IHMN: Tar Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark

"The combat was soon over, and, with his foot upon the neck of the dead monster, Tars Tarkas became jeddak among the Tharks. His first act was to make me a full-fledged chieftain with the rank I had won by my combats the first few weeks of my captivity among them." From the journals of Captain John Carter.

Tars Tarkas is a great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks), He possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. With the help of the newly arrived Earth man John Carter, he becomes Jeddak, or king, of the Tharks. 

 John Carter of Virginia, former Captain of Cavalry, Confederate States of America.

Tars Tarkas is the first Barsoomian John Carter encounters when he appears on Barsoom (Mars). Over the course of the next weeks, Carter comes to respect Tars Tarkas for his abilities as a warrior and statesman. Carter also discovers that Tars Tarkas has a secret: long ago he fell in love and had a child (egg) with his lover, Gozava, two actions punishable by death in the Tharks' culture. Tars Tarkas and Gozava hid the egg and incubated it in secret. Tars Tarkas was ordered away on a long military expedition, and when the child finally hatched, Gozava managed to mingle her child with the newborn children from the communal incubator. Gozava's maternity (although not the child's identity) was discovered, and she was tortured and killed by the Tharkian chieftain Tal Hajus for the crime of childbearing. However, even under torture she refused to reveal the name of the child's father. The daughter's name is Sola, and she befriends Carter and tells him the story of her birth and the identity of her father. 

When he learns this, Carter's sympathy and admiration for Tars Tarkas increases, and he resolves to do all he can to help. Over time, the two become friends, and Carter, after escaping the Tharks in the course of his pursuit of Dejah Thoris, returns to them and helps engineer a duel between Tars Tarkas and Tal Hajus, the Jeddak of Thark. Tars Tarkas wins the duel, and according to Tharkian law becomes Jeddak. In exchange for Carter's help, Tars Tarkas becomes one of Carter's closest friends and allies.

Name: Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark

Pluck: 3+

Leadership: +2

Speed: 1

Fighting Value: +4

Shooting Value: +3

Talents: Beserker, Duelist (Sword), Fearless, Fortitude, Inspirational, Intuitive, Sword Master, Tough

Basic Equipment: Long Sword (Large sword and requires only one hand), short sword (sword), dagger (fighting knife) and radium pistol. May purchase a radium rifle for 24 points and has the option of adding the Hunter Talent for 5 points.

Armor: 8

Cost: 92

Tars Tarkas can lead the Tharks and any Green Martian war band except for the Warhoons. Tars Tarkas can lead a mix force of Green Martians and other Martians if John Carter joins the group or is part of the plan that brings them together.

I will not be using thoats in my games but if you do you can give Tars Tarkas Cavalryman and Trick Riding.

Next: John Carter of Virginia

IHMN: The Green Men of Mars

"The man himself, for such I may call him, was fully fifteen feet in height and, on Earth, would have weighed some four hundred pounds. He sat his mount as we sit a horse, grasping the animal's barrel with his lower limbs, while the hands of his two right arms held his immense spear low at the side of his mount; his two left arms were outstretched laterally to help preserve his balance, the thing he rode having neither bridle or reins of any description for guidance." From the journal of Captain John Carter.

"The men are trained in the higher branches of the art of war; in strategy and the maneuvering of large bodies of troops. They make the laws as they are needed; a new law for each emergency. They are unfettered by precedent in the administration of justice. Customs have been handed down by ages of repetition, but the punishment for ignoring a custom is a matter for individual treatment by a jury of the culprit's peers, and I may say that justice seldom misses fire, but seems rather to rule in inverse ratio to the ascendancy of law. In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people; they have no lawyers."  From the journal of Captain John Carter.


We have had a wonderful time working on the Barsoom project and we think we have some stats for In Her Majesty's Name. BIG DISCLAIMER: We have not play tested yet but rest assured there is going to be a hair raising adventure soon that will put them to the test!

Weird Science:

Radium Rifles are an extremely deadly weapon with a theoretical range of 300 miles. They fire small caliber explosive radium bullets which explode when exposed to light. The bullets are covered with a thin coating that breaks on contact with the target, thus creating an explosion. This is the principal firearm used by the green men. Many models are equipped with wireless finders and sighters and this lightweight weapon has a wood stock - a rare material on Barsoom - and a long metal barrel composed of a specially tempered alloy of aluminum and steel.

Radium Rifle
SV Bonus: +4
Range: 36"
Hands Required: 2
Pluck Modifier: -3 in Daylight; -1 at night or in situations like the Mystical Power Zone of Shadows.
Cost: 24 points. Has a built-in Monocular Targeting Array. Must have the Hunter talent to use for full effect. If the figure does not have the Hunter talent, it counts as an ordinary Military Rifle.

Radium Pistols are a firearm with a shorter range than the radium rifle:
 
Radium Pistol
SV Bonus: +2
Range: 8"
Hands Required: 1
Pluck Modifier: -2 in Daylight; 0 at night or in situations like the Mystical Power Zone of Shadows.
Cost: 7 points. 

"The Green Martians are the largest of the Martian races, the males standing up to fifteen feet tall and the females up to twelve feet. They have green skin, small antennae-like ears just above the eyes, and large tusks. In the males these tusks extend upwards to the level of the eyes. The eyes themselves are large and wide-set, with snowy white sclera and blood red irises. Each eye is capable of moving independently of the other. Green women differ in the fact that their skin color is lighter, their tusks extend up to the level of their antennae, and they also have vestigial fingernails." From the journal of Captain John Carter.

New Talent. Sword master: If the figure is armed with two blade weapons they can split their FV between them and thus between targets in base to base contact. 5 points.

Name: Green Martian

Pluck: 4+

Leadership: 0

Speed: 0

Fighting Value: +3

Shooting Value: +2

Talents: Fearless, Tough
May have up to 2 additional Talents: Beserker, Cavalryman (those thoats are big expensive models!), Duelist, Fanatic, Fortitude, Hunter, Intuitive, Lighting Draw, Marksman, Sword Master, Trick Riding.

Basic Equipment: Long Sword (Large sword and requires only one hand), short sword (sword) and dagger (fighting knife)

Armor: 8

Cost: 41

One Green Martian may choose the Leadership Talent +1 in addition to 2 additional talents.
A Thark Green Martian war band may include Tars Tarkas, John Carter, Dejah Thoris or Red Martains from the Empire of Helium. I have not done stats or point values for thoats because I doubt any time soon I will have them - but some other zoological specimens of Barsoom will be showing up!

"They are intelligent and capable of organizing themselves into a society, but they are almost all to a man brutish and cruel." From the journal of Captain John Carter.

A Green Martian War band among the ancient ruins of a Martian city.

Next: Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark

Barsoom Work in Progress Part 5: The Bases

Coming, as they did, over the soft and soundless moss, which covers practically the entire surface of Mars with the exception of the frozen areas at the poles and the scattered cultivated districts, they might have captured me easily, but their intentions were far more sinister. It was the rattling of the accouterments of the foremost warrior which warned me. 

 After finishing the figures, I definitely wanted the bases to look different that what I usually do. Captain Carter in his journals often mentions the yellow moss that covers most of Barsoom and some of the other vegetation and average terrain. Following is my guide to create the bases for Barsoomian figures.

The side of the bases are painted with Vallejo Flat Brown.

Add globs of white glue.

Using an old brush, water down the glue and spread it over the base.

Dip in Hobby Sand. In the USA, I buy my sand at Hobby Lobby. Shake off the excess.

The base with the sand.

All four figures left to base.

Once the sand dries, and make sure it is dry, add some more globs of glue.

Use that old brush again and water down and spread out the glue - it makes an excellent protective covering for the sand when dry.

Next I have some Gale Force Nine static grass. I think this is burnt amber or something like that.

I have no idea who the manufacturer is, but I always have some extra terrain bits lying around.

Now that the base is dry, I use some GW Skrag Brown and watered it down to get the red Martian look of the ground.

Now just a few globs and water them down.

Add some static grass and let it dry.

Here a close up of the other terrain bits I'm going to use.

I add some more white glue and just sorta mush it in so it gives it an alien look.

Some more on the back.

Another angle with all of the basing terrain.

 All four bases are done.

The finished product.

Barsoom Work in Progress Part 4

The man himself, for such I may call him, was fully fifteen feet in height and, on Earth, would have weighed some four hundred pounds. He sat his mount as we sit a horse, grasping the animal's barrel with his lower limbs, while the hands of his two right arms held his immense spear low at the side of his mount; his two left arms were outstretched laterally to help preserve his balance, the thing he rode having neither bridle or reins of any description for guidance. 

I am almost done with the last 4 green Martians which will give me a total of 6. I should be able to finish the details and basing if College Football does not interfere! After that, the next challenge will be devising some game stats for In Her Majesty's Name.

While working on and painting the figures, I keep on forgetting how big they are - at least 54mm! Since I am used to painting 28mm I keep knocking them over when I reach for paint of poke myself with one of their swords.

Auction: Huge Soviet WWII Army from Battle Front (Flames of War)

Huge Soviet WWII force in 15mm on eBay right now. As I mentioned earlier, I am clearing out some space for some new projects. The link on the word eBay will take you to a listing of the auctions. Note in the picture above the "Pig Farm", the Soviet Scouts,and the T-34/85 with the Soviet flag are not part of the auction. This army has it all: Infantry, Naval Infantry, tanks, rockets, machine guns and much more!