2010: The Year I Made Contact

This Wasp-class destroyer was one of the ships I painted this year.

As I coast through the last few hours of the year, I've been thinking about what I accomplished gaming-wise in 2010. Among the highlights:

• I started this blog.
• I ran a starship game at a wargaming convention.
• I painted a few spaceships.
• I painted a planet for spaceship games.
• I painted some more spaceships.
• I tried out War Rocket.
• I played lots of Hordes of the Things.
• I played some Galactic Knights.

I didn't get to play as much as I wanted to (I never do), but sll in all, it was a pretty good year for me when it comes to wargaming.

What's in store for 2011?  More wargaming, of course.  I want to run a convention game again, at Millennium Con next fall and at Chimaera Con in the spring.  And, of course, more painting of this never-shrinking pile of lead. 

What are your gaming plans for the next twelve months?  Feel free to let me know in the comments, and I'll see you next year.

Unknown vessels approaching

ALERT: Scanners detecting incoming bogeys.  Two unidentified craft, approaching at .6 c, unfamiliar design:

I took this photo without a flash and heavily manipulated it.

Tonight I painted up a couple of Silent Death minis that I had acquired sometime back.  SD is a game of space fighter combat, so these figures are meant to represent individual attack craft.  Since they're about 1&7/8 inches (46mm) long--about the size of a Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights destroyer--they can also serve as larger ships in other starship combat games.

They're not blurry when I have the flash on.

These models by RAFM are part of the Night Brood faction (whatever that is); this particular design is known as the Muskellunge (whatever that is).  I like the lines on these ships.  The insectoid design means I could use them as new Entomalian designs.  These ships could also serve as civilian luxury yachts, racers, cargo ships, pirates, or even a new alien species.

The Violeta.

The Goldie.

Since I'm not sure how I'll end up using these ships, I didn't paint them in the colors of any of the Five Powers.  Instead, I had a little fun, ending up with bright gold and electric purple effects for these craft.  I'm looking forward to getting these gals on the table, once I figure out their role.

Sizing up fighters

Someone asked about space fighters over at The Minaitures Page.  That made me realize that although I previously posted measurements of my Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights ships, I had neglected to do the same for my SfW/GK fighters (called "Star Fighter Attack Craft" in Starfleet Wars and just "fighters" in Galactic Knights).

Top: Terran Meteor & Comet; Aquarian Eel & Pike.
Bottom: Avarian Raven; Carnivore Leopard; Entomalian Mosquito.

Here, then, are measurements for the fighters pictured above:

Terrans

• Meteor: 20mm
• Comet: 19mm

Aquarians

• Eel: 16mm
• Pike: 11mm

Avarians

• Bluejay: 13mm

Carnivores

• Leopard: 15mm

Entomalians

• Mosquito: 18mm

Note my collection is missing Raven (Av), Bobcat (Carn), and Gnat (Ent) fighters. 

Calling all starfleets ...

A few of my Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights ships.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to let other fans of the Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights line of miniatures know they're not alone.  That works the other way, too--I now know I'm not the only gamer who collects and paints these spaceships.

For example, maxmike (incidentally, the creator of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020) mentioned his SfW collection in a comment on on my first post on this blog. 

More recently, RavenFeast left a comment in my star bombers WIP post with a link to his own gallery, which includes quite a few Terrans and Entomalians he's been using for Firestorm Armada.

By following a link to Leland's/BlackWidowPilot's gallery from this unrelated thread on The Miniatures Page, I discovered his pictures of some Aquarian starships (link takes you to the first photo).  Not only that, but over in the gallery at Starship Combat News, there's a picture of some Terran ships that appear to be painted by the same person.

I've found a couple of versions of the Entomalian Web space station: This version, used for Battlefleet Gothic, on a message board for Warhammer and related games; and another version, part of a workbench article on The Miniatures Page.  Of course, the Galactic Knights Yahoo group gallery (members only) also has images of painted GK starships.

Even though I've scoured the Internet, I'm sure there are other gamers with SfW/GK ship collections.  So post those pics online (if you haven't already done so), send me your links, and I'll be happy to post them here.  Or if you don't have access to a camera, just tell us about the paint schemes for your ships.  Either way, you're not alone!

The Blogs of War Don't Capitulate

The Blogs of War, "A list of 948 wargames blogs - any period, any scale," aggregates wargaming-related blogs, listing new posts from each blog it adds to its list.  Well, yesterday I noticed some visitors had boarded the Dreadnought from Blogs of War.  I went over there to check and, sure enough, earlier this month Blogs of War added Super Galactic Dreadnought to its blogroll. 

Thanks, folks!  I'm greatful for being added, and I'm also thankful for the service this site provides wargamers, helping us find others with similar gaming interests.  Blogs of War is a great resource for gamers of all genres--I've added a couple of blogs I found on it to my own blogroll--and I encourage you to check it out.

Oh, and the title of this post is a reference to a (post-Roger Waters) Pink Floyd song that comes into my head every time I see the name of that blog.

Sci-Fi of Christmas Past

No, I didn't get any science fiction or gaming-related gifts for Christmas this year.  Instead, I got clothes, which is what I needed and asked for.  I guess that means I'm growing up--at least a little.  Still the holiday has me reflecting on past Yuletide holidays, and the gifts I received as a young space cadet.

I was interested in astronomy and science fiction from a young age, but I don't remember getting many space-oriented toys until Star Wars with its massive merchandising.  One year, I got a book I still enjoy, Space Wars, Worlds & Weapons.

Once the movie toys started coming out, my brother and I could expect vehicles under the tree and action figures in our stockings.  I'm sure everyone else around my age has similar memories of the Original Trilogy and its associated products, so I won't go into detail here about the cool Star Wars toys I got over the years at Christmas.

Before that, however, my brother and I received some sort of plastic building blocks--not Legos, but some generic brand that wasn't compatible with any other brick set.  I think they were even called Bricks or something like that.  The typical piece was flatter and wider than a Lego, and the pins were much narrower.  The pictures on the box showed you could make all sorts of hi-rise buildings that all looked like mid-20th century urban architecture.  Of course, I quickly used these bricks to make all kinds of spaceships.

One year, the Micronauts toy line came out.  There was even a Marvel comic book featuring many of the characters and vehicles.  One of my favorites was the Battle Cruiser, a huge toy that separated into multiple vehicles and carried several characters.  I had seen it in the comic book and in advertisements, but I didn't have any Micronauts stuff.  In the month leading up to Christmas, my brother and I started building our own version of the Battle Cruiser from our brick blogs.  Our home-grown design was shaped like the commercial version and even split into several different ships, just like its inspiration.  I don't know if my brother and I were purposefully dropping hints--I knew it, at least on a subconsious level--but our parents noticed what we were doing.  That Christmas, under the tree, Santa had left us this:

What science fiction toys do you remember receiving as a gift, at Christmas, for your birthday, or any other time?

The Five Powers

In the galaxy there are five empires ranging from the powerful to the weak, the numerous to the few, the conniving to the naive, the treacherous to the unsuspecting.

--Starfleet Wars, p. 3

Commenting on my post with photos of my Aquarian ships, Porky asked the provenance of that species's name, wondering if the term was astronomical in origin.  His question made me realize not every reader will be familiar with the Starfleet Wars setting, so I will briefly discuss the background of the Five Powers--a quintet of sapient species, each with its distinctive starship design motif. 

Terran Federation starships are arrowhead-shaped, implying force in a certain direction.  Vessels of the Aquarian Alliance are bulbous and smooth, befitting their watery origin.  Avarian United Words spacecraft sport delicate, necklike projections from a wide body, ending in beaked prows.  Carnivoran Republic ships are muscular in appearance, either squat or lean, conveying the impression of a predator.  Spaceships of the Entomalian Enpire are jagged and asymmetrical, suggesting an organic construction process.

According to the Starfleet Wars rulebook, the two main players in the SfW galaxy are the Terrans and the Entomalians, who have been "vying for control of the galaxy for several centuries."  Three other species share the galactic stage.  The Avarians have the most powerful ships, while the Aquarians have the fewest, and the Carnivores are "a race of vicious barbarians."  The Directory & Identification Manual offers more details on each of the Five Powers.

TERRAN FEDERATION: According to the Observer's Directory & Identification Manual, humanity's home planet endured a nuclear war in 1987.  (You think I'd remember something like that!)  Not too long after that, the Entomalian massacre took place.  The book tells us the Avarians contributed a great deal to the restoration of the planet, but the Terrans' crucial cities and factories moved to Mars and the Moon, where the "first primitive intergalactic battlefleet was constructed."  The SfW rules describe the Terran fleets as "relatively numerous, well armed and well protected. ... The Terran Federation has been intact for centuries and has always managed to defend its territories."

ENTOMALIAN EMPIRE: As their name implies, the Entomalians are an insectoid species with three castes: workers, warriors, and rulers, that exist in "a continuous state of war,"  the ID Manual tells us.  The Entomalians live on jungle planets, burrowing deep underground.  These four-armed, two-legged sophonts possess exoskeletons, breathe through pores in their thorax, and are slightly slower than humans.  The SfW rulebook states their military is not as well developed as the humans' but is far more numerous.  The Ents use their numbers to box in foes and destroy them with firepower from all directions.

AVARIAN UNITED WORLDS: This birdlike species evolved on an arid world with a surface gravity lighter than that of Earth, the ID Manual notes.  Avarians have hollow bones and are slightly smaller than humans, with a correspondingly faster metabolism.  They dwell in cities built atop stiltlike towers, separated by large tracts of irrigated agricultural land.  As the SfW book states, Avarians use diplomacy to achieve the territorial expansion their lack of numbers would otherwise inhibit.  The rulebook also notes the Avarians' vessels are individually the "most powerful ships in existence."

AQUARIAN ALLIANCE: These amphibians inhabit the equatorial oceans of their homeworlds, according to the ID Manual, usually at 70 meters or below.  Aquarians use organs similar to the gills of terrestrial fish to filter oxygen from seawater, and these organs can also remove atmospheric toxins.  The current monarchy ruling the Alliance has been in power for fourteen generations.  The Starfleet Wars rulebook informs us the Aquarians prefer to fight from a distance behind their defensive shielding.  The Aquarian Alliance is also the only one of the Five Powers that equips its starships with an invisibility shield.

CARNIVORAN REPUBLIC: The ID Manual portrays Carnivores as muscular and long-winded, thanks to the barren environment of their home planet.  The various city-states of this species engage in constant conflict; ground engagements usually being fought with stun pistol and energy axe.  According to the SfW rules, the Carnivores prefer close-range space combat as well; they use their energy damping beams to neutralize enemies' long-range weaponry so the Carnivores can close in for the kill.

The Age of Aquarians

Sorry, I just had to go with that title for this blog post (pop culture reference here).  I've posted these ships on Starship Combat News previously, but I thought I would put them up here as well.  This is my Aquarian fleet:

Group (or is it school?) photo.



I have about 21 fighters that I need to get painted so these carriers have something to carry:

Two Stingray-class galactic attack carriers.

 I had fun painting these as well; I used various metallic colors on top of the blue; I think it gives a nice piscine look to the vessels.

Shark-class battlecruiser.

 Ooooooh! Barracuda!

Barracuda-class stellar cruisers.

 I have three more destroyers painted as well as the two pictured here.  And that's my entire Aquarian fleet.

Piranha-class stellar destroyers.



Entomolians--just because

I've had these Entomolian ships painted for quite awhile, but I don't think I ever posted them to this blog.  I had fun painting these to achieve an iridescent look.

Hornet-class stellar cruiser.

Hornet (left) and Hive-class galactic attack carrier.

Hive and Hornet on maneuvers.

I have the most fun painting the bugs' ships, because I get to use so many different colors.  I still have two battlecruisers and another carrier left to paint, along with the Ents' super galactic dreadnought.

Work in Progress: Star Bombers

After a weekend in which both my scheduled gaming opportunities fell through (and my box containing my Hordes of the Things armies again fell to the floor), I decided to slap some paint on some metal.

Here's a shot of a Mars-class star bomber, fresh off the Boeing assembly line:

The gray primer really brings out the details.

The Terran TransSolar Federation sold a nonmilitary version of star bomber, called the Ares, to local planetary governments.  Pictured below is a vessel used by a local police force:

Sorry, the flash washed out the details in the white sections.

Private companies also acquired deweaponized versions of the Ares, such as this one bearing a popular racing team's markings:

I still need to add a few details and drybrush this one.

A work in progress.  Bet you can't guess where I'm going with this model:

The yellow I used is very thin, but the color looks better in this photo than on the table.

In the pipeline

Since I don't have any star bombers painted up, I decided a half-dozen of these Mars-class vessels (along with a quartet of Dauntless-class armored pursuit ships) will be next on my painting list for my Terran fleet:

  

My typical Terran paint scheme.

Note that this time I used gray primer instead of my usual black.  I decided instead of going with red or white (one of my two traditional Terran paint jobs), I will get a little more creative with the color schemes.  Since I'm not sure exactly what hues I will put on the ships, I went with the lighter primer in case I choose brighter colors for some of the vessels.  I have some ideas for how I will paint these--something different than my usual three-color drybrush method), and I'll post photos once I have a couple of these spaceships finished.

I also have some capital ships I need to get painted.  Below you can see the Victory-class super galactic dreadnought already primered, next to the Valiant-class galactic dreadnought, which I just based.  Note the Victory uses a Monday Knight Productions "Super-Nova" base, while the Valiant sits atop a homemade stand consisting of a couple of fender washers, a wooden disk, and a #16 nail.  A Samurai-class destroyer leader is placed alongside for scale reference (and also because I need to paint it).

I need to get these table-ready.

Battle damage

Well OK, more of a dockyard accident:

Oops!

When I was preparing for my Millennium Con game, one of the spaceships I had planned on using came off its base (a Carnivoran Lion-class battlecruiser, for those playing at home, but I was using it to proxy the human rebels' forces).  I tried to fix the battlecruiser and, long story short, I was tapping a nail into the underside of the ship with a hammer when I felt a *snap*.  I looked down, and the front of the vessel had totally broken off from the main body:

You can see where the original nail head was glued to the underside.

Which kind of makes me think: Isn't it a poor design for a warship to have such a narrow neck connecting the bridge/CiC/fire control/etc. to the engines, life support and most of the weapons?  An enemy gets in a lucky shot and your battlecruiser is now a battle and a cruiser ....

The battlecruiser in happier times.

So now I need to figure out how to fix my toy.  I know I can't just glue the pieces back together and expect it to hold; the cross-section where the miniature broke is very tiny.  I'm thinking about drilling holes in each part and sticking a pin in there to add strength, but I don't know if that will be enough.  I may have to add some pins/rods to the outside as bracing.  If I just add them to the underside, it won't be noticable, and I can get this ship back in action.  Anyone have any other suggestions?

Blast from the past

I was feeling nostalgic this evening, and I broke out my old Battletech minis.  I used to play the game all the time decades ago, but until two years ago at ChimaeraCon, I hadn't played BT in over a decade.

My paint jobs on these miniatures aren't nearly as good as I remembered them to be.  I kept some of them in the box.  Still, in the interest of sharing, I will post a few of them for your enjoyment:

WOLVERINE: I like the camo scheme on this 'mech--very otherworldly.

 

Scenario: Assault on Regulus IV (rules)

With the eight players divided into two teams (see the order of battle here), I gave everyone the following scenario handout:

Assault on Regulus IV

SETUP

Prior to play, the attackers write down which side or sides of the board they will enter from and type of formation (line, column, wedge, etc.) and designate one of the four planetary installations (red, yellow, green or white) as their primary objective.

Also, prior to play, the defenders write down which side or sides of the board and which turn any forces not deployed at the start (if any) will enter from and type of formation (line, column, wedge, etc.) and designate one of the four planetary installations (red, yellow, green or white) as their command center.

The defenders may then set up their remaining forces anywhere on the board. Defenders have initiative the first turn, after that determine normally.

SPECIAL RULES

• The attacker is escorting transports carrying cargo units representing troops, vehicles, and equipment. How many cargo units reach the planet’s surface are relevant to who wins this battle. Because the transports are commandeered civilian vessels, they have no armor or weapons.
• The planet blocks movement and line of sight. Additionally, the planet's gravitational field will affect a ship's drift. The referee will indicate when this happens.
• Each installation on the planet (indicated by the red, yellow, green and white markers) contains one Railgun and four Light Particle Beam Batteries (LPBs).
• Planetside weapons have a Profile of 8 and may be targeted from orbit individually (no need to roll to see which weapon you hit), with a hit destroying the targeted weapon. Planetside weapons always attack first during any combat phase. LPBs may only attack fighters in orbit and in line of sight. Railguns may attack any ship (not fighters) in line of sight within six hexes.
• Any ship or fighter group may enter planetary orbit. To do so, a ship must finish its movement phase with a drift of 4 hexes at a tangent to the planet's circumference (the referee will demonstrate). A transport may land in its current hex or any of the next three hexes after spending at least one turn in orbit.
• A ship in orbit may attempt a planetary bombardment. Due to atmospheric interference, only ships with Heavy Particle Beam Batteries (HBPs) (see rules summary) may attack the planet's surface. Ships may attack any part of the planet's surface which they drifted over in that turn.
• Fighters may enter the atmosphere for a strafing run after spending at least one turn in orbit. Fighters that enter the atmosphere may attempt a strafing run in their current hex or any of the next three hexes. Because of their lack of maneuverability in atmosphere, fighters have an effective Profile of 5.

OBJECTIVES

The attackers must land at least 50 percent of their cargo on their primary objective and at least 25 percent of cargo on its secondary objectives. Destruction of the defending fleet is a tertiary goal.

The defenders must prevent the attackers from taking their installations for at least 5 turns and prevent them from taking the command center. The defenders must ensure the survival of at least half their fleet. Destruction of the attacking fleet is a tertiary goal.

Have fun!

Scenario: Assault on Regulus IV (order of battle)

Here's the order of battle for each side in my Galactic Knights game at Millennium Con 12+1.  I designed this scenario for eight players, and made the forces granular enough to accommodate less players and/or fewer units if necessary (the scenario itself is available in this post).  Fortunately, the game filled up so I didn't need to do this, and each player commanded one task force/squadron.

TERRAN TRANS-SOLAR FEDERATION

Task Force Mercury

• Formidable-class battlecruiser (carrying 2 light fighter groups and 2 heavy fighter groups) 
• Samurai-class destroyer leader

Task Force Mars

• Ranger-class cruiser
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 

Task Force Jupiter

• Ranger-class cruiser
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 
• Swiftsure-class destroyer 

Task Force Saturn

• Invincible-class dreadnought

Transport Fleet

• ISV Scalzi (about the size of a destroyer)
• ISV Steele (about the size of a destroyer)
• ISV Vinge (about the size of a destroyer leader)
• ISV Stross (about the size of a destroyer leader)
• ISV Bradbury (about the size of a cruiser)
• ISV Asimov (about the size of a cruiser)
• ISV Clarke (about the size of a battlecruiser)
• ISV Heinlein (about the size of a battlecruiser)

NOVA LIBERIA (and Kmet allies)

Able Flight (NL)

• Mongoose-class destroyer
• Hornet-class star bomber
• Hornet-class star bomber
• Hornet-class star bomber
• Hornet-class star bomber

Baker Flight (NL)

• Centaur-class destroyer leader
• Aardvark-class armored pursuit ship
• Aardvark-class armored pursuit ship
• Aardvark-class armored pursuit ship
• Aardvark-class armored pursuit ship
• Aardvark-class armored pursuit ship

Naval Reserve (NL)

• Kraken-class battlecruiser (carrying 3 light fighter groups and 3 heavy fighter groups) 

Esquadrille Thebes (Kmet)

• Anubis-class attack cruiser
• Ibis-class frigate
• Asp-class attack frigate
• Asp-class attack frigate

I also provided a handout for the players with the special rules for this scenario.

Convention Report: Assault on Regulus IV

NOTE: I should have posted this game recap weeks ago, but real life and procrastination got in the way.  My apologies for my tardiness--but I can't promise it won't happen again :)

Last Friday,On November 12, I presented my Galactic Knights game at Millennium Con 12+1.  It was my first time to run a convention game, so I was a little nervous.  I was worried I might forget a crucial piece of gaming gear or an essential rule, and (after getting only two playtesters when I first ran this scenario) I was especially concerned that no one would even show up to play.  When I got to the con, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find my game had filled up--all eight spots were taken.

The players gathered around the table and split themselves into two teams.  None of them had played GK before, and I had to walk players through the turn sequence and game mechanics.   But the players quickly picked up the rules, and by the end of the session they were moving and shooting on their own; the game was pretty much running itself.  We only played for two turns, but with eight players new to the game, we got a lot accomplished.

Lots more pictures and a complete report below: