Prussian Line

6th East Prussian Regiment Nr. 43:

Deploying to Venus?

  Reports have been filtering in via aethrgraphic relay that a new regiment of German Imperial troops is mobilising for departure to the Venusstadt garrison. This regiment, the 6th East Prussian Regiment (Nr. 43) has for years been brigaded with the elite 1st Grenadier Regiment (Kronprinz). The increase in German presence on the Jungle Planet is worrying for Her Majesty's government. Sadly, the militaristic history of the German Empire leads many to believe the worst of them and their motives.

   To date, it is known for certain that the regiment has been practicing aethership loading andaether-transport drills. It is the sincere hope of this journal that the Hun is not thinking of reaching his dirty paws out to grab for territory rightly belonging to Her Britannic Majesty (God Bless Her!) on Venus or elsewhere in the System. Though surely he would receive a well-earned thrashing, the expenditure of gold and blood on such a venture would be unfortunate for the Empire.

[Editor's Note: Jingoistic as it may be, I do have some Prussians coming off the painting table soon. A good twenty of them hav ebeen started, and are nearing completion, but the hour got late last night ere I could complete the task. Perhaps tomorrow, as tonight I have other nefarious plans.]

A Competitor for Your Attentions!

   Ladies and gentlemen, I know that I need not warn you to pay no heed to the incoherent ramblings of the banal and barely literate authors of this journal's newest competitor. Who are they? Well, they call themselves "For Queen and Country, or Manifest Larceny." Started by someone callking himself Chad Thorsson. Obviously an attempt to blame his sick rantings on our noble Scandinavian friends.

   Surely this flimsy excuse for journalism will fold soon. So you should, if you are one of those inclined to view wreckage, immediately proceed to their telephonic differencing engine location before the authorities shut them down.

[Editor's Note: No good can be said about them. But if you want more VSF-y goodness, I suppose it might be worth venturing over there, briefly, before returning here for news and entertainment of real value. *grin*]

Popular Mechanicks, Issue #3

August, 1915

Crafty British Build Low Cost Gunship

  Due to wartime economies, His Majesty's Government has developed a low-cost alternative to the more traditional but expensive airship. The new Dirigible Gunship, pictured below, is filled with H+, an artificially created lighter-than-air gas which is totally non-flammable. The design will also permit the Empire to extend its supply of unobtainite for heavier craft.

RAF Dirigible Gunship

  The new gunship is capable of travelling for extended distances, with an impressive load of bombs and defensive armaments. It also has the advantage of being aethertransportable, and so can be produced here on Earth at the heart of the industrial might of the British Empire, packed and shipped to the offworld colonies on Mars and Venus, to batter the Hun!

[Editor's Note: This model is from Hanger 18 FASA's"Sky Kings" range. There are other impressive models there as well. Designed for a Weird War II setting, it seems, they are still very useful for an earlier period with enough handwaving. The model in question is 70mm long, and retails for $3.75. Since the decals are 1/285 according to their website, I assume the vehicles are supposed to come in about that size as well. I plan to use it for my 6mm WtNW force, and possibly the larger German one as well. Boy, is my pocket book running away from me!]

Snow Day, 2011

  Wow. I have a day off because of 'snow.' In Houston, Texas. Heck, south of Houston. And no snow at all fell around my house. There was some ice overnight and early this morning, so probably a good idea to keep the school buses off the roads. And since I am a school teacher, that meant I have the day off, too! So what to do with an unexpected day off? Well, let's see...

  For those of you who are unaware, I am involved in helping to develop When the Navy Walked, a set of rules for VSF games.

50164: XAIRobots (3) ($9.99)

Kevin Williams

   I found a pack of these guys in the half-price bin of a dealer at OwlCon. They are from the Chronoscope line produced by Reaper. I thought they looked just perfect for some giant walkers to go with my 6mm forces for When the Navy Walked. I like the rules best for bigger battles, and that's why I am doing a 6mm setup for them.

   Anyway, they aren't painted yet because it's too cold to prime them at the moment - I am afraid the spray would freeze before it hit the mini, it being only about 28 degrees in my garage at the moment. Haven't quite decided what kind of paint scheme I am going to go for with them. I thought I might make them for at least two of the different European empires, probably Great Britain and Imperial Germany. But do them in something like national colors, camouflage, or metallic? The really big one might be fun for Russians, but I haven't decided if I am going to try to reproduce them in 6mm. I do want to do them in 25mm, at least partly because of some really inspirirng work by Sterling Moose on the forces of His Imperial Majesty, Tsar Nikolas II, on Lead Adventure Forum.

The Blue Regiment

  I'm also trying to get some painting of my own accomplished today. I can't work on the Whirlifliegers remaining to be done, because I can't prime them. I am working on some Empress British figures and trying to finish off the ten RAFM Martian archers.

  I also ordered some more minis from Scale Creep, the Black Hat Prussians, mostly. Needed more 15mm Germans. A platoon of Aetherbattalion is nice, but I need some regular Line troops. I've also been on eBay, the black and dirty shame of it all...

   I also have to get to work on some editing, and do some work on the Aethergraph. Speaking of which - I NEED SUBMISSIONS! I'll take anything you have VSF related. Even if its just a character description. Or some odd techno-device you use in your VSF universe.

Popular Mechanicks, Issue #2

New Armored Aethersuits Rumored!

  Rumors of a new armoured suit for aetherial exploration are beginning to surface. Originally developed for undersea exploration and salvage operations, the self-contained air-breathing system would also work in the Aether. These suits would allow our brave Royal Aethermarines to more safely board enemy vessels while in transit between Earth, Mars and Venus.

  Pictured above is the Iron Lung Mk. I Undersea Exploration suit. Our inside sources at Horse Guards and the Royal Artillery tell us that a second model is being built at this time, optimized for use in the aether. The biggest stumbling block is the development of a suitable propulsion system. Due to limitations of oxygen supply, the power source will most likely have to be handwavium. The scarcity of that strategic mineral will, naturally, limit the number of suits that Her Majesty's forces will be able to construct. Trials are hoped to begin this spring, with the first operational suits perhaps being ready for issue in the summer.

[Editor's Note: I just stumbled upon these Mage Knight figures. My immediate thought was VSF Divers! Then I thought, oh wait, they would be perfect (with the addition of a propulsion pack) for boarding parties in the Aether. So, I have ordered some on eBay. No one else may steal this idea until I have obtained 10 of them, though. Bid against me and suffer my wrath!  I think the conversion will be a short and simple one: new base, weapon swap, some sort of propulsion unit on the back. Done. Handwavium powered, of course!]