350!

Our little journal here has, with this notice, officially reached 350 notices. We'd like to thank all the little people, and hope you stick around for the next few hundred or so.

At this milestone, I think I should ask if it would make sense to broaden the scope of this journal to all of my gaming activities. A poll for next month, I suppose. Currently, I have three seperate blogs for different gaming interests, and I killed one about a year or so back when the Napoleonics phase died out. I could simply combine all three into one, and add in the random bits and bobs as well into one massive empire of wargame blogging.

Or I could keep going as I am, with the terrain blog (least often updated right now), the VSF blog (right here!), and the Warhammer blog (check it out - it's new and shiny and spikey with lots of skulls: http://warhemorrhage.blogspot.com) for all that.

One last thought: Sunday is my birthday. Gifts approrpriate to your station will be accepted graciously. So get to it. :)

FLARES IN THE NIGHT

A note of precaution and reminder for all of our non-Texican readers: expect rocket flares in the sky tonight and every night for the next thirteen days. Please do not be alarmed.


The commander of the local Texican garrison (the security force of Republic Marines at the Texican Consulate), Major Anthony Polendo, has reminded this journal that it is traditional for one hundred and eighty-three white flares to be fired into the sky at every military base in the Republic from February 23rd to March 5th. On the night of March 6th, the white flares will be replaced with red flares after a thirteen gun salute.

[Editor's Note: As requested (ask and ye shall receive!), an explanation: February 23rd is the anniversary of the start of the siege of the Alamo in the War for Texan Independence, or Texas Revolution, whichever you prefer. The siege lasted 13 days, ending on 06 MAR 1836. It was a leap year, by the way, if you are trying to count the days. Honestly, I assumed everyone knew that. See what happens when you assume, kids?]

Beware the Ferals!

FERAL MARTIANS SIGHTED!

Government House Strings Anti-Flyer Netting

As shown in the photostats accompanying this article, the threat of feral Martians is quite real. The artist that captured these plates managed to catch the raiding party just as they landed. We are very thankful that the savage primitives had no idea what the box did, and that they satisfied themselves with taking items of obvious value.

Photostats can not, of course, adequately convey the terrifying screech of the primitive warriors, or the stench of their unwashed bodies combined with a whiff of the hydrium gas that their bodies constantly emit. Their weapons of bronze, iron, and even copper may look primitive, but our correspondent with the camera assures us they had no trouble butchering and consuming (raw!) several of the caravan's draft beasts. He was horrified bythe sheer volume of bloody gobbets of meat gulped down in a gory orgy of gluttony.

This raid took place close to the borders of the Crown Colony, prompting the Viceroy to issue a call for all Imperial outposts to secure anti-flyer netting for their own safety. High walls are no protection from this wily flying foe! His Excellency had steel cables strung from posts, criss-crossing the courtyard areas of both Government House and the Residence.

[Editor's Notes: Finally! The minis are from the RAFM Kraag Warriors box set of High Martians for Space 1889. I got the box at Historicon in the flea market for $18. It also includes ten flying versions of the Martians. I am still trying to decide exactly how I want to base those. The weighted bottom is my biggest concern. I like how they came out, and plan to get about four more boxes worth (total of 50 flying and 50 on foot) eventually.]

February Goal Update

February is a short month, so not much time to get projects finished. With that in mind... I need to hurry up!

Finish current vessels for Republic of Venice's Aeronef fleet (4)

0% progress.

Finish ten Hydra Miniatures Vardu sprout warriors

0% progress.

January leftover: 40 15mm Zulus

90% Received from painter. Need to base and clearcoat.

January leftover: 10 Feral Martians

90% done. Just need to base and clearcoat.

Repaint on old edition of GW Skink Stegadon for Venus

20%(?) done. Body has a basecoat on it. Need work on scales, spikes, howdah and crew.

Ten 28mm Copplestone German Marines as Atherbattalion

About 50% done. Most base color on, but still need shading and details, plus base and clearcoat.

Armorcast Gothic Laboratory Power Generator

About 50%. Trying to get a cool glowing look out of the gratings.

Gah! Doesn't look all that good. I think I have been too distracted by Valentine's Day, the Olympics, and other projects not on the official project list. For instance, hunting down GW minis on eBay, painting a couple of cowboys for next weekend's convention, the new unobtainite terrain (although that only took about thirty minutes of work), and a few other things I have been kicking around.

Unobtainite At Last!

ORE FOUND IN CROWN COLONY

Viceroy Claims For Britain

As our more scientifically savvy readers can tell, the photostat above reveals the site of a massive source of unobtainite, the wondrous mineral that sunders the fetters of cruel gravity, binding all things to the planetary surface. Merely energize the smallest fragments of this fantastic substance with [CENSORED BY VICEROY'S OFFICE] of pure galvanic energy and soar into the heavens, shielded from - nay! repulsed by! - the gravitational force dragging us all to the core of the planet.

These crystals and the land surrounding them have been seized under law by the Viceroy himself. The discoverer of the deposit, Mister Clyde Abernathy, formerly of West Stoking, currently residing in Singh's Songhouse, Victoria Landing, has already filed suit to maintain his properly filed deed of claim on the property. The Viceroy's son-in-law and principle advisor on commercial legal affairs, speaking to our correspondent solely under the condition that his name would not be printed, revealed that the courts have already been influenced by the Viceroy, and the suit would be summarily dismissed.

Maton's Mechanical Monstrosity!

Herr Professor Doctor Otto Maton, the brilliant but utterly ruthless and maniacally despotic mechanical genius, has been at the drawing board again, developing a larger, more dangerous creature of unlimited power.


Here is the result: a massive mockery of Man in mechanical menace! Note the massive galvanic collector coils mounted on the giant's back. They supply power the matched pair of magnetic disruptor cannons which replace the infernal device's arms.

The photostat presented here was taken by Miss Eugenia P. Whistlebum during her brief but unwilling stay with the Belgian Madman. Miss Whistlebum smuggled the exposed photostatic plate out of the fiend's lair under her petticoat bustle when she was released following the undisclosed but reportedly very hefty ransom paid by her father, her fiancee and her future father-in-law.

[Editor's Notes: Back at it at last. I have some new terrain. The old handwavium crystals were made of pink foam cut with a hotwire, then painted. This unobtainite (blue, not handwavium green) is a resin product from Armorcast. Pyrite crystals, if I remember rightly. The new automaton is from Hydra, one of Matt's pulp sci-fi line Destroyer Robots, or Warbot Destroyer, or something like that. So far, it has been assembled and primed black. I hope to get a bit of painting time tomorrow night, so it may get brassy by then. The chest plates may get steel instead, to protect the delicate inner workings. Red eye? What do you think, HAL?]