tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48593056020924807002024-03-17T06:26:22.746+00:00Tales From FarpointSpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.comBlogger1245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-9235032226470925762024-03-09T11:36:00.002+00:002024-03-09T11:36:18.409+00:00Five Parsecs From Home Mini Campaign - Initial Thoughts <p> Hi!</p><p>In an attempt to get myself out of a bit of a hobby slump caused by lots of work, floods in the flat and having the lurgy that refused to clear up, I decided to have a bash at Five Parsecs From Home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAVTVm5mN0Lq_O2lu3Y76WtBhcpsCVhsuqU9mNa-_YwHBlRTSo7NOEvO6b2ftHOgk_Hk6nkXDfvhngxwn18BjfprDZhZxQhxTPipxvarPzyOrvm-2dYAUW9Ihe19WcnzIezsTl5G_23pK7Z13FH6eAEPa7Qpx3JO5QOsADEvp1CKwq3Dwa2puvjCvOD4J/s500/ZBG-MUH052345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAVTVm5mN0Lq_O2lu3Y76WtBhcpsCVhsuqU9mNa-_YwHBlRTSo7NOEvO6b2ftHOgk_Hk6nkXDfvhngxwn18BjfprDZhZxQhxTPipxvarPzyOrvm-2dYAUW9Ihe19WcnzIezsTl5G_23pK7Z13FH6eAEPa7Qpx3JO5QOsADEvp1CKwq3Dwa2puvjCvOD4J/w265-h400/ZBG-MUH052345.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><p>I've had the book for quite a while now and I've watched quite a few battle reports and campaigns of folks playing the game on Youtube and I quite liked how it looked so rolled up a crew and got gaming.</p><p>I used a couple of name generators to help me develop the crew and the worlds they will be fighting in as well as the assorted denizens they will be meeting. This did result in some interesting names and helped flesh out the campaign as it went on.</p><p>Setting wise, I'm using a bit of a hybrid of the Void and Kryomek settings so the only alien menaces are going to be the Kryomek while the assorted human or cyborg factions will be making up the bulk of the rest of the encounters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYlwTI1kc5PKEVExW16-3LTvWxzPN7hgIrLdAGv6gHbgB9wloNb2qF8igUw6YoKB00Pabj1ECJafJ9bovArJx55JIlV-Nk0Hpu77jiacwQT_ZuLbQzOwAn8yUVyLZTMGd8Fu_bM0-uqAed9mXMS4dBaQDLqzJNF2M41STKwI1PQrrwqTlMHVP4GNZo4Ie/s1188/hackers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1188" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYlwTI1kc5PKEVExW16-3LTvWxzPN7hgIrLdAGv6gHbgB9wloNb2qF8igUw6YoKB00Pabj1ECJafJ9bovArJx55JIlV-Nk0Hpu77jiacwQT_ZuLbQzOwAn8yUVyLZTMGd8Fu_bM0-uqAed9mXMS4dBaQDLqzJNF2M41STKwI1PQrrwqTlMHVP4GNZo4Ie/w400-h283/hackers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My initial crew of six consisted of five humans and one robot and I was quite lucky with both firepower and patrons so right from the get go, the crew of the Polaris have found themselves thrust right into the centre of the action on the megacity world of Meerut.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Meerut has turned out to be a gloomy place with every battle having limited lighting thanks to random rolls on the Five Parsecs charts so I'm going to keep it that way throughout the campaign with the sun casting a feeble glow on a twilight city of neon, rain and broken dreams.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzAMQ_BV8GKAMFZl2rpIW4F5XCwN4TV8sb6sFyGGIAs1n0Ey5LlZph_gRZJ6Zk1rP7uWg95qfkbLrgTo1mhjzABcMAF7X8ft_kwwvDZFXYBeByFpVXbyWAGyclse5oNKNEGsyZbKyUqXAPFVDOALUVRgW97SjxJYA1eWf93d5rOu5ma8ES3LdVMDvr1BB/s900/bcb6d10cb0468daca8fbb5e5b2e42e31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="652" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzAMQ_BV8GKAMFZl2rpIW4F5XCwN4TV8sb6sFyGGIAs1n0Ey5LlZph_gRZJ6Zk1rP7uWg95qfkbLrgTo1mhjzABcMAF7X8ft_kwwvDZFXYBeByFpVXbyWAGyclse5oNKNEGsyZbKyUqXAPFVDOALUVRgW97SjxJYA1eWf93d5rOu5ma8ES3LdVMDvr1BB/w290-h400/bcb6d10cb0468daca8fbb5e5b2e42e31.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Their first job came from a wealthy individual known as Brother Yako Tino, a member of the somewhat secretive Kin who hired the team to secure a remote data core which was being held by a group of mercenaries called the Vicious Riders or VR's (<i>this was one of the random generator results and its pretty lame but it does lend itself to the VR's being a bunch of puffed up buffoons who will make for good rivals!).</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJfsEcQiIeeVl4GbDI9RGrskZCWTLmX5FYIFTOT0nebqWsuMfJk7PbnnZDajQET3RTQUSmIgbQUxCv4b61ouBvQco-Z1ltqnsHjGIBdWUJlv4LQeIL0TcRIdyRBQe_O3nIJJ7mN6DYcqwbNq6MT-ScliUN8HyP-GO6DBaqTW0kh2cESlPOch3rcoUCgg0/s1000/2_NewAsia_mid_level.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="1000" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJfsEcQiIeeVl4GbDI9RGrskZCWTLmX5FYIFTOT0nebqWsuMfJk7PbnnZDajQET3RTQUSmIgbQUxCv4b61ouBvQco-Z1ltqnsHjGIBdWUJlv4LQeIL0TcRIdyRBQe_O3nIJJ7mN6DYcqwbNq6MT-ScliUN8HyP-GO6DBaqTW0kh2cESlPOch3rcoUCgg0/w400-h208/2_NewAsia_mid_level.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">During the confrontation, the crew of the Polaris succeeded in securing the core but the ships captain, Finnegan Alucard was badly wounded and much of the cash payment from their patron was spent on medical bills to stop him from dying right from the get go. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Handily their operation went well enough that Brother Yako has become a persistent patron, meaning that even if we leave the planet, he will follow us <i>(or possibly another of the shadowy members of the Kin will turn up!).</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0gDcv2dNYFZzZt7EFeoROCuqTGN9PZVBsYq1txshCPm3Pl5OJKi2YwEaVVVB-etcO94gRdcPa1N9JfIKxASAY2MHhd0tjnQ-qVDiHIzm59x3FURJWywcIputwxo-1eMT7xIc0hMDwpF-uZuV7GMiAOfsqwtgOnY_isFXMxUTQSQtcsdblmHAe8Z78sCz/s926/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%2011.09.25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="926" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0gDcv2dNYFZzZt7EFeoROCuqTGN9PZVBsYq1txshCPm3Pl5OJKi2YwEaVVVB-etcO94gRdcPa1N9JfIKxASAY2MHhd0tjnQ-qVDiHIzm59x3FURJWywcIputwxo-1eMT7xIc0hMDwpF-uZuV7GMiAOfsqwtgOnY_isFXMxUTQSQtcsdblmHAe8Z78sCz/w400-h210/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%2011.09.25.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Vicious Riders, stung at being driven off from a lucrative contract of their own and their pride somewhat deflated have sworn vengeance and have become my crews first rivals in the campaign and I now need to flesh out who they are and what motivates them and indeed why they have such a stupid name <i>(something my crew will no doubt mock them for at every opportunity)</i>.</div></div><p>The second campaign turn saw my captain stuck in the infirmary and another patron, this time a governmental toady names Alejandro Ortiz who introduced himself as a member of the Meerut Planetary Relations Council, or MPRC and requested our help in investigating a science station on the nearby moon of Barling-1 which had for some reason, lost communication with the MPRC. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvtEFv4yvrQLqwaKyfvMH3GGnxN_Bf5F_wkF1ZEUIDfz_AJTumb27EnMobmxOVE6gFUifutWua9eqAvHZ1NcJzE_bFZLUb0YzMc9_0_6XSgOLNcmVPuumviRDq1koHJvYtiboP4YSaNyBq7R6-qjgYuigOlnc4PEGYjBYs-ghwv1Hv89aONtUiA6ImeAP/s680/Dead_Space_3_Jens_Holdener_20a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="680" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvtEFv4yvrQLqwaKyfvMH3GGnxN_Bf5F_wkF1ZEUIDfz_AJTumb27EnMobmxOVE6gFUifutWua9eqAvHZ1NcJzE_bFZLUb0YzMc9_0_6XSgOLNcmVPuumviRDq1koHJvYtiboP4YSaNyBq7R6-qjgYuigOlnc4PEGYjBYs-ghwv1Hv89aONtUiA6ImeAP/w400-h220/Dead_Space_3_Jens_Holdener_20a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>As the pay was good and my crew needed the cash to pay off the medical expenses of captain Finnegan and their ship debt, they agreed and a reduced crew travelled to the isolated outpost only to find it in ruins and seemingly abandoned. As their job was to secure the site, they set to work doing so when they encountered the reason the facility was in ruins. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRPQowWqXSqkBufPJ8zUY3PZdwXMroWG69UZXd4HY0dWm1WkBvoN4mm9HB0j4dpGVZmL_gsJZodiCpU2vk97-ZY8ssXs67CM9SZrg9o7Yuph4B1EeE178mrjPT-JPgZbC4Vsu8fXjDXdlldXQOQcpuW0Y8eQuI7ADputIzIvDRqeIemVTe1C9cga38hpd/s493/adeptus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="245" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRPQowWqXSqkBufPJ8zUY3PZdwXMroWG69UZXd4HY0dWm1WkBvoN4mm9HB0j4dpGVZmL_gsJZodiCpU2vk97-ZY8ssXs67CM9SZrg9o7Yuph4B1EeE178mrjPT-JPgZbC4Vsu8fXjDXdlldXQOQcpuW0Y8eQuI7ADputIzIvDRqeIemVTe1C9cga38hpd/w199-h400/adeptus.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><p>The Converted are rogue AI's that fled the Syntha and seek to enslave humanity by turning them into mindless slaves and a shuffling horde of tech zombies promptly attacked them. During the ensuing desperate firefight, the crews robot Qiao managed to outflank one of the groups of attackers and blast the leading zombie with her pistol but was in turn knocked out of the fight by a hail of return fire and in the swirling chaos, another crew member, Nivian was killed by a lucky shot. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FAz6XyMKlb3b81ja3CAjQcS_k_2n4vJh3QXCcGrMJiNXzrZUJTTX5n-aIfAOZm5p0TPEQ_BU94eysCSFcwX4EbEImJIKUOp0n0cbj1GiLQve2aTG2yPgofAmyEnivHspI3SPZEh3SU0Au3q4AClWpSC-qzJf5RjRnc69BP5cQePCnAn4hxC0MD0FvvbA/s1150/Noble%20Gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="831" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FAz6XyMKlb3b81ja3CAjQcS_k_2n4vJh3QXCcGrMJiNXzrZUJTTX5n-aIfAOZm5p0TPEQ_BU94eysCSFcwX4EbEImJIKUOp0n0cbj1GiLQve2aTG2yPgofAmyEnivHspI3SPZEh3SU0Au3q4AClWpSC-qzJf5RjRnc69BP5cQePCnAn4hxC0MD0FvvbA/w289-h400/Noble%20Gun.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><p>The remaining trio consisting of Laurinda, Aylin and Onu managed with a mix of luck and insane courage to destroy all the remaining Converted acquisition zombies and secure the site.</p><p>Unfortunately in the final moments of the skirmish, Onu was taken out of action and would spend three campaign turns stuck in the sick bay. </p><p>Mourning the loss of their crewmate, bloody and unbowed, the crew then strong armed a profusely sweating Ortiz to pay up, including danger pay and with a little gentle persuasion to provide a friendly Doc to patch up Onu and Finnegan. </p><p>Following the game, Laurinda and Aylin have levelled up and my robot Qiao was undamaged and even managed to repair the kit that the Converted had damaged.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQNuEfe856qtsT6GsWOuwQHqZot3cnecPdJfFayK8fTe7yGDFYh2RwxDhjQDZ7lNp0rcre3lo63-JoJ7Co6K-aY8qFjgO4-faTzyN1MspfU8-iQLYVnRYjOQ6e8HvdXOvujYZaDCHONH_A1tmYMyAv40XK6CljNnsP3nEhyphenhyphenrRfC4XSqrcjcGaBY3rml7x/s680/Dead_Space_3_Jens_Holdener_23a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="680" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQNuEfe856qtsT6GsWOuwQHqZot3cnecPdJfFayK8fTe7yGDFYh2RwxDhjQDZ7lNp0rcre3lo63-JoJ7Co6K-aY8qFjgO4-faTzyN1MspfU8-iQLYVnRYjOQ6e8HvdXOvujYZaDCHONH_A1tmYMyAv40XK6CljNnsP3nEhyphenhyphenrRfC4XSqrcjcGaBY3rml7x/w400-h229/Dead_Space_3_Jens_Holdener_23a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>At this point I'm two games into the campaign, have no doubt missed quite a few rules and steps in the campaign system itself but having a great time!</p><p>The game itself has a lot going for it for a solo gamer and is very narrative driven and once you get into the swing of how it works, its really quick to play and great fun too. </p><p>I'm adding quite a few little narrative elements to the process to bring the game to life a bit and give each of my crew and their ship as well as the setting a bit more depth but Five Parsecs is a great option that is generic enough to use in pretty much any setting but provides a surprisingly deep amount of engagement. I'm still mourning the loss of my crewman Nivian who only lasted two games but its really giving me the much needed boost to get back into some serious gaming.</p><p>The first two games were played using tokens on a pinboard with some scenery thrown on but I do intend on getting some proper crew and opponent figures done but may end up using standees as the casualties do mount up and the number of varied opponents are pretty numerous so collecting and painting a full range of figures for the gam is probably beyond me at present.</p><p>I've just rolled up the third campaign turn and it looks like I'm about to mix it up with a squad of enforcers from the VR's so I'm looking forward to playing the game and giving them a damn good thrashing. I've also recruited a new team member called Norm who will be replacing the lamented Nivian. Also with captain Finnegan back on his feet its going to be a really interesting campaign to continue.</p><p>Each skirmish lasted 30 or so minutes and was pretty action packed and really encourages you to stick to cover and its worth remembering that your average human isn't going to cope to well with a bullet!</p><p>I do recommend folks give the game a try as it's such a fun experience and I'm now eying up my copy of Five Leagues from the Borderlands, the fantasy version of the game for possible miniature gaming!</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-64880797326659533952024-02-20T08:30:00.001+00:002024-02-20T08:30:54.927+00:00Rogue Trader Reprint: A Long, Long Time Coming<p> Hi!</p><p>Just a quick update today as I'm pretty busy but I thought I'd post my thoughts on the Rogue Trader reprint.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuPW12-KvZp8I-Stu1krsMzc6tpcrmC3gk8AT2EzjsXymGdye66y55tC8Wj9S2EMfsyF2070mr9WfKi1d85meBPkJwG9ygmksETl070_o1R1rH5g0xjhs9hSwcGy213HhJXJkPOB_Es0EBj7ixkPk4a6NwpT6EDR3QubZkO2LgHIT1OQZu4MzldoO2SI4/s400/Rogue_trader_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="285" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuPW12-KvZp8I-Stu1krsMzc6tpcrmC3gk8AT2EzjsXymGdye66y55tC8Wj9S2EMfsyF2070mr9WfKi1d85meBPkJwG9ygmksETl070_o1R1rH5g0xjhs9hSwcGy213HhJXJkPOB_Es0EBj7ixkPk4a6NwpT6EDR3QubZkO2LgHIT1OQZu4MzldoO2SI4/w285-h400/Rogue_trader_cover.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So as of typing, the book still hasn't arrived and reading around the internet, this seems to be quite a common occurrence in the UK with stock arriving recently in the US but with the book being printed in China, it appears that we'll be waiting a while yet for copies to appear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In GW's defence, they did say it could take up to 180 days or 6 months but it does feel like this has turned into a bit of a cash grab before the release of the Old World fantasy battle stuff.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrvZTEY3lM2aXdg9rSTOtY-YcSzwiCPSwhVgpG5dGaZXYYobBcqGhrWmTxdIn3il7h6rf9ODoyNRr_ynjpWWgP_8sS5xtY5W-F25sFui2dbMviu5vAra1n0nmgo42Xo4PpADI4eWlrvk1dU_F7nBB2WyZHuQViWktGoK-OO8GkaK2wIJlT5P1gNpIjqVD/s1200/rogue_trader.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrvZTEY3lM2aXdg9rSTOtY-YcSzwiCPSwhVgpG5dGaZXYYobBcqGhrWmTxdIn3il7h6rf9ODoyNRr_ynjpWWgP_8sS5xtY5W-F25sFui2dbMviu5vAra1n0nmgo42Xo4PpADI4eWlrvk1dU_F7nBB2WyZHuQViWktGoK-OO8GkaK2wIJlT5P1gNpIjqVD/w400-h266/rogue_trader.0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I'm willing to wait a wee bit to get hold of my copy but I must admit that I'm getting to the point where I may cancel my order as I am actively moving away from GW games and delving further into my collection of old indie stuff, especially as there has been some comment from folks who did get their copy that have mentioned its not the best quality wise with photos being described as being a bit on the dark side.<div><br /></div><div>I suspect that is due to the fact that GW had to scan a copy of the original so its never going to be perfect but it sounds like they could have tweaked the images a wee bit to clear them up. I'll no doubt hum and hah about it for the rest of the week but I'm edging closer to just moving onto something else and the refunded pennies could be better used for something else that will get regular play...</div><div><br /></div><div>We shall see if there's any update this week and I'll make the decision on Saturday and possibly dedicate the saved cash to a small indie company that needs it more than the behemoth.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, All the best!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-69595245943308601672024-02-13T21:44:00.002+00:002024-02-13T21:44:59.150+00:00A Great Flood<p> Hi!</p><p>Apologies for the lack of updates over the last week or so. We've got an ongoing leak coming through our kitchen ceiling which has now been going on for three months.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1nF3pM7-8Wv5a0MViYPrnMWCNjgUJqmJ_h9BVDJMJBxmmba2JK8V9_dJyvF-WLK2QyZIRwNE7IRzUlplN4YcrrJUa-Cr-0ia7pVeUXUteZfWhEo17BjZUfZS4sWrWkY_5YJ2ZT7WwvpSLRKlFesnh1CwAsk3k9gt3a6dyBNivMm83AjBIGGOzcEkGUmP/s750/16e66bf114e146ee16a70cd95e393c45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="750" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1nF3pM7-8Wv5a0MViYPrnMWCNjgUJqmJ_h9BVDJMJBxmmba2JK8V9_dJyvF-WLK2QyZIRwNE7IRzUlplN4YcrrJUa-Cr-0ia7pVeUXUteZfWhEo17BjZUfZS4sWrWkY_5YJ2ZT7WwvpSLRKlFesnh1CwAsk3k9gt3a6dyBNivMm83AjBIGGOzcEkGUmP/w400-h261/16e66bf114e146ee16a70cd95e393c45.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The landlord for the flat upstairs has been in repeatedly to try and fix it but still it persists. Sometimes we have a whole week without water coming through but at others its poured through resulting in a kitchen we can't really use until repairs are complete.</p><p>Unsurprisingly this has been rather praying on my mind and while its currently slowed down somewhat, its a bit of a distraction from much needed hobby time.</p><p>Hopefully it will be properly fixed this weekend but until then, I doubt much hobby shenanigans will be had!</p><p>On a brighter note, I've got a few sculpts finished and hope to be able to show them soon which will then see my Leviathan project kicking off. In an attempt to distract myself further from the flood from above, I'm also going to revamp my original Leviathan blog and stock it up with rewritten and formatted articles about the original game. This will be a bit of a slow burn sort of project but once I've got the first few posts up, I'll share it here.</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-12352424643446911082024-02-05T14:29:00.002+00:002024-02-05T14:29:31.593+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Exploring Settings and Factions<p> Hi!</p><p>I've been sculpting furiously over the last week and have got the next batch of figures for my Leviathan project but as I'm trying to get an entire faction at least to a decently playable condition, it's taking a while but my Children of the Worm should be about ready to paint come this weekend which is great.</p><p>In the meantime, I thought I'd have a look at how to incorporate some of the obscure games from my collection into something a bit more focused, namely looking at setting a mini campaign in one of them.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fw3wAPZSr2gHp5oWRw8oVR3L3qnSZWfBxQP6jMyIdbHcQEJMjc4mSzPWd7PH8p42dIA0mwo-TKQm5Ddmi4Tr2apKJfQUKG3VhSuVsgXHEr8dhjEv8Qiq7GZlH6_DyFAPP7W9ZO7pcSs4GHHWju5wbiNtE3PR6a_g_6TIdLEE0Ae01XgTNv5qU2JxMOzQ/s1067/IMG_2613.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fw3wAPZSr2gHp5oWRw8oVR3L3qnSZWfBxQP6jMyIdbHcQEJMjc4mSzPWd7PH8p42dIA0mwo-TKQm5Ddmi4Tr2apKJfQUKG3VhSuVsgXHEr8dhjEv8Qiq7GZlH6_DyFAPP7W9ZO7pcSs4GHHWju5wbiNtE3PR6a_g_6TIdLEE0Ae01XgTNv5qU2JxMOzQ/w300-h400/IMG_2613.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>For this I've rummaged out my original Void 1.0 rulebook which has the rules and basic background for the game as well as core troop choices for each faction. Weighing in at 48 pages, the original Void rulebook is none the less a really great wee read, chock full of background that helps set the scene for the game that would develop over the following years.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd0bnCmQoVCcSbFyezCsDK2iwqGz9AxvbdxDFMBInz0zcXBGp-sU6-4A9MAoXtHrqJc2TezfEODi1RcPysgE9ZoCSu5bSIzbQJEfdqeoX1oTd5pdrNp541nK8IM_Twvm2qf6quT9fMlu3EoJfaSbvS0_tm1f8Wcj7sev3DH_E7KWSYJX61l1qimo1IN-3/s1128/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.54.18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1018" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd0bnCmQoVCcSbFyezCsDK2iwqGz9AxvbdxDFMBInz0zcXBGp-sU6-4A9MAoXtHrqJc2TezfEODi1RcPysgE9ZoCSu5bSIzbQJEfdqeoX1oTd5pdrNp541nK8IM_Twvm2qf6quT9fMlu3EoJfaSbvS0_tm1f8Wcj7sev3DH_E7KWSYJX61l1qimo1IN-3/w361-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.54.18.png" width="361" /></a></div><p></p><p>We have an outline of the civilisation, namely the Viridia Solaris-Leviathan binary system where humanity originated from. We then have a brief overview of the binary systems planets and brief history of how the civilisation, originating on Viridia spread initially throughout the system and began to squabble amongst each other resulting in war and a split between the Viridians, Junkers of Ironglass and the Syntha of Prime.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jWov2XK5zaCNfIu4x2U4ooj2FmfY2Y6N4weOS1KNJA2fNx8m2_C8Lb2G2jJ-P18AR35QYfLtr1knTUrdRCud8dbUNhdelbturmwdVrw5brD6y0Iw4t5a3havjXYSws0vYPPtBkHrPqOgsDOqnMY353SCGVmyCNnHIQ5MI_15BScj8regZFqshsw6q1Ga/s1368/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.52.40.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1058" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jWov2XK5zaCNfIu4x2U4ooj2FmfY2Y6N4weOS1KNJA2fNx8m2_C8Lb2G2jJ-P18AR35QYfLtr1knTUrdRCud8dbUNhdelbturmwdVrw5brD6y0Iw4t5a3havjXYSws0vYPPtBkHrPqOgsDOqnMY353SCGVmyCNnHIQ5MI_15BScj8regZFqshsw6q1Ga/w309-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.52.40.png" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also get a good overview of how FTL travel works in the setting, largely due to the gravity well of the dead star Leviathan and then the book explores each of the factions in greater length comparing everything from their commerce to military and politics which serves to give a good grounding on how each of said factions will operate in setting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB8xwGWG0HqfGwqfa2f9m3YRD4duiIcm6x8Z3z-E_QfRyAqqgoBKaLB74M8AtFURiFGU0sMKGNAzmzHeRLnobCR0EGhuAdRcQH_hI7vUzix42_W8OP28OKQ6p-3WZwk7dfCkBYdC9bJ1vPnIZ93299LWVUH35fVQ4jzI_TLwb43UiPwNCBj_cU1hM2oOu/s1454/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.48.51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1454" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB8xwGWG0HqfGwqfa2f9m3YRD4duiIcm6x8Z3z-E_QfRyAqqgoBKaLB74M8AtFURiFGU0sMKGNAzmzHeRLnobCR0EGhuAdRcQH_hI7vUzix42_W8OP28OKQ6p-3WZwk7dfCkBYdC9bJ1vPnIZ93299LWVUH35fVQ4jzI_TLwb43UiPwNCBj_cU1hM2oOu/w400-h289/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.48.51.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have the eco-capitalist Viridians who have a megacorporate democracy and generally good tech level. Its citizens are probably the freest of the settings societies but as they're working for the megacorporations, this is must be taken with a pinch of salt. Their military is well equipped but risk averse so rely more on well equipped troops who can hold the enemy off at range.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs71WpUuKRkQXu8W9LyRSqs7nm5zsXXtXZWFsyKMkI8agPnI0Jc-ajFoV3oJ3fvCUhQPaCAh6GYaeg6jYcX8Ga41n0y_Lk_rWSbqVJj_Rg1RND3F25HZVoS5GbGz_hPcTILmzUKft_RJPq4GpPTqQ6VWdVdV4u3JR21CMPoFm8A_YAlnD6yatR7NXaFyy/s1340/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.41.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1340" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs71WpUuKRkQXu8W9LyRSqs7nm5zsXXtXZWFsyKMkI8agPnI0Jc-ajFoV3oJ3fvCUhQPaCAh6GYaeg6jYcX8Ga41n0y_Lk_rWSbqVJj_Rg1RND3F25HZVoS5GbGz_hPcTILmzUKft_RJPq4GpPTqQ6VWdVdV4u3JR21CMPoFm8A_YAlnD6yatR7NXaFyy/w400-h211/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.41.29.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Junkers of Ironglass are a despotic society, loosely based on Rome with the basic citizens life being grim, hard and brutal, not to mention short. Coupled with their tendency to appropriate tech, planets and resources whenever possible, they're clearly not nice guys. The inner council of the Junker's senate aren't even known, so highly do they keep their secrecy. Military wise, the Junkers are numerous and eminently disposable with short range weapons better suited to close in firefights and assaults.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhNYBIae2rggmVA2esJfLIeldQaLq0FHwdmwohPxlis8y7v9hK3tLxD6RnEaDEkv12PqEID15a6W6rewZZJAV7PnAGML8CYrMU52Jo2YIBCH98qKkXdYov7HkYQw4Sy9JP8KOSm1oEdlsE2fG4Sm67vk2Iu8wtYVldOtXsFVNk6rH75MgvqxBZyuDdJni/s1454/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.50.15.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1454" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhNYBIae2rggmVA2esJfLIeldQaLq0FHwdmwohPxlis8y7v9hK3tLxD6RnEaDEkv12PqEID15a6W6rewZZJAV7PnAGML8CYrMU52Jo2YIBCH98qKkXdYov7HkYQw4Sy9JP8KOSm1oEdlsE2fG4Sm67vk2Iu8wtYVldOtXsFVNk6rH75MgvqxBZyuDdJni/w400-h285/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.50.15.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Syntha of Prime are a technocratic society who believe in melding humanity with machine and develop artificial intelligences using Prime Obsidian, a super rare material only found on their homeworld. Interestingly it is stated that there are two tiers of citizens, the lower class Synthetics such as AI's and synthetic beings while the upper is the Prosthene or cyborg humans. At the same time their society is guided by an AI called Prime. Unsurprisingly the Syntha rely on technology over numbers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvQjE4jvxPKxOf9S5z7A03kz9hzgw4X-uy2UYWxPFInzQQOS-mdSjzVGNkc3pn31s1U-r4fi11pE8631Men7na8VUIfrN0ViKVgpZ4OQ7QSaRquUKQyii8tK0TpZMzhoUwjXNsR-Qr856Su2fuHfPTC1f_RCkH0iRIvl7VKRFQUR2GsoMD9-hpCrTdya8/s1454/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.49.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1454" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvQjE4jvxPKxOf9S5z7A03kz9hzgw4X-uy2UYWxPFInzQQOS-mdSjzVGNkc3pn31s1U-r4fi11pE8631Men7na8VUIfrN0ViKVgpZ4OQ7QSaRquUKQyii8tK0TpZMzhoUwjXNsR-Qr856Su2fuHfPTC1f_RCkH0iRIvl7VKRFQUR2GsoMD9-hpCrTdya8/w400-h285/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.49.39.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally we have VASA or the Viridian Aeronautics and Space Agency who are based on Vacillus and are essentially a combination of scientific administrators, law enforcement, the UN and Nato. They seek to keep peace amongst the members of the Tripartite Confederacy. As such they have access to the best tech and gear and are pretty heavy handed in trying to stop humanity from both wiping itself out and in resisting the Korolan menace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This sort of information is really handy as it gives you so many handy hints and creative choices if you wish to incorporate the Void setting into your own games or wish to play the game as meant and I do like the fact its all pretty hard sci-fi without the whole mysticism or space fantasy of many other games. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGyGGhtigM8CbD6ZTXB7-pO6EawgWRCpvY_jvaJBS7d4OIsFmAR82_d4RY0OzhtM11-k7wjeLQB4173jyKQVXNQ1wPIhT8BB4ahHglNLb9QcU-1Bd3l1_FOuGqzNusDKh5vuuDnYucjg5SFMT8BLk4Y1XleG1MGw2hvLDCkjzmw4NT_UkcHWdmlICGhtt/s1186/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGyGGhtigM8CbD6ZTXB7-pO6EawgWRCpvY_jvaJBS7d4OIsFmAR82_d4RY0OzhtM11-k7wjeLQB4173jyKQVXNQ1wPIhT8BB4ahHglNLb9QcU-1Bd3l1_FOuGqzNusDKh5vuuDnYucjg5SFMT8BLk4Y1XleG1MGw2hvLDCkjzmw4NT_UkcHWdmlICGhtt/w270-h400/cover.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When you compare it to the older ruleset, Kryomek, you can absolutely see its influences with the Nexus Quarumate and its mixture of megacorporate shenanigans facing an implacable alien menace so it wouldn't take much work to combine the two with just a small amount of effort.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next we move onto the Void rules themselves, these are a nice, tight and quick skirmish set that is clearly aimed, at least initially at 30-40 figures a side. Looking at the rules, I see no reason why it won't work perfectly well for much smaller skirmishes with 5-10 figures fighting it out with only minor adjustments and may well be a way of trying out the game quickly and easily.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4T2i6mcsOic4Nwz0512esAOZmibZcYLxYgAZ8b8a7wr5fE1_Aiu6JqzgWnCnTVBgOCIV6qAJfff7ISOPPRTuxpo3R7nVHGQqN5RuCF9lH9kAOk4k_sXC5mJ88grK_L_-OpZsWcM2MoVo0TLvgPT9k86CM1P8wzdKxbsEsfFAqtjkwru9aozoNtQWdMn5t/s1454/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.48.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1454" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4T2i6mcsOic4Nwz0512esAOZmibZcYLxYgAZ8b8a7wr5fE1_Aiu6JqzgWnCnTVBgOCIV6qAJfff7ISOPPRTuxpo3R7nVHGQqN5RuCF9lH9kAOk4k_sXC5mJ88grK_L_-OpZsWcM2MoVo0TLvgPT9k86CM1P8wzdKxbsEsfFAqtjkwru9aozoNtQWdMn5t/w400-h289/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2011.48.16.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other option is to use the setting as a guide and instead of concentrating on the big sweeping stuff and instead get down to the nitty gritty. There are plenty of interesting options for the skirmish gamer by just reading the rules. I could easily imagine creating a small raiding party of Junkers seeking loot, Syntha scientific expedition protected by AI troopers, Viridian marines off on a bug hunt or even independent colonists trying to hold off one of the great powers who seek to incorporate them into their fold. VASA could be used as enforcer types, either NPCs with set objectives or as a punishment unleashed on any warband that gets too overpowered in a campaign.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dZqdsq2DDt9dG2vt9E8KvVjh3WU0LV2-GJbk1IOFQDVpCkrQG0yse53bOyY_Acv0QQ_2r7XOhnScjV6DVLQi-0bxkUN2RIpcYgSmV78GW0Vgqe8qIphK0nEWG01yZeb3E1X5Ws06lh0xsHxfh3Dx0Pfs_TwbK8HgFBvSZrnAVN5vN4eNeeTw1l5KKd7w/s1154/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2013.25.29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="1154" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dZqdsq2DDt9dG2vt9E8KvVjh3WU0LV2-GJbk1IOFQDVpCkrQG0yse53bOyY_Acv0QQ_2r7XOhnScjV6DVLQi-0bxkUN2RIpcYgSmV78GW0Vgqe8qIphK0nEWG01yZeb3E1X5Ws06lh0xsHxfh3Dx0Pfs_TwbK8HgFBvSZrnAVN5vN4eNeeTw1l5KKd7w/w400-h168/Screenshot%202024-02-05%20at%2013.25.29.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the criticisms I've head of Void is that it is a bit generic and the figures are bland and possibly compared to the super detailed and even fiddly stuff that GW produces, this is to some extent true but with a bit of a read of the rules and forethought, it does make for a really intriguing setting that lends itself to digging into and exploring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When you combine this with other rulebooks which are specifically aimed towards small skirmishes, such as Star Mogul or Planet 28, there's the framework for a gripping narrative to be explored in small scale.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Combined with the Battles With Miniatures magazines and Army Books, all freely available to download from Seb Games, there's a lot of inspiration to be found and I do look forward to porting Farpoint into it and seeing what I can come up with </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be posting more of my thoughts when using other games, specifically sci-fi for my next update and we shall see where it takes me but in the meantime, All the best!</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-69573059545386923542024-02-01T10:01:00.004+00:002024-02-01T10:01:54.186+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Leviathan<p> Hi!</p><p>I figured that after all this rummaging through my collection of obscure games, it was high time I actually posted about my main project this year, Leviathan!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aaYT4pi6efm1kjTm8tK5aiAXgB4wyKmkz9KifCUlogAKZxs6mm6_LOMDV3fQaszlGuvuh71YCz6OBRlB6lKPMMdzoJjnTkg6fOlZh_1FI36oaKbqottjbO3-gsfxf6BIAwa55RRlSf4LlhgtRWKAzWp-ChZpQM5iDFgV14YB9Uvuyuh5yWpPWUzW8igq/s1378/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="948" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aaYT4pi6efm1kjTm8tK5aiAXgB4wyKmkz9KifCUlogAKZxs6mm6_LOMDV3fQaszlGuvuh71YCz6OBRlB6lKPMMdzoJjnTkg6fOlZh_1FI36oaKbqottjbO3-gsfxf6BIAwa55RRlSf4LlhgtRWKAzWp-ChZpQM5iDFgV14YB9Uvuyuh5yWpPWUzW8igq/w275-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.31.png" width="275" /></a></div><p>Published in 1995 by Grendel Miniatures, Leviathan was a game that I discovered, like so many others, in Macs Models and was immediately fascinated by the stunning artwork produced by Adrian Smith. Macs Models even had lots of the original art up on the wall which I still regret not buying when they were available!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6NH8r_HIAtGVRXRvMRQ41l-QA3pvIr6n7uUuceObxh4oVH2DgpvSWr1tU0XMhs6P_Nj-_yM1Q8d60EGNoabF1ljMrpWOr7_saYdm2OnXGeNrQJriKOljoGcrFpmDWKaWOagwp6sX5m_Sozspfm3nDYA5-2iW1U_cjHMGZjpfyD2BhNXV5w17rMnuwxOI/s1270/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="874" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6NH8r_HIAtGVRXRvMRQ41l-QA3pvIr6n7uUuceObxh4oVH2DgpvSWr1tU0XMhs6P_Nj-_yM1Q8d60EGNoabF1ljMrpWOr7_saYdm2OnXGeNrQJriKOljoGcrFpmDWKaWOagwp6sX5m_Sozspfm3nDYA5-2iW1U_cjHMGZjpfyD2BhNXV5w17rMnuwxOI/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.47.png" width="220" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXc2qfdlPtZBkjI_q6m6ClpDFhIew-2nkD9-htuT7Wj_Phcnaz3UzdGQGjcJF34dPZQFIY5UGyLHl6YLUTVpgf93jHSWN4tQqrBpGZt2TUNqfE2F4Sq-nxG8kNYqK9eKXNtnSRKeQ-JERbwZhDWTehylhZFJecxQvjc-rr8A0fcNLeyMLJwnaqVgLriil/s1270/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="874" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXc2qfdlPtZBkjI_q6m6ClpDFhIew-2nkD9-htuT7Wj_Phcnaz3UzdGQGjcJF34dPZQFIY5UGyLHl6YLUTVpgf93jHSWN4tQqrBpGZt2TUNqfE2F4Sq-nxG8kNYqK9eKXNtnSRKeQ-JERbwZhDWTehylhZFJecxQvjc-rr8A0fcNLeyMLJwnaqVgLriil/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.01.59.png" width="220" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Unsurprisingly, I picked up the rulebook immediately and that was me. Sadly I didn't end up doing much with it until I headed off to university in 2006 where I arrived in Worcester, a city I'd only visited once and knew nobody having sold off literally every miniature I owned and most of the rulebooks and gaming magazines. While university was brilliant, I found myself hankering after miniatures and had for some reason, brought my rather battered copy of Leviathan with me and re-read it for the first time in over a decade.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqUGFZkmMqOu4At4AKgCap67tREb86JAmqLPYxNNLgoTk9SmpxV1YEXGsA0zEN2HjDNi9E5HXDjLQ5IPxud5160nDA3oX7GFkgv3Lz34I0hIzZePoWY8GorkGOTwZcGNtaUWa3XyB4hFdlNArLqYehC0Ih8dgPrYvfxmKQCGOvuzxm-hY010_KJymIpnw/s1150/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqUGFZkmMqOu4At4AKgCap67tREb86JAmqLPYxNNLgoTk9SmpxV1YEXGsA0zEN2HjDNi9E5HXDjLQ5IPxud5160nDA3oX7GFkgv3Lz34I0hIzZePoWY8GorkGOTwZcGNtaUWa3XyB4hFdlNArLqYehC0Ih8dgPrYvfxmKQCGOvuzxm-hY010_KJymIpnw/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.21.png" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqkJSpnarTMGwGUicLYtL8eb6PT6OzYgDH_iZ93yaEFAMgl0Ja4NB87Rc7k0sQIg0FQ7hY21gO57yWdjtrf96breG78tZAd4K_J9JLy5iXp8czRcwWDz0_I7WVvggM1DjSrkzE0_73PMvN0Ey2tfax-nGLmYOJAdcTAKlgZHSELkQt9veg9lIMttwQFub/s1150/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqkJSpnarTMGwGUicLYtL8eb6PT6OzYgDH_iZ93yaEFAMgl0Ja4NB87Rc7k0sQIg0FQ7hY21gO57yWdjtrf96breG78tZAd4K_J9JLy5iXp8czRcwWDz0_I7WVvggM1DjSrkzE0_73PMvN0Ey2tfax-nGLmYOJAdcTAKlgZHSELkQt9veg9lIMttwQFub/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.31.png" width="230" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here was a very different fantasy world from the GW Old World. It had suffered an apocalypse called The Death which saw the thrice cursed Elves break a great seal which unleashed the princes of the fallen upon the world. At the same time a great storm of wild magic roiled across the world, mutating, changing and causing vast destruction as it went and now the surviving races must fight to survive this harsh new world.</div><div><br /></div><div>The now throughly evil Elves squat in their great obelisks in the wastes ride forth to reconquer their shattered realm, accompanied by terrible monsters summoned from other realms and the warped remains of the dragons.</div><div><br /></div><div>The barbarian tribes of the North march to a final war to avenge the mutilation of the Earth Mother. They ride great razorback boars and have the power to warp themselves in a battle frenzy and their druids can summon elemental creatures to aid them in battle.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Orcs and their slaves, the Goblins pour from the endless plains of the east atop great lizards to ravage and claim the ruined world for themselves, driven on by their god Gorath who they summoned by the ritual sacrifice of all their shamans.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Dwarves, locked up in their subterranean holds survived The Death better than most and now emerge with blackpowder weaponry and great steam driven engines of destruction to hold their mountain fastnesses and drive back the forces who wish to destroy them.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh_HH1CZuwTZauGt9DAkaMaahs6ovX0IQ5BRe3Q60UH2ZEWGJO_RLAX9m7snjnzL2FSQDtLjgEWbGBGo5Z1WqaM3OJL9HcRD_zIEfhFlyTctWu9oZdNjdpESDpNXd8ZsOuDG-OLorCh-T_eQPyjMp3OEJp1y6mSW5VeaLmi-HtuLGnROf_hGeWMF5gala/s1150/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh_HH1CZuwTZauGt9DAkaMaahs6ovX0IQ5BRe3Q60UH2ZEWGJO_RLAX9m7snjnzL2FSQDtLjgEWbGBGo5Z1WqaM3OJL9HcRD_zIEfhFlyTctWu9oZdNjdpESDpNXd8ZsOuDG-OLorCh-T_eQPyjMp3OEJp1y6mSW5VeaLmi-HtuLGnROf_hGeWMF5gala/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.02.42.png" width="230" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The rules themselves are pretty interesting but do feel like they are aimed at two very different styles of game. On the one hand, the setting and big beasties that were created for the game work for either small scale skirmishes with 5-10 figures a side fighting for resources or up to a large warband of several units supported by a handful of larger monsters or war engines, somewhat like 40k 2nd edition.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rules themselves though seem to be aimed more towards Fantasy Battle sort of scale and need a 4'x8' board to play and regiments of troops fighting. At this level, it feels like it should have had a mass battle option with 10-15mm scale figures that would be better suited to the mass battle and mighty engines of war sort of thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite this, the game really appealed to me, and over the next few years, I picked up a lot of resin bits and bobs and even had a bash at creating usable warbands but the sheer size of the undertaking was too much and when I left uni, the project had stalled.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaJq_gJvRS1sbNyPUNCtIaRrGJzbCJrYsVIZIXbxTrLyzS4rrQZgMgVBPlRSpolxQUOgabJGKVnAXAeQglncr6m1I50jLSmwsEvZq6PGgkaIQ-OMAu9lAZyfSQaqMcwErXZvIDgxoSlRvyozVB39548rx3i7ke9HDCoOQx8Kf0JMlbReTuqIskF4QUS5S/s1060/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaJq_gJvRS1sbNyPUNCtIaRrGJzbCJrYsVIZIXbxTrLyzS4rrQZgMgVBPlRSpolxQUOgabJGKVnAXAeQglncr6m1I50jLSmwsEvZq6PGgkaIQ-OMAu9lAZyfSQaqMcwErXZvIDgxoSlRvyozVB39548rx3i7ke9HDCoOQx8Kf0JMlbReTuqIskF4QUS5S/w249-h320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.01.png" width="249" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCSEH9GBDna5LKPWlzuRP1WjY-0usc33SYILB1w4x-kVUXuK5vCqkCFFV6Uti0B2wIAI6MTzmXQQbTXVCwKEtm38gulQp3RICWCQFz7_X7cNXeGaG2h0AfZ-HRtjfuZrdDzqwDNFUkmYUTtasLgjDV0cK6luepjafauJg0Wae02L9ZQPMXILRbfuB5NIc/s1190/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCSEH9GBDna5LKPWlzuRP1WjY-0usc33SYILB1w4x-kVUXuK5vCqkCFFV6Uti0B2wIAI6MTzmXQQbTXVCwKEtm38gulQp3RICWCQFz7_X7cNXeGaG2h0AfZ-HRtjfuZrdDzqwDNFUkmYUTtasLgjDV0cK6luepjafauJg0Wae02L9ZQPMXILRbfuB5NIc/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.14.png" width="222" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Over the next decade or so, I've tried to restart the game with limited success, managing to play a game each year using cardboard tokens to represent units and it actually worked pretty well but there is no substitute for a proper miniature game with painted miniatures.</div><div><br /></div><div>This saw the birth of the Boar Company with their leader Grimli who I've sculpted in different scales over the years and their ongoing rivalry with their nemesis, Marik Goldhelm, a rogue wizard and much enjoyment has been had from it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lOE5CLvDx0TBpHEM65uDOCPEDCjseZG2uobL9U-stWtfkdz3QGmpD4pSgUUAnAlNjfWKWdlVKXlQnMuOAiAZFJvg6X0c1G8CPF13rV8m_2R7Vu4H2XTJRfURCRXG7leOSqTlcFB9d0uJVdm1V52tskypD5LLFHO62UofCtkJHonqdgfORaV_yrvW6Dlt/s860/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="814" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lOE5CLvDx0TBpHEM65uDOCPEDCjseZG2uobL9U-stWtfkdz3QGmpD4pSgUUAnAlNjfWKWdlVKXlQnMuOAiAZFJvg6X0c1G8CPF13rV8m_2R7Vu4H2XTJRfURCRXG7leOSqTlcFB9d0uJVdm1V52tskypD5LLFHO62UofCtkJHonqdgfORaV_yrvW6Dlt/w379-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.39.png" width="379" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Similarly, as I played a small skirmish game using the setting, rather than the rules, the setting began to morph and change, with a new background forming until it was very much an original beast in its own right.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Elves were now the remnants of an interstellar empire who unleashed The Death by creating a fell magitech machine to fight a foe so terrible that in defeating it, the Elves cursed themselves. Now there are multiple factions of them squabbling over the ruins. Some remain true to their original selves, others have fallen to evil or genetic modification or even magitech addiction.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Orcs became Gorathians, soldiers from another world who the Elves used as footsoldiers in their wars who seek to return to their own world and will destroy all who stand in their way. They have access to crude blackpowder weaponry and when combined with their command of saurian mounts are a force to be reckoned with.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Dwarves are engineers and builders whom the Elves had used to build their vast obelisk palaces and create the engines of war but turned against them when they turned on The Machine and now seek to bring order to the chaotic wastelands of Aeroth. They make use of technology and engineering but slowly turn to stone as they age so even their ancestors are still around and their souls can be implanted into machines to march to war along with their kin.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Barbarians are the hardened survivors of The Death who roam the world in warbands seeking a new and safe homeland following the destruction wrought by the Elves. Once slaves to the Elves they are free people but live a hard, nomadic life of raiders and are somewhat like a combination of Mad Max and Slaine...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjzMbLMWigt1Rho7Fyer9cyNOAIP_7nE58S2WgIFwh2YR_ypzx0_KtCjyTqLD6fn9fxksMm2Xp07eGOEm2vNBoRklHZ42-OV6f6AJSghqKjxhH7iWJdVV1cnzjlElf3DfcuXsEHxz_dAUv6l9dj0-gSf6fnv3Na9TRDOIRkBRo9kHKLF2ut8lf0XaCHmn/s860/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="814" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjzMbLMWigt1Rho7Fyer9cyNOAIP_7nE58S2WgIFwh2YR_ypzx0_KtCjyTqLD6fn9fxksMm2Xp07eGOEm2vNBoRklHZ42-OV6f6AJSghqKjxhH7iWJdVV1cnzjlElf3DfcuXsEHxz_dAUv6l9dj0-gSf6fnv3Na9TRDOIRkBRo9kHKLF2ut8lf0XaCHmn/w379-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.03.46.png" width="379" /></a></div><div><br /></div>As the setting started developing off on a tangent, the background becoming very different from the original, I started moving away from the old resin sculpts and even the style of game that the original Leviathan rules were aimed towards and I have to say that I don't regret it as I've had a huge amount of enjoyment from putting together my own world and sculpting my own figures but I do find myself hankering after at least putting the original Leviathan to bed by completing at least one small warband using the original figures...</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBhf2HPlDV1ACZZcQvVUSQOmxmj6mkPJm0ztn4PWzB0e0QfDFyQnalDbughd4YLsQcHN6x3JhSbT3LCTSyy4FMFctEnPPaAOGeljGhobK24V1rlDRlW-PfUaj-Ba1ATYbRul3EJkvwrBB-wey1b7flDHR_RHJGMfBdUdn8NnD6LjXpmRw0OEfO2qV0JS9/s1374/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.04.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1246" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBhf2HPlDV1ACZZcQvVUSQOmxmj6mkPJm0ztn4PWzB0e0QfDFyQnalDbughd4YLsQcHN6x3JhSbT3LCTSyy4FMFctEnPPaAOGeljGhobK24V1rlDRlW-PfUaj-Ba1ATYbRul3EJkvwrBB-wey1b7flDHR_RHJGMfBdUdn8NnD6LjXpmRw0OEfO2qV0JS9/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.04.21.png" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB61r7oDwgyBjvCLrAf6KSGKacLXsPN61T6-bU5-SEQrUPhvcKzBk8F8hQMGzyr5BkEkIxZOwDs_uniSHtdpO_bMlFqGMfg5pQ7dlv8proRlvAoh9BelaB6-OqHcHAuWGXQQfsYfl3XX9fmo8hLyd4Rc83AjI6uDOon2RoRjoPMNvRrmd6tNDZXOq_2Qc/s1194/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.04.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="834" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB61r7oDwgyBjvCLrAf6KSGKacLXsPN61T6-bU5-SEQrUPhvcKzBk8F8hQMGzyr5BkEkIxZOwDs_uniSHtdpO_bMlFqGMfg5pQ7dlv8proRlvAoh9BelaB6-OqHcHAuWGXQQfsYfl3XX9fmo8hLyd4Rc83AjI6uDOon2RoRjoPMNvRrmd6tNDZXOq_2Qc/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.04.46.png" width="224" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I still have a fair amount of resin miniatures from the range which could be put to good use so maybe this year will see me work towards getting a warband constructed and painted but I suspect that this is going to be beyond my abilities, if for no other reason storage for large painted resin miniatures is a bit of a nightmare and I just don't have the space for more than a 3'x3' board making gaming the original rules somewhat of an impossibility.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCcboePzVDCQVADChNkrx2WDQ3xfTGsOoJZYMeIhGb9qeCNYmTQb5kIYbULjGqAs9XIyrRgJxj2jCtE6YgpDXU7PvCGuIKzbz7JtuHjSUUITQ5QvZ_Xu-qbaiTk1ug8FIWEajWLWe_iqJcreYjhKds1O4nePTbOeAoFnyBNqxiVZjHNGgQV-KuhAne0wJ/s1322/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.05.18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1322" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCcboePzVDCQVADChNkrx2WDQ3xfTGsOoJZYMeIhGb9qeCNYmTQb5kIYbULjGqAs9XIyrRgJxj2jCtE6YgpDXU7PvCGuIKzbz7JtuHjSUUITQ5QvZ_Xu-qbaiTk1ug8FIWEajWLWe_iqJcreYjhKds1O4nePTbOeAoFnyBNqxiVZjHNGgQV-KuhAne0wJ/w400-h270/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.05.18.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So where does this leave me? I do have plenty of options to use other rulesets but using the original setting to create some really interesting gaming. For example, how about using Frostgrave to represent different magic users investigating the ruined megacities of Aeroth in search of lost lore.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers of Shadowdeep, Five Leagues from the Borderlands or Brutalquest could see brave bands of adventurers exploring the ruined wastelands and fighting dire foes to keep their homes safe from the perils of the post Death world.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's even options for creating larger warbands with 30-40 figures to duke it out with each other with Rogue Trader or No Quarter so I do still have options!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrhJ2CBnQtFfdhCvlg3kLjseFv5GthxdTjKiIrLuZIPyxIGmmDZE8o5WOfLEnqMF-2P_gUhSKzJ9O_Li1K7FVIUFBqhtF1WYUA6wo9n5Cpcr-e0t0dFXcz3xbSgBvB8TS2rx_6N3rAz-Ix84OtRSxuiUc0CTOUTW5bsDxWHdEcU6Wle_aSalU8qedJuA4/s966/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.05.57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrhJ2CBnQtFfdhCvlg3kLjseFv5GthxdTjKiIrLuZIPyxIGmmDZE8o5WOfLEnqMF-2P_gUhSKzJ9O_Li1K7FVIUFBqhtF1WYUA6wo9n5Cpcr-e0t0dFXcz3xbSgBvB8TS2rx_6N3rAz-Ix84OtRSxuiUc0CTOUTW5bsDxWHdEcU6Wle_aSalU8qedJuA4/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-01%20at%2009.05.57.png" width="296" /></a></div><div><br /></div>At present, I've ben trying to get more of my SD sculpts finished that will represent the Children of the Worm, worhshippers of a great white worm that inhabits the southern deserts whose flesh, if consumed gives the gift of unlife so expect to see some fresh fights and rivals for the Boar Company.</div><div><br /></div><div>But this approach is very slow as I can only sculpt about 4-5 figures a week and when you include painting, this stretches things out even more so I may end up with a bit of a two pronged approach to things and create some mini challenges of a Leviathan theme throughout the year, be it creating a couple of warbands for Brutalquest using pre-existing miniatures and building them up to Frostgrave levels or making scenery suited to the setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coupled with this, I do find myself being drawn to another project, namely Void 1.1. With the upcoming release of Void 2.0 by Seb Games, I do think it would be fun to do a bit of an army challenge sort of thing where I give myself 3 months to paint one of the army starter boxes and then bulk it out to a full 1500 point army (which isn't too much of a challenge when that would be 30-40 figures and a vehicle or two).</div><div><br /></div><div>This would give me lots to be getting on with and should keep me from burning out or losing motivation which is something I have had to deal with in the past, especially with Leviathan.</div><div><br /></div><div>We shall see what I get through in the coming months but I do plan on trying out as many rulesets as I can this year (my record is currently 7 different rulesets played in a single year and I'm keen to break this!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully I'll get myself in gear to make a start on the somewhat nebulous projects in the coming weeks but until then, All the best!</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-19137269129557806152024-01-31T13:34:00.001+00:002024-01-31T13:34:55.094+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games Bonus Edition! Void 1.1<p> Hi!</p><p>I had planned on getting on with finishing off some sculpts that I've been working on this week but a pounding headache saw tools downed for the day.</p><p>It appears that I've been reading, drawing and sculpting more than usual during my hols which has resulted in brain ache but it seems to be relenting somewhat so I thought I'd add a bonus obscure game to the mix and settled on Void 1.1 originally produced by i-Kore back in 2000.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ86higPj_D9yRkqc-xSxM1B01536wS_7srE5ZbETBQINE9kfMlsO0xsntSJzy9-Dt8C5nBOmatNuJNzxPuchIe7Fs5QCu94N71SpvCIX-QQ-WtEDUUbfzxDiD6JkvZO9IpX7oXlA2Du2gKzs1-UkEcf9uosO7Quf05NUzvo9ZYLNiT-LlooiJoB_CMrV/s600/pic77875.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="425" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ86higPj_D9yRkqc-xSxM1B01536wS_7srE5ZbETBQINE9kfMlsO0xsntSJzy9-Dt8C5nBOmatNuJNzxPuchIe7Fs5QCu94N71SpvCIX-QQ-WtEDUUbfzxDiD6JkvZO9IpX7oXlA2Du2gKzs1-UkEcf9uosO7Quf05NUzvo9ZYLNiT-LlooiJoB_CMrV/w284-h400/pic77875.webp" width="284" /></a></div><br />It appeared shortly after the sad demise of Warzone and had much of the team from back in the Grendel and Fantasy Forge days and from what I can gather from chatter back then, it had initially been intended to be Kryomek 2.0 but with the weird split between UK and UK ownership, we ended up with something completely different, yet at the same time familiar.<p></p><p>Artwork was initially supplied by Stuart Beel who had done much of the art for Warzone and I remember hearing that quite a few of the original miniatures for the human factions were leftovers from the 2nd edition of Warzone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmQjWGw8riZFbhqnTIyh3fT2YqzTBonrYHCHCu4i_HsD2I7LYu7ZdLqHYrHrwPIIrZbNoBLKWnxHPF6wAm8aIQucmZHyn0BfPkBegj7vDyNIx5R5zki-d6XG5VTrEcWNrPihWs4Xvd-URVmfvHXfCuR1GnkAoeKF7yMl7uA_MTdBjGrV3YSOgHbmRGkc6/s1060/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.32.12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmQjWGw8riZFbhqnTIyh3fT2YqzTBonrYHCHCu4i_HsD2I7LYu7ZdLqHYrHrwPIIrZbNoBLKWnxHPF6wAm8aIQucmZHyn0BfPkBegj7vDyNIx5R5zki-d6XG5VTrEcWNrPihWs4Xvd-URVmfvHXfCuR1GnkAoeKF7yMl7uA_MTdBjGrV3YSOgHbmRGkc6/w356-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.32.12.png" width="356" /></a></div><p>The setting revolves around the the uneasy alliances of the Viridians, Junkers, Syntha and policed by VASA who encounter the alien menace, the Koralon out on the frontier resulting in everyone fighting to claim worlds, defeat the alien menace and generally stabbing each other in the back.</p><p>This background is remarkably similar to the Kryomek one but instead of borrowing from the 80's sci-fi style of the Aliens movies, it went in a more anime direction. Tech is smooth and sleek, colours are bright and the rules were a lot sleeker than its ancestor.</p><p>I remember when the first release of the game came out and was basically a small rulebook and collectors magazine along with the core forces for each of the factions, several of which could be used by everyone. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixg-86uPOsaNknJXRDDyNIqVr1yBYJ6svCECjz5qYQodCDC0HtkHej51ZMTKET6J1_X8JcoCe9edLxQlZG6Z1sAwLah5t62lo-5BLvy-cHDcWmpEvWaHZQbv-dvZjww9W1QdZ1n7j1nGC8acMvaOHNfjS-qjYEfPeBqWczVMOD8OL8-TTjt0SZaGEVI5ID/s894/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.32.48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="654" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixg-86uPOsaNknJXRDDyNIqVr1yBYJ6svCECjz5qYQodCDC0HtkHej51ZMTKET6J1_X8JcoCe9edLxQlZG6Z1sAwLah5t62lo-5BLvy-cHDcWmpEvWaHZQbv-dvZjww9W1QdZ1n7j1nGC8acMvaOHNfjS-qjYEfPeBqWczVMOD8OL8-TTjt0SZaGEVI5ID/w293-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.32.48.png" width="293" /></a></div><p>This approach was pretty brilliant as it allowed you to collect a decent range of force from the miniatures that were released and every month following, we got a new Battles With Miniatures magazine that laid out more of the background and introduced new units.</p><p>Eventually 2nd edition arrived which saw a release of proper force books with several cover illustrations by Adrian Smith, who had worked on Kryomek and Leviathan as well as going onto really develop GW's chaos look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGw_FMWmsLAqK58AeEioWuyFaDUclmsksr9PvpDyAOc_KLgUoatKJQGvgxouB7saPOp-nugF6LEEcaGhtswhQaBacZpVlIbAYMpr7G4a19sgrUuCo-f8LSxwxJs2O0UPfKjOslJNd1tFtpdxXKI7kzwAftSW6BF9BC0Wj3K9N16O8jcgwx5GrhrAtfTWc/s1030/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.34.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGw_FMWmsLAqK58AeEioWuyFaDUclmsksr9PvpDyAOc_KLgUoatKJQGvgxouB7saPOp-nugF6LEEcaGhtswhQaBacZpVlIbAYMpr7G4a19sgrUuCo-f8LSxwxJs2O0UPfKjOslJNd1tFtpdxXKI7kzwAftSW6BF9BC0Wj3K9N16O8jcgwx5GrhrAtfTWc/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.34.04.png" width="285" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YKi41pxz_MzEn9Nuw6dwwxa-lTPxYsaPiSzl16XA4dxa1DfZ3_TpkE0KHZCtstgWswBln8WgP1G5x-wtcJlEMJG0Sb4mkpvWaY5idxoLyjhVAeAq1ro-QEz3C_XE91gF6vMO3nAFZo-4Cl9M_oWL3FxkDeuMzJ3tS1yfI-EUZUQfkcxYfoYggiwyxsZO/s1030/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.34.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YKi41pxz_MzEn9Nuw6dwwxa-lTPxYsaPiSzl16XA4dxa1DfZ3_TpkE0KHZCtstgWswBln8WgP1G5x-wtcJlEMJG0Sb4mkpvWaY5idxoLyjhVAeAq1ro-QEz3C_XE91gF6vMO3nAFZo-4Cl9M_oWL3FxkDeuMzJ3tS1yfI-EUZUQfkcxYfoYggiwyxsZO/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.34.17.png" width="285" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Similarly the rules were tweaked to encourage somewhat larger games, much like the difference between 2nd and 3rd edition 40k but not as drastic a change so instead of fielding 3-4 squads of 5-10 figures a side, we had a starter set with fifty miniatures which you could build on to create fairly large armies.<div><br /></div><div>By this point, the forces that were available had really started to develop into unique factions with the Viridians riding around on dinosaurs but also having jungle commandos and elite power armour, the Junkers being a bit of a cross between Kryomek Cyclos, Mad Max and the Roman Legions and relying on sheer numbers to win the day. Syntha are high tech with lots of robotic assets, again much like the AI units in Kryomek while VASA has lots of high mobility and peacekeeper type figures as well as stompy robot suits.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR88BWNg3PQeN4se3YOxg20vTWsGaJC1Et6hFRvb5gHKiNd5XTxXLOpJeo_W1x1nkou-AYcDf5J-1pNgL_uBfA1IQrKRWEsEE4f_lNw91CbpEG1y_C5HqTYbnVKHSY54pN1hBuwPkB25XI8dbmeQl9of4QtAGzeM65SgdIDGv9ssxpkecQIZLBKWgdRMUK/s1030/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.33.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="916" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR88BWNg3PQeN4se3YOxg20vTWsGaJC1Et6hFRvb5gHKiNd5XTxXLOpJeo_W1x1nkou-AYcDf5J-1pNgL_uBfA1IQrKRWEsEE4f_lNw91CbpEG1y_C5HqTYbnVKHSY54pN1hBuwPkB25XI8dbmeQl9of4QtAGzeM65SgdIDGv9ssxpkecQIZLBKWgdRMUK/w356-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.33.17.png" width="356" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The least complete force was actually the Koralon, whose sculpts were decidedly hit or miss and described in the background as sluglike. This was remedied somewhat by the redesign that Adrian Smith worked on for the Koralon forcebook which made them much more menacing and more like the Thing than had really been explored in their previous iteration.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B0GeiOEOn6aqVIOJdYn6Ux2f6R2QgGt0OxGvwPSADDmO9dfM3SNQAo4D_VF0uC3IJK9izmV6uQdnD_tikVTn8AfaTTFU88NkH-xYovqHpewuWuUK6gF_vfTnW-T7HbUEOWXye4NNfm5Y0INdkTBZ5-GQpf_OTSdDp0dA13HwU1IxIGHz9a5QtasguQP0/s400/ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B0GeiOEOn6aqVIOJdYn6Ux2f6R2QgGt0OxGvwPSADDmO9dfM3SNQAo4D_VF0uC3IJK9izmV6uQdnD_tikVTn8AfaTTFU88NkH-xYovqHpewuWuUK6gF_vfTnW-T7HbUEOWXye4NNfm5Y0INdkTBZ5-GQpf_OTSdDp0dA13HwU1IxIGHz9a5QtasguQP0/s320/ss.jpg" width="178" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD13f_9d4Eo2Sn-GP4em_yTS_Ciz5iEq2A2-h-SvJXylZO0CQfjb0KkB3z2aNs_Ae_yobArgdnVXXQf9iEeA3jR9mY5IaFyS7bBjGXEsvVtj8AwXNMSJggKofO3kxZWJAsVtzso3zVt4xx6QeJ7u2Q5-rWmOmfmvWxrZPsDkbJiHDpK_ntXAwLfozwiD4a/s1322/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.59.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD13f_9d4Eo2Sn-GP4em_yTS_Ciz5iEq2A2-h-SvJXylZO0CQfjb0KkB3z2aNs_Ae_yobArgdnVXXQf9iEeA3jR9mY5IaFyS7bBjGXEsvVtj8AwXNMSJggKofO3kxZWJAsVtzso3zVt4xx6QeJ7u2Q5-rWmOmfmvWxrZPsDkbJiHDpK_ntXAwLfozwiD4a/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2012.59.09.png" width="256" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly at this point i-Kore went bust, for reasons that we don't need to go into now but would reappear a few years later as Urban Mammoth which went onto further refine the game into Urban War, a much grittier and darker version of the setting and aimed towards small scale skirmishes on a single planet.</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point, I do think I'll take a look at it too but thats for another day as Void 1.1 has a lot of retro charm and fond memories for me as I remember playing the game at Borders Books in Edinburgh and collecting a decent sized Koralon and VASA force back in the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Handily Void 1.1 was initially picked up by Scotia Grendel (like so many other great games over the years) and is now being produced by <a href="https://www.seb-games.com/games/void/" target="_blank">SEB GAMES</a> who have got a Void 2.0 due out soon which I look forward to seeing and are slowly gearing up to not only get the full range re-released but it looks like theres some new stuff in the pipeline too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now hopefully my headache will clear and I'll be able to get on with some sculpting but in the meantime, All the best!</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-59749977824659193332024-01-30T14:47:00.001+00:002024-01-30T14:47:13.491+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: World of Twilight<p> Hi!</p><p>Today marks the end of my current run of articles on obscure games and todays is a bit of an outlier as The World of Twilight is a current game that is well supported with new releases and supplements and shows what a small, niche game can do if done well!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXFQamFrKJm_5nNsUu0zN_5edFP1LZxlwK59-h1fe2VvA-aaXqrTzb0yZWZiCiBjn_77iYmQ3qI4CaC2Il0YuOpkU_xf_rgBYmYLv6pnDvge1IOan07KbxU9ql3SKc3A1y7CRZhvFqQdl48tkOirdi92AXrBSYlDfUyq3X6vpOameAJ0QYNI_rqu4h08e/s960/logo-large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="960" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXFQamFrKJm_5nNsUu0zN_5edFP1LZxlwK59-h1fe2VvA-aaXqrTzb0yZWZiCiBjn_77iYmQ3qI4CaC2Il0YuOpkU_xf_rgBYmYLv6pnDvge1IOan07KbxU9ql3SKc3A1y7CRZhvFqQdl48tkOirdi92AXrBSYlDfUyq3X6vpOameAJ0QYNI_rqu4h08e/w400-h229/logo-large.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Twilight is without doubt the best looking and most original game I've seen in a long, long time. Started about 20 years ago by Mike Thorpe, and gradually developed through small kickstarter campaigns and a very loyal fanbase, the World of Twilight is a wonderful success story in the independent game sphere.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V-r28rBFfE5exB-0U9Jpg3MxNkoFnsta6s4apibUtyz0_0OexOeyj9YAZeT69paZGDdIzZ_w0CQeZ_IqVTDpXs2_N9TKJj-OUU07fk9fJb0OFuVwxKb1IyrF12oWcpI7v0iRawm8zAXf1q4bE4Ipk_IWoaGRCzXgScifvBLDVUOcpLimKsF5ly9xDOll/s601/RuleBook_LRG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V-r28rBFfE5exB-0U9Jpg3MxNkoFnsta6s4apibUtyz0_0OexOeyj9YAZeT69paZGDdIzZ_w0CQeZ_IqVTDpXs2_N9TKJj-OUU07fk9fJb0OFuVwxKb1IyrF12oWcpI7v0iRawm8zAXf1q4bE4Ipk_IWoaGRCzXgScifvBLDVUOcpLimKsF5ly9xDOll/w266-h400/RuleBook_LRG.png" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Through the creation of an utterly unique setting that has races of bipedal lizard like creatures who succeed in having massive amounts of character and personality in each sculpt and an ongoing and evolving setting which periodically introduces new factions, areas to explore and a stunning array of miniatures, Twilight is the sort of game I'd love to see more people trying to develop. </div><div><br /></div><div>Its whimsical and engaging with some dark elements such as can be seen in a Jim Henson film but isn't all grim and gritty and more importantly isn't trying to compete with the likes of GW. It is not a game of mass battles but heavily scenario driven with simple but engaging rules and each small beastie has a real personality that many of the bigger games lack.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKB_ry3mGlwq9P3SX9OG2To2Mc9j65Yn-jIoDerEoZDOBUV4IyZLOgGFqa9RoMxqjYzVskYg_EhtLwYHxYFKZScrlnX7_bM78QnMCmFxMoENjO8lMde1AP2opiP_ZpyfGboVNHkIJdlxefOIk3ljZ5xcWdaVYRhHZcqC-p_Mu0Jerpg2DtZD5j96Ajj55v/s244/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="207" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKB_ry3mGlwq9P3SX9OG2To2Mc9j65Yn-jIoDerEoZDOBUV4IyZLOgGFqa9RoMxqjYzVskYg_EhtLwYHxYFKZScrlnX7_bM78QnMCmFxMoENjO8lMde1AP2opiP_ZpyfGboVNHkIJdlxefOIk3ljZ5xcWdaVYRhHZcqC-p_Mu0Jerpg2DtZD5j96Ajj55v/w339-h400/images.jpg" width="339" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I love the fact that Mike has developed this whole fascinating ecosystem with unique societies, races and creatures that is at once grounded and magical and he's found this wonderful little niche where folks are drawn into joining him on the adventure of exploring the world he's spent decades developing.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9-IOm_RS70Zex9EKl83PfEKXdRaU7mHgcBeVvhkEEWZBOpf3XIFAgmwLr173sJelgWbxoM7AuiLoG-Bpc6dP5nsrLjWo1vYrO-UhZUvYHrt2izSddapPRFbkFaPBoXReiS16icZICz_ut4MSn-He_qIymHMRYSr6WRVg1CI1RnORnLDK0G55bhfJG8NH/s650/Anyaral_Map_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="650" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9-IOm_RS70Zex9EKl83PfEKXdRaU7mHgcBeVvhkEEWZBOpf3XIFAgmwLr173sJelgWbxoM7AuiLoG-Bpc6dP5nsrLjWo1vYrO-UhZUvYHrt2izSddapPRFbkFaPBoXReiS16icZICz_ut4MSn-He_qIymHMRYSr6WRVg1CI1RnORnLDK0G55bhfJG8NH/w400-h283/Anyaral_Map_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sadly I must admit that despite picking up a starter set during the lockdowns, I still haven't managed to paint up what I've got and have wandered off to do my own thing which is a real shame as there's so much to explore in the world of Twilight and alongside War of Ashes Shieldbash stands as truly original and different from the vast majority of games in my collection.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4hXUYGGoZOQWdtq0X7JGZiZsztFR89sSzKP6qGSbY1cwzpj9JbcpuHjUk4WwNp3FTyQdqXRqzWFCru0wGMNbyJyPW7nVU5kxCI4s1z02xVuqz4qsJhTWQSIbj8jrC68QSNkA-rSg_a6CU3zSgpFJsaxC5h_rhyphenhyphenQYCPIl12LrFOFp34Vr2uN4055LVOFJ/s512/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="512" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4hXUYGGoZOQWdtq0X7JGZiZsztFR89sSzKP6qGSbY1cwzpj9JbcpuHjUk4WwNp3FTyQdqXRqzWFCru0wGMNbyJyPW7nVU5kxCI4s1z02xVuqz4qsJhTWQSIbj8jrC68QSNkA-rSg_a6CU3zSgpFJsaxC5h_rhyphenhyphenQYCPIl12LrFOFp34Vr2uN4055LVOFJ/w400-h127/unnamed.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There's a thriving community of players, collectors and fans of Twilight but one doesn't see much on the interwebs of it. Instead there is this great little game that has chugged along, slowly developing into what we have now with multiple factions, guidebooks and some lovely sculpts, not only of combatants but also of the civilians of the world and the wild beasts that inhabit it.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtG-12Vct_W0u02j4FZRRLOa29ImcavTllh7D27wcX-WNo-hh7e7PlyzUAAdZJXLQxCeCGRThbXJki96R85XMc7OEXhJ6cu2Ae7VCeQ7atoWIgoqSumkdkAwvUrnDOCX6wZW0zuGX_XBgXAHw5_Ke_nPfZYCQfLO0550GOxwMMgKKjLBv3-F1Pmq32CZt/s1250/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.12.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1250" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtG-12Vct_W0u02j4FZRRLOa29ImcavTllh7D27wcX-WNo-hh7e7PlyzUAAdZJXLQxCeCGRThbXJki96R85XMc7OEXhJ6cu2Ae7VCeQ7atoWIgoqSumkdkAwvUrnDOCX6wZW0zuGX_XBgXAHw5_Ke_nPfZYCQfLO0550GOxwMMgKKjLBv3-F1Pmq32CZt/w400-h203/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.12.02.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I have to admit that while putting this article together I found myself wanting to rummage out the box of unpainted lead I have in my spare room and get painting as the game is just so beautiful looking with the creator developing something that manages to avoid all the usual fantasy tropes and cliches.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHI_Hl8NDiHEtZK4CXfIZhFfgRTZdQqWRVle8f1vAGC1lx-hSAzEM8IN4KIwsdxmlWh-w1poH9vh_abtkXAohTkGE0TeLH68coFchF0JbSU-9qpbE3m0LyMZO36u6NgYp6QEGDMAEMAaNQdjjjflhMHyVaQHxVFPh7ZzMMNr_MmtzrHeUXGqj1Fa_wCFX/s1124/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.30.07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1124" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHI_Hl8NDiHEtZK4CXfIZhFfgRTZdQqWRVle8f1vAGC1lx-hSAzEM8IN4KIwsdxmlWh-w1poH9vh_abtkXAohTkGE0TeLH68coFchF0JbSU-9qpbE3m0LyMZO36u6NgYp6QEGDMAEMAaNQdjjjflhMHyVaQHxVFPh7ZzMMNr_MmtzrHeUXGqj1Fa_wCFX/w400-h284/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.30.07.png" width="400" /></a></div>The game rules themselves are easy to learn and quick to pick up and as you don't need many figures to play, its easy to get into and even if you don't end up playing, the figures are really nicely sculpted and lend themselves to painting really well too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT_jDlWXTHEaDd-y3fShHp9alZW-N8DvkeF4qfRXrqvgiIMh95oFYmHVOoZEwxksoT_VZYGTg940a3e4zueZnEUmI8kxwO839Ls1wNWmCelJRNk-O2DKWMDZ1ytWG6sea3r45GsOQFaa-E1tu3URnq0VYAeZPIncohRuiu7ARQPygm3Qp52NWZZwQq3JU/s1230/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.30.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1172" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT_jDlWXTHEaDd-y3fShHp9alZW-N8DvkeF4qfRXrqvgiIMh95oFYmHVOoZEwxksoT_VZYGTg940a3e4zueZnEUmI8kxwO839Ls1wNWmCelJRNk-O2DKWMDZ1ytWG6sea3r45GsOQFaa-E1tu3URnq0VYAeZPIncohRuiu7ARQPygm3Qp52NWZZwQq3JU/w381-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-30%20at%2014.30.32.png" width="381" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking at the rules again as well as perusing the <a href="http://worldoftwilight.com/" target="_blank">WORLD OF TWILIGHT</a> website I find myself drawn to the game all over again and really will need to find the figures and paint them up as its got pretty much everything I'm looking for: It's quirky, original and doesn't require a large outlay to get enough figures to play a good game. It's also fully supported and getting regular releases which is a real boon too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you haven't heard of the World of Twilight, I highly recommend you take a peek as its brilliantly engaging and one of the highlights of putting these articles together has been reminding me that I actually have it and the game exists and is so visually appealing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope folks have enjoyed my series of articles and I think one of the things I want to do as the year goes on is to actually get some figures painted up so I can play some of them! In some cases this may be fairly straight forward as the figures are either in my collection or available to order but in others I may have to proxy stuff...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We shall see what I can do as we trundle through the year but this retrospective has been a really enjoyable process for me as it has reinforced my enjoyment of old, obscure or niche games and reinforces my decision back in the day to leave the GW hobby and going forward I suspect I'll have a lot more interesting stuff to post about as I've barely scratched the surface with my collection.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the meantime, All the best!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Richard</div><p><br /></p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-20823943501470154842024-01-29T20:39:00.001+00:002024-01-29T20:39:12.933+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Kryomek<p> Hi!</p><p>Todays post is all about another early 90's game that is still in production but hasn't seen any developments or indeed releases in decades.</p><p>Krymomek is a game originally produced by Fantasy Forge in 1991 and is very much in the style of the Alien movie franchise.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s1sUIenipAOy8G50oPT5AgfoIBzG7GiHKY9rcxNkGla6O8iwyp2vhtsGqzkYxWE8T6aWawVnnpr5qV-NtVnqoEynM4zd5DjFvaQLkj6-6EgSG3tVW2NcVGoaskXjqvp4ZuOEe4-aqeBBlqLVyoS_jo_GzrGRpf0ZLDTpw9J15NHRiJqzwmxAePyGFLuZ/s1348/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.55.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="914" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s1sUIenipAOy8G50oPT5AgfoIBzG7GiHKY9rcxNkGla6O8iwyp2vhtsGqzkYxWE8T6aWawVnnpr5qV-NtVnqoEynM4zd5DjFvaQLkj6-6EgSG3tVW2NcVGoaskXjqvp4ZuOEe4-aqeBBlqLVyoS_jo_GzrGRpf0ZLDTpw9J15NHRiJqzwmxAePyGFLuZ/w271-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.55.21.png" width="271" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I picked up the original rules and its supplement Hivestone from Macs Models in Edinburgh (they're their original demo copy!) and it was one of the first non GW books that made its way into my collection and its stuck with me all these years.<div><br /></div><div>Setting wise, its about a human based spacefaring race that jumps into undiscovered space and finds out that they are not alone. The Kryomek are highly aggressive and a galactic war immediately breaks out with both races trying to wipe the other out.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE54OJPCeGvc0vCSSzsZCHeCFsxuG_gTquYhHD66VD8Jogx_rdsE58cfkxT0jN1FIIOqIb_FmPJYaGsW1DNSdReIGhpCqmrLgYQkuJNpHUjLzSiXr2G4Vyn54XGcxfY4GIxYatgXKy7JbBotA53D6Go0Z1QvABFDUbSIqxd00wCaOkECA7JPXsHWpJLfjz/s1000/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.55.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE54OJPCeGvc0vCSSzsZCHeCFsxuG_gTquYhHD66VD8Jogx_rdsE58cfkxT0jN1FIIOqIb_FmPJYaGsW1DNSdReIGhpCqmrLgYQkuJNpHUjLzSiXr2G4Vyn54XGcxfY4GIxYatgXKy7JbBotA53D6Go0Z1QvABFDUbSIqxd00wCaOkECA7JPXsHWpJLfjz/w183-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.55.40.png" width="183" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-I4EKM00Bn4iz0C6Wl7Fu-vwY3cn1BWMzngm7c5aE37OK_Ci5ydcXHHIcDwrZW1GxMTa2TCUCIuw23TYc1fSSKonJJXzcuCfLASnGO_duFH4euFgKQgPcJ27kPVTwpn7eYTY7JAvI1i98fa8WUPEucIsNbHFNd26ui0XcVljUoZ76029R6XDamnbcMJI/s1280/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-I4EKM00Bn4iz0C6Wl7Fu-vwY3cn1BWMzngm7c5aE37OK_Ci5ydcXHHIcDwrZW1GxMTa2TCUCIuw23TYc1fSSKonJJXzcuCfLASnGO_duFH4euFgKQgPcJ27kPVTwpn7eYTY7JAvI1i98fa8WUPEucIsNbHFNd26ui0XcVljUoZ76029R6XDamnbcMJI/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.00.png" width="273" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The rules themselves are based on Stargrunt 1st edition and is aimed at the squad to platoon level with the odd vehicle. Interestingly this seems to jar with the background as its all about either mass battles between the Nexus and Kryomek or small squads infiltrating the Kryomek hives trying to locate the Hive Masters, the brain that motivates the antlike xenos.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking back at it, it feels like there should have been a 28mm skirmish style of game with a single squad trying to fight its way through a hive with specific objectives along the way or clearing out infestations like Space Hulk. A second, larger combined arms game in 6/10/15mm scale where you could make the most of the epic conflicts mentioned in the background. It does feel that this was designed with 40k in mind though.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpeIiM022frBYA2scoIHVZI9fLMrQjNRjAfPcfClLevLr1O9J0CYf6VuFFQLtuszF3xkTDMoArFKnCGsLh4CzJ4yArtgtZdHnlxCmzB1opPlIyGyexUsGSJRVPoIIqlt21A9IpbGjAYBM6OGCgG05QUKOh-sIT3y9Xm6ZKgYPhJ0JCtz8q4gt0TU6qH_n/s1280/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpeIiM022frBYA2scoIHVZI9fLMrQjNRjAfPcfClLevLr1O9J0CYf6VuFFQLtuszF3xkTDMoArFKnCGsLh4CzJ4yArtgtZdHnlxCmzB1opPlIyGyexUsGSJRVPoIIqlt21A9IpbGjAYBM6OGCgG05QUKOh-sIT3y9Xm6ZKgYPhJ0JCtz8q4gt0TU6qH_n/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.13.png" width="273" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu4dHlkyHnhUPft1fQ2eTwKrOqy7NvnjzAar7hL9qQQdh87CydgxdrS_cLRtUmhaU67DPJU14YsA5VZBhXT59sFNDPom66PWbheOqZNt5Bu1LifdxphsHzqSQ_rUjUn26spuAdkcHo5yViwJ05pRRVOTM2Yw0hPQiraVXavSpsG6w_zqHp22_5ErV_HwD/s1214/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu4dHlkyHnhUPft1fQ2eTwKrOqy7NvnjzAar7hL9qQQdh87CydgxdrS_cLRtUmhaU67DPJU14YsA5VZBhXT59sFNDPom66PWbheOqZNt5Bu1LifdxphsHzqSQ_rUjUn26spuAdkcHo5yViwJ05pRRVOTM2Yw0hPQiraVXavSpsG6w_zqHp22_5ErV_HwD/w248-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.33.png" width="248" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I must admit that the rules themselves weren't what attracted me to Kryomek though, its the background and art. Its a hard sci-fi setting that you can totally imagine being set within the Alien universe with humans using guns and robots to take on a close combat themed enemy. The artwork is also superb, with the likes of Adrian Smith, Tony Ackland, Pete Knifton and Stephan Tappin, all ex GW artists as well as Chaz Elliot, Colin MacNeil and Bob Olley sculpting much of the range, also all ex GW sculptors.</div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHrDn8DGZ1j_CpRAPIZXlP5K7AHZPamSYvtDKrYq6xBWlzdOrdpd5RfK_zJWXIZ7cbz0E6wN3Iv6a66kY41e74DnHK-jPSUb69HQzNeRxQ3MY513ETn-CG_qKghuG0uN1oNCwAGUftAcbhtyg9q4OgPz1c8wEpy9VRenPBFa44gXB3WE9GHQmtATxEwzN/s1556/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1556" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHrDn8DGZ1j_CpRAPIZXlP5K7AHZPamSYvtDKrYq6xBWlzdOrdpd5RfK_zJWXIZ7cbz0E6wN3Iv6a66kY41e74DnHK-jPSUb69HQzNeRxQ3MY513ETn-CG_qKghuG0uN1oNCwAGUftAcbhtyg9q4OgPz1c8wEpy9VRenPBFa44gXB3WE9GHQmtATxEwzN/w400-h198/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.56.58.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The combination of 80's style sci-fi high tech and the grotty, lived in artwork, like the image above (which totally reminds me of a Rogue Trader pic of two renegade marines) and the fascinating pseudo military scientific report that the background is written in, Kryomek is a fascinating object.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are only two forces in the original rules, the Nexus and the Kryomek. While the Kryomek are very much a horde type of alien menace with their forces consisting of ravenous Hellions, primitive bipedal eating machines, the Warriors, vaguely humanoid beasts with acidic blood and a variety of somatic weapons, be they single molecule blades or acid projectors. The big guys on the battlefield are snake bodied Warmasters, the driving force of the Kryomek on the battlefield.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the Nexus, they are split into several sub forces. There are Nexus Marines, essentially marines from Aliens with vests and guns. Next they have Nexus SWAT, power armoured and heavily armed elite troops. The final human option is the CYCLO convict troops who are used as suicide troops. The Nexus also have access to an assortment of AI units including the absolutely terrifying TALOS units and even light combat walkers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The supplement HIVESTONE brought in Nexus Rebels, Colonial Marines, Megacorporate forces as well new Kryomek sub-strains and an assortment of bits and bobs, not to mention the much needed force lists and point costs that the original book was missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Its still free to download and I highly recommend folks pick up at least the PDF or the books which are also still available through Scotia Grendel.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnKq49rgFegZR5L8h4mmuBGNV-mv8vGPdKcgZ3id8kzbrTqiXAwOd8wFbYs3JBVJKLeKqma8G_iLujQAg_xXaG5Ily4QabJ0oZBHh-tcJrQwAcyypHwG56oWGKKNAAftfE-WhRdSJvA_9BSq_x44TGXUYIWNo468YNVvtA8BhAnJAb_s3txvdXcWNy6GW/s1216/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.57.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="854" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnKq49rgFegZR5L8h4mmuBGNV-mv8vGPdKcgZ3id8kzbrTqiXAwOd8wFbYs3JBVJKLeKqma8G_iLujQAg_xXaG5Ily4QabJ0oZBHh-tcJrQwAcyypHwG56oWGKKNAAftfE-WhRdSJvA_9BSq_x44TGXUYIWNo468YNVvtA8BhAnJAb_s3txvdXcWNy6GW/w281-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20at%2019.57.32.png" width="281" /></a></div><p>Alas as with so many of my collection, the games creators Fantasy Forge became Grendel and went bust so the figures and game were picked up by Scotia Grendel in the UK and MSD Games in the US so while the game is technically still up and running, there is no real update on the game, be it a revised 2nd edition or supplements, new figures or whatnot.</p><p>I believe that following the demise of Warzone, John Robertson, the creator of many of the wonderful games of the 90s, Kryomek, Leviathan, Warzone and Chronopia tried to regain the rights but wasn't able to do so, possibly because of the split between UK and US companies and went on to develop VOID, which is most definitely its spiritual successor.</p><p>Kryomek has such brilliant potential but needs new miniatures as the three sculptors for the original range had such different styles that the figures don't really fit together very well. Also I'd love to see a redeveloped 2nd edition with fully playtested and revamped rules but this seems a bit unlikely.</p><p>Unlike quite a few of my games, Kryomek does seem to have a player base that is keeping it alive with a fairly active Facebook group so its well worth looking it over if you are on social media.</p><p>I'll be posting some more bits and bobs tomorrow with the last of my Obscure Games series for a while as I'm hoping to have some Leviathan stuff finished as the week goes on but its been loads of fun to post up all these lovely niche games so I suspect that I'll be posting more of them as the year goes on!</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-71092744647594064952024-01-28T17:27:00.003+00:002024-01-30T21:03:26.151+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Bladestorm UPDATED!<p> Hi!</p><p>Today sees the first day of my holiday and I'd had high hopes of getting on with my Leviathan project but I'm knackered from work so here's another ode to an obscure game: Bladestorm! (UPDATE: It appears that the Bladestorm is still available from Mirliton in Italy so the link has been added!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRz2re2LkQANrnuDzjXLQbBMyRah0vb-vVgE-Jw5SFrv2Mc44rzeFJRIFopgfw4OLocrejh5NKVudtEUJ6v5Grclra9QhPt3OgQn1ysmfkgHjKAm7AsHYnn-21Lc1bM_6KINGy0qdOfWSM7-scep_QBidXx0CqZZZX_FaZAZozgmFoMY0BwCokSNzATS9/s600/pic3922931.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="462" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRz2re2LkQANrnuDzjXLQbBMyRah0vb-vVgE-Jw5SFrv2Mc44rzeFJRIFopgfw4OLocrejh5NKVudtEUJ6v5Grclra9QhPt3OgQn1ysmfkgHjKAm7AsHYnn-21Lc1bM_6KINGy0qdOfWSM7-scep_QBidXx0CqZZZX_FaZAZozgmFoMY0BwCokSNzATS9/w308-h400/pic3922931.webp" width="308" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I'm not sure where I originally heard of Bladestorm. Possibly it was in an old wargame magazine but I have a sneaking suspicion I stumbled upon it via The Miniatures Page's arcane list of wargame rules. It was a dark fantasy skirmish game that was published back in 1990 by Iron Crown Enterprises, a company better known for its RPG games.<div><br /></div><div>Set in a far off series of islands known as the Bladelands (the reason for its name will become apparent!) the game never really took of as far as I've been able to find but has more recently been rereleased in a 2nd, updated edition.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTkfxdD2qJo8SGQoqMilsLCYQ8srgIeVDzW19sV27-6q2IJCok4I7WeW9mZdICjZg2lbPHpD7Kg1H1CR_5BjMv-LplgsWIbUaxUMQoyyih3f0HeWRT_Ai6enTkRPgvqJ_ncHKMkgUhdOPHp0OcAMdUMncotyzWwLu7AloTBmvHyGPxyCkns4GkreqAv6i/s1410/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2009.58.07.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTkfxdD2qJo8SGQoqMilsLCYQ8srgIeVDzW19sV27-6q2IJCok4I7WeW9mZdICjZg2lbPHpD7Kg1H1CR_5BjMv-LplgsWIbUaxUMQoyyih3f0HeWRT_Ai6enTkRPgvqJ_ncHKMkgUhdOPHp0OcAMdUMncotyzWwLu7AloTBmvHyGPxyCkns4GkreqAv6i/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2009.58.07.png" width="281" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The rules are probably somewhat further to the complex end of the scale than some of the other games I've got but ICE did a good job of breaking them down and clearly showing how they work. There is a basic, intermediate and advanced level to the game and it very much feels like a hybrid of a wargame and an rpg.</div><div><br /></div><div>Setting wise, the islands are constantly at war and many shipwreck survivors are washed ashore adding to the mix. An unknown magical form of weather effects the land in that when battle does break out, strange elemental tornadoes can appear full of swirling blades which unsurprisingly is pretty deadly to all concerned. This leads to conflict being kept to small skirmishes between the assorted kingdoms and powers rather than massive battles.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXiCpIsRS4Gd71CFjF54g1x6V83SR1daBM1_ozuxLrINioFv6CWxurB3dGwSVnpZBGmV5uxlNsEmhKnHIjDSk4gMLkIWKCmsNTsrZfxqIs-6WvKHGOuhTsinBsmKGH74svv3f5NVMMxotxljwBFYgiHQnLg7ZRkZPWrIQJHLzqGLIzExadAW3hsBOT93P/s1196/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2010.00.23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXiCpIsRS4Gd71CFjF54g1x6V83SR1daBM1_ozuxLrINioFv6CWxurB3dGwSVnpZBGmV5uxlNsEmhKnHIjDSk4gMLkIWKCmsNTsrZfxqIs-6WvKHGOuhTsinBsmKGH74svv3f5NVMMxotxljwBFYgiHQnLg7ZRkZPWrIQJHLzqGLIzExadAW3hsBOT93P/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2010.00.23.png" width="123" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJKZQY0i-qyq9RcaE9FIjuR4pj7cjlgAodT328cGNzxwlTLAxlIAhyphenhyphenMw50UVx6jprhK0jEd1cq6mdV89UwtXxdQgp0ve0rWdmI5yL_Pc-imSIINV2HTdH0OraaBYqPG56PLrP4Z8Er9cSC8hivUzu3hcslLZMk2I0O4cbfe1NQAV7g29DB63wEE6MrEH/s1196/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2010.00.40.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJKZQY0i-qyq9RcaE9FIjuR4pj7cjlgAodT328cGNzxwlTLAxlIAhyphenhyphenMw50UVx6jprhK0jEd1cq6mdV89UwtXxdQgp0ve0rWdmI5yL_Pc-imSIINV2HTdH0OraaBYqPG56PLrP4Z8Er9cSC8hivUzu3hcslLZMk2I0O4cbfe1NQAV7g29DB63wEE6MrEH/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2010.00.40.png" width="123" /></a></div><p>The original boxed game had a rulebook and separate sourcebook which concentrated on breathing life into the setting and is something I'd like to see more of in skirmish wargames as its nice to have a rulebook that keeps the actual rules of play condensed into a separate book than the background gubbins which makes it easier to find the rules you are looking for.</p><p>There are multiple fantasy races, forces and places featured in the sourcebook and its actually a pretty good reference piece for anyone wanting to introduce a new location or organisation to their fantasy games. Some are a bit out there such as flying turtles with hollowed out shells for riders to hide in but they did try, and for the most part succeed in making very different feeling forces than the more typical Tolkeinesque stuff that was around at the time.</p><p>There was also a map (pictured!) and a small and rather basic guide to painting miniatures. There is a small range of figures produced by Grenadier back in the day and they're now available from <a href="https://www.mirliton.it/fantasy-25-28mm/grenadier-classic" target="_blank">MIRLITON</a> in Italy.</p><p>The game itself is aimed at small skirmishes but can be scaled up to larger conflicts but as each character has multiple wounds and abilities, this slows things down considerably and its better at playing probably 4-5 models a side. I've actually played a few games of this back in the day and its rather a neat little system that revolves around your action points and gives a nice level of crunch and detail without being too heavy and is great for showcasing small bands of adventurers duking it out with ravening gangs of baddies.</p><p>As with many games that came out in the late 80's and early 90's the artwork varies considerably from the lovely Angus MacBride cover to the line art of the setting guide, right down to the frankly pretty awful, and for some reason massive footed interior:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANeIe_xNavcF-R5-4VKrWcADBhfSAJnxH27X3qJPWPAO5z1WWZMYfosVM8QuWhPfVuOPeQtPZRPYaocIVfHJHarWfTyeCk5XOZy6sBAh4GCWQTmtt1vRFy3_7FaFLcIjxsQYEAuLyAOFR6KtxIyHg1kSl9PXuVBvJrMZT9E48LflJJe64yPz1KQrnq5Bi/s1264/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2017.15.12.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="914" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANeIe_xNavcF-R5-4VKrWcADBhfSAJnxH27X3qJPWPAO5z1WWZMYfosVM8QuWhPfVuOPeQtPZRPYaocIVfHJHarWfTyeCk5XOZy6sBAh4GCWQTmtt1vRFy3_7FaFLcIjxsQYEAuLyAOFR6KtxIyHg1kSl9PXuVBvJrMZT9E48LflJJe64yPz1KQrnq5Bi/w289-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-28%20at%2017.15.12.png" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what is going on!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Saying that, if you can get past the dodgy art, the game is actually pretty good and does a good job of building the complexity level to where you are comfortable with and making for a really good narrative based game and its well worth a peek if you can find a copy. The original rules and whatnot is still available for 20 Dollars on Wargame Vault so can be downloaded and it does show up from time to time on Ebay.</p><p>Bladestorm is one of those interesting early fantasy wargames, much like D&D's Battlesystem that were an attempt at making a wargame but coming from a RPG perspective and works better as a hybrid of the two rather than one or the other.</p><p>I've got a couple more obscure games to cover but now my hols are here, I'm hoping to get some sculpting done so I'll be ending this series in the next couple of days but if you'd like to see more largely forgotten games, do feel free to give me a shout and I'll post more and if theres enough interest, I may even break some of them out to play!</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p><p>Richard</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-1346422285699306782024-01-27T21:12:00.002+00:002024-01-27T21:12:56.012+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Critter Commandos<p> Hi!</p><p>A bit of a quick one this evening as I've been really busy at work in the form of Critter Commandos by Crunchy Frog Enterprises.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBIPv7Bp4ZiUBSBcMlUMdVjPEW_0w0uWyOMW4bJZuozUCnUGMa9GOKXHG5OLRAIT-FqtxSFelz918nsiXPtVwO2mQNrfn80iYXJoTYnqazmVdVJWWA1jB_qZx5E1XPkc47TWxrnUJjs2sfMeohBOb_kV2ZHmAbVrrxSPcFEnNbAwrjWWtQUC6uKozzElx/s1300/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.00.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="882" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBIPv7Bp4ZiUBSBcMlUMdVjPEW_0w0uWyOMW4bJZuozUCnUGMa9GOKXHG5OLRAIT-FqtxSFelz918nsiXPtVwO2mQNrfn80iYXJoTYnqazmVdVJWWA1jB_qZx5E1XPkc47TWxrnUJjs2sfMeohBOb_kV2ZHmAbVrrxSPcFEnNbAwrjWWtQUC6uKozzElx/w271-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.00.50.png" width="271" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Produced in the US back in 2002, Critter Commandos puts you in charge of an anthropomorphic squad of troops with the sole purpose of doling out ridiculous levels of cartoon violence upon your foes, just like the classic cartoons!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember picking it up back in the day when I'd buy pretty much any sci-fi or fantasy wargame I could find and the cover was pretty cool and really reminded me of the Bucky O'Hare cartoon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rules themselves are pretty simple and quite fun with characters having a selection of stats that most folks would be fairly familiar with, other than their wounds which are callled Holes, as in the number of holes that can be shot into them before they are taken out of action.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Coupled with cartoony weapons such as portable holes, big hammers and pies along with the more usual combat rifles and pistols, the game is decidedly tongue in cheek and while it has some interesting concepts, it feels sometimes like its leaning too heavily into the concept. Saying that, its a nice, simple game and fairly quick and easy to play.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmgXdZfeT35W8UiHmgVmM9LI2vYH9a2sjNdHsGJiyDBogq-OJTht8NCn_FdahG6qU2PMo0YGNUEaLuqvRrqMbO85SdvXu6uly6jS-LT1Z0xyaSuu07WrdD8uuZ4nR0Laui9gJ0uMBSsokeUwE21lHb8wnpDkySD0Qqqt1aRxk4fr-26yoelDYltZhhXpU/s1204/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.01.28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1204" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmgXdZfeT35W8UiHmgVmM9LI2vYH9a2sjNdHsGJiyDBogq-OJTht8NCn_FdahG6qU2PMo0YGNUEaLuqvRrqMbO85SdvXu6uly6jS-LT1Z0xyaSuu07WrdD8uuZ4nR0Laui9gJ0uMBSsokeUwE21lHb8wnpDkySD0Qqqt1aRxk4fr-26yoelDYltZhhXpU/w400-h329/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.01.28.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sadly the art from the cover and introductory comic by The Brothers Grinn isn't carried through for the rest of the interior art which is pretty ropy to say the least.<div><br /></div><div>Crunchy Frog soon became Team Frog and produced a supplement called Crittertek, a spoof of Battletech that allowed you to field big stompy robots into the game. While I do have a copy of it, I've not played it but the artwork is decidedly better than the original which is a plus, with some barely concealed cartoon versions of classic Battletech mechs.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4peB_5s5vH5MQvnWyaHebqPWH2teBGiyXDrPH_SdCVX9j2syeUAaaZ1IiEs3xrfLljC33yPIAjlABXKDM3bYTSQqyr4I-wdSewmSCvalvfpH0Ylbl4mOQ3K016d7YGrz7o3pTL0JbSLmaRLZicRBHcxd27ikSwaqUBmCeAqxiUGKo9D8xxGB5NyUrd6w/s1274/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.02.12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="884" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4peB_5s5vH5MQvnWyaHebqPWH2teBGiyXDrPH_SdCVX9j2syeUAaaZ1IiEs3xrfLljC33yPIAjlABXKDM3bYTSQqyr4I-wdSewmSCvalvfpH0Ylbl4mOQ3K016d7YGrz7o3pTL0JbSLmaRLZicRBHcxd27ikSwaqUBmCeAqxiUGKo9D8xxGB5NyUrd6w/w278-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.02.12.png" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking at the game, it is very much an early independent sort of a beast with a concept that was there with mixed results and the core of what could be a great game, especially as you could pretty much field any anthropomorphic creature you could imagine from ants to whales and use mad weapons to blast away at similarly cartoon foes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can imagine the game being quite a draw for younger gamers too style wise but the rules a little bit more complex than I suspect first time gamers are used to. Possibly some sort of mashup of Critter Commando style and Song of Blades and Heroes complexity would be a more pleasing combination...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a bit of a background with the bad guys being the Ratzi's who wish to take over and run everything and which do remind me of the Toad Empire in Bucky o'Hare but its pretty light and there more to give you an idea of the factions you can field.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbd-76cfJOdQF84iL6T5cKk5AQjcsZNFrQD4YOk6DZrvD-WP-3_FdmZROWnBvNodchk34cyKuUcmcBZ7yuuJLe70gR2if4ZQNypD83iQ3WhichoUDJsi18B1R7hu52hCLCi_fgpCcgoRovGfKkBczWkmeUf4ib5KTnLgrDBdlzTsxKS9DQZg7ettIrhOQQ/s1110/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.03.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="774" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbd-76cfJOdQF84iL6T5cKk5AQjcsZNFrQD4YOk6DZrvD-WP-3_FdmZROWnBvNodchk34cyKuUcmcBZ7yuuJLe70gR2if4ZQNypD83iQ3WhichoUDJsi18B1R7hu52hCLCi_fgpCcgoRovGfKkBczWkmeUf4ib5KTnLgrDBdlzTsxKS9DQZg7ettIrhOQQ/w279-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-27%20at%2020.03.10.png" width="279" /></a></div><p>There was a miniature line released for the game but as memory serves, they were quite expensive for pretty indifferent quality figures but Team Frog does still seem to be in operation and they're available from their website. Similarly the PDF of the rules are available from Wargame Vault.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iyO_jprfNvS2Kj_BBo5Ub5PMCwn1rZ5MsmkcHeyVmxV0Tt97CuSo4QrQTQoRBAvbUMKg90QHROsAaNJBdxeVsw53auBUeu7gIzAl-5V3nf-owYHp4VU2LLoCrx1Z7dNuIMFODaPoWNcg9ZPCdOG5Pbb2Q01ubIeQxqAOly6Xt6G_Qt9IREsRFG2Gi08Y/s720/s915694672773839210_p89_i1_w720.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iyO_jprfNvS2Kj_BBo5Ub5PMCwn1rZ5MsmkcHeyVmxV0Tt97CuSo4QrQTQoRBAvbUMKg90QHROsAaNJBdxeVsw53auBUeu7gIzAl-5V3nf-owYHp4VU2LLoCrx1Z7dNuIMFODaPoWNcg9ZPCdOG5Pbb2Q01ubIeQxqAOly6Xt6G_Qt9IREsRFG2Gi08Y/w400-h400/s915694672773839210_p89_i1_w720.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p>This is a game I'd love to see get a revamp and released with a newer ruleset, higher quality art and miniature range, especially if they went for a pleasingly stylised sculpt as it is a good concept that could do pretty well if handled correctly. Sadly I suspect it will stay as it is, eternal and unchanging with the times.</p><p>I am actually tempted to draw up some standees to play a mini game or two because as I already mentioned, I'm a big fan of the sort of cartoon shenanigans that the game is based on. </p><p>Critter Commandos is a bit of an oddity in my collection but by no means unique in that I like the idea and would love to play it but the actual mechanics of getting to the point that I can with proper miniatures is probably more work than I'm willing to put into it and it may actually be better suited to the papertech approach where I pull together some quick drawings and play a game or two of cartoon super violence!</p><p>Who knows, I may even do so during my weeks hols for a bit of nostalgic fun.</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-2515435609970438172024-01-26T11:59:00.002+00:002024-01-26T11:59:29.224+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Kobolds and Cobblestones<p> Hi!</p><p>As part of my obsession with niche and obscure games, I have a tendency of picking up stuff that I see that looks interesting but never sees use and todays post features a prime example: Kobolds and Cobblestones by Osprey Games!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHd1tEPfa10pynEnO0uq2XtQJ8xi8wKYgJ87DswkeGaXtce4WJgntQgIleX9x6JVuC2zzNgBCWhGSR2PUqHqaWSzu_cix9-WhfpLkpldFtuL_Ak1C5JA2RRsl3SfczY3LPiCNOOKA1y8-iUF4vIcSpdtBu26D3ZS6dgcled6EqiAeCEyol54Aka4TSgdy/s500/51cGOhzRUEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="371" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHd1tEPfa10pynEnO0uq2XtQJ8xi8wKYgJ87DswkeGaXtce4WJgntQgIleX9x6JVuC2zzNgBCWhGSR2PUqHqaWSzu_cix9-WhfpLkpldFtuL_Ak1C5JA2RRsl3SfczY3LPiCNOOKA1y8-iUF4vIcSpdtBu26D3ZS6dgcled6EqiAeCEyol54Aka4TSgdy/w296-h400/51cGOhzRUEL.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Kobolds and Cobblestones was released back in 2018 as one of the blue Osprey Games series and created a wee bit of a stir when it was announced as it seemed like it might be a Mordheim Light sort of fantasy skirmish game with rival gangs fighting over the neutral city of Odinsport.<div><br /></div><div>The art style was decidedly Discworld in style and it looked pretty awesome!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHQoLfEUsb5mVj6tTSeE5wqhbBhYoWXZdf3p2iSHkJkfds7duI5r4trzNV86qTE_9xen10Cbf0giftQy_ybUXBcrWIA0pMSRcjBMgt5-jZUomv7As8rOH52nj9LHNJ_sGKrsD2hoe56sh0ukqGGX4xiBvR32cWS6HOmsxhqBb39kRwAOT6Da5UhVCJDpg/s822/kob4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHQoLfEUsb5mVj6tTSeE5wqhbBhYoWXZdf3p2iSHkJkfds7duI5r4trzNV86qTE_9xen10Cbf0giftQy_ybUXBcrWIA0pMSRcjBMgt5-jZUomv7As8rOH52nj9LHNJ_sGKrsD2hoe56sh0ukqGGX4xiBvR32cWS6HOmsxhqBb39kRwAOT6Da5UhVCJDpg/w258-h400/kob4.png" width="258" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now when the game got released it turned out to be a different beast entirely and seems to have disappeared into obscurity as there's almost nothing to be found on the interwebs for it, be it people collecting gangs or actually playing it. Interestingly this seems to be making a little bit of a comeback as there's now a few how to play guides showing up on Youtube which is handy and a bit encouraging.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z4pS_swkLWIj6Rqoz8wIlEbIrKKDiLm4Ut6oJECZR1c_tp7evO5qdASLSF4vqx2RupLxWGI4v4JYqjkYXzS8L5f37na2g5CFRSspwVWaJZHR5dUTNUvOyNniQnBaFJ3-1DTYZtsQSme-D3q6WDqyjdxtsSpbL_Xhs2SMqbtCCegoQ8Rwvas-SV0jgx67/s787/body_snatcher_by_ralphhorsley_dc0gzj2-375w-2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z4pS_swkLWIj6Rqoz8wIlEbIrKKDiLm4Ut6oJECZR1c_tp7evO5qdASLSF4vqx2RupLxWGI4v4JYqjkYXzS8L5f37na2g5CFRSspwVWaJZHR5dUTNUvOyNniQnBaFJ3-1DTYZtsQSme-D3q6WDqyjdxtsSpbL_Xhs2SMqbtCCegoQ8Rwvas-SV0jgx67/w241-h400/body_snatcher_by_ralphhorsley_dc0gzj2-375w-2x.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The game revolves around the seven pre-generated gang bosses (including my personal favourite, Barry the Elf) in the city gathering some ruffians to go fight each other and recover the loot that the recently deceased Dwarven crimelord left hidden in cashes around the rather rundown city.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mechanics wise, your force is going to be about half a dozen figures a side using all the typical fantasy races but the game is dice free, instead using decks of cards for activation, combat and pretty much everything else.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fYN4KgnNnYmzOe-d0KrHbJl0KSDjo9k4rMPjlw-CRRXU0g_E9aWKPWYUvCuXkiO0i2K0lbslyiGwiGLrNnUC_QWSn-aLHbqKtq0juy5KPZJDJBHnRRVdx17ZRW7EqCcMSFZ4SbLvVK0ILd-HdnI-l5ny-_pR81wVlppRFhzr1y_ITVGudvh8ypdzA4Bp/s663/orc_bouncer_by_ralphhorsley_dc0gzow-375w-2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="383" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fYN4KgnNnYmzOe-d0KrHbJl0KSDjo9k4rMPjlw-CRRXU0g_E9aWKPWYUvCuXkiO0i2K0lbslyiGwiGLrNnUC_QWSn-aLHbqKtq0juy5KPZJDJBHnRRVdx17ZRW7EqCcMSFZ4SbLvVK0ILd-HdnI-l5ny-_pR81wVlppRFhzr1y_ITVGudvh8ypdzA4Bp/w231-h400/orc_bouncer_by_ralphhorsley_dc0gzow-375w-2x.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Essentially in keeping with the grubby setting, the game uses a mixture of Poker and Blackjack which inolves card management as well as tactical play which is pretty original. Similarly movement is card based so a figure will either move the breadth or length of a card which I really liked as it simplifies movement considerably.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also the assorted fantasy races have special abilities that can be unlocked by getting specific card combinations and rivalries between Red and Black suits of cards which I thought was pretty innovative and from folks that have played the game, it appears that once you get into the swing of things, a game will generally last 30-45 minutes which is good.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVISH9GtAjLVrEIyuFhtcX5G3gFBeRuMnqlVSElHKNI7vedZt47BU26rWYb51_9RvfN68vAc5ILUt0ArqS2JG5OuUOWx-l_noR4Aeu3HE29qYVd2dGJIlxbU0oSGD93iw7MRCDChM2x3-iFU4-uT9QBdk2E0i5Xo8tDKTmj18MfB3a_uuiAhzVKPRQVxK/s501/dc0gzo9-a3141bb3-65c8-4004-b658-55df21982dcd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVISH9GtAjLVrEIyuFhtcX5G3gFBeRuMnqlVSElHKNI7vedZt47BU26rWYb51_9RvfN68vAc5ILUt0ArqS2JG5OuUOWx-l_noR4Aeu3HE29qYVd2dGJIlxbU0oSGD93iw7MRCDChM2x3-iFU4-uT9QBdk2E0i5Xo8tDKTmj18MfB3a_uuiAhzVKPRQVxK/s320/dc0gzo9-a3141bb3-65c8-4004-b658-55df21982dcd.jpg" width="283" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Combined with a simple campaign system and the ability to recruit specialists and big guys once your gang gets higher notoriety it does have a bit of lastability to it but as with many of the Blue Book series, it could really have done with a few more pages of gubbins to breath more life into what is a fairly fun beer and pretzels style game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sadly unlike many of the more successful Osprey rule sets that have been released, it never got its own miniature range which I think counted against it as while it says you can use any figures you have in your collection, a more stylised, Dickensian range of lowlife scum would have done wonders and possibly made it a bit ore of a hit as it feels like it should be a bit more Ankh-Morpork with characters that reflect this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5OQhLXsIcRx6U75faQRnR2yJCmHF3mfL0rWvYVJETgyA5d6UD5N_H1cInP11BGzt9i67txfWmUtcSy9zq4B2mKdx03Dbk6-uoxkLnUUKS5cY4bMDgtFCBJZT_HVEWg0tCOa-AV7Nq3-3XcNtmmotMc1I9Oo85uA44a5NvQ3krlsQD73Ti7ro5Yg9nZls/s960/discworld-kidby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5OQhLXsIcRx6U75faQRnR2yJCmHF3mfL0rWvYVJETgyA5d6UD5N_H1cInP11BGzt9i67txfWmUtcSy9zq4B2mKdx03Dbk6-uoxkLnUUKS5cY4bMDgtFCBJZT_HVEWg0tCOa-AV7Nq3-3XcNtmmotMc1I9Oo85uA44a5NvQ3krlsQD73Ti7ro5Yg9nZls/w400-h266/discworld-kidby.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Its still available in physical book format and as a pdf and its well worth a peruse as Ralph Horsley, the artist has produced some absolutely brilliant illustrations for it, especially the drunken Dwarven girl who has tons of character, not to mention someone you'd not want to bump into down the pub!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With all that said, this is a game that does deserve more attention, especially as it only requires a handful of figures and a 2'x2' gaming surface to play and does look quite a lot of fun, especially if you were to work in a more complete campaign system with different regions of Odinsport being fought over and maybe a few more gang options but as with many of the games I'm featuring in this series, its imperfect but well worth a look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got a bit of a classic lined up for tomorrow but in the meantime, All the best!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Richard</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-41168794645599930152024-01-25T20:38:00.001+00:002024-01-25T20:38:30.741+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: VOR the Maelstrom<p> Hi!</p><p>I must admit that I was humming and hahing about what I'd post next for my series on obscure games and settled on Vor: The Maelstrom by FASA!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2VebBzmXhqNukShB_4E0zCKG-_aJj-Wz_BkgpjPTQxNtq6QWZKAZqDMGvRUco1xPMNt1Q3cAKLz8_Ijo_f6uy1l9iP1iXTUF6Ck2WafUPxgwQS7oCuN7yTPNPNF5t2Yy5XARxEjFc00dvjNnnstgvfQw4lQFzcaGjLhqzwLbeRlcMnbnzHM-r0D6jqCW/s1600/jpskuybubda21.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1600" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2VebBzmXhqNukShB_4E0zCKG-_aJj-Wz_BkgpjPTQxNtq6QWZKAZqDMGvRUco1xPMNt1Q3cAKLz8_Ijo_f6uy1l9iP1iXTUF6Ck2WafUPxgwQS7oCuN7yTPNPNF5t2Yy5XARxEjFc00dvjNnnstgvfQw4lQFzcaGjLhqzwLbeRlcMnbnzHM-r0D6jqCW/w400-h269/jpskuybubda21.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Vor: The Maelstrom was originally released by FASA back in 1999 and for a brief moment could have challenged the might of GW but as with so many games from my collection, vanished into obscurity in 2001 when FASA ceased trading. Over the years there's been attempts to get a new edition, largely from the now dwindling VOR player diehards but also from Mike 'Skuzzy' Nelson, the games creator.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game revolves around Earth being pulled into a pocket dimension which has consumed many other worlds. This nightmarish realm is inhabited by many other races and all must fight to survive the destructive powers unleashed upon them by the VOR, a malevolent singularity which is slowly consuming every world that is transported into the maelstrom.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GaYMDJ-5EFba4pD7paOKjUcwsDY_hlMhhp1pWN2ajNlyCYYdojBanseHXIKB3RwCGDcDJkKsR9npD4ZKYN4bCACOV1mZQywECbG3UBcsqCgvr2ynCyIF5nf6HLMFwlZn1F-uodQNacjg19DufXgtsAMzoDOEl2Xbtv2FoWFvkaK33sfSK9bgg-nEuvi4/s600/pic192151.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GaYMDJ-5EFba4pD7paOKjUcwsDY_hlMhhp1pWN2ajNlyCYYdojBanseHXIKB3RwCGDcDJkKsR9npD4ZKYN4bCACOV1mZQywECbG3UBcsqCgvr2ynCyIF5nf6HLMFwlZn1F-uodQNacjg19DufXgtsAMzoDOEl2Xbtv2FoWFvkaK33sfSK9bgg-nEuvi4/w309-h400/pic192151.webp" width="309" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The setting is set in the not too distant future with the two superpowers of Earth, the Union and the Neo-Sovs being caught in an ongoing conflict before the world is literally sucked into a different dimension.<div><br /></div><div>Here they mus join the struggle against many foes, both human and alien, be it the crystalline Shard, the space mummies of the Pharon, the weird, multi jointed Zykhee, or the giant rage monsters, the Growlers. Survival is key and the place is determined to kill everything so straight off, theres some really fascinating settings to explore.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRTrPoHBT0xDJtNCDCEh6rkfN0WpeFZDOCb3LgCk87kzb4dWl0M0q64Lrbh8OODX-COfL_D-PKXgqRpepWDEXs9hgxAhiOpO6lNchibtyJfl8wbzQ5uTCzBRrCJatuPUHgeDJYEKwkfdKcgABtpZwoHx3yxBAJ7-NI8tuQoLPpHs_monq0euNfHdPC-KI/s441/61G7dk0ym1L._SX342_SY445_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRTrPoHBT0xDJtNCDCEh6rkfN0WpeFZDOCb3LgCk87kzb4dWl0M0q64Lrbh8OODX-COfL_D-PKXgqRpepWDEXs9hgxAhiOpO6lNchibtyJfl8wbzQ5uTCzBRrCJatuPUHgeDJYEKwkfdKcgABtpZwoHx3yxBAJ7-NI8tuQoLPpHs_monq0euNfHdPC-KI/s320/61G7dk0ym1L._SX342_SY445_.jpg" width="248" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHMnDduC9efMQhYn9pIX4rCHKt5eATTXB8mg2lCmkQo1JOYMup_iAQ-oCugUUzybCO-lTQ9KJ6X6_snT2npJPgWxTkOB58dVop8rmjZyP6fkDMoMz6gnSInn7KYQ48ZCq55sbKb5mywWxgUxHDQIGU_8NVzhfs9kLAj3DibAHa3bPqchLcUromUR2H0vz/s600/pic124563.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="466" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHMnDduC9efMQhYn9pIX4rCHKt5eATTXB8mg2lCmkQo1JOYMup_iAQ-oCugUUzybCO-lTQ9KJ6X6_snT2npJPgWxTkOB58dVop8rmjZyP6fkDMoMz6gnSInn7KYQ48ZCq55sbKb5mywWxgUxHDQIGU_8NVzhfs9kLAj3DibAHa3bPqchLcUromUR2H0vz/s320/pic124563.webp" width="249" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Each force is pretty unique but did suffer from balance issues, especially the Pharon who were seen as being extremely overpowered but if you're playing a campaign driven by narrative, the space mummies should be terrifying!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmzR34EZvBzPvGXC56zBJ7kzcFJ0jwAHAbAZot-y0FYhCKU80wrpwTOpln-lagNjGy2wBO53c3oy4Zo5rdn_4bt7TX6pOYAbKHsg9jUrYILVqKwv8-suw_elc7BOW6dDMK0TdgTAsxVInNr1m10_xvTXgCQTAnoMujHwgDRnmHG1QACl3xKy_940aT37D/s600/pic124566.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmzR34EZvBzPvGXC56zBJ7kzcFJ0jwAHAbAZot-y0FYhCKU80wrpwTOpln-lagNjGy2wBO53c3oy4Zo5rdn_4bt7TX6pOYAbKHsg9jUrYILVqKwv8-suw_elc7BOW6dDMK0TdgTAsxVInNr1m10_xvTXgCQTAnoMujHwgDRnmHG1QACl3xKy_940aT37D/s320/pic124566.webp" width="250" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrp8BjL6gf-KqExbHlRKOd4-o5Tm9XjwIAiU17B4M0YF-QEIaJGQ0U6Lots5FM9uVtHFwAzg1NXo_D77o4FCRIV4TsCwpFeQVu53ATDHuKOtC1Vl3MUIMgVKZTnfizvtyCchNEdr3w72MvDCEjHVwAOc8Fd6UBH5H3NUK8_xhNnjs8LP9d_O1WTkyqDHH/s600/pic430269.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrp8BjL6gf-KqExbHlRKOd4-o5Tm9XjwIAiU17B4M0YF-QEIaJGQ0U6Lots5FM9uVtHFwAzg1NXo_D77o4FCRIV4TsCwpFeQVu53ATDHuKOtC1Vl3MUIMgVKZTnfizvtyCchNEdr3w72MvDCEjHVwAOc8Fd6UBH5H3NUK8_xhNnjs8LP9d_O1WTkyqDHH/s320/pic430269.webp" width="243" /></a></div><div><br /></div>With a plethora of fantastic artists producing some truly stunning covers for the books, weird alien races and for its time, a really original set of rules mechanics. VOR was in a unique position as it seemed to have everything going for it but sadly it wasn't to be and faded away which is a real pity.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5Ut19lCeUXi8LwsyOnAHiQOOKgJXM7Z_N_-f-j6he2Csxm79eLYTzhTu61txdAcmqxOZRiTi7cNjim7pNpaZ8hkC1aXfGQpmCpEtrF1LjISUGYWxDeBhZx1vTPRCoEc3S4WEiBlrJgRyaVZ1P5sfur-QJ5oVaNjq1UJRwtfVdquYG63THaw-w6mbcLIF/s600/pic431289.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5Ut19lCeUXi8LwsyOnAHiQOOKgJXM7Z_N_-f-j6he2Csxm79eLYTzhTu61txdAcmqxOZRiTi7cNjim7pNpaZ8hkC1aXfGQpmCpEtrF1LjISUGYWxDeBhZx1vTPRCoEc3S4WEiBlrJgRyaVZ1P5sfur-QJ5oVaNjq1UJRwtfVdquYG63THaw-w6mbcLIF/s320/pic431289.webp" width="243" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfwC_eYSI8dQFfjB3GQ7coD8tmxqQSI-Qtljy6Z6vf-rUwt-vQ2QwS_WWFC7ptpDRFbqS5dcigfTnSfT9D6yLhPdr2KAFKICRIPN1sZuF82AHl7kNd0beR-_lEqG0IC-hjdCd4DD8lq2UtlguDGOWP6unySHvH5HQrUCNDxm2F0IWN2DXklqUmOK46eVX/s600/pic430526.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfwC_eYSI8dQFfjB3GQ7coD8tmxqQSI-Qtljy6Z6vf-rUwt-vQ2QwS_WWFC7ptpDRFbqS5dcigfTnSfT9D6yLhPdr2KAFKICRIPN1sZuF82AHl7kNd0beR-_lEqG0IC-hjdCd4DD8lq2UtlguDGOWP6unySHvH5HQrUCNDxm2F0IWN2DXklqUmOK46eVX/s320/pic430526.webp" width="241" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rulewise, the game gave models action points which could be used to move, shoot, activate abilities and a wide variety of other bits and bobs and allowed you to really play in a way that previous big Sci-fi rules (especially GW!) didn't. Coupled with alternating activation and a complete guide to creating your own stats so you could play literally any force you could imagine and a D100 chart for some of the mad environmental conditions one could find in the Maelstrom its a great ruleset.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember it took a bit of effort to get the way it worked straight in my head as it was so very different from what I was used to but it worked remarkably well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9G_3-s8Xz14QmlMjw6H3llBBu_H4pN1HLfeuHfdLP5PjRFKeSlj5wjBFt_bT_zUvrP2x6EAdQmNIWJaaZPnW0PhjywyxZMQPXyEcPck4G_5rIXHbYxampXjtQ4_nqTsk2so6ASTQl7gjXG9-KbH0uVqqyChYq8P1wlJf9xQxMRujhzXDSa4oTx0XZ-59/s600/pic431277.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9G_3-s8Xz14QmlMjw6H3llBBu_H4pN1HLfeuHfdLP5PjRFKeSlj5wjBFt_bT_zUvrP2x6EAdQmNIWJaaZPnW0PhjywyxZMQPXyEcPck4G_5rIXHbYxampXjtQ4_nqTsk2so6ASTQl7gjXG9-KbH0uVqqyChYq8P1wlJf9xQxMRujhzXDSa4oTx0XZ-59/s320/pic431277.webp" width="242" /></a></div><p>While the rules and setting were great, if needing a reworked 2nd edition that would have would have worked out the kinks and at least three new races and a book specifically for designing custom forces in the pipeline, the element that did let down Vor was the miniature line.</p><p>FASA got very different sculptors to work on the ranges and while some were really nice for the time, others were decidedly ropy and their tendency to only have a couple of sculpts per unit was a real shame (the Neo-Sov Rad Troopers are particularly unfortunate). Given time, I'd have loved to see the range get properly fleshed out and the setting explored more thoroughly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4eqGgDGzQOCTmmJA-lUsnWkMdT6DA-H4HBRXlLTOGbhOmqVsjT_rCBcTW38f7pi_01nRPRdqORQPyE64ysgNxl2n1gg9vblU-mskKQv7EZtlnlPyq9K2dOaPU7GaAa8WVrBw3V8DlMxHOQTpFYih8n032gALM7VKRv1m7br65fXgPl3mrQ1XN0uD5dAr/s400/ltbrit-growlers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4eqGgDGzQOCTmmJA-lUsnWkMdT6DA-H4HBRXlLTOGbhOmqVsjT_rCBcTW38f7pi_01nRPRdqORQPyE64ysgNxl2n1gg9vblU-mskKQv7EZtlnlPyq9K2dOaPU7GaAa8WVrBw3V8DlMxHOQTpFYih8n032gALM7VKRv1m7br65fXgPl3mrQ1XN0uD5dAr/w400-h300/ltbrit-growlers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I actually own a boxed set of the game that I picked up for a bargain price on Ebay some years ago with the intention of painting them up (it is the third version of it I've owned!) and the starter set miniatures were all sculpted by GW legend Kev Adams so had loads of character, despite their limited poses and at some point I really need to get them all painted up!</p><p>Unlike most of the games I'm covering, Vor was by a large company and could have gone on to do great things but sadly its pretty much a dead game these days. Handily Ral Partha Europe produces the miniatures range and still has lots of the rulebooks and army books so it isn't difficult to pick up and its a great ruleset in its own right and still holds together really well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SbBMItxFbJjUOlChxNdGjqxtR3rUKHCLoNRJnwHXs8c8iYdo0VxUbIW-4Y7dN2ClyQ3XoayW-0hQtqzJg3fweZn5EvxKBh_st0dwcPEbXL2k6ijoL5NBs0N3QzcP6Jd9lUuU3-ub27KK4JCeo_-B0qDDnhfkWBoS5dFvcARXxY67uvPriLuBVKeV_IVU/s750/banner-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="107" data-original-width="750" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SbBMItxFbJjUOlChxNdGjqxtR3rUKHCLoNRJnwHXs8c8iYdo0VxUbIW-4Y7dN2ClyQ3XoayW-0hQtqzJg3fweZn5EvxKBh_st0dwcPEbXL2k6ijoL5NBs0N3QzcP6Jd9lUuU3-ub27KK4JCeo_-B0qDDnhfkWBoS5dFvcARXxY67uvPriLuBVKeV_IVU/w400-h58/banner-main.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Interestingly it was the inspiration behind <a href="https://wargamesunlimited.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">WARGAMES UNLIMITED</a> free rulesets, No Quarter and No Limits which are still available and would refine the rules, remove the setting and go for a completely generic wargame set that is really good to boot.</p><p>Sadly even these haven't been updated in ages but if you're looking to try them out, the game is great fun!</p><p>As for Vor: The Maelestrom, its worth picking up if you can find the rulebook as the setting is really interesting and the rules for the ever changing weather conditions are worth the cost of the book themselves, even if you port them over into your own setting (they're particularly good for depicting what worlds within the Eye of Terror would be like!)</p><p>Tomorrow will see another addition to the ever growing list of awesome, quirky or odd games I've got in my collection so watch this space.</p><p>Until then, All the best!</p><p>Richard</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-24725502519376095972024-01-24T10:11:00.002+00:002024-01-28T17:28:18.381+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: War of Ashes Shieldbash<p> Hi!</p><p>In my ongoing trawl through the more eclectic games in my collection, I've selected War of Ashes Shieldbash by Zombiesmith!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHZH27Uxbk1OMq0CuAEmaBxB7N9u2nkezaE08rIENFlUgBSLTsjXHi430DJkiVznkaBnID6AYPIRPrvcmcRxbgnXnBK4HnveJOz5RJGqrFBihVTZwuDS05VUseR31lpapE8nSpWpR8-fA70HvCmsXSs4OiNSdEPQ60aQkl3WkIQyIGxTAwU_xqjTDSunJ/s1106/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.13.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1074" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHZH27Uxbk1OMq0CuAEmaBxB7N9u2nkezaE08rIENFlUgBSLTsjXHi430DJkiVznkaBnID6AYPIRPrvcmcRxbgnXnBK4HnveJOz5RJGqrFBihVTZwuDS05VUseR31lpapE8nSpWpR8-fA70HvCmsXSs4OiNSdEPQ60aQkl3WkIQyIGxTAwU_xqjTDSunJ/w389-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.13.58.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Imagine a world inhabited by viking muppets that is facing its sun going out and the possible apocalypse. That's the background the world of War of Ashes!<div><br /><div>It really reminds me of the classic Jim Henson Dark Crystal movie and Joshua Qualtieri has a background in the animation industry and it really shows with his absolutely beautiful illustrations that can be found throughout the book. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG09Z8RpLLj7kpkwd7-ilazVf61Wof71GAFlouQ7_5JxiuMPuMkMRf8Z1BmikWm83CgNCwIl9ON_x9k1s5SAVNAnu4txh5T80x4PO8VNPd98-XZ_Js_eAEwKhEgFD66EWnilKDEUVjAQ5FXR4W9aRjjCh9esdiDwzM0m3st7nqOMWyMKEU0pSAQ7GoY9M/s504/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.14.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="504" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG09Z8RpLLj7kpkwd7-ilazVf61Wof71GAFlouQ7_5JxiuMPuMkMRf8Z1BmikWm83CgNCwIl9ON_x9k1s5SAVNAnu4txh5T80x4PO8VNPd98-XZ_Js_eAEwKhEgFD66EWnilKDEUVjAQ5FXR4W9aRjjCh9esdiDwzM0m3st7nqOMWyMKEU0pSAQ7GoY9M/w400-h321/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.14.21.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Of my collection of obscure games, I do think that War of Ashes Shieldbash has such potential to be a genuine hit as it ticks so many boxes for me. Its a small scale skirmish in a facinating world that is richly imagined but leaves you with plenty of opportunity to explore new places and introduce new events or factions and units. It also has brilliantly characterful forces that while super stylised are still a pleasure to paint.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNPMaFljcvuZ6m3q5b9PQ-ZfH3WlMChcK41CIAmUmvfSzVp88KmXQBRhXafq6r85gd7baBREp7Ao77LY5FrMPgRxc1rGpnCvofbfqA_x1BGLxVE3DnKD49nHFXd8cjkKwYG4_XzdIPRDJVqzePH2VfrY48m2Vi3-VbR0ucN9igOP9BOa9ofYrkNGuHEA7/s846/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.14.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="846" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNPMaFljcvuZ6m3q5b9PQ-ZfH3WlMChcK41CIAmUmvfSzVp88KmXQBRhXafq6r85gd7baBREp7Ao77LY5FrMPgRxc1rGpnCvofbfqA_x1BGLxVE3DnKD49nHFXd8cjkKwYG4_XzdIPRDJVqzePH2VfrY48m2Vi3-VbR0ucN9igOP9BOa9ofYrkNGuHEA7/w400-h191/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.14.33.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There are currently six factions in the game. </div><div><br /></div><div>The core race in the game are the Elvorix, the most civilised of the peoples who inhabit the islands kingdoms where much of the action takes place. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Vidaar are warlike cousins of the Elvorix but were fooled into invading a mythical island on the far side of the world by the Elvorix and spent hundreds of years seeking it out before heading back to wreak havoc on the sneaky Elvorix.</div><div><br /></div><div>The True Atronians, a female force who have pretty much all the common sense in the setting and have members of several different races as part of their communities and see the fighting as a terrible waste and they seek to bring peace to the realm (by beating it into the heads of the stupid males if they have to!)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Jaari are a militaristic race whose home island was devastated by a volcanic eruption and now seek a new homeland and have decided to take what they see as theirs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The unending Kuld. Inhabitants of the frozen north, the Kuld seek only to eat and satisfy their hunger. These small creatures move en masse towards the south to both escape the encroaching cold but also to eat anything they encounter. </div><div><br /></div><div>The newest race to appear is the Ki-kak, small reptilian beings who seek vengeance upon the Vidaar who devastated their home on their fools errand. Now the apocalyptic weather changes has driven them from their home islands to seek new ones.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I do like about the game is that there are no Evil force, each has its own motivations that at times can be good or bad but not mindlessly evil.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFTHYgM0MMRTOkfUCj0CjbWCgfYlEToGMalM21djey0PSGT_E07aBfxc4d9-Z5Paewm7zCHhnInmazf9PSVYPcMLglWyz9YHcUKHNeT8LQpL2i4xDZNoQLgwu8UfIEX0h61t-Wm4FJNAr6SUM-Q2Q3NAL_orS1TRIyjYMfaWTGtD78NaDZ5Mp7LyMhIFh/s846/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.15.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="846" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFTHYgM0MMRTOkfUCj0CjbWCgfYlEToGMalM21djey0PSGT_E07aBfxc4d9-Z5Paewm7zCHhnInmazf9PSVYPcMLglWyz9YHcUKHNeT8LQpL2i4xDZNoQLgwu8UfIEX0h61t-Wm4FJNAr6SUM-Q2Q3NAL_orS1TRIyjYMfaWTGtD78NaDZ5Mp7LyMhIFh/w400-h284/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%2009.15.02.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>In the tradition of Leviathan I do like the fact that the game is set in apocalyptic times, the cause of which is hotly debated by the inhabitants of the world with most believing that the gods have taken the life giving heat from the sun due to an unfortunate incident involving drunken priests accidentally burning down the temple of Agaptus while trying to perform a sacrifice.</div><div><br /></div><div>The setting revolves around the need to survive and hold the temperate lands that remain but also gives plenty of opportunities for exploring the frozen north and its ruins ala Frostgrave or seeking treasure, lost artefacts or possibly some way to appease the gods and get them to restart the sun in one of the many unexplored islands that can be discovered. Interestingly the inhabitants of the world are decidedly leery of dealing with the gods as while they tend to try to be helpful, they tend to cause mayhem and destruction to the poor mortals they see to aid but with the world slowly freezing, needs must!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3uPsc5EFAfn-qMqtF0FHSHMez3po4Me8i9uFfzKjs5QeIWzFnM1AbIaUossfZK0i-5gLe0vJcLaWdF7h0TibMgW9QcDwrxCi4oq-13YKjhKcdT4w2HeNUU0w0tT4j5UmiIc6aZbOyapKu_7qc6SuoKKP05a5kh-ICWWbk0yWWVTdDw6tKhHVbIBVeAMF/s1280/ElvStarter__70367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1280" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3uPsc5EFAfn-qMqtF0FHSHMez3po4Me8i9uFfzKjs5QeIWzFnM1AbIaUossfZK0i-5gLe0vJcLaWdF7h0TibMgW9QcDwrxCi4oq-13YKjhKcdT4w2HeNUU0w0tT4j5UmiIc6aZbOyapKu_7qc6SuoKKP05a5kh-ICWWbk0yWWVTdDw6tKhHVbIBVeAMF/w400-h186/ElvStarter__70367.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Joshua has written a fantastic little game that has some really fascinating elements that make for an unpredictable but very enjoyable game as you an never be sure how many of your warriors will activate forcing you to really think carefully when they do. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w0NcMNiTQJMVTzjmxlY53qEm4oEghVSTiRHkyQZNYQ_H59n8mYwsJqbmkKPm7JXjn9GUq7kqaW2mvZXQvNO2rYij_v7GSh_YOqT-BZVmy72kK_IlAcF_3SKhxFOuhCzig2dPQa6-2-smkHjJhK59wLnCEmgjKmqOax3VWbAS5c9b8f-JESVU-1rgNx_f/s1280/kuld__52726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w0NcMNiTQJMVTzjmxlY53qEm4oEghVSTiRHkyQZNYQ_H59n8mYwsJqbmkKPm7JXjn9GUq7kqaW2mvZXQvNO2rYij_v7GSh_YOqT-BZVmy72kK_IlAcF_3SKhxFOuhCzig2dPQa6-2-smkHjJhK59wLnCEmgjKmqOax3VWbAS5c9b8f-JESVU-1rgNx_f/w400-h300/kuld__52726.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There's a really nice little range of figures available through Zombiesmith in the US but getting them in the UK can be quite difficult these days which is a real pity as they've got tons of character and charm.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmDTH0L5Xb3wTfWBQNfJxmFjDN1UKtVV4IFy1wPIHyOqJXV8kx7gcRlzWc82RGkQ0vjVViFkbAeuR0gagkFUalRm3n7YX1tzT4i3jFVnbfWDpx2SKMn5Q6gyl19NPD_6bJaaCuaqgDEf48cUoCxVjeBLirT9ZR_-rt5tgSOcpDwmfo2qxn-SvVH-wiTn3/s1280/VidStarter__04213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1280" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmDTH0L5Xb3wTfWBQNfJxmFjDN1UKtVV4IFy1wPIHyOqJXV8kx7gcRlzWc82RGkQ0vjVViFkbAeuR0gagkFUalRm3n7YX1tzT4i3jFVnbfWDpx2SKMn5Q6gyl19NPD_6bJaaCuaqgDEf48cUoCxVjeBLirT9ZR_-rt5tgSOcpDwmfo2qxn-SvVH-wiTn3/w400-h191/VidStarter__04213.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>I actually own a True Atronian warband and really need to finish painting it (they may make a bit of a cameo in my upcoming Leviathan game!) and have sculpted a few figures myself including a fair few Kuld.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSzPVxgGIuoWaAcYmgpwqbjc9WRf9isWMKGYGGqXd3A3-lZ1a4wKyBggr2FphF5CfYBCn9DqTpi35gxrYBTszVLCEwvranFc_aeV_zSlbr9UEac6wSBIhnEwdBSm5HSFcaG1auubjrYxkaekuEZZ5YeCvnvwPPxvmK4h7cyHUt-nKU06ZgnAZO8cvevEd/s1600/94026498_1137426873267789_3398051981405716480_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSzPVxgGIuoWaAcYmgpwqbjc9WRf9isWMKGYGGqXd3A3-lZ1a4wKyBggr2FphF5CfYBCn9DqTpi35gxrYBTszVLCEwvranFc_aeV_zSlbr9UEac6wSBIhnEwdBSm5HSFcaG1auubjrYxkaekuEZZ5YeCvnvwPPxvmK4h7cyHUt-nKU06ZgnAZO8cvevEd/w400-h256/94026498_1137426873267789_3398051981405716480_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The rulebook is available free from Zombiesmith and can be found <a href="https://zombiesmith.com/war-of-ashes-shieldbash-rulebook/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and Joshua is slowly releasing new sculpts. These are a slightly larger scale than the old ones and 3d sculpted rather than traditional but look lovely but to date these new figures only cover a couple of factions. As Zombiesmith is better known for its Quar range and its going through a big revamp at present it may be a while before we see the rest of the War of Ashes range getting done.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjeU1FVzXgeIzK25e_PlgGqLe_6sJ_uBlDjRsTbN0DZTD2pP6RGJzS0VmNWe0ok-z64wty3_afY9XRZYvgqCaK6a7e7hD0SOZThFlk3L4PSUMdwzO7qJyp0mO2UJaJf7O3VAjv2nEAXfqI1eQvR-54CV0SMipf-YyIxkTdHU32oZ2HwAm8Zteox4wqbUS/s3198/paintedwarbandlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="3198" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjeU1FVzXgeIzK25e_PlgGqLe_6sJ_uBlDjRsTbN0DZTD2pP6RGJzS0VmNWe0ok-z64wty3_afY9XRZYvgqCaK6a7e7hD0SOZThFlk3L4PSUMdwzO7qJyp0mO2UJaJf7O3VAjv2nEAXfqI1eQvR-54CV0SMipf-YyIxkTdHU32oZ2HwAm8Zteox4wqbUS/w400-h160/paintedwarbandlarge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>So if you're looking for a really quirky, characterful skirmish very unlike anything you've played before with a complete departure from the traditional fantasy races, its well worth checking out War of Ashes Shieldbash! (even looking through the rules again and putting together this article has me wanting to delve into my collection in rummage out the rest of my True Atronian figures and finally get them painted!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully this post will at least tempt folks to take a peek at the rules and maybe even give them a bash!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow will see another addition to the series but I must admit I've not chosen what I'm going to post about yet but we shall see what I can dig out!</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, All the best!</div><div><br /></div><div>Richard</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-75857241028450047672024-01-23T21:11:00.005+00:002024-01-24T22:24:26.567+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Warheads Medieval Tales UPDATED!<p> Hi!<br /><br /></p><p>Following on from yesterdays post on Star Mogul, I thought I'd take a look at a somewhat more recent game that never really got much attention but is still in production. <i>(Note this article has been updated with a link to the pdf's of the Warheads magazines which Seb Games have uploaded onto their site!)</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wra_dR2Yy6d7xJqSyYQ_LAfFoO3WZ2N9HnUs_uTArOfXD7ioBBunFngTvIWYR5bCUtcVXFJO4gtLnH0UvVEXAZdjKMBr_PR_8_GLa7mxpC6233eWSC2bdNJ0_rHzbPrilMWlhhacIc8uAe_d0cIRRDOFUqNCO-IKbs2HhyCbwIFWZXj3RX9IqKI0Wn6q/s548/WH-MAG-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="395" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wra_dR2Yy6d7xJqSyYQ_LAfFoO3WZ2N9HnUs_uTArOfXD7ioBBunFngTvIWYR5bCUtcVXFJO4gtLnH0UvVEXAZdjKMBr_PR_8_GLa7mxpC6233eWSC2bdNJ0_rHzbPrilMWlhhacIc8uAe_d0cIRRDOFUqNCO-IKbs2HhyCbwIFWZXj3RX9IqKI0Wn6q/w289-h400/WH-MAG-1.png" width="289" /></a></div><p>Warheads: Medieval Tales was released by Urban Mammoth in the UK back in 2010 and was an interesting hybrid between miniature game and RPG and came with a line of very stylised and cartoony figures.</p><p>Based on the art of Stuart Beel, who had previously worked on Warzone 2nd edition and Void 1.1 it was very different from pretty much every game I've seen and at the time was pretty unique.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCr8-cphJlT5ObylrxuPS_M3wGl2Fn_8OIjGpxCoqlWCz3FtjMNmTwzrBEmldeJHf8ahVWjQfxKMyMYP9SxxLsGaGIn1fdRd4jyd-Hogn3UMUe2Q_15svhBcju64vlvrfnUOlGFSFiIDae1W4J_5YU1DopXSuVfTvTdseVJ_MrSAheJ-iGWN4I4gFNzLhc/s1048/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.33.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="734" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCr8-cphJlT5ObylrxuPS_M3wGl2Fn_8OIjGpxCoqlWCz3FtjMNmTwzrBEmldeJHf8ahVWjQfxKMyMYP9SxxLsGaGIn1fdRd4jyd-Hogn3UMUe2Q_15svhBcju64vlvrfnUOlGFSFiIDae1W4J_5YU1DopXSuVfTvTdseVJ_MrSAheJ-iGWN4I4gFNzLhc/w280-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.33.17.png" width="280" /></a></div><p>The premise is that you choose from one of the two initial warbands, the good guys Sir Hugo of Deangard or the villainous Gui le Batard and their small band of followers and using the regularly released magazine you would play a campaign which would expand the characters, introduce new factions and whatnot over the coming months.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKqBCQ0GrUvoa0mfSDfCqw6FExm9gj74on2W_H_rC9WalDn5CXYjx7pskYjHeR6mSmB0OtAWvifS3BtwoRrib_QvM8TDR_QjPbImyq6xMddI_lohvgX-EAfZ29PzxFhpTv4wJZCVgtbTU4aevUMra3c-X9HcXs3Mena7LrOzalUOMlNc9o_XYIWs-F_Lo/s559/WH-MAG-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="395" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKqBCQ0GrUvoa0mfSDfCqw6FExm9gj74on2W_H_rC9WalDn5CXYjx7pskYjHeR6mSmB0OtAWvifS3BtwoRrib_QvM8TDR_QjPbImyq6xMddI_lohvgX-EAfZ29PzxFhpTv4wJZCVgtbTU4aevUMra3c-X9HcXs3Mena7LrOzalUOMlNc9o_XYIWs-F_Lo/w141-h200/WH-MAG-2.png" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn4SGOLyiEBaAxUQEY2RxkQJkFMqPpVEjm5NTxY5406RGXvcGbmgnqJBkilP86kML2fRnh4LZ9I_Dc2yCNybIfbFsfRydQ14-WIYT5KYxJOF739rP6G062XKKZLzz4w3NJt0dIc8kL7rbCk64syv1wXi4YEl_PZ2Pz5HVkAla0aEOLPcynWIAsyyI0LB5/s557/WH-MAG-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="393" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn4SGOLyiEBaAxUQEY2RxkQJkFMqPpVEjm5NTxY5406RGXvcGbmgnqJBkilP86kML2fRnh4LZ9I_Dc2yCNybIfbFsfRydQ14-WIYT5KYxJOF739rP6G062XKKZLzz4w3NJt0dIc8kL7rbCk64syv1wXi4YEl_PZ2Pz5HVkAla0aEOLPcynWIAsyyI0LB5/w141-h200/WH-MAG-3.png" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEYX-jynP8eF3Pdvj-u_zWUAeUJ9mByjX24zfeSzxZa8o6MzS1jgkKbZ9BLIIbCPpXwBpgnADzJrVkfA7t2VzdjZ6_chB5WW6jIeGTrP_IQZJ-yzsg8CH6tDN55uUGVJj9lbWxnH67t33N8R2l-FjDcRrRQjaFJ66MpisR7AREuHUXZcPy8vk28_cE1sY/s556/WH-MAG-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="395" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEYX-jynP8eF3Pdvj-u_zWUAeUJ9mByjX24zfeSzxZa8o6MzS1jgkKbZ9BLIIbCPpXwBpgnADzJrVkfA7t2VzdjZ6_chB5WW6jIeGTrP_IQZJ-yzsg8CH6tDN55uUGVJj9lbWxnH67t33N8R2l-FjDcRrRQjaFJ66MpisR7AREuHUXZcPy8vk28_cE1sY/w142-h200/WH-MAG-4.png" width="142" /></a></div><p>Set in a somewhat fictional England in 1078AD, the game would introduce various magical creatures including a Jabberwock as the releases continued and the artwork of Stuart was really quite fun and could have easily been used to draw in younger gamers who wanted to learn about wargaming and was a fascinating experiment in creating the hybrid wargame RPG that wouldn't really take off for over a decade.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7_1Wl4HZr6HBZzofZuhIIsIdQqSo8vhupISHuK8NMkvTzypBEcI-h90Am1rTqlWNcpPjr51ovXILv3IZyYGJsWleK0k5v3SuO77lrZRppUvGUbuh-QD0Ik9T9_HBR1ce50ztUqpRfp_UJ0RQ6jEsjFSMd5QO0OBPuy9IuMo78KaYcArTGS_cuNcpnsAr/s1820/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.35.11.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1820" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7_1Wl4HZr6HBZzofZuhIIsIdQqSo8vhupISHuK8NMkvTzypBEcI-h90Am1rTqlWNcpPjr51ovXILv3IZyYGJsWleK0k5v3SuO77lrZRppUvGUbuh-QD0Ik9T9_HBR1ce50ztUqpRfp_UJ0RQ6jEsjFSMd5QO0OBPuy9IuMo78KaYcArTGS_cuNcpnsAr/w400-h206/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.35.11.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The miniatures themselves were 3d sculpted using blender (if memory serves right) and while inspired by Beel's art, didn't quite match up but weren't helped by the fact that all that was initially shown were colourised renders which didn't give much of the character of the figures away.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_5nTjt8D8Qv98Zo-LwRadKr0o3nXMDquNOS4vh0_SQpA5mxg0tR5ImZbVMmcYlcXK6BpZuNnJI96c4lrk6kBIR5DjWPHK1cifVI2VDS-rQ54r4I4STqOZz4aSPi0Ff9orA_ORMkMjMSzfcaBJq8Sm8hQsSqyv0spLtrMG5qTeny8zZksIdaNzYz6cZY-/s1820/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.35.25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1820" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_5nTjt8D8Qv98Zo-LwRadKr0o3nXMDquNOS4vh0_SQpA5mxg0tR5ImZbVMmcYlcXK6BpZuNnJI96c4lrk6kBIR5DjWPHK1cifVI2VDS-rQ54r4I4STqOZz4aSPi0Ff9orA_ORMkMjMSzfcaBJq8Sm8hQsSqyv0spLtrMG5qTeny8zZksIdaNzYz6cZY-/w400-h229/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.35.25.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>I remember being interested in the game when it first came out as I loved the idea of a stylised, small skirmish game but at the time I was collecting other games and it kind of passed me by.</p><p>Urban Mammoth ceased trading in 2014 and only four of the six issues of Warheads was eventually released along with miniatures sets for each. The game was picked up by Scotia Grendel and kept in production including PDF versions of the rules and the last two magazines of the run were mooted but sadly didn't appear.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78AWALzJQnBmlyVfzLimLMHt0G_79c76lfMwi0lvowtk5294nBrUEAU368bjfzMESBo1ooz0EnKsv6L7cKdLUvZ1FD108tGW4twd-gW9E9ER7ovn72RCPUVPGjLgGOdAw2jL7d75m3ZH2ebZLiNfbl4ZjNM8n6VS3bsJw1WLwRWVtUK_ouFno5W39zz8V/s726/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.34.21.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="726" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78AWALzJQnBmlyVfzLimLMHt0G_79c76lfMwi0lvowtk5294nBrUEAU368bjfzMESBo1ooz0EnKsv6L7cKdLUvZ1FD108tGW4twd-gW9E9ER7ovn72RCPUVPGjLgGOdAw2jL7d75m3ZH2ebZLiNfbl4ZjNM8n6VS3bsJw1WLwRWVtUK_ouFno5W39zz8V/w400-h276/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%2020.34.21.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Handily the game has been licensed by Seb Games and I pinged a message out to Sebastian of Seb Games himself and there is plans for getting the ball rolling with the game again, hopefully akin to the new VOID game he's launched.</p><p>Interestingly there was a computer game released at the same time using the same characters and art style but I've not been able to find much information on it, or indeed its current status.</p><p>What I did love about the concept is that it was so small scale and focused on a small group of adventurers fighting it out in a mythical Britain and each release was a magazine and boxed set that would allow you to play through the campaign, building and painting your collection as you went. </p><p>While typing this article, I did find some painted examples of the figures on the internet and they do them more justice than the renders.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbHzQ2DnaAVmf9QQlZzGqJi2aXrl4aZLBNdwrcZD9AncCxhPMm0SPTibLOJf-mkeW1FBpjcRq4jPijVqqXBk0ed_NIAvDCTYwZ_pbUPxijU5nDfkiAbL5N0npg78hHfcfTH32xzcClcZ2_VSv0Eve_L3lyRBX-84nZAMYA96mFkQdPQRuPKdN1T8jGhu2/s1024/WH_GuileBatard2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1024" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbHzQ2DnaAVmf9QQlZzGqJi2aXrl4aZLBNdwrcZD9AncCxhPMm0SPTibLOJf-mkeW1FBpjcRq4jPijVqqXBk0ed_NIAvDCTYwZ_pbUPxijU5nDfkiAbL5N0npg78hHfcfTH32xzcClcZ2_VSv0Eve_L3lyRBX-84nZAMYA96mFkQdPQRuPKdN1T8jGhu2/w400-h235/WH_GuileBatard2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I must admit I'd love to see the figures painted in a more cartoony style rather than the more traditional wargaming approach to really highlight the cartoony style but even with these few examples, its clear that the sculpts are actually pretty characterful and its a real shame that the game never really took off. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do suspect that it is in part due to the cartoony style, combined with the renders which put off potential gamers. Combined with its limited release, Warheads is a bit of an oddity in the wargaming sphere but is still a fascinating concept that I'd love to explore!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXwIB4_-12JRnLFSGnPVakYI6ILc-Jn4RAUdiIyPxo7oFQ7FRJNMc_HLMWuPxHCOEW1Tz1_mi2byZiQ0Nb92A7CtaCcGyUHLZnRoIFoGDRCrwm1SjXCn8F41wy8rlSUJuiYbstGZ8d4-NYKhZfFMUvWt5tY51S1L1hfdZcEI1facUAJdr0t9zfC_AeGxR/s235/images.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="214" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXwIB4_-12JRnLFSGnPVakYI6ILc-Jn4RAUdiIyPxo7oFQ7FRJNMc_HLMWuPxHCOEW1Tz1_mi2byZiQ0Nb92A7CtaCcGyUHLZnRoIFoGDRCrwm1SjXCn8F41wy8rlSUJuiYbstGZ8d4-NYKhZfFMUvWt5tY51S1L1hfdZcEI1facUAJdr0t9zfC_AeGxR/w364-h400/images.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><p>Hopefully we'll see Warheads get some new releases and support in the course of 2024 as its a rather fab looking little game! </p><p>Sadly at the moment, the magazines are unavailable but Seb Games have uploaded the first four issues of the magazine and they are freely available<a href="UPDATE! Seb Games have uploaded the first four issued " target="_blank"> HERE!</a></p><p>Hopefully tomorrow will see another update on one of the obscure little games that can be found littering my collection but until then, All the best!</p><p>Richard</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-88807697286905534022024-01-22T15:41:00.001+00:002024-01-22T15:41:26.394+00:00An Ode to Obscure Games: Star Mogul<p> Hi!</p><p>As my Leviathan plans have hit a bit of a snag with the expense of fixing my car and while I'm waiting for some sculpting supplies arriving I thought I'd spend a bit of time looking at some obscure games, either from my own collection or some of the little niche games that appear from time to time. Some stick around and I fully intend to pick up a copy someday while others vanish into obscurity (and I still plan on picking them up someday!)</p><p>One such game is Star Mogul.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfl34PTims87SV5GGCFzQsCKx9kH6cjpuZ6T5RrNvkf-PrKOQvB4a9BWi3CSmGZQpQB-iQCfZ41ZVjRU_zEOHn-bLOWvbcZ0tKgnbDRN0m5A-hiYTKLVduJNHnijFT3FP5RJrFsDGg6ez_RjjN8wqNwIxzPisENA7AjXGOdR53xfmkwFy9RvHdCIeJTeQ/s1356/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.34.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1050" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfl34PTims87SV5GGCFzQsCKx9kH6cjpuZ6T5RrNvkf-PrKOQvB4a9BWi3CSmGZQpQB-iQCfZ41ZVjRU_zEOHn-bLOWvbcZ0tKgnbDRN0m5A-hiYTKLVduJNHnijFT3FP5RJrFsDGg6ez_RjjN8wqNwIxzPisENA7AjXGOdR53xfmkwFy9RvHdCIeJTeQ/w310-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.34.49.png" width="310" /></a></div><p>Released in the States back in 2006, Star Mogul was very much ahead of its time as it involves rival salvage teams exploring abandoned settlements for loot while trying to stop their opponents from doing the same.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ0YVBK8VKlP1Vt4zKVTikrzGoH_N7Jtk2dDVWs5q5FjSB9rf9bIkwyTxGgCMhbjqHvRDdM_A6QSTq24hc0f6t8RE_1MIMmK7hKYS6g7VGfvqbUzqXhgLlgV9cKTom5WLXAugPnWsNMksVdFwskHO9ZglM8ijIN8eQadU-n5Kk5n7LADV_zRrlA4UtRFp/s1032/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.35.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1032" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ0YVBK8VKlP1Vt4zKVTikrzGoH_N7Jtk2dDVWs5q5FjSB9rf9bIkwyTxGgCMhbjqHvRDdM_A6QSTq24hc0f6t8RE_1MIMmK7hKYS6g7VGfvqbUzqXhgLlgV9cKTom5WLXAugPnWsNMksVdFwskHO9ZglM8ijIN8eQadU-n5Kk5n7LADV_zRrlA4UtRFp/w400-h315/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.35.35.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Sound familiar? The Osprey game Stargrave is much the same idea but with more powerful characters. Star Mogul is a decidedly blue collar affair with small forces, averaging about a dozen figures a side and the odd small vehicle or stompy robot to aid them looting out on the frontier in the years following an alien plague that decimated the outer worlds. </p><p>Coupled with a somewhat ineffectual central Earth government these small companies operate beyond the law and fights regularly break out between rival teams.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavp-DKZmF_7rU6mNmybs7YA4SqhXRaNczarzii6caq1qVVdmhmFv9W5eYjFhgwWWnKu_ddz0SFZZbLfpx9MfC4rZEWjppPnIDECkXdOdzKW7x1MKV9nxOnQGve1OKc7oQ1NC-gcrHReiPrDr6Xn172Xwwl532NYaw-kRsIFFsHAS5_OUUTLQeg3hJvczK/s1328/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.35.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1328" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavp-DKZmF_7rU6mNmybs7YA4SqhXRaNczarzii6caq1qVVdmhmFv9W5eYjFhgwWWnKu_ddz0SFZZbLfpx9MfC4rZEWjppPnIDECkXdOdzKW7x1MKV9nxOnQGve1OKc7oQ1NC-gcrHReiPrDr6Xn172Xwwl532NYaw-kRsIFFsHAS5_OUUTLQeg3hJvczK/w400-h221/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.35.55.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>What made the game so great was you had basic stats for your team but depending on how you used your experience points, resulted in a vast variety of options for how you formed your crew. They could be small in number but well equipped, larger numbers but poorly trained, add robots, quirky crew chief options and different skills and you could really play about with bringing pretty much anything to play.</p><p>As for the game, it was rather fun and leaned heavily into an ongoing campaign where your salvage crew would fight to grub whatever loot they could, and that was part of the fun; you didn't have to aim to wipe out your foes as you just needed to recover scrap whilst holding them off!</p><p>Coupled with some really interesting fog of war effects and the ability to really develop your characters, the game was a minor success and by 2007 there were two supplements.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz15fvcb0NBPrdG3YmmE4astshmM1PlT4a3zlzVKDHaDMGettIyoWveJ93WTuMYTl4cYtBNlvgWKlkbSAmAvy9cye22Yp7sqNOk1pQ9R6iEuMl9X8AogGCiA7Xs2-c5RyZCh5Hsx4JBs7Bd1s_eilcUbWdvtOlkkukB8Hsm5xPbUFobLkytjF0D8eGA6OF/s1370/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.36.08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1370" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz15fvcb0NBPrdG3YmmE4astshmM1PlT4a3zlzVKDHaDMGettIyoWveJ93WTuMYTl4cYtBNlvgWKlkbSAmAvy9cye22Yp7sqNOk1pQ9R6iEuMl9X8AogGCiA7Xs2-c5RyZCh5Hsx4JBs7Bd1s_eilcUbWdvtOlkkukB8Hsm5xPbUFobLkytjF0D8eGA6OF/w400-h235/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.36.08.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Distant Worlds which brought in the Hydrissians, a reptile like race of aliens who had all sorts of interesting tech and the Asteroid Miners, heavily cyborgised humans who had an absolutely brilliant little line of figures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv5AH9XOXk843P4wRRFBsMg-mRPDJ9WN8Q0UcnK19Nse269u7OlhcJhDv_H7BU4Xj_ekQgbbEPQ-rwV3xDSA_sm159xgGxYS3TFvretSfgtX27hPVD52KT1LSV8RxVqh7incr6FXQvng0brJOG_3NkK91sffzTLwxtEUTp3UEXok65TtDEjRGeEOVoQW0/s1306/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.36.38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv5AH9XOXk843P4wRRFBsMg-mRPDJ9WN8Q0UcnK19Nse269u7OlhcJhDv_H7BU4Xj_ekQgbbEPQ-rwV3xDSA_sm159xgGxYS3TFvretSfgtX27hPVD52KT1LSV8RxVqh7incr6FXQvng0brJOG_3NkK91sffzTLwxtEUTp3UEXok65TtDEjRGeEOVoQW0/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.36.38.png" width="247" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe_8yfBajdOt0P_7E8dgYGtkYtQvHtqvQ7wuMwVYTLjNKmYC-MMyD6BwBm6JIbvNZ-1G3bIv51SF4hZKhJaKwXs-5wegqCyUj4yMyoKR7j_qa9aglYII43aFo4QMdqsUoZOSd86Azk0cLyvRAqGoC1bf6WOSVhrMJgzHQ8kRPoO9WUu6KlnCczl8794Gk/s1380/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.37.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMe_8yfBajdOt0P_7E8dgYGtkYtQvHtqvQ7wuMwVYTLjNKmYC-MMyD6BwBm6JIbvNZ-1G3bIv51SF4hZKhJaKwXs-5wegqCyUj4yMyoKR7j_qa9aglYII43aFo4QMdqsUoZOSd86Azk0cLyvRAqGoC1bf6WOSVhrMJgzHQ8kRPoO9WUu6KlnCczl8794Gk/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.37.49.png" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>The second supplement, Alien Evolution saw the arrival of the X-12 Android Cult, rebel robots who sought freedom from the slavery of the humans and the Mephalians, a barbarous degenerate race which has the remains of a long dead species tech and a crude knowledge of how to work it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4qyLngLQFZ0FIVvWVxjf1Np0l0O1lgDvlkA5AJhrMarww0576voajFVy0l53Fl_Kkc5wH_FurXLuNIzkE9PO-kKeaZ1NDqAYlFCpMotcvzD-62vCNWmBAEMZtxoNQV5HpIZTNnNZMd8VSqGQho9Zp6k_6CVWb67Pnq6OMZ-u_rgpcEbs9G-P_6Fkple4/s966/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.38.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="966" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4qyLngLQFZ0FIVvWVxjf1Np0l0O1lgDvlkA5AJhrMarww0576voajFVy0l53Fl_Kkc5wH_FurXLuNIzkE9PO-kKeaZ1NDqAYlFCpMotcvzD-62vCNWmBAEMZtxoNQV5HpIZTNnNZMd8VSqGQho9Zp6k_6CVWb67Pnq6OMZ-u_rgpcEbs9G-P_6Fkple4/w400-h271/Screenshot%202024-01-22%20at%2014.38.40.png" width="400" /></a></div><div>Sadly after the release of the Alien Evolution rules, Alpha Forge was sold to someone else who promptly did nothing with it and the game, support and miniatures were eventually sold on to Mega Minis who in turn broke up the range and sold them off piecemeal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now I believe Armorcast has the rights to the rules and some of the figures but the rest have vanished back into obscurity but I highly recommend folks download the rules and have a bash. They are on <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/235173426/Star-Mogul" target="_blank">SCRIBD</a> as are the supplements and with the plethora of sci-fi figures out there these days, its pretty easy to put together a Salvage Team. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd absolutely love to see this game being revamped with new miniatures, artwork and rules as it is a really great wee game with some properly characterful figures but with the status of the figure line, I doubt this will happen. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSOvKi99ev1XMeu4VZ_YrU65YbjA1W1N8O6AK65-BifInhF22aTVuInmz_q_13FQmQEwC7Xra-nxRdTFrD58ogonmB-7ND1QeEs10exmGoaQplNkpiKLDOIa-7wIjz2mFvss-aNXBdjbAaeVGtILvZ3ueENIXlj99Cs4t7RnbjohE6p5RuVGIdNSfJYY2/s600/THE-DESERT-ROSE-CREW.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="600" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSOvKi99ev1XMeu4VZ_YrU65YbjA1W1N8O6AK65-BifInhF22aTVuInmz_q_13FQmQEwC7Xra-nxRdTFrD58ogonmB-7ND1QeEs10exmGoaQplNkpiKLDOIa-7wIjz2mFvss-aNXBdjbAaeVGtILvZ3ueENIXlj99Cs4t7RnbjohE6p5RuVGIdNSfJYY2/w400-h350/THE-DESERT-ROSE-CREW.0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Desert Rose Salvage Crew painted by Supervike</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Star Mogul was ahead of its time as it came out when the obsession with massive scale 28mm wargames like 40k were still strong and the niche skirmish market hadn't really developed into what we see today but if you're looking for a small skirmish game that feels a bit Necromunda meets Outland, you can't go wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking back at it, I wish I'd picked up more of the range when they were available as I had several teams including the Asteroid Miners but they all went in the big clearout of 2008 when I went off to uni so maybe at some point I'll expend some more time on putting together two salvage crews and playing through the scenarios in the core book.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0vpEvGiXDjDh0JEE4DHAeF1UOXJnHfkJbS7Jepj55Kw2ZGhOgEOefvoEccnDqDPupxJb2sCy-XASf3XTyrM2H6PFptBatBmi5d2C6E9ZlIgaHv7cS2C9TGDaQm9SAJtYdKc8Oj2bh6TlqD1y4q1fppvbDA3HZK4TuHau6RLHguBIvWWSNx6ctRnhCoxk/s1024/SSL20279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0vpEvGiXDjDh0JEE4DHAeF1UOXJnHfkJbS7Jepj55Kw2ZGhOgEOefvoEccnDqDPupxJb2sCy-XASf3XTyrM2H6PFptBatBmi5d2C6E9ZlIgaHv7cS2C9TGDaQm9SAJtYdKc8Oj2bh6TlqD1y4q1fppvbDA3HZK4TuHau6RLHguBIvWWSNx6ctRnhCoxk/w400-h300/SSL20279.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Demo-Bot trundles through an abandoned settlement somewhere on the border </td></tr></tbody></table><br />I used to own all the books in physical format but now only have the PDF's so do plan on getting them printed out at some point and will get them bound so I can relive the pleasure of reading them.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfhf-w8iIOlJUpuuOfngCvvhizNiNwgqV2urQu_DzK998cu4s6VEuTf7AOtcdxf-nukkpYZANU_S6HIu_7fiL0tQc2Wp04C8MfXekibrSrUN1LN42-FrFAlpB3TE3jDkjv15O1bfyRhd_4t5KZY7sDgijFcPr9d1Cpl4JccIn0PJTxF4xwMKyS450Vch8/s1024/SSL20283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfhf-w8iIOlJUpuuOfngCvvhizNiNwgqV2urQu_DzK998cu4s6VEuTf7AOtcdxf-nukkpYZANU_S6HIu_7fiL0tQc2Wp04C8MfXekibrSrUN1LN42-FrFAlpB3TE3jDkjv15O1bfyRhd_4t5KZY7sDgijFcPr9d1Cpl4JccIn0PJTxF4xwMKyS450Vch8/w400-h300/SSL20283.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Salvage crew captain with trusty robot minion</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Looking through my blog, I can see that I've posted about the game before and even played a game using 15mm figures which can be found <a href="https://talesfromfarpoint.blogspot.com/2009/08/star-mogul-battle-report-part-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="https://talesfromfarpoint.blogspot.com/2009/08/star-mogul-battle-report-part-2.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I'm fairly sure I got some of the rules wrong but it gives a bit of an idea of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>I look forward to posting more gubbins over the coming week while I await sculpting supplies to get on with my Leviathan project but in the meantime, thanks for getting this far and All the best!</div><div><br /></div><div>Richard</div></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-40609409886518573112024-01-20T13:38:00.002+00:002024-01-20T13:38:30.642+00:00A Spanner in the Works<p> Hi!</p><p>I've been quietly working away on my 2024 Leviathan plans but have hit a bit of an issue, namely my car going in for a service which has resulted in £600+ of work needing done on it.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXX8k60Mvffq8Z1Cxh36Qyh8rz5VRGgpVUN5vcaiWdoFNiAPyU5UyTvvEvIPuHRVgCbFtIFv7UHvpZw7m6wVsuHmYf36ztVeHAgC5vWcqWzStrL9NyfM3HvtSePvazAJ7vVMZDT0-E9WGyZewLF3C2zaWoOCMCbfW7m1b4IwWCbU04HclBobwVNMlcj-yQ/s654/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%2012.57.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="654" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXX8k60Mvffq8Z1Cxh36Qyh8rz5VRGgpVUN5vcaiWdoFNiAPyU5UyTvvEvIPuHRVgCbFtIFv7UHvpZw7m6wVsuHmYf36ztVeHAgC5vWcqWzStrL9NyfM3HvtSePvazAJ7vVMZDT0-E9WGyZewLF3C2zaWoOCMCbfW7m1b4IwWCbU04HclBobwVNMlcj-yQ/w400-h341/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%2012.57.31.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's a Technomancer when you need one!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Unsurprisingly the repairs are taking precedence so my hobby budget is taking a massive hit for the foreseeable future so I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board with my plans for a years worth of gaming and really concentrate on gaming on a shoestring.</p><p>Now this still leaves me with some interesting options but its going to involve a lot less painting miniatures than I'd foreseen, at least in the scale I'd planned.</p><p>As I see things, I've got several options left open to me, all of which I should be able to do pretty much for free:</p><p>Option 1: Give up. Write off the whole thing and give up. This is a rubbish option that I shall immediately discard as stupid and defeatist!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesfN3U_tHjHe7e9GHSyPAhxiUfwJxIHhzj8-n8uI_GjvN6Ddd16bPJG89zWI18GK-wYF27pb8k8b81hbZPeJHggex75J6ulVePz0K7fslM3sbUa28fj77jtQVUVWSxfV8NcoCPB10ms15INvpOu6A1YpbBr7H1Y3jfruz-qD_tMSDt_LWivVm6-Y7Qe-W/s654/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%2013.15.34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="654" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesfN3U_tHjHe7e9GHSyPAhxiUfwJxIHhzj8-n8uI_GjvN6Ddd16bPJG89zWI18GK-wYF27pb8k8b81hbZPeJHggex75J6ulVePz0K7fslM3sbUa28fj77jtQVUVWSxfV8NcoCPB10ms15INvpOu6A1YpbBr7H1Y3jfruz-qD_tMSDt_LWivVm6-Y7Qe-W/w400-h341/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%2013.15.34.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Option 2: Go back to my sci-fi stuff as I've got enough painted figures and terrain to keep me entertained for years to come, not to mention quite a decent stack of unpainted stuff that I can work on.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3bLzMlCYrU-dRgivPL1-y2Wd27uWAG5GN6ePwOrdavp3CFY7jUMeb-hIA2-_qlc36TVthK9XGyBmZ6_6vuaxHteSpg4LXBav1nL8SjDDMa6EhGkzeWqY7vCp0XJyJr1-ph2H7FqpRyNccGeNaXxQzwOkI1S1Er6zoaExQxPuP44Kx185b7lQ9SKtqOso/s800/IMG_0914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="800" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3bLzMlCYrU-dRgivPL1-y2Wd27uWAG5GN6ePwOrdavp3CFY7jUMeb-hIA2-_qlc36TVthK9XGyBmZ6_6vuaxHteSpg4LXBav1nL8SjDDMa6EhGkzeWqY7vCp0XJyJr1-ph2H7FqpRyNccGeNaXxQzwOkI1S1Er6zoaExQxPuP44Kx185b7lQ9SKtqOso/w400-h288/IMG_0914.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nexus Rebellion troopers</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This option is a fairly easy one to do but I really feel that 2024 is the year I need to get Leviathan out of my head and onto the table so we go onto the other options:</p><p>Option 3: Make it myself but small! Essentially go back to 2008ish and make some 15mm scale warbands myself from greenstuff.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpbYRPgIvez8jT0qxdmjIW0jvPV3n7wmSvof9VlCYgbc9r6qHIXHvlrz8nNS2od10a_Lv77eOMzr2fSfZdJPdp2mCaeq30JGkjkRN4Pl1U3nq7rqksHv2YdEOy5K03kj7V7-4VywX8Ht6_vI_QtHueDZMT2946NA_5vAxSE0ym_ksobAYRpEUr3JhtMa/s1600/Dwarves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpbYRPgIvez8jT0qxdmjIW0jvPV3n7wmSvof9VlCYgbc9r6qHIXHvlrz8nNS2od10a_Lv77eOMzr2fSfZdJPdp2mCaeq30JGkjkRN4Pl1U3nq7rqksHv2YdEOy5K03kj7V7-4VywX8Ht6_vI_QtHueDZMT2946NA_5vAxSE0ym_ksobAYRpEUr3JhtMa/w400-h198/Dwarves.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original Boar Company</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now this option actually has some possibilities as I can sculpt 15mm quite quickly and include some bigger monsters without too much effort so its feasible to make a warband in a week, paint it and get it ready to play in a similar amount of time. Combined with the smaller playing area and it may be a bit of a winner. My only issue with this is that there is a limited amount of detail I can feasibly get into these little guys and the visuals are important to me.</p><p>Option 4: SD shenanigans! As above but with my larger scale figures. I must admit that this is my preferred option as I love making these characterful little figures and while it's a bit more effort than the 15mm option, its a pleasure to work on them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLvKpZq3LSnkmo8VHSnN2N42qcJfrrVlJN36A50Ih_xI3aQAmWvzKwbC6uhWPeeIYyzHPYYd06x_xkDol2ZA3vq38Kc2DPdZqnk7gXFhy8viteQRr_LOAaXGFQjICNNCVEyZDnrqMLRBN-iDFIdkRu8DXPACEVRudwDAHFpBoFnPyhIdb5koONEHgKKjn/s1042/DSC04390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLvKpZq3LSnkmo8VHSnN2N42qcJfrrVlJN36A50Ih_xI3aQAmWvzKwbC6uhWPeeIYyzHPYYd06x_xkDol2ZA3vq38Kc2DPdZqnk7gXFhy8viteQRr_LOAaXGFQjICNNCVEyZDnrqMLRBN-iDFIdkRu8DXPACEVRudwDAHFpBoFnPyhIdb5koONEHgKKjn/w308-h400/DSC04390.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p>Option 5: Papercraft it! I've been experimenting with Papercraft miniatures for a couple of years now so I could make entire warbands in a week and play campaigns easily.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpdIp0OqkH_ocXR9YdNH5qlO-zRBHcjUW7In1GMENHzDc5BwzZ0tL5XCHKLiJhHjRP9ncBYev-pUgwAbfw50pp0StFcCd_e8HoKTrm7AeCtH1hzCiczyiP6im6X9hMzqww5eAV6wasu4M5EUGi75YPKhAvykjU04jGmcJ5hHG7EDMHYNv6_FQYjipuLpW/s800/IMG_1640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="800" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpdIp0OqkH_ocXR9YdNH5qlO-zRBHcjUW7In1GMENHzDc5BwzZ0tL5XCHKLiJhHjRP9ncBYev-pUgwAbfw50pp0StFcCd_e8HoKTrm7AeCtH1hzCiczyiP6im6X9hMzqww5eAV6wasu4M5EUGi75YPKhAvykjU04jGmcJ5hHG7EDMHYNv6_FQYjipuLpW/w400-h228/IMG_1640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I must admit that this is quite a tempting option as its super cheap but I hark back to the importance of the visual and while I love making the paper standees, I can't help but feel that its cheating somewhat as they're not 'proper' miniatures.<div><br /></div><div>I think I'm going to go ponder a bit and put together a few bits and bobs and see what I like the best but I refuse to let my hobby be derailed before we even reach the end of January.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll post my progress in the next couple of days and hopefully I'll have something more concrete to show in my next post.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, All the best!</div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-23553595484167568952024-01-15T20:44:00.003+00:002024-01-15T20:44:42.083+00:00Relics: The Return!<p> Hi!<br /><br /></p><p>A quick interlude from my Leviathan stuff as today saw the announcement of the return of Relics the wargame!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP5VCqn_EyyiKsbGpZprs4Gpgh7ogyjEX8cKcYuPLXD_RylihGz0UJ7bCKHCHtnxjNTDtg6JXe-IjE8SEKlFjG43mlgXAtYB5xSuNMNwct224idiOjkc7UDHRbqWr1hOGe9cEUzzblFxErtt7LTwSkSKC0QWj1VA5cwUFO5L4TnwmOLqRRyxn6MwXY3BO/s900/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP5VCqn_EyyiKsbGpZprs4Gpgh7ogyjEX8cKcYuPLXD_RylihGz0UJ7bCKHCHtnxjNTDtg6JXe-IjE8SEKlFjG43mlgXAtYB5xSuNMNwct224idiOjkc7UDHRbqWr1hOGe9cEUzzblFxErtt7LTwSkSKC0QWj1VA5cwUFO5L4TnwmOLqRRyxn6MwXY3BO/w400-h200/Untitled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>As per usual my obsession with out of production games that virtually nobody plays has struck. Back in 2010, a small miniatures company called Tor Gaming released some super quirky figures that they classed as Stitchpunk and over the next few years the range expanded into a unique setting that featured voodoo doll soldiers, creepy fae and some really gnarly looking Dwarves.<div><br /></div><div>At this point, I was pootling around with miniatures and was pretty much entirely focused on Leviathan so the game passed me by and by 2017 Tor announced it was closing up shop and the game and miniatures were sold on to TTCombat, who at the time were pretty much an online seller if memory serves right with no real gaming experience.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfurv10IgWxqbwo7aoQgb5ZLhk9BRLof21DbYccZNatcuimDSd3Nly2AFJtRltIfO_5XvHumaIXxhmOd6oXd8_eqdFekXh97uZEWaWuNot3W4FHilglvUHwTIoSCvdDrk4N5Lse54vNIb2XPQ478fAXbmoWgIDRJqVWiP7DyzT6NfAZRROzO1KwcYibUN/s1084/Britanan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfurv10IgWxqbwo7aoQgb5ZLhk9BRLof21DbYccZNatcuimDSd3Nly2AFJtRltIfO_5XvHumaIXxhmOd6oXd8_eqdFekXh97uZEWaWuNot3W4FHilglvUHwTIoSCvdDrk4N5Lse54vNIb2XPQ478fAXbmoWgIDRJqVWiP7DyzT6NfAZRROzO1KwcYibUN/w295-h400/Britanan.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><p>Since then the game has sat fallow as TTCombat focused on other games, namely Dropzone, Dropfleet and Carnivale and the Relics community on Facebook began to dry up and it appeared that the game was well and truly dead as while the 2nd edition of the rules were available as a pdf, the miniatures themselves, so unique a selling point of the game were unavailable.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WZMH3xSaYezpddClyAItUu5APeA77GF4-xb7tqHwZmQdRzg9kX2huS_wfb2VUZSIxGrTWZYye88MfrHd3fnepwc1Z4AliqmqAroBzz6cIsZH8K_Fsj33XBJOIzi_gSqJeklAGPGaaELuLLcl0V3OSAotTkE4ER41NGpqKod2aJpL02S7PhK77EkpRfd2/s1200/Relics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1200" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WZMH3xSaYezpddClyAItUu5APeA77GF4-xb7tqHwZmQdRzg9kX2huS_wfb2VUZSIxGrTWZYye88MfrHd3fnepwc1Z4AliqmqAroBzz6cIsZH8K_Fsj33XBJOIzi_gSqJeklAGPGaaELuLLcl0V3OSAotTkE4ER41NGpqKod2aJpL02S7PhK77EkpRfd2/w400-h224/Relics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Now we find ourselves in 2024 and TTCombat has announced that they are re-releasing the game with newly mastered models and the original range will be available once again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBkV8gqyVt2M2jlVdfzM7zxEcXCbOjQa9FSqxIRs37HZI0i2Dgka8K4IkuZGQ3Jdvu_RiuMoG4g5DjoYQHzNgA3k0r7iTVImgM2Cu46jAeUkA2V4u6Q_1j4QS8udzCgij2vdACvNDBw5PEPr923d8ukHqRoCITYzqgoRSHFFYIqMTilIxgoedVzbTOAmj/s660/Vaettir-Starter-Set1-660-371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBkV8gqyVt2M2jlVdfzM7zxEcXCbOjQa9FSqxIRs37HZI0i2Dgka8K4IkuZGQ3Jdvu_RiuMoG4g5DjoYQHzNgA3k0r7iTVImgM2Cu46jAeUkA2V4u6Q_1j4QS8udzCgij2vdACvNDBw5PEPr923d8ukHqRoCITYzqgoRSHFFYIqMTilIxgoedVzbTOAmj/w400-h225/Vaettir-Starter-Set1-660-371.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Now I'm not sure if I'm going to be tempted to pick up the actual rules to try out but I do think I'm going to get some of the miniatures as they're really characterful and its not often that dead games make a comeback so I for one would love to see it reappear and continue to get support.</p><p>The first two factions to be re-released will be Orcnar and Britanan which should be happening in February with the rest following not long after.</p><p>If you're interested, its worth nipping over the <a href="https://ttcombat.com/collections/relics" target="_blank">TTCOMBAT</a> page to see whats available and the 2nd edition rules can be found for free download <a href="https://ttcombat.com/pages/relics-downloads" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p><p>We shall see how things go but its well worth a peek for folks looking for a really quirky and characterful range of miniatures, and hopefully an expanding one to boot!</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-9577787678990167482024-01-14T10:42:00.004+00:002024-01-14T10:42:57.394+00:00Further Leviathan Musings<p> Hi!</p><p>I've spent the last few days looking at my collection to see what I want to do in the coming year with regards to Leviathan.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqkMQHBRtMukC-k9B4chSgC08sRDlwNPosregZaJcw9f_KtCNBFdzGZRlhzHIWQtR9PUkZhhhnON147oo7uPbnf85kOmkp1BE1TSDjnR0hhHzhb-UlD3uqldPQ9NZjn6MZ2yrdF8k6ReynhpGWPkUNR_Wc-6n8AZj18RWuq_VY0BRLjIS16kQ5HdwbfeH/s800/DSC02548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="800" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqkMQHBRtMukC-k9B4chSgC08sRDlwNPosregZaJcw9f_KtCNBFdzGZRlhzHIWQtR9PUkZhhhnON147oo7uPbnf85kOmkp1BE1TSDjnR0hhHzhb-UlD3uqldPQ9NZjn6MZ2yrdF8k6ReynhpGWPkUNR_Wc-6n8AZj18RWuq_VY0BRLjIS16kQ5HdwbfeH/w400-h370/DSC02548.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I actually have at least the beginning of several warbands that just need a bit of fleshing out that will allow me to play a number of skirmish type games in the setting, be it Dwarf, Orc, Barbarian or even Elf so I have the option of just picking up some suitable figures to paint and cracking on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcM-bCTbe9GtENpfuf1nVccytTp_U77t9Z93JFy9TxlOttpdbSVIYav8cp8L3qjCC96MMD7xYkPDu9NxU4OhXIf6JM-smZk-osL8xofks0tr0-wGEXYn_ncY05B7hhzgQqBDCca9Od737WZ1HwRnx1AHts9MRL86_g2Ti9HL7zAnZCZZg-1zBf0wxBBb4/s1600/DSCF1060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1219" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcM-bCTbe9GtENpfuf1nVccytTp_U77t9Z93JFy9TxlOttpdbSVIYav8cp8L3qjCC96MMD7xYkPDu9NxU4OhXIf6JM-smZk-osL8xofks0tr0-wGEXYn_ncY05B7hhzgQqBDCca9Od737WZ1HwRnx1AHts9MRL86_g2Ti9HL7zAnZCZZg-1zBf0wxBBb4/w305-h400/DSCF1060.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div><br /></div>While most of these were painted about ten years ago, I figure I could keep working in a fairly similar style and within a few months have all I need.<div><br /></div><div>The other option I'm actually leaning towards is to go back to my Boar Company SD scale figures that I made myself and really dig into sculpting my own stuff again as its a really satisfying process that will allow me to get the figures that I want for my warbands.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PgcehyphenhyphenOpYlVc5pwADaSRD2zeya-1clX0MNVFD3JCagje8JRelrbCj6M5fIovQAdVNi_ay21vukEn_DCUZaVaeX1av9uP1OICLDlPYR_aNg4mav1ixtpXHjmIedWocQN-6kx9PcDI-sJhD1_eMB9lYZhYE-k3b8KuEUYul97TgUyyn-OayffBs2RmAEnI/s400/DSC05891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="305" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PgcehyphenhyphenOpYlVc5pwADaSRD2zeya-1clX0MNVFD3JCagje8JRelrbCj6M5fIovQAdVNi_ay21vukEn_DCUZaVaeX1av9uP1OICLDlPYR_aNg4mav1ixtpXHjmIedWocQN-6kx9PcDI-sJhD1_eMB9lYZhYE-k3b8KuEUYul97TgUyyn-OayffBs2RmAEnI/w305-h400/DSC05891.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><p>The downside to this is that it is a pretty slow process and I'll need to pick up some fresh putty as my current stuff has started to go off...</p><p>I've also delved further into my rules collection to see what other rulesets would fit in with my ideas and have decided that it may be a good idea to have a bash at something like these:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSrOFZ9KGHmZ3vMOTIxSEog7reWVj59DFcpKaYMOtsOY2pq_tgssLliSbr9Tk94wRUxFZGPgD1hgdA2029wUp4vZeB187Szoj6je5BGzznsynhJsA5_N9jwg6bJWH05kmjCXvMU-04Md77SzX-GPw7v_Sx9hZ3EX_XILAaWqcGcHIryGAJnjYsH-DO3zT/s2092/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%2010.21.52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="2092" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSrOFZ9KGHmZ3vMOTIxSEog7reWVj59DFcpKaYMOtsOY2pq_tgssLliSbr9Tk94wRUxFZGPgD1hgdA2029wUp4vZeB187Szoj6je5BGzznsynhJsA5_N9jwg6bJWH05kmjCXvMU-04Md77SzX-GPw7v_Sx9hZ3EX_XILAaWqcGcHIryGAJnjYsH-DO3zT/w400-h193/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%2010.21.52.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>I've got copies of all of them and they all look rather fun so maybe its time I actually bit the bullet and planned out and put into motion a project that would allow me to actually play them. I hope to build up my figure collection using whatever I decide on over the next few months and then try to play as many games as I can using as many rulesets as I can which will be a challenge in its own right!</p><p>With this in mind, I think I need to spend whats left of January making scenery which will be suitable for fantasy skirmish gaming in the wild frontiers, ruined cities and desolate spell wracked wastelands of Aeroth and see what I can come up with to set the scene before re-exploring the whole figures, rules and whatnot as I feel that if I can set up something that looks how I imagine it being I can start getting some figures fitted into the equation as I go.</p><p>With that in mind, I've rummaged out my old copy of How to Make Wargames Terrain from GW back in 1996 and will be using it to make some easy terrain to cover a 2'x2' battlefield initially before moving onto a 3'x3' setup which is the maximum space I have to work with. I'm also limiting myself to cost and attempting to just use scrap materials and to fit the lot into a single box once its done. </p><p>Is it possible? I have no idea but I'll see what my day off today can result in!</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-51649338512165869292024-01-09T11:35:00.003+00:002024-01-09T11:35:31.031+00:002024: The Year of LeviathanHi!
<div><br /></div><div>Well here we are in 2024, the 16th year I've been blogging which is totally mental! </div><div><br /></div><div>Over the last decade and a half I've picked up and put down many different projects but one has kept being worked towards before failing miserably and stalling again and that project is Leviathan.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeHRq6TX5MztGkfw9kVCxCRo2C20XCMr9VUldyp9mqvIDQQPTCOmpkYwppLqCBBkyLZa-Gkk6vUi6SRMLPDbEtjESz6YUqZbLeawCz5jh_0QqOhoOHs21ti4if7qzPUckencXcTIBUyIQnkfMwVcRDtY2fKFaiBedbqrFLVE262f8LpiEZD7z6WA1nf8n/s860/headerleviathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="860" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeHRq6TX5MztGkfw9kVCxCRo2C20XCMr9VUldyp9mqvIDQQPTCOmpkYwppLqCBBkyLZa-Gkk6vUi6SRMLPDbEtjESz6YUqZbLeawCz5jh_0QqOhoOHs21ti4if7qzPUckencXcTIBUyIQnkfMwVcRDtY2fKFaiBedbqrFLVE262f8LpiEZD7z6WA1nf8n/w400-h135/headerleviathan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Its a game that is almost like the holy grail of my hobby as I've worked at it on and off for the entire time I've been blogging, even with my Leviathan blog being my first real delve into sharing my thoughts over the interwebs. This largely forgotten and niche game with its lumpen resin sculpts and incomplete rules keeps drawing me back in and I think I want to actually do something about it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuNwnJblo19pNDtvkrmIXx3rCkT4fZPcki2C2T7Yl1RQZhHa9KtdnJ_8IdO6I96hbNDCxVV2jbzfsMSPnkR00yFD105vXyNh1ny6-m1A-wGInckOwAYI9mkUU5-1kz34dxvznjFUrj5zMaJJI0Pof-fmpk1l_BajCGDvTiTulw2JY8qu6p3C9OoZrF5U-/s1708/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2010.55.18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1708" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuNwnJblo19pNDtvkrmIXx3rCkT4fZPcki2C2T7Yl1RQZhHa9KtdnJ_8IdO6I96hbNDCxVV2jbzfsMSPnkR00yFD105vXyNh1ny6-m1A-wGInckOwAYI9mkUU5-1kz34dxvznjFUrj5zMaJJI0Pof-fmpk1l_BajCGDvTiTulw2JY8qu6p3C9OoZrF5U-/w400-h288/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2010.55.18.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now Leviathan is stated to be a mass battle game but one needs a 8'x4' board to play it and large armies of infantry, cavalry, warengines and mighty monsters to play it. None of which I currently have. This got me to thinking that could I approach a Leviathan project in a different way? <div><br /></div><div>Instead of using the rules and all the massive miniatures could I use another, simpler and quicker ruleset for the mechanics and use the frankly brilliant setting to play out games in a quicker and less complex manner?</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVOzOLOv62xdMOBgBYkq9h9l0AHxlSRwe6UrNn72wgfMbvNsv3i2T9bqnD-WckbX4gGq6tVN86nEkPVZEf4rl6xr7rPCMovSOwDJ_hNXRtwcjB4CvwiiwWhdCvM1C0yl5ST6-jjby37Jvh3Im_ti6z2v9QxGY6VLCUwOdD_T8dGMW1Qq7fCI4t7QyC5gz/s1708/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2011.00.52.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1708" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVOzOLOv62xdMOBgBYkq9h9l0AHxlSRwe6UrNn72wgfMbvNsv3i2T9bqnD-WckbX4gGq6tVN86nEkPVZEf4rl6xr7rPCMovSOwDJ_hNXRtwcjB4CvwiiwWhdCvM1C0yl5ST6-jjby37Jvh3Im_ti6z2v9QxGY6VLCUwOdD_T8dGMW1Qq7fCI4t7QyC5gz/w400-h278/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2011.00.52.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The answer is that yes I think I can! I've got a massive stack of rulebooks for fantasy and science fiction gaming and I'm almost positive that I'll be able to make use of at least one of them for a good basis for my obsessive quest.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next thing I'll need to think about is what scale of figures do I want to use? I've played games set in Aeroth , the post apocalyptic world of Leviathan in everything from 28mm to 2mm so I'm spoiled for choice but I think I'm kind of settled on using one of three different levels of conflict:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Mass Battle 2mm </b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKY_yj4IQG6-HTzg8dKNt55iZSsTuBuq7SOgp8Z3Zr8pFQXNOAhtTBCdvB-ErtQ66EgN46l7ENJhHvv1o_Mp4SXShb_u6hLHtagjA6jW4YT17cNhOrd8ggDV1cGKIRdttzeO_sol2gU-bEkyJEh5Df9rtqYqON2gnLgO0mdxURCTXGrotOeaENyp05uNd/s800/84069963_287866849018927_1785065356851675136_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKY_yj4IQG6-HTzg8dKNt55iZSsTuBuq7SOgp8Z3Zr8pFQXNOAhtTBCdvB-ErtQ66EgN46l7ENJhHvv1o_Mp4SXShb_u6hLHtagjA6jW4YT17cNhOrd8ggDV1cGKIRdttzeO_sol2gU-bEkyJEh5Df9rtqYqON2gnLgO0mdxURCTXGrotOeaENyp05uNd/w400-h240/84069963_287866849018927_1785065356851675136_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Using my 2mm stuff and Land Ironclad rules its a cinch to play out massive battles featuring wartowers, engines of destruction and all manner of other exciting stuff that I expect in a massive wargame and should be fairly easy to put together both cheaply and relatively quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Large Warband 15mm/28mm</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapiLKNqnY6dPFhHXbIg_lm9lArvHhMf8iKrsLIiC6kRmaiNOX7Xq4E-DCL3Bxz0cqqCMc5bItKbLUM535dOdM_ZtyEUvTp2CDK0BlJGB8OIN7M6ZOjUKWHI0bZbByQJXAzNZh2r_IEls_3ysIrXy7XOmx8rg_NtV5heWcZhpl3-dNZFhh7Ucr77X8OOAN/s280/SSL20220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="210" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapiLKNqnY6dPFhHXbIg_lm9lArvHhMf8iKrsLIiC6kRmaiNOX7Xq4E-DCL3Bxz0cqqCMc5bItKbLUM535dOdM_ZtyEUvTp2CDK0BlJGB8OIN7M6ZOjUKWHI0bZbByQJXAzNZh2r_IEls_3ysIrXy7XOmx8rg_NtV5heWcZhpl3-dNZFhh7Ucr77X8OOAN/w300-h400/SSL20220.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsc6vcauOpGThp9mXUpum8KQDywx_38A6nPpydJXwPmsdkIV2fopphzXfW6wx2I1iCuxLPRc2A4xf09fUzVmwSVBZuDtHSc57CTrayt-qwngsmE198flvH-yXVhVEOPDzvRdGGydqt6HpdtCgmHjlkeRY6MLd4U8R9QpQP4jUTcdspFnAXT6ftfTNo7Drm/s800/DSC02447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="800" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsc6vcauOpGThp9mXUpum8KQDywx_38A6nPpydJXwPmsdkIV2fopphzXfW6wx2I1iCuxLPRc2A4xf09fUzVmwSVBZuDtHSc57CTrayt-qwngsmE198flvH-yXVhVEOPDzvRdGGydqt6HpdtCgmHjlkeRY6MLd4U8R9QpQP4jUTcdspFnAXT6ftfTNo7Drm/w400-h195/DSC02447.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>I'm still swithering about what scale to go for in the warband level games as 15mm is cheaper but there is something awesome about seeing a 28mm scale warband on the table and by using Dragon Rampant or No Quarter I think I could put together an army in about six months so I'd have two over the course of the year and if I rotate through forces, I'd have two small armies to play by summer time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Small Skirmish 28mm</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPSNtJkVLCec4h1uU2RcCoJ90IBXJIDWE3QMxVPUyVWwtNkm3eX1FiZbIixX0lCqO-KkiudGhH0Ck0kCi-wvpy6gdrYFIcSYOVH3td_6Dc6Wy8Leb77HQ4Med2PAuVGvnWtYq-eg2w14ow0iG0vDKU_sCgEN4zKLd4tF1coyL5EjYnvnCMIPFSTX-zlgP/s1600/94873601_684505172375898_8766910153950756864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="1600" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPSNtJkVLCec4h1uU2RcCoJ90IBXJIDWE3QMxVPUyVWwtNkm3eX1FiZbIixX0lCqO-KkiudGhH0Ck0kCi-wvpy6gdrYFIcSYOVH3td_6Dc6Wy8Leb77HQ4Med2PAuVGvnWtYq-eg2w14ow0iG0vDKU_sCgEN4zKLd4tF1coyL5EjYnvnCMIPFSTX-zlgP/w400-h313/94873601_684505172375898_8766910153950756864_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div>For small warbands of 5-10 figures a side, I plan on using Brutal Quest as it is such a great rulebook and I think that if I use 28mm figures for the Large Warband option, I'll be able to use figures for both projects. It would be a fairly straight forward process to put together two warbands and game out all manner of interesting scenarios as I go.</div><div><br /></div><div>We shall see how things develop going forward as I am more than aware that each time I've tried it, my Leviathan project has rapidly gone pear shaped and been derailed by other projects but surely this year will see me make a go if it!</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the first thing I need to do is to look at what I've got squirrelled away and then set out a budget, timeframe and whatnot to see what I can come up with and post up here with the final(ish) decision before moving onto the project itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>No doubt I'll be tempted by other projects as the year progresses but I think that if I can set myself with an achievable challenge and work towards actually getting the Leviathan obsession onto the gaming table, I'll be doing well.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, All the best!</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-73636474433581418052023-12-16T10:54:00.001+00:002023-12-16T10:54:29.818+00:00Plans for 2024 and Looking Back at 2023<p> Hi!</p><p>Its been a wee bit quiet here over the last month as its both the silly season at work so I've been mentally busy and we've got guests coming to stay over Christmas so the man cave/library has had to be turned back into an actual bedroom.</p><p>This year has been a bit of a mixed bag hobby wise as I've played some brilliant fun games from a variety of games but nowhere near enough of them as the total comes to 24 compared to last years 53!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p6byMLk5i7QP4t9E2202NA5ht-CfjEsOa6fErStr6FNzTDK8JgIpyycqxYv4v1kQjDcPSEMG8QYh8_dt3z0OwJpXzi4uXfmzskkTSraIegF7uGGmEQhwaMZ418VcRobHngekugF6R15wP5SpenF1YU4mW2niiIJtJ-pr4V8qquatkdbULfeP7G7LdF4h/s4093/Photo31-12-2020181507-1.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4093" data-original-width="2894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p6byMLk5i7QP4t9E2202NA5ht-CfjEsOa6fErStr6FNzTDK8JgIpyycqxYv4v1kQjDcPSEMG8QYh8_dt3z0OwJpXzi4uXfmzskkTSraIegF7uGGmEQhwaMZ418VcRobHngekugF6R15wP5SpenF1YU4mW2niiIJtJ-pr4V8qquatkdbULfeP7G7LdF4h/s320/Photo31-12-2020181507-1.webp" width="226" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUwmAyCcNmAIF1zcYHr_eJUVdEpJzQgiGlFVcm4JEgQxs5h49GWzaWaJGBhzwE0ypG0heb2ixjPevfV0bj1TkOWIaNzHSZYh0OkoqLXYX60o4xCm0Rlw8y3XZSoNQYfHp9mFDIiZ1TIAUhjEivvsKW7Sb1YLDflmZ9QLSxiVlqc6e3Btv-HZykUz7I4SZ/s1273/409696.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUwmAyCcNmAIF1zcYHr_eJUVdEpJzQgiGlFVcm4JEgQxs5h49GWzaWaJGBhzwE0ypG0heb2ixjPevfV0bj1TkOWIaNzHSZYh0OkoqLXYX60o4xCm0Rlw8y3XZSoNQYfHp9mFDIiZ1TIAUhjEivvsKW7Sb1YLDflmZ9QLSxiVlqc6e3Btv-HZykUz7I4SZ/s320/409696.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><p></p><p>Looking at my games record, I've played Colostle and Planet 28 most and they're definitely my games of the year as they're both really quirky and simple games that are buckets of fun to play, easy to convert and bolt on extra elements and basically concentrate on having an enjoyable gaming experience.</p><p>In Colostle, my character EM-RY5, a golem adventurer has been on an epic quest to save his hometown of Granite Orchard from repeated rogue Rook attacks and I've thoroughly enjoyed the solo RPG and would highly recommend folks take a peek at it as its brilliant.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivktmEMPPz26UHEBTxtbqA9J0JliEV8tXOYCWRCOLMRViypsTuERI3idSSmT4Xy5hb4tyZS1FwiCzneL99OjDyosNkd5WnX_wlKEbMraM7WKFgPhWs5e2u11oHl7IV3yxqfZYidKsfxBhjMFzbrCqxAXE5pZq2wHauVWJq0nO-_fj0_NTAQUvLqFtsvBkT/s3788/IMG_0080.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3788" data-original-width="2060" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivktmEMPPz26UHEBTxtbqA9J0JliEV8tXOYCWRCOLMRViypsTuERI3idSSmT4Xy5hb4tyZS1FwiCzneL99OjDyosNkd5WnX_wlKEbMraM7WKFgPhWs5e2u11oHl7IV3yxqfZYidKsfxBhjMFzbrCqxAXE5pZq2wHauVWJq0nO-_fj0_NTAQUvLqFtsvBkT/w217-h400/IMG_0080.jpeg" width="217" /></a></div><p>I've got several expansions for it now which are adding great little elements and plan on grabbing the second expansion and the two new job packs that I've not picked up yet over the last few months and plan on diving back into the Colostle in the new year as I try to complete the campaign.</p><p>Wargaming wise, Planet 28 and to a lesser extent, Brutal Quest continue to provide pretty much everything I want in a skirmish wargame and my small warbands continue to multiply and quite a few games have been played with the Death in the Throne Room campaign starting to come together, I'm looking forward to playing it out next year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh249MM4HBjmO-Sg2SmUlM8vHEi9t7dWwzaza_9ZlImv9vmWabpzWAC3e60v6SN9OO5cfYjmuuYJo6BR4vJ12ekfREwi_78a-Nc2wGwJf2I47CQUia7JDYGd6HVQqg9vXSavvOfmKdTd96o9f0ndfSjlx4sIuqyFCMqGwXh1Gp6opnn1oGoUZ05qT6Ec0mU/s800/IMG_0799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="800" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh249MM4HBjmO-Sg2SmUlM8vHEi9t7dWwzaza_9ZlImv9vmWabpzWAC3e60v6SN9OO5cfYjmuuYJo6BR4vJ12ekfREwi_78a-Nc2wGwJf2I47CQUia7JDYGd6HVQqg9vXSavvOfmKdTd96o9f0ndfSjlx4sIuqyFCMqGwXh1Gp6opnn1oGoUZ05qT6Ec0mU/w400-h134/IMG_0799.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Looking forward, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Rogue Trader in 2024 so I can put together a bit of retro fun using the original rules but I'm still waiting on my copy arriving (like quite a few folks by the sounds of things!) so its going to be put on the backburner for a while until it does but in the meantime I do want to continue painting stuff to add to my assorted warbands.</p><p>I'm also really keen to get started with some more fantasy next year as I really want to play some grim low magic fantasy games! Over the last year or so, I've picked up a few rulebooks including Rangers of Shadowdeep and Five Leagues from the Borderlands so we shall see what I can put together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdnBqo3MK6jdAQDw5m5kvLxnFkogBwptVpG4eYygvyEQWFtnk3QopX1z5th0ubAVOeGNNXHr2QldR1qR43TcIWmAAlL4Sgua3Bfu53UYfalN3vRTF-4H_KzW7Lfw5Y7zwMFI7cL7Qf0efDDR2xeLDgrMh3WQO0zTXAtsqxOnx-p5bRFZz5dKtkbL5iLfp/s600/dfh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="399" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdnBqo3MK6jdAQDw5m5kvLxnFkogBwptVpG4eYygvyEQWFtnk3QopX1z5th0ubAVOeGNNXHr2QldR1qR43TcIWmAAlL4Sgua3Bfu53UYfalN3vRTF-4H_KzW7Lfw5Y7zwMFI7cL7Qf0efDDR2xeLDgrMh3WQO0zTXAtsqxOnx-p5bRFZz5dKtkbL5iLfp/s320/dfh.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iF5vL__Pft8unj3nzCQaHvWFKCxSAz_N0Uc_pGSX9oP2EptfDHp3d9ba_wTLV2JYiVfDRckssEZLl6VGLAKlvKd3GKfDmY3XSoK4QNdNSN6wQnepJhkgjQOn8Bt0eciOrzpKvA5C1Bwm4ZSXs8QZMRfNyT4vfApKADbeimCs2BWmoz5EDXwZ2Lsm1grH/s480/rangers-of-shadow-deep-standard-edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iF5vL__Pft8unj3nzCQaHvWFKCxSAz_N0Uc_pGSX9oP2EptfDHp3d9ba_wTLV2JYiVfDRckssEZLl6VGLAKlvKd3GKfDmY3XSoK4QNdNSN6wQnepJhkgjQOn8Bt0eciOrzpKvA5C1Bwm4ZSXs8QZMRfNyT4vfApKADbeimCs2BWmoz5EDXwZ2Lsm1grH/s320/rangers-of-shadow-deep-standard-edition.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It will be a bit of a slow process though as my painting time is decidedly limited, as can be seen by the palty number of figures I've actually managed to paint this year which sits at a mere 53 which is less than half of last years total but I do want to see if I can get a bit of inspiration for 2024 and see if I can improve on it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwC0RofHorJ1Igj07Ovf43XD2TCPmdXCqxsaHq34aC4-KhykN9S7qF1ZHaZqmDtOCDBnd66ciBwO3NG9I6721CBHlqJZH4yRyDFWOR9gY8Q-YRKMcD4KcoU_UDkEjEsmlwrmLJHHQomARPVfBQl41hfiIh6QCUcEHS9hDljjqDsHULfgBTv88Qsh4r8nt/s800/IMG_1805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="800" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwC0RofHorJ1Igj07Ovf43XD2TCPmdXCqxsaHq34aC4-KhykN9S7qF1ZHaZqmDtOCDBnd66ciBwO3NG9I6721CBHlqJZH4yRyDFWOR9gY8Q-YRKMcD4KcoU_UDkEjEsmlwrmLJHHQomARPVfBQl41hfiIh6QCUcEHS9hDljjqDsHULfgBTv88Qsh4r8nt/w400-h229/IMG_1805.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got lots of papercraft miniatures that I can use which is an ok stopgap but I find myself really wanting to use physical miniatures, either stuff that I've bought or sculpted myself but with the hobby severely limited in both time and money, I may end up going for this approach to scratch the itch until I can slowly put together a more permanent plan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've also had a hankering for something different in 2024. As is always the case with me, I've got a rubbish attention span and have seen several games I'd love to lean into be it Void 2.0, Wild West Exodus, Draculas America, Battletech, Silver Bayonet, retro Doctor Who Miniatures Game or Heavy Gear Blitz to name but a few but I really need to temper the enthusiasm for the ooh shiny new things syndrome as I don't really need to start yet another mad project which will probably end up grinding to a halt not long after it starts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When you combine it with the old projects I've got such as Vor, Flintloque, Star Mogul, Land Ironclads, 2nd Edition 40k and Somewhere on the Border, I'm already spoiled for choice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll need to do some head scratching and serious pondering but I do hope that 2024 will see me getting back into the swing of things and maybe I need to set myself a monthly challenge to start a mini project that is easily achievable, plan it out in advance and complete it before moving on. It would give me the motivation to do some much needed hobby goodness and if I can complete a project and move on it may be both fun and give me lots to blog about, especially if I only need to complete say a dozen figures and a few pieces of scenery followed by a game being played...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I look forward to 2024 for new gaming and painting challenges and hope everyone has had a cracking year hobby wise and thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to read my meandering blog in its 15th year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the meantime, All the best! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Richard</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-26302467272684773362023-11-19T20:56:00.000+00:002023-11-19T20:56:03.677+00:00Planet 28, Death in the Throne Room Game 1: The Hothouse Heist<p> Hi!</p><p>I've played the first game in the Death in the Throne Room campaign which sees the Cult versus the Loons Goons.</p><p><b>Scenario</b></p><p><i>Using a mixture of psionic divination, and having some handy informants in their congregation, the cult has set up an ambush on the Loons Goons who are patrolling a pleasure garden to the south east of the Throne Room.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdfaVSH3SmSaXUpWxIhTdoe-plI9GRfjCtfMcbOjvSsIxWZq3vNS8p7ig_3GYIZsEAUEJmkU3tUGLF26xj9pExyAguG6U6IAdyHC-JZooQLrWQcc1Uyj9Bbmtx8Jpxn0TZW1P8e1VseS3NcwIjyhj36BV7sg-IlULjcJXkDRzl5oftQqx9ZqAi9XO7E-1/s1192/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.35.22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1136" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdfaVSH3SmSaXUpWxIhTdoe-plI9GRfjCtfMcbOjvSsIxWZq3vNS8p7ig_3GYIZsEAUEJmkU3tUGLF26xj9pExyAguG6U6IAdyHC-JZooQLrWQcc1Uyj9Bbmtx8Jpxn0TZW1P8e1VseS3NcwIjyhj36BV7sg-IlULjcJXkDRzl5oftQqx9ZqAi9XO7E-1/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.35.22.png" width="305" /></a></div><i>The cult has been investigating the hothouse in search of healing herbs due to several of the congregation beginning to show worrying mutations due to warp exposure while the Loons Goons have been dispatched to loot the same herbs whose hallucinogenic qualities will allegedly ease the Loons raging case of Ythargian Syphilis.</i><p></p><p><i>Unfortunately for both sides, the pleasure garden is a toxic hothouse, brimming with deadly vegetation. To make matters worse, the fertilisers for said vegetation is highly explosive so stray shots may set off an explosion and attract unwanted attention.</i></p><p><b>The Board</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lZVhINzCLHwYWV2VmEPmdgrUa6t1YflrM_g96difHZjdEBoZ9ZgjX8q3PMJhyphenhyphenU59PNJvGl9zX6aGNdOCTq9lqyKl8Lf92ghe4VJPYTciXzZQoTv0UaABV0eukb-88tfzi9EUfnNNjeFRkWEBFX1bav6WQ1aFfUjvQo1C0pZRVOzTXHu1XMuRpjEloaEl/s1254/Screenshot%202023-11-19%20at%2014.47.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1254" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lZVhINzCLHwYWV2VmEPmdgrUa6t1YflrM_g96difHZjdEBoZ9ZgjX8q3PMJhyphenhyphenU59PNJvGl9zX6aGNdOCTq9lqyKl8Lf92ghe4VJPYTciXzZQoTv0UaABV0eukb-88tfzi9EUfnNNjeFRkWEBFX1bav6WQ1aFfUjvQo1C0pZRVOzTXHu1XMuRpjEloaEl/w400-h399/Screenshot%202023-11-19%20at%2014.47.00.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The board represents a rather untamed hothouse with lush vegetation and arcane items of agricultural machinery and tasteful statues. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Special Rules</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The air in the hothouse is toxic so every turn each model must roll a d6 and on a 1 they take a point of damage.</div><div><br /></div>The two forces deploy at opposite corners of the board. There are four locations that contain rare herbs which may be collected by spending an action and a fifth objective at the centre of the board which is an ancient and valuable relic that the old emperor confiscated from the church and the cult is desperate to retrieve it. By spending an action in contact with it, the cult can pick it up and will endeavour to recover it.<div><br /></div><div>The Loons Goons are decidedly shady and if they retrieve a herb objective, roll a d6 and on a 1 the model promptly consumes it and cannot do anything but lie on the ground grinning vacantly for D6 turns.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each herb objective recovered gives the player 1 victory point while the cult will get 3 if they recover the relic.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cult also receive 2 victory points for each of the Goons that they take out of action. The Goons on the other hand get 2 victory points for each model that leaves the board via the cults deployment zone.</div><div><br /></div><div>If a ranged attack misses a model in cover, roll a d6. On a roll of a 1 the shot has set off an explosion and any model within 5cm of the terrain piece takes D10+2 damage minus an armour save.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Complications and Sub-Objectives</b></div><div><br /></div><div>To spice up the game, I added a couple of mini options. Murdoch Foyle will pay handsomely for the herbs and any player may sell him them for 100 credits but in their next game they will be facing Inquisitor Fisher who will want to ask them some rather pointed questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly there is a chance that a gardening robot will turn up on a random table edge once the first herb has been harvested. Roll a D6 and on the roll of a 1-2 it will turn up and immediately move towards the nearest model, attempting to attack it with various gardening implements.</div><div><p><b>The Game</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IM8eA5h0AFCMTzcSBl_epsrjJ6Dn7vRCj_1CNTYjM7hHOCgxrxE3ShQLArxNeb893pRtUr6erTmkmApd6fyQXl3-rj5pxpAZyutP9s7uLC7XnK2bPEGYmOql2-lR-ydHuKLNhdt7P4n-ytG66p6Rpr6w-EuVGo3ZDJg39xcOsyH2HH26bl4B44gMWRsU/s910/IMG_2251.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IM8eA5h0AFCMTzcSBl_epsrjJ6Dn7vRCj_1CNTYjM7hHOCgxrxE3ShQLArxNeb893pRtUr6erTmkmApd6fyQXl3-rj5pxpAZyutP9s7uLC7XnK2bPEGYmOql2-lR-ydHuKLNhdt7P4n-ytG66p6Rpr6w-EuVGo3ZDJg39xcOsyH2HH26bl4B44gMWRsU/w351-h400/IMG_2251.jpeg" width="351" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I set up a selection of scenery to give lots of cover to the two forces and had the cult deploy on the bottom left and the Goon squad on the top right.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZY-Hn4aOdPTapp4n-MzGX7khLMaI1hZT6IhJP3XOyPzADyIH1Uaq3cB7YK0BBzzOxgtj7fbyyBHgY8rCcvYT81-KtulRB1yaSefyGlKxhaUbURdDZavlgovU8XH-zrF_KaEDk9zmFr7pyH3D6tNVJwmN3SbPwr0DLj2UPpMTB7GgDdObMNVqfZxqSwmw/s1043/IMG_2252.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZY-Hn4aOdPTapp4n-MzGX7khLMaI1hZT6IhJP3XOyPzADyIH1Uaq3cB7YK0BBzzOxgtj7fbyyBHgY8rCcvYT81-KtulRB1yaSefyGlKxhaUbURdDZavlgovU8XH-zrF_KaEDk9zmFr7pyH3D6tNVJwmN3SbPwr0DLj2UPpMTB7GgDdObMNVqfZxqSwmw/s320/IMG_2252.jpeg" width="245" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV06cNzhzCS4sBI6DXH1uFKkYe3mKfGJr0rzV7kUXxC24N_jKaAka7WGAQXzzlRQTqo6E9caBwx8cDTR5LfqHxAv1yPIvwggkFID6hwuEDboVv81LPBZ-U_golTIILboXDkFfNFAQgr5KbUk4B6by6flmgwQqbY1hQnkDuGYreHAebR1bNTqlloSOw3bdK/s913/IMG_2253.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV06cNzhzCS4sBI6DXH1uFKkYe3mKfGJr0rzV7kUXxC24N_jKaAka7WGAQXzzlRQTqo6E9caBwx8cDTR5LfqHxAv1yPIvwggkFID6hwuEDboVv81LPBZ-U_golTIILboXDkFfNFAQgr5KbUk4B6by6flmgwQqbY1hQnkDuGYreHAebR1bNTqlloSOw3bdK/s320/IMG_2253.jpeg" width="280" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Some of the objectives are fairly easy to recover but I tried to make things a bit more interesting by placing some of them in the middle of vegetation or on top of buildings that will require a bit more effort to get to and possibly throw a spanner into either sides plans.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkSU-nRYQpOf_N8-218QvWNiVlbbrjds_-WOdL8EdoFRZ8mTDTrEJOdSVDZ2qcuyD02vZczh01128MEMA4zkmP2ZDUNnW4vUlrhEBHliWk2udg4poSfjO4euoVq4craodCxW6gp7qIWOif3NVfUGEI16pq6XSV1Miw17PTUTyynZ5VlVgF8X_Xogw1w0G/s1171/IMG_2254.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkSU-nRYQpOf_N8-218QvWNiVlbbrjds_-WOdL8EdoFRZ8mTDTrEJOdSVDZ2qcuyD02vZczh01128MEMA4zkmP2ZDUNnW4vUlrhEBHliWk2udg4poSfjO4euoVq4craodCxW6gp7qIWOif3NVfUGEI16pq6XSV1Miw17PTUTyynZ5VlVgF8X_Xogw1w0G/s320/IMG_2254.jpeg" width="219" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67uBKJn7ixmKW7I_DdgbQsl584or5J1jlEml00CgUZX1tqT0UpkDe3fnwaeetZfqHrHy5a4sWtLEnnp3399-lHgcphQs_q4lAOkqqkNyj8P9428gVa_Cj8EwLwyLOeUvlT8Th-8PdVEaNwKk_OeFgaM-TMwTJLLQ_skXic-lviXyCvVU7kNuHowqp7yvU/s871/IMG_2255.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67uBKJn7ixmKW7I_DdgbQsl584or5J1jlEml00CgUZX1tqT0UpkDe3fnwaeetZfqHrHy5a4sWtLEnnp3399-lHgcphQs_q4lAOkqqkNyj8P9428gVa_Cj8EwLwyLOeUvlT8Th-8PdVEaNwKk_OeFgaM-TMwTJLLQ_skXic-lviXyCvVU7kNuHowqp7yvU/s320/IMG_2255.jpeg" width="294" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I had contemplated adding in some dangerous vegetation but felt that I had enough special rules as it was so decided to go as is and possibly add extra elements and tweak the scenario as I went.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQJHSFyc3Rh56V6CO9fnGpaC232Wrc0Q5kxSxSZjjrWnWKWG_SVEK9oX6K_MgWGLS-UMaPvKijkolkv4GaOx_gXiHzvGR-5FxR2fkGOT1FdsL63Kk3R1276S_s1p_vJFaorHWnmjCR9j6pzC0EnEGt0kf6UR1M0so7NSuCNGXmI9Z9ZfqUxNHyKFg_uWt/s800/IMG_2256.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="800" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQJHSFyc3Rh56V6CO9fnGpaC232Wrc0Q5kxSxSZjjrWnWKWG_SVEK9oX6K_MgWGLS-UMaPvKijkolkv4GaOx_gXiHzvGR-5FxR2fkGOT1FdsL63Kk3R1276S_s1p_vJFaorHWnmjCR9j6pzC0EnEGt0kf6UR1M0so7NSuCNGXmI9Z9ZfqUxNHyKFg_uWt/w400-h205/IMG_2256.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Loons Goons</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Loons Goons are armed with a pair of pistols and medium armour and are better in ranged combat than the cult but don't have the best morale.</div><div><br /></div><div>For this game I went with fairly generic profiles but will roll up proper characters once I've got a few test games under my belt.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkd1cY8lv-pJOKw-DgWqPZzCvuxvyjfgCjW_0oBIszyOP8oBMJpKzfEOc4JX3EbsLbn0a2m4hbtD2wSvLTUjAo5QpMHPIsSt-68hybtfhI21xHu3zUSbTPQZ3dQU_7BsJivM1hisnhCcTSsiurcc0j0tNNKFAabxAzWwYJCrd-NfJYJGCO960gvWKXjjQ/s800/IMG_2257.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="800" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkd1cY8lv-pJOKw-DgWqPZzCvuxvyjfgCjW_0oBIszyOP8oBMJpKzfEOc4JX3EbsLbn0a2m4hbtD2wSvLTUjAo5QpMHPIsSt-68hybtfhI21xHu3zUSbTPQZ3dQU_7BsJivM1hisnhCcTSsiurcc0j0tNNKFAabxAzWwYJCrd-NfJYJGCO960gvWKXjjQ/w400-h175/IMG_2257.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cult</td></tr></tbody></table>The Cult are lightly armed and equipped but they do have a power maul which will make a mess of pretty much anything as well as a slight numeric advantage.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zs72qzeTcxODHdn9NcxQgnPk1GVN-nXuQXMnezukLmsbh2p6oPUem5sCAFDWW3aqljJNdmTb0pKrwdNqzP-m_ySYMzFW_Snq1RMKx_tlRADjJnUY9lYAIIPQdjkfor5wZgkQ9h1hiTxiJZbT-nC9vDwbvhgYTn765mQhtPtZCrxYb2zF7Q7pf-jQlirY/s800/IMG_2258.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="800" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zs72qzeTcxODHdn9NcxQgnPk1GVN-nXuQXMnezukLmsbh2p6oPUem5sCAFDWW3aqljJNdmTb0pKrwdNqzP-m_ySYMzFW_Snq1RMKx_tlRADjJnUY9lYAIIPQdjkfor5wZgkQ9h1hiTxiJZbT-nC9vDwbvhgYTn765mQhtPtZCrxYb2zF7Q7pf-jQlirY/w200-h167/IMG_2258.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpFDS-Iu8-ewbQB6dd_Ar282QCmQk50To8GQ6wpbbKQbLeLn-1Y7Z0Fb1tlCPU2g7r8fbgIJibA8V3zXUYGpvIHh6W4BbgeiO2XvN7yC7qS5aOujzCkv4b16mug2ouF49eVzln1ym14U6VgWxPFs0DRsit9OwluFwNQHPfVLVptp_fyUIVDgL4eERo1Kj/s845/IMG_2259.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpFDS-Iu8-ewbQB6dd_Ar282QCmQk50To8GQ6wpbbKQbLeLn-1Y7Z0Fb1tlCPU2g7r8fbgIJibA8V3zXUYGpvIHh6W4BbgeiO2XvN7yC7qS5aOujzCkv4b16mug2ouF49eVzln1ym14U6VgWxPFs0DRsit9OwluFwNQHPfVLVptp_fyUIVDgL4eERo1Kj/w189-h200/IMG_2259.jpeg" width="189" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The gardening robot (which sadly never turned up in the game!) and the central objective which has the cults relic concealed in it. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vCwbvZKKwZORxcyJ4ZYfbcttslvCMcVgNLtmVS2jhx2ZhOswIFWs4zFbzFucJiT0wF54ZYyKM_9M-m0DMXq13SFRSUsthMLEOOtfCHq1wmCXd8v2VhgFIxNudVKeqQSaguSCv0pu9_BZa-T64rgyy7CXBj7QlctA_IrsJ9NyrKFTF21iXP4f5vOqfOVM/s1038/IMG_2260.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vCwbvZKKwZORxcyJ4ZYfbcttslvCMcVgNLtmVS2jhx2ZhOswIFWs4zFbzFucJiT0wF54ZYyKM_9M-m0DMXq13SFRSUsthMLEOOtfCHq1wmCXd8v2VhgFIxNudVKeqQSaguSCv0pu9_BZa-T64rgyy7CXBj7QlctA_IrsJ9NyrKFTF21iXP4f5vOqfOVM/s320/IMG_2260.jpeg" width="247" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxwiObo-uUd06UCFAiNguAu8dJcHWGGdhBGV11u05F1IWj7Fb7e_GB_BWknkoHMbV9GQsRbH71CSeCLv2vOoBPqH3PqCdxaNiE_VROqEf6sU85oyMcVb8clf8xnnpes-VRA2AsKoE1d7bRy6a_N0KcbMkrTP902EV0hrnv-LNkCiaqjRXn9PlXxIcSb6_/s860/IMG_2261.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxwiObo-uUd06UCFAiNguAu8dJcHWGGdhBGV11u05F1IWj7Fb7e_GB_BWknkoHMbV9GQsRbH71CSeCLv2vOoBPqH3PqCdxaNiE_VROqEf6sU85oyMcVb8clf8xnnpes-VRA2AsKoE1d7bRy6a_N0KcbMkrTP902EV0hrnv-LNkCiaqjRXn9PlXxIcSb6_/s320/IMG_2261.jpeg" width="298" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The game played out in about half an hour and saw both sides manoeuvring to try and grab objectives but with an eye on also killing their foes or trying to escape.</div><div><br /></div><div>The toxic environment proved to be pretty deadly as I rolled quite a few 1's on both sides which saw lots of coughing and choking as the toxins in the air began inflaming the eyes, noses and throats of the combatants. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eIt_paGKRnIgYyNEClMN1aB7Ghe8b2sXbcypj11xrJk3KeMTTx3gkg8_mejDw9zot3mCSci1CGoM5XGsy-crhcQ_GJtyOfmckqm9Q21jpCzOwgCHsjZM83_lXj5TLqsL4gG1mYndz7atd8nM4_PHC-0V4ojUsf49ORqHnN9kKSOR1kQIBQxGByRiInXa/s897/IMG_2262.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eIt_paGKRnIgYyNEClMN1aB7Ghe8b2sXbcypj11xrJk3KeMTTx3gkg8_mejDw9zot3mCSci1CGoM5XGsy-crhcQ_GJtyOfmckqm9Q21jpCzOwgCHsjZM83_lXj5TLqsL4gG1mYndz7atd8nM4_PHC-0V4ojUsf49ORqHnN9kKSOR1kQIBQxGByRiInXa/w356-h400/IMG_2262.jpeg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cult moves forward.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUTA5Y1n816zwnE-aYjwjV442lt8-b5BbxUuhSaHHvkMZVtb3tFERk-HD_i8tMuOKJkqzMYOQVaQqhWTHP87zXInwrI9Dw4e3pjLWQp3QoA9eiaQ6NNW4Rnuqb0YMUPNz11c0kPMxtaPe7Ti1cOQuueXM0ODQShFZfpiFNxQotlp-zpZ7Nc-rt7gVRaZ8/s800/IMG_2263.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="800" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUTA5Y1n816zwnE-aYjwjV442lt8-b5BbxUuhSaHHvkMZVtb3tFERk-HD_i8tMuOKJkqzMYOQVaQqhWTHP87zXInwrI9Dw4e3pjLWQp3QoA9eiaQ6NNW4Rnuqb0YMUPNz11c0kPMxtaPe7Ti1cOQuueXM0ODQShFZfpiFNxQotlp-zpZ7Nc-rt7gVRaZ8/w400-h228/IMG_2263.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lone cultist with a shotgun stalks his prey.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwmp2LXnYEHgxv603KYiv1FfNEMlO3gxiaJKnoLMWl5PoyZZ82c45DmzDf7tZk7BrHaYOlWOmy9f9blis9yGyG9CR6G-NurDdIjFHed94QQsmYaXgcG989hscrE89yP6ZaKi04GK23h6zgW1fwqgffILGudvcStgL2yAtS4U0yuRt9kPsmCicyLjCQSsB/s800/IMG_2264.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwmp2LXnYEHgxv603KYiv1FfNEMlO3gxiaJKnoLMWl5PoyZZ82c45DmzDf7tZk7BrHaYOlWOmy9f9blis9yGyG9CR6G-NurDdIjFHed94QQsmYaXgcG989hscrE89yP6ZaKi04GK23h6zgW1fwqgffILGudvcStgL2yAtS4U0yuRt9kPsmCicyLjCQSsB/w400-h300/IMG_2264.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Goon Squad spreads out and prepares to claim an objective!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As both sides got closer to each other, the gunplay began with a volley of shotgun fire from a lone cultist but he missed his target, narrowly missing causing an explosion in the process while in the centre the cult quickly seized a herb and made a dash for the relic.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3O4ItrTDe1sVMUTUAMKrYgA0Le4kGYdO_1ny9XNYOR0p_-Til9t5eyoPSC2UFKg2crRHVM8NZoa3-iujtYzK_-cOQoGZpWQyM39AjRWgZH6mGTxdce0g2cWeyJCqTmDGQRSILzE9iB-DqhjymJyoN1fqy5v417SuMueI_CeMSJK4ezdjK8ZdjRdscIAD/s1011/IMG_2265.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3O4ItrTDe1sVMUTUAMKrYgA0Le4kGYdO_1ny9XNYOR0p_-Til9t5eyoPSC2UFKg2crRHVM8NZoa3-iujtYzK_-cOQoGZpWQyM39AjRWgZH6mGTxdce0g2cWeyJCqTmDGQRSILzE9iB-DqhjymJyoN1fqy5v417SuMueI_CeMSJK4ezdjK8ZdjRdscIAD/w316-h400/IMG_2265.jpeg" width="316" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Annoyingly the goon who collected the herb promptly jammed it into his face and would spend the next several rounds lying on the ground grinning like an idiot...</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9joNvaPcH8qpvMlzQRD0VI0PqiY0zQQ8yP8yUbXgdwI_BOcs1A1wtwcMFiw6yNrrKZTpJKJFHtgxKslD9vdrAB5XRIJD3y9KyCNCJSBxIOuzz7X3fZkLNKhSyMGHobMTpDfgpXTIuA4fXec50eSqJrm1WM9UcGrrwBAK7t3-VrjJzA6ZqdsjrL6v27Lp5/s956/IMG_2266.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9joNvaPcH8qpvMlzQRD0VI0PqiY0zQQ8yP8yUbXgdwI_BOcs1A1wtwcMFiw6yNrrKZTpJKJFHtgxKslD9vdrAB5XRIJD3y9KyCNCJSBxIOuzz7X3fZkLNKhSyMGHobMTpDfgpXTIuA4fXec50eSqJrm1WM9UcGrrwBAK7t3-VrjJzA6ZqdsjrL6v27Lp5/s320/IMG_2266.jpeg" width="268" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8K4KPUP8PBDsUNhWcPnlNLaB6UFbxxnxufb-fEsDhuSk6Ar9d_BqzgsFy0dx-1iR_0JCamnTJ1w9uwFbBxZmCRyQ3F0jB_3reRYLs_uVcylmLw-GbFPAfsMii90oSI0vBhUQPfmBuDyhK1jUqtYdsoMspe7BM4FQUaAiPXWsibRA8EfqeBEHQil9Y5GAq/s1068/IMG_2267.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8K4KPUP8PBDsUNhWcPnlNLaB6UFbxxnxufb-fEsDhuSk6Ar9d_BqzgsFy0dx-1iR_0JCamnTJ1w9uwFbBxZmCRyQ3F0jB_3reRYLs_uVcylmLw-GbFPAfsMii90oSI0vBhUQPfmBuDyhK1jUqtYdsoMspe7BM4FQUaAiPXWsibRA8EfqeBEHQil9Y5GAq/s320/IMG_2267.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>His compatriot, having been shot at by the shotgun wielding cultist returned fire with some surprisingly accurate pistol fire, resulting in two dead eyed hits which sent the cultist fleeing off the board.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile a second cult member, having snatched the relic, also began making a beeline for the exit, clutching the holy sculpture to his bosom.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL_95GcL6kSI3xG1asa7jA8b771qTuRzUcnfSeioXEXLD23qfRPOJgFKdEwHP8h6kFky7fSJbpIjHvzswtptDX1NlINzFZxADdL2vQJnzRezcA-xjoKlQJGoP5IoxKaxuLY7FbHcMoFzqKkr2MhXq6BsanDRXAGaMAn0RYrgW2bepW5AMZfaX5HSAEKoZ/s800/IMG_2268.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="800" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL_95GcL6kSI3xG1asa7jA8b771qTuRzUcnfSeioXEXLD23qfRPOJgFKdEwHP8h6kFky7fSJbpIjHvzswtptDX1NlINzFZxADdL2vQJnzRezcA-xjoKlQJGoP5IoxKaxuLY7FbHcMoFzqKkr2MhXq6BsanDRXAGaMAn0RYrgW2bepW5AMZfaX5HSAEKoZ/w400-h348/IMG_2268.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>At this point I got carried away with the game and forgot to take more pictures! The cultist with the power maul trundled up to the stoned goon and proceeded to batter him around the head. Fortunately the maul failed to kill him and the blow to the head revived the fellow and he proceeded to begin blasting driving the cultist back.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cultist with the relic managed to flee the battlefield giving the cult bonus victory points and the scrawny black clad cult sub leader screeched a warbling warcry and charged the Goons leader. Miraculously he got two perfect hits (in my mod of the rules using the D100 method, there's a 10% chance of doing maximum damage with a hit) and the surprised goon leader dropped very dead with a blunt dagger stuck through his eye.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EdW6arGTNQzAB4jIr3oLKIPpwb_VRUYSjPXa0KC6PuQjgdvNtHLqnixCRtDNqS9f7tPEN5EqkAqslzZc29TuOfydL0-xNa6DP6cPRBKyiH1nxwxGTGxBCTi96vpmYd_WOxw5ps4cw4CdpfiT924V2aZUZnzGbJJkhku8WgL2UAWovoqg6f4OfqiLNA06/s800/IMG_2269.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EdW6arGTNQzAB4jIr3oLKIPpwb_VRUYSjPXa0KC6PuQjgdvNtHLqnixCRtDNqS9f7tPEN5EqkAqslzZc29TuOfydL0-xNa6DP6cPRBKyiH1nxwxGTGxBCTi96vpmYd_WOxw5ps4cw4CdpfiT924V2aZUZnzGbJJkhku8WgL2UAWovoqg6f4OfqiLNA06/w400-h275/IMG_2269.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Seeing his minions fleeing, the cult leader decided that discretion was the better part of valour and legged it, but not before getting a face full of plasma from the revived goon whose shooting since imbibing the illicit herbs has been stellar. The badly scorched cultist scuttled off muttering curses and the game ended.</div><div><p><b>The Aftermath</b></p><p>The cult managed to retrieve the relic as well as one dose of herbs as well as killing one of the goon squad so ended up with 6 victory points while the goons, having been left in control of the hothouse managed to retrieve 2 doses of herbs and 2 escaped without being taken out so gain 6 victory points too.</p><p>I played the scenario twice and each time it ended up in a draw. I think if I was to play it again, I'd try to cause more explosions by purposefully firing at opponents in cover as there's still a chance of doing more damage through explosive destruction. </p><p>Both sides did a good job of sticking to their objectives, although the Goons didn't try too hard to escape the ambush they found themselves in, relying on their superior armour and firepower to hold the day. If the cultist with the power maul had rolled some better damage, the game could have gone very differently.</p><p>As with my previous post, neither side took control of the pleasure gardens as they were either carrying out a raid or didn't outright win the game so it's still up for grabs.</p><p>The next game will feature Fisher and her Inquisition trying to infiltrate General Shunt's secret weapons lab that the illusive Murdoch Foyle has been developing something unpleasant!</p><p>Until next time, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-51280440335488540052023-11-12T21:33:00.000+00:002023-11-12T21:33:14.726+00:00Planet 28 Death in the Throne Room Campaign Thoughts part 2<p> Hi!</p><p>Following on from my last post, I thought I'd look at the process of putting together a campaign using my assortment of rulebooks.</p><p>Having rummaged through my collection, I've selected Rogue Stars, Stargrave and Five Parsecs as they're both absolutely chock full of handy scenarios and nicknacks that I'm planning on incorporating into the main campaign and while they're designed for other skirmish rulesets, I think I'll be able to shoehorn them, or at least elements into my campaign.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj835RrG4oQV2LVVXvn8YcVKRVPyeRXcD-CD3AOL-kYSL5IyMRZeQ-m_OF77ruS2SDsVFL9tSo1wtTNRRGt-59LRxAtss9pNkCMJyS-S-l3NKS9R6mXupOaMd1Hw2U6JXOy4w-V55OH-p1jF-zdJ-4bxbQFjX_iAXC73GxYKTbS0xpaXyeB3jKzWWaUsrl9/s485/9781472810779.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj835RrG4oQV2LVVXvn8YcVKRVPyeRXcD-CD3AOL-kYSL5IyMRZeQ-m_OF77ruS2SDsVFL9tSo1wtTNRRGt-59LRxAtss9pNkCMJyS-S-l3NKS9R6mXupOaMd1Hw2U6JXOy4w-V55OH-p1jF-zdJ-4bxbQFjX_iAXC73GxYKTbS0xpaXyeB3jKzWWaUsrl9/w149-h200/9781472810779.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceT5w-ZTcMhBBFCBFyGXtNQ4HHwEabUI3yaA5fZTDvhvD3a1GAkiRdMlP1X476EOqwRJA24ieR1Ffpi7WxTsHQJvs11KGcmvy4FIhY0XAfgLjAg1aGSNSJ4zIeUVumu-O5Xa5EB3xfhtC2Dd1dbciN-Kog1VDdLSuzrk5-qgOE1ppbbrqf4vs_7V9tu8y/s707/9781472837509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="568" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceT5w-ZTcMhBBFCBFyGXtNQ4HHwEabUI3yaA5fZTDvhvD3a1GAkiRdMlP1X476EOqwRJA24ieR1Ffpi7WxTsHQJvs11KGcmvy4FIhY0XAfgLjAg1aGSNSJ4zIeUVumu-O5Xa5EB3xfhtC2Dd1dbciN-Kog1VDdLSuzrk5-qgOE1ppbbrqf4vs_7V9tu8y/w161-h200/9781472837509.jpg" width="161" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QHK2Du2ihzIlqKz7P3npfb53RySBn_-5FiiCG_JNAAhukg_QnTiODewd-yz203nPTwt82PVRTwKTyfqupZYEIwP_P_y8rxs16gsSYLV62Dc8JUGK3e7aHcxWd4T5iXCQpCt_yr42Gt7hT-k2myPww-Wjed7kQctLNe3qvqAGp80iM6V2GWd94hgeRXCA/s2764/five-parsecs-from-home-solo-adventure-wargaming-pdf-five-parsecs-from-home-modiphius-entertainment-453791.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1843" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QHK2Du2ihzIlqKz7P3npfb53RySBn_-5FiiCG_JNAAhukg_QnTiODewd-yz203nPTwt82PVRTwKTyfqupZYEIwP_P_y8rxs16gsSYLV62Dc8JUGK3e7aHcxWd4T5iXCQpCt_yr42Gt7hT-k2myPww-Wjed7kQctLNe3qvqAGp80iM6V2GWd94hgeRXCA/w133-h200/five-parsecs-from-home-solo-adventure-wargaming-pdf-five-parsecs-from-home-modiphius-entertainment-453791.webp" width="133" /></a></div><br />Speaking of the campaign, Nic Evans, creator of Planet 28 includes a campaign outline and map of the Imperial Palace in the Death in the Throne Room book:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSPdTaeJo4OEg75CabeZuvvsWikSsAPR97tiSSo1N85CxokZ7_WM7yLlGM6YlwHnWvRTU9GyFjVBzHHQdA4TSK9rQus853XFlrDskCnaV4x4q4KJpnEvNBo-i0YCzo9N7Ye6QlSpAy0m6Ob0_KrNt2RJg-73HgjJH9AtRZ-0dgL0eAE6A2SeYN3gMW1D5/s732/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.21.52.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="732" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSPdTaeJo4OEg75CabeZuvvsWikSsAPR97tiSSo1N85CxokZ7_WM7yLlGM6YlwHnWvRTU9GyFjVBzHHQdA4TSK9rQus853XFlrDskCnaV4x4q4KJpnEvNBo-i0YCzo9N7Ye6QlSpAy0m6Ob0_KrNt2RJg-73HgjJH9AtRZ-0dgL0eAE6A2SeYN3gMW1D5/w400-h395/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.21.52.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we have the basic map that I'll be using for the campaign with each faction claiming a starting territory:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuFWEFof1WFBzCFHXUufxu4j7IqDLhnHajM6Z97y8rvRrCWYqaS6pZ_kix4QLYTHA97XjEDP_76_ECQYKqMz7uD3UBe2SAJFfZzoqFlvyP0da0amDSYZW5Xw_8lqwHgKiEC5yq1_k7xWVompXyZfwSAxx0haQP529NCuMVkKLn0AYPwYunJTHjgqzcV9y/s1490/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.30.47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1490" data-original-width="1136" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuFWEFof1WFBzCFHXUufxu4j7IqDLhnHajM6Z97y8rvRrCWYqaS6pZ_kix4QLYTHA97XjEDP_76_ECQYKqMz7uD3UBe2SAJFfZzoqFlvyP0da0amDSYZW5Xw_8lqwHgKiEC5yq1_k7xWVompXyZfwSAxx0haQP529NCuMVkKLn0AYPwYunJTHjgqzcV9y/w305-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.30.47.png" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've placed each faction on the map with Princess Josephine located in the throne room in the centre while the remainder are spread out around the edge in hab zones. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In order to capture a zone, a faction has to be in control of the adjacent hex but it is possible to raid other hexes in specific scenarios but they cannot gain control of them unless they first capture one of the spaceports.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the first game of the campaign I used the scenario generator from Rogue Stars for the basic outline and rolled randomly to see which forces were involved which results in The Temple of Boniem ambushing Baron Thaddeus's Goons in a toxic hothouse in the pleasure gardens south east of the Throne room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yRC3A9gbnw6MbfmBPfuBn-z4Nzf0a3lz8k2_fodlCSFIvaUf3hpgXDgiP1Y6G12hfyPuCnSgN2hS-WwJKeYa5yIDbTyD2wn_l6X9p5kaL_pfDbEPyCl0WMFbU7mulxsIIpu0fQHZU3SxnrLGVCw1WTKczX-K8GKhno06ks4kBi7CZBZViBvaaxzLj48e/s1192/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.35.22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1136" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yRC3A9gbnw6MbfmBPfuBn-z4Nzf0a3lz8k2_fodlCSFIvaUf3hpgXDgiP1Y6G12hfyPuCnSgN2hS-WwJKeYa5yIDbTyD2wn_l6X9p5kaL_pfDbEPyCl0WMFbU7mulxsIIpu0fQHZU3SxnrLGVCw1WTKczX-K8GKhno06ks4kBi7CZBZViBvaaxzLj48e/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2020.35.22.png" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be posting up a full scenario outline in the next post but I've really enjoyed getting the creative juices flowing and I'm looking forward to getting the first game in the bag!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alongside the main Death in the Throne Room campaign, I'm running the Hathor campaign so Inquisitor Fisher will be making an appearance in quite a few games as each scenario has an optional objective which sees the assorted factions aiding Murdoch Foyle, Fisher's nemesis either knowingly or unknowingly in aiding his obsessive quest to recover the mysterious Lostech item known as Hathor's Armour. Any side that takes the mission will face the wrath of the Inquisition in the next game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There will also be plenty of opportunities to add lots of odds and ends into forthcoming games!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To aid with adding an extra element of randomness, I'm using some rpg and storytelling goodies to help out build the story:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfbqM4ZHP9k7vk2yPmRpTuR_zei6rl9zlialdyYlk6ld9q8lO2kJH8FxGFXuRIB7bsB5_aE08lGUebiaSKQ8Fv7kLfx8TVitSv478EM51wShPsNevZ0P1qF6ivGJfc_VWR2Q6wuoQcn9zDRFNQrnnOUt6NloLUIA6XmncUgigbxdaBG44cJvMBH7gy7OU/s600/61nHhe2b9MS._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfbqM4ZHP9k7vk2yPmRpTuR_zei6rl9zlialdyYlk6ld9q8lO2kJH8FxGFXuRIB7bsB5_aE08lGUebiaSKQ8Fv7kLfx8TVitSv478EM51wShPsNevZ0P1qF6ivGJfc_VWR2Q6wuoQcn9zDRFNQrnnOUt6NloLUIA6XmncUgigbxdaBG44cJvMBH7gy7OU/w200-h200/61nHhe2b9MS._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ph3ni0VJIHrovyp091JXASTW8kIzKWYgfsVvfrgN0-t4C0Aj__tbC11L5GrZwW1nUcd-NX2o6Jjhrr5aiNkzbM2Tc1cmhGmcHk0cUSR8xXpi0393ZtiRvYhKWRHljQvKH3oCeYgx54FZYWaT5RVgwZtnrfJ-PyMUUWzMUPCwrhjXqTv0FgZGCNN6NPEU/s1000/RSC01TCH_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ph3ni0VJIHrovyp091JXASTW8kIzKWYgfsVvfrgN0-t4C0Aj__tbC11L5GrZwW1nUcd-NX2o6Jjhrr5aiNkzbM2Tc1cmhGmcHk0cUSR8xXpi0393ZtiRvYhKWRHljQvKH3oCeYgx54FZYWaT5RVgwZtnrfJ-PyMUUWzMUPCwrhjXqTv0FgZGCNN6NPEU/w200-h200/RSC01TCH_2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdYNQV0-3DlF7nfBWXW1CIzzfNge5DZwiH_I2g1XHFQvZtfYV_Hb3MeB4q2O1xQc11ue8rpFPyzAgj-Q1VOT94fIcbWGj1hKuau_9h05-EqAtwg0PWwUWlDQl1aQhsADBHETKzv8L6Vj8FJn156HMdiN2yva3GF1n8AJGzE-m7fwjl07YEbRhBnEUD_ee/s1000/61mogTKQrRL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="732" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdYNQV0-3DlF7nfBWXW1CIzzfNge5DZwiH_I2g1XHFQvZtfYV_Hb3MeB4q2O1xQc11ue8rpFPyzAgj-Q1VOT94fIcbWGj1hKuau_9h05-EqAtwg0PWwUWlDQl1aQhsADBHETKzv8L6Vj8FJn156HMdiN2yva3GF1n8AJGzE-m7fwjl07YEbRhBnEUD_ee/w146-h200/61mogTKQrRL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="146" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I must admit that half the fun of getting this campaign together has been rummaging out a host of books, dice and assorted gubbins to thrash out ideas and developing a story and I'm really looking forward to getting the games going to see how things go and which faction is going to come out on top and indeed whether Inquisitor Fisher will catch up with the dastardly Foyle!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the meantime, All the best! </div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-38151235552983778452023-11-10T10:58:00.001+00:002023-11-10T10:58:36.178+00:00Planet 28 Death in the Throne Room Campaign Thoughts part 1<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Hi!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am busily painting my way through some military types for my Planet 28 warbands and following a chat I had here recently about solo gaming, I thought I'd spend a bit of time looking at the campaign itself and my thoughts on how I play each faction.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqpg7gtDQSxhfR3AXjO9uIwVWmdwTPYKq2mPT5JMSxIYgyTPz13gTypVKoFl2q0kczVwwPhAINzRr_CSxGXYZRApl1H9ngxV-cB8l598ZIo75bguuIQszRoNEkA5wBLu38nRn9YxtqpUZWVsJYh10KLC7ytwzF85HmDUaz8oCwe__8gkbBZlpnu-pRw2_/s972/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.19.42.png" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqpg7gtDQSxhfR3AXjO9uIwVWmdwTPYKq2mPT5JMSxIYgyTPz13gTypVKoFl2q0kczVwwPhAINzRr_CSxGXYZRApl1H9ngxV-cB8l598ZIo75bguuIQszRoNEkA5wBLu38nRn9YxtqpUZWVsJYh10KLC7ytwzF85HmDUaz8oCwe__8gkbBZlpnu-pRw2_/w280-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.19.42.png" width="280" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The premise of the campaign is that the Emperor is on his deathbed and various factions are vying to seize the throne in the rather dystopian hiveworld of Neo-Trantor. Considered the Emperors personal residence, the planet is a jumble of pleasure gardens, palaces, underground warrens and populated by 12 billion souls.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are five factions vying for supremacy in the book and are as follows:</span></p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dramatis Personae</span></b></div></b><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCosaFX8y3pyLMewq3r4mBYe4Hz5hDgWFldUxqJ2A8syievojxgEV-dS2It_XzQ4NRp_UqxSVzuGZMcZJY_LGpc9rC_kOmS3NhTEbANChyphenhyphenDfKCjxMKN9Bx43gU3nP45tMMTb5z__1DrU8tFdZhGqkOdcLb8egQgc6pjjB2W1d-M2vkWBdwAXsoWAN_BVpS/s513/princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCosaFX8y3pyLMewq3r4mBYe4Hz5hDgWFldUxqJ2A8syievojxgEV-dS2It_XzQ4NRp_UqxSVzuGZMcZJY_LGpc9rC_kOmS3NhTEbANChyphenhyphenDfKCjxMKN9Bx43gU3nP45tMMTb5z__1DrU8tFdZhGqkOdcLb8egQgc6pjjB2W1d-M2vkWBdwAXsoWAN_BVpS/w271-h400/princess.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Princess Josephine-Bois-Lewitt, eldest child of the Emperor, Heir apparent, Mistress of the Imperial Household and Overlord of Ceremonies</span></b></div><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a rational universe Princess Josephine would have been declared ruler of the galaxy the moment her father was declared "dead". Luckily for the princess this is not a rational universe, as a rational universe would also not have let her ancestors establish such a silly thing as a galactic empire. </span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite this, Princess Josephine has the most backing and the only real claim to the throne, and so commands not only a host of courtiers and assassins, but also the loyalty of the imperial household and its many guards, soldiers and other associated killing machines. Ruthless and efficient, The princess is a proven political master - in her time she hasnegotiated the surrender, punishment, and vaporisation of at least three armed uprisings and was personally responsible for no less than 13 of the attempts on her fathers life.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The princess has waited decades for her shot at power and is not about to let herself be outmanoeuvred by any pretender.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4kXuAh5SqjVsFFGgRFM_y7NRKB2erP5Ya-NAIlpA3VzpqFt0HYa7LIAmiYnEedtjRGBLNz3WeburEOwXC8AlJeasCPzK6dZvYgj6MpScnsv_XHmJzhC34A9g4V0ADisRIZRmYJCvXRmWA7IgWnUk0c2FxDbGvkaHc0rMxZSsWyWJIXi8Sb2WIwLcA-08/s800/IMG_2225.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="800" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4kXuAh5SqjVsFFGgRFM_y7NRKB2erP5Ya-NAIlpA3VzpqFt0HYa7LIAmiYnEedtjRGBLNz3WeburEOwXC8AlJeasCPzK6dZvYgj6MpScnsv_XHmJzhC34A9g4V0ADisRIZRmYJCvXRmWA7IgWnUk0c2FxDbGvkaHc0rMxZSsWyWJIXi8Sb2WIwLcA-08/w400-h194/IMG_2225.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Josephine Loyalists</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Princess' forces will be focussed on holding the Throne Room itself as well as trying a mixture of straight forward strong arm tactics as well as the odd assassination towards rivals. She also has access to power armour straight off the bat so will be in a good position early on to take the fight to her enemies but will need to secure the factories on planet so that opposition forces don't get easy access to heavy firepower.</p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The central location of the Throne Room in the campaign will also allow her to quickly take territories in the surrounding areas but she'll be facing multiple opponents too.</p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2C9rcMFcblsM8xbTI5DW5Hd-RfBuFxHJE17GJksCtJvBE11K0wB5BftZ-tACj95DVRB7WiEZK6SiuLMoYNgMXuvFAwN1zFPCVdvd3wWoD1f-smu0T2FHrFG3JVQ_l9Cql3XiLib9S2GBcj6qEtr9A9yZa92iSu45gSw6r45NuxX0pij1TbMw7t1UvpGh/s513/shunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2C9rcMFcblsM8xbTI5DW5Hd-RfBuFxHJE17GJksCtJvBE11K0wB5BftZ-tACj95DVRB7WiEZK6SiuLMoYNgMXuvFAwN1zFPCVdvd3wWoD1f-smu0T2FHrFG3JVQ_l9Cql3XiLib9S2GBcj6qEtr9A9yZa92iSu45gSw6r45NuxX0pij1TbMw7t1UvpGh/w273-h400/shunt.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">General Supreme Neville Shunt</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">A man of simple conviction, General Shunt has suffered greatly under the rule of his most peaceful majesty emperor Callpoc. As high commander of the imperial fleet and armies, Shunt feels that every day without a new declaration of war is a personal insult.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fearing that the next ruler of the galaxy may seek to follow in the late emperors footsteps and that the empire might lose its way, General supreme Shunt has decided that a good traditional military junta should get things back on track. Shunt has his supporters in court - ex military types and doughy fantasists alike have pledged to back him should he bring his forces to bear and seize the imperial throne by force.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">For now however Shunt will follow the official and accepted methods of espionage, assassination and gang violence. If these polite methods fail he will either fall in line or, should the new ruler not be to his liking, unleash a firestorm of atomic destruction - Whatever takes his fancy really.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOkKQDz5fOOfpzfTaaTf1G3TGiP7ch08Y22Y5QpKtHo7vxQzHsc1w987fY3L5xiJK1kjCaDV9vxDd_DK50HZ_RIxYxdghFN1xo0rsGSQRoM6ynNZMjGXXhl-ovCHfOU5Q6dzPafw3Jg-Q2mvFcGlTyOxJtf0P8o_D9dMemQNeAz-qaTXMbXzGtamPkqYD/s800/IMG_2227.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="800" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOkKQDz5fOOfpzfTaaTf1G3TGiP7ch08Y22Y5QpKtHo7vxQzHsc1w987fY3L5xiJK1kjCaDV9vxDd_DK50HZ_RIxYxdghFN1xo0rsGSQRoM6ynNZMjGXXhl-ovCHfOU5Q6dzPafw3Jg-Q2mvFcGlTyOxJtf0P8o_D9dMemQNeAz-qaTXMbXzGtamPkqYD/w400-h196/IMG_2227.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shunt's Troopers</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The General's forces are going to be armed to the teeth and concentrating purely on might making right so will be trying to smash all opposition without much care for collateral damage which will not endear it to the populace and his nuclear option (literally a nuclear bombardment!), he's got a powerful ace in his hand. Saying that half of his troops are classed as Toy Soldiers who may not be the most steady and could run for it when things get hairy.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVbsYyRsJ36Sxn_Px3vIo64MAHaTpq__RsZ1ALDxttzKsLvU1FO7VEiBQSpQ_djnCpU26YDpi1Glf5rz0lnH2ulXIPRiLdqqcIZHU9Hs6P3I6NLjS20lBioLmP0XHAhd2qaBnkm6p3sXAlrgjaWSLKrSiHd_3TKZCKXlkxuXBuylSaGdQl_O87c0Tm1Oq/s514/baron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVbsYyRsJ36Sxn_Px3vIo64MAHaTpq__RsZ1ALDxttzKsLvU1FO7VEiBQSpQ_djnCpU26YDpi1Glf5rz0lnH2ulXIPRiLdqqcIZHU9Hs6P3I6NLjS20lBioLmP0XHAhd2qaBnkm6p3sXAlrgjaWSLKrSiHd_3TKZCKXlkxuXBuylSaGdQl_O87c0Tm1Oq/w271-h400/baron.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></div><p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Baron Thaddeus Charalchracht Gregarious Caesar XVIII AKA "The Hero of the People" </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">AKA The Loon</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Baron Thaddeus is, for want of a better word, stark raving mad. Some say he was kicked in the head by a grav-horse, others say he lost his mind after gazing into the void at the edge of space whilst coming down from a particularly nasty hangover.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whatever the reason, the baron is utterly deranged.This may present an obstacle to some men: it can after all be rather hard to find support for ones attempts to overthrow the crown when one is just as likely to lose interest and declare war on the concept of brunch as they are to stick to their plans.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The baron however has something many aspiring tyrants do not - A fortune beyond counting. The baron is, through inheritance and a financial canny that defies his eccentricities, one of the wealthiest people in the universe. As such he has the support of a great number of politicians, generals, minor royals and, thanks to his generous habit of hurling cash into the streets, vast swathes of the general populace, Who have come to think of him as a hero/ cash machine, depending on how cynical they are.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">That many of his more senior supporters see him as a tool by which to attain power for themselves has either not crossed his mind or is simply of no concern to the baron. For the time being he wants to be emperor and so he'll keep spending until he gets crowned, bored, or dies. whichever comes first.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Zwsd9QpMKdJa22vTga_RKOUZ9RiNJ3hKOdcb1oRUyVQ_U7i7MARVQ6af6Rho-GvyW65NLTp2doRjdcD5kayger1l0zIcZuHUoBKVUb-TE3TXAVcEYeVuSfL11RaTMEND67iXfFC14CfxAI2RLQYiA90dtyWro-wG9v4mFjjm5gdhKm0uIlJEBxzMkDqa/s800/IMG_2228.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="800" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Zwsd9QpMKdJa22vTga_RKOUZ9RiNJ3hKOdcb1oRUyVQ_U7i7MARVQ6af6Rho-GvyW65NLTp2doRjdcD5kayger1l0zIcZuHUoBKVUb-TE3TXAVcEYeVuSfL11RaTMEND67iXfFC14CfxAI2RLQYiA90dtyWro-wG9v4mFjjm5gdhKm0uIlJEBxzMkDqa/w400-h199/IMG_2228.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Loon's Hangers on</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mad Baron is an interesting faction to play as he's got tons of cash to spend on his goons but they're not what you can call loyal and I've decided that each game will have a random chart that will be the Barons orders for that skirmish which may result in some utterly random results. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also think that he's probably going to be trying to make some flashy moves to showcase how important he is so rather than concentrating on defeating any particular enemy, his troops will be fighting pretty much randomly according to his whims.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmpVA6HlOk23T2EJivo-sYfF1GxXGKhTf2ekfiJwf4R9VPklTOvzdSH214aQ5pwlzWAA1JHeXROTzeWzqLKjglH9TBwG7rIKEWEN-uaCMni58YGNRB7vgJARFUcvcx6Zi6_9Ff3WZraS3W1jG0DKvfV9gFVRzos2StXOn4HDm0UU8lV0lbIaFXqPFtfaf/s518/boniem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmpVA6HlOk23T2EJivo-sYfF1GxXGKhTf2ekfiJwf4R9VPklTOvzdSH214aQ5pwlzWAA1JHeXROTzeWzqLKjglH9TBwG7rIKEWEN-uaCMni58YGNRB7vgJARFUcvcx6Zi6_9Ff3WZraS3W1jG0DKvfV9gFVRzos2StXOn4HDm0UU8lV0lbIaFXqPFtfaf/w270-h400/boniem.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">High Priest Boniem Razp'tin, Prophet of the Convergence</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The church of the universal convergence is an odd faith. Adapted from a mixture of ancient alien Inscriptions, long lost old earth religions, and bureaucratic busy work from the depths of the imperial administrative system, it preaches that at short, irregular intervals, a saviour will arrive to lead the faithful to paradise. </span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">That these saviours almost always seem to be members of the royal household and almost always arrive whenever the previous saviour dies is merely a happy coincidence. Few in the clergy actually believe any of the faiths teachings, with the more "enthusiastic" members being kept safely away from holding any real power.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately being the spiritual leader of an entire galactic empire does tend to go to even the most level of heads. And so it is that High priest Boniem Razp'tin has come believe that he is the ultimate and final prophet of the convergence. He now believes wholeheartedly that he alone is fit to rule the empire as both emperor and, weather permitting, god.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Razp' tin has gathered courtier punks to his cause, but has also been shipping in some of the more temperamental of the clergies younger members to "persuade" people of his divine message.</span></i></p></div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocysjI11DZa0G7D5PedcJ6gB7PxWMMizPGwrvAAD31Whf309lwBMtl7zIqX7VG3jT-jB0sMRquUpKz5vGEsa47aJbHFNM5ilpleWDSAlJpiKLxnf4WQZqqdGEb8lSkK1T4vC6VAzMAtCbcFz5jOAD58z8gWNYbqZrcB3do7WOuiQQpArASDnnhDviVTZg/s800/IMG_2226.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocysjI11DZa0G7D5PedcJ6gB7PxWMMizPGwrvAAD31Whf309lwBMtl7zIqX7VG3jT-jB0sMRquUpKz5vGEsa47aJbHFNM5ilpleWDSAlJpiKLxnf4WQZqqdGEb8lSkK1T4vC6VAzMAtCbcFz5jOAD58z8gWNYbqZrcB3do7WOuiQQpArASDnnhDviVTZg/w400-h241/IMG_2226.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cultists!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The church will be trying to take as many hab zones as possible in the campaign as they seek to "protect" their flock but will be making a mixture of frontal suicidal assaults as well as seeking holy relics in each game which will mean that while they're going to be trying to slay the unbelievers, they do need to be trying to grab some loot (something their opponents will no doubt decide would be better if they not have). <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm17_obn_YGu0veyo9qwufWABvX6V7RlZ1S6sSxqHCD6GcEKrBeiCJKbORwmWwO8uA_2XiZW4sH-da66kesUkuL5o0gOTtajqxDgIRRuezlCAWVnKx3zUekhtkuL85i0KLS1d35aqw9_Wb1lV19ybk-227aR8UbesakdIYeC10B-wB1XR_3OzMHEi1umbN/s758/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.36.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm17_obn_YGu0veyo9qwufWABvX6V7RlZ1S6sSxqHCD6GcEKrBeiCJKbORwmWwO8uA_2XiZW4sH-da66kesUkuL5o0gOTtajqxDgIRRuezlCAWVnKx3zUekhtkuL85i0KLS1d35aqw9_Wb1lV19ybk-227aR8UbesakdIYeC10B-wB1XR_3OzMHEi1umbN/w309-h320/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009.36.04.png" width="309" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Trantorian People's Front</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Outside of the rarefied atmosphere of imperial court life, Neo Trantor is a grim place - Billions toil</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">to provide the luxuries of the ruling classes. From </span>the lowliest rat catcher to the filthiest sewage</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">reclamation officer, to the millions of bored and </span>directionless administrative officials, the working</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">masses of the planet are constantly on the verge of </span>going from merely annoyed to well and truly fed up.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">From these innumerable ranks the Trantorian </span>peoples front has arisen, a militant revolutionary</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">group committed to doing something about it all. </span>What that something is no one, not even the front itself, is quite sure - But when they figure it out there’ll be trouble! At present the fronts goal is simple - Destroy the entire political infrastructure of the entire galactic empire and place one of its own representatives in command, then restructure the economic, political and social framework of the entirety of civilization. Easy stuff.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or at least it would be, were it not for the splitters…</span></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnAdOBxfBfCVAtAd8wJQKviGv5GOUGFzzsD9znwEMapZWZ089o47Fqga0xUa6PVedm0BqIyRU491OvyKzNgNwOKVNMm5tudFBfvPzb-GygiaXdu6AdnbKklMCKXIbPeSeSqw6VUFxXfcSavc1XlvOEitCs5fliuJkK0qkcIG3I41ou1F6eE-G5ljOPfUB/s800/IMG_2224.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="800" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnAdOBxfBfCVAtAd8wJQKviGv5GOUGFzzsD9znwEMapZWZ089o47Fqga0xUa6PVedm0BqIyRU491OvyKzNgNwOKVNMm5tudFBfvPzb-GygiaXdu6AdnbKklMCKXIbPeSeSqw6VUFxXfcSavc1XlvOEitCs5fliuJkK0qkcIG3I41ou1F6eE-G5ljOPfUB/w400-h179/IMG_2224.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Trantorian Peoples Front</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rebellious Trantorian Peoples Front will be trying to take and hold the hab zones too but are also going to be trying to infiltrate other locations for sabotage and carrying out targeted assassinations so they can be expected to pop up pretty much anywhere.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There may end up being multiple groups of them all competing against each other!</span></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLkEXsHBaG-4OnVsSWYnuUF4A90871vRbrqKcpON3D1-sBkoxUbEQpKZFbBo0MTKxpHL4qBmhY2c0Cz44zaTpAOl2YFyQY57GBRzUWF6KFo1dANkezWpEV2kX-hH5o41uHCxa_cETjP_3GpadMbvFvN9AliMSg-L9LByxtpv03y0UjDfxnOqJdFqGpW_X/s3855/IMG_0146.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3855" data-original-width="2610" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLkEXsHBaG-4OnVsSWYnuUF4A90871vRbrqKcpON3D1-sBkoxUbEQpKZFbBo0MTKxpHL4qBmhY2c0Cz44zaTpAOl2YFyQY57GBRzUWF6KFo1dANkezWpEV2kX-hH5o41uHCxa_cETjP_3GpadMbvFvN9AliMSg-L9LByxtpv03y0UjDfxnOqJdFqGpW_X/w271-h400/IMG_0146.jpeg" width="271" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inquisitor Fisher<br style="text-align: left;" /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inquisitor Fisher has arrived on Neo Trantor in search of a rogue Xenobiologist named Murdoch Foyle who recently escaped a maximum security prison. Fishers investigation has led her to the Imperial Throne world as the Inquisitors information network has spotted her quarry in the company of several of the main competitors in the succession crisis.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This worrying development has resulted in Fisher moving her investigation to focus on the crisis on Neo Trantor as Foyle had been searching for a mysterious piece of Archeotech known only as Hathor's Armour which legend claims will give it's wielder unlimited power. It appears that Foyle is searching for something on Neo Trantor and Fisher is determined to stop him, no matter the cost.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJe5uXCxQxA4LdAkWpEzLdSkzHZD5C_p9gsqphjWiwMKJFvmoP2q7Abf3hUamiCUcXQ35JvDg1FD5iVh-MOZP_8gPOjU5XfIAbxye08DOP_iYCuhcRFPnikGtC1LP3_a0uaSd1y99TaH5HMrNOEx8nBeJNlMXNnZIl1m9kOhpyEMh6ZZoDWRiRgbc14dx/s800/IMG_2223.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="800" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJe5uXCxQxA4LdAkWpEzLdSkzHZD5C_p9gsqphjWiwMKJFvmoP2q7Abf3hUamiCUcXQ35JvDg1FD5iVh-MOZP_8gPOjU5XfIAbxye08DOP_iYCuhcRFPnikGtC1LP3_a0uaSd1y99TaH5HMrNOEx8nBeJNlMXNnZIl1m9kOhpyEMh6ZZoDWRiRgbc14dx/w400-h248/IMG_2223.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisher and co</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Inquisition are going to be a bit of a leveller in the campaign as they will be used to smack down any faction that starts getting a runaway lead as they're obviously in league with Murdoch Foyle. Fisher will also be trying to gather information to help track down her quarry and rooting out any other dangerous threats to Imperial rule so there's going to be lots of opportunities to weave an interesting narrative in the campaign.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>I'd already played a few games in the campaign but have decided to reset it and start from scratch with some more detailed plans on setting up the narrative and keeping the games coming in and will be adding whatever other random elements I can think of, be it an outbreak of Poypp invaders in the sewers under the palace to mercenaries deciding so shoot up the place or the illusive Foyle's machinations but either which way, it should be fun!<div><br /></div><div>I need to bulk up the warbands and keep building on the themes of each but its great to get some of the old figures out and into use.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I'll post again with more musings on how I'm actually going to get the narrative going and the breakdown of how I actually play solo in the next few days but until then, All the best!</div></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-84108185330194751612023-11-05T08:37:00.002+00:002023-11-05T08:37:18.824+00:00Tiny Skirmish!<p> Hi!</p><p>I fancied playing a bit of a game last night and not wanting to rummage out tons of 28mm scale terrain, I decided to play a small skirmish in 6mm scale using the first bits and bobs I found in my display cabinet.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEg2ojARxxM6hafzg3HZ1CwefKw_wQcgNTlv2yhTWi22li_9DVVtI49LkMp-Rcl98Dx82ds1BCC47MXOMvQ-AYs4T_gx9-d0vAPhJb7YQadQ7t5v21NUZm9MQuoU1Cp3MpxocUbbcus1LMJmT6PscDCP_QqNB8tUp_JRNDle-YnsdM6sUOG1UK5btxcCh/s800/IMG_2201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEg2ojARxxM6hafzg3HZ1CwefKw_wQcgNTlv2yhTWi22li_9DVVtI49LkMp-Rcl98Dx82ds1BCC47MXOMvQ-AYs4T_gx9-d0vAPhJb7YQadQ7t5v21NUZm9MQuoU1Cp3MpxocUbbcus1LMJmT6PscDCP_QqNB8tUp_JRNDle-YnsdM6sUOG1UK5btxcCh/w400-h230/IMG_2201.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultramarine Patrol</td></tr></tbody></table><br />My Ultramarines would try and drive off the marauding Eldar who were seeking to raid the Imperial settlement somewhere on the border. The force was a bit adhoc, consisting of my command squad transported in a Rhino and supported by a pair of Centurion heavy power armour suits.<div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzvFlyIRDXXAXPJJ0AYmD-ShoSOjVaxbqPWpFzLd2Vj64Mehz3OUgBkNmFeoORmmZhaRB5i_2gCYU-GHoTrAd6e3iFhnapu4lO9-4FuuCjxWVd1wVbMqkaTR-PcUamrItLtqLdj0ld262HCTrOCIKs9jDe712CNokIYvfgx0s07BCv_9pzjXkRPRZjYpi/s800/IMG_2202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="800" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzvFlyIRDXXAXPJJ0AYmD-ShoSOjVaxbqPWpFzLd2Vj64Mehz3OUgBkNmFeoORmmZhaRB5i_2gCYU-GHoTrAd6e3iFhnapu4lO9-4FuuCjxWVd1wVbMqkaTR-PcUamrItLtqLdj0ld262HCTrOCIKs9jDe712CNokIYvfgx0s07BCv_9pzjXkRPRZjYpi/w400-h245/IMG_2202.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eldar Warparty</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Eldar force had two squads of Guardians led by a Warlock and supported by a Wraithlord. Their objective was to occupy. the settlement and loot the buildings while holding off the forces of the Imperium.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmPUVlzjR3q11Oi5cgGH_Ub6gvVUbijs7RBNczzOdrJ7aXcEmRC1kVOyxtpDsX5ra2pdv65L6dCqPhl7NyhSxsBT_FvT1Yo26arphskkoOsEFKUUfyt20u7CY4ewvboWx0rFxz2XGtQVr60wb-6lxCUqel4elD5N6KfOwcAExYmgBlLcW5LkGl14-geXt/s800/IMG_2198.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmPUVlzjR3q11Oi5cgGH_Ub6gvVUbijs7RBNczzOdrJ7aXcEmRC1kVOyxtpDsX5ra2pdv65L6dCqPhl7NyhSxsBT_FvT1Yo26arphskkoOsEFKUUfyt20u7CY4ewvboWx0rFxz2XGtQVr60wb-6lxCUqel4elD5N6KfOwcAExYmgBlLcW5LkGl14-geXt/w400-h300/IMG_2198.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The table was my small pinboard with a smattering of buildings and rocky outcrops and I pretty much made up the rules as I went, using a mixture of D6's and Havoc dice when I needed to roll for attacks and it worked out pretty well with the Imperials initially trying to drive out the Eldar with their heavy power armoured troops but taking fire from the Eldar dreadnought in return whilst the command team tried to outmanoeuvre the Eldar on the flank.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKuJPEUZEOiX4rLtSv3tq6yiYzfwuvASG7bQYGD0lAontuN4V45N8z1Z_UP4SigZMatwlG_zlffWsZ6pqsVfy3Xaoiv1DSqtyPZSd7eNaQr0DGU4rB_QJmxEjpzVmPfxQ_bA30m1Yk0znSVreaBb18i92Nyh0-8mEoFSYrgrH64fO5fXSgXfK4EOuBEMR/s1067/IMG_2199.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKuJPEUZEOiX4rLtSv3tq6yiYzfwuvASG7bQYGD0lAontuN4V45N8z1Z_UP4SigZMatwlG_zlffWsZ6pqsVfy3Xaoiv1DSqtyPZSd7eNaQr0DGU4rB_QJmxEjpzVmPfxQ_bA30m1Yk0znSVreaBb18i92Nyh0-8mEoFSYrgrH64fO5fXSgXfK4EOuBEMR/s320/IMG_2199.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4nIjQk-Zh_gHG9RDSheLwsBOWHe5Ys1eO4B2HP6WdY-QqV-4iZAjGdYcMkqCiRpG-l41L724QxMVuv9VtGZ8sWQvLItd48m290JWYpwWklvTSJlZEt_FVR-YGQaEGxAdMFliQH-KxzblNURUDBstmpNIcjuokWnJaDAaFqJ2RgLkW87VjIoDgB24m9ZM/s1067/IMG_2200.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4nIjQk-Zh_gHG9RDSheLwsBOWHe5Ys1eO4B2HP6WdY-QqV-4iZAjGdYcMkqCiRpG-l41L724QxMVuv9VtGZ8sWQvLItd48m290JWYpwWklvTSJlZEt_FVR-YGQaEGxAdMFliQH-KxzblNURUDBstmpNIcjuokWnJaDAaFqJ2RgLkW87VjIoDgB24m9ZM/s320/IMG_2200.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>It looked like the Imperial troops were going to hold the field with the Eldar dreadnought taking damage and one of the Guardian stands wiped out but with some lucky dice rolls, the Warlocks raiding party destroyed both of the Centurions and it was left to the Rhino to suppress the Guardians occupying the building long enough for the command squad to get close enough but it was too late. Despite the stormbolter on the Rhino eventually shredding the Guardians, the Warlock then destroyed the vehicle with some Eldrich power leaving the command squad isolated and forced to retreat.</p><p>I must admit that I do really enjoy these tiny skirmishes in 6mm, especially as it reminds me of 2nd edition 40k and I will be playing some more games when I get chance with some slightly larger forces as its a great way to get some quick games in without needing a lot of space or time.</p><p>I'm actually thinking of making some more small skirmish forces in 6mm using GZG or Brigade Models as the basis with a platoon of infantry backed up with the odd vehicle or two or even throwing in a Battle Mech or two so I can play some small skirmishes in other settings too.</p><p>In other news, I've got the first half of my new warband for my Death in the Throne Room campaign painted and just need to add some bits and bobs to the bases before getting some pics so fingers crossed, I'll get them ready to update before I return to work tomorrow.</p><p>In the meantime, All the best!</p></div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859305602092480700.post-61348864428814128512023-11-03T12:47:00.004+00:002023-11-03T12:47:48.180+00:00Holiday Haul!<p> Hi!</p><p>We're just back from a very relaxing and much needed holiday down in sunny Wem.</p><p>While we were there, we visited a fair few stately homes and castles which was brilliant fun and much to my pleasant surprise, we discovered that there's a charity bookshop in each of the National Trust properties and I picked up quite a haul from them!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqbr7vRe9QZeS80IDDT1bGvhV-LubCYti8ectO2qMdNLKhzYuLeMweYedMTkt5rL9UZMQimPje2A7G-2je58xEKc-kazbuqChJGmiIUSq-1QR9bTdVPX3slw12CSgm48ckpEWayhKnewDJU1kUY_xoUVgbvDNHCSDq6Fax-5aZ0nZNwIvnJTcKGnJkWT7/s1067/IMG_5772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqbr7vRe9QZeS80IDDT1bGvhV-LubCYti8ectO2qMdNLKhzYuLeMweYedMTkt5rL9UZMQimPje2A7G-2je58xEKc-kazbuqChJGmiIUSq-1QR9bTdVPX3slw12CSgm48ckpEWayhKnewDJU1kUY_xoUVgbvDNHCSDq6Fax-5aZ0nZNwIvnJTcKGnJkWT7/w300-h400/IMG_5772.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alongside a stack of Brian Jacques Redwall books, Loius L'Amore westerns and assorted art books, my wife spotted these for the princely sum of £3!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY7zy8Mgktb2trKjhNl85hqCa4gaus04Su3w8Buf88huWGA7H-L707zQjRti67-Fh1YbBxLt7hhoo6QM0WBKCqfw64zHP35g4gU2_LM0MnQWR3JcCp6_-8lFTPr7VwZLlArWqZPH0ptAwuaqpU5fWZ-jMenMRCu8cwkppjqosYATSZ_8k0CY6IoDg1z2a/s800/IMG_2192.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="800" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY7zy8Mgktb2trKjhNl85hqCa4gaus04Su3w8Buf88huWGA7H-L707zQjRti67-Fh1YbBxLt7hhoo6QM0WBKCqfw64zHP35g4gU2_LM0MnQWR3JcCp6_-8lFTPr7VwZLlArWqZPH0ptAwuaqpU5fWZ-jMenMRCu8cwkppjqosYATSZ_8k0CY6IoDg1z2a/w400-h261/IMG_2192.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now I'm not sure if I'll ever play D&D but the books will be good reference for my ongoing solo shenanigans.<div><br /></div><div>We also found some Warhammer goodies in a Oxfam bookshop:</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDPJl9_K4uYfDPt6OEFH5Gr_-fw51QAl2VQE9bNKRFnH7HFf9HBU0_9q6sXalrxReQJB6qsBwZ41zCevdN9UsicVw0Ke9T7dcHAtFXeILa5rEYjIEWjty2ychRWV9yrdtwOlRXpsTQAoiRspYwbF-gXjSULFgTGUf0W-tjOsX-LpBBZRO4whrAaD3X4aQ/s800/IMG_2193.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDPJl9_K4uYfDPt6OEFH5Gr_-fw51QAl2VQE9bNKRFnH7HFf9HBU0_9q6sXalrxReQJB6qsBwZ41zCevdN9UsicVw0Ke9T7dcHAtFXeILa5rEYjIEWjty2ychRWV9yrdtwOlRXpsTQAoiRspYwbF-gXjSULFgTGUf0W-tjOsX-LpBBZRO4whrAaD3X4aQ/w400-h275/IMG_2193.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Admittedly they're 7th edition so towards the end of the Old World but there's some interesting reading material and I do love me some Dwarven gubbins!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally we nipped into e-Collectica Games in Shrewsbury and much to my excitement I found some Colostle job packs.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN4mPL-Nb9LcWUtxNRldD98aJfD9nFCxqdHgIe9PTB_55phrZThJPFztiCz1m0WoRpqJEmlXm-Fk4z5WHllJUtz1N-VEIlbFZTVHJrlmGvRLnTslzSpTerZSDbYXgalbgmEqADlhf6r_sk_TOiXv_DYDSm19xuxy7TCeykrcoJ1U1Skp0vrh-FjAsqaXK/s800/IMG_2194.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN4mPL-Nb9LcWUtxNRldD98aJfD9nFCxqdHgIe9PTB_55phrZThJPFztiCz1m0WoRpqJEmlXm-Fk4z5WHllJUtz1N-VEIlbFZTVHJrlmGvRLnTslzSpTerZSDbYXgalbgmEqADlhf6r_sk_TOiXv_DYDSm19xuxy7TCeykrcoJ1U1Skp0vrh-FjAsqaXK/w400-h300/IMG_2194.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I still need to pick up the Inventor pack but I'm really looking forward to adding these packs into my ongoing Colostle campaign as they'll ad some really interesting elements into my games.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had intended on nipping into Spirit Games to peruse their stock but was saddened to find out that their shop has closed down and they're only mail order now as its without doubt the best wargaming store I've been in since the good old days of Mac's Models in Edinburgh so I'll need to nip onto their online store and pick up something for old times sake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In other news, I'm slowly painting up some Stargrave troopers for my Planet 28 Death in the Throne Room campaign but I don't have enough completed to warrant a full post yet but hopefully I'll have enough done by the end of my hols to show here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNYFa9x1QH8EbanRUNZ8BRep2vk1yrD5l1Tkx4eDOA3O-0G5vABRQ4B8u-s-1h7CfM0ieqMBJPPY8S2o9rvUNjkqeRfkyx0u-0581AdLiucXZKDL-xLIIj23eE_LblGYrVC7lCwCAJEOUn62ERK4_pxpb97mVYKK6q8FYR4qxPFY3evmGaVPIehElHbQY/s4032/IMG_1697.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNYFa9x1QH8EbanRUNZ8BRep2vk1yrD5l1Tkx4eDOA3O-0G5vABRQ4B8u-s-1h7CfM0ieqMBJPPY8S2o9rvUNjkqeRfkyx0u-0581AdLiucXZKDL-xLIIj23eE_LblGYrVC7lCwCAJEOUn62ERK4_pxpb97mVYKK6q8FYR4qxPFY3evmGaVPIehElHbQY/w300-h400/IMG_1697.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I seem to be having a bit of a hobby wobble at the moment as I can't seem to concentrate on one single thing and constantly find myself tempted by Rogue Trader, Planet 28, Rangers of Shadowdeep, Five Leagues from the Border, Battletech, Heavy Gear Blitz, 6mm skirmishing, Dracula's America, Aeronef and many, many more games and whatnot which is fun but resulting in me not getting much actually done!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I suspect that I'll thrash things out eventually but in the meantime, its probably going to result in me posting all sorts of random tat while I work my way through it but thats a post for another day so until then, All the best!</div>SpacecowSmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05526363535587059611noreply@blogger.com5