Review of 2017

   Well, it's that time of year again. For those of you still following, if you haven't noticed a distinct downward trend over the past year or two, I'm surprised. Still, while 2017 was not the best year I've ever had in regards to my Victorian Science Fiction gaming, there was a bright spot.

   The biggest thing for me this year was running a convention game. I did this once at Historicon, several years ago, in 15mm using the Battles by GASLIGHT rules. That was an okay experience, but not a rousing success. I do recall that a few of my minis went missing afterwards as well, and several pieces of terrain were damaged in shipping. Both of these incidents soured me somewhat on running a convention game. But, I decided to try once more, this time at a much more local convention, MillenniumCon, back in November. I used the In Her Majesty's Name rules, and cards for the individual model types. It went well, and I got some very useful feedback on the game for possible future conventions. Plus, I finally got the Quadcycle on the table!

   I'm a bit perturbed at what's happening with Dystopian Wars, as well. I played in two games of DW at Historicon back in July, and had a good time. And then the bombshell: Spartan Games went out of business. I know a new company has picked up the IP, but from what I see heading out of their shop... well, I'm not as excited about it as I would like to be. Time will tell. 

   On the painting front, virtually nil in VSF, and little enough in other genres. I can't recall painting a single figure that was specifically for a VSF game. I did manage work on one of the pair of very nice Martian Skiffs I got from Red Vectors. Just needs a bit of finishing work to be done.

   The only terrain pieces I worked on were some nice desert building bits for SAGA that I used for the convention game. They were already colored, all I had to do was assemble and paint the white foam edges. Took a day. The latter third of the year was eaten up by a hurricane, of course (darn you, Harvey!), but still, that level of lack of progress is daunting. Granted, I am working on a few other projects now, most especially some forces for a Bolt Action ruled Very British Civil War.

   So, what about this new year, eh? Well, if we get moved into the new house by end of February, I hope to have my stuff sorted. That would let me work on a few projects that are currently packed away in boxes. I think blog-wise, that I would like to post at least six polls this year, something I haven't done in ages. In fact, I think I will post one today, just to get the ball rolling. So please vote on it.

   Anyway, thanks to any and all who still follow this blog. It's not totally moribund. I just have moved the significant focus of my gaming away from VSF for now. If you want to see a bit more of my wit (the half I have) and wisdom (or lack thereof), I post more frequently on my general gaming blog, The Scattergun Gamer.

Cheers, and happy New Year!

In Her Majesty's Name at MillenniumCon XX

   The third game I participated in at the convention was the game I brought: In Her Majesty's Name. It's a Victorian Science Fiction skirmish/warband game. 

   I provided four factions: the Society of Thule, the Servants of Ra, Lord Curr's Incorrigibles, and the human Minions of Otto Maton. The mission in this game was simple: escape oncoming death. Having disturbed ancient secrets in the Sahara, a curse of flesh eating scarab swarms is chasing all of the factions. Their only hope is to make it to the river boats.

The village of Ruh Naway and the all important boats moored at the docks.

   In order to escape on a boat, a faction had to have control of it - there could be no members of a different faction aboard. Then, on the following Movement phase, it could leave - but not if anyone boarded that turn. Boats then moved up to 9" in a turn (just off the board was sufficient).

The setup.

Lord Curr veers his Incorrigibles away from the Society of Thule

The Society and the Servants mix it up on the right.

One of the Servants, Sairah the Assassin Queen, dashes far ahead of the rest.

Every cultist would lay down his life for Akhenaton.

Maton's Minions move in a disciplined group along the far left flank,

led by the quadcycle.

   The fellow who played the minions stuck strictly to the mission, and it paid off. He got every one of his forces onto the boat, gaining a game-winning 45 points (plus two kills).

In the village square, "Mad" Mick stands alone against the Jaegers and Todtruppen

of the Society of Thule.

   This is the first time I have managed to get the Todtruppen (zombie jaegers) on the field. They are fun, but slow. Mick was abandoned to his fate by the rest of the Incorrigibles.

The boats casting off. In the lead is Akhenaton.

   Note that one boat is missing: Sairah stole it by being first to the docks. This ensured that one team would not be able to escape. A clever strategy. As it turned out, the Society of Thule was doomed. Even more fun, the mummified priest used his power of the Path of Shadows (essentially a teleport spell) to board the boat after it launched.

   After the game ended, we had a bull session about how to improve the scenario. The best idea was to change the motivation of the Servants of Ra. The suggestion was to use them as a blocking force in the village, and reduce the number of boats to three - or maybe even just two. Most importantly, everyone said they had fun, which was the whole point.

   I want to give a special thanks to Jim Johnson for helping me out by bringing a few pieces of really nice terrain. A couple of those buildings are his, made by Crescent Root, and excellent pieces. 

Martian Airships sighted...

   Our intelligence reports indicate that the Martians have obtained two additional airships to menace the good people of Victoria's Landing.

   Made by RedVectors in the UK, these skiffs were custom adjusted a bit to work for 15mm. I am in the process of assembling and painting the first of the pair. The price was quite reasonable, I thought, and the shipment was dashed quick.

   Not quite done. It needs a gun on that forward platform, and a crew. I suppose this calls for a visit to Scale Creep for minis...

MillenniumCon XX Preparation, Part 3: Terrain...

   I have ordered and received several 28mm buildings and a bit more terrain - desert oasis, sand dune, and piers.

   These have several advantages: they are lightweight, they are easy to assemble, and they are already painted. So I just have to glue them together and toss them into the bucket. I bought a total of seven buildings to give the impression of a small riverside village.

   For the base, I am using my Cigar Box Battles desert cloth. I love these things. Again, lightweight and portable, but they drape well, and they don't pill up.

   I'm still working on the layout of the whole setup. And I hope to get a playtest or two in before the convention. Next I think I need to finalize which troops each force will be fielding. I'd like to give most of them a vehicle of some sorts, because if not, I fear the minion quadcycle will race ahead to secure the landing stage with its machinegun. I might be able to use buildings to give cover to approaching companies though.

Millennium Con XX Prep, Part 2: Quadcycle Stats

   I think I have decided upon the minions of Otto Maton to be the fourth faction in my convention game, just because I like these guys so much. I will probably take the gentlemen of the Sapphire Club as well, in case I need to squeeze in a fifth player.

   And I think they need a vehicle. I happen to have one already painted and good to go - the nefarious All Terrain Quadruple Wheeled Lightly Armoured Autocycle (Machine Gun), more commonly called the "Quadcycle" or even simply "Quaddie." 

You've seen this before, no?

So, I need to stat it up for In Her Majesty's Name. Probably best to treat it as a walker, I think, as far as the rules for hit allocation are concerned. This is what I am thinking:

Pluck: 5+ (2 pts)

FV: +1 (1 pt)

SV: +3 (4 pts)

Speed: 9" (2 pts) - based on Bestiary from HVF

Armour: 10 (4 pts)

Weapon: Machine gun (26 pts)
Equipment: Steam Dynamo (10 pts)
Equipment: Lined Coat (Steersman, AV 8) (1 pt)
Equipment: Pistol (Steersman) (3 pts)
Equipment: Breath Preserver (Steersman) (2 pts)

Note: Can not enter Difficult Terrain

What says the collected wisdom?

IHMN at MIllenniumCon XX in Round Rock, TX

   I will be running a game at this year's MillenniumCon XX, held in Round Rock, Texas, the second weekend of November. I'm running a game of In Her Majesty's Name, my current favorite skirmish VSF rules. Here's the basic story:

  After weeks of exploration in the desert, the Tomb of the Lost Pharaoh was found. Unfortunately, the myths about the Regalia of Osiris being hidden there were just that: myths. Even worse, your rivals followed you and one of those fools triggered the Lost Pharaoh's Curse. Now, a storm of flesh-eating scarabs pursues you across the arid wastes. Your only hope is to be the first to reach the safety of the coastal town of Al Maja, where you can board a ship and escape the doom which follows close behind you!

  I plan to have four Adventuring Companies in this game:

• Lord Curr's Company, 
• the Society of Thule,
• the Servants of Ra (naturally), 
• and either the Sapphire Club or Otto Maton.

   I also have the figures for a werewolf company, or a Scotland Yard company, but they don't seem right for an adventure in the North African desert. My other mad scientist company, belonging to Professor Vardu, isn't ready yet either, and I don't think they'd fit in very well anyway.

   The scenario is pretty simple: 9.1.7: Death at Your Heels, with the following modifications:

• Table size: 4' x 6', with coastline along the long edge.
• Two boats, not one, each having a jetty 18" from the table edge
• Must convince captain to sail*

*Convince the Captain to sail: any figure with a Leadership characteristic can attempt to get the Captain to cast off, but only if there are no enemy figures on the boat. To make an attempt, roll a die in the figure's Movement phase. Add the Leadership characteristic and the total number of figures on the boat. Modify the roll by +1 if the scarabs are past the center of the table; add +2 if they are within 12" of the boat. A total of 8+ indicates the ship leaves, stranding anyone not aboard. The ship will automatically leave when the scarabs would reach it.

   For terrain, I don't have much, all of a sudden. Dammit, Harvey! I have a Cigar Box Battle Mat desert mat, and a few desert palms. That's about it for 28mm compatible desert terrain. I just ordered a number of Plastcraft Colored Desert houses to build a small village along the coast. I think I am going to embellish this with the addition of a few fishing nets hanging to dry, easy enough to make a simple frame and net. I do have some of the sand colored cobblestone roads and some older dirt roads to put out, as well.

   So, any ideas for improvements? Especially terrain. I was hoping to put some sort of ruined wall up on the desert side.

New Tracks

   Received in the post this afternoon, a small box of Battlefield in a Box railroad tracks. These will let me vary the layout a bit, adding switches, curves, and stop bunkers. Railroad being so very important in the Victorian Age, I thought this was a good purchase. Plus, they are already good to go out of the box, so more likely to see actual use.

Christmas Gift of Terrain

   One thing I did obtain that is noteworthy for VSF is some new terrain. GF9 finally re-released their popular Badlands series of terrain, and I got two boxes for Christmas: the Plateau and the Tors. These will fit nicely in as Martian desert terrain, I think, and the best part is they are ready out of the box. I also ordered the Badlands Bluff a few days ago from Amazon to help fill in space.

   Back in October I attended the BROADSIDES! Gaming convention held aboard the Battleship TEXAS near my home. One of the vendors there carried Cigar Box Battle Mats, which I already had purchased one of at Historicon a while back. I really like these mats. I decided I wanted to upgrade my Martian terrain this year, so I bought one of the Red Planet 6'x4' cloths. I like it a lot, though I haven't used it in a game yet.

Still Haven't...

Still haven't done any VSF stuff since last October. To be fair, I haven't done much of anything gaming related.

So I'm not dead, I'm not on any sort of burn-out sabbatical... I've been utterly swamped with Real Life issues, from holiday travel and guests, to illness, to working a second job since early October.

I'm really hopeful that I will in fact be able to get some gaming in soon. Plan to play Zombicide Black Plague on Monday. It's not VSF, of course, but it's something. Then the next Saturday is supposed to be our regular gaming weekend. I may put on a game of IHMN. I really want to use that Quadcycle...

Rising like a Phoenix...

   This is the Quadcycle that was destroyed a few weeks ago by my puppy. 

   Actually, it's the Quadcycle that Elderac very kindly sold to me to replace the one eaten by my puppy. I changed the paint a bit to match my existing minion forces and put it on a base.

   But from tragedy comes renewal - I finally got that piece finished and it's ready to grace the table as soon as I stat it up for either GASLIGHT or IHMN.

Uncle Thulhu Finished!

   This handsome gentlebeing is known far and wide as Uncle Thulhu. His opera cape and top hat show he's a being of quality. Don't let the tentacles fool you.

A new Sergeant and some Vardu Minions

   I've been painting, a bit. I've also got a new camera, so I am working the kinks out of it still. But here are a few snaps of what I've been up to lately.

   First is another Empress British NCO. I love Empress's minis, and this guy has been sitting about waiting for his final touches for months. He's now ready to join the rest of the 30th Foot on Mars, defending the Empire for Her Majesty (God Bless Her).

   Also a Bull Snapper, a light warbeast from Hordes' Minions faction. He joins his larger cousin the Blackhide Wrassler as an experimental subject for Doctor Vardu. I made a puddle at his feet, just like the bigger one. Venus is a dreadfully swampy place, after all.

   Finally, there is a pair of Razor Boars, more Minions warbeasts. I have another pair of these that I will paint soon, giving me - er, Doctor Vardu, that is - four of the aggressive piggies.

VSF Project Review

   I've decided after many years that I have simply too many ideas and not enough time. So I am evaluating all of my projects, and determining which ones I shall carry on with in an attempt to complete them and which shall be abandoned in the interest of achieving the previous goal.

   For status, I shall use 'planning' (want to buy minis), 'active' (not playable but I am currently working on it), 'inactive' (unplayable but on to-do list), 'dead' (can't play, not doing anything, don't plan on it), 'playable' (enough to play, still adding to it), and rarest of all, 'finished' (can play, no plans to add to it). Thus far, I have decided:

25/28mm

1. VSF Eureka Pond Wars: dead
2. VSF Lizardmen: inactive
3. VSF/Colonial British: playable
4. VSF German: marginally playable
5. VSF Automaton: finished (lacks one thing from Parroom Station to replace the dog-eaten one)
6. VSF Martian: marginally playable- awaiting Parroom Station's eventual release (I hope)
7. VSF Vardu: inactive
8. VSF French: inactive
9. VSF Russian: dead
10. VSF Japanese: dead
11. VSF Turkish: dead
12. VSF Parrotmen: inactive (possibly dead)
13. VSF Characters (HM Victoria I, others): playable
14. Skyrunners VSF Racing: dead
15. EOTD/IHMN Werewolves: finished
16. EOTD/IHMN Gentlemen: finished
17. EOTD/IHMN Police Constables: playable
18. IHMN Lord Curr's Company: playable
19. IHMN Servants of Ra: playable
20. IHMN Society of Thule: playable
21. IHMN Cowboys and Lawmen: finished
22. Terrain VSF: inactive

15mm

1. VSF/Colonial British: playable
2. VSF/Colonial French: playable
3. VSF Martians: playable
4. VSF Venusian Lizardmen: playable
5. VSF Automatons: finished
6. VSF/Colonial Germans: playable
7. VSF Monstrosities (Dr. Vardu): inactive
8. VSF Japanese: dead
9. VSF Texicans: inactive (maybe dead)
10. VSF Papal States: dead
11. VSF Terrain: inactive

Fleet Scale (smaller than 6mm)

1. Dystopian Wars (DW) Federated States: playable
2. DW Prussian: playable
3. DW Indian Raj: planning
4. Sky Galleons of Mars (SGOM) British: inactive
5. SGOM Martians: inactive
6. Aeronef Italians: dead
7. Terrain: inactive

6mm

1. VSF French: inactive
2. VSF German: inactive
3. VSF British: inactive
4. VSF Venusian Lizardmen: planning
5. VSF Martians: inactive
6. Terrain: inactive

   That's a grand total of 46 projects, including terrain in each scale. Of them, only four are 'finished.' And only about half of the rest are playable. I've definitely decided that eight are dead projects, as far as I am concerned. That means I have about 34 projects still on the boil, either playable or not.

   I'm mad. Bonkers. Crazy. Off the rocker.

My dog at my feet

Nothing of note, just happy to have my English bulldog pup quietly resting at my feet while I do a bit of work.

Photo of the remains

This is how I handle it:

My Dog Ate It.

   I love the daft little puppy (he's only ten months old) but...

   Public Service Announcement:

   Do not leave your English bulldog puppy alone in a room with figures on a table. Especially figures that are no longer available and were almost finished. Like two Parroom Station vehicles.

AAARRRRGGGGH!

   One was a little Martian Stinger ship, like the one I found a photo of on TMP:

   The other was a Minion quad cycle, possibly part of the Secret Science line rather than Parroom, but still. I can't even find a photo of that one online.

   I am so mad.

Reading on Zeppelin Raids

   I picked this up on sale at the Imperial War Museum in London a couple of weeks ago. Why? Because zeppelins! So far - and I am only about 30-40 pages into it - it's a good read.

From blackpowdergames.blogspot.com

Additional Protection from Aggressive Saurians

   British subjects and Texican citizens on Venus may breathe a little easier, sleep a little more soundly tonight, as additional pylons for the Anti-Saurian Galvanic Barrier have been completed and are ready for emplacement. These additional pylons will significantly increase the area of protection from pesky carnivorous dinosaurs, lizardmen, Germans, etc.

Four repeating posts. (Two more already finished elsewhere)

Two powered posts.

The Joy of Six

Six Millimeter, that is!

Whilst journeying through Great Britain the last two weeks, I had the opportunity to attend the Joy of Six gaming show in Sheffield. It was a nice little show, with several interesting demo games, and a good set of vendors, including Baccus, Brigade, and Heroics and Ros.

The most interesting games I saw were a Star Wars game using X-Wing rules for ground combat (an assault on Hoth with truly awesome AT-ATs), and SAGA being played with bases of 6mm figures in place of the single 28mm standard. As far as I could see, there were no other rules changes, though I didn't play in it. It did make it seem more like warbands than the dozen or so figures involved in a standard game of SAGA.

I purchased some figures of Victorian interest from Baccus while there, principally a set of Imperial French for Franco-Prussian Wars. Or, as the case may have it, for my own use as a Legion Extraterrestriale, the extra-solarian forces of La Belle France. I also picked up some Mahdists for use as Martians and some more British for use as, well, British.

I will, of course, get those painted straight away... I figure you will get to see photos sometime around 2021 at the current rate of production. I really need to get some brush time in.

Another Victorian Wargamer

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