Modular Terrain / Tablescapes

Surfing through the interweb I have been noticing a significant surge in modular terrain and tablescape development over the last year and a half.  The selection of these elements for X-Wing, DropZone Commander, Deadzone, etc are amazing.  Some are as simple as using one of those new fangled laser engraving setups to Shapeways 3D printing, to complete 12x12 plastic or resin pieces. This is simply amazing stuff here folks.  This is interchangeable, light, durable, and handcrafted terrain system for your miniature war gaming needs. So what am I talking about, lets check it out.

Battle Systems™ Sci-fi Modular Terrain

Tablescapes - by Secret Weapon Miniatures

These were built specifically for the release with Deadzone from Mantic Games

Burn In Designs

Spartan Scenics

Gale Force Nine (X-Wing)

JR Miniatures (X-Wing)

MERCS: Recon

I know its been awhile since I last posted, however family and work related "adventures" have consumed my time and put my personal projects on hold. Before I leave on my next round of business trips for the next several weeks I wanted to post some of my generic ramblings on various games that I thought were cool and interesting.

First up is MERCS: Recon kickstarter; a complete single player tabletop game from Megacon Games. Apparently I am late to the game on this one and it is fully funded. MERCS: Recon is a fully cooperative, stand-alone game set in the exciting MERCS world. Players infiltrate an opposing MegaCon location, fight through crowded hallways, capture and interrogate employees, find mission objectives, and secure the package.

There are four MERC factions each with their own special abilities and background stories. The year is 2184, many decades ago nations merged with corporations to form giant mega-conglomerates called MegaCons. Nations were dissolved and the military folded into the company. These elite military and counter-security units have been given the acronym MERCS. They represent the tip of the spear. They are involved in everything from internal MegaCon security to reconnaissance and clandestine operations.  The factions are the CCC, EU Inc., KEMVAR, KEIZAI WAZA.

MERCS: Recon kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1700755582/mercs-recon

Bases, Stands, and Connnector Review

Over the years I have been trying to find the best combination of bases, stands, and ship connectors to set as the standard for all of my various gaming systems.  What is the perfect setup and cross between full scale, fleet action, fleet scale or many of the various scales that each vendor has for their gaming line.  Do you stick with what the vendor supplied or go with something else.  What is the easiest to transport, what looks the best, which ones are the most functional?  I have tried several different variations and determine that each of course have its own pro and cons.  Therefore I have compiled my list of systems below that I have tried for you to decide on your own.

So first off I think I need to develop some judging criteria for this assessment and how did I come to the conclusion to use the systems I currently have on the majority of my miniatures.  Those would be cost, durability, compatibility with a game system, looks, transport, and my of course does it provide the model the stability it needs on the table.  The latter the most important.  I do not like it when the table gets bumped and my models start this weird lurch on the table.

At this point you might be asking so which systems are we going to look at in this post.

1.  CorSec Engineering Omni-Stand System
2.  Ninja Magic Magnetic Adapters
3.  Home Depot nails and washers
4.  Spartan Games stock acrylic stands
5.  Mongoose Publishing (B5 Wars) stock stands
6.  Studio Bergstrom VersaStands
7.  Brigade Models Hex Stands

That pretty much rounds out the most popular stands, according to google searching. Now on to our analysis.

1. CorSec Engineering Omni-Stand System.

This system is now by far my favorite. As you can tell all of my miniatures now feature this system and are slowing being converted as time allows.  They travel well, stand up to may table games, and are overall very versatile.

2.  Ninja Magic Magnetic Adapters

This was my first set of adapters that I used when building out a common stand system that I could easily transport from game to game. They were awesome until I could not get anymore as the manufacture has not taken up a permanent job.  Nowadays these magnetic adapters are now very hard to come by.

Picture is from Sergeant Crunch's Miniature Madness

3.  Home Depot nails and washers

This method is by far my least favorite. They are cost effective and durable, but lack the transportability, and looks.  I could not find any good pictures from the good old Google.

4/5. Stock Stands from Spartan Games stock and Mongoose Publishing (B5 Wars)

These are my second least favorite, they work, but I just don't really like them. They are cost effective and look okay, but they are not very transportable and durable.  I have broken to many of these stands that I can count.

Spartan Games stock acrylic stands

6/7.  Studio Bergstrom VersaStands and Brigade Models Hex Stands

These two are tied for second place after the CorSec Stands.  They are cost effective, durable, and pretty easy to transport. The Studio Bergstrom VersaStands come in .5 and 1 inch Dark grey molded silicone bases do not take paint well.

Studio Bergstrom VersaStands

Brigade Models Hex Stands

Everyone has to decide what they want to do and I am happy with my choice. Happy Gaming!

Mel Miniatures Nebulon B

So I was trolling out on the internet and ran across something amazing.  Mel Miniatrues has created
this Nebulon B model for Star Wars X-Wing via Shapeways.  Yes it is to scale!

https://www.shapeways.com/model/2374158/fragata-nebula-be-fo re-1-450.html
https://www.shapeways.com/model/2374094/fragata-nebula-be-af t-1-450.html
https://www.shapeways.com/model/2373837/stands-for-quot-frag ata-nebula-be-1-450-quot.html

Howard Beam from Peoria, AZ has already bought the entire model and painted it up. Check out his blog http://www.nangiliath.blogspot.de/. Here is a pictures of the finished piece from his posting.

Battle Foam for Spartan Games Firestorm Armada

Just because I can; I decide to buy some of the laser cut foam trays and a army case that is specifically designed to hold my Firestorm Armada fleets from Spartan Games.  My initial order consisted of the Spartan Bag and several custom foam trays that are specifically cut to handle the ships.  No plucking for me :) with this loadout.

The foam trays fit two side by side and the number you can have all depends on how tall your foam really is for your ships.

Below are two of the pre-cut foam trays that are specifically designed to accommodate the Firestorm Armada starter fleets from the Terrans on the right and Aquans on the left.

The Rise of the Jem'Hadar

Several weeks ago I announced that I was going to add a bad guys empire to the Delphic Expanse to take over and subjugate the sentient beings around them.  Well the rest of the fleet components have arrived to complete the menacing task force.

----Begin Transmission-----

Sir,  I am Intelligence Officer Bain from the 1st Cohort.  I am here to provide you an intel briefing on new threats to the Expanse.

The rise of the Jem'Hadar in the Delphic Expanse has been one the occupants have dreaded through the ages. Ancient prophecies have foretold a great force would appear with a mighty battle chant "Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war."  We fear the Jem'Hadar are here to act on those prophecies and tear the known universe apart.

Initial intelligence indicates that this small task for is on the edge of the expanse and is expected to begin probing for weaknesses in the surrounding space at any moment.  Intel has reported that this fleet consist of a single (1) battleship, three (3) cruisers, and four (4) frigate class vessels.  Several fighter groups have been spotted around the battleship in picket formations.

Of the frigate group that we sent to recon in force only one vessel returned and it was crippled and will be out of action for several months.  Our tech boys had a very difficult time getting any usable information from the fried computer core.  The only visual data that we have been able to recover is presented now.

The Jem'Hadar Battleship is a wonder to behold. Our scientist have been able to determine from the pictures that it is an Eaglemoss Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser. We have determined that it’s built purely for military purposes. The design reflects this – it’s all sharp edges and curves, like an assortment of blades. There are smaller, matching fins at the top and a fin the runs along the underside. All these components are plastic, apart from the main hull itself.

Each of these vessels seem to be in the same scale as our ships currently deployed in the expanse from Firestorm Armada and Babylon 5 Wars.  Here is a computer model rendering of the Terran Battleships, Aquan Battleships, Babylon 5 Centauri Adria, and the Jem'Hadar Battleship side by side for scale.

The Battleship seems to also double as the fighter carrier as no dedicated carrier is visible in the recovered information.  The craft seems extremely nimble and swarm on the frigates like luvarian ants.  The fighters originate from a seperate manufacture B-3 Designs (https://sites.google.com/site/behrlewhubbuchiiisculptor/home/flee-action-scale).

The three (3) cruisers in the fleet seem to be from Enders shipyard.  Elegantly designed two (2) piece resin model with moderate detail. (Ender Shipyards: http://starshipadversaries.blogspot.de/p/ships-for-sale.html)

The remaining frigates hail from Star Trek attack wing.  They are Jem'Hadar attack ships from that games miniature line.

Overall I believe this initial task force will be tough to handle.  We have no data on their weapon systems beyond the fact they employ mostly beam weapons.  Our Intelligence division have stepped up their activities to bring you more information on this new threat.

-----END TRANSMISSION------

Portable Warfare (Blü Foam and The Sergeant)

There's quite a few options out there today when it comes to miniature model transports for wargaming. The latest company to step up to the plate with a carrying case is Portable Warfare. They're a new small company, which operates from the Sunshine State, Florida.

Portable Warfare offers different options for your miniatures cases load out of Blü foam as well as the ability to purchase individual pieces of Blü foam to fully customize your miniature storage needs.

http://www.portablewarfare.com/products/

Proudly manufactured in the USA, Blü is on its way to becoming the standard, not the alternative, in the realm of Miniature Storage and Transport! The unique basing materials from which the product gets its name, was selected for its ability to be both giving and rigid. Each 7.5” x 13” piece is die-cut with 1/2” pull-and-pluck foam. With their smoothly rounded corners, the trays are designed to fit into most commonly used miniature transport systems.  I purchased the 2" thick version for use with the majority of all of my miniatures.

The second item that I purchased from Portable Warfare is the Sergeant case.  It is made from a durable nylon material, comes with two front pockets secured with velco, a zippered front pocket to hold up to two full sized hardback rule books or several magazines and soft cover rule books, two side drink holders, and a dual zipped top that zips all the way down the back for easy and quick access to all your foam trays inside.

The Sergeant specifications include an 8" x 8" velcro front pocket,  4" x 8" velcro front pocket, 2 side drink holders, Cargo Net in the back, Bag Dimensions 12"H x 13"W x 7.5"D, Removable Strap, Stacking clasps on top and bottom.

Overall as my first army/fleet transport case that I purchased it worked out rather well.  The only downside with this case is that it does not have hardsides.  I have not had any issues with it as I am always careful with my miniatures, however I don't know how I would fair on airplane.  The Blü foam trays are awesome, I really love them over many of their competitors.  Albiet I do have many reservations about taking it on a journey other than to and from my friends houses to game i.e. Airplane....  Below is what mine looks like in detail.

Empty

Here we have three (3) 2" trays in the bag, I can put a total of 5 in it safely.

There is a large pocket on the back to hold your books.  I don't use it that much really.

Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition

On a recent trip to my local German Toys 'R' Us I noticed that they were selling a risk game based on the original Star Wars trilogy.  Of course my mind quickly went to how could I incorporate this into my miniature adventures. The map is quite awesome, I plan on using it as the basis of a Star Wars Campaign.  However the small figures are cool too and could be quite useful as 10mm land forces. Now to find it in an english version, and my adventure begins

After coming home and using my Google Fu skills I learned that the game actually came out in Nov 2006 in the United States :( to my surprise.  How did I miss this release?  After more Fu on the web, Amazon, Noble Knight Games, etc, etc I found myself once again at eBay's mercy.  After some eBay Fu little sniping, no not really, I was able to acquire an OOP copy of the game.  Upon opening up the game it was everything that I had hoped.

The game board (below) will be a great Star Wars galactic space battle campaign map.  I just need to finish those darn Tie Fighters, argh.

The game pieces are all plastic.  One Hutt faction and two each Imperial/Rebel factions.  These I might use in a 10mm land battle game, don't know yet.

Lots of pieces!

I thought these game tokens were interesting.  I believe I will reuse the capital ship markers a fleet markers in my campaign.  It should work out nicely.

So I have decided that I am not going to use it to play risk, but if you are here is the skinny on it.

2 to 5 players

There are 3 factions in the game, each with its own victory conditions.

• The Rebellion must find and destroy the Emperor, who will be hiding at one of his Imperial Bases.
• The Empire must eliminate all Rebel forces.
• The Hutts must take control of 10 out of the 13 resource planets (The ones that have the green aura)

Players choose to play as the Rebels, Empire, or Hutts and battle for domination of the Galaxy. The Empire can use the Death Star to terrorize all and the Rebels can grow in the Force as the game goes on by attacking Imperial Bases. Heroes and villains like Luke, Han, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett come into play on the many faction cards that can be played throughout the game. Each faction can enhance their attack with ships.

The game includes 2 Death Stars and enough sculpted pieces representing the Rebels, Empire, and Hutt factions for 5 players. The Risk game play has been updated and enhanced with cards, ships, and The Force to represent the Star Wars Original Trilogy.