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.