Fixing an OGRE scenario

SJ Games has released a draft version of the errata and FAQ for OGRE Designer's Edition.  Besides fixing some typos and clarifying some rules, there was one notable change included: increasing the amount of defending units when playing the scenario with two Mark III Ogres attacking.

I think this is a good thing.  The last time I played the defenders in this scenario, my opponents were easily able to take out my command post, although I did kill one attacking Ogre.  By increasing the number of additional defenders from two more armor units to eight more armor units, and adding six squads of infantry, this scenario will be a lot more competitive--and against two cybertanks, you'll need all the help you can get.

Carnivoran fighters in Galactic Knights

Looking over the Carnivoran expansion for Galactic Knights, I noticed that there were not two sets of game stats and rules for fighters and missiles (Standard Rules and Command Rules), like in the core rulebook and the Entomolian supplement.  Instead, the Carnivoran book just offers what appear to be standard rules and stats.

 

Not only that, but the book doesn't specify how many fighters make a squad.  That's important because the original GK rules specify that fighters are costed, stored and launched in squads of three.  However, the Carnivoran book never explicitly states the number of fighters per squad.  In fact, it even mentions that the heavy fighters should be treated just like a ship, and provides a record sheet with five fighters instead of three.

I prefer the Command Rules, so I came up with my own stats for the Carnivoran fighters and missiles.  It's a work in progress, so it may get modified after some playtesting.

Name

Type

Move

Profile

Dmg

Notes

Intercept

Fang	Missile	12	6	0	successful missile hit shorts out one shield generator	none
Bobcat	Light Fighter	12	2	2	not depleted until current target destroyed	2 dice
Leopard	Heavy Fighter	7	6	4	fighter needs two hits to be destroyed	def. die only

Anyone else have house rules for Galactic Knights?

Monopolis rising

I got a little work done on the buildings for some 3-D large-hex town terrain for OGRE. 

I took the various skyscrapers from Monopoly City and Monopoly: Here and Now World Edition and sprayed quick coats in various colors to make them look more like buildings and less like game pieces.

They need a wash and a drybrush to bring out the details, but they already are looking pretty good as table candy.

I'm far from finished--in addition to the buildings pictured here, I also have scores of houses in various styles, classic Monopoly hotels, and even industrial structures that I need to paint.

Once I'm done, I should have enough material to create a huge population center that will serve as a memorable objective (and as cover) for my OGRE minis.  I'm looking forward to gaming with this stuff.

The Pathetic Aesthetic ...

... or Oldhammer and the OSR.

Because I don't have enough gaming projects, I'm thinking about getting into Oldhammer (using older versions of the Warhammer rules to play games for fun instead of with a tournament mindset).  I'd say it's the minis equivalent of the OSR.

This is from last year, but Andy Bartlett's post on The Pathetic Aesthetic from the blog Known World, Old World encapsulates a lot of great points about the OSR and the Oldhammer movement.  A very thoughtful article that I urge you to check out.  And see robotforaday's post with similar thoughts on Going Old School at Where the Sea Pours Out.

Planet concept art

I've started working on spaceship gaming again.  This is a preliminary concept sketch for the large Styrofoam planet I'm planning to paint for use with my starship battles.  The color scheme is courtesy of my wife, who was quick to break out the colored pencils when I asked for her input.

 

Spaceship names from Heavy Metal soundtrack

The tunes from the movie Heavy Metal include some song titles that would make great names for ships in your sci-fi game, whether roleplaying or wargaming.  For example, I can imagine some Free Trader or Dreadnought with one of these designations:

• Heavy Metal
• Radar Rider
• True Companion
• Queen Bee
• Veteran of the Psychic Wars

What other song titles would make good starship designations?

The first transport ...

... has arrived at my house.  Now I need to find a place for it, since this ship is pretty sizeable:

I recently received this expansion to the X-Wing game from my brother as a Christmas gift (whether it should be considered very belated or extremely early I will leave as an exercise for the reader)--so thanks, bro! 

The Rebel Transport is a huge ship, and it comes with some new rules and even a series of campaign scenarios.  It also includes another X-Wing model, along with some new pilot cards.  I can't wait to play some games with this, even if I still haven't figured out where I'm gonna store it.