Showing posts with label Star Wars skirmish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Wars skirmish. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

3-D Printed Canyon Rocks & Stacks from Diabolical Terrain

    Battle droids prowl the canyon lands of Tatooine among 3-D printed pieces from Diabolical Terrain
A big part of my advance purchase that I picked up at Historicon from Diabolical Terrain were these desert terrain pieces from his Canyon Rocks & Stacks range. I wanted them to supplement the Desert Rock Formations that I had painted up awhile back. I now have 17 of these printed in 32mm scale, so should be set for any of my Star Wars skirmishes that I set out in the outback of Tatooine! 

    These canyon rocks and stacks certainly evoke desert terrain out west, such as Arches National Park
They are incredibly easy to get ready for the tabletop, too. I began -- as I did with the first batch -- with sand-colored Camouflage spray prime from Menards. I must not have sprayed it on as thick as I did with the first batch, because I did have to go back and do a base coat on top of the priming in a craft paint khaki color. Or maybe there are more grooves and crevices in this batch than the first. Who knows?

    I love how the erosion lines paint up quickly with a simple base coat, dry brush, and wash
Either way, I let them dry overnight after that. Next, I did a white dry brush highlight with a wide, stiff-bristled brush. If this is sounding familiar, it is exactly the same recipe as for my Tatooine buildings! Some of these are fairly big pieces, so I had to be careful to not smudge the areas I'd already dry brushed as I went all the way around each piece. Once again, I let them dry overnight before the next step.

    The contrast between the two styles of pieces -- stacked rocked look and eroded look
The final step besides a clear coat spray was to go over them completely with my Vallejo brown vehicle wash. I was worried that the massive surface area of the eight pieces would deplete my bottle completely and force me to mix up a new batch with the restock I picked up at Historicon. However, it did not -- there is still some left in the pre-mixed (watered down) bottle I made last summer. Now, the problem is that I don't actually remember what my ratio or formula was for Vehicle Wash to Water. Maybe I'll go back and read some of my blog posts to see if I mention it? I looked on the bottle cap (where I usually write these things down in Sharpie), but there's nothing there. 

    Few things are more Star Wars iconic than creatures riding huge beasties -- so this fig was a natural
Anyway, I really like the effect this dark brown wash gives on these pieces. It gives  the surface a nice kind of glow that you sometimes see in photographs of the desert southwest. Speaking of which, some of these are dead ringers for the terrain you see in Arches National Park. I'm sure that is intentional, so these pieces would also look great in a Western game set in the appropriate desert lands. The pieces actually break down into two types of surfaces. One is very craggy and like piled rocks (stacks?). The other is smooth and eroded with parallel lines carved into them by wind or water. Geologically, I'm not sure which it is -- I just know I've seen some amazing photos of these types of rocks out West!

    These battle droids are on the hunt for the Empire's enemies, tirelessly trekking the sandy planet
I really like how these turned out, and now I'm wishing my next Star Wars scenario was set in Tusken Raider land or something. Instead, it is a city scenario using the additional "Tatooie" (as the website calls them) buildings I bought from Diabolical at Historicon. Oh well...next game! Still, if you are currently doing Star Wars skirmishes with your group, you can definitely use some of theses for your games! They are reasonably priced and you can scale up or down what size you want them printed in (with the price going up or down, too, of course!).

    No sign of the Rebels here! Terrain pieces like these are where 3-D printing excels, I feel...
So, what's next on my paint desk? Well, speaking of Star Wars, I'm working on a batch of six civilians that I pieced together from the various Stargrave plastic sets I've purchased. They're about half done and will be needed for the upcoming game near the end of the month for our next game of Space Weirdos. The resin bunkers and sniper positions from Miniature Building Authority are still primed and awaiting their first coat. After that, I would like to polish off those five additional fishmen I primed up awhile back. Otherwise, if I jump from here into painting my Dragon Rampant fantasy troops, they'll be giving me the stink eye the whole time: "Hey, Bub! What about us? Youse said we's was next...!"
    A final look at the atmospheric 8 Canyon Rocks and Stacks that I just painted up

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 57

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 150

Monday, July 28, 2025

Urban Development in Tatooine (& moved markers)

    My newest Sci-Fi buildings for Tatooine are 3-D printed in 32mm scale from Diabolical Terrain

It was a race to see which of the things I purchased at Historicon last weekend that I would finish first. At first, I thought it would be the four Vietnamese light machine gunners (next post). However, my multi-step flocking method slowed progress down on them enough so that the Tatooine buildings and some movement markers for our Star Wars skirmishes beat them to the finish line. The buildings were ones I bought from Diabolical Terrain. With these finished, I now own one each of the six different styles in their "Tatooie" line of 3-D printed buildings. Hopefully, I'm set for now with buildings for my Star Wars skirmishes! That's the thing about 28mm terrain -- it takes up a lot of room and is not cheap!

    Two views of the larger domed building -- these paint up so quickly and I think look great!
I really do like these buildings, though. They look perfect for a Star Wars setting. Plus, they are so easy to prep for the tabletop. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that I finished them first. First, I spray painted them with a Khaki "camouflage" color I bought at Menards. Unfortunately, it didn't cover as well as it did on my first batch of these buildings, so I had to go over with a brush-on craft paint to give it a thorough base coat. After it had dried overnight, I dry brushed the buildings white. Waiting another evening, I applied Vallejo brown vehicle wash over it. I really like how the wash softens and blends the brush strokes of the highlighting. Prior to washing the buildings, I was kind of disappointed in myself, feeling I had botched the dry brushing stage. The harshest strokes disappear, though, once the wash is applied. Magic for the fumble fingered...ha, ha!

    The 'Double Humped' building being inspected by Stormtroopers on the lookout for 'rebel scum'
All that was left after that was to pick out the details. Most were done with Iron Wind Metals "Steel" paint. Progressively, I added a craft Gunmetal Gray, then Pewter to give depth to the metallic sections. The doors were painted first in Steel, then I added Metallic Brown in the recessed panels. Pewter was added as a highlight to the steel sections. Once again, these lines between the different colors disappeared when I did the Vallejo black vehicle wash over it. I really like what this wash does to metallic colors. It gives great shadows and depth, yet lets the highlighted areas still have more shine.

    Street level view of the three buildings together -- soon to be used in our next Star Wars scenario!
I'm glad I finished these, as I will need to use them in a few weeks for Mission 3 of our Star Wars skirmishes. This will take place in the city, again. The extra buildings will prove useful in creating the backstreets where most of the battle will take place. If anyone is interested in picking up a set of these from Diabolical Terrain, mine are printed in 32mm scale. There is a drop down menu on each building's page which allows you to select which scale you want them printed. Or -- better yet -- pick them up at the HMGS Great Lakes flagship convention, Advance the Colors, Oct. 10-11 in Springfield, OH. Ron Weaver will be attending as a dealer and has lots of great stuff!

    This pack in Menards caught my eye -- I had been looking for something to use for move markers
The next items I finished up involved a bit of serendipity. I was in Menards, picking up a replacement can of that Khaki spray paint, when I cut through one of the hardware aisles. I happened to pick the aisle that had the little stick-on sliders you put on the bottom of furniture. Lo and behold, I saw 1/2" diameter round adhesive cork pieces on the wall rack. Scratch builders know that cork is a great material. It can be painted or dry brushed to look like just about anything -- a rocky outcrop, asphalt, you name it! I have been trying to figure out what to use as markers for some of my games to denote which figures have acted already for that turn. In particular, I need them for Space Weirdos rules. You are supposed to show how many movement actions a figure has taken on its turn because it can affect shooting at (and by) them. Since you can move up to three times in a turn, I wanted smaller markers. These will be perfect, I think.

    Luckily, I already had a box of 1/2 washers that fit on the underside of the cork pieces perfectly
Even better, I discovered that I already had a box of 1/2" metal washers when I got home. Cork is a great looking material, but it can be fragile. I simply peeled off the paper back of the pieces and stuck the metal magnet to the underside of each cork piece. No problems with fragility now! Next, I flipped them over, and put a blob of white glue in the center of each washer -- just to make sure that the two stay properly adhered to each other.

    First batch of 24 move markers - I really like how they look with the cork surface, rocks & tufts/flock
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised how quick these were made ready for the tabletop...wait! Didn't I just say that about something else? I pulled out all of my khaki-ish paints, opened them up, and set their lids next to the mat I most often use for Space Weirdos games. I picked out the one that matched best -- it was a craft paint called...wait for it..."Khaki!" I painted the side edges of the cork/washer first in that color. Next, I wet brushed the cork top in that color, as well. I figured they'd need more than that, and after looking at them, I decided I was right. I added groups of 2-3 small tan ballast stones to the top by applying a bit of white glue and then placing each stone with a brush whose tip was dipped in the glue.

    How the markers will be used -- to indicate which figs have acted & how many moves they made
A few hours later, I went downstairs and took a look a them. I felt the movement markers needed a bit more. I added brown vehicle wash to the base and the rocks. They definitely looked better, as the wash settled into the grooves of the cork and gave irregular darker patches. But...guess what? I felt they could use just a bit more...ha, ha! I added tufts or clump foliage to each one with a dab of white glue. Now, they were perfect! Or at least would be, once I got a chance to spray coat them with matte.

    A rebel drone keeps an aerial view on a squad of Stormtroopers as they search Mos Eisley
I will be headed back to Menards soon for another box of 24 of these cork pieces. Or two boxes? Remember -- cork looks great! It can be used to replicate so many surfaces! Anyway, I was happy with how they came out. The question will be whether I will make similar ones for other terrain surfaces. So, what else is on my painting desk? Quite a bit, actually. The only miniatures currently underway (other than the machine gunners who are just waiting on a matte spray coat) are the dozen 28mm Empress Vietnamese civilians I also bought at Historicon. They are about 1/3 of the way done. Terrain-wise, I have the nine 3-D printed canyon rocks and stacks that I bought at Historicon base coated. The MBA sniper positions and bunkers will hopefully get a black primer today. So, stay tuned! More of my purchases from Historicon are on the way!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 145

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 50

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 138

Monday, July 7, 2025

Star Wars Mission 2: Firefight on the Flightline

    An imperial TIE fighter base deep in the Tatooine desert is the target of a surprise raid by the rebels
Deep in the desert of Tatooine, a TIE fighter base responsible for patrolling an area rife with Tusken raids, has received instructions to go upgrade its computer coding for its perimeter defenses. There was a possible security breach in Mos Eisley, and upgrading systems is recommended. When a squad of Bronze Legion mercenaries are flown in to augment the flight line's security, the base commander decides perhaps the instructions were more urgent than he realized. The technicians begin to work their way through the laborious re-coding process when alarm sounds. All perimeter security defense have been over-ridden and taken offline by a signal of unknown origin. The base commander orders the flight line on full alert!

    Recruited by the rebels, Sluggr of the Criminal Syndicate slips on board, but is immediately targeted
This was the setup for our second mission in our Star Wars skirmish campaign using Space Weirdos rules. In the first mission, the rebels successfully retrieved the stolen security plans from the droid in a chaotic battle in Mos Eisley. Now, the rebels are using this information to raid imperial bases after knocking their security systems offline. For extra muscle, they contract with Foxhurst's Criminal Syndicate, who surprisingly quickly agrees to join the raid. Do they have ulterior motives? And what about the squad of mercenaries from the Bronze Legion? Are they wholly on the imperial side? Each player was given their own particular victory conditions, which did not always neatly coincide with those of their allies!

    Stormtroopers, led by Darth Pylor at top center, begin blasting away at the attacking syndicate
Our regular six players were present -- host Mike W as the Rebel Alliance, Tom as the local Tatooine rebels, Allen as the Criminal Syndicate, Keith as the Mercenaries, Joel as Corporate Security, and Mike S taking on the role of the Empire. Each player had a chance to upgrade the stat of one of their four characters prior to the mission. This will simulate the fighters gaining experience. I've decided rather than keeping track of experience points, I would simply allow one upgrade between each session so that the sides remained relatively equal. I did tell them that players taken out of action during a mission and not revived by the end would have to roll for their recovery. I actually still need to work out how I am going to do that!

    Action slowly simmers around the board as players maneuver their characters from cover to cover
I allowed the defenders (Empire, Corporate Security, Mercenaries) to leave up to half their figures off-board at the start of the game, writing down which building they were located in. It would take one of the characters three actions to appear adjacent to the structure they wrote down. The attackers would start on the short edges with the goal of placing explosives in contact with the TIE fighters. It would take two actions to set the charges with the third action presumably being spent running for cover. Then BOOM -- the TIE fighter would be considered destroyed and anyone inside the 5" blast diameter also possibly taking damage. 

    Although hapless in the films, the Stormtroopers aggressively & successfully defended the flightline
The rebels first movement were very tentative. They came on board and crept only marginally closer, hiding behind the next terrain piece or building. I honestly feel they missed an opportunity, as do the Initiative rolls, they all moved first. Their first figure moving wouldn't have to worry about any defenders having opportunity fire set in place. After all players had moved one figure, they then moved a second figure in the same order. The stormtroopers and mercenaries immediately began placing figures in overwatch. As subsequent attackers moved, energy blasts lanced out and the attackers began to fall. The criminals, in particular, took it on the chin all game. At one point or another, three of the criminal figures were taken out of action. Their leader, Foxhurst, used the Force to heal them back up, but they were struggling to get near the high value cargo that they'd actually come to steal.

    Finally, Zimeon - leader of the local rebels - dashes forward boldly and blows up the first TIE fighter
Finally, the local rebel player (Tom) took a chance. His leader, Zimeon, dashed forward at the end of turn three, ducking under the wing of a TIE fighter. As defenders drew a bead on him, he used his Command Points to dodge closer to his objective. On Tom's first action of Turn Four, Zimeon planted the charges, set them, and ran for cover. Ka-boom!! The first TIE fighter exploded. The angry defenders blasted away at Zimeon, but Tom cleverly used his new turn's command points. The first one was used to dodge the first shot (back towards cover), and the second time he was targeted he used one to "Power Up" his Defense roll. Zimeon dove for safety behind terrain, unharmed.

    Outnumbered mercenaries waged a fierce firefight against both rebel factions at one end of the board
This seemed to energize the attackers. With much urging by Tom and the other players, Mike W's Rebel Alliance finally gathered their nerve. Rebel pilot Knox imitated Zimeon's tactics and successfully blew up a second TIE fighter. Time was against the raiders, though. The Corporate Security and Empire were slowly getting the perimeter defenses back online. This would allow them one extra attack (2d10 -- the games most powerful) at an enemy character with no range or cover modifier. 

    Spurred on by Zimeon's success, the Rebel Alliance uses their tactics to destroy another fighter
All three defender players fought back aggressively against the attackers. Mike S's stormtroopers almost completely shut down Allen's Criminal Syndicate. I was worried I had made victory conditions too easy. All he had to do was move adjacent to one of three designated high value pieces of cargo (only he knew which three they were), complete a "Use Item" (two actions), and thereafter it would hover and follow the criminal who planted, immediately matching their movement. When we called the game, Allen's leader was within 1 move of one of the pieces of cargo, but he never made it into contact with enemy and ended the game with 0 Victory Points.

SCENARIO 2 VICTORY POINTS

Keith's Bronze Legion mercenaries fought like lions to defend the flightline. For the most part, he disregarded the victory conditions I'd given him and fought hard to defend the spacecraft, like a loyal imperial soldier. Joel's Corporate Security also were all over the table, shooting at any attackers they saw. In the end, it wasn't lack of effort by the defenders that caused the empire's narrow loss. It was the fact that the rebel players weren't giving up, and were pushing the attack, so couldn't count as "repelled." Once again, Local Rebel player Tom was the victor, boosting the morale of the Tatooine rebels.

CAMPAIGN STANDINGS AFTER TWO TURNS  


 I'm really happy with how Space Weirdos rules are working out for our Star Wars skirmishes. We've made a couple tweaks, particularly on Overwatch for a six player game, but everyone seems to be happy with how things are progressing. I felt this game was a little slow to get going, but it could also be that some players had not played the rules in awhile. Mission 1, These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For, took place two months ago. I think I need to run the game more often than that to keep us up to speed. It's not like we don't play other rules systems, and it is easy to get them confused, as regular miniatures gamers know so well!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 138

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 43

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 112

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Quick 'How To' for a Star Wars TIE Fighter Scenery Piece

    My scratch-built TIE fighter 'objective markers' for our 2nd skirmish in our Star Wars campaign
The second scenario in my Star Wars skirmish campaign using Space Weirdos rules will have the rebels attacking a TIE fighter base in the deserts of Tatooine. I was sure one of my friends would have some usable TIE fighter models. Color me surprised that neither Keith nor Wallace had any! I posted on the Lead Adventure Forum, looking for ideas for inexpensive roughly 28mm scale models I could use essentially as terrain in this game. Some good suggestions, but I didn't want to spend $30+ on a just few models. There HAD to be some way to make them, assemble them out of cardstock, or whatever!

    Somewhere in the Tatooine desert, a flight line and base for six imperial TIE fighters
I kept waiting for inspiration or an idea to hit me until it got to less than 2 weeks out from the game. No more time to dither, I had to make a decision! I chose to make my own. I found a good image online of the TIE fighter's hexagonal panel "wings." I would print these out at the local office supply store, using the same image for both inside and outside. I'd affix those with spray adhesive to a piece of thin styrene plastic (white glue just peeled off). Now, I would need to source the central ball-shaped pod and the connecting sprues. As I like to do in such scratch-building situations, I headed up to Hobby Lobby. And hit paydirt!

    The image I found online of a TIE fighter side panel and the styrene sheet I affixed them onto
First, I found perfect-sized, wooden spheres at clearance prices for the central sections. There were even holes drilled in either side so it could be a "bead," in essence. Then, I found a bag of cylindrical, wooden beads that looked to be a good size to connect to the panels. These were also at a good price! The last stop was at Office Max, where I got two silver Sharpies (one thick point, one thin). The plan would be to spray paint the ball and beads black, and draw panel lines in silver. Here's where I was relying on memory rather than double-checking images. I should have spray painted gray and used black Sharpies to do the darker portions. D'oh!

    Wooden beads from the local craft store made up the central section of the TIE fighters
The cylindrical beads fit well into the holes on the spherical beads. I had also bought a thin wooden dowel to string all three together so they'd be lined up straight, though. I pre-cut the dowel into the correct lengths, squirted white glue into each bead, and then strung them all together, twisting the cylindrical beads to get them firmly inserted into the holes in the balls.

    Close up of the panel lines drawn on with silver Sharpie onto the ship's central sections 
I spray painted these black (yeah, yeah, should have been gray!), then spent an hour or so after they had dried going over them with the silver Sharpies, creating panel lines. Honestly, I did a so-so job on this stage. These are definitely terrain items -- not beautiful models recreating a TIE fighter. Lump them in the "should be seen from six feet away category" and they look fine...ha, ha! In my game, the TIE fighters are basically just objectives that the rebel players are trying to blow up. They won't take to the air and I don't imagine I will use them for too many scenarios. They're fine for spending just a tad over $10 for everything.

    Side view with a look at the fancy furniture tacks that (along with Tacky glue) hold them together
I did forget to mention that I bought a box of fancy, silver Furniture Tacks at the local Menards to fasten the hexagonal panels to the wooden central section. I used a pin vice to create a hole in each of the hexagonal panels. Then I drilled out the inside of the cylindrical beads (essentially through the dowel). I squirted in white glue into either side, and then pressed the tack in firmly from the outside, attaching the panels and central section firmly together.

    Stormtroopers guard the flight line -- will they be able to hold off the rebel raid & protect the ships?
All in all, they look okay as scenery. So, if you have a need for a half a dozen parked TIE fighters that you can source for less than $20 total, maybe my post here will inspire you. If not, now you know what lengths I will go to in giving my games that little extra bit of eye candy...ha, ha! Oh, and despite all of what I just said, in my totals below, I am counting these TIE fighters in the "MINIATURES" category...! 
    Final look at my 'terrain pieces' -- TIE fighters built for $10+ so my players could blow them up!
MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 138

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 43

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 112

Monday, May 19, 2025

Star Wars with Space Weirdos: Imperial Boarding Action

    Allen's Star Wars rebel soldiers prepare to defend themselves as they hear the Stormtroopers advance
My friend Keith had a taste for some Sci-Fi skirmish, and wanted to get his Starship Vengeance 3-D printed cardboard terrain onto the table. The "box terrain" set from Gale Force 9 is pre-printed and cleverly goes back together like a Russian matryoska doll, with each slightly smaller box fitting inside a larger one. We decided to use Space Weirdos rules again, since we had just used them and they would be fresher in our head. I suggested a very Star Wars-like scenario with stormtroopers boarding a rebel cruiser looking for a high value target (in this case, "the Princess"). Keith brought along his Wizards of the Coast prepainted Star Wars figs, and we set up a simple, shoot-'em up scenario.

    Keith's very clever 3-D printed cardboard spaceship interior was our battlefield for the evening
We had three Empire players and three Rebels. Each controlled a sergeant leader and three troopers. The profiles were identical for both sides except that the rebels had laser pistols and the Stormtroopers had laser rifles. Of course, in the heat of the moment we promptly forgot to apply the weapon bonuses and restrictions until the very end of the game. We also forgot about our grenade's +1 on the damage chart, and our armor's +1 to Defense rolls. I have an idea on how to redesign the character sheets to make it less easy to forget all those fun things. It didn't imbalance the game as both sides completely forgot those modifiers until the very end of the game!

    My entry point was the bottom of the picture - but as we advance, Keith's rebels move to flank us
Keith laid out the very cool looking cardboard terrain to form the sprawling interior of a rebel cruiser. First, I had the Empire players discuss and then choose three breach points, one for each player, where they would board the ship. Next, the Rebel players returned to the room and deployed their figures. Jenny and I had chose to breach into rooms that led to corridors that essentially bisected the ship. Tom chose to breach into a perpendicular corridor that led left and right, so to speak. We figured we would come in the middle of the interior, so to speak, and then march right or left once we saw where the Rebels (and more importantly, the Princess) were. All three Empire players had a silent chuckle when they saw Joel deploy his four Rebels soldiers in the hallway Tom would breach into. To one side of the central axis, Keith had deployed his guys and the Princess in Engineering. To the opposite side, Allen had deployed his in the Control room. 

    Tom's Stormtroopers burst in through their breach point and quickly gunfire & blasts erupt
Crucially for me, there was another corridor that led from my access point to the back of Engineering. So, I feinted forward to look like I was going to reinforce Tom in the central hallway battle. Keith sent one of his soldiers to reinforce Joel, but the other three began moving towards the corridor, possibly to outflank me. This decided matters for me, as I would throw all four of my stormtroopers at his position. Before we engaged though, the battle was raging in the central hallway. We later nicknamed it the Hallway of Death for the Out of Action soldiers sprawled about the corridor. 

   Early look at the 'Hallway of Death', with two of Jenny's Stormtroopers at the bottom ready to join in
Tom raced through the breach point and immediately engaged the rebels in melee. I'd given each figure a grenade, in addition to their blaster, and the players were not shy about using them at all. Soon, shock grenades were going off all over the ship. Stormtroopers fell, Rebels went down -- anywhere that figures were bunched up within the half stick blast radius, a grenade would be tossed. Even with forgetting the +1 on the damage chart, grenades rolled 2d10 on attack vs. the laser pistol or rifle's 2d8. We debated whether it was possible to use one of your two Command Points each turn to "power up" the grenade to 2d12. It is possible to spend one point to power up your attack one dice level. We decided that it was possible, which made throwing grenades even more attractive. The sounds of booms soon rang through the hallways as men screamed and fell to the floor.

    Fortune was on the Empire's side as my Stormtroopers clear the corridor leading to Engineering
Tom pushed his attacks aggressively, drawing all of the attention of Joel and Allen. Jenny advanced to support him, keeping most of her troopers in the corridor leading to the Hallway of Death, though. While the battle raged there, it was mainly a distraction. It kept 2/3's of the rebels away from protecting the princess. All I would need to do would be to defeat Keith's three troopers with my four, grab the princess, and get out, and we would win.

    Unfortunately for the Princess, Allen's troopers remained pinned down inside the control room
Keith won the Initiative though and started turn 2 off with a bang. He threw a grenade which would catch three of my troopers in the blast. I used one of my two command points to have one Stormtrooper dodge out of the blast area. Only one of the other two was hit, and he was still up. I decided to use the movie tactics of the Stormtroopers and advanced to the attack, moving into his hallway and shooting with all of my Stormtroopers. We also tossed our share of grenades, too. It was a bloody battle, but my Stormtroopers were slowly getting the upper hand.

    My grenade tossed into the doorway leading to the Engineering knocked out a rebel & the princess
Keith's rebels began to fall back from the corridor. One of my men tossed a grenade in the open doorway leading to engineering. In the blast radius were three of his rebels AND (unfortunately, maybe) the Princess. The princess and two of the rebel soldiers were knocked out of action. He counterattacked knocking out one of my guys. Still, the doorway remained open at the start of the next turn. I had one of my Stormtroopers run in, pick up the princess, and dart back out into the corridor. I made sure I hung onto one of my command points, though, waiting for his rebels to pursue into the corridor and shoot my Stormtrooper carrying the princess. When he did, I played it, Dodging out of the corridor back towards my entry point.

    Bodies continue to pile up in the Hallway of Death, and amazingly Tom's Stormtroopers fight on!
Meanwhile, bodies continued to fall in the Hallway of Death. Allen's rebels, who'd been relatively content to hold the command center, finally came out to take on Tom and Jenny's stormtroopers. More grenades went off, more figures were either Knocked Down, Staggered, or put Out of Action. The Hallway's floor grew slick with the blood from wounded lying on the metallic floor. 

    Three of my Stormtroopers exfiltrating back towards our breach point with the princess' body
When we decided to call the game, my troopers were within one move of their exfiltration point and Keith did not have enough rebel soldiers left to stop them. He kept insisting the princess was dead, though I pointed out the rules say only "Out of Action," which doesn't mean dead. It was an imperial victory, especially considering the Sci-Fi medical advancements which could revive or heal the princess, we argued. Everyone had a great time, laughing as we made Star Wars movie references or comical dice failures beset us all. I think everyone is enjoying Space Weirdos. It is easy to pick up the concepts. There are a few questions that have arisen in our games, but we tend to be able to agree on the intent of the rules. If you're looking for a fast Sci-Fi skirmish game (they also have Sword Weirdos for Fantasy), with easy to learn rules, you may consider downloading the rules from Wargame Vault and trying them out. At only $5, how wrong can you go?

For only $5, how wrong can you go picking up & checking out a copy of Space Weirdos?
Meanwhile, my painting of 28mm Vietnam figures continues to roll along, as does my work on jungle vegetation scatter terrain pieces. Look for pics of those soon!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 143
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 80 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 19
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 22

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 54
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 57

Monday, May 5, 2025

Star Wars Using 'Space Weirdos' - These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For...


    Stormtroopers stop a droid in the central market of a town on Tatooine in my first Star Wars skirmish
I had been steadily getting things ready to finally run Star Wars skirmishes with Space Weirdos rules. When our regular host pointed out the first Sunday in May would be the 4th, he suggested we play a Star Wars themed game. So, I hurried my last preparations and was able to finally run a skirmish using these rules and the miniatures I've been painting up for more than a year, now. I cooked up a scenario with a nod to the iconic Obi-Wan line, "These aren't the droids you're looking for..."

    The Rebel Alliance from off-world: (L-R) Ylena, Knox, Jambru Gassu, & Mango

In my Star Wars games, each player controls one of the factions from that universe. Since we typically have six players, I created that many factions: Empire, Corporate Security, Mercenaries (Bronze Legion), Criminal Syndicate, Local Rebels, and Rebel Alliance. In this game -- stop me if you've heard this before -- the rebels have pulled off a big feat and stolen the plans to the imperial security facilities on Tatooine.  However, the agents were caught in the act and prior to be arrested were able to download the plans into a droid, send it out into the streets of the city, and inform their colleagues what they'd done. The only problem was the transmission was cut off prior to identifying the exact droid with the plans. Based on where the heist occurred (and the memory required), it could only have been an R1 Logistics droid or B3 Engineering droid, though.

    The Empire's strike team: (L-R) Darth Pylos, Lt. Echo Five, Trooper EA-01 & Trooper EA-02
The empire and their corporate security also discover what has happened and launch a search for the droid, several hours later. Meanwhile, the Tatooine Local Rebels and the off-world Rebel Alliance (who cooperated to pull off the feat) have sent teams into the city to locate the droid. Waiting for them there, though, are mercenaries from the Bronze Legion. They've been hired by the town's insurance companies. A maddening number of "droid-nappings" have been occurring locally, and they've given up on the Empire or their local security's ability to handle the problem. Tired of losing money on insurance claims for stolen droids, they hire the elite Bronze Legion to watch over droids in the busiest section of town. In addition, paid informants inside the imperial security staff have let the local Criminal Syndicate know what has happened. They also mobilize a team, but not to find that one particular droid. Instead, they intend to take advantage of the chaos about to break out dowtown to steal some more droids!

    Enforcers from a Tatooine Criminal Syndicates: (L-R) Foxhurst, Quiddo, Sluggr, and Trumonkar
Each player would control four figures that I created using the Space Weirdos rules and the Sci-Fi miniatures I've been painting. Only the Stormtroopers are actual Star Wars forces. Otherwise, I'm using the forces I've been building over the last year or so to fill in the other factions. They are from a wide variety of sources, too. The Local Rebels, Bronze Legion, Corporate Security, and Knox from the Rebel Alliance are assembled from Stargrave kits. The Stormtroopers and the Mon Calamari rebel are 3-D prints from JS Wargamer Printing. A couple miniatures are from Wiley Games (Darth Pylor and Sluggr) or freebie giveaways from past Cincycons (Foxhurst, Trumonkar). The leader of the Rebel Alliance, Ylena, is a from Hydra Miniatures' Retro Raygun line and Mango the orangutan is from Sgt. Major Miniatures (now Battle Valor Games).

    The Mercenaries from the Bronze Legion: (L-R) Hex Ruudo, Xessa Vat, Brun Wot, & Krits Muurd
As you can imagine, both rebel and imperial factions primarily want to recover the droid with the plans. They know it is one of the three R1 or three B3 droids. A successful "Willpower check" under the Space Weirdos rules when in contact with a droid can ascertain if it is indeed the droid they are looking for. Each figure from all six factions carries a "Droid Clamp." It takes one of a figure's three actions in a turn to apply it to the droid in contact. After that, the droid will dutifully follow the character wherever it goes. Their goal is to get off the board with that particular droid. The rebel or imperial faction which succeeds in doing that receives 5 Victory Points. Their ally faction gets only 2 VP, though (rivalry and desire to appear the most competent, right?). They also get VPs for knocking figures out of action from the Empire and Corporate Security (Rebel Alliance only) or Criminal Syndicate (Local Rebels only). The Empire gets VPs for knocking out figs from either faction of Rebels, while Corporate Security gets points for Alliance figures and Criminal Syndicate ones. The thought is the two native-staffed factions (Local Rebels and Corporate Security) aren't crazy about killing their fellow Tatooine residents.

    Local Rebels from Tatooine: (L-R) Zimeon, Ziahra, Craix, and Rarely

But what about the Mercenaries? They are hired by the insurance companies, so get points for knocking out of action ANY figure in contact with a droid. They also get a decreasing amount of VPs depending on how many droids are "kidnapped" during the scenario, maxxing out if no faction is successful in removing any droids from the table under their custody. To represent them already being in town keeping an eye on things, I let my friend Keith (who was playing the Mercenaries) deploy inside or on any buiding surrounding the central market (or in the market itself). Surprisingly, Keith deployed all of them visible -- none inside the buildings. He did institute a very aggressive defense, though, shooting players who came anywhere near the market -- not just in contact near droids. This resulted in him being at odds with most of the other factions in the game. As alluded to, the Criminal Syndicate got points for simply getting as many droids off-table as they could. They wanted the high-value ones, naturally the R1s or B3s, but also the floating FX drones. The smaller droids will still gave them points but not as much as the bigger ones (which, not coincidentally, the imperial and rebel factions wanted as well).

    The Empire's hired Corporate Security: (L-R) Lt. Shrukar, Sgt. Ithran, Cpl. Valla, & Cpl. Teyran

The droids began the game mostly near the central market plaza, with some of the smaller repair or street-sweeping droids further out. Each type of droid had a secret path they would follow, moving once each turn after all the player figures had acted. The R1s (one of which had the plans) would circle the market clockwise, then exit off the opposite board edge furthest away from where they started. The B3s would do the same, but moving counter-clockwise. The FX stayed a building away from the market, circling then exiting similarly to the R1s. The other smaller droids would simply circle buildings and wander in what would appear to the players in an aimless path. Which one had the plans? The green R1 was the designated R2D2 for this game, which was made from a piece of Sci-Fi scatter I purchased from Diabolical Terrain (who also makes the Tatooine buildings) and treads from RRB Minis & More.  

    Early in the game, from left, Keith, Joel, Mike W, Mike S, and Allen investigate the town layout

After I explained the rules and scenario, I gave the players a choice whether to roll and choose the side of the hexagon-shaped game board they began on, or to simply deploy on the edge where they were already sitting. Unanimously, they chose to begin where they were sitting. This meant the droid with the plans began near the market closest to Mike S's Empire faction and Allen's Criminal Syndicate. Its programming was to circle the market wall clockwise and then exit between Keith (Mercenaries) and Joel (Corporate Security). On the very first turn of the game, Allen moved one of his faster figures to within one move of that droid. However, by then, the Bronze Legion had begun opening fire on anyone who came within a move of of the walls of the market. Allen decided not to stick his neck out further and withdrew to pluck lower hanging fruit, so to speak. If he had decided to grab it, and had gotten off the board, his faction would have had the upper hand in the game, even though that wasn't technically the droid he was looking for!

    So many droids to investigate in this scenario -- luckily the Rebels knew it was one of two types
Keith's Mercenaries quickly got into a firefight with the Corporate Security, Criminal Syndicate, and Tom's Local Rebels. The return fire of those factions (and also Mike S's Empire when Keith later opened up on one of their Stormtroopers, too), kept him hopping all game. All of the Mercenaries wore Heavy Armor, though, and this helped them time and again throughout the game, causing an opponent's shot to miss instead of hit. The way Space Weirdos works, each figure has stats in Speed (number of actions they can move in a turn), Firepower (shooting), Prowess (melee ability) and Defense (used when targeted by shooting or melee). The stat is expressed as a roll of two dice of a particular size, from d6 (weakest) to d8 to d10 (best). Modifiers such as cover, aiming, moving fast, etc., cause the dice type to go up or down, with a max of d12 and minimum of d4. Each player rolls their two dice and results are compared. If the Attacker's roll beats the Defender's, a second roll with 2d6 is made on a chart to see what happens. A particularly low roll on this chart could have the target return fire or counter-thrust in melee. Or the result could be for the target to run or dive for cover. Good rolls will knock down, "Stagger", or take them Out of Action. 

    Led by Darth Pylor, Mike's Empire faction moves past the power station towards the center of town
Another tactical wrinkle in Space Weirdos are the Command Points. Each player gets two per turn and they must be used during that turn and don't carry over. They can be very powerful. The most commonly used one in our game was "Dodge." Once the attacker declared a ranged shot on the target, the controlling player could play Dodge and move the figure one stick (5") out of line of sight, negating the enemy's shot and wasting those action(s). There's also Power Up, which gives the attacker or defender a dice type bonus. Hustle allows a character to move one more action than their Speed would normally allow (great for escaping off-board with a droid!). There were also Overwatch, First Strike (target of melee gets to attack first), and Regroup, which gives a bonus to next turn's Initiative roll. 

    Local Rebel trooper Craix eyes three Criminal Syndicate enforcers creeping towards the market
Space Weirdos plays well with multiple players in a game. However, the rules appear to be intended for a 1 vs. 1 game. So, I felt that I had to modify the Overwatch command. I think I may have made it too weak. I will talk to the players about how to make it more attractive of a play, considering it was used only once and on the first turn of the game. I asked the players afterward about whether they thought the command point themselves were too powerful and if their number should be reduced. Only Tom (and honestly, myself) felt each player should be given only one instead of two. I was worried that players would get frustrated, moving into place to take a shot, spending an action aiming (to bump their dice type), and then shooting only to see the opponent play a Dodge and scamper away, wasting their entire turn, essentially. Players are limited to using Dodge, First Strike, or Overwatch only once per turn. To keep track of them, I gave each player two Hershey Kiss candies and said they were to unwrap and eat them when they use a command point. That way, we could visually verify if they had used their both, one, or none. Did they follow my rules? Ha, ha...only partially! There were a number of command points eaten before they were played, or not eaten at all!

    Rebel trooper Mango charges up the stairs and enters melee with one of the Bronze Legion
The action unfolded with the Bronze Legion mercenaries merrily blasting away at anyone who came in sight. I whispered to Keith to make sure he understood he only got VPs by knocking a figure out of action in contact with a droid, and he said he knew that. He was just fighting an aggressive defense! The Corporate Security troopers, perhaps resenting the Mercenaries usurping their role as hired guns in the town, skirmished aggressively with the armored mercenaries. Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance moved up, nailing one of the security troopers and knocking him out of action. When Rebel leader Ylena and her Mon Calamari companion neared the market, the mercenaries blasted away at them, too. The hulking orangutan Mango joined the firefight, eventually charged up the stairs at one mercenary and backhanding him off the stairway and into the shadows of a silent mechanical drill nearby.

    A Stormtrooper takes a shot at a Mon Calamari rebel trooper as he ducks around a building
The Stormtroopers began to sneak up on the Rebel Alliance, though, and bring them under fire. Mike S was the first of the Sunday Evening gang to choose a faction when I announced the games, and he chose Empire. He is normally one of our most aggressive players, which I felt made perfect sense for the Empire. However, that night his advance was much more tentative than normal. His leader, Darth Pylos, used his dark powers to bring droids closer to his troopers for them to check out, but he didn't use any of his attack abilities. In particular, I fully expected Mike to use the "Mind Control" ability and have his opponents open fire on friendly figures. Or to use the "Mind Stab" to try to knock them out. He stayed focused on droid-hunting, though. His dice rolls were not up to snuff, either, and the Empire struggled to accomplish much other than inconveniencing the neighboring Rebel Alliance troopers.

    Darth Pylos tells the Stormtroopers to fan out and search the R1 Logistics & B3 Engineering droids
Interestingly, the Local Rebels and Criminal Syndicate seemed to have a de facto truce going on. Tom had multiple opportunities to fire into the backs of Allen's criminal enforcers, but for the most part, declined. Allen, likewise, saved his shooting for the mercenaries who'd been trying to pick off his guys since the start of the game. On the face of it, Allen's criminals had the simplest mission -- just grab droids. However, that would put him at odds with the Mercenaries immediately. Also, if the droid he grabbed happened to be a possible type carrying the plans, the imperial and rebel factions would likely unload on him. Still, Allen balanced his aggression with mission focus, and was actually able to put the clamps on three separate high-value droids. If his leader Foxhurst had headed off-table with his clamped droid instead of moving to try to heal one of his downed troops, Allen would have won with 6 VPs.

    Late game chaos at the market! Rebels and Stormtroopers blast away as they rush to secure droids
Actually, I was impressed with all of the players and how they attempted to carry out their missions. Mike W's Rebel Alliance were dogged foes of the Mercenaries and Empire, shooting them repeatedly and investigating droids that were close by. He simply had bad luck in the one with the plans was on the other side of the board. He played his rebels like you'd expect in the Star Wars universe, and would end up tied for second. His ally on the other side of the table had the good fortune of being closest to the path the droid with the plans would take. Local Rebel Tom used cover wisely, and aggressively advanced to return the fire of the mercenaries and to get as near to the target droid types as possible. When the green R1 came close enough, he had his leader (with the highest Willpower) check it out and confirm it was the one. He immediately began to flee the table, using a Hustle on his following turn to escape with his prize.

    Criminal enforcer Sluggr slithers away with an FX Hover droid, heading for the table edge
The shooting broke out early and kept going all game long. From the battle reports I'd read on blogs or watched on YouTube, I was under the impression Space Weirdos would be a bloody game. However, fewer than one figure per faction was knocked out of action. I think that there were a few reasons why my scenario was less bloody than ones I'd read or watched. First, the rules recommend you have a lot of terrain to break line of sight or provide cover. I had a lot of buildings or big pieces of machinery on the board, which made it very easy to hide behind or use "Dodge" to avoid a shot. Plus, instead of your opponent getting only one Dodge per turn, potentially all five other factions could have a Dodge to use against you when you were shooting. Finally, the players admitted their rolls on the second table to ascertain damage after they hit with a shot were terrible. I repeatedly saw them roll "5" or less on 2d6. So, I think those three factors mitigated the bloodshed a little.

    One of the Corporate Security troopers exits with an R1 droid, crossing his fingers its the right one
Still, I asked the players to be honest. Did they enjoy the system? I would not be offended if they didn't, and we could easily play the Wiley Games Galactic Heroes rules if they preferred.  They said they enjoyed them and were willing to keep using Space Weirdos for Star Wars skirmishes. They liked the scenario in honor of "May the 4th Be With You," and said they had fun. I already have an idea for the next chapter, so hopefully we will get a chance to play again in a month or so. 

 

    A look at the 17 types of droids (names are my creation) that were meandering around the board
Sunday's game capped off a very busy gaming weekend for me. You should shortly see a report from Jenny and my two runnings of the Viking Town Raid scenario at Buckeye Game Fest. We also ran Zombie RV - Scavenging in the Trailer Park twice. So, I have lots of photos to sort through and will put out a blog post on the miniatures games our HMGS Great Lakes GMs ran at this mostly board gaming convention. What about painting? I have the first ten 28mm Vietnam War troopers done, but am mired in the flocking stage by our rainy, humid Ohio weather. I am waiting for a day where I can give the figs a good preliminary spray coat and then finish the flocking stage that I'm stuck halfway through. Since I don't have so much to work on, I've pulled a few pieces of scatter out of the closet and am working on them. So, stay tuned for a flurry of updates!

    The 'score' in my Star Wars skirmish campaign after one battle...kind of like the movies, eh?
MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 143
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 60 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 19
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 22

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 54
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 55