Prussian Imperium Sky Fortress
Kingdom of Brittania Battleship
Empire of the Blazing Sun Sky Fortress
Bombers and Flying Craft
Monday, 8 November 2010
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Rules for Steam Vehicles in Saurian Safari
Here are some rules for using Steam Powered Ironclad Vehicles in Saurian Safari - now Sir and Ma'am dont' have to walk, and these new fangled contraptions can provide a means of rapidly getting back for tea!
Movement
Steam vehicles move at a speed of 1D6 per turn. They can move forwards and backwards at this speed but must stop for one turn before changing direction. Any number of turns of up to 45 degrees may also be made during each move at the cost of 1’’ of movement.
A steam vehicle may climb low hills or slopes but steep slopes are impassable. It can travel through any areas of vegetation including forest or jungle without penalty, clearing a path the width of the vehicle as it goes. A steam vehicle cannot cross swamps, marsh, rivers or soft sand. If it attempts to do so it will become permanently bogged down.
Crew and Armament
A steam vehicle has a carrying capacity of four plus one engineer. When travelling by vehicle, one party member must be allocated as engineer and may not use any firearms whilst at the controls, unless the vehicle is stationary. It takes one move to embark or disembark from a steam vehicle. The rules for restarting a stationary vehicle (p14) do not apply.
Vehicle mounted machine guns or light cannon are permitted but may not be removed from the vehicle at any time and require a gunner and a loader to be used. If mounted in a turret they will have a 360 degree arc of fire. To traverse the turret takes one move. Any vision ports in the machine may also be used as firing positions for a single figure with a 45 degree arc of fire and line of sight. When rolling to spot a dinosaur from within a steam vehicle, add a minus 10% modifier due to restricted visibililty.
Malfunctions
At the start of the movement phase, a D100 roll must be made to determine possible malfunctions of the steam vehicle. Only one malfunction can occur in any one turn, so do not roll for malfunction if one is already in effect. Apply effects as indicated on the following chart:
01 – 60% No malfunction, Full Steam Ahead!
61 – 65% Steering jammed (vehicle may not change direction for D6 turns)
66 – 70 % Gears jammed in reverse (vehicle will travel backwards at 1D6 per turn for D6 turns)
71 – 75 % Low Steam Pressure (vehicle grinds to a halt and will remain stationary for D6 turns)
76 – 80% Boiler Leak (crew must abandon vehicle for D6 turns until steam has dispersed)
81 – 85% Turret / Gun Jammed (may not fire or traverse for D6 turns until fixed by crew)
86 – 90% Track or Wheel Thrown (no movement other than a 45 degree turn in one direction)
91 – 95% Piston Valve Gasket Spring Reciprocator has broken (no movement for D6 turns until fixed by crew)
96 – 98% Safety Valve Jam (will blow up after D6 turns unless fixed by a crew on D6 roll of 5-6)
99 – 100% Boom! (roll a D6 for each of the crew: 1-2 Dead / 3-4 Wounded -1D6 strength / 5-6 thrown clear)
To fix a malfunction, one crew member must be tasked with the repair attempt but may not perform any other action during this time.
Dinosaur Encounters
The majority of creatures will ignore a steam vehicle as it looks a lot like a dinosaur.
However, carnivores and pack hunters will attempt to attack a steam machine as they assume it will taste nice (refer to the relevant reaction charts). These attacks will have no effect on the armoured plated exterior of the machine, although pack hunters will swarm all over it and any self respecting carnosaur will attempt to bite and chew bits off. After D6 turns, the dinosaurs will give up and wander off, unless they have already been KO’d or killed by the crew. The steam machine may attempt to crush pack hunters under its wheels or tracks with an automatic chance of success if the dinosaur is silly enough to stand directly in the vehicles path.
Any encounter with a Ceratopsian or Ankylosaur will have more serious consequences. Use the reaction charts to determine if the dinosaur attacks. If it does charge and makes contact, roll a D100, with a 50% chance of the steam vehicle being tipped over on its side. Any occupants will be unharmed but the vehicle will be immobilised and the turret and/or gun will be out of action. The dinosaur will then wander off allowing the crew to bale out via the escape hatch.
If a stampeding Sauropod happens to collide with a steam machine there will be a 75% chance of it tipping over. Other dinosaurs that collide with the vehicle will merely bounce off (and get a headache).
Many Thanks to Jim who posted these rules here:
http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2010/02/rules-for-steam-vehicles-in-saurian.html
Movement
Steam vehicles move at a speed of 1D6 per turn. They can move forwards and backwards at this speed but must stop for one turn before changing direction. Any number of turns of up to 45 degrees may also be made during each move at the cost of 1’’ of movement.
A steam vehicle may climb low hills or slopes but steep slopes are impassable. It can travel through any areas of vegetation including forest or jungle without penalty, clearing a path the width of the vehicle as it goes. A steam vehicle cannot cross swamps, marsh, rivers or soft sand. If it attempts to do so it will become permanently bogged down.
Crew and Armament
A steam vehicle has a carrying capacity of four plus one engineer. When travelling by vehicle, one party member must be allocated as engineer and may not use any firearms whilst at the controls, unless the vehicle is stationary. It takes one move to embark or disembark from a steam vehicle. The rules for restarting a stationary vehicle (p14) do not apply.
Vehicle mounted machine guns or light cannon are permitted but may not be removed from the vehicle at any time and require a gunner and a loader to be used. If mounted in a turret they will have a 360 degree arc of fire. To traverse the turret takes one move. Any vision ports in the machine may also be used as firing positions for a single figure with a 45 degree arc of fire and line of sight. When rolling to spot a dinosaur from within a steam vehicle, add a minus 10% modifier due to restricted visibililty.
Malfunctions
At the start of the movement phase, a D100 roll must be made to determine possible malfunctions of the steam vehicle. Only one malfunction can occur in any one turn, so do not roll for malfunction if one is already in effect. Apply effects as indicated on the following chart:
01 – 60% No malfunction, Full Steam Ahead!
61 – 65% Steering jammed (vehicle may not change direction for D6 turns)
66 – 70 % Gears jammed in reverse (vehicle will travel backwards at 1D6 per turn for D6 turns)
71 – 75 % Low Steam Pressure (vehicle grinds to a halt and will remain stationary for D6 turns)
76 – 80% Boiler Leak (crew must abandon vehicle for D6 turns until steam has dispersed)
81 – 85% Turret / Gun Jammed (may not fire or traverse for D6 turns until fixed by crew)
86 – 90% Track or Wheel Thrown (no movement other than a 45 degree turn in one direction)
91 – 95% Piston Valve Gasket Spring Reciprocator has broken (no movement for D6 turns until fixed by crew)
96 – 98% Safety Valve Jam (will blow up after D6 turns unless fixed by a crew on D6 roll of 5-6)
99 – 100% Boom! (roll a D6 for each of the crew: 1-2 Dead / 3-4 Wounded -1D6 strength / 5-6 thrown clear)
To fix a malfunction, one crew member must be tasked with the repair attempt but may not perform any other action during this time.
Dinosaur Encounters
The majority of creatures will ignore a steam vehicle as it looks a lot like a dinosaur.
However, carnivores and pack hunters will attempt to attack a steam machine as they assume it will taste nice (refer to the relevant reaction charts). These attacks will have no effect on the armoured plated exterior of the machine, although pack hunters will swarm all over it and any self respecting carnosaur will attempt to bite and chew bits off. After D6 turns, the dinosaurs will give up and wander off, unless they have already been KO’d or killed by the crew. The steam machine may attempt to crush pack hunters under its wheels or tracks with an automatic chance of success if the dinosaur is silly enough to stand directly in the vehicles path.
Any encounter with a Ceratopsian or Ankylosaur will have more serious consequences. Use the reaction charts to determine if the dinosaur attacks. If it does charge and makes contact, roll a D100, with a 50% chance of the steam vehicle being tipped over on its side. Any occupants will be unharmed but the vehicle will be immobilised and the turret and/or gun will be out of action. The dinosaur will then wander off allowing the crew to bale out via the escape hatch.
If a stampeding Sauropod happens to collide with a steam machine there will be a 75% chance of it tipping over. Other dinosaurs that collide with the vehicle will merely bounce off (and get a headache).
Many Thanks to Jim who posted these rules here:
http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2010/02/rules-for-steam-vehicles-in-saurian.html
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
150,000 Hits!
I am humbled by your patronage and indebited to my fellow WWS contributors.
Open the gin!
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Dystopian Wars: More Previews
More sneak peaks at the forthcoming faction fleets, thanks to Neil at Spartan Games.
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Les Belges Advance...
More of Steve's new Belgian army is now available at his blog:
Great stuff old Bean!
Friday, 29 October 2010
WWS Exclusive: Belgians Go To War in Land Ironclads!
With a cry of "Remember Liège!!" the plucky Belgian army enters the fray against the nefarious French!
In these exclusive brand new pantographs we see the latest land ironclads from the Brigade factorium to released to interested buyers at the forthcoming arms show Crisis 2010 in Antwerp. They may not be the biggest, but by jove they'll give the pesky Frogs and rebellious Martians something to think about, eh what?
Marie Henriette class three land ironclad
Louise-Marie class four land ironclad
Charlotte-Ameilie class five land ironclad
By Tas: You can also see the Belgian infantry to accompany these LI at Mssr Blease's blog here:
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Dystopian Wars Mini Preview
Mark from "Conflict in Colour" has very kindly sent me these pics of new minis from Spartan Games's Dystopian Wars. These are the British Carrier and Japanese Battleship, which he painted. Good show old bean!
Neil from Spartan Games also informs me that these are pre-release models, which means they are made from sample resin, and not release quality. Yes, that means the ones we will be able to buy will be even better!
Neil from Spartan Games also informs me that these are pre-release models, which means they are made from sample resin, and not release quality. Yes, that means the ones we will be able to buy will be even better!
Kingdom of Britannia Carrier
Empire of the Blazing Sun Battleship
Friday, 22 October 2010
Dinoriders now available from Eureka Miniatures
Definitely more pulp than VSF, but I want to spread the word for Nic at Eureka Miniatures. Plus you could convert them to Prussian Dinotruppen for service on Venus too! These are the figs I had the pleasure using during the Jurassic Reich game at Little Wars back in May - great fun!
More pics at the Man Cave here:
http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2010/06/jurassic-reich-detailed-report.html
---------
Dateline - February 1943: the American push into North Africa is met with stiff opposition from Rommel's combat-hardened Afrika Korps. The official histories will tell of great numbers of inexperienced American troops fleeing Rommel’s panzers at Kasserine Pass, but those who were there know it took more than just a few tanks to strike such terror into the minds of so many young American soldiers. The truth was that they had to face a new horror - from another time. Squadrons of flying creatures - Pterodactyls! - armed with anti-tank weapons and bombs, had swooped down and relentlessly pursued the shocked Americans into the Atlas Mountains.
The Allied generals and their political masters were stunned. Where had these creatures come from? Stalin suspected an Anglo-American plot to deceive him created by those “degenerate capitalist tricksters in Hollywood”. Others simply refused to believe it. General Patton dismissed the Pterodactyls as the “Delusional rantings of a load of yellow bellies who need a good slapping!” - until two Pterodactyls strafed his car near Djedjelli. But in London the news struck a chord with British Intelligence who had been gradually piecing together the strange story of an ancient seven-sided archway (dubbed the 'Anubis Gate' because of the hieroglyphics that adorned it) that Napoleon's troops had uncovered in Egypt in 1801. Defying interpretation for almost a century and a half, the artifact had remained, almost forgotten, in a basement of the Louvre Museum. But within hours of the fall of Paris in 1940 a team from Himmler’s Ahnenerbe (the Nazi Occult Bureau) had arrived with a truck and they took the 'Anubis Gate' off to a secret location in Germany.
Sometime during 1941 the Nazis discovered that when ‘energised’ the artifact became a time portal to the prehistoric past. They sent through armed expeditions looking for ancestral Aryan supermen, but they returned with captured dinosaurs. Keen to explore the possibilities further, expeditions were sent to establish research and training facilities back on Cretaceous earth (and thus safe from Allied bombing). By the end of 1942 the Nazis had trained a number of units: the Kriegsclaws – Dinonicus (deinonychus) mounted SS cavalry; and the Pterowaffen – pterodactyls deployed as air defence fighters or in ground attack roles.
After their successful introduction in Africa, Hitler ordered the deployment of dinotruppen across Europe – on the Eastern Front (forcing even Stalin to acknowledge their existence), in the Balkans, along the coastline of Normandy, and in the defence of the Italian peninsula. The mountainous Balkans and the trackless wastes of the Russian steppes and forests became excellent hunting grounds for the Kriegsclaw; in fact wherever the terrain was impassable for vehicles or the distances so great that fuel supplies were an issue – these agile creatures were in their element. Principally used for screening and reconnaissance roles, the Kriegsclaw were occasionally used offensively to assault an enemy's flanks (as in the Kursk encirclement) or to cover infantry withdrawals. Nazi Germany had harnessed the greatest primeval forces the world has known - it was the dawn of Jurassic Reich …
Designed by Kosta Heristanidis and Mike Broadbent, these figures are part of our Pulpiations “pulp fiction” range and can be used alongside our “Dogface GI’s” or any number of 28mm World War Two ranges that are out there. Colour schemes are optional. We are looking forward to the heated internet forum debates over the correct camouflage colours to use, and telling us that the number of teeth we’ve given the Dinonicus is more appropriate to an Ausf C rather than an Ausf D.
http://eurekamin.com.au/news.php?newsid=EklZEuEuFATWHHLjGs
More pics at the Man Cave here:
http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2010/06/jurassic-reich-detailed-report.html
---------
The Allied generals and their political masters were stunned. Where had these creatures come from? Stalin suspected an Anglo-American plot to deceive him created by those “degenerate capitalist tricksters in Hollywood”. Others simply refused to believe it. General Patton dismissed the Pterodactyls as the “Delusional rantings of a load of yellow bellies who need a good slapping!” - until two Pterodactyls strafed his car near Djedjelli. But in London the news struck a chord with British Intelligence who had been gradually piecing together the strange story of an ancient seven-sided archway (dubbed the 'Anubis Gate' because of the hieroglyphics that adorned it) that Napoleon's troops had uncovered in Egypt in 1801. Defying interpretation for almost a century and a half, the artifact had remained, almost forgotten, in a basement of the Louvre Museum. But within hours of the fall of Paris in 1940 a team from Himmler’s Ahnenerbe (the Nazi Occult Bureau) had arrived with a truck and they took the 'Anubis Gate' off to a secret location in Germany.
Sometime during 1941 the Nazis discovered that when ‘energised’ the artifact became a time portal to the prehistoric past. They sent through armed expeditions looking for ancestral Aryan supermen, but they returned with captured dinosaurs. Keen to explore the possibilities further, expeditions were sent to establish research and training facilities back on Cretaceous earth (and thus safe from Allied bombing). By the end of 1942 the Nazis had trained a number of units: the Kriegsclaws – Dinonicus (deinonychus) mounted SS cavalry; and the Pterowaffen – pterodactyls deployed as air defence fighters or in ground attack roles.
After their successful introduction in Africa, Hitler ordered the deployment of dinotruppen across Europe – on the Eastern Front (forcing even Stalin to acknowledge their existence), in the Balkans, along the coastline of Normandy, and in the defence of the Italian peninsula. The mountainous Balkans and the trackless wastes of the Russian steppes and forests became excellent hunting grounds for the Kriegsclaw; in fact wherever the terrain was impassable for vehicles or the distances so great that fuel supplies were an issue – these agile creatures were in their element. Principally used for screening and reconnaissance roles, the Kriegsclaw were occasionally used offensively to assault an enemy's flanks (as in the Kursk encirclement) or to cover infantry withdrawals. Nazi Germany had harnessed the greatest primeval forces the world has known - it was the dawn of Jurassic Reich …
Designed by Kosta Heristanidis and Mike Broadbent, these figures are part of our Pulpiations “pulp fiction” range and can be used alongside our “Dogface GI’s” or any number of 28mm World War Two ranges that are out there. Colour schemes are optional. We are looking forward to the heated internet forum debates over the correct camouflage colours to use, and telling us that the number of teeth we’ve given the Dinonicus is more appropriate to an Ausf C rather than an Ausf D.
http://eurekamin.com.au/news.php?newsid=EklZEuEuFATWHHLjGs
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Leviathans Update
I must admit its been awhile since I revisited this one, so I was delighted to find a new, free offering for this game: The Channel Campaign. This is a good read and has lots of potential for Aeronef too of course. Find it here:
http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=219&products_id=2594
You might also be interested in the latest interview with Catalyst Game Labs by Beasts of War, which they recorded at GenCon and discusses both Battletech and Leviathans.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
15mm Figures For America's Splendid Little War
From Sculptor/Modeler/Author Chris Ferree, returns his original line of figures for the Spanish-American War in 15mm. First produced by Richard Houston over 10 years ago as part of the innovative "Battles In A Box" miniatures collections, the full line is once again available exclusively from TVAG.
Masterfully cast by Tom Dye of GFI/MiniFigs USA, the figures come from newly mastered molds and are as crisp and full of character as ever.
"Rough Riders!" consists of all troop types actually sent to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands by the United States, and as they fought the defending Spanish forces. The Spanish are themselves well represented by the troops (as defined by recognizable uniform types) defending the last outposts of their former Empire.
And as combat with the Spanish ended, new foes appeared. Of these, the most colorful and exotic were Spain's perenial Philippine enemies, the Moros. "Rough Riders!" provides these fanatical warriors and their lethal weapons in spades.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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/
http://haarken.blogspot.com/
Monday, 18 October 2010
Dystopian Wars
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!
Sunday, 17 October 2010
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!
Friday, 15 October 2010
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!
Blog dedicated to these splendid new rules and other items of interest:
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!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11530905
Bravo and thanks to DC for the heads-up!
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