January Bench Update

 I am trying to start the year off with a bang. I have numerous small things that need to be completed, and a backlog of unfinished, half painted infantry. Below are a few images of what I have been up to over the past couple of days.

Here we have a jeep and Kubelwagen using my new basing system (no texture, light sand colour, base entirely covered in flock). I also have these animals ready to serve both as narrative/terrain devices in my Five Parsecs campaigns, and also on my WW2 tables. I have never had any cows on there and yet it is a trope I would like to participate in. The animals and carts are from Perfectsix Miniatures. They are gorgeous. I also have some peasants who will see life as settlers on the fringe of space.

I tried a second batch of Soviet infantry, based without texture. They look pretty good to be honest. The light base really helps them pop. As such I went ahead and put the rest of my Soviet soldiers onto bases. In the corner you can see a few single based men. I doubt they will see much use as in my experience squads break before going down to one man.

Another complex of some kind, sitting around for ages. I think it was the insert of a small packet of Milk Tray? I have based it on the wood from the back of a photo frame.

My friend 3D printed a small Russian log home for me. I am finally using it. Based on an old student ID I look forward to turning this into a little vignette. The other day my children wanted to do some crafting using my junk (modelling supplies). While they did that I decided to use the last of my pine trees to make a few forest stands. I have sprayed them brown and green. I will follow this with some heavy drybrushing of pale greens and white, then colour the bases. They will look good. 

Looking forward to the year.

Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 23 - Get off Deon B!

 EARL had contacted a local trawler captain who was offering to get the settlers offworld. She arrived in good time at the excuse for a landing port on this sector of Deon B. The plan was to fly off together and reach the Moon of Biitas 12, location of a pretty well established, almost official, transit hub. The hope was to aqcuire a freighter and fly off to the fringe in the hope of another chance at a new life. A dust storm was beginning to whip up, reducing visibility quite considerably.

Thanks and goodbyes were underway. It was emotional.

A shot rang out, a settler crumpled. Nova Cartel wasn't done yet! With visibility so low, they had to be almost on top of the escapees!

Baratski fired into the dust at some vague figures. Brenko charged off firing her shotgun. One cartel member was killed and another was sent scurrying under a hail of buckshot. 

Furious laser and plasma fire burnt the ground, put holes in Brenko's coat, and set the scrub ablaze. Brenko was desperately hugging the ground!

Mao had been keeping watch and shot off some accurate needle fire at the attackers, killing one and making the others think twice. One of them did not look like a cartel member! Who was this?

Using her arm implants Phillips lobbed a grenade. The explosion sent parts of one cartel member flying while the other had to duck and hide.

Augustus Holmes flanked around the building and finished the final member of this group off. 

Ulrich Nolan and Phillips started firing on the other squad, pinning one of them down.

Mao jumped out of cover and shot one of the cartel members down, then redirected his fire to the strange other figure.

A cartel member, even though pinned down, managed to fire off some accurate plasma blasts, knocking Ulrich down in a cloud of  burnt-flesh-smelling vapour. That was going to hurt!

Mao startedtaking fire so had to duck back behind the cargo. That cartel member used that opportunity, Mao having his head down, to scarper. He had had enough.

Phillips then started taking accurate machine pistol fire and had to duck. There was just one person left to fight.

In response Holmes snuck around the corner to open fire on the final remaining figure, pinning him.

Mao then charged out and opened fire, killing the remaining enemy. Upon further investigation this person was probably just a gun for hire, looking for a pay day. I guess it didn't pay that well then. Ulrich Nolan was carted back to the Pelican. He was going to have to spend a while in medbay, and even then he might not fully recover. It was going to be touch and go. Those plasma weapons are pretty rough on the human body. 

It was time to launch and get away from Nova Cartel. Life was too short to stay on this rock, and Tonia Wildner and co. would have had to spend the rest of their lives escaping capture. Time to settle elsewhere. Luckily nutripods can be grown in most climates, and there are many, many planets similar to Deon B out on the edge of known space. 

Some time later both the Pelican and the freighter, known as Old Bertha found a place to land on the Moon of Biitas 12. Luckily for the Pelican crew they had a stash of fuel so it didn't really cost them. Both ships clanked down to the ground, groaning and showing signs of their age. While landing one of the landing strut hydraulic systems malfunctioned. Baratski rushed to hold it together and took quite an injury, busting up her leg. She was going to have to spend time in medbay along with Nolan. 

Before looking for work, it was time to set the settlers up with a ship or a flight out of here. While looking for a ship Augustus Holmes decided it was time to upgrade the Pelican. He organised the installation of a merchant link - a device that would allow easier access to some of the more established and perhaps legitimate traders when planetside.  

Holiday Shenanigans - Terraforming Mars

My brother and his family came over as part of our Christmas celebrations. That mean there were a bunch of kids unter 10 at the house and they needed structure. It gave me a chance to bust out my WotC Star Wars Miniatures. They covered the table with them and played with them making shooty noises. One of my favourite memories of visiting my grandad was getting his old airfix cowboys and native american figures out and play with them. 

After that the eldest couple wanted to play with my WW2 miniatures. They don't get a lot of action to be honest and I was glad to get them out. I made up some rules on the hoof and they enjoyed it. The rules were a mash up of Bolt Action (or what little I could remember of them from 10 years ago) and some vague dice mechanics. It encouraged me to perhaps put together some rules that are a little crunchier than my other attempts. 

My brother and his wife then came back over tonight to play my favourite game - Terraforming Mars. I was completely enthrawled. I love this game so much. It was my fifth play of this game and it was my best attempt yet. I have never won. But I managed to get very close this time round. 

( 

I am the yellow. I smashed it by dominating the map, but my brother had some insane victory point generation machines, while his wife has basically solved the game. They have played it around 150 times each, many of those times were against each other. 

Barbarian Prince - Initial thoughts.

 So far I have played one and a half games of Barbarian Prince. I am enjoying it so far, but need to talk about that first game!

I successfully crossed the river, then started making my way down south. I stopped in Cumry, the northern most settlement, but had no money (I since worked out that you start with 4 gold) so just looked for work. I got a job to take some something to the nearest settlement (Cawther). As soon as I left Cumry I rolled my first travel event! It was a wizard. I rolled 1D6 and got a 6! He was so angered by my story he immediately escorted me back to my homeland and helped me overthrow the usurper! You win immediately! I have rarely felt so hollow and robbed upon winning a game. I almost just chucked the whole thing in the bin. 

However, the following evening I gave it another shot. So far I am at the end of Week 3 and have managed to visit a temple (and heal after being mauled by a wild boar). I have also collected about 70 Gold, run away from some stone-skinned goblin, and am being accompanied by 7 Amazons who have helped me kick butt on the road from Cawther to Tulith. I highly doubt I will win the game. I see it's value though. I imagine it is pretty fun to use this as a campaign map for a DnD campaign type or role playing. Imagine moving hexes then when an encounter is rolled, playing that out with miniatures.

I also spent a week crossing the Kabir desert. Not convinced that was a good idea as it took a while and nothing happened. 

Barbarian Prince - What am I thinking?

 The other day over on The Wargames Website there was a post about how someone discovered a new Ganesha Games solo hex based RPG adventure book. Others posted that it reminded them of Barbarian Prince and posted a video of the start of a play through. That was enough for me to search online and find it all free online. A quick print job, lamination and getting my comb binder out of the cupboard at work and I now have a free solo game ready to kick my butt. 

And just like that...I have a new activity to distract myself with instead of sitting in front of the TV in the evenings, which I have been doing a lot of lately. I have just been too tired to put much effort into getting on with any painting or gaming. 

Soviet Squad painting trial

 I have been experimenting with a more production line-esque method of painting miniatures. I want to make them simple to paint, and I want them to pop. 

For these soviets, and I am happy with this I did the following:

Primed grey
Painted flesh - very messy
Painted Russian Uniform Green (my other soviets are brown, so this lot stand out).
Painted their guns black
Washed with Agrax Earthshade
Painted their helmets Russian Green
Painted their bayonets Runefang Steel

Painted their bases a yellowish craft paint, stuck them onto coins, flocked the entire coin.

I like how they have turned out. I think I am going to go with fully flocked bases from now on.

I have not highlighted them in any way. I am tempted to get a very light sand coloured dry brush on them. 

I have also painted some Brits and am part way through a whole bunch of US infantry. I will give more details later on these. I am not sure I am happy with how I have done the US guys though. I have a bunch of Germans to paint and think they will be even easier - flesh, Feldgrau, black guns, wash, boots, hats, bags (sand colour).

Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 22 - Protect the convoy

After regrouping at the nearest large settlement it became clear that the now found colonists would need to get off world. At least until the Nova Cartel could be removed from the system, or dismantled entirely. In the aftermath of the destruction of the hidden facility, Nova Cartel operatives were on the hunt, causing all kinds of problems for all sorts of other organisations. Athena Interplanetary was one such organisation. In response to roving bands of Nova thugs they had started shooting first and asking questions later, especially in and around their facilities and corporate sponsored settlements. 

This is one such settlement. Business was returning back to normal after having to fight off a few Nova thugs. It was still dangerous out there. The Athena security team had placed themselves in a road blocking formation. They could cover all approaches and were doing a great job of deterring anyone else from causing trouble. 

Arriving at the top of the hill, Nolan, Holmes, Phillips and Baratski exited their van to survey the situation. They could see a few guards. Guards who had noticed them. 

The team who were blocking the road, moved into cover to await the oncoming thugs. Probably more Nova crims. Warning shots were fired out and a warning given. Calls to negotiate passage were ignored. The crew were going to have to fight their way past.

The four crew members spread out, with Holmes remaining at long range to provide covering fire. Baratski and Phillips advanced in the cover of the large load bearer. 

Holmes' covering fire opened up and tore through the defenders. The LT fell down in a shower of blood, his body armour doing exactly nothing.

Two security guards flanked around the load bearer to lay down some ineffective fire onto Baratski. 

She and Phillips reached the vehicle and opened up with deadly shotgun fire. One further guard fell down, motionless.

Baratski and Holmes kept up the fire, both taking down another Athena guard each. The remaining guards were holding their nerve though. Probably veterans from various campaigns out in the edge of nowhere.

Both hidden in good cover, Nolan and another guard traded pot shots at eachother. 

This lasted a little while with Nolan jumping out of cover to close the range a little. Hidden behind some crates he became pinned down, but seeing his opportunity he managed to get a decent hit onto one of the guards. 

Better late than never, Mao arrived and opened fire on the two remaining guards. Holmes also opened fire while Brenko and Phillips snuck around the building in an attempt to out flank them.

Phillips rounded the edge of the building and poured more fire onto the remaining guards, keeping one of them pinned down. So much fire was directed at him that he ended up throwing down his rifle and running off.

Mao and Carrick, finally catching up advanced as well, in order to provide covering fire.

Sticking to his guns, the last guard kept firing, until Phillips got near enough to put him down. The threat was now over. These poor guys could have negotiated a some kind of passage if they had listened.

With the way clear, the convoy approached. Full of the surivors from emprisonment by Nova Cartel, they were now one step closer to freedom again. They needed to get off this rock.

It was time to abandon the vehicles and ride the mag train back to the spaceport. 

Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 21 - Nova Cartel Underbelly

I wanted to use my magnetic, modular interior terrain. I feel a little like this quest will end on a whimper. I hope that this battle will result in some missing people being found, but I don't really know.

The entrance was unguarded. The door was easy to bypass. This would prove simple it would seem. 

Holmes led the way with Ulrich bringing up the rear. This underground facility was hopefully going to be a small one. There was, however, no useful map on the wall. 

Close range small arms fire sparked against the walls and floor. Two figures were crouching behind crates. Brenko took some fire and hit the ground while Carrick charged one of the men down, slicing him open. 

The rest of the team opened up, taking the two remaining figures down in a hail of fire.

Upon entering the next chamber two pathways opened up before the team. They decided to separate. More desperate fire came their way, but concentrated returned fire from our heroes killed and pinned down the new gunmen.

A grenade was launched, exploding close behind the crew, Ulrich and Mao dove for cover while the others felt shrapnel bounce off of their vests. 

Recovering, the crew began shooting again, taking out the two Nova Cartel men.

Taking the tab off of a corpse it became clear that there were multiple rooms where people were being kept in containers modified as cells. The team split up.

Carrick and Phillips paired up to cover one side of the complex. They would watch the backs of the others and only explore if they could. Carrick opened fire on another Nova Cartel thug, taking him down.

His fire attracted the attention of another squad who charged out of one cell area gunning Carrick down in a hail of bullets. He fell, behind cover and stayed there for the remainder.

Meanwhile Mao took point when entering another cell area. Poking his head around the corner drew fire from the guards so he ducked back into relative safety.

He and Brenko then laid down fire on the guards, killing one and sending another behind cover.

Phillips, unable to advance further, laid down some heavy defensive fire, knocking down another guard, but she still needed to remain in cover as the other guards were very much active.

Peeking round for another exchange of fire, Mao felt a very heavy hit and was knocked back, unconscious. 

Phillips was keeping her head down, while trying to delay the advance of the other thugs. It was looking dicey at times. Heavily pinned, she was going to get out flanked at some point. 

Desperate to find the missing colonists, Ulrich ran around the corner, pinning down one of the thugs.

He and Holmes then took one of the guards down and kept the other's head down. 

Brenko then stormed up to the other, cutting him in two with some close range fire. 

Breaking the containers open, a couple of bedraggled looking women stepped out. Ulrich shared a look at one and he looked back. They embraced. 

"Took your time, Ulrich" she said. 

"You have been hard to find, Tonia" Ulrich shot back with a grin. Turning to Holmes and Brenko he said "This is Tonia Wildner, we have found them.

Within a few minutes the facility had been cleared of Nova Cartel personnel and all of the missing colonists had been located. 

Mao and Carrick looked like their frag vests had saved them and would wake up with some sore ribs later, but could be carried back to The Pelican. It was time to go and reunite the colonists with Sara at Leyte Logistics, then perhaps get them off world.