Killzone Survival playtest PDF unleashed

Ok ladies, gentlemen and xenos here it is, the playtest version of Horus Heresy: Killzone Survival!

Be warned though, this is not Special Operations Killzone; your force does not represent a highly elite team hell bent to complete super secret special ops. They are the bloodied, haggard remnants of a strike force in the age of the Horus Heresy. Your survival group has been decimated and for the most part defeated, but is doing its damnedest to still remain a thorn in the enemy’s side while at the same time survive to reunite with their Legion.

We have also added Dreadnoughts, Land Speeders and Rapier weapons platforms to Killzone Survival. I am very excited about this!

There is much more structure in the list building, as we have added a way of modifying the FOC in a way that makes the list feel like it came from an actual Legion! We have also restructured the list restrictions from SO Killzone into a much more scalable way to build lists.

I would like to thank Brian Sobb again for being a stellar gentleman and for all the help creating this version of Killzone!

So if you are interested in skirmish gaming in the age of the Horus Heresy, download the PDF and give it a whirl!

Playtesting will last until the tenth of January. Please email me your feedback through my profile.

Horus Heresy: Killzone Survival download!

Horus Heresy: Killzone Survival Logo and the start of my Group

We finally have a new logo/banner for Killzone Survival, many thanks to my buddy Josh for making it!

On top of that I have built the first models for my World Eaters survival group!

Keep an eye out tomorrow for the initial playtest PDF for Killzone Survival!

Until next time: keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

30k Killzone has a working title!

I have been busy behind the scenes working on the 30k version of Killzone. Thinking on how best to make the skirmish game feel work for the madness of the Horus Heresy.

What if your Killzone force represented the remnants of an attack force banding together to be a thorn in their opponents side while at the same time in the midst of a desperate struggle survive.

Instead of a highly specialized mission oriented game you have a rag tag group of survivors banded together out of necessity.

With that concept in mind Killzone Survival is born!

I would also like to thank Brian Sobb for joining the Killzone Survival team and for all his help so far! Upon linking up with me this past weekend he had already been working on a 30k adaptation for normal SO KZ; the most wicked part is that we seem to mostly be on the same page for the majority of things. Very Exciting!

Until next time: keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

30k S.O. Killzone and a request for help

By the end of the year I will release a 30k version of Special Operations Killzone. This version will be grander in scale than standard SO KZ. Teams will start off at 400pts and scale up to 750; it is 30k after all and should be Legion scaled Killzone!

30k Killzone will also add land speeders and dreadnoughts into the lists; which is something that standard Killzone will never do. It will also focus more on the Elite and Specialist units from the Legions.

In other Killzone news, I need some help out with keeping Codex Operatives up to date. The reality of the situation is that GW is updating to fast for me and my freelance game design work has me slammed to the max. This leaves very little time for updating KZ at a reasonable rate.

I need at least two volunteers dedicated to working with me on Codex Operatives. With help I can keep standard SO KZ alive and up to date. Otherwise it will remain lacking and only 30k Killzone will remain fully up to date going forward.

So if you can please consider lending a hand, cause I would hate for standard SO Killzone to remain so out of date in the Codex dept.

Until next time, keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

-Jim

Alien vs Predator game Kickstarter

This game and these miniatures are a long time dream come true for me! I love these two movie series! Prodos Games the guys behind Warzone Resurrection are in the final days of their Kickstarter for AvP!

This Kickstarter is to produce a limited edition version of the board game with highly detailed resin miniatures. In late 2014 a standard version will come out with your typical plastic playing pieces, but it is for sure that they will not be as nice as this limited edition version.

There will also be a full on wargame version of AvP where you move off the boardgame set onto the regular battlefield.

So far the miniatures that we have been show are stunning! IMHO

Prodos has also given us a scale image to GW's minis.

So if you are a long time fan of Aliens like I am this is something you should consider jumping in on! Alien Vs Predator the Game Kickstarter

Come join the Bug Hunt with me!

My first Warzone Resurrection models

Here are the first models I have painted for Warzone Resurrection. They have taken an excruciatingly long time to complete due to my current limitations. Before I show them off there are a few things I would like to share about the new miniatures line.

First off these are not "heroic" scaled miniatures, they are 100% proportional to their scale. They are billed as 28mm, but are actually 32mm, which I am excited about. The WZR models are 100% 3D designed, then printed and cast. They are cast out of polyurethane resin and have exceptional details. This isn't your standard quality resin either, out of my nearly 200 miniatures I have received I have not found a single bubble on them at all.

Secondly being truly proportioned to scale and being used to "heroic" scale models for 20 years is a bit startling at first. However once you begin building and painting these you become accustomed to it very quickly! I love them the more I look at them, they are gorgeous miniatures!

Thirdly these will not mix at all with any of the old existing Warzone miniatures, which is great in my eyes cause 80% of them look like garbage to today's standards.

Ok on to the eyecandy:

Here is a Capitol Free Marine:

Next up is a Dark Legion Razide:

I am quite pleased with how these have turned out, especially with my current painting limitations.

Until next time, keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

Leaving my mark on Mutant Chronicles Warzone Resurrection

The revival of the Mutant Chronicles universe on the tabletop is quickly approaching retail release via Warzone Resurrection. I am pumped about it for many reasons. First off this is my second favorite Sci-fi gaming universe, it is well written and has a compelling setting. Secondly I got to lend a hand in bringing this property back to life.

I was talking with the guys at Prodos Games asking them copious questions about the design of the new system. We talked about all sorts of things including the desire for everything about Warzone Resurrection to be very dynamic, from the miniatures to the rules, right down to how the table could interact with the armies during game play.

Prodos Games had chosen a very aggressive release window and I knew that they could use all the support they could get. I had mentioned many different ways that other games had done including the very dynamic mission system that had been created for Special Operations Killzone (my unofficial 40k fan skirmish game) as something they might want to look at to get ideas for something inspiring for Warzone’s gameplay.

They mulled over their options for a few weeks; I was eagerly waiting to see what they had come up with, when I got asked to help create a similar mission system for Warzone Resurrection; they mentioned what bits they were keen on and which they were not. I was totally stoked at the opportunity to help bring back the game with a very dynamic way to play games.

I decided against trying to reinvent the wheel, and took the baseline content from the Killzone missions as a starting point. First thing I did was strip out the 40k from them and the less liked bits, which was extremely simple. Callous disregard and desperate gamble were scrapped in favor of a tiered difficulty system.

So I went about setting up a tier system allowing players to determine how in-depth they want their games to be. There are 4 tiers Alpha, Beta, Delta and Epsilon levels each one adds another type of mission objective to the game. Delta is the most in-depth and difficult of the mission tiers with three distinct missions to complete over the course of a game.

After that I worked out deployment types for the missions, mostly tweaking and renaming things to fit Warzone; there are 5 possible deployment types.

Next I tackled the missions themselves. I started by tweaking appropriate KZ missions, in the end there are 10 Priority missions, 6 secondary missions and 9 Corporate Agenda missions.

I compiled all this hard work together and sent it to the guys at Prodos and they were thrilled. Then it was on to playtesting and tweaking, although there was very little tweaking to be done, thank goodness.

I want to give a hearty thanks to all the people past and present that have helped with Special Operations Killzone, especially Brian (my long time partner in crime and terrain maker extraordinaire), Joe and Vlad who were instrumental in the creation of the current mission system out of the more complex earlier versions. So thanks again guys, without you SO Killzone would not have enjoyed the success that it has.

I have not made any money from this great undertaking, but I have been more than happy to aid in bringing back a fantastic universe to the tabletops of the globe! Although I did get a pair of pre-release Razide minis and my name credited in the Warzone Resurrection rulebook, which is cool beyond words.

So while I may have been down and out from actual hobbying, I found a way to contribute to the community.Thank goodness for this project it literally kept me from going crazy during the worst part of my recovery.

Until next time, keep your powder dry and lead flying!

-Jim

New Horizons, Going Forward

It is time to say goodbye to 40k centric Galaxy in Flames and move forward into blogging about all of my miniature wargaming experiences. I just cannot completely say goodbye since I built a very solid community on GiF and made a ton of new friends here as well, so think of this as a re-branding of sorts because that is basically what it is. A dawn of a new blogging era, please join me on this journey!

I have re-booted many things in my personal life to contend with my health issues. My life has been a constant struggle for the last 18 months, but now that I am getting a real manageable handle on those I can move forward in the hobby world.

I will still offer 40k hobby content although going forward there will probably be more Horus Heresy 30k than 40k. I will also be offering content for Warzone Resurrection, Flames of War, Grunts 15mm Sci-fi, Muskets and Tomahawks (French Indian War skirmish), Lord of the Rings and anything else shiny that strikes my fancy.

On top of all that Special Operations Killzone will be here as well, as my buddy Lee and I are working hard to catch up with the crazy release schedule that GW is throwing at us.

Until next time, keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

Trials and tribulations

So I have been through the ringer in the past 2 years. It all started when I was hit by a car while crossing the street. At the time it did not phase me much other than being extremely sore. Well it turns out it exacerbated my existing neck and back issues from my Paramedic career ending tumble down some stairs when I was 31

Since the day of my initial injury I have been in semi constant pain in my lower back and hip from sciatic nerve damage. Some days are worse than others. I have also had a hitch in my neck where some days I have a hard time turning it more than 20 degrees without excruciating pain. Mind you this was all prior to getting hit by the car.

Not much changed after the car incident well that was until six months later. That is when I started having twitches in my left hand and right foot. They were minor at first, but at the same time my sciatic nerve was the most painful it had been since the initial injury in 2001. So I promptly got off my feet per docs orders to alleviate the pressure on the sciatic nerve.

We it turns out old age and a few years of type 2 diabetes (which mind you I had completely cleared myself of in early 2011 through exercise and diet)  caught up with me. It turns out I have a circulation issue called venostasis and over the 3 months of being pretty immobile recovering from the sciatic pain this new issue reared its ugly head.

My leg had swollen and turned almost black like a giant bruise. I thought it was something far worse, but thankfully it is completely treatable, if managed properly. That said, this again put me on bed rest for recovery. That is when the issues with my neck really showed up, my left pinky and ring fingers were twitching constantly.

It has been almost a year since all this bad stuff started showing, but through diet and exercise the issues are slowly going back to a normal for me state. I have lost an additional 35 pounds, but have much more to go. The docs say that if I can get another 80 pounds or so off I should have very little in the way of pain or twitching and should be able avoid surgery, my weight is exacerbating the problem. 

As you can imagine my hobby time has been pretty much gone, short of a few games here because of this recovery. I am glad I am finally at the point that I can sit down and start hobbying again.

Anyway I am honestly on the road to a leaner more healthy Jim. I thank the lord for that every day. Sometimes you have to hit your lowest point to realize that your life needs a change.

Until Next time keep your powder dry and bullets flying!

Clear! Zaaaapp..... I'm back where I belong!

It has been a long year and it is high time I just retake my place amongst the blogging community. With my own flair on my original blog! Although the name is changing and more diverse content to be covered, everyone will know where to find me! So lets grab that defibrillator and jump start this pig!

I will begin tomorrow by sharing some details of what I have been through in the past 18 months. It has not been pretty but I have made it through and would like to believe I am stronger for it.

Until tomorrow keep your powder dry and lead flying!

Space Marine Rumors

There is a compilation post on the new blog for the current SM codex rumors. Check it out if you are interested: Wargame Shenanigans Rumor post

CelestiCon Narrative event redirect.

This post is for those directed here for the CelestiCon 2013 Narrative event updates. All updates will be posted on my new blog found here: Linky!

Cheers See you there,
Jim

A Clean Slate

Here is a re-post of my first post on Jim's Wargaming Shenanigans. I will for the next few months do a compilation post once a month here to share what I have been up to, for anyone that stumbles into this old haunt.

This is a time of great endings and fantastic beginnings into a bright future for miniature wargaming. It is time to say goodbye to 40k/Sci-fi centric Galaxy in Flames and move forward into blogging about all of my miniature wargaming experiences. It is hard to say goodbye since I built a very solid community on GiF and made a ton of new friends there as well, but I honestly feel that in the light of everything that has happened to me in the recent past it is time for a re-boot.

I have re-booted many things in my personal life to contend with my health issues. My life has been a constant struggle for the last 10 months, and as I can see the light at the end of this dark tunnel I need a change of direction in my hobby life as well.

I will still offer 40k hobby content as well as remaining on Deepstrike Radio to talk about 40k lore. I also will be offering content of Flames of War, Grunts 15mm Sci-fi, Muskets and Tomahawks (French Indian War skirmish), Warzone Resurrection, Lord of the Rings and anything else shiny that strikes my fancy.

On top of all that Special Operations Killzone will be here as well, with plenty of updates starting in late June or July. I have enlisted the help of my Father and Brother to help me finish a few Killzone related supplements that have been in the works for ages now. These will include Killzone Zombie Apocalypse and Killzone Campaigns.

 

So here we are, a Clean Slate for Big Jim in life and hobby, it is an exciting time and I hope that y’all will follow me on this journey.

A time for Everything

It has been a fantastic journey, with everyone here on Galaxy in Flames, I appreciate all the support I have gotten from the community over the last 4 years. Plus all the fantastic friends I have made through the blog as well.

I have outgrown what I have always had as a focus of GiF, which was a 40k focus. I am not quitting 40k at all, but I am branching back out into other genres of Wargaming that just don't fit the focus of this blog. I really feel it is time to get back to my roots in wargaming and stop solely focusing for the most part on a singular game genre.

Basically I need a blog that I can share all the wargaming I do, without making those looking for 40k content only have to suffer through. That way if you follow me to the new blog, you know what you are getting into.

I will be blogging about Killzone, Flames of War, Warzone Resurrection, Grunts 15mm Sci-fi, LotR, Muskets and Tomahawks (French Indian War skirimish), 40k and much, much more.

I will be launching the new blog in the next week or so and annoucing it here for you to follow me over if you are interested. I will also be updating Killzone in June as well.

On a completely different topic, I have finally turned the corner in a good way with my health issues and should be completely back to snuff in the next 6-12 weeks. I am mostly back on both feet (no more crutches or canes) and my kidney issues are totally cleared up.

8 Days of Warzone Resurrection: Dark Legion

Sorry for the 2 day delay, life got in the way.

The Dark Legion is an ancient evil comprising five "Dark Apostles" and their horde of hideous mutants and undead. The Dark Legion is the corporeal presentation of Dark Symmetry and minions of the Dark Apostles. The Dark Legion commands the most powerful armies of the solar system, including Legionnaires, resurrected corpses of fallen Megacorp heroes and footsoldiers alike; Necromutants, hideously modified humanoids; Centurions, the lethal lieutenants of the Dark Legion; and Nepharites, fearsome, towering behemoths of unimaginable power.

The reign of the Dark Legion began as mankind set foot on Nero, the tenth planet beyond the orbit of Pluto, where they discovered a citadel. As they entered, the Imperial Conquistadors – a group of interplanetary explorers – accidentally broke the First Seal Of Repulsion, a thin ring of salt spread around the citadel. Inside, a mysterious iron plate was found, and as it was touched, the Dark Legion was brought to our dimension, and along with it, the Dark Symmetry.

The Dark Symmetry prevents computers, "thinking engines", and other electronic devices from functioning reliably, if at all and initially caused complete chaos, and then a forced adaptation of the technology used by mankind. The Dark Symmetry also begins to spread plague, lies, illusions and war on the human population through Dark Apostles known as Demnogonis, Semai, Muawihje, Algeroth and Ilian, The Dark Mistress and most powerful wielder of The Dark Symmetry. Thus the first Corporate wars began. Only through the Brotherhood and its first Cardinal, Nathaniel Durand were the corporations pulled under one banner, driving back the Dark Legion and Dark Symmetry back to the void where it came.

This however cost Nathaniel Durand his life as he fought and defeated Algeroth, the field commander of all of the Dark Legion and the master of Dark Technology. Dark Legion resurfaces as a milennia passes, old edicts to keep the evil at bay are broken and Megacorps begin the 2nd Corporate wars. Yet again Nero is explored and Dark Symmetry is unleashed. It was also during the period of 1000-year peace that Cybertronic surfaced and was first to break one of the edicts; Human must not create or use machines that think like man.

Dark Legion units available:

Some close ups of my Faves:

Praetorian Behemoth

Undead Legionnaires

Razide

The Dark Legion has always been a favorite of mine and I will own all of the new minis!

Don't forget to check out the Warzone Resurrection Kickstarter just under 2 days left to make a pledge!

8 Days of Warzone Resurrection: Bauhaus Mega Corporation

Bauhaus is built around the hierarchy of the four ancient houses of the Duke Electors. Each of these four houses is responsible for one division within the corporation. They still remain in power due to a strong tradition of military service within the houses.

The Bauhaus Corporation has a well-deserved reputation for engineering excellence and now, nearly 1400 years later, the reputation still holds true. During the colonization of the solar system all the corporations employed their skills in the construction of ships, atmospheric processing plants and gravity regulators. In addition to this they were recognized for their honorable business ethics. They rarely offered the most appealing deals and they were never the cheapest but agreements signed with them were always honored.

As one might expect the Bauhaus reputation for excellence extends onto the battlefield. Their military hardware is generally of a high standard and their mechanical and vehicular support is notably superior to that of the other corporations. Combined with good discipline and highly trained troops, the Bauhaus army is one of the most effective in the solar system. Following the culture of military service the troops themselves are also well motivated and follow a code of honor that has earned them respect throughout the corporations.

Here are all the units that will be available at launch:

Close ups of some of my favorites

I really dig the Prussian vibe to Bauhaus, but for now I will leave them to my best friend Kevin to build. They are his favorite faction in Warzone.

Link to the Warzone Resurrection Kickstarter!

 

8 Days of Warzone Resurrection: The Brotherhood

When the worlds of man were faced with the threat of destruction at the hands of the Dark Legion and the avarice of their own warring superpowers, it was the Brotherhood who saved them. It was the Brotherhood that had grown from a small movement of the disenfranchised into an organization more powerful than any other before it. Within its ranks existed the righteousness and the hope of a race on the brink of extinction.

In that dark and Godless time, salvation was borne on the shoulders of one man and the desperate pleas of a race, weary of the constant slaughter, received hope. Humanity rallied under the banner of the charismatic Durand, the followers of the Light united humanity as they had never been before and drove back the Darkness. Today, the Brotherhood is represented across the solar system, from Mercury to the distant Pluto.

Wherever the light of the Brotherhood falls, the battle against the Darkness continues. At least that is how it's supposed to be. Even today, a thousand plus years later, the Brotherhood represents an all governing, unearthly power that is personified by one man.

The Cardinal is the spiritual leader of the solar system. In fact, he is the single most powerful man alive, commanding immense loyalty, military might and mysterious power. Aiding the Cardinal in his sacred mission, deep within the vast libraries of the Brotherhood's cathedrals, the Mystics endlessly search into both the past and the ever-changing future to find the answers to lead humanity back into the light.

To do battle against the Dark Legion, the original Cardinal created a mighty sword from his followers so resolute in their purpose, so dedicated to their holy task that they would scour the solar system to insure the Darkness could never return. They would drive the forces of evil back and once defeated, they would maintain a vigil to protect the very soul of humanity from the corruption within. This sword was anointed by the Inquisition and for over a thousand years, this institution has sought to cleanse our solar system of the festering evil that can be found both in the worlds of humanity and stand ready to defend mankind from the cold wastes of Pluto and Uranus to the scorching deserts of Mars and Mercury. They remain forever vigilant.

Here are the units available so far.

Some close ups of some favorites:

Mortificators assassins for the Church

I love games with religious zealots, and will always collect a smattering for narrative play.

 

8 Days of Warzone Resurrection: Cybertronic Mega Corporation

The Cybertronic Mega Corporation is the newest corporation to come to power.

However, in the 160 years since they reached Megacorporation status they have had a huge impact on the solar system. The corporation had its beginnings in a relatively unknown company called Cybertronic Investments Inc., with a dubious reputation for developing technology in violation of Brotherhood directives.

In the year 1103 Y.C. they orchestrated a colossal 'ghost collapse' of the stock exchange on Luna. Billions of valuable share were unwisely sold only to be bought up by supporters of Cybertronic who suddenly emerged from within all the corporations. The company's assets soared rapidly and almost overnight a new Mega Corporation was born.

As the Cybertronic farms continue to deliver citizens at a rate that no other corporation can match the ranks of their military are swelling in step. Many are the rolls that one might fulfill for the corporation but none yield the esteem or the potential rewards of serving in the armed forces. Contrary to what most Cybertronic citizens believe, their soldiers do not always go into battle supported by the finest military hardware to be found in the solar system. It is true that the best that Cybertronic has to offer really is the best there is.

However, Cybertronic's resources and their confidence in their superiority are not as limitless, nor as certain as they would have their citizens believe. As a consequence of this the majority of their troops are sent into battle with equipment that is decidedly average in quality and effectiveness. eached Megacorporation status they have had a huge impact on the solar system.

Cybertronic was always the least unified looking faction in Warzone in the past. Prodos has done a fantastic job unifying them. Here are all the new designs:

 

Here are some close ups of some of my favs

This faction has always been my guilty pleasure faction due to the old miniatures, but now I will have to proudly build a skirmish force of them!

8 days of Warzone Resurrection: the Kickstarter

Today is the first post of 8 days of Warzone related posts, so stay tuned for more Mutant Chronicles Warzone goodness here on GiF!

The Kickstarter has been funded and has been busting through stretch goals. Initially they were shooting to reach 35k and release the Bauhaus faction. It has been so successful that Plastic troop squads for the starter sets and a 5th faction has been unlocked the Capitol Mega Corporation. As of this morning the Kickstarter broke and is sitting at around the 100k mark!

So upon initial release in late June, Prodos games will be releasing 5 of the 7 major factions within the Mutant Chronicles universe. I think this is outstanding as a fan of this IP.

Each faction has a starter set containing plastic troopers, a hero and either a vehicle or monster of some sort.

Below are pics (some actual renders for casting, others concept art) of the Add On's including all the units unlocked so far.

So far the miniatures are looking fantastic, Prodos have done a good job keeping the right amount of character in the designs while updating them to fit modern design styles. I have not been this excited for a wargaming release in years.

Long Live Mutant Chronicles Resurrection!