A long time ago ...

... back in 1977, Marvel Comics published a monthly Star Wars comic book, beginning with a six-issue adaptation of the movie, that ran for 107 issues before ending in 1986. 

In 2002, Dark Horse Comics started reprinting the series in trade paperback format. Reading through my collection in anticipation of the new movie coming out next month, I found a few interesting artifacts from the adaptation of the original movie (before it was ever referred to as Episode IV).

For one thing, the comic that made it onto newsstands contains scenes that didn't make it into the theatrical release, such as Luke witnessing the opening space battle between the Rebel blockade runner and the Imperial cruiser from the surface of Tatooine.

There's also the hero's encounter with his friend Biggs before the latter departs the desert planet to be seen again in the attack on the Death Star. In addition, the comic contained a much different version of Jabba the Hutt--humanoid, not slugg-like--in an encounter with Han Solo.

There are other minor differences in dialogue and terminology between the print and screen versions, but no big changes in the plot. I did find it interesting that the Rebels referred to the X-wing pilots as Blue Squadron instead of the Red Squadron familiar to moviegoers.

The first six issues were a fun start to a series that had some great writers and artists over the years, back before there was an Expanded Universe or any continuity other than the blockbuster movie called Star Wars.

Ground Effect Ogre (work in progress)

I'm working on a Ground-Effect Ogre (GEO), using a Matchbox hovercraft as the chassis. In addition to some spare Ogre parts, I'm using a craft bead for the turret, and a whole bunch of green stuff--which is very difficult to work with.

It should look better after some sanding and a paint job. I'm also drafting rules for the GEO, which I envision as faster than a typical cybertank, but far more vulnerable because of its hover system. It's about the size of a Mark III, and I haven't decided how many weapons to give it.

I also rounded out my Ogre Miniatures collection with a number of light tanks, both PanEuropean (of which I already had a handful) and NA Combine (missing from my roster until now). 

A dip in the Pine-Sol and I can paint them up to match the rest of my forces.

My first games of Kings of War

OK, this was from almost a month ago, but I'm just now blogging about it. I played my first games of Kings of War at Great Hall Games in early October and had a good time.

I built my army from one of the new forces previewed on their website: Salamanders. It's mainly a lizardmen army analog, but it does include fire elemental troops, so I was able to use some of my new and old Hordes of the Things minis--the Sons of Muspel.

In my first match, I managed to defeat one of the Kingdoms of Men armies made from historical figures, despite my regiments' tendency to waiver (i.e., turn chicken, as indicated by the marker).

It was an escalation league; the idea being to start out with small points values and build your armies up over several weeks.

My second game was against an Oldhammer goblin force that ended in a loss.

I like the way the game plays, although I flaked out on the league and only played one more time. Still, I enjoyed it.

I need to finish my armies and have a few more games.

Taking up Kings of War

Wow, September's over, and I managed to avoid posting a single blog entry.

Anyway, here are some work-in-progress shots of my latest project: a Lizardmen army for Oldhammer/Salamanders army for Kings of War. I like getting my minis cheap, and using them for more than one game.

The figures above are not my paint job; I got them already painted from eBay. Below are some more I've based and need to prime that came from my Half-Price Books score.

I may also use some of these guys for Hordes of the Things as well as Book of War. As I said, I like to get mileage from my figs.

A few of my favorite posts

With a few of my favorite starships.

I started this blog because I wanted to see more material about miniature starship gaming. I kept doing it (off-and-on) because I enjoy it. I'm obviously pretty happy with what I post to Super Galactic Dreadnought. Still, there are some posts that I'm especially proud of:

Interview with Starfleet Wars sculptor Scott R. Spicer

In order to learn more about the game and the minis I enjoy, in 2011 I emailed Scott Spicer, who worked with his father Ron Spicer to sculpt the Starfleet Wars models for Superior Models. Scott graciously responded with an essay about the creation of those fantastic sculpts that gave new insight into this line of miniatures.

In-depth examination of Starfleet Wars rules

I took a multi-part, up-close look at the rules that I had originally derided as too complicated. Turns out the game play is pretty elegant, and this review inspired me to run and play several games of Starfleet Wars, including a short-lived campaign.

Release of 5150: Star Navy rulebook

My very own  published starship combat rules, co-authored with Ed Teixeira of Two Hour Wargames. The Star Navy ruleset was the result of playtesting, revision, and more playtesting. I had a blast developing this game with Ed, and I'm really happy with how it came out. 

Running Holmes Basic D&D

I got to play the version of the game that introduced me to roleplaying--Dungeons & Dragons. I DM'd for a group of players who hadn't sat down for some good old-fashioned dungeon crawling for years--or even decades. I got to create and run my very own attempt at a megadungeon. Although it was only a few sessions, it was fun while it lasted.

Those are some of my favorites. Readers, what about you? Any posts on SGDN that really stood out for you?

More anniversary starship pics

As my weeklong celebration of Super Galactic Dreadnought's fifth birthday continues (previous pics here and here), have a look at some more photos of my assembled fleets:

This space station comes from the Battlefleet Gothic line of miniatures.

Another look at the iridescent Entomalian fleet. I still have some more of these to paint.

I like the details in this side view of my Terran Red Fleet.

But the ships look even more impressive from head-on.

I got lots of compliments on the paint job for my Shadow Fleet of ships from Garrison Miniatures.

Here's a detail shot of my Avarian fleet.

And a dramatic overview of the Aquarian starships.

I also have plenty of ships to comprise my Terran White Fleet.

The Capellan Raiders is my only fleet where I didn't do all the paint jobs. The two huge kitbashes (a gift from Don M) and the three Silent Death minis (via eBay) were already painted when I got them.

Here are some one-off paint jobs. I want to use these to run a roleplaying campaign where each character gets a ship.

Finally, the Flying Roadshow. I haven't used these in a game yet. Time to come up with a scenario ...

Hope y'all are enjoying these.

Blogiversary celebration continues

Thanks for all the kind comments on my five-year anniversary post. To continue the festivities, please enjoy some more photos of my various starfleets:

The pride and flagship of my Terran Red Fleet, the Victory-class Super Galactic Dreadnought.

Constellation-class Galactic Attack Carriers and a Formidable-class Galactic Battlecruiser from the White Fleet.

Transports of the Slannish Treasure Fleet (Star Frontiers and Stardate:3000 minis).

A Gryphon-class SGDN with Condor-class DNs and Nest-GACs form the backbone of my Avarian force.

The Carnivorans have their own SGDN, as well as a carrier and other capital ships.

Civilian transports came from the Star Frontiers and Stardate:3000 lines, with a few Citadel models thrown in.

The Aquarians have Stingray-class carriers with a Shark-class battlecruiser up front and a Leviathan dreadnought in back.

The Entomalian ships all have that distinctive insectiod look, including the Hive-class carriers and the Swarm SGDN,

The Flying Roadshow (Star Frontiers minis) is a combination acrobatic troupe and mercenary force.

The Vogon Construction Fleet is another mercenary unit with craft from a variety of sources.

Five years of Super Galactic Dreadnought!

This weekend marked the fifth anniversary of my blog (and like an idiot, I missed the actual anniversary date), which I launched with this blog post. So to celebrate, I amassed all my starfleets and took some photos. The group shot above is a little fuzzy, but I will be posting some detail shots in a weeklong celebration.

Meanwhile, here is a closer look at the fleets of the Five Powers--the original polities in the background for Starfleet Wars, the game and minis line that inspired me as a kid. I also had to share a closeup of my Terran ships, which are my favorite fleet, and the faction I started playing Galactic Knights with.

Thanks for reading Super Galactic Dreadnought, and stay tuned for more starship pics.

Warhammer buildings

Well, it only took three-and-a-half years from the time I purchased the box to assemble the cardboard buildings that came with the fifth edition Warhammer boxed set.

Here you can see the results, pictured with the commander from the Nightmare Legion for scale. These aren't diorama models, but they will do nicely for wargames.

In addition to the tower, there is a large house or inn as well as a small shed. I would like to find some more old Warhammer scenery like this, but this type of thing is relatively rare and expensive on eBay.

The buildings were relatively straightforward to assemble--just punch out each die-cut section and use some white glue to fasten it. I also used scotch tape on the inside to ensure the pieces stayed together. Pro tip: line the edges of each piece with an appropriately colored permanent marker to make it look less like paper and more like a building.

These three structures will make a nice area to fight over or around once I have some Oldhammer forces to put on the table. They will also go well as terrain for Song of Blades and Heroes games, or even Book of War.

Marlinko, man

The latest installment in the Hill Cantons canon arrived in my mailbox this week: Fever-Dreaming Marlinko. I've had the PDF for awhile, but I like my games in print, not just pixels. This product, the result of a stretch goal from the Slumbering Ursine Dunes kickstarter, describes the city of Marlinko (nee Marlankh--you can still see a couple of serial numbers that didn't get filed off), which served as an adventuring base for our tabletop group of adventurers.

It's chock-full of adventure hooks, colorful nonplayer characters, numerous cultural references, and great art--including the front cover pictured up top and this city map on the back cover. So go check out Fever-Dreaming Marlinko, and tell 'em Mandamus sent you!