Martians & Machine Guns

A big Huzzah to Andrew Sewell who this month has begun his own VSF Blog titled 'Martians & Machine Guns'.  His 6mm chaps are very nice and I'm looking forward to following his continued adventures into VSF silliness!
http://haarken.blogspot.com/

Dystopian Wars

The next major line from Spartan Games, this is scheduled for release in November 2010 with four great nations from this war ravaged world: Kingdom of Britannia, Empire of the Blazing Sun, Prussian Empire and the Federated States of America.

This is a game involving airships, land ironclads and of course mighty naval platforms.  Here is the Prussian "Storm Cloud Carrier"

http://spartangames.co.uk/dystopian_wars.html
and more here:
http://www.tabletopshoponline.de/blog/Dystopian-Wars-Intro/

Love or hate the rules, at least there will be more minis about!

WTNW Core II Game

The ArmChairGeneral (Rob) well be running a demo of the When the Navy Walked: Core II rules at Borderlands Comics and Games on Wednesday October 20 from about 6:00-9:00 immediately following their Jacksonville Garrison meeting. He will be bringing enough for several games at once. He will also be trying out some of the new rules from the Martian supplement!

http://armchairgeneral1.blogspot.com/2010/10/wtnw-core-ii-game.html

When The Navy Walked

When the Navy Walked - Core Rules 2 Note: Thank you for purchasing When the Navy Walked! You have the core book in the ground level of a new venture that I started because I wanted to be able to share my ideas. When the Navy Walked is more than just a game or an idea it is a springboard for imagination. The Victorian Science Fiction genre has always been one that attracted creative individuals. The rules in this book should allow you to have many fun battles using the Great Powers. Look for coming supplements such as scenario and army books that will be designed to expand the alternate universe and add rich elements to the game!

http://www.wargamevault.com/product_reviews_write.php?products_id=81192

Blog dedicated to these splendid new rules and other items of interest:

http://armchairgeneral1.blogspot.com/

Babbage Analytical Engine reborn!

Well Huzzah and Hoorah - Babbage's ingenious locomotive sized wonder may be constructed once again, breathing new steam into innovation!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11530905

Bravo and thanks to DC for the heads-up!

Warlord of Mars

Now as any good officer knows intel is paramount when up against pesky natives, especially when serving off planet. Now thanks to those good chappies at Dynamite Publications we have some more resource to help subjugate the bally Martians in the form of an intelligence briefing cleverly disguised as a comic book (no doubt to fool the French).

Warlord of Mars is apparently a prequel to those briefings from that Burroughs chappie and is available this month so get the man servant to pop out and pick up a copy, though make sure he puts it in a plain paper bag as it is unlikely the Memsahib will appreciate the fact that those dusky Martian maidens aren't so keen on wearing clothes and get the wrong idea, harrumph!

New French Land Ironclads from Brigade

What ho chaps! Jolly exciting news and pantograph imagery of the wonderful new model French land ironclads from those clever chaps at Brigade Models in their Maidstone factorium.

Release is imminent so dig out those bank notes and get your butler ready to pop along to the post office to buy a penny black and post an order to the Brigade chappies. At last we'll be able to recreate the damned thrashing we gave the Froggies at Caterham on our sand tables! Huzzah!

The pantographs show the new models alongside some Irregular French infantry and cavalry so you can assess scale and marvel in the wonderfulness of the new models.

Detendu class one land ironclad:

Immuablement class two land ironclad:

Vengeance class three land ironclads:

Glorieux class four land ironclads:

Blockhaus Roulant class five land ironclads:

We've also managed to sneak out some exclusive top hole news which we'll share with you once we have clearance from GHQ so keep your Babbage Engine warmed up and get your man servant to check back regularly you enjoy a good cheese board and fine port.

A Grand Century!

100 Followers - thanks Chaps!  Its nice to know one's work is appreciated

Chin-Chin!

Steampunk House

Now this erudite Gent has really got the VSF bug - see what he has done to his house!
If only SWMBO was so accomodating...

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2efHtO/steampunkworkshop.com/visit-steampunked-home

Talk like a Pirate Day!

Yes its here again -and its something of a White Wine Sauce tradition to have a saucy pirate wench:

Have a yaarrrggghhh of a Day me hearties!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

WW1 Described In Terms As A Bar Fight

Sent to MAC by Mal Wright and as he said quite a good laugh.

Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of
the bar-room, when Serbia bumps into Austria, and spills Austria's
pint.Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit, because
there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its
support for Austria's point of view.Britain recommends that
everyone calm down a bit.Serbia points out that it can't afford a
whole suit, but offers to pay for cleaning Austria's trousers.Russia
and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it's looking at.
Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone.
Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in compelling
it to do so.Germany appeals to Britain that France has been
looking at it, and that this is sufficiently out of order that Britain
should not intervene.Britain replies that France can look at who it
wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is
Germany going to do about it? Germany tells Russia to stop
looking at Austria, or Germany will render Russia incapable of
such action.Britain and France ask Germany whether it's looking
at Belgium. Turkey and Germany go off into a corner and whisper.
When they come back,Turkey makes a show of not looking at
anyone.Germany rolls up its sleeves, looks at France, and
punches Belgium.France and Britain punch Germany. Austria
punches Russia.Germany punches Britain and France with one
hand and Russia with the other. Russia throws a punch at
Germany, but misses and nearly falls over. Japan calls over from
the other side of the room that it's on Britain's side, but stays there.
Italy surprises everyone by punching Austria.Australia punches
Turkey,and gets punched back. There are no hard feelings,
because Britain made Australia do it.France gets thrown through
a plate glass window,but gets back up and carries on fighting.
Russia gets thrown through another one, gets knocked out, suffers
brain damage, and wakes up with a complete personality change.
Italy throws a punch at Austria and misses, but Austria falls over
anyway.Italy raises both fists in the air and runs round the room
chanting.America waits till Germany is about to fall over, then walks
over,waves a fist at Germany while Britain knocks it out, then
pretends it won the fight all by itself. By now all the chairs are
broken, and the big mirror over the bar is shattered.Britain, France
and America agree that Germany threw the first punch,so the
whole thing is Germany's fault.While Germany is still unconscious,
they go through its pockets,steal its wallet, and buy drinks for all
their friends.

Nobody comes out of it looking particularly good.

Cyclops Land Wheeler

RAFM Miniatures are taking pre-orders for this rather wonderful looking Cyclops Land Wheeler from their forthcoming Ares Rising VSF line. Looks perfect for keeping pesky natives in line on Earth, Mars or Venus...

2025 EDIT: Sadly, RAFM ceased to be earlier this year. Hoping that Ral Partha will pick up their product lines in due course but not sure

Full Steam

Banner for the 'Full Steam' RPG forum:
http://fullsteam.forumotion.net/

Pax Britannia: The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus

Jolly good news for any gentlemen (or young boys of a strong disposition) who have missed out on the penny dreadful tales of derring-do from the wordsmith Jonathan Green about hero of our future Empire Ulyssess Quicksilver. The publishers of these wonderful adventures have compiled a number into one large omnibus volume simply entitled The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus (obviously to prevent confusion with servants from the lower classes one might send to purchase it when it is released in November).

This omnibus contains the following penny dreadfuls:

Unnatural History - missing professors, dinosaurs and mad anarchist plots in London.

Leviathan Rising - aquanef, underwater disaster, murder, revenge and giant squid.

Human Nature - missing mermaids, vicious beasts and incompetent police officers in Whitby.

The omnibus also contains the following short tales:

Vanishing Point - spiritualism, mad science and Nazi agents in a stately home.

Christmas Past - murder and St. Nick in Oxford.

Unfortunately the bally publishers types have forgotten to include the other Quicksilver short story Fruiting Bodies which is a lamentable oversight and they deserve a jolly good thrashing for this! That said at least a gentlemen can enjoy his sprouts without too much worry if he has not read this shocking tale.

Pax Britannia: Human Nature

In our enlightened age there is nothing much more pleasing for a gentleman and his memsahib than a jolly trip to the seaside to enjoy the bracing sea air, gets salt in your whiskers and looks at the waves we rule!

Upon the out latest trip to Clacton, the memsahib picked up the latest penny dreadful in the Pax Britannia collection for me from a vendour on the pier which I read on the train back to the estate.

Another cracker from that Green chappie entitled Human Nature, it starts as a jolly innocuous wheeze for the dandy Ulysses Quicksilver, investigating the theft of the so-called Whitby Mermaid but soon becomes a rum adventure with our hero beset by nefarious coves, a wild beast on the moor, murder, shocking discoveries of medical insanity and to top it all a terrible fate befalls our hero! (one had to have a stiff brandy and sit down at this stage).

The volume also contains another top notch short story entitled Christmas Past. All I'll say is if this Saint Nick pops down my chimney, he'll be getting both barrels of my twelve bore up him!