Kickstarter Strikes Again

   I follow the Bleaseworld blog (and you should, too). If you don't you may have missed the announcement of a Kickstarter for a new VSF game in 28mm scale. The designers call it ACW: The Alternative Civil War. While I have a hard time swallowing some of their timeline (yes, I said that), some of the minis look intriguing.

    The images are from the Kickstarter page. It looks to be going fairly well, and I am really liking the looks of the Union coil gunners and the Confederate hoppers.

Federated States Fleet Sighted!

   In December, while wandering about the FLGS, I saw they had an old box of the Dystopian Wars Federated States of America Battle Group on sale. It wasn't much off price, probably only about $10, but hey... it's $10, right? So I picked it up.

   As of this moment, I need to finish the flyers and four frigates to complete the box. Like my other Spartan Games minis, they are a lot of fun to paint. The detail is crisp and I have yet to find a bubble in their resin. Pictures of my version will have to wait a few weeks, because I am entering the Lead Painters' League competition again, and need to build up some items for entries. I have a personal rule that only minis I have painted in the current year can be entered, and they have a rule that no minis that have been shown off elsewhere can be entered. SO... sorry guys, but you're going ot have to wait.

   In the meantime, here is what the box looks like/contains:

   I do not believe this particular combination is available any longer, unless you find it as I did. Spartan does have a similar group, with the addition of a Saratoga-class carrier.

Tiny Flyers for Dystopian Wars

I have a few questions about what the larger community is up to with them. 

First, are you color coding each wing? That is, do you use red for fighters, yellow for dive bombers, etc.?

If so, what color do you use for each type? Is there an official scheme from Spartan? Please comment. 

Second, have you 'freed' your flyers from the token base? How hard was it?

Third, do you have some sort of movement tray for your wings? Does someone sell nice ones with maybe a die holder for the fuel die?

Please answer (or add questions of your own) in the comments. 

Interesting Spider Vehicle

  This is the Gustav Eiffel and Spider Construct from the Wild West Exodus game, available here. I am not sure what the scale is, however. If it were in 28mm, I would be sorely tempted to purchase one to serve as a focal point for Doktor Otto Maton's forces.

Mentioned in Wargames Soldiers and Strategy #76

  Okay, this is kind of cool. At least, for certain values of 'cool.'

  I just received my copy of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy (WSS), Issue 76. I purchased it because Issue 76 is dedicated to Victorian Science Fiction - "Adventures in the Age of Steam" as they put it. So there I am, just flipping through the issue, reading an article that serves as in introduction to VSF (or steampunk, if you insist) written by Gary Mitchell. And there, right at the end of the article on page 33, is a mention of The Aethergraph:

"The Aethergraph, for example, is a new online 'zine on the topic, complete with a mock Victorian-style newspaper presentation."

  There you have it, respectability from the press. Fleet Street chaps got it right for once, the flighty sots. I am a bit chuffed about it.

Resolutions for 2015

Yes, it is that time again, when we try to resolve ourselves to work ofr a better new year. The 2015 edition, for myself, includes the following:

1. Lose weight. I badly need to lose about 40 pounds.
2. Get a 'full time' job. While my hours are full time, I'm technically an adjunct professor, and therefore a part time employee.
3. Get my son's '74 Dart on the road and out of my garage.
4. Improve relations with my parents. This one will be hard.
5. Three issues of The Aethergraph.
6. Complete two 6mm VSF forces. British and either Germans or Canal Martians.
7. Play more games.
8. Spend less than $250 on new minis and terrain this year. I have a massive backlog of stuff that needs to be tackled before I spend more money on ooh shiny. I predict this will be broken by mid-year.
9. Paint 100 15mm minis.
10. Paint 100 25mm minis.
11. At least one post per week here and on The Scattergun Gamer.
12. Participate in the Lead Adventure Forum's painting contest.

That's a lot of gaming goals, I know. But, besides work and family, it's what I do.