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. 

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.

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.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Or, as I like to call it, Mexican Import Beer Day!

Great cartoon, though I prefer Dos Equis myself.

   Figures from Shadowking's Blog, shamelessly stolen and ported here just for today. He did a really nice job on these, however. You might be interested in taking a look over there. This is a Mexican/French Adventuring Company for In Her Majesty's Name.

OwlCon Report

   This was the year of VSF for me at OwlCon, the annual science fiction and gaming convention held at Rice University in downtown Houston. I played in three games on Saturday the 7th, all VSF-related.

  The first game was a four player Dystopian Wars 2.0 matchup. I took the Danish fleet in support of Prussian allies, against a combined British and Antarctic fleet. First time with the Danes, and I did terribly. I have to figure out a better way to use those mines than as virtual suicide bombs. Also, the first time with DW 2.0 rules. Not a lot of changes that affected my game.

   The valiant forces of Prussia and Denmark failed to carry the day, unfortunately. However, to brighten things up, I won the drawing for a free box set of minis. I am awaiting delivery of some Federated States forces to beef up my new fleet. Thanks to Garth Bragg for putting on the game and providing the prize.

  Oh - I was so busy playing that I didn't take any pictures!

  My second game was another first, All Quiet on the Martian Front. I took the Martian side in  a massive game. I had some twenty-odd tripods to handle, and got the hang of it pretty quickly. Which was good, because one of my opponents couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the rules and had to be reminded what to do each time. Honestly, he was an older gentleman, and seemed a bit... fuzzy headed, let's say. Pleasant enough, but his attention (and body) wandered away from the table many times. The other player for the Human side (FRY HUMAN SCUM!!!) was more attentive and took up the slack.

   I managed a squeaker of a victory, by not concentrating on eliminating enemy units entirely. A couple of more shots concentrating on eliminating entire units would have seen a solid Martian victory. However, as far as special victory conditions were concerned, I managed to nearly get one tripod off the defended edge of the Human side. My power node was never endangered. Thanks to Coab Evans for putting on this game.

Yup, that's me.

Protecting the Power Node

At the Beginning...

   My third and final game of the convention was an evening of In Her Majesty's Name. The scenario was simple: two rival groups of archaeologists trying to get into the tomb of an ancient god-king. Of course, it wasn't that simple: the local natives didn't want anyone to wander around their countryside, looting antiquities. Also, the god-king has a devoted cult, who didn't want unbelievers defiling their deity's most sacred precincts.

   I took the British Museum's Expedition, complete with native porters, eminent scientists, adventurous American archaeologists, and a Great White Hunter. The GWH drew first blood at extreme range, taking down one of the natives as he bounded across the plains, intent on mischief amongst the porters! I then stupidly allowed myself to get bogged down in hand-to-hand combat, but my valiant porters did quite well against a superior foe. "Tenty" went toe-to-toe with an assegai armed Yahoo for at least four rounds, even knocking the Yahoo down once before finally being double-teamed and skewered from behind.

   In the end, I managed to get the American archaeologist, Ohio Smith, into the tomb on the very last turn of the game. The remainder of my expedition was wiped out to the last man (and woman). Came in second or third on points (out of five), but had a good time nonetheless. Thanks to the fellows from LSHM who put it on (Andy!).

Zombtober photos

   Wow... these nasty fellows arrived very late to the Zombtober party.

      Actually, the minis were finished by the first week of October, and the photos were taken the last week of October. It's just taken me this long to post the photos.

   However, here at long last are the Todtruppen - re-vivified Prussian jaegers, serving the mysterious Society of Thule even in death!

The brass peg on the left arm is part of the Revivifier that reanimates the Todtruppen.

I really like the bare foot for some reason.

All four. From the Society of Thule boxed set.

Problems with Society of Thule Figures?

   I finally got around to opening the box of Society of Thule figures that I pre-ordered. As I am cleaning them up to get them ready to prime, one thought just keeps running through my mind:

FLASH!

(cue Queen music...)

   Did anyone else get a set of figures with a TON of flash? Far more than I have seen on any metal figures in years. The other sets I purchased were not so bad as these - Lord Curr's Company and Servants of Ra, both purchased at the same time as the Society. These are awful, practically lousy with it. On bases, on hands, knobs of lead, not just little streamers... and webbing between body parts (neck and shoulder, within the arms of a firing pose), too. This is the kind of quality we used to get in the 1980s!

   Maybe NorthStar shot the molds for Society of Thule out faster than the other sets, I don't know. And I have been able, so far, to fix everything with some knifework and filing. It's just not something I am used to having to deal with any more.

   The sculpts themselves are lovely. It's just the casting that has me bummed out. Did anyone else have this problem?

Cards for IHMN - A Useful Tool

  I downloaded a free Magic Card Editor program a few years ago. I don't play Magic: The Gathering any more, but the program is very useful for making reference cards for gaming. I have used it previously for GASLIGHT units, and now I am making a set of cards for In Her Majesty's Name.

This is a Talent card. It gives the rules and point costs for a Talent.

I have all the published Talents done.

This is a Beast card.

I am making one for each creature in the published Bestiaries.

A Character card.

I have finished Lord Curr's Company, the Servants of Ra, and

the Mechanickal Menace (Automatons).

Mystic Powers.

Phase, Range, Duration, Save, Effect, and points cost.

   If you like these, the program is free. You can get it here.

Threeway Death Match in the Park!

   Tonight I witnessed a horrible carnage at the Park. Three groups of armed miscreants attempted to eliminate one another with extreme prejudice. The participants included Lord Curr's Company (run by my son Dane), the Servants of Ra (his friend Zane), and Otto Maton's Mechanickal Menace (his other friend, Jerry). Maton brought few forces along with him, but what he brought were powerful indeed: a pair of Maxim-armed clockwork soldiers and a sneaking assassin spider! Akhenaton brought his usual horde of disposable cultists and a bewildering array of mystical powers. Curr had his usual riflemen and friends as well. 

   Sadly, the only man on the scene with a camera was killed by all of the flying lead. Even worse, his camera was smashed to bits, ruining the exposures. Reports agree that Curr's men were gunned down by machinegun fire when they tried to form a massive volley-firing line. Sairah the Assassin did for both Mad Mick and Lord Curr. With Curr's forces disposed of so handily, the Mechanickal Menace turned their blazing autofire on the remaining cultists. Akhenaton closed, but not rapidly enough, and was gunned down in a hail of concentrated Maxim fire. A lone cultist made a single last-ditch effort to kill Maton, but alas, his quarry escaped him. The valiant cultist, frenzied at the loss of his pharaoh, gave the ultimate sacrifice in the end, blasted into a messy pulp by the clockwork soldier mere inches from him.

[Editor's note: This is the fifth game of IHMN played in our household so far this year. The boys really like it, and I am becoming more and more enamoured of it as a skirmish rules set. I just ordered the first expansion to the rules as a late birthday gift to myself.]

Work in Progress, but no photos

   Due to the restrictions of the Lead Painters' League competition, I am not able to show the work currently in progress. However, I am working on several projects which are tied to Victorian Science Fiction right now, including some additions to Professor Maton's 28mm forces, and two factions for Empire of the Dead. I can't say more right now for fear that I would be disqualified from competition. Between the LPL and graduate school, there is little time left for other gaming pursuits. I have managed to get in another game of In Her Majesty's Name (Lizardmen vs. Lord Curr, and I won!), and I have received an interesting Adventuring Company to include in the next issue of The Aethergraph, which I still hope to release sometime in May. Probably about the middle of the month, once my school semester is done.

   I did spend some time cleaning up and reorganizing my Man Cave, after the memsahib threatened to let our cleaning lady loose to discard whatever she thought was trash. Naturally, I spent a few hours in panicked attack on the room. I found that I have literally hundreds of minis - possibly thousands, honestly - just sitting about, doing nothing. I know that shocks you. I shall soon get a list together of items that need a new home, many of them non-VSF.

   And, since I can't show you any photos of the minis I am working on, I thought I would share a few shots of the IHMN game Zach and I played the other day.

Battlefield layout. Central building is a spawning pool.

Lizardmen Defensive Perimeter. The scenario required them to defend the pool.

Lord Curr's Incorrigibles arrive from the south.

New Issue of The Aethergraph!

   At long last, I have published the new issue of The Aethergraph. You can find a link to it on the left hand column, right at the top there, or simply click here. I would like to thank my contributors, and the gentlemen that offered me submissions that I didn't have room for this time around. I'm hopeful that, especially with more submissions, I can produce another issue this spring - perhaps in April or May.

   I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think, and if you are interested in helping to produce The Aethergraph, email me at aethergraph@gmail.com.

No Love for the Black Dragon

   At least, that is what the results of the poll I ran at the end of last month say. Of the 'official' Adventuring Companies, Lord Curr's is the most popular, followed by Scotland Yard. No one voted for the Black Dragon Tong. Personally, I don't care for them. The minis are nice, but the idea just leaves me cold. I am sure that some folks love them.

  I like the Servants of Ra, though, and the Society of Thule, and they didn't do too well in the voting, either. What's wrong with you people? *grin*

In Her Majesty's Name: Crates of Doom!

The Setup: Six crates were lost while transporting them from the Lost Tomb to Cairo. Rumor says that Professor Higgins-Bote had located Akhenaton's sacred regalia. Lord Curr wants a finder's fee. Akhenaton wants his sacred regalia to control the world!

I played the Cult of Ra, and Zach took over Lord Curr's Incorrigibles.

My plan: use the worthless-in-a-fight cultists to grab the crates with the Professor to cover them, and let my three good fighters hold off the enemy.

His plan: Shoot the cultists before they escape with the crates.

I just couldn't kill them! Twice Curr made his Pluck roll exactly.

   The terrifying aspects of Akhenaton and the mummy ran off two of Zach's characters. Mad Mick never amounted to much, but Mohan Singh shot up Akhenaton. Curr and his cronies killed Sairah (no gentlemen, these British!).

   In the end, Zach won on points, although I recovered three crates to his one. Only one of mine held anything (random roll to determine which ones had contents), and I needed two to make up the points lost for all my dead cultists (only one survived!). We made a few mistakes that were costly for me (the volley rule tore me up, but we did it wrong). I also lost track of my Mystical Powers, so they didn't get used very well.

   We had a good time, however, and learned from our few mistakes, I think. Next time, the glory of the ancient pharaohs shall triumph!

A Photostat of Lady Felicity

   The last member of Lord Curr's Company of Incorrigibles to be mustered, Lady Felicity is now ready for action. Don't stare too much, gentlemen - those pistols she carries in her dainty hands are not for show! She's a crack shot with them, and has felled many a monstrosity in her world-spanning adventures.

In Her Majesty's Name! - Lord Curr's Company

   All done with these chaps! Except for Her Ladyship, Lady Felicity, at any rate...

Pinstripes are hard to paint. Lovely grey morning coat.

Love this fellows whiskers.

Especially happy with this waistcoat.

The Whole Company

Lord Curr's Incorrigibles Progress

   I've made a bit of progress on my second Company for In Her Majesty's Name. These are, as you can tell, members of Lord Curr's Incorrigibles. While they have a bad reputation, they are actually quite loyal to Her Majesty. The rest of the Incorrigibles are in the works.

"Mad Mick" McFarlane, a certified mad scientist.

Mad Mick's Arc Generator.

One of the Incorrigibles. A flashy cove, what?

The backside of Sam Warburton.

IHMN: Mechanickal Menace Company

The Adventuring Company of Herr Doktor Professor Otto Maton

(The Mechanickal Menace)

Type	Pluck	FV	SV	Speed	Cost	Talents	Basic Equipment
Otto Maton	2+	+2	+2	+1	69	Leadership +2, Engineer, Controller*	Faraday coat, Pistol, Club (Spanner), Arc Generator, Breath Preserver
Mister Fez	4+	+3	0	0	48	Leadership +1, Engineer, Controller*	Magneto-static Waistcoat, Arc Generator, Swordcane (rapier), Breath Preserver
Minion Captain	3+	+4	+4	+1	61	Leadership +2 (May choose up to two Talents at additional cost)	SRC Breastplate, Mauser pistol (carbine), Sword, Breath Preserver
Minion Sergeant	4+	+3	+3	0	31	Leadership +1	Brigandine, Military Rifle, Bayonet, Breath Preserver
Minion	5+	+2	+2	0	22		Brigandine, Military Rifle, Bayonet, Breath Preserver
Steam Spider	6+	+3	0	+2	40	Automaton**, Nimble***	Arc Node****, Electroclaws (All-Electric Truncheon), Grenade (gas)
Clockwork Soldier	5+	+1	+4	0	100	Automaton, Strongman	Arc Node, Patent Kelly Suit, Machinegun
Large Clankers	5+	+2	0	0	40	Automaton	Arc Node, Steam fist, Steel Breastplate (equivalent)
Industrial Clankers	6+	+2	0	+1	27	Automaton	Arc Node, Large Improvised Weapons, Chain Shirt (equivalent)
*Unique Talent: Controller. 5 pts. Allows the figure to control automatons. **Unique Talent: Automaton. 12 pts. Combines Fearless and Antivenom. Must remain within range of an Arc Generator or active Arc Node, otherwise it collapses, just like Tod-truppen. ***New Talent: Nimble. 5 pts. Reduce movement penalties for Difficult Terrain by 2. ****New Weird Science Device: Arc Node. 7 pts. When within the range of either an Arc Generator or another Arc Node, the Arc Node extends the range an additional 4 inches. At least one Node in the chain must be within 8” of a functional Arc Generator.

OPTIONS

·         Minion Sergeants and Minions may replace their military rifle and bayonet with an Arc rifle (-3 points).

·         Minion Sergeants and Minions may purchase the Marksman Talent (+5 points) and/or the Bayonet Drill Talent (+2 points).

·         Minion Sergeants may purchase the Tough Talent (+5 points).

·         Minion Sergeants and Minions may purchase gas grenades (+6 points per grenade).

·         Two Minions may exchange their military rifles and bayonets for a pistol each and a machine gun – one fires while the other loads. This team costs 37 points.