Five Parsecs: Quest for Lost Treasure Completed

    Crew of the Inconceivable advance through the underground bunker in 'Five Parsecs from Home'

This would be the final mission of the crew of the Inconceivable's quest for the Lost Treasure of Amazonas Galacticus. They would be breaking into the underground complex of one of the five pirates who'd stolen the fortune 20 years ago. I decided to use my boards that I had made for Space Station Zero more than a year ago. They are made from a silvery paper (purchased at a craft store) with a floor grid and bolts drawn on with black Sharpie. Inexpensive, and easy to create. The walls are a trimmed down portions of a trifold made out of foamboard, with Google images of futuristic walls downloaded from the internet, printed out, and glued to the black foamboard. I really like how it looks, especially once I placed lots of the Sci-Fi scatter I'd been painting for the last year or more on the board. The 3-D printed color shift crystals even made it onto the board as "exotic alien art" collected by the pirate!

   Our opponents would be fearless, mechanical security droids purchased by one of the space pirates

My roll for the number of enemies was very fortunate -- only four! However, that was compensated by another roll which dictated two of my crew would not be ontable at the start of the game, and would need to roll for arrival. I assumed that Alistair and the crew used deception to gain entry into the pirate's home. The "missing crew" (Zorina and Seon) would be considered upstairs, subduing the family and any other servants or workers. Meanwhile, Captain Alistair, Gunny McBride, Doc Mecrosus, and Cephvarx Hul would dash down to take on the security guards. I rolled "Hired Muscle" for the enemy, but the scenario also dictated they would be Fearless. Perfect opportunity to get out my 3-D printed Terminators I'd painted up for Xenos Rampant! I rationalized that the pirate had them shipped in when coming back from one of his annual, month-long vacations and labeled as something mundane. The droids would be armed with Military Rifles and the Specialist had a Marksman Rifle. Under ground and indoors, though, their superior range would not help them much, as the battle would be at close quarters.

    Deployment at the start of the mission, with my crew locations labeled & the droids circled in red

I set up the board and randomly rolled to see which edge the droids would begin on. I deployed them in their "Tactical" A.I., in two groups of two, with line of sight of any enemy coming towards them. I assumed they were warned and activated by some sort of alarm triggered by the family upstairs. I decided to send Cephvarx and Gunny around the left to be able to get close to the droids out of their line of fire. Alistair and Doc would move to the right and engage the droids in long range fire to distract them. The plan would be to have Cephvarx move in, melee and destroy them, supported at close range by Gunny and his high caliber pistol, or "hand cannon" in Fiver Parsecs parlance. Here's the report, as seen through the eyes of second in command, and former Galactic Marine, Gunny.

    I used my 3-D printed 'Terminators' from JS Wargamer Printing as the mechanical 'Hired Muscle'

The Battle

As the huge door to the underground complex slid to the side, the ceiling lights began flashing and an annoying klaxon began to sound. "Damn it, cap," I called to Alistair, "the alarm's been sounded. Let's hope Zorina and Seon can handle things upstairs. Same plan?" Alistair gave a quick affirmative and I saw him and Doc begin to dart to the right. I nodded to the looming Cephvarx Hul and we dashed off to the left. Hopefully, it wasn't a dead end and we could close quickly with whatever security was sure to be down here. I threw the rifle over my shoulder and pulled out my pistol -- this battle would likely be up close and deadly!

 

    Alistair and Doc would go right in the passage while Gunny and Cephvarx Hul would go left

Over the noise of the klaxon, I faintly heard the clank of mechanical footsteps on the silvery floor. "Captain -- keep a sharp eye out...sounds like security droids." 

    As the alarm sounds, 4 security droids move up to watch all passageways while remaining in cover

He acknowledged and then replied a few seconds later, "In sight, standard mechanical security droids armed with long rifles. I see one, but there's sure to be more!" The underground complex was stuffed with machinery, terminals, and even huge pieces of strange, crystal artwork -- at least that's my guess what they were. I could feel no heat coming off them and their colorful, pretty lights constantly changed colors and shades. A large piece of machinery with bright green tubing was in our path. I pointed Cephvarx to the right and I went around it to the left. 

    The crew after their first turn of advance -- the barricades are meant to represent walls

I ducked around one side of it and, "Bam! Bam! Bam!" I felt the ricochet off of my shoulder armor and the force of the round shoved me against the wall. I shook my head to clear the shock, momentarily stunned. One of the droids had been waiting for me to come around that corner -- "Stupid!" I muttered to myself. I ducked back out more carefully this time, just in time for a wonderful sight. Cephvarx darted around the wall the droid had been sheltering behind and loomed suddenly up in front of the droid. His boarding saber flashed, sparks flew, and the body fell with a clank while the headed rolled a few times before stopping, its lighted eyes going out. "Cephvarx has one down," I called to Alistair, and he acknowledged, saying he was stalking another and was going to throw one of the Frakk grenades we'd found a couple missions back. "Be careful," I called.

    Former galactic marine Gunny McBride moves along the wall around a strange piece of machinery

I ran forward, now that the way was clear, sheltering and moving along the far wall for cover. I watched as Cephvarx darted around another corner and out of sight. I heard the clanging of metal on metal and Cephvarx snarling in pain. I ducked around the corner to see both fall at the same time. The droid was in several pieces, smoke pouring from parts of its metallic structure. Cephvarx was badly wounded, though, and writhing on the ground in agony. I darted towards him, snagged one of the Stim-Paks from my belt pouch and jabbed it into his purple skin. Just as I did that, there was a deafening explosion and my ears rang with a high pitched whine, the other sounds fading out. Yeah, Cap, maybe a grenade in a confined area wasn't the greatest idea! Almost distantly, I heard the automatic weapons fire of at least two security droids firing in return, though they sounded quieter in my ringing ears than they should.

    A security droid is watching that gap and fires and hits Gunny, inflicting a stun marker

"Damn it," Alistair's voice called faintly in my headset. "The grenade damaged it, but didn't take it out! Now, I have two firing at me -- I could use a little help, Gunny!" Suddenly, I heard an even fainter noise -- a hissing of steam. I looked up. The shrapnel from the grenade must have severed a line somewhere, as a cloud of gray mist was expanding in the center of the room and beginning to grow. 

    Focused on Gunny, the droid doesn't notice Cephvarx Hul charging at him till it is too late

I thought maybe that will distract them a little. I darted past Cephvarx, whose twitching was growing less pronounced and he seemed to be getting his limbs under control. My gun was raised as I edge around the corner -- there! One of the droids with an automatic weapon raised was firing to my right, where the captain and Doc were likely to be. I sighted and squeezed off a couple shots. The security droid's head exploded in silver bits of metal and it fell to the floor with a clang, not moving. "Three droids down," I called to Alistair. "Stay in cover, I've got them outflanked!"

    First security droid is down -- Cephvarx's specialty is up-close "Brawling" (melee)

I continued to edge around the corner, sighting along my pistol. By the sound of the firing, there was only one droid left. I caught sight of him, his skull-like mechanical head swiveling from where his cohort lay motionless to where Alistair likely was hiding. "Boom, boom, boom!" I fired three shots and the droid collapsed. Their armor was no match for the high caliber, high velocity rounds of my little souvenir from my time in the Corps..! "Fourth droid down," I shouted, so the others could hear me, too. "Anyone see any others?" 

"Negative," Alistair replied over the microphone.

    At the start of Turn 3, my "delayed" crew members arrive -- here Seon follows Gunny up the left side

Doc's amplified voice rang out crisply, "I pick none up with my goggle's enhanced sensors -- on any spectrum."

"I don't see any. Well, none that are in working order," Zorina called. I turned and waved to her. I saw Seon creeping along the wall where Cephvarx had gone.

    The alien Varxian charges the next security droid, but each inflicts hits on the other, taking both out

"Nice to have you two join us. Everything okay upstairs?"

Zorina nodded and reported, "Family's all tied up, sir. House is locked down. It appears the only alarm that was sounded was down here to alert the security droids -- which you guys appear to have taken care of without our help."

    After dashing out to toss a Frakk grenade, Capt. Alistair is under fire & stunned by two droids

"We couldn't let you two have all the fun," I laughed. "Okay, everybody stay frosty. Let's investigate this place. It's huge! Number one --  make sure there's no more droids. Call out if you see anything suspicious or moving. Number two -- don't touch any of the monitors. Leave those for Doc -- he's the expert. Number three -- Doc, can you also fix that damned steam leak? Let's hope it isnt' toxic..."

   The first droid inflicted a stun on the captain, and luckily the second one missed...!

Aftermath...and the future?

Since the Inconceivable crew was successful in their mission, it means they completed the quest. Of course, in Five Parsecs from Home, the charts and events in between sessions form the skeleton of the story. It is up to the GM (or in this case, solo player) to flesh it out. So, let's do some fleshing! I assumed that with control of the secret underground bunker, Alistair and company are able to use the data they discover to pin the piracy on the five families. The details of their transactions and names of their bribed associates would be assembled into a multimedia documentary by Doc. They would then use the passcodes and authorization of the captured pirate to broadcast it on the planetary media. Once that gets out, the other four pirates will be alarmed and perhaps onto the crew. However, they will likely have bigger fish to fry than Capt. Alistair and his crew. Chuft Betsos and the long, legal arm of Amazonas Galacticus will descend on the planet like a glove and begin to dig for even more details.

    Perimeter marked by black pom-poms, a steam vent was ruptured by the grenade, obscuring view

Unfortunately, this mission doesn't suddenly make the crew rich. They were able to gather some loot from the pirate's lavish underground quarters, but there were no stacks of "treasure" on hand. Alistair was probably being a bit naive in thinking so. He would have to be content with solving the mystery. There would be no chance of making up his lost retirement money, unfortunately. Betsos had cheated him out of that. They could "take" so much from the pirate's chambers even though it had been bought with stolen money. The five pirate families had much of their wealth tied up in ownership of various corporations, companies, and off-planet investments. All was had been designed over the decades to hide their names, so they hadn't appeared suddenly rich overnight.

    Gunny does what he does best -- move up, shoot, and take out the droid marksman

After broadcasting their Doc's production and ensuring the documentary went planet-wide (and off-planet, as well), Alistair and the crew had best beat a hasty retreat from planet Dichelles. There is still a chance that their escapades on the icy planet might run them afoul of the law -- certainly here, where the pirates likely had some control of it. However, if that happened, Gunny said he would contact the lawyers for Amazonas Galacticus to put a smoke screen on their actions. Alistair grumbled that Betsos was incapable of gratitude and refused to stoop to ask his ex-employer for any help. Gunny said he would eat the crow for his old friend (and his crewmates). In the meantime, all agreed that the Inconceivable and its crew should go to the far side of the galaxy and lay low for awhile!

    The final droid, trying to watch both Alistair and whoever shot his cohort, is taken down by Gunny

So there you have it! The story arc of the crew of the Inconceivable and its search for the lost treasure of Amazonas Galacticus is concluded. I hope you enjoyed the six missions and my after action reports. I had a good time testing out the Five Parsecs from Home rules. It really does a nice job of threading a series of missions together and giving you the events to create a story. For example, when the crew traveled to Dichelles and rolled up that they had discovered an escape pod containing Seon, that added nice details the what happened to Amazonas treasure ship. Originally, I was playtesting Five Parsecs for possible use with my Sunday night gaming group. I honestly feel we're too large for the framework of the game, though, and it would work better with a small number of participants playing cooperatively or with a GM.

So, is this it? Is this the end of the tales of Captain Alistair and his crew? Perhaps. I am definitely going to take a break from my solo campaign. There were a few scary moments in this game, such as when Alistair darted into the open, threw the grenade, and rolled two 1's for damage. I used a story point for a re-roll and, lo and behold, rolled another "1"! The droid fired back, stunning Alistair. His cohort thankfully missed, though. Gunny's stunning early in the game could just as easily been a "Kill." And when Cephvarx went down to the second droid, things could have gotten ugly. With unfavorable dice rolls only Doc would have been left! 

However, in general, the fights the rules' charts and A.I. generated were a bit too easy for my liking. I rarely felt that my crew was seriously challenged, or in danger. If I do pick up this storyline again, I will ramp up the difficulty level to a more challenging one. I started with the basic one since that was what it recommended. So, for now, farewell to Captain Alistair Valentine, Security Officer Gunny McBride, Engineer Doc Mercosus, Crew woman Zorina Valthea, Security Droid SAS B61, and Crewman Seon Vogalia! It has been fun for me to generate your adventures, and hopefully to my readers, as well! 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26

Players Able to "Get Your Goat" in 8th Post-Apocalyptic Scenario

    F Troop & the Followers of the Dark Prophet behind them scour through the trees looking for goats

We got together last night for our eighth scenario in our post-apocalyptic campaign. I'm pretty pleased to have kept this series of games going for so long. I may run it only once every 3-4 months or so, but still, not bad longevity in the "Ooh, shiney!" world of miniature wargaming! I had encouraged nearly all of the players after the last mission to spend their accumulated points and upgrade the characters. A couple had been giving the majority of the new skills to the same few characters in the gang. So, I told them that *I* would choose which four characters from their survivor gang would take part in the mission. I wanted to even things out a bit, as the different survivor gangs have accumulated widely varying amounts of Renown Points. That meant a lot of the characters with fewer skills took part in this mission (and no leaders).

    Players move their figs on my hexagon mat as the action heats up in our post-apocalyptic campaign

The briefing told the players that one of their gang members had spotted tracks of a herd of goats passing through their territory. Food was short now, with many of the stored or canned foods they'd scavenged expired by now. Some members of the group were getting sick from eating spoiled food. So, fresh meat would be nice! I used my hexagonal shaped board that is roughly 4 feet across, with each gang starting on their own side. The six goats were placed within 6" of the center of the board in woods (light cover). With them groups of players creeping towards each other, I figured it wouldn't be long before they started taking pot shots at each other.

    The Bucknuts creep through the forest towards some goats, looking for some fresh meat

Remarkably, the players were somewhat disciplined and stayed "on mission." Mike W's Bass Reeves were the first to shoot at another player, though, wounding one of Joel's F Troop. Otherwise, when shots rang out across the board, it was goats that were falling to the ground. I took out the normal damage rolls when hunting goats, ruling that a hit was a kill. However, they had to drag the carcass off the table, or at least get it within 6" of their starting edge and remain in their possession. Some gangs struggled to "get their goat" more than others, but eventually, all had their supper heading towards their own table edge.

    Allen's Followers of the Dark Prophet also stalking through the woods looking for game

I decided to modify my arrival rules for the Machines in this game. Instead of counting characters put out of action, I went with the total number of shots fired across the entire board. The Machines have listening points throughout the countryside that monitor for sounds of gunfire or voices, and dispatch bots to investigate. So, by the beginning of turn 3, the first Scout Drone flew onto the table. I used my aerial drones rather than the monowheel ones this time. I rolled for a random table edge and the Bass Reeves were the lucky winner! What's more, it was perfect timing as the two characters carrying the goat back were grouped together nicely with another member of their gang. The machine gun on the drone could get all three with one blast template! Mike seemed unhappy with his luck, but he shouldn't have been. The others could have consoled him by reminding him that I was rolling for the attacks! True to form, I missed with all three at short range -- rolling a 2, 3, and 4!

    Bad timing for the Bass Reeves as a drone surprises them grouped together near their table edge

Tom's Green Dragons crept through the woods towards the gun battle between machine and men. They saw an opening and fired at the drone, inflicting one hit. The Bass Reeves also began to light up the lightly-armored drone, and sparks flew from its surface. They also wisely spread out. Soon, the drone was down, only to have another one fly on in the exact same spot! In fact, four of the six machines that would come onto the tabletop rolled "6's" to arrive on that same board edge. The other two came on behind the Bucknuts. Not very random "random" die rolls...!

    Tom's Green Dragons investigate the gun battle going on between the drones and Bass Reeves

The Bass Reeves and Green Dragons were able to shoot down the second drone, too, but not before Tosh was machine gunned and taken out of action. Mike W showed no gratitude for the assistance of the Green Dragons, and promptly opened fire on them. A gunfight broke out between the two, but no one was knocked out of action. One by one, the Bass Reeves darted off of their board edge, disappearing into the forest. 

    Despite the temptation of extra Renown Points, Joel's F Troop was not drawn into a gunbattle

Meanwhile, on the other side of the board, the Bucknuts had finally gotten their goat. However, the heavy clomping of a Sentry Bot behind them made them all dart into the woods for cover or concealment. Both the Sentry Bot, and the Military Bot that followed it on, opened fire on any Bucknuts they could see within 1" of the edges of the woods. When Mike S wisely retreated all of them into the central patches of the woods, and out of line of sight of the Machines, the bots opened up on Keith's Nightstalkers at long range. My rolls to hit had improved, but all the machines could inflict from this point on in the game were points of "Shock."

    'What's that?' Yeshua and his companions creep towards metallic structure overgrown with greenery

Allen's Followers of the Dark Prophet had spotted something, though. A metallic or glass reflection shone from the central patch of woods. Some of the other gangs had seen it, too, but fearing bots, kept their distance. Allen's gang crept forward to investigate. They soon realized the patch of vegetation was NOT the outline of a tree, but of a metallic structure overgrown with weeds and other greenery. Intrigued, Yeshua sneaked forward and was able to discover a door and pry it open. Inside, the electric hum of machines grew louder. "We could use some of this tech back at the base," Yeshua said to his companion that had joined him. Together, they began removing monitors and other pieces of machinery in case the smart guys back at camp could get it working to help them. They were joined by Earle of the Bucknuts, who after making sure a "truce" was agreed upon, joined them in dismembering parts from what appeared to be a radar or communications relay station.

    Followers of the Dark Prophet and Bucknuts agree to a truce to investigate the building

After the Bass Reeves had fled the board, the Green Dragons moved in to do the same thing with the two downed Scout Drones. They unscrewed, hammered, and pried free some weaponry from the smoking bodies of the drones and began to head back to their own lines. However, just as Feng was finishing up, he heard a heavy metallic tramp and looked up to see the terrifying sight of a Military Bot just yards away. It opened fire, but once again my rolls were crap and inflicted only a point of Shock. Feng hightailed it into the trees and outpaced any pursuit of the slower moving Machine. 

    Nasty surprise! Military Bot clomps onto the table while Feng was scavenging parts from the drones

Luckily for the Bucknuts, when I had chosen which of their gang would be take part in this mission, I happened to pick ones who had the "Ranger" skill. This meant they weren't slowed down by moving through the trees. It would be a near thing, but by calculating how fast his guys could move, I told Mike S that if his guys got the jump on the bots on the next turn, there was little the Machines could do to catch or stop them. We dealt out the cards, and all of his survivors moved before the three Machines remaining on the tabletop! The GM's bad luck -- and the player's fortune -- continued. 

    Early in the game, (from left) Mike S, Tom, Mike W, Allen, and Keith survey the tabletop

All six gangs would be dining on fresh goat meat that evening around their campfires. Only the Bass Reeves had a player knocked out of action (Tosh). I'll have Mike roll for what happened to him, campaign-wise, next Sunday. I joked with the players that this was most disciplined and "on mission" that I'd seen them behave yet! Much as I tried to tempt the players with bonus points for knocking out members of the gangs they owed payback to, the inter-gang gunfire was limited. Still, the players said they had fun. The Wiley Games rules played quickly and we finished up earlier than we have in previous games. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and AAR. Stay tuned for more, we have lots more miniatures gaming coming up!

    Tom has taken control of the Green Dragons -- good to have our old friend gaming with us again!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26

So What Happened to the Lost Treasure of Amazonas Galacticus?

    Alistair's quest for the lost treasure of Amazonas Galacticus has led to the icy planet of Dichelles

Captain's Log

Ship's Log, Interstellar Yacht Inconceivable, Capt. Alistair Valentine recording. I know now what happened to the ship carrying the treasure of that asshole, Chuff Betsos, founder of Amazonas Galacticus, and my old employer. And I am tempted to just walk away. Let the pirates right here on Dichelles keep their ill-gotten gains! Because if any of this treasure is recovered, Mr. Billions is going to employ every legal means to regain it. Shit! On the other hand, these pirates tried to kill us. And who's to say they'll forget their grudge now that we know their dirty little secret? Not bloody likely, right? Plus, they killed all the innocent people on both the treasure ship and Seon's vessel. Murderers like that don't deserve to be left undisturbed to enjoy treasure. At least that's how I am going to pitch it to the crew. We'll see if they go along..."

    Capt. Alistair Valentine of the Interstellar Yacht, Inconceivable

 

Decision in the Briefing Room

"Now that you're all gathered here, Gunny, tell everyone what you and Cephvarx Hul found out from our captive, and what Doc was able to investigate and deduce from it." The Inconceivable crew sat around their briefing room aboard the ship. The wounded survivors of the Galactic Defense force that had ambushed them were bound and locked up in the cargo compartment. The dead from that force were also in the compartment, and had been left out for their viewing pleasure as they'd been interrogated.

Gunny McBride began, "The trooper that Cephvarx captured was not the commander of the detachment -- but he was an NCO. So, I figured it was likely he knew something. I pulled a few tricks from my time in the Galactic Marines -- and Cephvarx added a little intimidation -- to loosen his tongue and tell his tale." Everyone's attention was riveted on the grizzled retiree of the galaxy's most storied fighting force.

Doc Mecrosus chimed in, his voice clipped and clear through environmental suit's speakers. "I've accessed the files of the planet Dichelles' news organizations, as well as some publicly accessible information on companies and organizations on this planet. I also did a thorough investigation of the five suspected pirates and their families. It confirms everything Gunny is going to tell you -- 100%. This is conclusively what happened to the lost treasure of Amazonas Galacticus."  

    Second in command, former Galactic Marine Gunny McBride

Gunny nodded. "The pirate ship was a five-man crew. All five were residents of Dichelles, who ranged abroad in the intergalactic space outside of Dichelles systems, and a couple neighboring ones. They preyed upon ships, stole what was worth stealing, then jettisoned the captives into space. They got lucky with the Amazonas treasure ship. Once they realized what they'd found, Seon's ship had blundered within tracking range, and had likely detected them, too. First, they knocked out her communications without so much as hailing her or trying to use trickery. Next, they blasted her to space dust, with Seon's escape pod likely being the only one not spotted and destroyed.

"Next, they must have discussed what to do with all their loot. Chuff Betsos and his employees would come looking for it. They decided to give up pirating, sell their ship, and lay low. Act like nothing had happened. Once a year, each of the five would go off-world and live the life of a billionaire. Part of their spendings off-world were to hire diggers and remodelers to renovate each of their houses back on Dichelles with underground expansions. Up top they looked like ordinary citizens, but in their secret basements, they lived in luxury. They used their money to bribe their way into control of the local politics, military, communications, and every aspect of Dichelles life. These five pirates and their families are the kingpins of Dichelles."

    An immunity disease forces Doc Mecrosus to always wear an environmental suit

Doc brought up several images and silent video clips on the video screen which illustrated what the ex-marine was saying. "I have to say, I admire their discipline. Ruthless bastards, yes, but utterly non-descript on the surface. All of their spendings were near-untraceable. They allow themselves only one month a year to go off in secret and enjoy their billionaire status, where nobody knows them. Let loose."

Captain Valentine tapped the briefing table. "So the question is, what do we do about it? I see two options. One, we say we're done -- mystery solved! We don't tell anyone about it (Option 1A) because we don't want Betsos to get his money back. 'One B' is to let select news organizations off-world know, and let Amazonas Galacticus and the pirates fight it out. Option One will likely be the safest route. Blast off immediately, and we don't risk a showdown with five families whose money likely controls this planet. I can't ask you, my crew and friends, I hope, to risk your lives for my silly quest -- especially when the mystery is solved."

Zorina chuckled. "Um, sir, we've been risking our lives ever since we signed on with you! If that was a big deterrent, I don't think we'd still be here..."

    Green-skinned Zorina is of the Valkeeri race, and adds youthful enthusiasm to the team

The captain saluted her, smiled. He continued, "Option 2. The riskier one. We pick the pirate's home who controls the Dichelles media and -- as Gunny would say -- go in with guns blazing. Our goal would be to capture him, recover his portion of the treasure, and use his access codes to break the news. Then, assuming we're happy with the amount of treasure we've snagged, we dust off of this planet and let the people fight it out amongst themselves. Sure, that bastard Chuff's people will hear about it, but his money will counteract the pirates' money, and Dichelles will have to make its own call what to do with their new celebrity criminals."

Almost as one, the others sat back in their chairs. Alistair could see the look of contemplation on their faces, well, everyone except Doc's, which was hidden behind the mask of his environmental suit. Alistair added, "Take some time to think about it, if you need. But by now, at least one of the pirates knows his ambush didn't work. And he knows where the Inconceivable is docked."

Seon cleared his throat, and spoke up. "I've been with your guys the shortest amount of time, so I know my word here means the least. But those bastards killed my friends and crewmates, and almost got me. They stole 20 years from my life! I vote Option 2." Across from him, Zorina raised her fist, then slowly uncurled two fingers. Doc held up a gloved hand, two fingers upraised.

    Cephvarx Hul is a fearsome alien from the Varx race, fiercely loyal to Alistair

Cephvarx voice rumbled, "Varxian honor demands Option 2...for me." 

Gunny chucked, leaned forward, holding up his two fists. He slowly uncurled his two middle fingers and said, "Looks like this is our message to the pirates!" Nervous laughter broke out around the table as they all realized they had committed themselves to the most dangerous path. However, for Captain Valentine's crew, that wasn't necessarily something new...!

In Between Turns

I know it has been three months since I visited my Five Parsecs from Home campaign. However, I wanted to ponder the final mission of the Alistair and the Inconceivable's quest. Now, it is time, though. Time to pull up my log and roll up Campaign Turn 6. Will this be the final turn? I have certainly enjoyed my first ever solo campaign.

I decided in light of the storyline to have this fight be an indoor one. It will be located in the spacious secret area underneath one of the pirate's deceptively normal looking homes. I think I will use my silver space station floor mats and my Sci-Fi scatter or buildings for the "terrain" in the rooms. I've seen others run indoor games, so it only makes sense for this one to be similar. For the "bad guys," I rolled up Hired Muscle. Since the fewer people who know the true extent of the pirates' wealth, the better in their eyes, I think I will use my 3-D printed "Terminators" as the hired (or purchased) guns. 

    Asleep in an escape pod for 20 years, Seon Vogalia is the crew's most recent addition

Once again, I rolled up that two members of my crew would be delayed until I roll well enough to bring them on. Once again, I decided that the security bot would stay back guarding the ship, since he could control the ship systems best and be able to fight off any preemptive attack by the pirates or their goons. So, I rolled randomly and it will be Seon and Zorina who will be delayed. I will rationalize that they are "upstairs" establishing control of the upper public quarters of the house while the rest of the crew takes out its security forces below. 

I will likely get a chance to play this one out within the next week. So, keep an eye out for that AAR!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 9

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26

 

Told You They'd be Fast! A Critical Hit Pieces Ready for the Table

    Colorful 3-D printed crystals from A Critical Hit are checked out by a couple of my Sci-Fi figures

As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up $50 worth of $1, $2, and $3 pieces of 3-D printed scatter terrain at Cincycon this past weekend from A Critical Hit. I wanted to get some of them ready for the tabletop because I knew they'd take next to zero time. A few hours on one day and 21 pieces from my "unpainted" pile moved to my drawers organizing my finished scatter. Of course, none of them required actual painting, being printed in a filament of the appropriate color. Most required at least some drybrushing highlights and washing, though.

First up, seven crystals printed in various colors of filament, some using the "color shift" technique of three different colors bound together into a spiral (or so I understood store owner Blair say). The four largest don't have a base, so actually required no work at all. The three smallest have bases, which I painted Charcoal Gray and then flocked with a coal ballast from I picked up at a model railroad supply store. I really like the bright burst of colors they provide and need to find a way to get them onto the tabletop! Most of the crystals change color as you rotate them, which is really cool to see.

    3 round bases of Sci-Fi crates also needed only flocking to be table ready - perfect objective markers!

Staying with the Sci-Fi setting, here are three objective markers with stacks of futuristic crates. One of them is in color shift material while the other two are done in a metallic silver color. For the the silver ones, I did a black vehicle wash on them to dirty them up a little and give some shadows. I should probably have done a second application of it, looking at this picture, as you can't really see the darker shadows and recesses. The blue fabric over the crates on the left I did nothing to -- I really liked the satiny sheen the material had. The cloth drape on the one in the middle came printed in a bright red. I washed it with Middle East Flesh and probably went overboard with that making it look more orange, now. Still, you can see some variations in color in the folds, now, which didn't exist before. I also gave it a black wash. Then, I applied the same coal flocking material and "Deadlands" tufts.

    Two 3-D printed tables and 4 chairs from A Critical Hit -- great generic scatter terrain for miniatures

I had a feeling that the wooden tables and chairs would respond well to some drybrush and wash, and I think they did. They are printed in one color of brown, but I highlighted them Khaki and gave them both a brown and black wash. I think they look a lot more three dimensional now than straight off the shelf. I can see using these for my modern, zombie, or post-apocalyptic games. They'll fit right into the vibe of my trailers, too! I think their size is perfect for 28mm figures, though Blair was wondering if they were too large and more of 32mm in size. I think that once you add in a figure's base, the height comes out right.

    These capitals (or tops) of Greek or Roman columns were the easiest of all to prep for the table

I didn't necessarily have a use for three capitals (or tops) of Greek or Roman columns, but hey -- ruins are ruins! I could end up using them as scatter for a historical or even fantasy miniatures game. A Critical Hit also carries the round "drum" sections of the columns, but I didn't like how they looked. Too perfect and not ruined, like these. All I had to do to get these ready was a couple layers of black wash and then, once that was dry, a brush-on clear mat. The filament material comes out with a slight sheen and I wanted to remove that. I use Vallejo's brush-on Matte and it does a good job of taking out any shine.

    Four fire hydrants that can be placed randomly along my streets in modern & post-apoc games

I probably should have done more work on these four fire hydrants, now that I look at them in retrospect. They come printed in a bright red color, which I tried to dull down with a heavy Salmon dry brush. Now that I look at the pictures closer, I probably should have given them some rust effects, too. We've all seen rusty fire hydrants on the streets. The black wash didn't really do a good enough job of dirtying them up. In fact, the filament material must be somewhat absorbent, because I ended up needing a second application (and probably should have done a third) on some of the items. One coat is plenty on my miniatures (and sometimes too much!). I will remember that as I prepare more of their scatter pieces for the tabletop.

    A close up of the fire hydrants - was I in too much of a hurry to get them ready? Need more details?

What else is on my tabletop? Yes, the same 8 mounted Welsh Dark Age warriors are still there, moving along gradually. Eight is a bigger batch than I usually paint (especially mounted), but that was how many were in the Gripping Beast "reinforcements" box they came from. My shipping container buildings are primed, as are a new piece of scatter I decided to get ready for the tabletop. My friend Jason from SC had suggested that I do clothes lines for my trailer park, and I just happened to have three sets from Miniature Building Authority. Those are built and primed, so expect them soon, too!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 9

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26

Cincycon 2025 Purchases

    Do you have one of these? You would if you had attended Cincycon 2025 like I did this past weekend

It's Monday after Cincycon 2025, so that means it is time for a quick overview of my acquisitions from the convention. My spending was certainly not over the top at this convention, partially because there were only so many vendors that carried things I needed. I would also like to take credit for being more disciplined in spending, but I know that is likely a matter of opinion! I spent about $100 at the show, but did not attempt to offset that with flea market sales or similar. I did recently receive birthday money, so I guess I could say I was just buying presents for myself!

    3-D printed "dead trees" from A Critical Hit to enlarge my growing (??) dead forest

I dropped the biggest amount of money at the booth for A Critical Hit. Blair carries 3-D printed scatter terrain and has greatly expanded her line since I first saw her last year at Cincycon. She makes lots of useful scatter for modern, fantasy, Sci-Fi -- you name it! What first caught my eye were the "dead trees" in various sizes. I grabbed five of them (only $3 each, and they are fairly large!). These will "paint up" very quickly. I intend to just do a base coat, dry brush, and black wash on them. After flocking their bases, they'll be added to the dead tree collection I've picked up from Jarl's Workshop and Mantic Games. Expect to see them done quickly, as I want to keep my Acquired vs. Painted at a reasonable ratio...!

    I love A Critical Hit's Sci-Fi scatter -- especially the pieces that use the 'color shift' filament

Some of my readers may remember the Sci-Fi scatter I painted up from A Critical Hit last year. I was struck by the "color shift" effect the material she uses to print some of her pieces. I asked her about it and she said it is three separate colors spiraled together into a filament, which causes the surface to change colors when viewing from different angles. Even though I knew I had plenty of Sci-Fi scatter, I couldn't resist buying a handful more pieces. One is another weird vegetation-encrusted alien nodule. Three are Sci-Fi containers for objective markers, and the last has three cylinders that look like rockets laying on their sides. These may not get painted up immediately, or at least until I start my Sci-Fi gaming back up.

    These tables & chairs will likely be the first thing from my purchases that is readied for the tabletop

What may be the first to be done are the two wooden tables and four chairs. Already printed in brown, I will likely do a dry brush of tan on them and a dark brown wash. Hopefully, they'll look just perfect after that and I won't have much else to do on them. They'll work perfect for any modern, post-apoc, or zombie game.

    These capitals, or tops of Greek or Roman columns, will take almost no time to be ready as well!

Another purchase that should take even less time is the "capitals" or tops of Greek or Roman columns. They're already in printed in gray, and I will likely do only a dry brush and black wash on them, too. I'll toss the three of those that I bought in with my ruins scatter that I can use in various games. 

    I like how they print much of their scatter in colored filament so that you can use them 'as is'

For modern games, I picked up four fire hyrants and four trash cans. These will also take very little time to prep for the tabletop, mainly just a dry brush and wash again. I like how Blair prints much of her scatter so that it can almost be used straight off the shelf. Some people may use it that way, but knowing how quickly a dry brush and wash can be done and how much better it will make it look, I have no problem putting in this amount of time. The 3-D material used has a slight sheen, though, so at the minimum I would suggest people doing a clear coat spray on the pieces to take that luster off.

    Even though I have no current need for them, I couldn't resist these colorful crystals

The final purchase from A Critical Hit was a series of variously sized crystals. I bought two larger ones, two medium ones, and three smaller ones. The larger and medium sized ones do not have a "base" and will take zero preparation. They don't have ground depicted on them and will be used "as is." The smaller ones have a surface depicted. I plan on giving them a black rocky surface using a coal ballast material I picked up from the train store. I want to get them completed soon, too, as I know how little time they'll take...!

    I think I can handle putting together these MDF double-barreled turrets from Dad's Armies

I also visited the booth for Dad's Armies, who carries MDF structures and buildings for various periods, especially Sci-Fi. The genesis of many of his products was from the Impudent Mortals line of MDF products, which he purchased and now produces. Last year, I bought four packs from him at Advance the Colors. However, I struggled to put them together. I am not good at jigsaw puzzles (nor do I enjoy them). After attempting to put the simplest of the four together a month ago or so, I gave up. So, I brought the two more complex ones with me, knowing he would be at Cincycon. I placed them on his table, and confessed to him that I suck at jigsaw puzzles. I offered to give them back to him so he could sell them to someone else. Unexpectedly, John asked me, "Do you want me to put them together for you?" I said yes, and asked him how much. He said no charge, but it might take awhile. I told him to take his time -- no hurry. Much to my surprise, he had the largest of the buildings ready by Saturday at Cincycon! Now, THAT is service!!!

 

    In gratitude for John at Dad's Armies generosity, I purchased this laser pointer from him

Since he wasn't charging me anything, I felt that I had to buy something from his stand. I picked up a laser pointer for doing lines of sight on gaming tables, and an MDF kit that looked so simple even *I* could do it. It was a pack of 12 MDF double-barreled turrets ostensibly produced for Gaslands. To me, they looked more like something for a space station or Sci-Fi game. If I ever get back to doing Space Station Zero, they will come in handy. They can also be used in various other Sci-Fi games as perimeter defenses or whatever. I think I should be able to handle putting these together...!

    This book covers the Big Red One's engagements in Vietnam -- which is exactly what my new project

My last purchase was a great find at The Nafziger Collection. George is from Ohio and a loyal vendor at regional conventions. He sells books and other source material and has been coming to our conventions since I can remember. He had a book that covered the engagements of "The Big Red One" (1st Infantry Division) in Vietnam. I was actually planning on having my platoon that I paint up for my Vietnam project be from the Big Red One, so this was a serendipitous find! So, this was a great birthday present to myself!

 

    Individual, 3-D printed cinder blocks from Bad Goblin Games -- I requested these & they delivered!

My final acquisition was not a purchase at all (I think...I hope!). Two members of Bad Goblin Games, who make the amazing 3-D printed trailers you've seen here on my blog, were going to be in Cincinnati for several weeks for work. Since their visit coincided with Cincycon, they told me they were planning on attending when I saw them at Siege of Augusta in January. I told them that if they wanted to run a game, I would be happy to bring down a game mat and terrain for them. They messaged me a month later to say they had signed up to run a couple games. They had their miniatures and plenty of scatter, but would I bring some of my trailers? Absolutely! I brought all five of my trailers and two other buildings for them to use. In gratitude, they brought me a pack of individual cinder blocks (I'd asked if they made them, and in response, they printed some out). They also brought me three of their 3-D printed, 28mm miniatures for my post-apocalyptic, zombie, or Sci-Fi games. They didn't ask for money when they handed them to me, so I hope they were meant to be a thank you for bringing my terrain (and promoting their products on my blog and on Facebook). If I was meant to buy them, that would be a giant-sized, "OOOPS!" 

    These are the 3 figs that Bad Goblin brought with them to Cincycon for me (pics from their website)

Oh wait, there was another "acquisition" or two! Attendees to Cincycon receive a free 28mm Cincycon miniature. It is always a pig-faced humanoid of some sort. Jenny always gives me hers because she doesn't want them. Appropriately enough, this year's figure is a Sci-Fi one. So, two of them were added to my collection of anthropomorphic "oinkers" I've collected over the years of my attendance.

So, yes, expect to see some of these items being prepped and ready for the tabletop here soon. Otherwise, what is on my desk at the moment? I have a batch of eight mounted Dark Age Welsh cavalry under way. I also have just finished priming two scratch-built shipping container buildings. I got the idea from a Miniature Building Authority purchase, and converted two Reaper plastic shipping containers. I'll start painting them as soon as tomorrow. Otherwise, it may be a few more days before I publish another post. These things on my desk will likely take a bit of time! In the meantime, check out the hit my Acquired vs. Painted has taken below...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 9

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 5

Vikings Descend in Fury on Anglo-Saxon Town at Cincycon

    Ragnar Lothbrok (near the church door) tries to fight his way into the church in search of loot

The fabled Ragnar Lothbrok of the Norse Sagas, accompanied by his friends and companions, brought chaos and mayhem upon an Anglo-Saxon town at Cincycon 2025. My convention game that I will run for at least the first part of the year is a cooperative historical miniatures game where all six players are Vikings trying to loot a town. The role of the Anglo-Saxon townsfolk and defenders is played by the game's A.I. and cards. Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers is the rule set I am using, and did a great job throwing the unexpected at the players and making each running of the scenario unfold differently.

    A look at my town tabletop at Cincycon before the figures are placed and the Viking raid commences

I had a full table of six players for both my Friday evening and Saturday morning game. I had a great group of players both times who joked and laughed throughout despite their reversals of fortune. In addition to the players supposedly cooperating, they were also competing to amass the most loot. This could be gained mostly from slaughtering the townsfolk (1 silver piece each), levy Fyrd (1d6 silver), and hearthguard or household troops (2d6 silver). The windfall, though, would be if they made it to the central church, which stood in the center of the hexagonal board. Each player deployed their three Viking raiders along their respective hexagon edge. In Friday's game, they made it to the church courtyard, but did not gain entry. On Saturday, Ragnar Lothbrok and his son Bjorn Ironside both actually made it into the chapel and slaughtered monks, gaining 4d6 silver for each.

    My Saturday players were a rowdy bunch and had a blast teasing each other and enjoying themselves

The way SS&SS works, the player rolls one, two, or three 20-sided dice to activate one of their raiders. For each roll of 8+, they get an action (move, fight, shoot arrows, loot bodies, etc.). For each failure, a card is drawn from the deck. These cards can bring more defenders onto the board, trigger an Anglo-Saxon springing unseen from ambush, and activate defenders on the table to move towards and attack the Viking raiders. Most of the cards are bad for the players, but a few are beneficial or neutral. I had worked out ahead of time what each card would translate to in this historical version of the fantasy miniatures game. For example, a "Wandering Monster" was a mounted hearthguard who appeared on a random board edge and immediately charged the closest raider. "Trap" meant a town dog darted out and attacked a raider. Some of the cards activate the Anglo-Saxon (foe) closest to the player rolling the failure, while others activate ALL Anglo-Saxons on the table.

    Ragnar's brother, the sometimes treacherous Rollo, and his Viking raider companions

In addition, some cards dictate the deck to be reshuffled after playing that card, which keeps things mixed up and interesting. There were three levels of foes, as mentioned earlier. Townsfolk were the weakest, levy Fyrd were the next toughest, and the hearthguard were the most powerful. Hearthguard also have armor that might block a raider's hit on them. In a one-on-one fight, the raiders ("PCs" or player characters) are much more powerful. However, the defenders can form "hordes" which give them an outnumbering modifier, which can greatly reduce or negate the raider advantage. Plus, there is still good old-fashioned bad die rolling! For example, on Friday night, Ragnar's brother Rollo almost met an untimely, early end. He was quickly down two of his three wounds, but ultimately survived. Each player had a Viking hero (either Ragnar, his wife Lagertha, brother Rollo, son Björn, friend Loki the shipbuilder, or Ulf the Wise). Each player also had a swordsman or axeman, and their third raider was an archer. The archers had no armor, so were most vulnerable to counter-attacks, while the leaders and other raiders had armor and/or shields which could negate enemy hits with a good enough roll.

    Sounds of steel clashing on steel reach the Anglo-Saxon defenders in the church courtyard

Interestingly, in each game, there was one Viking band that was swarmed by defenders almost immediately. On Friday, it was the maniacal Floki, who had trouble keeping his footing on the muddy streets. Anglo-Saxon defenders sprang from nearby houses and the woods on the edge of town to attack his trio again and again. On Saturday, it was Rollo, who almost never made it off of the wharf where the longship was tied up. Mounted hearthguard came in waves after Rollo and his men, nearly killing all three. Still, in both games, most of the Vikings penetrated the outer buildings and advanced steadily through the muddy streets. On Friday, Ragnar made it to the courtyard in front of the church, but couldn't break through the solid shieldwall of the Anglo-Saxon captain and his hearthguard defenders.

    'Horde Fighter' Rollo takes on a pair of Anglo-Saxon Fyrd in the streets during Friday's game

On Saturday, the players did better. Lagertha's archer stung the shieldwall in the courtyard, prompting them to charge after the shieldmaiden and her raiders. This opened the way for Björn's band to break through the defenses and enter the church. Ragnar followed his son soon after. Monks shrieked as they fell wounded or were knocked senseless to be taken captive. Perhaps hearing the chaos in their beloved church, the Anglo-Saxon defenders began to swarm the perimeter of the table. The sound of their shouting convinced the Vikings they'd gathered enough loot and it was time to escape back to the ship before more of them fell. Both games lasted about three hours before I called them.

    Ragnar's companions, Hakon and Sigurd hurry to keep up with their quick-footed lord

The players seemed to have a lot of fun. They laughed at each other's misfortunes and howled in protest as a fellow player's failed activation rolls sent a horde of Anglo-Saxons randomly at them instead! This being only the second and third times that I had run these rules, I was pretty busy handling the arrivals of new defenders, deaths of Anglo-Saxons, and doling out silver pieces. However, the players do all the die rolling and control the action. Still, Friday night the players kept me hopping and it seemed chaotic to me, at times. However, on Saturday, I was able to relax and anticipate the rhythm of the game. I spiced up the narration of what was happening, taunting the players, "You can't miss that roll, right? You can do this all day...!" Of course, they realized that was likely jinxing them and chuckled at my ribbing.

    Lagertha's swordsman, the wounded Fafnir, is beset by two determined Saxon Fyrd

The die rolls and randomness of the frequently reshuffled deck created its own flow. For example, Blake's Rollo suffering charging mounted hearthguard after hearthguard. Dan's board edge was the unlucky recipient of an odds-defying number of Anglo-Saxon reinforcements. Derek's die failed rolls were to blame for the other players' misfortunes. It was hectic, unpredictable, but enjoyable -- at least that's what my players told me. Several of them planned on going out and downloading the rules from Wargame Vault. I got lots of compliments on how my table looked, especially my scratch-built Anglo-Saxon church. To this day, it is probably still my favorite scratch-build I have ever done.

    The decorated inside of my scratch-built church, defiled by the presence of pagan Björn Ironside

I plan on running the game again at DayCon (April 11-12) and at Drums at the Rapids (May 17-18). And then I will run the heck out of it all weekend at Origins Game Fair (June 18-22). So, if you want to give the game a try, show up at one of these conventions! I was gratified by the number of players who told me they signed up for the raid game because they love my games and always have a good time playing in them. I had a fun time, too, this weekend at Cincycon. I will do another blog post soon about my purchases I made there. Look for that in another day or so!

    Another look at Ragnar Lothbrok and his family and friends (28mm from Brigade Games)

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 95
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 15 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 5
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 9

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 9
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 5