2 Steps Forward and 3 Steps Back.

Yesterday I had an email from Karl at Crooked Dice asking if I could sort out an alternative game for the show next weekend (Skirmish). The background to the email is that I had previously tried to explain then the big "Crooked-Dice" participation game which last about 3 hours (give or take) might be wrong for this provincial show. As a club we can run it, but I doubt we would get people willing to spend quite so long as they might at other shows. I may well be totally wrong of course and it actually might be exactly the right show. However the conculsion to our email conversation is that smaller quicker games might be more appealing.

The long and the short of it was that I am trying (at this late stage) to get an alternative game sorted out. As I had previously made a moon scape this seemed a good place to start. I have given it a very quick tidy up and so far so good. I had also previously made a crashed flying saucer so this would make an objective for one of the game ideas. I gave it a complete re-paint to match the moonscape and to take the saucer from bright silver to a more bronze metallic. The silver and grey just looked too monochrome. Given that the science Fiction of the 1970's was dominated by bright colour perhaps due the the widespread use for the first time of colour TV into peoples homes to me it was important to reflect that in the game. Hence a repaint. Foolish perhaps, but it just made sense to me and fits very nicely with the 7TV rules. Anyway so the very quick repaint went ahead and I think it looks better for it, so I am happy. It also photographs better.So the crashed space ship will be one objective for players to squabble over..

I will need a second objective as well. If the Alien menace were to be defending the ship, it made sense that the humans would also need something to defend. At Broadside I purchased a couple of science fiction buggies from Ainsty Castings (http://www.ainsty-castings.co.uk/) These were either £3 or £4 each but I remember I got 3 for £10 and consider that a bargain, the picture on the right shows all three which I managed to get finished yesterday (while in a painting panic). I will start to write the scenarios tomorrow as well as work out the forces involved.
I plan to keep them very small and simple, and aimed at introducing new players to the game. Which is the whole point of playing this game at a show anyway. I intend to keep the two orange buggies together and treat them as one articulated vehicle. The yellow having 6 wheels is sufficiently different from the orange ones, with 8 wheels, to make them appear to be different vehicles so they needed different colour schemes again in the bright colours of 1970's Sci-fi. Anyway I have a lot more panic painting to accomplish before the show. I do however feel confident that I can do so. At present I need more alien adversaries for the guys in space suits, only time will tell what I manage to achieve. Looks like a busy week for me.
The other point is that the show (SKIRMISH) is on Sunday 23rd September in Sidcup Kent. Should anyone be coming, Posties Rejects perhaps, please pop by and say hallo, maybe sit down and roll some dice as well as I do intend the game to be participation. I plan to run two scenarios at the same time with the club playing one side if insufficient participants are available.  As you can tell it is all up in the air and I'll just have to see who the pieces land.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading have a good weekend and I HOPE to post again on Sunday. All the Best Clint.

FSE Support

Given the lack of painting opportunities last week I have started on a roll this week. You will no doubt remember the FSE apc in the foreground. You will not have seen the vehicle in the background. It is another GZG hover vehicle carrying a missile system on its back. It was found trawling eBay a couple of weeks ago. No one else bid so I feel I got a bargain. I managed to snaffle two of these "Tanks" as well as a couple of Kra'Vak grav vehicles at the same time. These will be started soon, well soon-ish.

I felt that the FSE vehicles needed some form of markings. So I sent for a few bits and pieces from QRF (http://www.quickreactionforce.co.uk/) as they do a range of decals for £2. They only really cover WW2 and modern vehicles, but non the less for the price I felt they were the way to go. You get 2 identical sheets for the money and it saves me the effort of doing them myself. If you have not looked at the QRF/LKM web site before you will see they do quite a large range of 15mm figures and vehicles from ancient to very near future.

OK advert over, hee hee. As you can see I used the French Roundels on the flanks of all the vehicles belonging to the Federal Sates Europa. This should give them a very unified look when combined with the Camo scheme. I would have liked to have added stowage as well, but the stuff I have (Which is all WW2 FOW stuff) just dd not either look right or fit on any surface sufficiently well to look right. So No stowage  on the vehicles for the foreseeable future. I know there is another blogger who has made some sci fi stowage but by the time I have imported it (and paid for it) I think I can pass for the time being.

For those of you familiar with the GZG-Stargrunt Universe you will detect that these "Tanks" are based on the popular "Rommel" chassis, which usually mounts a cannon. Missile launchers strike me as being more versatile. Who can really predict what will happen with future weapons technology though so maybe missiles will be more restrictive. But for now and in the GZG Universe these will suit my purpose very well indeed. I have kept all the vehicles on exactly the same size bases for ease of storage.

As many of you will know I work for the NHS (National Health Service). I also enjoy cooking (and eating). As such I have made some home-made chocolate fudge to take into work. To the right is the packaging I designed. I will not be present when the Mental health nurses "discover" my gift to them, but I am confident they will not only enjoy the fudge, but also the container. With luck it should give you a smile as well. That's it for today. More again on Thursday. Until then, all the best Clint.

Kra Vak (1)

I have struggled to get anything painted for the last week or so. But I have finished my first Kra Vak squad in 15mm from GZG. (Not quite finished, I need rocks on the bases and to Varnish). I did not want my aliens to look comical so I went for a grey skin tone. I had considered green, two different purples and even light blue, but finally settled or Grey skin and black hair. To my mind these are alien, but very similar to humans, as such I wanted them to be on roughly equal terms with my FSE, but with different technologies and different ideologies as well. I have no idea how I will paint the vehicles yet but see no reason not to use camouflage on them, just trying to get a colour scheme that works, looks alien and still fits with the figures. Not a huge amount more to say about these so I shall keep it very short today. Thanks for reading and Talk again on Wednesday. All the best Clint.