Here are a few quick builds and lenses to help you quickly create a naval character for a sci-fi space opera setting. The reason posts have been a bit light recently is because of the Salute wargaming convention this weekend so I’ve been preparing for that. Will post more soon. I hope you find these useful to your game; like anything for GURPS they can be used to make PCs and NPCs. Game on.
MARS ATTACKS was originally a set of collectable and tradable cards released in 1962 for children. The original set contained 55 cards and each one detailed an aspect of the Martian invasion of Earth, and the eventual resistance and counter-invasion of Mars by humanity. Topps, the owners of the series, had to end production of the cards prematurely because the violence depicted and the implied sexuality of certain cards. My first experience of MARS ATTACKS was the 90’s film by Tim Burton. It’s bad, it’s really bad. I love it. MARS ATTACKS has always had a good sense of dark humour and the film captured that wonderfully. The giant brained, bog-eyed Martians evoke that camp, over the top comedy so well. I heard as well that the iconic ‘ack ack’ noises that the Martians of the film make is actually the quacking of a duck played backwards.
It wasn’t until a while later however that I really began to appreciate the silliness of MARS ATTACKS in any meaningful way. In October 2013 Mantic Games ran a Kickstarter for their MARS ATTACKS miniatures game. I’ve had a quiet respect for Mantic for the last few years and was sold fairly quickly on the idea of 28mm Martians with freeze/death/heat rays against hapless soldiers. I suppose this pose is a semi-review of that game, as well as a discussion of the series as a whole.
When my pledge arrived I was astounded at how much they’d given me for my money, as well as the quality of the items. The rules are derived from Mantic’s other game, Deadzone, albeit simplified so anyone can pick it up. My brother isn’t really into miniature wargaming but I managed to convince him to give this one a go and we had a blast. The randomness of the rules create a truly over the top feel. He, playing as the Martians, pressed my poor soldiers back through the ruins, killing them all with disintegration rifles. As he was about the finish off the last few of the remaining members of my band of brothers something unexpected happened. A herd of flaming cows came reeling in from off the board and trampled his alien friends. In quick succession, before the Martians could recover, a giant spider erupted from the ground, the result of weird Martian science, and began devouring the scattered aliens. I seized the opportunity and pressed the attack. I think I still lost that game in the end, I can’t remember too well, though what I do remember is that it was fun and funny.
Every February the York Wargames Society hosts a wargaming convention called Vapnartak. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to attend for the last three years and had a blast every time (and even once managed to convince my partner to go with me). They have a good balance of traders, participation games and demonstrations on, as well as a very good table sale. The convention is split over three floors of the Knavesmire Stand at York Racecourse, with usually the big tables being on the ground floor and the traders sprinkled about all three. For anyone who has a love of miniatures and can get there within the day, I’d recommend it. There’s often several of the big names in the industry there; Warlord, Pendraken, Mantic (though Mantic were not there this year). Of course, Games Workshop doesn’t attend.
This year I noticed that easily the largest game being played was a game of Kings of War by Mantic Games. It was an interesting sight to see, as the game has only recently surged in popularity, especially with the release of its second edition. To see it being played at an event and even binge the biggest game there was nice because I’ve felt for the last few years that Kings of War is superior to Warhammer.
I’ll admit now, I love 2000AD. I love the thinly veiled political satire, the weird fiction and the sci-fi. It’s nigh impossible to talk about 2000AD, one of the few things I think good enough for me to maintain an ongoing subscription to, without talking about Judge Dredd. I’ll start at the beginning for those of you who are unfamiliar with the character. Dredd is not a superhero. A few people I’ve mentioned him to have had this misconception so I’ll deal with it first. He simply isn’t when the world he lives in is taken into context. The world of Judge Dredd is a post-nuclear dystopia in which the remains of humanity have
gathered themselves into huge metropolitan centres, thousands of miles large known as Mega Cities. Mega City One is Judge Dredd’s home. To keep law and order in the big Megs humanity has more or less signed itself over to an unquestionable, indisputable police state. This authority takes its form as the Justice Department, and it’s judges. Judges are people that have been trained from childhood to enforce the law and are able to act as judge jury and, if necessary, executioner. They are armed with the Continue reading “Concerning Judge Dredd”
Dune, the novel, was originally published in two volumes over the years of 1963-1965 and has helped define some of the most core aspects of hard science fiction ever since.
Written by Frank Herbert, Dune follows the story of a young boy named Paul Atreides, the son of Leto Atreides, a powerful planetary duke who has had his planetary fief changed, by order of the Padishah Emperor of Humanity to the arid, hostile planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune.
Herbert does an almost ludicrously good job of detailing the ecology of the planet as well as the behaviours of the indigenous fremen, a mysterious group of humans who inhabit the planet.
Vault of the Geek 