TIE Fighters Strafing Streets of Mos Eisley - Chaos on Tatooine!

TIE fighter begins his strafing run over Mos Eisley as both inhabitants and the various factions scatter

We played our fourth game in our Star Wars skirmish campaign using Space Weirdos rules. After being fired on indiscriminately by the residents of Mos Eisley, the Empire planned to strike back at the treacherous locals. A TIE fighter squadron would strafe the streets, letting the locals know who to fear on this planet. Knowing their operational security was porous and possibly compromised, they waited till the last minute to inform local patrols to withdraw from the streets. Unfortunately, a corporate security patrol and a squad of stormtroopers led by Darth Pylor were unable to get off the streets in time after their transport vehicles were blown up by the rebels.

    7 players gathered around for our 4th Star Wars campaign scenario using 'Space Weirdos' rules

Seven factions were caught out in the open when TIE fighters began roaring overhead and blasting away indiscriminately at anything moving in the streets. I used my hexagon shaped board. Most factions had to escape to the location of their bunker off the opposite board edge from where they started. They received +2 Victory Points for each of their four figures they got off-board. In addition, they received a bonus +1 VP for killing knocking their enemies out of action. Two factions, though, had completely different objectives. The Criminal Syndicate and the mercenaries of the Bronze Legion were trying to conduct a prisoner ransom and swap in the center of the board when the TIE terror broke out. The Bronze Legion had two members of the syndicate they had captured in the last scenario. Their goal was to get them to the criminals who would pay +4 campaign victory points to get their leader and trusted associate back.

    Darth Pylor & a squad of Stormtroopers advance towards the central square in Mos Eisley

Each turn, though, a TIE fighter blast would strike randomly on the board. I worked out a system to randomize where the blast would hit and all figures within two movement sticks would suffer an attack. The closer to the blast location, the more deadly the attack, of course. The players did not know where or when they would come, only that one would arrive somewhere every turn. It gave them incentive to get the heck off the board. Being gamers, though, they couldn't resist the opportunity to fire at their foes, though. I had counted on that. It made for a chaotic and deadly scenario. Darth Pylor lost all three Stormtroopers in his squad, while their Corporate Security also had three of their force taken out of action. Admittedly, they were a bit outnumbered. Their normal allies the Bronze Legion were not technically hired for this mission. They were in full self-preservation and "get the ransom!" mode. Keith did little to help either Mike S (Empire) or Corporate Security (Joel), unlike normal games, when he is fairly bloodthirsty in his pursuit of the empire's goals.

    Allen moves is patched-together Criminal Syndicate force towards the meeting point with the Mercs

Surprisingly, neither the Criminal Syndicate nor the Bronze Legion double-crossed each other. TIE fighters struck close to the Bronze Legion on the very first turn. By the time Keith's troopers made it near the central square, it was a battleground and deadly crossfire. The Bronze Legion called out and motioned to the criminals to cross to their side of the square where they could make the exchange under less fire. Like an evil game master, I had arranged the various faction's missions so that nearly all of them would likely meet in the center. Allen, controlling the Syndicate, sent his battle droid across to the mercenaries to make the exchange. 

    Joel moves up Corporate Security, keeping a wary eye on his brother's Syndicate thugs

I told both players that once any of their figures made it into base contact with each other, they would each receive a bonus, out-of-turn order action. They would need to roll for initiative again, and could choose to go first or second. The two players in contact had four possible choices for their action: (1) Do nothing; (2) Exchange the item/prisoners; (3) Shoot the other figure; (4) Melee the other figure. Both chose to honorably fulfill the exchange -- Keith even handing over the remote which controlled the Taze-cuffs the prisoners were wearing AND the detonator to the bomb he'd planted on their bodies! Like I said, I was surprised by Keith -- who is known for saying, "Shoot the prisoners!" -- and his honorable conduct. 

    The first blast from a TIE fighter lands dangerously near the mercenaries -- who sprint for cover

With 20,000 untraceable credits in hand, the Bronze Legion quickly and orderly exfiltrated the tabletop. Another TIE Fighter strike hit the streets near them, but they were unharmed. Keith was the first to leave the table. Mission accomplished, plus several Mos Eisley citizens who fired on him were gunned down, as well. Allen had a much longer path to return to his original board edge and escape. Time after time, TIE fighter blasts knocked down or staggered his criminal enforcers. The battle droid tucked each of the ransomed prisoners, who'd obviously been drugged, under an arm and sped across the table. His metallic boots rang across the central square as he crossed to the opposite side and disappeared down one of the side streets. Three of the four criminal syndicate's enforcers were able to escape off the board edge, with only Sluggr left lying unconscious in the main square. 

Firing line of Mos Eisley citizens, Syndicate thugs, & Rebel Alliance troopers pour fire into the Empire

Both the Rebel Alliance and the local rebels were stoic in the face of the TIE fighter strafing runs. Neither appeared to be in a hurry to get across the table. Instead, the found good firing positions and fired at the imperial forces. When we decided to call the game, we reasoned that barring an unlucky TIE fighter blast, they should be able to escape. On the other hand, the outlook was not so rosy for Darth Pylor's Stormtroopers or the Corporate Security agents. Both had only one figure escape off-board. The rest lay, unconscious where they'd been shot by either of the rebel factions or perhaps the enraged Mos Eisley citizenry. 

    Explosions and chaos rocked the streets as seven different factions ran for cover & shot at each other

The Mos Eisley residents were a late addition to the game, as Andy was able to make it. I started his four armed and angry citizens inside one of the buildings bordering the main square. He needed to escape to a bunker complex, as well, off the same table edge as the Bronze Legion. As the TIE Fighter blasts rocked the homes around the central square, Andy's fighters quickly emerged and began a running firefight with the Imperials and the Bronze Legion. They sought cover behind the barricades around the radar array in the square or behind the walls of some of the buildings. Seeing they had similar goals, the rebels and citizens joined forces to pour fire into Mike S and Joel's forces. Andy continued firing and moving, though, effectively skirting the edges of the square and taking cover behind the buildings surrounding the square. Once behind them, his forces sprinted towards the board edge and did a good job getting off.

    As the blaster fire on the Stormtroopers builds, they begin falling -- some revived, only to fall again!

All in all, the players appeared to have a lot of fun. There was some grousing by the imperial forces, perhaps justifiably. However, with seven factions each with their own goals, there were a lot of "moving parts" in this scenario. A more aggressive Bronze Legion could easily have negated their disadvantage. Additionally, a less bloodthirsty Rebel or citizenry faction would also have lessened the hail of fire that rained down on them from both above and below. The game played fairly quickly with seven players, as well. When things were winding down, and figures began to escape off-table, I looked at the time. We had only played for two hours at that point. We called it a bit after three hours, though if we had decided to play out the last turn or so, it wouldn't have taken long. Most factions were in "run for cover" mode by that point and not as many shots were being fired. 

TIE fighter streaks just above the rooftops of Mos Eisley -- yes, I had them hanging from the ceiling!

The winners of the scenario? The Rebel Alliance (cue Star Wars music...!) with 17 points. Interestingly, the normal player (Mike W) was out of town so Jenny stood in and played his faction. I've been teasing Mike W that his rebels are way too concerned for their own safety and tentative in the games. Jenny was more bloodthirsty, as I imagined she would be -- downing three enemy troops. Here's the chart showing the scores for this scenario.

    Jenny's cool efficiency gunning down enemies & getting her rebels off-table scored her the victory!

    Another shot of the players gathered around my 4' across hexagon mat that I made for free-for-alls

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 306
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 269

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 62
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 72

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 144
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 212 

    It's very close at the top of the total campaign VPs with 3 factions separated by 3 points! 

    Criminal Syndicate thugs escaping off-table with their rescued members, Foxhurst & Quiddo

 

Star Wars Mission #3: Save the Captives!

    Stormtroopers & Corporate Security escort three captured rebel hackers through Mos Eisley

The third mission in our continuing Star Wars campaign using Space Weirdos rules was played last Sunday evening. We had a seventh player show up -- Andy, who joins us from time to time when he doesn't have to be at work really early on Monday. I decided he would play the part of the armed and dangerous citizens of Mos Eisley, who are upset about the Empire's takeover of their city. So far, the rebels had won both scenarios, so this one would see if the Empire could "Strike Back," so to speak. 

So, listen to the Star Wars musical score and imagine the following paragraphs in a pyramid shape, receding into the distance...

    The players gather around the tabletop depicting the main square and alley ways of Mos Eisley

Stung by the raid on the TIE fighter base, the Empire has ramped up efforts to find the rebels responsible for hacking their defense systems. Darth Pylor and his imperial agents have tracked the transmissions down to a house on a narrow street in Mos Eisley. Mobilizing a force including Stormtroopers, Corporate Security, and the redoubtable Bronze Legion mercenaries, they have raided the house and captured three rebel technicians. Taking a few moments to download data from the rebels' systems and to secure the technicians with Taze Cuffs, the force exits the Rebel hideout. Stormtroopers toss incendiary grenades behind them into the house, and Darth Pylor's force begins its march back to the main square.

The time taken and the large imperial presence in town has alerted both the Rebel Alliance and their local Tatooine allies. Desperately, the rebels have mobilized a force to try to rescue the captives. If nothing else, they will make the Empire fight its way out of Mos Eisley. Back in the main square, the Bronze Legion calls in to report they have spotted members of Foxhurst’s Criminal Syndicate operating in town. Are they going to help the Rebels in the rescue attempt? Or do they have some other nefarious plans afoot...?

 

    Column of Stormtroopers & Corporate Security outside the rebel hideout begin to move out

The imperial side deployed first, their forces augmented with two large Imperial City Walkers (to counter-balance the Mos Eisley force, and incidentally, the walkers were the Criminal Syndicate's objective). The Bronze Legion stayed in the square to guard the people mover vehicles, which they planned to depart on. The City Walkers also stayed behind in the main square, as both they and the vehicles were too large for the narrow alleys. Figures from the other four factions would move onto the board with their first action. They were not permitted to deploy within 2 stick lengths of an Empire or Corporate Security figure, though. Space Weirdos uses 5" movement sticks, so the rebels and their allies would enter at least 10" away from imperial figures.

 

    A citizen's eye view of the people mover vehicles parked in the square before the shooting breaks out

When Keith, playing the Bronze Legion, saw the setup and heard the deployment rules, he knew his forces would be going through the wringer early on. On their first action, the Mos Eisley figures could deploy in any of the buildings surrounding the main square, which meant they'd likely be targeting Bronze Legion troopers. Tom's Local Rebels showed up in a far corner of the board, in what I assumed would be an attempt to cut off the Stormtroopers escorting the captives. Initially, they were too far from the captives and captors to see them, so they also immediately started shooting at Bronze Legion troopers. The situation got worse for the Legion when the Criminal Syndicate arrived in the main square, half of its force driving on in a truck and the others coming in on foot. Before long, blasters were zipping back and forth across the plaza, sending citizens scattering for cover.

 

    Two rebels move past some droids wandering the streets & close in on the Stormtroopers

Mike W's Rebel Alliance arrived behind the captors and began sniping at the trailing Stormtroopers immediately. However, the rebels hung back a bit, staying in cover, and did not press too closely. Their plan was to shoot down the Stormtroopers and corporate security agents from a distance, and then dash in to rescue the captives. As Corporate Security, Joel heard the blaster fire from Tom's forces ahead. So, he detached two men from their column to block off the Local Rebels. They blasted away at them, forcing Tom's figures to take cover and engage in a firefight. This allowed the captors to continue moving slowly with their three captives towards the main square. Darth Pylor tried to keep the force moving briskly, although he was also targeted by blaster fire from angry citizens, as well.

 

    One Stormtrooper goes down (green sticker on bottom) & the column reacts to fire from their rear

Beset on all sides, the Bronze Legion held off their adversaries as best as they could. However, once the Criminal Syndicate's truck pulled into the main square, the mercenaries when on the attack. The mercenaries had been frustrated by Foxhurst's enforcers the last several games, and wanted payback. Keith switched to targeting the criminals with most of his force. The first imperial casualties began to fall, though -- the heavily armored City Walkers. One went down to the persistent and repeated blaster fire from Tom's troopers firing from across the square. A cheer went up when the first, towering warbot fell with a crash. 

 

    A Mon Calamari rebel snipes at the captors' column, hanging back in case "it's a trap!"

As the other walker advanced on the rebels, Foxhurst suddenly darted forward. The syndicate leader sprinted up to the walker and slapped a briefcase-sized metallic device onto its leg. It stuck with a magnetic clank. Immediately, electrical sparks flew from the device, running along every limb, shutting it down in midstride. Foxhurst waved frantically to the truck, signalling it to back up next to the disabled walker. The criminals planned to steal one of the imperial walkers!

 

    Criminal leader Foxhurst takes advantage of the chaos in the square to rush up & disable a walker

However, it was not to be. Bronze legion troopers poured fire into the truck, first knocking out Quiddo who was riding in the truck bed. Next, another mercenary charged the truck, ripped open the passenger door, and dove across the cab and began pummeling the driver, Sluggr. Initially, the slug-like Hutt slumped over the wheel, the truck coasting to a stop. He recovered quickly, though, and shoved the trooper away with his massive tail. He looked out the window to Foxhurst, only to see his leader dodging intense fire from the mercenaries, and sprinting towards him and leaping into the back of the truck. Blaster fire followed Foxhurst, though, and he too was soon slumped in the truck bed next to Quiddo. Seeing this, Sluggr threw the truck into reverse and began heading towards the square's exit. Things were not going as planned for the criminals, again! The Hutt decided it would be best to get his comrades off the table.

 

    One of the Bronze Legion mercenaries exchanges fire with an angry (& armed) Mos Eisley citizen

Sluggr's plans were dashed when the Bronze Legion trooper still inside the truck's cab fired several times. Howling in pain, the Hutt opened the door and rolled out, slithering away into a nearby open garage. The armed Mos Eisley citizen in the garage watched him go past, then darted out the back of the building, not wanting to mix it up with the infamous syndicate. Chuckling, trooper slid over, took the controls of the truck, and sped off with the two unconscious criminals in the back of the cab. The remaining criminal, Trumonkar, continued to fire away at the Bronze Legion troopers, but was unable to change his syndicate's fortune.

 

    With Corporate Security providing flank protection, the imperial column gets closer to the square

Between the Corporate Security officers holding off the local rebels, and the Stormtroopers fighting a rearguard action against the Alliance, the captors steadily progressed towards the main square. Both people movers waited on them there, engines idling. Soon, the captors had bundled all three captives into the closest vehicle and climbed aboard themselves. Both the Local Rebels and the Alliance were simply too far away and their fire was too ineffective to stop the progress of the captors. Once the captives were secure inside the mover, the vehicle began accelerating. It weaved between the combatants still struggling in the square. Then, reaching an open street, the vehicle went to full power and disappeared from the square.

 

    The unfortunate rebel hackers & their guards are whizzed off-board in an imperial people mover

The departure of the captives did not lessen the intensity of the fighting, though. One of the Bronze Legion troopers was down, victim of fire from angry citizens. Another was engaged in a furious gunfight with Mira, the owner of the shawarma shop on the square. Angry at the departure of the captives, the Local Rebels blazed away at any imperial targets they could get in their sights. The disabled walker had been rebooted back to life when Darth Pylor used the Force to yank the disabling device off of its leg. Rebel fire poured into it, though, and soon it crashed to the ground next to the other smoking city walker. 

 

    Bronze Legion mercenary reverses the truck off-board with 2 unconscious criminals in the bed

Darth Pylor shouted to the remaining Stormtroopers, corporate security agents, and Bronze Legion troopers to get aboard the remaining people mover. Fire in the main square was slackening, as first the Rebel Alliance, and then next the Mos Eisley citizens, took cover and withdrew from the fight. This allowed the remaining imperial forces to leap aboard the mover and soon they were speeding out of the square, as well. The citizens still around jeered at them as they left, but the rebels were in no mood for celebrating. Their hackers had been taken prisoner and spirited off the board in imperial custody. Many of their secrets might be uncovered. It was time to head back to their hideouts and try to minimize the damage done to their cause this day. 

 

    Enraged by the capture of its technicians, rebels pour fire into the square, downing the last walker

So, the Empire's "strike back" ended in triumph, just as in the original movies. The three imperial factions scored a total of 20 victory points, doubling the other four factions. The Mos Eisley citizens acquitted themselves well, tying for second with 7 VP. However, the two rebel factions managed only 3 VP combined, while the Criminal Syndicate scored 0 VP. If their fortunes continue to fail, how long will it be before a new criminal syndicate emerges to replace them? With Foxhurst and Quiddo captured by the Bronze Legion, what will the other members of the syndicate have to pay the mercenaries to get their leaders back? Plenty of fodder for new scenarios was harvested in this game!

 

    Victory point totals for Mission #03 - Save the Captives! - a comfortable imperial victory

In the campaign standings, the Local Rebels played by Tom are still in the lead -- barely! Behind them (by one point) are the Bronze Legion mercenaries. The Empire (played by Mike S) are also close behind at two off the lead. Only the Criminal Syndicate is having a truly lackluster campaign. Otherwise, the Empire vs. Rebels total victory points are fairly close, by my count.

 

    Campaign standings by victory points after 3 turns -- Local Rebels (Tom) are winning!

I think the campaign itself is going well, and the Space Weirdos rules are definitely a success. They're easy to learn, and create wild and woolly action on the tabletop with sometimes unexpected results. I haven't noticed our games being as lethal as some other Space Weirdos players online say their matches are, but I don't mind. As long as the players are having fun, it doesn't matter if the body count is lower than anticipated. I hope you enjoyed the reading the battle report, though. If you're interested in checking out Space Weirdos, they're available for download inexpensively on Wargame Vault!

 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 180

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 159

Some Sci-Fi Civilians Using 'Stargrave' Kits

    6 Sci-Fi civilians assembled from the plastic Stargrave kits using various arms, heads, & equipment

One thing that I am a little short of for my Star Wars skirmishes is figures I can use as civilians. Most of the 28mm miniatures I've painted up are carrying some sort of weapon. I heard on the Lead Adventure Forum about folks using the various Stargrave plastic figure sets to kitbash unarmed figures. So, I gave it a whirl. I'm not the greatest at converting figures, and believe these six miniatures show mixed results.

    The Fishman alien on the left was probably my favorite, even though he has nothing in his hands

The biggest problem was finding suitable arms. There are enough carrying briefcases or tablets or whatever to shove into empty hands. It is the other arm/hand that tended to look a little odd. The lengths of the arms are usually sized to be a supporting hand for a weapon. Sometimes, they empty handed-arm ended up looking too long, I felt, and other times too short. All six of these will do in a pinch, of course, but I wouldn't pronounce myself thrilled with how they came out. 

    Also in the running for my favorites of this batch are the Caucasian man and the ape alien

I do love the various heads the Stargrave boxes give you to customize the figures. I decided to go half and half, with three alien heads and three human ones. Not surprisingly, I like the alien ones the best! My favorite is probably the "Fishman" looking one with green skin and darker green "freckles" on his head. His big beady black eyes give him a lot of character, and the breathing apparatus over his mouth makes it obvious he's from an alien culture. I tried to match the blue one's skin to the Anadorans that I painted up for both my skirmishes and my Xenos Rampant! games. I know it isn't exactly the same alien head that I am using for Joel's Corporate Security faction. Still, it evokes their look a bit. And if there are enough to be Corporate Security on my Tatooine, then there should be enough wandering the streets as civilians.

    The dark-skinned lady & blue alien prove that, in the future, we will still be attached to our devices!

The humans I did in various skin tones -- a Caucasian style one, Asian, and darker skinned. They came out okay, but I've noticed some Stargrave faces look cartoony with their softer, plastic detail. Otherwise, I thought the detail on the clothes turned out okay. I did my usual 28mm painting style -- base coat and dry brush for highlight on virtually every color I put on them. Their clothes I painted in a wide variety of colors. Even though most of the torsos are meant to be wearing uniforms (I have two of the Stargrave Crew boxes and one of the Mercenary ones, in addition to the Troopers). I like how they came out not screaming "uniform!" 

    The civilians wander the streets of Tatooine, which are also populated by some of my droids

The various tablets and electronic devices in the figure's hands turned out okay. I painted them different metallic colors, using the Curacao Blue from TurboDork for the screens and the ape alien's briefcase. I will need at least three of these for my upcoming Star Wars skirmish using Space Weirdos rules at the end of the month, maybe more. Otherwise, you will likely seem them on the streets of Tatooine in various games. I keep meaning to buy some figure packs of Sci-Fi civilians, but since I have so many of the unassembled torsos from Stargrave, I figured why not try them first?

So, what else is on my painting desk? Currently, it is overrun with resin pieces from Miniature Building Authority that I picked up at Historicon. I bought two former Acheson Creations bunkers for Vietnam, as well as a couple of sniper positions. Unlike most Acheson pieces, these are a bit more time consuming to paint up. They should be done in the next few days, though, as I'm making good progress. I also have the base coat done on my last five Fantasy "Fishmen" from Beldolor Studios and Reaper Miniatures. After that, I'm not sure what I will be working on!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 167

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

Alien Grays for...well, the heck of it!

    3-D printed 'Alien Grays' I painted up kind of on a whim, but probably to sell off (poor blighters)

I bought these 3-D printed Alien Grays last year from JS Wargamer Printing. I didn't really have a need for them. They just looked cool. However, the more I have looked at my Sc-Fi collection, they really don't fit in. I wanted to paint them up, though, so decided to complete and sell them. Yep! I painted something up just to put in a flea market -- or perhaps the consignment store at Origins Game Fair. Of cousre, if I do decide to keep them, they would be excellent for Snarling Badgers game Majestic 13. Or, I could use them for a unit in Space Weirdos. Still, if you want to take the little blighters off my hands before then, let me know...

    'Take me to your Leader...' I really like how these guys (gals?) came out - especially their eyes!

Instead of spray painting them black, like I often do with 3-d printed minis, I went with the brush on White Gesso. I scoured photos on the internet for inspiration and decided to go with the classic gray, as in Alien Gray! I briefly considered a green as in Little Green Men, but so many more pictures on the internet are gray, I decided to keep it traditional. Well, as traditional as 3-D printed aliens can be...!

    A dozen of these came in a pack with a nice variety and only a handful of repeat poses

I used a medium gray as a base coat for their skin, and then a lighter gray dry brush. I was kind of baffled what to do for their space suits, though. There were few pictures on the internet that really gave me ideas, so in the end, I decided to use something that was shiny and colorful. The metallic Turbo Dork paint, Curacao Blue, looked great on the MDF Sci-Fi building I painted recently, so I went with that. I liked the way the shiny pale blue looks on the skinny little guys. It looks very retro, like the concept of Alien Grays itself!

    I used Turbo Dork's metallic Blue Curacao for their space shits, which I think are a nice retro look

For the trim and joints, I went with a dark, blue-green for contrast. I did a medium blue dry brush over those areas just for a little highlight. I also made the circular patch on the space suit the same dark blue-green. I thought about putting an alien looking rune on the patch, but it was so small that I felt the only thing I could handle would be tiny bluish-white dots.

    The 3 poses with the helmets on gave me the most pause as I went back and forth how to do them

To keep with the retro theme, I used a combination of copper metallic and Iron Winds Steel for their little rayguns. I gave the weapons a dark metallic red accent, too. Two of the figures weren't holding weapons at all, but instead were examining a human skull. The third was holding a very human looking adjustable wrench. I guess hand tools are universal when it comes to Science-Fiction!

    The poses holding the human skulls and poking at them with their finger seemed were fairly comical

Probably the part of the figures that gave me the most pause were the three that head their space suit helmets on over their heads. The face plate was rounded and designed smooth. How to do these? Should I try to paint them as clear with a blurry gray alien head inside? Honestly, I had zero ideas on how to do that. I decided to do them with a metallic reflective face plate. I did ever smaller layers of Iron Wind Steel, Gunmetal Gray, Pewter, and then Silver. The silver was intended to be the brightest part where the light would be reflecting off of it. It looked decent, I thought.

    I tried to go 'retro' with their weapons, using a metallic copper and red to fit the vibe

Then I decided to give one of the "Dragonfly Glaze" paints I had bought a try. Supposedly, it gives a "Full Spectrum" color shift over the surface it is painted. I wanted a YouTube video on how to use it, and followed its instructions. After one layer, I saw no speckles or sparkles -- nothing. After two layers, still no effect. I gave it a third layer and the only effect I saw was that it made it more glossy. No color shift. No glittery glaze. Nada. Anyone want a bottle of Folk Art "Full Spectrum" Dragonfly Glaze? I'm 0 for 2 with this paint!

    Here's the Alien Gray invasion all together again, posed with almost-completed Sci-Fi scatter

I decided to give them a rocky/gravel like flocking job. First, I glued on 3-4 pieces of black rubble that I bought from Discovery Games at Buckeye Game Fest awhile back. Then I added Woodland Scenics Fine Blended Gray Ballast. I did a black wash over the gray stones, dry brushed the pieces of rubble lighter grays, and added a tiny brownish tuft to each base. To seal the flocking in, I painted it with Liquitex Matte Varnish. Spray coating it was right out with the metallics. I didn't want them dulled down by a matte clear coat.

So, there they are! I am thinking of listing them for $65 (for the 12 figures) in the consignment store. If that sounds like a fair price to you and want them instead, contact me within the next 4 days or so. The deadline to register items for the store is coming soon. What else is on my paint desk? I do have another batch of Viet Cong finished, and another behind it more than halfway through. For the terrain that I plan to take and sell at the Historicon flea market, I have a nice variety. They're progressing well, too, so hopefully I will have pictures of them by the weekend.

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 145
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 107 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 32

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 93
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 7

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