An Interesting Airship Model

http://www.shapeways.com/model/298649/airship-frigate.html?li=productBox-search

   I particularly like the twin ducted fans on it, and the heavy broadside armament. Possible for Dystopian Wars, or just 6mm VSF in general.

Historicon VSF Report

   I got into no less than four (4!) Victorian Science Fiction themed games at this year's Historicon convention in Fredericksburg, Virginia. My record was an outstanding 3-1.

   The first outing was a land-based Dystopian Wars match. Britain and France fought over Flanders' Fields. I played the French, uncharacteristically for me. Our mission was to defend a ridgeline from British occupation. In the end, the British managed to pull off a victory.

Landship and medium tank versus British armoured onslaught!

A pair of French Cruisers arrive

  The next VSF-themed game I played in was "Further Adventures of The League of Pear-Shaped Gentlemen." This game was hosted by Thomas Harris and Frank Chadwick. Yes, that Frank Chadwick. Fanboy gushing moment for me. We used their upcoming "Mars Needs Steam" rules - look for a Kickstarter campaign near the first of the year.

   I took up the cause of Justice as a force of Martian sepoys in the service of the British crown. The Parhoon Rifles, the Meepsor Fencibles, and the 4th Martian Infantry, as well as some gashant mounted lancers, a cannon, and two sleek airships made up my forces. Just to our right flank were some nefarious servants of the Emperor of Japan - they had to be stopped! In the end, I won the game with 30 points (points were awarded for killing the enemy and uncovering secret encounters, like the Princess and the Rock Chameleon).

My 1st Colonial Lancers

 

Troops of the 4th Martian Infantry fire on the Japanese.

The Parhoon Rifles stumble into a nest of Rock Chameleons!

The Lancers rescue a Martian Princess

Lancers charge into the Japanese hunting party!

 

Thom and Frank get a well-deserved award for an Outstanding Game

See, I told you I know Frank Chadwick!

   My third VSF game was Bob Charrette's Secret Science playtest. Again, I was on the Martian side. Earthlings were attempting to invade our sacred red soil, and had to be held back! Although my performance in the game was less than stellar (some truly bad dice rolling), overall, we scraped a marginal victory when a truly gargantuan beast on the Martian side trampled sixteen - sixteen! - enemy automatons into scrap before plowing into an enemy walker. This left the Earthers with too little a force remaining to push across the field.

My Martian Cannon, the Fist of Grond, in its redoubt.

Martian musketeers advancing

The Great Beast!

  The last VSF game was Chris Palmer's "Victoria Hawkes Saves the Queen" using GASLIGHT rules. I took the side of Prussia, holding Her Majesty in a secret location until a zeppelin could arrive to bear her away. My dice were again, rather atrocious. Most of my forces got shot down in the course of the game. However, in the end, we Prussians loaded HM Victoria into a zeppelin and escaped with her.

British Impervious Suit. One of my comrades kept shooting it for no effect with a gatling gun rather than mowing down infantry. Not a help.

The US Marines' Steam Walker...

My Prussian Kreighosen attacks the Steam Walker with that nasty can opener saw.

Traveling and Battlefield Today

   So, Zach and I are on the road today. By the time this posts, I will have already left to pickup Zach at 0400 so we can make our 0600 flight to Baltimore. From BWI, drive to Fredericksburg. Before we check-in to the hotel, we are going to check out the American Civil War battlefield.

   Then, it's check in time for Historicon 2013! And then, probably bedtime!

Shield Gunners

   Blogging about 15mm shield gunner conversions the other day prompted me to get off my butt and finish up a few of the ones I already have in 25mm from RAFM. So, here are some pictures of the first. Four more are only waiting on their bases to be finished and a spray of clearcoat.

IR. 32, a Prussian Line Regiment on Venus

Infanterie Regiment #32

  I finished the first ten line regiment troops for the Prussians. This means that I now have an additional field-able unit for GASLIGHT. Here are a few pictures of the finished product. The miniatures themselves are all Bob Charrette's Parroom Station.

Herr Leutnant Hans Grueber (Yippie ki yay...)

Feldwebel Schmidt

An interesting 15mm Shield Gunner "how to" conversion

   One of the cooler troop types for Martians in the Space: 1889 universe is the Oenotrian Shield Gunner. I have a unit of ten in 28mm that I am slowly getting painted, but there are none available in 15mm.

RAFM Miniatures' Martian Shield Gunners
(Sadly, not mine.)

   Until now.

   Major General Clive G. has come up with a simple and good-looking conversion of Black Hat Miniature's Imperial Guard Halberdier, which he has kindly posted on his own blog. I shan't steal his thunder, so if you would simply follow this link, you can see what he did.

I am the very model of the Modern Major General...

   Thanks to Tango on The Miniatures Page, I have a new link to the archive that contains the classic Colonial / VSF wargames website: Major General Tremorden Rederring's Colonial Wargames Page. That site is very fondly recalled by many of us VSF nutters.

   In other news, I am painting some 28mm Prussian line infantry. Not done yet, but here's the in progress eye candy. Figures are Parroom Station.

Herr Leutnant

Gefreiter Schimdt

The Canals of Mars... at long last!

   Long story very short, I have always wanted some nice, regular canals for the Martian plains. Never got around to it. Then I saw some custom terrain on eBay, contacted the seller, Anita,who happened to be the maker of said terrain. Foofighterubu is her handle. Nice lady. After a few emails back and forth, we worked out what I wanted and a price we could both live with. Here are the results:

Main section, branch section, and the Y junction

28mm Empress British Infantry walking along the canal path

High Martians taking a canal boat

Scene from above

Taking cover along the canal walls.

Effective cover!

   I have eight feet of both widths, plus some corners in the main canal width and the Y connection. I am going to order more from Anita later this summer, I think, after I see how badly Historicon eats my wallet. I need a piece that transitions from one main canal to two smaller, and a docking area, plus some turns in the branch canal.