2021 round up

 Well, not a bad year blog wise. I had hoped to get a post up every two weeks and nearly made it. I don't know how some people manage to blog every week and some even every day! It is a lot of work. 😀

A good year for making things as well as playing some games. 

Galactic Heroes was new and fun. I completed my Martian Invasion Campaign, as well as some Moon Wars and a few odds and ends. I purchased and finished my  Soviet and US Cold War armies and also fixed up my BAOR army (previously fighting the evil Toot in the 22nd century). I made some moon bases and upgraded my moon terrain as well as upgrading my ruined and abandoned city terrain.

Hopefully I will reach my target in 2022 of 26 posts. I have already have a big load of figures coming from Pendraken, a box full of village houses to make including a wharf and a light house.

The 2022 game plan at the moment is a series of World War 3 games, some more Moon Wars, Solar Travels with Captain James T. Cook and Victorian Sci Fi big battles.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great 2022.

White Houses of the Apocalypse

 Just a short post this time.

The three White Houses of the Apocalypse.

First up is the :

Everything is fine and we have the measure of these Alien-Commie-Mutant-Zombies

The White House is well guarded and the Presidential Chopper is on standby.

Then there is the staple of some Zombie and most Pandemic movies:

We have just stepped out for a while but just you wait and we will get those Alien-Commie-Mutant-Zombies.

On the door is a note "The key is under the mat and please clean up your mess. Ta POTUS."

And finally the staple of all alien movies

Events are not proceeding as we planned. We will get those Alien-Commie-Mutant-Zombies as soon as we can work out how. We have our best men on it!

Now where did I put the suitcase with the nuclear attack codes?

I found three White Houses for about $20 in total on Aliexpress. A bargain even if a bit small - more 6mm than 10mm. But they go together well and certainly look the part. Presidential Chopper cost another $15.

Not sure when I will get to use them. I have also got the Capitol Building as well and need to put that together for a real alien movie terrain board. I am thinking that the Duckulons might make a visit.

Episode Seven- Asteroid Base in Peril - A solar travels post

 Captain James T Cook and the HMSS Endeavour - VSF 1770

“Space the new frontier.  These are the voyages of the Her Majesty’s Star Ship Endeavour.  Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no Englishman has gone before.”- Captain James T Cook

Well, one or two of you may remember two years ago when Episode Six was recorded. 

https://miniwarsyoumayhavemissed.blogspot.com/2019/10/episode-six-mad-mary-and-her-mechanical.html#comment-form

Finally Episode Seven is complete.

Captain’s Log: 15 July 1895 – The Asteroid Belt!

Cook on the Endeavour woke to the usual shouts from Cheerful Rodgers, "Orders from the Admiralty. A base has been over run by alien monsters and we have to go and save them!"

The Endeavour closed in on the asteroid base but there was no room to land, even for the shuttle craft. An away team of eight men was chosen from willing volunteers (aka - those who couldn't hide well enough from the Sargent and Cheerful Rodgers and would be led by Captain Cook and Science Officer Banks. Cheerful and the Sargent would be armed with portable Gatlings while the rest would have pistols.

They had to wear their EtherSuits to make the journey from the Endeavour's shuttle to the base. The base's shuttle bay was blocked.

The base has been over run by alien creatures. Skeletons litter the corridors while two survivors hide in the bathroom (bottom left)

Intrepid survivors

The away team move cautiously into the base, stopping at the first set of skeletons

An alien charges them and attacks!

The Sarge kills the first alien but two more attack the group entering the main passage way. Two other aliens are sneaking around behind!

More aliens come from the left killing one crew member. Cheerful Rodgers kills one and forces the other one back! But the aliens from behind have attacked and killed two crew members!

On the left a crew member is wounded and one alien killed, Cheerful Rodgers kills a second alien but runs out of ammo! On the right Science office Banks is wounded, but one alien is killed and the crew come to his rescue. "what about me" says Cheerful "I have run out of ammo!".

The final alien is killed top left and the crew start backing away. The intrepid survivors have made a run for it but some alien face huggers are on their tail!

Cook orders a withdrawal. This rock is uninhabitable. The crew are backing away. One survivor has made it, leaving his mate as meat for the face huggers! 

The face huggers are shot to bits by some of the crew as they cover the withdrawal. the intrepid survivor finds a nasty surprise in his shuttle. I don't think he is going to make it!

As the crew retreat the aliens let them go. The Queen is safe and has some fresh bodies to lay eggs in. Soon the colony will grow!

Captain James T Cook and his remaining crew make it back to the Endeavour exhausted.

Three crew dead, three wounded - including Science Officer Banks, a difficult mission. 

The Admiralty was informed that the base was no longer viable due to alien creature infestation. Only one thing to do, leak its position to the Prussians as a gold mine.

Another Episode that the Captain would like to forget but that will haunt his dreams. Cheerful Rodgers on the other hand had great fun, blasting away with his Gatling gun, smashing aliens!

What next for the crew. I wont say anything because it might take me another two years to sort out the terrain.

The asteroid base came from the Wargamesvault. I should have printed it out on thicker paper but in any event it worked well with the 2D map and some 3D scatter terrain to add some depth.

I used Galactic Heroes for the rules but with random activation using playing cards. It works well and gives some different twists as activations vary.

Moon Terrain and Cities

 I have updated my moon terrain and made up some moon bases to fight over.

Moon Base X   Space X's moon Base

The base is made up of four sections. Central Control and main entrance (top centre), defence centre (left), Power (right) and habitat (bottom centre)

Close up of the Habitat and Central Control.

Moon Base Blue  - Blue Origin's Moon base.

Blue Origin have built their base underground with only the habitat domes visible

Airlocks lead down to the tunnels of the base.

I sprayed my moon boards and craters a darker grey. They still show the texture of the flock so it looks good to me. I also built two sorts of rough ground. Large rocks that will provide cover and also be impassable to vehicles and small rocks that will just be impassable to vehicles.

Anyway, something better to fight over and fun to make.

Space X's base is built from Electrical Cable junction boxes. The glass bubbles are from Christmas ornaments I picked up a long time ago cheap from office works.

I have decided that both companies will use Northrop Grumman Aerospace Jumbo Lunar Lander as I already have plenty of these.

VSF - Martian Assault - London Falling

 The Martians had broken through the fortress line on the outskirts of London and have advanced into its centre! The Army scraped together a final force to hold Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Palace. The Department of Dirty Deeds sent their three best (or is that worst) disreputable gentlemen to assist. 

A scratch force of parliamentarians was formed from the younger MPs and went into battle in their top hats. The City formed a company of bankrupted bankers who were itching for revenge on the Martians who had destroyed their portfolios. 

The rest of the infantry force was two companies of regulars and one of irregulars. Artillery was two large fortress guns, supported by some old muzzle loading cannons dragged from the depths of the Navy stores and a few pieces of field artillery and Gatling guns. The Household Guards supplied two squadrons of cavalry. The Navy also supplied a river monitor to guard against any assault over the Thames.

The Martian force was the familiar three large tripods supported by five of the smaller ones but this time with two supporting flying saucers and some ground troops.

London under attack

Westminster Palace

Westminster Cathedral

Department of Dirty Deeds and their bomb barrels

Parliamentarian Company defends the doors of Parliament

The Company of Bankrupt Bankers in their bowler hats

Mars advances

A Dirty Deeds explosion destroys a low flying saucer and a small tripod.

The Household guards charge in! But a disreputable gentleman has lit his barrels! (red marker)
Bottom left the Bankrupt Bankers have been destroyed. Only two remain to run away.

The Disreputable Gentleman's Bomb Barrels explode and two more small tripods are destroyed along with the Household Guards - oops!

The remaining Martian saucer flies over the city picking off the defenders! Safe except for the occasional fire from a Gatling gun.

The Parliamentarians charge out only to be devoured by a large tripod and end up in its blood tank! The large fortress guns have been destroyed. The muzzle loaders bravely continue firing.

Westminster Cathedral falls to the Martians

All is lost! The British defenders killed or routed. The Martian saucer lands.

Martians take over Westminster Palace! Now nothing stands in their way. Britain must fall unless there is a miracle.

Epilogue.

Before the Great Marvin could be crowned King of England in the Cathedral and elected Prime Minister in the Palace, all the Martians finally succumbed to the  germs of Earth. Britain was saved!

The history books would be filled with stories of valour and bravery against insurmountable odds and the defeat of the evil Martian Colonisers.

This is the last part of my Mars vs Britain Campaign. Fun to plan and play. Now I have a proper Victorian London town to fight over. 

VSF - Martian Assault - HMLS Ogre in action

 The HMLS Ogre went from her first shake down cruise straight to the front to stop the Martian advance on Newcastle. The Ogre was accompanied by a fast attack group of cavalry and Battle Balls.

On the rail line going past Pity Me (yes there is such a place) the Ogre met the Martians.

The Martian force consisted of three large tripods and five of the smaller ones.

Contact!

Move to battle

First blood to the Martians with a Battle Ball exploding and Cavalry cut down. One of the secondary guns on the Ogre is destroyed (red marker)

The Ogre pushes on and destroys one of the large Tripods. The Martians finish off the cavalry squadron on the right and destroy another of the secondary guns.

A small Martian Tripod is destroyed by a broadside from the Ogre. The Ogre pushes forward into the Martian battle line to get both broadsides into action. The Martians smash the second cavalry squadron - will they ever learn? 

The Ogre is taking more hits (I track hits against it by removing crew figures from the guns and bridge area) but the Martians are also taking hits as well. They decide to retreat as the centre Tripod has only one hit remaining. The smaller tripods have also taken hits and one is in danger of being run over!

The small Martian Tripod eyeing off the Ogre

The small tripod makes a run for it! The large Tripod is destroyed - the Ogre managed to activate first. Another small tripod is destroyed by Battle Balls and the rest of the Martians run from this monstrosity.

A great first battle for the Ogre! The Martians have been defeated. But the Ogre has taken a fearful amount of damage. Both main guns at the front are badly damaged while the crew of the Bridge has been decimated. 

The telegraph runs hot and the defenders of London are cheered by this victory as the Martians close in on Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Palace.

A great success and no doubt more Ogre Class vehicles will be built. Hopefully it wont end up as a great arms race devastating the Earth. (Apologies to Mr Jackson and co.)

VSF - Martian Assault - H.M.L.S. Ogre

 As the Martian forces conquered more of Britain and their great technological superiority became apparent work on a secret Royal Navy project accelerated. It had to be completed before the Martians reached Newcastle on Tyne! The dock workers laboured day and night and were able to finish this new wonder of industry.

Her Majesty's Land Ship Ogre. A weapon so terrifying that the Navy had briefly considered  cancelling it.

Side view of the Ogre showing its size compared to a cavalry squadron. 

The stern.

Amidships

Aft view

Top down view

The basic design was that of a protected cruiser of approximately 4,000 tons with armoured belts of 2 to 6 inches. 

Armament included 8 long 6 inch guns in two batteries on each side all in armoured turrets and the main fire power provided by its three 9 inch guns in armoured rotating emplacements.

Also included was 4 quick firing 2 pounder guns in turrets on each side of the ship.

4 scout cars were carried to provide a picket line or drive off enemy infantry.

It drove on eight independently powered tracks and carried a crew of 100 sailors as well as provision to transport two infantry companies or cavalry squadrons.

Will this be enough to stop the Martians!

Galactic Heroes - Moon Wars - Space X vs Blue Origin

 So I have all my space men painted and wanted to have a game using the Galactic Heroes rules. I quickly decided that Blue Origin and SpaceX would go to war (AKA Kinetic Business Competition) on the moon.

So the situation is that NASA has discovered a crashed alien spacecraft on the Moon and SpaceX and Blue Origin have sent out teams to claim it for themselves.

An overview of the table - SpaceX in bottom right and Blue Origin in top left

Blue Origin in their orange jump suits.

SpaceX in their stylish white suits

 Both sides have four squads of three Grunts armed with auto-rifles. One squad on each side has a grenade launcher.

The alien space ship

Both sides move up. Blue Origin is faster while SpaceX is more cautious

Blue Origin has won the race and got to the crater with the alien space ship. SpaceX will need to attack while Blue Origin hides in cover.

And it all goes wrong for Blue Origin. Despite a fusillade of shots they only get one wound (kill) on a SpaceX astronaut (blood splatter middle right) and one shock on another SpaceX astronaut. However, there is nothing more embarrassing than blazing away point blank at your enemy and running out of ammo. (Two pistol chits next to Blue Origin men.)
Return fire from SpaceX kills four Blue origin astronauts and puts a whole lot of shock on the ones who ran out of ammo.

More bad news for Blue Origin with another two dead (top centre) and one dead in the middle crater while SpaceX take over.

 

The final turn, Space X get the initiative, blast Blue Origin's grenade launcher and the rest of them decide discretion is the better part of valour and run away.

So a short and deadly game with a fun and unexpected twist in the middle. 

I like the Galactic Heroes rules, using the playing cards for activations makes it nice and random for a solo game as well as keeping track of who has moved each turn.

Not happy with my moon table. The flock has all faded where I left it out in the sun, so I have been doing some painting to bring it back to scratch as well as making some rough terrain to add some more variety. I have also started to build a moon base for either side to attack.