MINI WARGAMING: "Sci-fi Rules Preview Draft Up" (3 December 2007)

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TOP: Laser Tank, an oldie but a goodie from 1980!

Hi All,

Well, I posted a draft on my small scale rules review over at the 6mm Science Fiction War Games Yahoo Discussion E-group. So, you can take a gander at it and hopefully let me know what you think.

I added in a few new blocks due to suggestions such as:

Mini type: Metal, resin, plastic or other.
Ground scale: What the ground scale is supposed to represent.
Time scale: How much time each turn represents.

And here's a new sample entry:

Name: Laser Tank
Genre: Sci-fi ground combat
Future level: Far future (space opera)
Org. level: Company skirmish
Universe: Traveller RPG

Rules Data:

Game Type: Board game
Complexity: 2 to 3

Unit Types:

Infantry: YES
Vehicles: YES
Mecha: NO
Flyers: YES

Miniatures Data:

Mini line: NO
Mini type: N/A
Mini scale: N/A
Ground scale: 1cm=1m (skirmish play), 1mm=1m (maneuver play)
Time scale: 30 seconds / turn
Status: N/A

Minis Internet Link:
N/A

Publishing Data:

Manufacturer: Judges Guild
Date: 1980
Status: (Out Of Production)
Rarity: Rare

Brief Description:
None.

Rules Internet Link:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/7776

One of the reasons I posted this was to look for constructive feedback...

*** Do you have any suggestions or advice of details you'd like to see in each rule set's entry? Any other ideas? ***

If you do have advice or suggestions, please post them at the my blog in the comments section or at the 6mm Science Fiction War Games Yahoo Discussion E-group.

Link here:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/6mmScienceFictionWarGames/

Have a great Monday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "6mm - 10mm Sci-fi Rules Preview" (27 November 2007)

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TOP: Striker II, one of the classic Traveller mini rulesets.

Hi All,

Gamers are funny breed... they tend to get very obsessed with their particular gaming interest whether it be board games, miniatures games, RPGs or otherwise. They'll obsessively learn everything they can about their gaming niche interest and "collect"everything they can. And I wish I could say that I was different, but I'm NOT. I love my niches and collect everything I can related to them whether it be 6mm sci-fi, 10mm sci-fi, AIW, modern missile boats, my 28mm undead collection, or anything else that interests me.

And 6mm sci-fi rulesets are one of my niches!

TOP: Dirtside II, one of the classic 6mm sci-fi rulesets...

...that first laid claws into me.

Just a few weeks ago, another gamer, Edmund Proctor, came out with a rules review that prompted me to work on my own overview of small scale (6mm to 10mm) sci-fi rulsesets from the 1970s onward. So I pulled out my notes and began to work on rules reviews again...

You can see my link back to Edmund's site here:
http://6mm-minis.blogspot.com/2007/11/mini-wargaming-cool-6mm-sci-fi-intro-15.html

TOP: A lesser known 6mm sci-fi ruleset, Micro Sci-Fi.

And as I worked on my rules reviews, I came to the realization that there are far more than had previously ocurred to me... I'm still not done and I've already come up with SEVENTY-SIX (76) entries! When I'm done with the document, I'll be posting it at the 6mm Science Fiction War Games Yahoo Discussion E-group, of which I'll post a link below. Until then, I'll post a preview of my work here. Here's a sample entry:

Name: Command Horizon
Genre: Sci-fi ground combat
Future level: Far future (space opera)
Org. level: Battalion battle
Universe: Command Horizon (Space Worms)

Rules Data:
Game Type: Miniatures game
Complexity: 2 to 3 (Streamlined to average complexity)

Unit Types:
Infantry: YES
Vehicles: YES
Mecha: YES
Flyers: YES

Miniatures Data:
Mini line: YES
Mini scale: 6mm
Status: (In production – for sale)
Minis Internet Link:
http://commandhorizon.com/

Publishing Data:
Manufacturer: Baccus (...formerly Gladiator Games)
Date: 2007
Status: (In Print – For Sale)
Rarity: N/A

Brief Description:
Gladiator Games came out with a great 6mm sci-fi miniatures line in the early 2000;s, but could never get out a rule set to accompany the line. In 2007, Gladiator Games sold the line to Baccus who developed a rule set for the game, which has since been available. Command Horizon (CH) is a battalion level sci-fi ground battle game designed to be quick-playing.

Rules Internet Link:
http://commandhorizon.com/

And here's a working list of game rules:

AD2222
The AD Wars
Adeptus Titanicus (1rst edition)
Adeptus Titanicus II (2nd edition)
Aeronautica Imperialis
Aerotech
ALA Firefight - Urban Conflict in the Ion Age
Alien Squadleader (ASQL)
The Battle For Armageddon
Battledroids
Battletech
Bommas Over Da Sulpha River
CAV
CAV II
Centurion (Renegade Legion)
Cold War Commander (sci-fi)
Combat Commander
Combots
Command Horizon
Dark Realm
Miniatures Rules
Days of Empire (DOE)
Dirtside I
Dirtside II
The Doom of the Eldar
Epic-40k
Epic-Armageddon
Exodus Wars
FFT Sci-fi
Flagship Games Sci-fi Microarmor Rules
GEV
Giant Monster Rampage (GMR)
Grav Tanks
GROPOS
Hammer’s Slammers
Heavy Gear Blitz!
Heavy Gear Tactical
Hellfire
Helltank
Helltank Destroyer
Horus Heresy
HOTT
Industrial Gothic
Iron Cow 2103
Iron Hawk
Laser Tank
MAATAC
Macross Minis
Mecha!
Mecha! Spirit Warrior Empire
Mechwarrior: The Dark Age (MWDA)
Meck Wars
The Mek Wars: Destroid Wars
Mekton
Micro Sci-Fi
Monster Island: The Game of Giant Monster Combat
Moon Dragon
Net-Epic
OGRE
Outpost Gamma
Princess Ryan’s Space Marines
Prophecy Of War
Renegade Legion
RIVETs
Ronin
Ronin Wars
Silent Death: The Next Millenium
Space Marine (1rst edition)
Space Marine (2nd edition)
Starship Troopers
Star Siege: Rebellion
Steel Crush
Steel Rain
Striker I
Striker II
Striker III
Titan Legions
Universal War
Warbots & Death Machines

And one of the reasons I posted this was to look for constructive feedback...

*** Do you have any suggestions or advice of details you'd like to see in each ruleset's entry? Any other ideas? ***

If you do have advice or suggestions, please post them at the my blog in the comments section or at the 6mm Science Fiction War Games Yahoo Discussion E-group.

Link here:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/6mmScienceFictionWarGames/

Have a great Tuesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Update (2 December 2007 at roughly 3:00pm):
I corrected a few typos and added a title or two to the list.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "Pendraken 10mm Sci-fi Teaser Shots" (29 October 2007)

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TOP: Pendraken's 10mm Sci-fi line:

SF-23 Medium Warrior Creatures

Hi All,

One of the shortcomings of most miniatures sites is that many of them fail to provide photos of their product, not just good or clear photos, but ANY photos at all! It's one of those quirks of the miniatures industry that so few companies advertise or provide photos of their product. To a large degree, fans have been forced to slowly provide product photos for themselves since only a few of the most responsive companies have been remedying this quirk of the industry. I am pleased to report that many if not most of the newer miniatures companies are avoiding this shortcoming. Many of the old dogs however, have yet to learn this new trick.

Pendraken, while being a company with a reputation for good service, hasn't always been great with providing product photos, although they are working on it as Germy and I have chatted about before. Germy works quite a bit with Pendraken and probably still runs their web site.

Here are the product photos for selections from Pendraken's 10mm sci-fi line:

TOP: SF-5 Egg Cluster

TOP: SF-11 Queen Creature

TOP: SF-12 Medium Creature: Pose #1

TOP: SF-13 Small Creature: Pose #1
TOP: SF-18 Medium Creature: Pose #2
TOP: SF-19 Medium Creature: Pose #3

TOP: SF-22 Face Hugs Only
TOP: SF-29 Large Flamer Bug
TOP: SF-30 Large Jawed Attack Bugs

TOP: SF-31 Small Runner Bugs

And many thanks to Mark Cougar Jensen who not only took these fine photos, but volunteered to share them. All I have to say is that I owe him a big vote of thanks and I'm severely tempted to take a trip to Denmark just to meet and game with all the great gamers I've met from there.

Some cool stand-alone shots of Pendraken's 10mm sci-fi line. Link here:

http://www.twins4ever.dk/cougarscorner/index.php?showforum=77

Comparison shots of Pendraken's 10mm sci-fi line versus various 15mm sci-fi lines. Link here:

http://www.twins4ever.dk/cougarscorner/index.php?showforum=78

A link to my gallery featuring other selections from Pendraken's 10mm sci-fi line. Link here:

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/Maksim-Smelchak/10mm%20Sci-fi%20Minis/10mm%20Pendraken%20Sci-fi/

A link to Pendraken's web site:

http://www.pendraken.co.uk/

Germy's web site:

http://www.germy.co.uk/

A link back to the TMP thread where these photos were first shared:

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=123864

Have a great Monday!

Shalom,

Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "10mm Sci-fi Hoversled Cavalry: Charge!" (24 October 2007)

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TOP: A 10mm sci-fi GFI Minifigs Hoverled Cavalry MICV charges on the attack!

Hi All,

Some of the new 10mm sci-fi Near Future range from GFI Minifigs are less futuristic looking while others have a definite high-tech look. The Hoversled Cavalry vehicle look has a "Back To the Future" look about that makes me want to say "McFly!" Tom Dye sent me a few teaser pics to share on the blog with a note that his friend Ted has been behind this project.

TOP: A Hoverled Cavalry MICV slowing down to deploy Shock Troops.

The lack of a ground effect vehicle hoverskirt ought to make the critics of that kind of vehicle happy (Hear me, Matthew?) and the vehicle's traditional lines should appeal to an existing generation of gearheads as well as the guys who miss Renegade Legion: Centurion. Tom or Ted, for that matter, didn't explain how this hoversled works, but I would imagine that the "wheel-looking thingies" (technical term, of course) on the side of the vehicle's hull are really hover jets of some sort... at least that's how it worked for "McFly." I like it, at any rate.

If you're interested in 10mm sci-fi, I always recommend this excellent discussion group:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/10mm_SFWG/

And the site for GFI Minifigs can be found here:
http://www.minifigs.com/

The GFI Minifigs line includes classic 25mm fantasy, 15mm, and 10mm of every genre from ancients to moderns with just about everything inbetween.

Have a great Wednesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "Even More 10mm Sci-fi!" (23 October 2007)

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TOP: The twenty-first century M-2163 "Stiletto" MICV!

Hi All,

While writing someone about new and upcoming sci-fi releases, Tom Dye of GFI / Minifigs contacted me about his new and upcoming line, which looks pretty cool. Tom Dye has also written about some other new releases that may soon be available for his line and I hope to feature new photos as they become available. However, enough of my blathering, check out the good stuff below:

GFI/Minifigs New “Near Future” Range

The year is 2050 and technology has far outstripped the world's economy. Even the superpowers can no longer afford to design new weapons systems from the ground up. Yet, nation's leaders strive to find ways to best utilize the new technologies by updating old and existing weapons systems.

This is the vision behind GFI/Minifigs new range of "Near Future," N scale, wargaming line. We have been kit bashing at the shop for our own Near Future factions. This world allows fellow gamers the flexibility to also kit bash and create their own vehicles to meet their mind's eye images of what warfare might look like in 2050, the Near Future!

Using modern vehicles and equipment as a foundation is not without historical basis. The US steel pot soldiered on for nearly 45 years; the M-60 for over 30; the T-55 is still soldering on in many third world countries for over 50 years! 2050 is only 43 short years away!

As we all know, a new M1A1 Abrams goes for over a million dollars a copy! As new technology in regards to main weapons systems, proportion systems, electronics and personal protection occur, the price tag goes up. What has become obsolete in major armies becomes a vast improvement for third world nations! With "new" and improved capabilities to wage war with, the burning desire to use this new equipment will be a compulsion for many!

TOP: Shock Troops with advanced body armor and full infantry support rigs.

Our initial releases will consist of Shock Infantry. These soldiers have a laptop (The M-21) on the back of their exosuit. This system can receive communications and program "smart rounds" by simply having the soldier center the pipper on his heads-up display and pressing a button on the grip of his weapon. In nanoseconds, a target solution is transmitted to the next round in the weapon's chamber and is ready for the soldier to squeeze it off!

The platoon leader remains in his command vehicle and directs the assault or defense based upon real-time camera feedback from each of his men, coupled with the latest in aerial and satellite technology.

The exosuit protects the soldier from his environment. It will protect from heat, cold, rain, snow and hot chemical/biological threats. There is even talk of a "chameleon" version that will change the color of the man to exactly match that of his surrounding environment, all by itself thanks to the M-21 micro computer on his back!

With all this enhanced capability, War Planners feel that just a platoon of 36 of these new Shock Infantry would be the equivalent of a Battalion of "leg" infantry! This helps with War Planning since a huge savings in equipment and personnel can be realized over the deployment of a traditional battalion.

TOP: The M-2163 "Stiletto" deploying Shock Troops.

The M-2163 "Stiletto" is an upgraded British Warrior with a Lav-25 turret. The tracks have been replaced by six sets of run flat dual tires with self-sensing shocks. This configuration has proved to be faster and quieter than the previously tracked variant. Room for up to six Shock Infantry troopers is provided. The Stiletto relies upon its speed and quiet running to dart into enemy operating areas and conduct special ops missions, nearly unnoticed by the enemy! Variants are expected to be revealed, soon.

There is also the rumor of the M-1B-6. The classic Abrams of the early years of 2000 that has been retrofitted with a rail gun, capable of destroying up to 12 inches of homogeneous armor at 5 miles, with a single hyper-velocity plastic jacketed plutonium sabot round. The gun is capable of firing faster than it can acquire targets! (This is reported to be the fastest known to date!)

We, at GFI / Minifigs, hope you enjoy this vision of gaming conflicts of the Near Future, in N scale. We have a LOT more to come!

Best,
Tom DyeGFI/Minifigs.

Looks good! Tom later wrote me with this information:

Hi Maksim,

Attached, please find a word document with pictures embedded. It is what will appear on our site later today. I thank you very much, Maksim! We are also working on the ability to show others work; hold competitions and vote on best conversions on the site, with prizes! More as we can make it happen!

Right now, all we have ready are the Shock Infantry (besides our regular range of moderns).

Product #1250-0001 Shock Infantry
x36 assorted (...about 16 different poses)
...for only $6.95 USD a pack.

...SAME as our historical N scale offerings!

Thanks, again!

Best,
Tom Dye of GFI / Minifigs.

And I can't wait to see how the figures look in person. And you're very welcome, Tom!

If you're interested in 10mm sci-fi, I always recommend this excellent discussion group:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/10mm_SFWG/

And the site for GFI Minifigs can be found here:
http://www.minifigs.com/

The GFI Minifigs line includes classic 25mm fantasy, 15mm, and 10mm of every genre from ancients to moderns with just about everything inbetween.

Have a great Tuesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "10mm Sci-fi Mini Pics From BSG!"

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TOP: The awesome Black Skull Games demo table from Gen Con 2007!

Blue human Terror Troopers appear to be staging a raid...

Against a Martian complex from a tunneler!

Hi All,

As a 10mm sci-fi miniatures game fan, I'm always interested in the appearance of new product lines and the new sci-fi game "Universal War" from Black Skull Games (BSG) certainly caught my interest. Like many others, I quickly checked out the BSG web site and was disappointed to find no actual photographs of the minis. The only photos I found were taken of the booth from a distance, hardly close enough to get a good look at a 10mm sci-fi mini. I was disappointed, but more to the point, curious as to what the little beasties actually looked like.

So, I thought I'd check out the customer service of BSG and shot them off a few E-mails asking questions about the game and requesting some photographs. And, sure as serendipity, BSG responded within a day or so and was kind enough to give me permission to post the photographs they shared... much more impressive! And the minis are good, clean sculpts too!

So, enough of my blathering and out with the photos:

TOP: Martian Invaders are green & the human defenders are blue.

TOP: Martian Invader Miniatures (left) & a Mutant Giant (right).

The scale is good for 10mm... few SCALE PURISTS could complain.

TOP: Martian Invaders are the elite shock troops of the militant Martian race and...

They stand at the forefront of all planetary invasions.

The Martian Invaders stand half a foot taller than the average human and...

Are superior to them in strength and agility.

They adorn themselves in advanced Techno-Armor and...

Carry powerful energy rifles.

TOP: Left - Human Terror Trooper Defender.

Center - Martian Mutant Giant.

Right - Martian Invader Trooper.

You can check out the Black Skull Games web site here:

http://www.blackskullgames.com/

Here's the game teaser that BSG has up at their web site about their new game "Universal War":

Universal War

"The Universe is locked in eternal war. Amidst the uncounted galaxies of space, a million races struggle to survive a conflict that has raged since the dawn of creation. The young race of man, recently ascended from the primordial ooze of Earth, is just the latest to learn of his impeding doom.”

Have you ever watched a science fiction movie thick with dramatic battle scenes and wished that you could step in and control the action? Wished you could command your own termination machines, armored storm troopers, or slime-covered aliens. If so, then behold, for the means to do so is here before you now, within the pages of this book.

Welcome to Universal War, a 10MM-1/180th scale, mass-combat, science fiction, miniatures war game. It allows players to lead fantastical armies amidst the unlimited planetary war zones of the far future and compete with one another for supreme control over all the fictional worlds ever made popular by novels, comic books, toys, television, and the cinema. Universal War allows its players to build and battle any army they can dream up. There are no limitations and no forbidden ideas, so summon your chosen legions and let the battles begin.

The game looks promising, a sort of minimalist GURPS-like universal miniatures rules system. The game appears to be played on a standard one-inch square grid, which should greatly simplify game movement. When I get a chance to do an in-depth review of the rules, I'll be sure to share it here.

If you're interested in 10mm sci-fi, please check out this excellent discussion group:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/10mm_SFWG/

Have a great Sunday!

Shalom,

Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "Spaceman Spiff & 10mm Sci-fi Resources!" (12 October 2007)

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TOP: Spaceman Spiff's beautiful 10mm MWDA Marauder mod.

Hi All,

If you know me and are a miniatures gamer, you probably associate my name with the 6mm scale... it's the one I go most crazy over... don't ask my why! I just like little pieces. However, I've never limited myself to just 6mm and about a year or two ago I decided that my hobby project for the year would be to build a Star Wars Battle of Hoth army set... I had wanted to do it in 6mm, but I simply couldn't find the pieces I needed on I kept on searching. And eventually I found all of the pieces I needed ...only in 10mm scale! And that's what got me into 10mm sci-fi!
If you'd like to see some photos of my 10mm Star Wars Battle of Hoth army set, you can find some of them here:
http://6mm-minis.blogspot.com/search/label/10mm%20Sci-fi

And 10mm sci-fi is a very up and coming scale. While 10mm is the stated scale, everything from 8mm to 12mm including 1/144 and N scale RR trains are often included as acceptable variations within the greater "scale creep" realm of 10mm.

And one of my favorite sources of inspiration for 10mm is a gamer named Spaceman Spiff who is not only incredibly productive, constantly posting new photos of his minis, but he's also incredibly creative - modifying model kits, scratch-building pieces, and coming up with some breathtaking models. This post is a salute to him, more or less! Huzzah, Spaceman Spiff!

TOP: A Battletech Slayer aerospace fighter by Spaceman Spiff!

Please check out all of Spaceman Spiff's images here:
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/4370spaceman-spiff/?mediafilter=all

Spaceman Spiff also keeps many images here at Lords Of the Battlefield (LOTB):
http://www.lordsofthebattlefield.com/news/weblog.php

TOP: Spaceman Spiff's scratch-built parts for a 10mm Urbanmech!

TOP: The Urbanmech begins to come together!

I wouldn't be writing a Maksim-Smelchak post if I didn't share a few links either so here are a few of my favorite links that I think of when 10mm sci-fi comes to mind. The first link I wanted to share was one to the Yahoo E-group I created to support 10mm sci-fi gaming and the second is for one of my favorite sci-fi games.

Alien Squadleader (ASQL) is a wonderful sci-fi game, with similarities to DBA, DBM, HOTT, Command Horizon and other games with more streamlined, fast-moving rule sets. The author, Alex Self, is a real mensch and runs his own Yahoo E-group for the game, where the on-line community is very helpful and Alex often personally helps out ASQL newbies ...like myself! While Alex and most of the gamers use 15mm sci-fi themed figures, I've chosen to use 10mm sci-fi figures, partially because another local gamer, Aron Clark, already has several armies made of recycled MWDA figures that are already 10mm scale. Add those to my Hoth set and throw in some of the other armies I have on the project queue and I'm set as a 10mm sci-fi ASQL player! Huzzah! There are also a couple of other local players building ASQL armies plus an established league in San Jose so I might actually get a few games out of this project!

And one the best resources for an interested 10mm sci-fi player is the 10mm Sci-fi Yahoo E-group I put together... it's a growing resource:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/10mm_SFWG/

And one of my favorite sci-fi games is Alien Squadleader (ASQL):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aliensquadleader/

Have a great Friday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: New 10mm Sci-fi Producer: Black Skull Games!

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TOP: There's a new 10mm sci-fi company...

...Black Skull Games.

No official logo ready for public distribution yet.

Hi All,

It's recently come to my attention that a new 10mm sci-fi company is about to come to market... Black Skull Games (BSG)! According to one GenCon 2007 attendee, BSG had a booth and has announced that they will be selling miniatures and rule book in the next few weeks through their web site.

TMP members discussed it here:
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=117595

And one gentleman, Carlos, was kind enough to take a photograph of the BSG booth at GenCon 2007 and be kind enough to allow me to feature his photograph here at 6mm-Minis. You can find his Gencon 2007 photos here:
http://flickr.com/photos/8365266@N05/1243892710/

Thanks Carlos!

TOP: The Black Skull Games booth at GenCon 2007.

The web site is very much a work in progress, and you can find it here:
http://www.blackskullgames.com/

Here's what a fellow at TMP said about Black Skull Games:

I do happen to work for Black Skull Games. Let me try to answer a few of your questions about Universal War. As I mentioned already, the scale is 10mm and all of the miniatures are created from a metal alloy. It is a d10 system, where all modifiers are added or subtracted from the result of a d10 roll. Play occurs on a subdued grid system (...each grid square is 1" x 1"), but has the option to be played without a grid. Each player begins play with a point allotment to build the army they wish to field. The player determines how fast each model moves, how many weapons it has, how powerful the weapons are, what special abilities they have (i.e acid blood), etc.

The game includes a story line where a vast army of Martian Invaders has occupied Earth and a force of genetically enhanced humans called Terror Troopers have just left their secret tunnels to counterattack. The story provides a series of illustrations and unit statistics to start players off, but the true goal of the game is to allow players to play the armies and story lines near and dear to their hearts, be it a certain science fiction book or movie's background.

I do not have any pictures to post, but some will be posted on the website in the next week or so. The model line will initially offer Martian Invader infantry, Terror Trooper infantry, and Mutant Giants. Other races and armored vehicles are on the way. The game is very flexible, allowing units from other games to be recreated and inserted.

Check out Blackskullgames.com web site in about a week or so to get the low down.

Here's what BSG has up about their new game "Universal War" at their in-progress web site:

Universal War

“The Universe is locked in eternal war. Amidst the uncounted galaxies of space, a million races struggle to survive a conflict that has raged since the dawn of creation. The young race of man, recently ascended from the primordial ooze of Earth, is just the latest to learn of his impeding doom.”

Have you ever watched a science fiction movie thick with dramatic battle scenes and wished that you could step in and control the action? Wished you could command your own termination machines, armored storm troopers, or slime-covered aliens. If so, then behold, for the means to do so is here before you now, within the pages of this book.

Welcome to Universal War, a 10MM-1/180th scale, mass-combat, science fiction, miniatures war game. It allows players to lead fantastical armies amidst the unlimited planetary war zones of the far future and compete with one another for supreme control over all the fictional worlds ever made popular by novels, comic books, toys, television, and the cinema. Universal War allows its players to build and battle any army they can dream up. There are no limitations and no forbidden ideas, so summon your chosen legions and let the battles begin.

The game looks promising... a sort of GURPS-like universal minis system... much like what I previously worked on with my "Planetfall" project and what others are also working on such as Mark "Extra Crispy" Severin.

If you're interested in 10mm sci-fi, please check out this excellent discussion group:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/10mm_SFWG/

And Mark "Extra Crispy" Severin is also developing a small scale sci-fi minis game called "Steel Crush" here that is well worth checking out:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SteelCrush/

In other related news, Mongoose Publishing is developing their 10mm Babylon-5 GROPOS 10mm sci-fi game, which will hopefully come out soon. They own the master molds to the now defunct Agents of Gaming GROPOS miniatures.

Have a great Wednesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

GAMING NEWS: Planetfall Hoth Photos Posted from 10-17-2005 Playtest Game

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Hi Everyone,

I just posted some photos of one of my recent "Planetfall" playtest games in folders named: "Planetfall Hoth Playtest Game 10-17-2005"

On the two following E-groups:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Planetfall-TGUSFMWE/

And:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/SSSW/

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A short description of each E-group:

SSSW (Small Scale Star Wars) Wargaming:
- This group supports Star Wars miniatures gamers using pieces smaller than 25mm (The normal SWMB miniatures scale) including small scale starships and stub fighters, Micro Machines figures, 10mm AMT/ERTL/MPC Action Scene figures, 6mm sci-fi proxy figures and others. Several of the group's members are also designing their own rulesets so the list also functions as a playtesting house for them.

Planetfall-TGUSFMWE - Planetfall Support Group:
- Purpose: This group supports fans of "Planetfall - The Generic Universal Science Fiction Miniatures Wargame Engine."
- Game Description: "Planetfall" is a new set of generic gaming rules for ground combat using any science fiction background. The recommended figure scales are 6mm, 10mm and 15mm although the game mechanics will work in any scale. "Planetfall" is not a skirmish game and individually based infantry are not required, a common feature of squad-based skirmish games. "Planetfall" games are organized around squads grouped into companies up to battallion-strength task forces. Smaller or larger games can still be played, of course!
- Latest News: "Planetfall" is currently undergoing playtesting and development and is scheduled to come out in late 2005 or early 2006. "Planetfall" is a professional project.

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I played three playtest games that day with 3-5 players a side.

The Hoth gaming set I made is in 10mm scale with the following toy & miniatures pieces:

10mm REBEL SNOWSPEEDERs:
- Galoob Micro Machines & Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit
10mm REBEL ATGAR ANTI-VEHICLE BATTERY/s:
- Galoob Micro Machines & Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit
10mm REBEL GOLAN ARMS LASER TOWERs:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit
10mm REBEL INFANTRYMEN:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit

10mm REBEL TRENCHLINE PIECEs:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit kit-bashed by Maksim-Smelchak
10mm REBEL POWER GENERATORs:
- Custom-made by Clevella of San Francisco from bubblegum (Bubbletape) packaging
10mm REBEL BASE STRUCTUREs:
- Custom-made by Mark Carper of Sacramento from I-pod (mini-computer) packaging

10mm IMPERIAL AT-ATs:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit
10mm IMPERIAL AT-STs:
- Galoob Micro Machines
10mm IMPERIAL AT-PTs:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit
10mm IMPERIAL SNOWTROOPERS:
- Ertl/MPC Battle of Hoth diorama model kit

- The AT-ATs are based on 2"x4" bases that have custom diorama elements added by me (snow, ice and AT-AT foot prints).
- Most of the other pieces are based on fender washers that have a custom ice/snow diorama added.
- I used a combination of junk to build up snow piles, putty, bathroom caulking, Vallejo's Piedra Pomez and Snowtex to make snow and ice.
- The Snowspeeders were used with a combination of Galoob Micro Macines flying bases and the transparent plastic flying bases made by GW.
- The infantrymen are individually based on 3/8" washers and were then placed on "movement trays" made from larger washers with magnetic sheeting fitted on top of the washers.
- The infantrymen were then magnetically attached to the "movement trays" (large fender washer with magnetic sheeting) and removed as casualties were inflicted.
- The white die by most of the game pieces represents Action Points, a command game mechanism used by my "Planetfall" rules.
- Some pieces have a small green die by them which represented Supression Markers which lowered the amount of Action Points available to a unit, and made it hard for supressed units to execute orders and take any kind of action.

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I had a lot of fun both hosting and playing "Planetfall" and will play this Hoth game again including at an upcoming local gaming convention, where I'll host an expanded version of this game. All of the players of the game enjoyed it and asked to play it again the next time I host it.

I am working on a set of "Planetfall - Traveller: The Fifth Frontier War - Zhodani vs. Strephonian Imperials" rules to playtest soon.

I hope to playtest the next game on 12 November 2005.

I will be using 6mm sci-fi miniatures for the "Planetfall - Traveller: The Fifth Frontier War - Zhodani vs. Strephonian Imperials."

If I am able to, I will post photos of that game as well.

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Thanks for your time!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
Happy Halloween!

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).