February Sci Fi Month: Stellar Conquest

Stellar Conquest was the first hex based board game my parents gave me; in fact, to show my age a bit it was the first edition published in 1974 from Metagaming Concepts. I instantly feel in love with the game with the combination of exploration, technological research, expanding colonies and the inevitable interstellar war involving up to 4 players.

 The original game; it wasn't pretty but it is oh so much fun! 

Somewhere over the years I lost the original version but purchased the republished edition by Avalon Hill sometime in the mid-eighties.  The Avalon Hill version is the same except they changed the classes of the warships to take advantage of Star Wars.  I'm sorry, I still can't call the big ships Death Stars; they will always be the Dreadnought class of warships to me. And here we are in 2017 and I still play the game with my Honorable Sons.

The current version, showing some wear and tear as the red and blue fleets have started to explore and colonize.

As you have already guessed by the pictures, the board is a hex grid map, with some hexes containing stars of varying colors. Stars in a hex may have planets that are suitable for a planet colonization which is determined randomly by drawing a card of the star color. 

 Handy reference chart for each player also helps keep track of your Task Forces when it is time to put the whammy on the other players.

At the beginning of a game, each player starts in an opposite corner of the board, each with a number of markers that represent ships of various types. For the first four turns the corner square counts as a populated planet. In addition, all ships may move only two spaces, but it is possible to purchase movement upgrades that improve the rate of travel speed.

 Two Yellow Star cards. 

Units must follow the quickest path to a named destination, and their destination can be changed only when the route causes the unit to stop on a star hex. The distance that ships of any type may travel will not precede more than eight hexes away from a populated planet that is owned by the same player; this limitation can be rescinded by research.

 From top to bottom left to right: Task Force marker, Command Post, Scout ship, Fighter, Corvette, Deathstar Dreadnought, and enough colony transports to move 10 million people.

Research points can be spent on warships, speed, missile basis, industrial capacity and weapons research.  Every four turns a "production phase" occurs in which planetary populations increase by one-fifth their current population number. Any player may move population units into Colony Transports as they expand through the stars and inhabit other planets.  What is great about the game is "hidden" units as the tiles are not turned over unless opposing players are in the same star hex (no battles in deep space - only in a solar system!).  Is that single tile heading toward your planet squadrons of capital ships and escorts or only one scout ship?

With three interstellar empires in our latest game there was a lot of wheeling and dealing as each of us made treaties, ultimatums and eventually all out attacks!

 If you cross this line . . . 

 Honorable Son #5 (The Lifeguard) commanded the Blue Meanies while Honorable Son #4 (The best 18th Century General I have ever fought against) led the Yellow Horde.

 The Red Forces led by me help rush to take advantage of losses on both sides.

Combat is abstract but quick and bloody.

After "40 years" whichever side has the most Terrain type and Sub-Terrain type planets is the winner.  The biggest and baddest fleet doesn't hurt either.

February Sci Fi Month: Starship Troopers - The annual read

 

"I always get the shakes before a jump . . ." thus starts one of the greatest military science fiction novels of all time, Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. Even today, the book has stood the test of time, and was a big influence on my decision to be an Infantry officer.

When I attended the Command and General Staff College, I was pleasantly surprised to see the novel on the required reading list. Today, the novel is still on the reading list for the US Army, Navy and United States Marine Corps.

The overall theme of the book is that social responsibility requires individual ownership. Social responsibility is an act of self acceptance of that responsibility along with the concomitant commitment to the debts that are incurred. 

Juan Rico begins the novel with no thought of his personal responsibility or of any particular group's responsibility to self or others. This theme is obliquely addressed in the novel's opening: "We had all inspected our combat equipment (look, it's your own neck -- see?), the acting platoon sergeant had gone over us carefully after he mustered us, and now Jelly went over us again, his eyes missing nothing." "Now I was going to have a hole in my section and no way to fill it. That's not good; it means a man can run into something sticky, call for help and have nobody to help him." "I've heard tell that there used to be military outfits whose chaplains did not fight alongside the others, but I've never been able to see how that could work. I mean, how can a chaplain bless anything he's not willing to do himself? In any case, in the Mobile Infantry, everybody drops and everybody fights -- chaplain and cook and the Old Man's writer."

 The theme is repeated through flashbacks to High School and Officer Candidate School in a required class called History and Moral Philosophy. In this view, everything from the right to vote to the punishments for various crimes are depicted as part of a larger effort to recognize society's needs and improve society, as distinct from self-interest. The service Heinlein envisioned was an all-volunteer service, long before the US military had changed to an all-volunteer model. Other than the rights to vote and hold public office, there is no other restriction between service veterans and civilians.

In the course of both the "current" plot and flashbacks Rico learns to take responsibility forever-increasing groups: himself, his comrades, and eventually all of mankind (a shared responsibility), and accept that as the reason for remaining in the service. Further, Rico is seen to develop from a relatively powerless citizen, to a very dangerous fighter: "There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men. We're trying to teach you to be dangerous -- to the enemy. Dangerous even without a knife. Deadly as long as you still have one hand or one foot and are still alive.".

I just finished my annual reading of the book . . . something I do annually!

Now for the Warning!!!

This is a poster for the movie directed by Paul Verhoeven who admitted he never finished reading the book.  Please don't watch it . . . you'll thank me later.  Not only does the movie miss most of the points of the book and, as a retired infantry officer (Regulars By God!), it's embarrassing to watch. 

Please don't get me started on how they portray Lieutenant Rasczak, the epitome of the servant leader in the novel that leads the Roughnecks.

One of the worst scenes in the book is when the platoon is defending an outpost and the bugs are coming. I can see the nuclear rockets strapped to the backs of the (so called) Mobile Infantry! So what do they do? Break out the SMALL ARMS (sigh). How about the scene when the platoon surround a bug in a circle, and then they all fire at the bug! In a circle? They would have hit each other. (Note: That's a safety violation) And please

Do not watch the movie!



The book sums it up nicely: "For the everlasting glory of the Infantry . . ."

Pulp Santa - North Star Military Figures

This years (2016) Santa for my parents is North Star's Pulp era Santa.  You better not be on his naughty list or trying to stop him from delivering presents!

Lord Greystoke's Company: Tarzan of the Apes

John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke, better known as Tarzan of the Apes, raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes is greatly feared and admired throughout the world in the late 19th and early 20th century.

 Tarzan accompanied by the fierce Waziri warriors.

As a young adult, Tarzan meets a young American woman, Jane Porter. When Jane returns to the United States, Tarzan leaves the jungle in search of her, his one true love. After many adventures Tarzan and Jane marry and move back and forth between England and Africa. Tarzan becomes contemptuous of what he sees as the hypocrisy of civilization, and he and Jane return to Africa, making their home on an extensive estate that becomes a base for Tarzan's adventures.  

 Chief Busuli of the Waziri, Jane Porter and Lieutenant D'Arnot.

Rules for including Tarzan in the world of In Her Majesty's Name can be found at The Ministry of Gentlemanly Warfare.

 

One of the Mangani great apes.

 Tantor.

  Tarzan and his allies protecting the lost city of Opar.

 

The Tarzan figure is by Wargames Foundry as is the figure portraying D'Arnot.  Jane is from Copplestone Castings and the Waziri are hard plastic Zulu figures from Warlord Games.  The great ape and elephant are both plastic toys I purchased in a set of African animal toys.

2016: A Great year for Painting, Gaming and all that!

I had a plan this year and for the most part I stuck to it (okay, I added some projects).  The only thing I did not finish are two element of cavalry for my Dux Bellorum King Arthur army.


Here was the plan for 2016 and Hooray for me and a pat on the back!

1. My English Civil War Infantry are now complete as are were some extra command figures:

A momentous occasion as Phase 3 of the English Civil War project is complete.  I now have 14 regiments of foot complete and mounted for Victory Without Quarter.

 

 Oliver Cromwll leading Parliament's finest.

 

Lord Leven will be a "generic" Scottish brigade commander and currently will command the Irish Brigade of Montrose's Scottish Royalist army. Figure mounted for my favorite ECW rules Victory Without Quarter.

2. In Her Majesty's Name is my new passion and allows me to paint numerous "smaller" armies.

     a. Scotland Yard:

 The world's greatest consulting detective and his able companion the doctor have their hand's full battling for Queen and country. The most famous police force in the world, Scotland Yard is here to help.

     b. Imperial Chinese Army.

Gulwalgiya Ronglu is a Manchu statesman and general of the Chinese Imperial Army.

 

     c. Lord Greystoke.

 Tarzan and his fierce Waziri companions with Jane Porter in the background.

     d. Sikh Rifle Company:

 A close-up of the Maxim MG from Copplestone with the Artizan Designs infantry protecting their left flank.

     e. Highlander Rifle Company:

 

The Gordan Highlanders while stationed in India went on to serve in various foreign campaigns including The Relief of the Chitral Expedition 1895 and the Tirah Campaign of 1897 - 1898.

     f. Various Characters:

 Huzzah! Professor Nightingale is rescued (again) by our heroic ladies. 

 

Ranjit Singh, Lady Rachel and Colonel Armstrong.

 

A new adventure?

 

 

"It was some time before the health of my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes recovered from the strain caused by his immense exertions in the spring of '87.  The whole question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of the colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis are too recent in the minds of the public . . ."

 

 

 "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the Constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"

 

3. Dux Bellorum.  I did finish the British-Romano infantry but I need to finish the last stand of Riders and Mounted Skirmishers:

 

Shieldwall Infantry for Arthur's army.

4. The Men Who Would be Kings.

     a. Anglo-Zulu War:

 Men of Harlech, march to glory,
Victory is hov'ring o'er ye,
Bright-eyed freedom stands before ye,
Hear ye not her call?

     b. Second Afghan War:

The Mountain Gun and Crew (Indian) from Artizan Designs. 

5. Dragon Rampant bonus! I love this game.

The fairest of them all and her seven companions take on the dragon rampaging through the kingdom.

The Three Hunters cutting their way through the bad boys in black!

6. Games, games and more games!  Here are some highlights:

The Roopkund Lake Incident?

 

"We have long sticks with points and we know how to use them!"

 

Six Regiments of Foot make for an impressive battle line and "battalia."

 

With a mighty roar the forces of evil advance!

Pwew! Pwew! Pwew!

 

 

Meanwhile in Darkest Africa . . .

 The Chinese rush into the annex through the rubble of the door.  WHO is the mysterious caretaker is in an adjacent room that the Chinese are trying to find?

 

  "What the . . . ?"  Yi Niu, greatest swords woman of China, discovers a strange structure as she races ahead as the vanguard of General Raglan's company.

 

 

As the troglodytes and yeti discover, there is a mummy in the room!

"Huzzah!" proclaims Professor Nightingale in celebration of Gertrude Bell discovering another lost city. "I'll drink to that", says Private Hook.

 

 

“Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.”