Monday, August 29, 2022

The Painting Table - Under the Martian Yoke - Cadaver Troops

 


I have been working on various projects to help support the releases of my own games on the Wargame Vault.  Today, I am focusing on creating adversaries for my game Under the Martian Yoke.  It is a survival horror game set after the Martian Invasion of the Orson Wells' broadcast.  The game is designed to be a solo/co-op/versus experience as the survivor's of the Martian attack struggle to escape Martian territory and to freedom.  


The game has a number of adversaries that survivor's may encounter.  The biggest and most dangerous are the Martian Tripods of various types.  Thankfully, I have a variety of Tripod models from the now defunct All Quiet on the Martian Front.  However, there are a variety of other tripod models available on the market as well.  

In addition to the the Martian Tripods, there are smaller foes as well.  That includes various drones, animated human corpses, modified animals, and even wild, feral dogs to face off against.  I have a few drones from Alien Dungeon and plenty of Irish Wolfhounds thanks to my Dark Age Irish army from Wargames Atlantic.   

Last time, you may recall that I was working on building up my adversaries, and created various cadaver troops to oppose the human survivors.  These foes are re-animated human corpses operating on Martian technology.  These undead troopers roam the Martian control zones to track down and kill lone or small groups of humans.  Worse, they can flush out humans for the Martians to capture for their own nefarious purposes later.  

For base models, I used left-over Wargame Atlantic models from the Dark Age Irish line.  Their barefooted look matched well with how I thought the Martians would treat these Cadaver troops.  The Martians view them more as an expendable resource than true soldiers.  I then used Green Stuff to get the final look I wanted.  Therefore, they have various control helmets, Martian optics, built-in weaponry, and antennae.  You may recall that they looked like this....


  Well, I have since gone to work painting them up for use on the game table!  Of course, I started it all off by brush undercoating them all with cheap white acrylic paints.  This was to help the following coats of paint to stick to the models.  From there, I went to work.

The first models I painted were the converted Irish Wolfhounds.  These would be Martian Ferals.  A Feral is a normal animal that was upgraded with cyber-astro-techno parts to make them into a deranged killing machine.  It is not clear if the Martians initially knew the difference between humans and animal, or even if they do now.  However, they do out fit various animal corpses into the merciless and violent Feral.  

A simple paint scheme using Ash Grey and Fur Brown as the base animal, then hit it with a dark wash for effect.  The metal parts are based coated Plate Mail Silver and then given a Red Wash to make it look like Martian metals that my Tripods have.  From there, I painted the signature Martian Red Eye on the optics.  The bases are simply painted with cheap acrylics for ground effects.   

Next up were my Butchers.  A Butcher is a human corpse (at least, we hope they were dead before the Martians implanted them) that has been modified with blades, hooks, and other sharp weapons.  They shamble about looking for humans to attack and drive out into the open.  Here they are.....


I painted their flesh with a light flesh tone (Elven perhaps), and then hit it with a green tone ink.  From there I dry-brushed it with a bright green paint called Jungle Green.  Next, I painted the clothing with various colors to look like civilians that were transformed.  All metal parts were painted like the Ferals, with Plate Mail hit with a Red Tone ink.  Once complete, I used a strong tone on all the clothing/hair to finish the model.  The signature Martian eye was painted on all the optics.  Bases are against just cheap acrylics dabbled on.  

Next up was the Martian Jolters/Shockers.  These guys use arc-lighting gauntlets as their primary weapons which are fed from batteries implanted in their backs.  They are dangerous foes but suffer from a rapid decay rate due to their exposure to the arc-lightning.  


 They are pretty much painted the same way as the Butchers.  I could have probably done more to create the lightning effect on their gloves, cabling, and battery packs.  However, I was lazy and just went with an electric blue and a blue tone ink wash on the cables.  I probably could have also used a dark tone/black drybrush on the arms to show the burning from the lightning, but opted to stay somewhat uniform to the look of the other foes.  

Lastly, I made the Martian Gunners.  These lads have had their forearms replaced with a Martian heat-ray type weapon.  I looked at the ones on the Tripods and tried to make large, boxy versions to represent the less-advanced Martian tech going into the Gunners.  These guys give the Martian cadaver troops a bit of long-ranged firepower against human survivors.  They are far from accurate, but can force the humans to keep their heads down while larger Martians move in.  


The painting here is identical to the painting on the Butchers.  The only exception is that I used bronze on the cabling for the "heat ray" on the Gunner's forearm.  They all look rather nice and cohesive as a group, but in play they will mostly hit the table individually.  


These guys combined with my existing Martian drones, Tripods, Zombies, and wild dogs will provide a nice selection of foes for my human survivors to face off against!  I think I made good use of some left over bits from other projects to make these guys.  Waste not, want not!  

Next up, I want to expand my selection of Ferals to add other animals besides dogs.  One of the inspirations for this project was the idea of a Martian Feral cow hunting down and trying to kill ragged human survivors in the wreckage of a small town.  Now, I just need to get my 3D printer fired up to print some cows to convert! Onward! 

You can find the rules for Under the Martian Yoke on the Blood and Spectacles Wargame Vault page.  


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Monday, August 22, 2022

Review: The Silver Bayonet - Osprey Games

 


Despite saying I was NOT going to get into Nappies this year, I ended up picking up this book in order to review it.  Plus, once I do start goofing around with Nappies I will have yet another set of rules to use them with!  Win, win.    

For those not familiar, this is a set of "Gothic Horror" rules set in the Napoleonic era, where bands of monster hunters go out and fight with each other and the supernatural.  There are ghosts, hobgoblins, vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night.  Your investigators are soldiers and civilians from all walks of life, and could include all manner of adventurers; not just guys in big hats.    

They are written by Joseph McCullough who is pretty well known for writing Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago, Rangers of Shadowdeep, and Stargrave.  That means this is a book from Osprey Games and it all ready has some built in popularity.  However, being by the author it is you probably also have some built in assumptions about how the game is played.      

Now, let's head into the dark woods of the unknown and see what is on the inside of this book.  


Things That I Liked

First off, the cover of this book and the interior really set the mood for the book.  The exterior looks like a leather bound journal, and the inside covers are a pinkish design that evokes the feel of flesh.  Creepy and cool.  Normally, I don't bother with these types of details in my reviews, but I really thought this was a great touch! 

This game moves away from the d20 mechanic that the 'Grave series is famous for.  Instead, they replace it with a 2d10 system, which allows a bell curve distribution of results and reduces swinginess but still allows for the small modifiers of +1 or +2 to impact the game.  In addition, you should use two different colored d10, as the different colored dice results are applied differently later in the game for things such as damage based on weapon type.  This is a very welcome change to the rules.     

In this game, every model is a distinct character with special abilities.  Unlike the 'Grave series, where you have 4 "specialists" to the warband of 8, every model can have their own specialties like sailor, soldiers, artillerists, occultists, etc.  This allows a player to modify and make unique characters of each model. 

Instead of loot, the game is driven more by finding clues via investigation.  These clue markers work similar to treasure tokens, but allow a lot more scope for the scenario's narrative.  The clue markers can be hidden doors, treasures, clues, or other details.  

The game has a reload mechanic.  I have seen some folks give it flak, but I think it is perfectly serviceable.  All guns start loaded.  Once you fire them, you have to use an action to reload it before you can fire again.  That means if you move, you can not reload and shoot the same turn.  However, you can also choose to not move and instead reload, so if you are stationary you can fire again.  This makes firing/reloading a choice with consequences.   

As usual, adding scenarios and campaign elements is where Joe McCollough excels.  This book is no exception.  There are 10 versus scenarios in the book.  There are four solo scenarios in the book with solo rules.  It is nice that solo rules are integrated into the main rules.  Another nice add to the Campaign elements is that models can go "mad" based on failures from Terror tests.  


Things I Did Not Like

Again, I don't normally call these things out in my reviews; but I was struck by the lack of painted models or "in-game" photos for this book.  The only ones were in an ad for Northstar Figures at the back of the book.  Northstar provides the "official" figures for the game.  Perhaps they were not ready by the time of print, but the only images are dark-toned drawings.  I liked the art we see, but I was surprised by how much I missed the imaged of actual minis on the table in this book!  Even actual photos with a black and white effect would have been welcome.  

Despite the dice mechanic changes, this is still primarily a "narrative" focused game.  It is not a tactically challenging game.  Models can see 360 degrees, they can move and perform an action in the same activation, the game still uses hit points, there are few restrictions on maneuver.  These are all signatures of the authors "model", and some people love it and others do not.  I am in the dislike side.

If you attack another model in Melee or even Shoot at them, you have the ability to counter-attack immediately by striking or shooting back.  I am not a fan, as it again reduces the tactical element of the game as anyone you shoot at can retaliate.  You have to kill them in one hit, which with Hit points is not likely.  Now, after both groups attack the models get fatigue tokens and face penalties if attacked again.  Therefore, you could try to use fatigue tactically.           


Meh and Other Uncertainties

The initiative process is a bit more convoluted than I was hoping for, as the player with initiative has to split the up their force and have some move first, then the Monsters, then the opponent, and then the last group of their party.  This seemed a bit contrived, and an alternate activation system seems like it would have been a lot easier, with the Monsters activating either before or after the players. 

The game also allows players to have a Fate Pool.  These are essentially re-rolls you can use for various elements of the game, like re-rolling one of your d10s or forcing a monster to re-roll a result.  They are a limited resource and adds a resource management element to the game.    

Monster actions are similar to what you would expect.  They are tried and true, and reliable in game.  

Like all of the Author's games there is a decent amount of equipment, beasties in the bestiary, spells, and artifacts to find to add some glitz to your warbands.  There are also rules for cavalry, co-op play, and Complications that can occur based on the initiative roll.    

I was also glad to see that there was some discussion about scenario design and also monster design.  Therefore, the rules are leaning into players building their own.  That is a nice add.  It is low on detail, but even giving players "permission" in the official rules goes a long way for some players.  I am not one of them, but have played with many that do not that "official" permission.  


Final Thoughts

The core mechanics do not differ that much from McCullough's other work in the 'Grave series of games.  Some of the main critiques I had for those apply, but I do appreciate the changes that he did make from his core game.  I understand as well as anyone the benefits of designing to "type".  So, to see him try to move away even incrementally from his type is great to see.  I may have preferred a larger jump, but I understand the danger in making that type of leap.  However, it adds a less swingy mechanic for resolution and a resource management element.  Those are big wins.    

It is further away from "Horrorgrave" than I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised by this!  I read the rules for Stargrave, and was not compelled to play it or pick up the expansions.  However, I feel very different about this game.  The game play mechanics were different enough and there were enough intriguing changes to make me really interested in this game.  I hope to see Joseph McCullough continue to develop his "model" and I think this was a very impressive improvement.  I hope this gets as much expansion attention as Frostgrave or Stargrave as this is my favorite system from the author yet!    



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Monday, August 15, 2022

On The Painting Desk - Under the Martian Yoke Baddies

 

I have been working on various projects to help support the releases of my own games on the Wargame Vault.  Today, I am focusing on creating adversaries for my game Under the Martian YokeIt is a survival horror game set after the Martian Invasion of the Orson Wells' broadcast.  The game is designed to be a solo/co-op/versus experience as the survivor's of the Martian attack struggle to escape Martian territory and to freedom.  



The game has a number of adversaries that survivor's may encounter.  The biggest and most dangerous are the Martian Tripods of various types.  Thankfully, I have a variety of Tripod models from the now defunct All Quiet on the Martian Front.  However, there are a variety of other tripod models available on the market as well.  

In addition to the the Martian Tripods, there are smaller foes as well.  That includes various drones, animated human corpses, modified animals, and even wild, feral dogs to face off against.  I have a few drones from Alien Dungeon and plenty of Irish Wolfhounds thanks to my Dark Age Irish army from Wargames Atlantic.   

Martian Tripods and Martian Drones from Alien Dungeon, and Mantic Games Zombie amongst 4ground buildings represent my Martian Foes at the moment.


However, some of the most flavorful foes are the re-animated human corpses combined with Martian technology to turn cadavers into puppets of the Martian war machine.  The idea that Martians drink the blood and fluids from human captives is horrifying, but the idea that they then recycle these victims into unthinking killing machines is even more monstrous!  In the rules, these take a few different types and forms.  However, I did not have great minis to represent these models.  

I searched around for suitable models to either buy or 3D print for the game.  I found plenty of zombie models, which would be great for Rabids.  However, The other types I was less excited about my options.  I decided the best way forward would be to make my own using Green Stuff and left over bits from my Dark Age Irish.  The bare feet would work great for my purposes.  

There were five main adversaries I wanted to have for the game.  They were the animal-esque Ferals, and the cadaver troops of the Rabids, Butchers, Shockers, and Gunners.  Ferals were based on animals and their bodies the Martians ensnared, found, or captured.  The others were all based on human frames.    

Rabids
These would be the easiest enemy trooper to use.  Rabids are victims of one of the Martians wicked chemical weapons.  It turns them into raging, rabid killing machines in hunt of other human prey.  These creatures remorselessly hunt down other humans to rend them apart in a rage.  These creatures will continue to hunt and chase their prey until they themselves can no longer physically carry-on.  Rabids still lurk about in the wake of the Martian advance.  Pockets of the Rabid producing gas also still lingers and can infect unsuspecting survivors who stumble into it.  

Rabids are the easiest to source for the game.  Any zombie model will do.  For mine, I have a few Mantic Games zombies from The Walking Dead solo-game.  Honestly, any modern, non-fantasy zombie will do the job in this role.  Thankfully, there are tons of great models on the market for your Rabids.  

Unarmed Survivors are forced to deal with a Rabid 

     
Ferals
Martians have an imperfect knowledge of Earth, its flora and fauna.  As a result, they tended to kill and destroy anything that came across their path.  This included livestock, wild animals, and domesticated animals like dogs.  Now, the Martians know that their primary prey is humans.  However, they still made use of these animal victims of their invasion.  Martian science re-animated these unfortunate creatures and sent them to hunt down humans, fueled by pain induced rage. 

For the Ferals, I was able to find Cyber-mastiffs and similar creatures in various lines.  I was also able to find plastic barnyard animals and dogs as well to serve as a base for conversions.  To start with, I took two Irish wolfhounds from my Wargame Atlantic Dark Age Irish.  I then applied Green Stuff to make them into the bio-organic, techno-zombie monsters.  

Work-in-Progress Ferals

Butchers
A Butcher is the slang name given by survivors to these mindless and unliving cadaver corpses of the Martian invaders.  They are human bodies, revived with Martian technology into a violent unlife.  Their limbs have been modified with sharp blades, heavy axes, and sharp barbs.  Their heads encased in Martian detection and control gear, and their nervous system replaced with bio-electrical impulse drivers.  

For the models, I used left-over Dark Age Irish from Wargames Atlantic.  Their bare feet, bare arms, and modest clothing provides a great base.  Martians care little about human clothing, so having such modest clothes makes sense.  I also had a 3D printed Thrall for a vampire Blood Bowl team that was damaged while cutting him out of supports to use as a base as well.  

From the bases, I used Green Stuff to turn them into the monsterous, unhuman Butchers.  They had single-eye Martian detection gear and controllers fitted to their heads.  I also replaced their limbs with weapons such as axe blades, swords, and even a Martian style Reaper- tentacle.  

WIP Martian Butchers

Shockers
In addition to Butchers, the Martians also created the Shocker.  Shockers have been fitted with an electrical arc to their hands, powered by a Martian battery implanted in their back.  This sheathes the Shocker in an arc of deadly electricity.  It is incredibly damaging on the organic material of the cadaver, but is a deadly and powerful weapon against any human survivor.  Electrical power arcs, sparks, and pops between the prongs of a Shockers pronged gloves, arcing off any nearby electrical conductor.  

Again, I used Wargames Atlantic Dark Age Irish as a base, and applied Green Stuff as needed.  The core idea was to add Martian detection and control gear to their head, and the deadly Arc gauntlets to their fists.  It was challenging connecting the gauntlets to a back mounted battery via green stuff cables.  

Work-in-Progress Shockers

Gunners
The final Martian cadaver soldiers are the Gunners.  Like all of these "undead" techno-Martian atrocities they are revived human corpses sent to kill their former human comrades.  They have been fitted with Martian detection and control gear, and are driven by brute application of electrical impulses to the nervous system.  Instead of simple blades or electrical arcs, the Gunner has been equipped with a low-power Martian Heat Ray that can be used to attack targets at range.  For re-animated corpses, they are surprisingly accurate and can force human survivors to keep their heads down.  

Again, the main components are Wargame Atlantic Dark Age Irish models models fused with Green Stuff parts to create the Gunners.  One of their forearms is fitted with a squared off, bulky, heat ray attachment that mirror the ones used by tripods.  They also have detection and control gear headware added.  

WIP Gunners to hunt down human survivors

Final Thoughts on Martian Terror Troops
These round-out my Martian Foes for the game.  They took me a few hours to assemble and sculpt using simple Green Stuff techniques.  They give me a wide variety of Martian Foes for my survivors to encounter during my games.  Add this to my collection of Tripods, Drones, and Feral dogs and I should have more than enough "monsters" for most game sizes.  Next up, I will paint-up my new cadaver troops and show my progress.    


If you have suggestions for other miniature lines I could use for these troops types, let me know in comments.  You can find Under the Martian Yoke and try the rules out for yourself at the Blood and Spectacles Wargame Vault Page.

I look forward to sharing these guys fully-painted up soon.  I think my messy, imprecise, and dirty painting style will do them justice! 



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Monday, August 8, 2022

Random- Noon of a New Age 2022



The end of July, the High Noon of 2022.  We are half way through the year so it looks like time to look at what has been accomplished so far.  At the beginning of the year, I put out a high level road map of what I want to accomplish.  At this point, I review those goals and make adjustments as needed.  Keep in mind, my roadmap is just a guide.  Nothing is set in stone, and I often jump over the guard rails for various reasons.   However, now is the time to talk about it and take stock of 2022 to date.  

As usual, I have broken the year down into five categories; Purchasing, Painting and Modeling, Playing, Rules Writing, and Miscellaneous stuff.  I find these categories help me stay focused.  


Purchases

I feel it necessary to start this section of the Goals with a huge "Thank You!".  As I have said many times, you make this section possible!  Every time you purchase a product from the Wargame Vault, buy one of my books from Osprey, or become a patreon; you are helping keep Blood and Spectacles Publishing moving forward.  Without your purchases, I could not get the products for me to review, the artwork for post-production, the models for the painting desk, or the terrain in the featured battle reports.  Your support makes this all possible, and allows me to keep making games.  

Thank you! 

With that said, creating games requires more than just writing rules.  The hardest part is the play-testing, editing, and post-production work.  The purchases I have listed below fall into two main categories.  The first, is items I need to complete or finalize rules and supplements.  The second are research or marketing items to keep me making new content.  95% of purchases are to help expand and grow Blood and Spectacles Publishing and get more games into your hands! 

So, here is what I wanted to purchase for 2022.  This I have completed are in green, in progress in blue, and not started is in regular text.   

  • Dark Age Irish from Wargames Atlantic to help complete my Viking Age project
  • Gripping Beast Dark Age Miniatures to complete my Viking Age project
  • Tumbling Dice Korean War aircraft for White Star/Red Star rules
  • Victrix Persians for an Ionian Revolt supplement for Men of Bronze
  • Stay caught up with the Osprey Wargaming Series
  • Purchase The Silver Bayonet for Review
  • Purchase 1+ Indie wargame rules for review   
  • Miscellaneous miniatures for a few Horror Games I am working on

That leaves my  Dark Age models.  I am debating about skipping more Dark Age models and moving onto some Aztec themed, Assyrians or Late Roman age models instead for other projects.  That is one problem with painting to support the wargames I am working on.  I am always moving onto the next project.  What do you think?    


Painting and Modeling

The last three years I have been super productive on this front.  Therefore, going into 2022, my back log of things to paint is clean.  Last year, I painted 300+ models, and the two years before were closer to 150+ each year.  However, this has cleared my desk so that I can work on the new Purchases.  

  • A Dark Age Irish Army from Wargame Atlantic
  • Victrix Persian Army for Ionian Revolt Supplement
  • Korean Air War aircraft from Tumbling Dice
  • A Unit or Two of Gripping Beast Dark Age troops
  • Two Trireme fleets for Poseidon's Warriors

Two out of five big painting projects done, and a third is half way to completion.  Not a bad start.  I have painted 150+ miniatures this year, and am on track to hit my record for 2021 at 300+.  I hope I can keep up the pace!  The Persians will be another 130 or so models if I finish them off.  If I go with Dark Age Troops and not others, that is another 100+ or so.  



Gaming

Typically, I get about 12-18 games in a year.  2021, I got 25 games in!  I do not expect to repeat that success.  I have a long running, regular RPG group commitment now as well as my wargaming group too.  That said, I expect to get about 12-18 games in this year, with a lot of Castles in the Sky getting played since it is launching in June of 2022 from the Osprey Wargaming Series.  

  • Play 4-6 games of Castles in the Sky
  • Play 4-6 Ancients games based on one of the Blood and Spectacles systems
  • 2-4 games of White Star/Red Star
  • 2-4 games of other systems either from Blood and Spectacles, Work-in-Progress or other systems
I completed my goals for Castles in the Sky and for White Star/Red StarI am also on track for my overall games played this year with over a dozen all ready!  That is good progress for me.  I also had the book launch for Castles in the Sky.  




Rules Writing
Well, I did have a few games I intended to get finished in 2022, a few to keep tinkering with, and a few to put pen to paper on.  Typically, I am consistent in getting product out, and I will be featuring a lot of my WIP designs, Lines-of-Battle, upgrades, etc on my Patreon as we go through 2022.

Here is what I have finished and put up on the Blood and Spectacles Wargame Vault page so far....

  • White Star/Red Star
  • Blood and Spectacles - 2E
  • Under the Martian Yoke
  • Fury of the Northman 
That's just what I have put out this year all ready!  I have been chugging along on the wargame writing front.  Most of these have been in the works for sometime, but I got off my bum and finished them off and published them to the Vault.  The third rule of wargame design is Finish the Game! 

I have made considerable progress on the following projects, but they are now in Post-Production. That means they need polishing, photos, images, and other work before they are ready for prime time.  
Of course I have also started work on a few other projects as well, including various historical rules sets such as Aztecs and Conquistadors, Late Roman, and Darkest Knights.  That is a lot of rules writing going on!  



Other Miscellany
This year, I have been working hard to help build my local community of wargamers.  It is this base that helped me launch Castles in the Sky with a book launch to help drive support for our local art store, Gestalt Studios.  It is this base that also will help me expand my efforts to other "local" FLGS stores.  

I hoped to get to a gaming Con this year, but various "complications" in my personal schedule and flooding/road damage make this seem unlikely.  Oh well.  There is always next year.  

Conclusion
Once again, thanks for all of your help and support!  You folks are what make Blood and Spectacles what it is today!  Your support, input, interactions, and purchases are what keep me going both financially and creatively.  

This has been a pretty big year for Blood and Spectacles Publishing so far, with a variety of games going live.  Thank you!  

Of course, there is still a lot of year left, so let's all push to get our goal and projects done for the year.  I look forward to seeing you share some of your own goals and progress in comments, the message board, facebook, and instagram!  Onto the second half of the 2022, the Rest of a New Age!  

 


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As you can see, this has been a pretty busy year so far.  

Monday, August 1, 2022

Battle Report: Castles in the Sky- Book Launch Demo

 


We had a nice Book Launch party at Gestalt Studios in Powell, Wyoming on 7/23/2022.  Thanks to everyone who was able to make it!  We managed to keep the Demo table full, founds some new recruits for our wargaming group, sold some books, supported a local business, and had an all around blast!  

I did not get to play in the Demo game, as I was busy trying to circulate around, chat up the visitors, and be a good host.  Therefore, I do not have a play-by play of the game.  However, I do have some random photos and I know some of the outcome.  

The battle itself was the British Royal Navy defending a radio station from being bombarded a strange alliance between the French L'Aire National, and the German Empire's navy.  We hade four players each with a Battleship, a cruiser, and an escort.  We had an American Fleet and a second British fleet in reserve if needed, but we were able to keep all the action on one table as people came and went.  

Thanks to the following Painters: 

Marc Harrison of The Painted Dwarf in Powell, WY for this great American Fleet from Brigade Models.  It has made an appearance on this blog a few times, most notably in the Pseudo-War posts.  

The Painted Dwarf


The we also had a great Royal Navy fleet from Brigade Models painted by Michael "Misha" Hansen of Lone Wolf Painting out of Rexburg, Idaho.  

Lone Wolf Painting



We also had a French Fleet from Brigade Models painted by me....

And a very cool and unique German Fleet designed and made by John, the creator of the Warcaste TCG. 

Warcaste TCG YouTube and Website



Again, I was not able to give a word for word description of the game, as I mostly just umpired as needed.  However, I know the results.  The French/German alliance was successful in bombarding and destroying the British Radio Tower.  However, there was a heavy butcher's bill, as the French Battleship and command ship exploded in a fireball high in the sky, and damaged the nearby Gloire cruiser.  In addition, the British also had a Warrior cruiser explode, and a Shah Frigate crippled in the action. 

Here are some photos to wet your appetite.  


 This was the table set-up for the start of the game.  You can see a variety of terrain, including some cloud banks, and some level 1 hills along the river.  Each player had a QRS, a laminated ship stat card, and a ruler.  You can see off to the side we had a side board that held extra dice and such.  I also used a white board to help us track Command ratings, Altitude, Speed, and Damage during play.  Some players opted to use the dice on the table method as we played as well as the white board to track ship status.  


Here the game is well underway, with the British closing in on the target to help defend it.  The French are in the upper left and coming in hot!  The French used their Battleship as a high altitude distraction, while the rest of the German/French fleet went in low.  This worked surprisingly well, as the British got distracted by the high flying French ship, and did not fully concentrate on stopping the lower level attackers.  

At this point, the British Radio Tower has been destroyed, and the Alliance is turning away from the battle to escape.  However, the British are still going to try and exact a heavy toll!  Of note, you can see Air Mines were deployed near the center of the board.  



Here, you can see where the British Warrior-class airship exploded while in pursuit of the German Nassau-class Battleship.  Ka-boom!  Perhaps that was the Warrior trying to punch above its weight class?  The French Courbet class Battleship as all ready been removed at this point of the battle thanks to the fire of a Queen Elizabeth class British dreadnought.  It also went Ka-boom!   

You can see the QRS I used for this battle on the Message Board here.  There are other useful resources and tokens you can use here

Overall, another fun book launch at Gestalt Studios in Powell.  Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of Castles in the Sky from Osprey all ready!  Happy gaming! 


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