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).

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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/