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.

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.

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.

Final construction

I used scrapbook paper to make the wallpaper and the tiled interior floor. The backside was painted black to darken the windows.

I also have a shop from them which is the next piece of terrain on the list. I hope to get around to it before the end of the year, but that seems unlikely.

Construction Begins

   I picked up two laser-cut MDF buildings from the Gaslamp Alley line at Historicon last summer. One terraced house and one terraced shop. I punched out the terraced house and primed it a couple of weeks ago. Dry-fitting it left me reasonably impressed with the quality of the stuff.

   And then I stalled out.

   But I purchased some lovely brick-red craft paint in two tones yesterday at Hobby Lobby, and a stiff stencil brush. The plan is to paint the lighter tone on each brick, leaving the black lines between bricks as grimy mortar. Then, using the stencil brush, I will stipple in some pattern of the darker tone over each brick. I used the same technique (on a grander scale) when I made sets in high school and college for the theater. It worked pretty well then.

  I also bought some scrapbooking paper to put on the insides as wallpaper and flooring. Might save myself a few minutes of time that way, what? White wooden trim, of course. The door? I was thinking a nice green on the house. Perhaps blue for the shop when I get to it.

   I will take a few photos as I go along, and post them soon-ish.

New Martian Surface!

  Some nice American chaps who work in a cigar store have, for some strange reason, created this rather lifelike representation of the surface of Mars. The whorling red and ochre hues capture the essence of the deserts on this dying planet with startling accuracy.

  The product is available in a 4' x 6' configuration, for the quite reasonable sum of  about sixty-nine of your American dollars. Something every true aficionado of the Red Planet should plan to purchase, I should think.

  You may direct yourself to their telephonic store HERE.

[Editor's Note: I own a Cigar Box Battle Mat already, and like it a great deal. I will be ordering this as soon as funds are available. The material drapes well and is quite color-fast. It's also lightweight and doesn't seem to hold creases badly. I give it two thumbs way up.]

Photostats of Regent's Park, London

   The idyllic peace of Regent's Park was broken this past weekend by a struggle between Lord Curr's 'Incorrigibles' and the Mechanickal Menace of Herr Doktor Professor Otto Maton. It seems some sort of mad science experiment gone horribly wrong resulted in a terrible beast escaping confinement. Two grisly murders in Regent's Park led Lord Curr to investigate. Maton, obviously intent on securing the monstrosity for his own nefarious schemes, arrived on the scene at the very same moment, and a struggle ensued. In the end, massed volleys from several of Lord Curr's men brought the beast down. Maton was also injured, but dragged to safety by his loyal automaton servants as they quit the field.

   Sadly for our news journals, there was no one with photostatic apparatus available at the scene during the fracas. However, in the aftermath, some stills of the park were taken. These we present here, for your enjoyment.

A corner of Regent's Park

A quiet sitting area...

The bridge under which 'Bad Jack' lurked.

The path winds through shady trees...

Graceful willows along the riverbank.

The Canals of Mars... at long last!

   Long story very short, I have always wanted some nice, regular canals for the Martian plains. Never got around to it. Then I saw some custom terrain on eBay, contacted the seller, Anita,who happened to be the maker of said terrain. Foofighterubu is her handle. Nice lady. After a few emails back and forth, we worked out what I wanted and a price we could both live with. Here are the results:

Main section, branch section, and the Y junction

28mm Empress British Infantry walking along the canal path

High Martians taking a canal boat

Scene from above

Taking cover along the canal walls.

Effective cover!

   I have eight feet of both widths, plus some corners in the main canal width and the Y connection. I am going to order more from Anita later this summer, I think, after I see how badly Historicon eats my wallet. I need a piece that transitions from one main canal to two smaller, and a docking area, plus some turns in the branch canal.

Terrain for Hippos

   I found out about this awesome terrain making blog via I See Lead People, my buddy Eli's excellent gaming blog - which you should be following if you are not already! They just had an entire month dedicated to Victorian Science Fiction terrain in January, and some of it is really great looking. You should run over and take a peek. Here's a link.

An example of one of their simple projects:

The posts are funny and informative. I give it two thumbs WAY WAY up!

Sea Mat, First Attempt

   The following picture is of a piece of cloth that I purchased and dyed, hoping to create a useful sea mat for Dystopian Wars. The color of the lighter blue does not show up well - it was originally white with blue zebra stripes. I think it is too busy, so it may be back to the drawing board, with $18 worth of materials down the drain.

   Anyone have any ideas how to tone it down? Should I hit it with some spray paint or something? Or is this one chalked up to experience and start over?

   Have any of you created a good sea mat yourself? I want some wave pattern in it, smooth finish, not rough canvas weave, felt, or flannel. Any tips for me?

Some Photostats of Summer Work

   Not entirely sure if I have posted these photos before. This is some of what I did manage to accomplish this summer.

A granary, for Venusians

A French Armoured Dig, for either 6mm or 1/1200

Two stout English lads, on Mars. (Empress Figures)

Doctor Vardu, who manipulates the very thread of life into unnatural weaves...

A heliograph section (15mm, Peter Pig)

The Colonel seems to have something on his coat sleeve. 

"Hmmph. Bloody lazy batman."

Handwavium Found on Venus

   The following photostats show a new set of handwavium crystals. The green rock powers the most amazing of modern technologies by providing intense heat without consuming oxygen.

[Editor's Note: This is a new set of resin crystals my sons bought from Acheson Creations a few years ago at Historicon, I think. I saw it sitting around, and just decided to finish it. Very handy for VSF terrain and objectives.]

An Interesting Terrain Tile Method

   I won't bore you with a repost, but you should check out this link to Wargames and Stuff, a blog by a fellow named Brent. I don't know him personally, but he has devised a method of making 1' x 1' tiles that seems very inexpensive (always nice!) and fairly tough. On top of all of that, the instructions are really pretty simple. So, check it out. Kick the tires. I'm kind of thinking about giving his ideas a shot in the near future.

  End of the month coming up rapidly. Will I finish my goals? Oh, the anxiety! I am sure you all wait with baited breath to learn the dread secrets of my man cave...

   Oh, and for the record, I did not win the MegaMillions on my own. Might have with the pool of tickets from school. If we won, there will be a large number of people calling in rich once we have the money. I think I will get about $10 million in my share, pre-tax. So I should only owe a few thousand once the taxes are assessed...

   Yes, that was a joke. It's late.

Fortress in the Desert

  For some, the news of a quick and relatively inexpensive method of erecting fortifications in the desert sands of Mars comes as quite a nasty shock.

   "Now any flea-scratching, tuppence-a-dozen Martian warchief can build his own fortress in the sands, throwing defiance into the face of the British Empire and our efforts to civilise this planet," said Captain Harold Bigotton, late of Her Majesty's Army, now attached to Government House here in Victoria's Landing.

The fort in question...

   For others, it is a more fortunate thing.

   "Thank the ancestors! Now, when the kraal come on raids, we shall have a place to defend ourselves from them! It will probably be nice in sandstorm season, too. Much more comfortable than dhurga hide tents," responded Senil Phul, a local nomad elder.

[Editor's Note: The fortress in question is about $40.00 from Amazon.]

Last of the Warmachine Thoughts

   At least for now.

   A few years ago, Privateer Press and Gale Force Nine worked together to produce some impressive prepainted and ready out-of-the-box terrain pieces for the Warmachine game. I don't know what happened, but they have stopped working together and the pieces are no longer in production. However, you can get them from the secondary market.

  

   The Storm Research Station seems to be a good choice for anyone fielding a mad science or automaton force. That was always what I wanted it for, at any rate. 

   For the most part, I don't like the Cryx faction. But this piece screams to me for use as the 'handwavium'-fueled power reactor for an entire settlement or fort. An awesome objective piece of terrain. "The generators will be down momentarily. You may commence your assault."

   The last piece here is a massive cannon. Really big. Good for a Verne Cannon in VSF. Again, primarily a piece of objective terrain. I have a different version made by JR Miniatures, if I remember correctly. Much less expensive, if not as nice.

Tasser's Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Field

A single Anti-Saurian Field pylon

   A scientific marvel was unveiled today in London's Hyde Park: the Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Field. Using principles of aetheric science, and after twenty-seven failed designs, inventor David Tasser finally developed what could only be labeled as an invisible fence of immense strength and resilience. A series of pylons like that pictured above is attached to a galvanic power source. The radiation cones on either side of the pylon will project a weak field of magneto-galvanic (M-G) force. When properly polarized and aligned, these fields will interact in an anode to cathode manner, increasing the flow of M-G force to a useful strength. The more closely placed the pylons are, the stronger the flow and the stronger the field becomes.

   How strong? Well, the Hyde Park location was chosen for its proximity to the Royal Zoological Gardens. A triceratops was brought from the Zoo to the demonstration area, and shown a large pile of gunna fruit (its favorite delicacy from home), on the opposite side of the activated Anti-Saurian Field. Predictably, the triceratops immediately lunged for the gunna, but was stopped dead in its tracks when it encountered the field! Fat sparks of blue light leaped across the poor bewildered trike's beaky snout as it touched the field. Try as it might, the mighty beast could not push across the seemingly insubstantial barrier. The zookeepers led the poor lizard back to its cage, tossing gunna fruit into its gaping beak as they went to sooth the beast.

   Mister Tasser currently has but three pylons manufactured, just enough to demonstrate the Anti-Saurian Field's effectiveness. It is expected that Her Majesty's Government will soon order many to protect important areas on Venus from large saurians. In the coming months, we hope to report a satisfactory progress being made to provide Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Fields for the safety and security of the Venusian colonists.

Three pylons in Hyde Park

[Editor's Note: These are three of the Games Workshop force field pylons from the Battle for Macragge 40K starter set a few years back. I bought them in the flea market at Historicon, clipped of the Imperial Eagle, painted them up, and put them on washers for stability. I need more! If you have some that you would be willing to part with, please let me know. The settlers of Venus would be most appreciative.]

Defensive Items Available!

Quantum Gothic is a British terrain manufacturer. They make some really nice looking resin 'gothic' 25mm sci-fi terrain. But to be honest, I think most of it could easily be used for VSF gaming. When I finally convince my wallet that I have not been abusing it (this may take a few months), I want to remember these models. I especially have my eye on the forcefield pylons, the comm array, the armored gate and the watchtower.

Professor MacGlarrigy's Galvanic Defense Field Focussing Array Pylon

Note: Photos taken from Quantum Gothic website for illustrative purposes only.

I neither claim nor challenge ownership of these pieces or their design, nor am I affiliated with Quamtum Mechanics.

I just think that they look awesome and hope you will buy some, too! Free advertising!

Aethergraphic Relay Station

Anti-Saurian Rocket Defense Turret

I found these fellows sort of by accident whilst rummaging about on TMP tonight. And my wife thought I was wasting time. Harrumph!

To quote Doctor Henry Cavor, "Imperial! Absolutely imperial!"

The Accidental Martian Terrain Mat, Part 2

I mentioned about a week ago about the problems I had with making a terrain mat. With the mat bleached to a terracotta kind of color, we continue with our hijinks...

While trying to figure out what to do with this piece of cloth, I decided to try making a second gaming mat with a cheap(ish) canvas tarp I got at Home Depot. This time, I was going for a European fields look. But no washing after the dye went on - I finally learned that lesson!

So, first I did wash the tarp in the washing machine. Hot water, detergent, you know the bit. Just to get any sizing off the cloth to avoid mistake number one from the first mat. Then I got two cheap spray bottles and filled them with two different colors of liquid dye. I used RIT Dark Green and Apple Green. I added some Dark Brown later.

Armed with trusty spray bottles, I misted the colors sort of randomly all over the tarp. Once I had the color down, I squirted a little clean water on the tarp to mottle the colors. Then I let it dry in the sun. Next day, I added more color and cold water. I ended up using too much of the dark and not enough of the lighter green, and the mat looks more like jungle than European fields and grasslands. So I guess I made a Venusian/jungle mat. But I learned a few things I would use later.

Back to the Martian terrain...

I bought some scarlet liquid dye (again, RIT brand), mixed it about half and half with water in a spray bottle, and went to town. Lightly misted the whole sheet, getting a good red tone to the mat. Then I went back over it with dark brown and then with tan. Again, I watered down the dyes some. The tan I had to mix from powder, but it turned out fine.

The dark brown I allowed to make bigger drops, not just a fine mist. This caused it to look like hunks of rock or broken ground in the red and tan landscape.

The final step was to mist the whole mat with water. This caused the colors to bleed together some, giving a nicely mottled appearance. And the end result is...

I am pretty happy with it. The cloth is good quality, and the colors look pretty good. They even go with my basing pretty well. So all is well that ends well.

Oh, and the Venusian mat (in case you wondered) looks like...

So, for about $50 in cloth and sewing, $3 in spray bottles, and $20 in dye (not including bleach to un-do mistakes), I have two good size canvas mats (5'x9' and 6'x9'). The Venusian was cheaper, but the cloth is not as good, has pills, that sort of thing, and I don't think it will last as long as the other. But it was about 1/3 the price, too.

The Accidental Martian Terrain Mat, Pt. 1

I have been busy working on a couple of terrain projects over the last week or so, and thought I would share with you my progress.

The main project began last Monday. I took a day off from work, it being the day after my birthday (38 now) and a mental health day being well overdue. My days "off" usually include a long list of projects to keep me hopping about, and this one was no exception. I did find myself at Hobby Lobby, and wandered into the fabric area. I have been wanting to make a canvas gaming mat or three for quite a while now, being slightly dissatisfied with my current felt mats. I just don't like the fuzzy factor.

So I picked out a bolt of nice cotton canvas. I also picked some liquid RIT dyes, and was looking at various tapes and glues to hold the edges of my fabric together. I asked a lady nearby her opinion, and she offered to serge and hem the edges of the cloth for me (she was a professional seamstress). So, with about $18 in the cloth (3 yards, 60" width), and another $12 for having it professionally hemmed to avoid fraying, I proceeded to color the mat.

My first mistake: I didn't wash the fabric before trying to dye it. The cloth has a sizing agent on it whe new, and this kept the dye from penetrating into the fibers properly.

My second mistake: Washing the fabric after dying it. Instead of mottled greens and browns, I ended up with a nice, uniform olive drab. Great for a WWII-era GI tent, but not so good for gaming.

So I ended up bleaching it back out, and now have a terracotta colored piece of canvas. Instant change of plans: no longer an Earthly vista, this glorious series of errors had produced the basis for a new Martian landscape!

I wonder, should I go ahead and just draw in the canal on the cloth? What do you fellows think? I smell a poll question!