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

3-D Printed Canyon Rocks & Stacks from Diabolical Terrain

    Battle droids prowl the canyon lands of Tatooine among 3-D printed pieces from Diabolical Terrain

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

    These canyon rocks and stacks certainly evoke desert terrain out west, such as Arches National Park

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

    I love how the erosion lines paint up quickly with a simple base coat, dry brush, and wash

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

    The contrast between the two styles of pieces -- stacked rocked look and eroded look

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

    Few things are more Star Wars iconic than creatures riding huge beasties -- so this fig was a natural

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

    These battle droids are on the hunt for the Empire's enemies, tirelessly trekking the sandy planet

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

    No sign of the Rebels here! Terrain pieces like these are where 3-D printing excels, I feel...

So, what's next on my paint desk? Well, speaking of Star Wars, I'm working on a batch of six civilians that I pieced together from the various Stargrave plastic sets I've purchased. They're about half done and will be needed for the upcoming game near the end of the month for our next game of Space Weirdos. The resin bunkers and sniper positions from Miniature Building Authority are still primed and awaiting their first coat. After that, I would like to polish off those five additional fishmen I primed up awhile back. Otherwise, if I jump from here into painting my Dragon Rampant fantasy troops, they'll be giving me the stink eye the whole time: "Hey, Bub! What about us? Youse said we's was next...!"

    A final look at the atmospheric 8 Canyon Rocks and Stacks that I just painted up

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

Urban Development in Tatooine (& moved markers)

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

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

    Two views of the larger domed building -- these paint up so quickly and I think look great!

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

    The 'Double Humped' building being inspected by Stormtroopers on the lookout for 'rebel scum'

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

    Street level view of the three buildings together -- soon to be used in our next Star Wars scenario!

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

    This pack in Menards caught my eye -- I had been looking for something to use for move markers

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

    Luckily, I already had a box of 1/2 washers that fit on the underside of the cork pieces perfectly

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

    First batch of 24 move markers - I really like how they look with the cork surface, rocks & tufts/flock

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

    How the markers will be used -- to indicate which figs have acted & how many moves they made

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

    A rebel drone keeps an aerial view on a squad of Stormtroopers as they search Mos Eisley

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

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

Star Wars Mission 2: Firefight on the Flightline

    An imperial TIE fighter base deep in the Tatooine desert is the target of a surprise raid by the rebels

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

    Recruited by the rebels, Sluggr of the Criminal Syndicate slips on board, but is immediately targeted

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

    Stormtroopers, led by Darth Pylor at top center, begin blasting away at the attacking syndicate

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

    Action slowly simmers around the board as players maneuver their characters from cover to cover

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

    Although hapless in the films, the Stormtroopers aggressively & successfully defended the flightline

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

    Finally, Zimeon - leader of the local rebels - dashes forward boldly and blows up the first TIE fighter

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

    Outnumbered mercenaries waged a fierce firefight against both rebel factions at one end of the board

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

    Spurred on by Zimeon's success, the Rebel Alliance uses their tactics to destroy another fighter

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

SCENARIO 2 VICTORY POINTS

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

CAMPAIGN STANDINGS AFTER TWO TURNS  

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

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

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

    My scratch-built TIE fighter 'objective markers' for our 2nd skirmish in our Star Wars campaign

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

    Somewhere in the Tatooine desert, a flight line and base for six imperial TIE fighters

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

    The image I found online of a TIE fighter side panel and the styrene sheet I affixed them onto

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

    Wooden beads from the local craft store made up the central section of the TIE fighters

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

    Close up of the panel lines drawn on with silver Sharpie onto the ship's central sections 

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

    Side view with a look at the fancy furniture tacks that (along with Tacky glue) hold them together

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

    Stormtroopers guard the flight line -- will they be able to hold off the rebel raid & protect the ships?

All in all, they look okay as scenery. So, if you have a need for a half a dozen parked TIE fighters that you can source for less than $20 total, maybe my post here will inspire you. If not, now you know what lengths I will go to in giving my games that little extra bit of eye candy...ha, ha! Oh, and despite all of what I just said, in my totals below, I am counting these TIE fighters in the "MINIATURES" category...! 

    Final look at my 'terrain pieces' -- TIE fighters built for $10+ so my players could blow them up!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

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