarl Jason's remaining battleship and cruiser try to attack Rob's forces still hiding in the gas cloud. Please note the location of Rob's flagship. To the left. No, farther. All the way over there.



Ricardo's cruiser was not long for this battle.



All the while, Commodore Rob's flagship was doing donuts in its very own private gas cloud. Understandably, Jarl Jason was taunting him mercilessly to come out and fight him. As this was not a dark ages infantry battle, Rob ignored him.



Ricardo had been slain! Long will they sing his saga into the night. Jarl Jason swung his remaining ships around the gas cloud to minimize its interference. Meanwhile, pizza had been delivered to Rob's flagship.



Jason's cruiser got behind Bryan's cruiser and took advantage of its double front shield setting. Bryan is down to a destroyer. Having finished his pizza, Rob's flagship barrels forward to see what all the hubbub was about.



Sacrificing his cruiser, Jarl Jason managed to sink the remaining Wedgian destroyers and one of the frigates. This shall be the final blow to defend the Star Wolves' way of life!



Or not. In a blaze of direct fire and homing weapons, the flagship of Jarl Jason was sunk. With the skies cleared of opponents, Commodore Rob dictated a quick eulogy for Captain Bryan to be sent to his surviving family.

Observations:

The optional shield setting rules worked as expected, but will lengthen the game by about 50%. Four players with 50 points of ships each should take about two hours - this took almost three. The players liked the option, but agreed it made for longer games.

I thought that terrain would also greatly lengthen the game, but later playtests disproved this.

Point defense will have a smaller area of effect when in terrain that grants a cover bonus like gas clouds, dust clouds and asteroid fields.

The use of tactical reserves and exploiting any available cover are perfectly valid and both can effect the outcome of a battle. Ignore them at your peril.

SUNDER THE STARS is still doing what is asked of it, so development will continue.

The game mat and ships used for the Grand Terran Imperium are from the Terran Federation range, part of the Galactic Knights line produced by Monday Knight Productions.

The ships used for the League of the Star Wolves are available from Ravenstar Studios.

Additional shots of both sets of ships may be seen here: Starship Size Comparison.

       Wins/Losses
Wedgians: 1/1
Buggians: 1/0
Vikings:  0/1

This Worked For Me: ISUS.MSI ?!

Update Manager Installshield requires, from some folks, a file called "isus.msi". If it can't find this file - for whatever reason - it requests that a mystical, magical CD you have never heard of be inserted into your CD/DVD drive. The message accompanying this is usually cryptic.

"What disk?!" you scream at the uncaring monitor. Now comes the test of your webfu, frantically searching the interwebz in a quest to find The Solution.

But, before you download a questionable piece of "helpful" software, or the supposed file, or edit your register, or any other wacky, dangerous, or dubious fix: get the first installation disk of CorelDRAW X3 collecting dust in your stack/box/spindle/whatever and put it in the CD/DVD drive. You can find isus.msi in the directory :\CGS13. You'll have to search the disk if it's not in that spot. Then: just [BROWSE] your way there and click [YES].

And that's how the day was spent. Hope this helps.

Anthropomorphic Commandos!

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These are way out of production (late AD1980's?) and may have been produced by Lance & Laser. Have to go by memory as the original packaging has long since disappeared. They are 25mm and were sold as a set.

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic bases.

Painting: There were all primed white.

Duck: Feathers were black and the bill was deep yellow. Eyes were white with a black dot. Boots were red leather and gloves were black. Pants were US field drab. Belt was belt leather with an ocher yellow then bronze buckle. Shirt and hat were green grey. Pistol was German grey then gunmetal. The rifle was also German grey then gunmetal, with burnt umber for the stock and lime green for the lenses of the scope.

Rhino: Neutral grey for the skin. Eyes were white with a black dot. Boots were red leather and gloves were black. Pants were US field drab. Ammo belts were yellow ocher then bronze, German grey then gunmetal and silver. The rifle was German grey then gunmetal, with burnt umber for the stock.

Chimp: Black was used for the fur, gloves and "boots". Flesh was used for the face. Eyes were white with a black dot. Jumpsuit was US field drab. The belt was belt leather and the buckle was yellow ocher then bronze. The fragmentation grenade was brown violet. The submachine gun was German grey then gunmetal.

All: The base was flat earth. The facing lozenge was green grey and outlined with black. The entire figure was then dipped with a mix of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Ebony. The base was flocked with patches of PVA glue, then blended turf and static grass. Finally, the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Review: A little less cartoony than the Team Frog offerings with a nice mix of roles: chimp commando, rhino assistant machine gunner and duck sniper. Sculpts are clearly detailed on the bodies but a less so on the weapons. The rhino's ammo belts could have just as easily done in belt leather for bandoleers. Quite good, but, again, out of print. Shame.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

A bit behind schedule as we lost power on Monday. I leave you with a sneak peak of another playtest of SUNDER THE STARS which should be up later this week.



See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Barb-B of the Wastelands!

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Would you believe yet another in-production and available figure? This time from Black Orc Games - Mini-Sculpt, 100-MS-0079 "Cherry 101 Cyborg Girl" http://cart.blackorc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80&products_id=459.

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic base.

Painting: Primed white, green blue for the skin. The visible eye was white with a dot of black. Cyborg bits and gun were German Grey, then Gunmetal, with lime green for the cyber-eye. The garb was vermilion, with yellow ocher then bronze for the trim. The hair was a mix of silver paint and purple ink. The base was covered with a slurry of ballast, sand, PVA glue and water before priming and painted with medium gray. The facing lozenge was green blue outlined with silver paint/purple ink mix. The entire figure was then dipped with a brew of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Ebony. The base was flocked with patches of PVA glue and pink flock used for detailing the upholstery of model cars. Finally, the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Review: Another selection from the Black Orc Games' Mini Sculpt line and, to be honest, I can't remember why it ended up in the collection. Impulse buy? Who knows. The gun arm was way too long and the physique, though saftig, was more "orc" than "human". The lack of any discernible neck did not help. Painting the wee beastie was easy enough, as all the details were defined, and it took the dip nicely. The only modification was the drilling out of holes on the ventilated barrel shroud, as they were a bit shallow. The figure does fill the role of a 'borged humanoid mutant with an awkwardly large gun - should such a thing be needed on your tabletop.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Fear the Bunny!

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Would you believe another in-production and available figure? This time from Team Frog Studios - TFSCCRB01 "Rabbits Squad (4 figures)" http://www.teamfrog.com/fig-cc.htm. Above is figure "A" from the set.

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic base.

Painting: Primed white, light gray and white for fur, with flesh for nose and inside the ears. Eyes were white then a dot of black. The t-shirt and cap were green grey, and the shorts were US field drab. The knee and elbow pads were green grey and brown violet, and the shoulder pads were brown violet. The shoes were red leather and the gloves were white. The gun had a base of German grey, then gunmetal. The base was flat earth. The facing lozenge was green grey outlined with black. The entire figure was then dipped with 1:1 mix of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Minwax Polyshades Tudor. The base was flocked with patches of PVA and blended turf, then the rest with static grass. The entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Review: A bit more cartoony than I'd like, but there aren't any options as the only other rabbit-folk with guns have been out of production for about 30 years.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

The vikings are still underway. Yes, they need to be done, but I've grown to like the comparative speed and ease of painting starships.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Rural Mutant with Axe!

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Yet another in-production and readily available figure: Black Ork Games - 100-MS-0024 "Hill Mutant" http://cart.blackorc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80&products_id=397

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic base.

Painting: Primed white, light flesh for hands and head. Eyes were white then outlined with chestnut ink, then a dot of black. The shirt was green gray, the t-shirt was sky gray, and the pants were US field drab. The shoes were leather belt. The axe haft was burnt umber, with the axe head a base of German gray, then gunmetal. The base was covered with a slurry of ballast, sand, PVA glue and water before priming and painted with medium gray. The facing lozenge was white with a burnt umber stripe. The entire figure was then dipped with 1:1 mix of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Minwax Polyshades Tudor. The base was flocked with patches of PVA and then static grass. The entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Review: The details aren't that great, but it's an inexpensive axe-wielding mutant, and does so within reason. I'm not going to field a unit of these, but for a character figure, it'll do the job.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction or Survival Horror game.

The vikings are underway. There is no greater test to you collection of brown paint than painting dark age armies.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Orangutans with Gauss Rifles

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For your perusal: SCI-FI 41 "Two Orangutans with Guns" from Sargent Major Miniatures. For a change of pace, not only are these less than a year old, but they're still available: http://www.sgmm.biz/SCI-FI41-2-Orangutans-with-Guns_p_228.html - and then scroll nearly all the way to the bottom of the page.

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic bases.

Painting: Primed white, amaranth red for the body, suntan flesh for hands, feet and face. Eyes were black. Rifles were German gray, with lime green for the lenses of the optics. The bases were covered with a slurry of ballast, sand, PVA glue and water before priming and painted with medium gray. The entire figure was then dipped with 1:1 mix of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Minwax Polyshades Tudor. It really worked with the fur. The base was flocked with patches of PVA and then static grass. The entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

Still finishing off figures that have been abandoned on the painting bench for the latest shiny thing. There are quite a few. This may take longer than I thought. Usually does. But, those who enjoy Sci-Fi character figures will have something to look forward to for the next few posts.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Starship Size Comparison

By popular demand! Well, Desert Scribe suggested it, and I liked the idea, so here it is: a quick comparison of ships from the four finished* fleets in my collection. Some folks are familiar with the classic Galactic Knights (GK) ships produced by Monday Knight Productions, while others have experience with excellent vessels from Ravenstar Studios (RS), but not necessarily both on the same table. Here’s how they look side by side.



Click on image for larger view.

Frigates - Left to Right
Wasp Class Destroyer, GK, length 42mm
Brenik Class, RS, length 47mm
Swiftsure Class Destroyer, GK, length 55mm
Falcon Class Frigate, RS, length: 42mm
Average length: 47mm

Destroyers – Left to Right
Mandible Destroyer Leader, GK, length 43mm
Loki Heavy Cruiser, RS, length 57mm
Samurai Destroyer Leader, GK, length 70mm
Luna Class Destroyer, RS, length 57mm
Average length: 57mm

Cruisers – Left to Right
Hornet Class Cruiser, GK, length 59mm
Panther Fast Attack Cruiser, RS, length 68mm
Ranger Class Cruiser, GK, length 67mm
Hecate Class Heavy Cruiser, RS, length 68mm
Average length: 66mm

Battleships – Left to Right
Roach Class Battlecruiser, GK, length 84mm
Thor Warstar, RS, length 87mm
Invincible Class Dreadnaught, GK, length 105mm
Nemesis Class Gunstar, RS, length 87mm
Average length: 91mm

The green ships on the left are part of the Entomolian Imperial Fleet (EIF) from the GK line. These ships are metal. I always liked their design, and green is a good color for them. In Sunder the Stars (StS) they represent the "Union of Queens".

Next, we have the white ships with blue and silver markings available from Ravenstar Studios. These ships are resin. They are the viking spacefleet of the Star Wolves in StS.

The gray triangles are from the Terran Federation of the GK line. These ships are metal. They fill in for the Grand Terran Imperium in StS.

And all the way on the right are gray ships with red and bronze markings from Ravenstar Studios. These ships are resin. They are more "classic BSG" than their other offerings. They represent the High Lords of Hephaestus in StS.

Please keep in mind that the classifications given above are for what they are deployed as in Sunder the Stars, not necessarily the manufacturers' designations. Also, all ships are mounted on 40mm (1 ½”) square bases for use with 2” hexes or without any hexes, not the bases (if any) they were supplied with.

*Come on. Is a fleet ever really finished?

Finishing a Forgotten Figure - Ataribot

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I made the decision to go Viking for a bit, but needed to finish a few things that have languished on the painting table for far too long.

Another OOP ARCHIVE miniature that got the moniker "ATARIBOT" as it had that company's logo sculpted on its forehead.

Mounted on a 25mm round plastic base.

Painting: Primed white, base color brown for the body and yellow ocher for thew arms and some of the details. The brown parts were then covered with tin bits and the yellow ocher with bronze. The base was done with earth brown. The view slit and facing lozenge were white and then neon orange. The entire figure was then dipped with 1:1 mix of polyurethane clear gloss varnish and Minwax Polyshades Tudor. The base was flocked with static grass, then the entire figure was sprayed with clear matte.

Suitable for Gamma World, Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, or any other Post Apocalyptic/Science Fiction game.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Fury of the Star Wolves!

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Another beautiful day, another group of miniatures done! That makes a total of 4 fleets ready for SUNDER THE STARS.

The bases are 40mm square, 1/8" thick masonite with 1/8" brass rods.

Painting: Primed white, base color of sky gray, then a 1:2 black ink to water wash, followed by a drybrushing of sky gray and another drybrushing of off white. The fleet colors were gray blue and bright silver, and the details picked out with bright silver, neutral gray and off white. The engine flares were white, a then 1:2 blue ink wash. The bases were primed black, and painted black, with the identification information in white along the rear edge. The entire figure was sealed with polyurethane clear gloss varnish, then a spray of clear matte.

This fleet is composed completely of offerings available at Ravenstar Studios.

See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/

Think I'm going to take a little break from painting starships. What next? Historical Vikings? Post Apocalyptic troops? Weird War 2? Hmm.

Greyscale Spaceship Counters

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Yes, this is just a greyscale version of counters submitted previously. Now they can be printed on any color paper or card stock desired. As it's a JPG file, it may be scaled to taste.

SUNDER THE STARS - 1st Playtest!

The Grand Terran Imperium is about to show The Union of Queens what's what, what?


Click on images for bigger pictures!

Got together with a few of the folks from the club last weekend and gave SUNDER THE STARS (a.k.a. Giant Shooty Spacefleets!) a run. Kept it to just the basic systems to see if it played on the table as it did in my head. It did. Fortunately, the gang had helpful input for the bits I didn't think of.

By turn 2, the exchange of long range missile fire had claimed 2 frigates on the Buggian side (green), with a pair of frigates and a destroyer on the Wedgians (gray). The orange D6's show how much damage the various ships had taken. Rob at the lower left had embraced the philosophy of shared point defense.


Basic mechanics:

Each type of ship has a stat sheet with different tracks of stats. Which stat track that model used is determined by how much damage it had taken. An individual ship's damage was recorded by a D6 next to the figure.

Movement was "paid for" with movement points (MP). Smaller ships had more MPs than larger ships. Smaller ships also had higher initiative bonuses than larger ships. Dice roll + initiative bonus determined when an individual ship or a squadron of ships moved in a turn.

By this point, Rob had obliterated me, with only those orange D6's on all but his cruiser to denote my participation. Not to fear: Ricardo was still on the field. The red D20's are for initiative and activation. See! Those huge, honking bases work!


An attack was made by taking the weapon's attack value +/- modifiers and a die roll which was compared to the target's defense value and their die roll. If the negative modifiers reduced the initial attack value below "1", then the attack could not take place. If the attacker rolled higher than the target, the attack succeeded. The amount of damage was determined by how much greater the attack roll was verses the defense roll. It was possible to sink* an undamaged ship in one shot, though not likely.

Things aren't looking good for the Buggians. Ricardo's force was whittled down to one undamaged cruiser and destroyer. Capt'n Ro'shon was left with one damaged destroyer and Rob had his whole starting force intact, but battered. My units were still destroyed. Not bitter at all.


My mantra was "speed up the game". A simple, consistent solution to any ambiguity should be found. Some of the very useful ideas from the guys were:

Initiative ties: whoever activated last before the tie would activate a tied unit first, then the opponent would activate one, going back and forth until all tied units were activated. If only one side had ties, then they could activate the tied units in any order they wished.

Self-preservation: Point defense may be shared between friendly ships within a certain range to shoot down incoming missile attacks, but if both neighboring ships are attacked by a split missile attack (the attack value of a single launcher split between multiple targets), then all of their point defense must be used to protect themselves, not their buddies.

With Ro'shon's force vanquished and Ricardo's cruiser sunk while taking out both of Rob's bloodied frigates, the Buggian's lone, but undamaged, destroyer faces off against the remains of Rob's Wedgian force of a wounded cruiser and two crippled destroyers.


After Ricardo sank Rob's cruiser and one of his destroyers, it's down to some hot-'n'-heavy destroyer on destroyer action. Sharp-eyed readers will note that the Buggian Destroyer has taken only 1 hit, while the Wedgian is hanging on with 3 hits.


The entire game - 4 players with 5 ships each, fighting to the last ship and teaching the rules - took less than 2 hours. This has potential.

Buggians sail the stars unchallenged!

The as of yet to be scheduled next game will deal with optional shield setting, drones and mines, with a following game for testing fighters.

*Oops. My MobileSuit Gundam and Legend of the Galactic Heroes is showing.


Both the ships and the hex mat are available from Monday Knight Productions.


See more of my painting here: http://ravenfeast.deviantart.com/gallery/