It's been a terrible year or so for Classic Doctor Who fans - Mary Tamm has gone.
She was the lovely, cool, droll Time Lady Romanadvoratralunda who was teamed with Tom Baker for the 1978-79 season of Doctor Who.
She was only 62, and had been battling cancer.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Vilani Numbers
Collins on TMP made a wise observation - in miniature modeling, having the numbers for a military unit, especially an alien one, is often more important than having the script (only I will be regretting these words when I finish up my Aslan AFVs...)
A few years ago, I was working on a 1st Imperium army, and needed Vilani numbers. At the time, there were no images, so I cribbed the numbers from Traveller Adventure 1 - Annic Nova and planned to use them for decals on my Imperial Armour.
The Annic Nova is a ship of non-standard, alien design that the players of Adventure 1 are sent to investigate. One of the discoveries is that the name "Annic Nova" stenciled on the strange nacelles is actually a serial number, in the style of that pictured above.
Looking at the Vilani Font, one will immediately see a similarity, suggesting that these numbers, if not Vilani, are at least Vilani-inspired.
(NB: I can't tell you what I wrote there - it was four years ago. There's a very good chance it is in Bilandish, or it might be a reminder to drink your Ovaltine...)
Traveller pedants insist that the two *cannot* be related, as the Vilani, as core members of the Third Imperium, would hardly be unknown to player characters. Others counter that a similar reaction might be had if your average salvage driver saw the Greek alphabet. I think that the Vilani came later in the minds of the Traveller creators, and they adopted a neat numeric style to fit them.
- Ω -
A few years ago, I was working on a 1st Imperium army, and needed Vilani numbers. At the time, there were no images, so I cribbed the numbers from Traveller Adventure 1 - Annic Nova and planned to use them for decals on my Imperial Armour.
The Annic Nova is a ship of non-standard, alien design that the players of Adventure 1 are sent to investigate. One of the discoveries is that the name "Annic Nova" stenciled on the strange nacelles is actually a serial number, in the style of that pictured above.
Looking at the Vilani Font, one will immediately see a similarity, suggesting that these numbers, if not Vilani, are at least Vilani-inspired.
Traveller pedants insist that the two *cannot* be related, as the Vilani, as core members of the Third Imperium, would hardly be unknown to player characters. Others counter that a similar reaction might be had if your average salvage driver saw the Greek alphabet. I think that the Vilani came later in the minds of the Traveller creators, and they adopted a neat numeric style to fit them.
- Ω -
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Forgotten Photos - Tears for Arusage
Here are some pics from TravellerCon 2010 which I previously neglected to upload, probably because the scenario didn't play as well as I'd hoped. This was based on an adventure from the defunct QuickLinks Interactive module: Merc Heaven.
The setup: It's the Imperial Year 996, and the Solomani Rim War is in full swing. In a remote backwater sector of the Gateway, the Sollies are working to destabilise an Imperial client state on the planet Arusage. The Imperial Navy hires mercenaries to shore up the Vilani-cultured client state.
The fighting revolves around an abandoned Vilani nuclear base, except that when the Vilani withdrew, they forgot to bring the nukes. The Solomani-backed Condor Republic has over run the region and the Imperial mercs must prevent them from carrying off the nukes.
The Imperial mercs were operating well behind enemy lines, and according to the pre-game intro, had walked in from a drop-off point about 10 kilometres away. In addition to their Advanced Combat Rifles, they had only light support weapons - a mortar and a 20mm LAG. They would have to work fast, find the nukes and some transport and then get out, because the area was teeming with Legion patrols.
The mercs had access to an air strike, which would shift the victory margin one step in the Legion's favour - pilots don't like getting shot down behind enemy lines.
The Condor Legion had local reinforcements, mainly in the form of Air/Raft Recon units and the odd APC carried section.
The tech level gap was negligible, TL9 Legion to TL10 Mercs. Numbers were also about even - with a platoon each. It would be a pounding match.
The Condor commander decided to ignore the single mortar that the Imperials deployed, much to his subsequent regret.
The Legion eventually got two nukes on an APC and ran for the border. The Mercs called in the airstrike, which destroyed the APC about four inches from the table edge.
Tie Game...
Huzzah...
Post Game Thoughts.
You can see that neither side of players is particularly enjoying
themselves. This is in part due to my converting the scenario so that it
is so balanced as to be a stalemate. Not much fun, that...
Another issue was the use of dummy counters. I think they add a great "Fog of War" effect, but some players don't like not knowing what they're dealing with.
The Condor Legion commanders at left. Contrast with the players at the table to the rear.
Mark Klambo is not looking his normal, ebullient self...
Guy in the middle is contemplating "using the tooth..."
(I think I had just snapped an answer at Mark, as he has something of that "what a b!tch" look about him...sorry old boy...and get your elbows off the table)
The final realisation is that, verbum sapientii, not all elements that make for a fun RPG scenario will transfer to the miniatures table. The big "gotcha" in the module is, after landing behind enemy lines, avoiding enemy patrols, and infiltrating the base, the players are met with the sight of the Condor Legion loading nukes into their vehicles. The "Just In Time" hook doesn't work so well for a miniature game, because there's no way to build up the same tense atmosphere an RPG can.
Viewing these pics and looking over my notes, I'll have to give this scenario another go - perhaps with the Friday Pals Brigade, who boast a number of former military vets, and a suitable tweaking...or not... Ω
The setup: It's the Imperial Year 996, and the Solomani Rim War is in full swing. In a remote backwater sector of the Gateway, the Sollies are working to destabilise an Imperial client state on the planet Arusage. The Imperial Navy hires mercenaries to shore up the Vilani-cultured client state.
The fighting revolves around an abandoned Vilani nuclear base, except that when the Vilani withdrew, they forgot to bring the nukes. The Solomani-backed Condor Republic has over run the region and the Imperial mercs must prevent them from carrying off the nukes.
 |
| The Vilani Base - Blocky but Functional |
The mercs had access to an air strike, which would shift the victory margin one step in the Legion's favour - pilots don't like getting shot down behind enemy lines.
The Condor Legion had local reinforcements, mainly in the form of Air/Raft Recon units and the odd APC carried section.
 | ||
| Nuclear Missile Silo |
 |
| The Condor Legion platoons dismount...and are immediately suppressed. Welcome to StarGrunt II... |
The tech level gap was negligible, TL9 Legion to TL10 Mercs. Numbers were also about even - with a platoon each. It would be a pounding match.
 |
| The Mercs recover an abandoned APC, and are engaged by Condor Air Recon |
The Condor commander decided to ignore the single mortar that the Imperials deployed, much to his subsequent regret.
 | ||
| The Condors are well and truly Borked...the orange markers indicate Suppression. |
Tie Game...
Huzzah...
Post Game Thoughts.
 |
| Imperial Merc Commanders...Pondering |
Another issue was the use of dummy counters. I think they add a great "Fog of War" effect, but some players don't like not knowing what they're dealing with.
Mark Klambo is not looking his normal, ebullient self...
Guy in the middle is contemplating "using the tooth..."
(I think I had just snapped an answer at Mark, as he has something of that "what a b!tch" look about him...sorry old boy...and get your elbows off the table)
The final realisation is that, verbum sapientii, not all elements that make for a fun RPG scenario will transfer to the miniatures table. The big "gotcha" in the module is, after landing behind enemy lines, avoiding enemy patrols, and infiltrating the base, the players are met with the sight of the Condor Legion loading nukes into their vehicles. The "Just In Time" hook doesn't work so well for a miniature game, because there's no way to build up the same tense atmosphere an RPG can.
Viewing these pics and looking over my notes, I'll have to give this scenario another go - perhaps with the Friday Pals Brigade, who boast a number of former military vets, and a suitable tweaking...or not... Ω
Sunday, March 11, 2012
TRAVELLERcon Miniatures Update Part II
So I'm thinking "Why not break the update into two posts and kick up the bandwidth usage a bit?" Hey? Clever boy, that.
Mark Klambo preparing to run his Ashanti High Lightning scenario...
...as written by Marc Miller, circa 1979. We are nothing if not Staunchly Traditional...and lazy.
Apparantly, this boardgame qualifies as a minaiture games, because it has miniatures. I know that I certainly feel better knowing that, and I expect Mark does, too...
Here's a game being run by Harry B. They played all day - it must have been riveting.
One of the interesting this about Traveller players is the range of technology:
Laptops and ethernet...
...to paper and pizza.
Coffee stains are traditional.
And even a few women... how times have changed.
Ω
Mark Klambo preparing to run his Ashanti High Lightning scenario...
...as written by Marc Miller, circa 1979. We are nothing if not Staunchly Traditional...and lazy.
Apparantly, this boardgame qualifies as a minaiture games, because it has miniatures. I know that I certainly feel better knowing that, and I expect Mark does, too...
Here's a game being run by Harry B. They played all day - it must have been riveting.
 |
| 10:00 A.M. |
 |
| 10:00 PM |
One of the interesting this about Traveller players is the range of technology:
Laptops and ethernet...
...to paper and pizza.
Coffee stains are traditional.
And even a few women... how times have changed.
Ω
Friday, December 30, 2011
TRAVELLERcon Miniatures Round Up
It's amazing what you'll find when you go through the pictures folder on your laptop. Here are some piccies I snapped at TravellerCon-USA this past October.
This is Bill P.'s Snapshot Game, where Vargr salvage team battles human salvage team aboard the Kinunir.
I had something of an advantage, as having played in a Traveller Campaign set aboard an active duty Kinunir-class colonial cruiser, I knew the ship plans pretty well.
A word to the wise - despite the glowing patina the years may have added to your memories of Snap Shot - the rules kinda suck...a lot.
My StarGrunt/Striker Game "Vland in the Can". I had forgot to bring my Terran Troops, so Mark Clambo of Daddy's Little Men loaned me some of his figs. What a champ.
Kinda neat pic as the Vilani Recon sleds roll on.
Viliani Imperium denies the enemy cover by blasting everything in site.
Bill P. sez "Could be worse...could be raining."
Imperials test climbing the Jersey Barriers.
Mark Klambo looking well pleased with himself - he's just managed to break my scenario - what a muppet. (That's not my camera blurring - that's Mark's normal slightly-out-of-phase nature, captured by the miracle of digital imaging...)
That's me taking a picture of Mark taking a picture. I think we were trying to create a tesseract, or something.
Any miniature game that ends looking like a scene from "Kelly's Heroes" is a good miniature game.
"No smoking! Ve haff petrol..."
More to come...Ω
This is Bill P.'s Snapshot Game, where Vargr salvage team battles human salvage team aboard the Kinunir.
My StarGrunt/Striker Game "Vland in the Can". I had forgot to bring my Terran Troops, so Mark Clambo of Daddy's Little Men loaned me some of his figs. What a champ.
Kinda neat pic as the Vilani Recon sleds roll on.
Viliani Imperium denies the enemy cover by blasting everything in site.
Bill P. sez "Could be worse...could be raining."
Imperials test climbing the Jersey Barriers.
Mark Klambo looking well pleased with himself - he's just managed to break my scenario - what a muppet. (That's not my camera blurring - that's Mark's normal slightly-out-of-phase nature, captured by the miracle of digital imaging...)
Imperial recon sled - drawing fire.
A Vilani tank that has been Earth-pwned
That's me taking a picture of Mark taking a picture. I think we were trying to create a tesseract, or something.
Any miniature game that ends looking like a scene from "Kelly's Heroes" is a good miniature game.
"No smoking! Ve haff petrol..."
More to come...Ω
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
15mm Desert Dwellings from The Scene
Here are a couple of 15mm Desert Dwellings from "The Scene". These are made of a sturdy polymer resin - lighter than urethane resin, but more resiliant.
They are pimped-out with some bits from GZG's 15mm building accessories line, though you could also use the building accessories provided by The Scene. Roofs lift of and the interior is hollow.
Painted on light cocoa brown with pale yellow drybrush.
These are really very nice and I'm looking forward to new releases from The Scene...Ω
They are pimped-out with some bits from GZG's 15mm building accessories line, though you could also use the building accessories provided by The Scene. Roofs lift of and the interior is hollow.
Painted on light cocoa brown with pale yellow drybrush.
These are really very nice and I'm looking forward to new releases from The Scene...Ω
Comm Terrs
It's been quite a delay, but here are my insurgents for the Rhodesian Brush War. Figures are from Peter Pig.
These have been finished for several months. I don't have a very good excuse, either, aside that find it a task to paint civilians - the mix of denims and t-shirts is depressing. I think one fellow is wearing chinos, just for a change ; )
Ω
These have been finished for several months. I don't have a very good excuse, either, aside that find it a task to paint civilians - the mix of denims and t-shirts is depressing. I think one fellow is wearing chinos, just for a change ; )
Ω
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