Torpedo 1, fire!

Just wanted to pop in and let you know my first review is done and submitted to RPGnet. I decided to tackle Instant Game from those knuckleheads at AnimalBall. You can download your own free copy of Instant Game from their online store.

FYI - taking a break

This here gameblog will be on hiatus for the next 5 or 6 days as I try to crank out one or two new RPG reviews. Maybe during this time I'll also be able to figure out what the heck I'm going to say in part 2 of Mapless D&D Combat. Either way, I'll still be on the net on and off for the next few days, I'm just taking a break from blogging to concentrate on slightly more substantive writing. See ya next week!

Another great pic swiped from Tangency

Hitler sans moustache!

Visions of the Future

The Traveller materials that I own are kinda light on illustrations compared to later sci-fi RPGs. And more importantly, much of the game as published uses an equally light touch when describing the details of future life, especially compared to later setting-intensive games. Fans who've religously followed the game since '77 no doubt have a clearer idea of life in the 3rd Imperium than I, but the game as I know it leaves conceptual blanks that I fill in with stuff from other sources.

My memories of old movies often fill those blanks. I'm talking about the sci-fi stuff I saw as a kid in the 80's. The original Star Wars trilogy takes first place here, as it does for a lot of gamers. When space traders hit startown in the Spinward Marches my thoughts naturally flit to Mos Eisley. Star Wars also establishes the utter ubiquity of robots and aliens, such that nobody even really notices them much of the time. Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan provides one of my alltime favorite big ship space duels. The burgundy tunics are also about the only naval uniforms in sci-fi that I think look cool. Weyland-Yutani from Alien and the Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner pretty much define the megacorp for me. Those two films also take the 'used future' concept from Star Wars and push it to the max. The first Alien sequel also yields valuable data on how to run a space marine squad. Those poor sons of bitches.

So there you have it. When I talk about Traveller I'm really talking about Han Deckard flying the Millenium Falcon past Admiral Kirk's Star Destroyer blockade while somewhere in the Solomani Rim some Colonial Marines hunt Nexus 6 replicants. Add in a dash of Sean Connery shotgunning Sting and have the Russian ship from 2010 make a fly-by and you've got my vision of Traveller-style scifi.

[External Memory] Franco-Prussian War stuff

Minis Rules

They Died For Glory
In the Age of Bismarck and Napoleon III
Days of Iron (15mm, free)
Fire & Fury Francese (free adaptation of Fire & Fury)
Warmaster: Franco-Prussian (one page chart adaptation for GW's Warmaster)
GodFox Enterprises (defunct?) published some sort of minis rules, title unknown
1870
Grande Bataille/Grande Victoire

Minis Rules covering a broad period, including the FPW

Armchair Generals (free)
Little Battles (free)
Fields of Honor (Shane Hensley)
Fix Bayonets!
Volley & Bayonet (Chadwick & Novak)
Command Piquet
Hallowed Ground (Piquet)
19th Century Principles of War - Version II

Figures

Silver Eagle Wargames Supplies - carries the UK-based Irregular lines (15mm, 6mm, 2mm, some rules, spaceships)
Old Glory (15mm)
Minifigs (15mm)
Noble Miniatures (10mm)
Arsenal selling Pendraken (10mm)

Other
retailer of books on the period
a replay of several battles in 6mm
L'Aigle Foudroyé, board wargame published in Vae Victis #38, English translation
La Campagne de Loire, board wargame published in Vae Victis #14, English translation
Franco-Prussian War (SPI)
Franco-Prussian War, S&T#149
painting guides for sale
Irregular brand 6mms in use
"The Mitrailleuse in the Franco-Prussian War",Wargames Illustrated #83, 2 pages

Why I still read RPGnet Tangency sometimes

People sometimes post things like this:

Approved for for use with Traveller

Smalltime PDF publisher ComStar Games has teamed up with Avenger Enterprises to produce some new Traveller/T20 stuff. If I understand it right, Avenger Enterprises is comprised of some of the fellows who worked on the T20 corebook. It's nice seeing new 3rd party support for Traveller, and some of the products look interesting. They're selling a book giving more details on the Imperial Navy, for instance.