In Which the Blogger Recruits Some Selenites

Scott is a prolific painter, and rules writer - being part of the creative team behind The Department and the developer of the GoalSystem rules. His blog, Four Color Figures, is well worth following for painting ideas.

As a sideline, Scott also runs Aegis Figures, a boutique figure production company. Recently, he mentioned that he had more Bug Warriors in stock. I took one look at them and thought "Selenites!"

I ordered a couple of packs of Bug Warriors/Selenites last week, and they arrived today. The following pictures are, literally, straight out of the packet:

Bug Warrior/Selenite bodies - two basic poses. There is quite a bit of surface detail - straps and belts.

Showing the arm holes - nice, deep holes that the arms plug into. Clean casts and will give the arms a lot of support.

Assorted arms and heads. The heads come with either mandibles open or mandibles closed. There are five right arms and four left arms, with a variety of primitive weapons as well as a grasping hand (separate torch supplied) and a closed fist. Plenty of combinations possible across the two body types.

And I picked up a pack of ganger heads - lots of goggles, a couple of breather masks, as well as a hooded head. The painted examples on Scott's blog show the detail better, but they are clean sculpts with lots of potential. The heads come with neck lugs, so will drop into a pilot hole nicely.

Drop Scott an email through his blog if you need further details. I'm looking forward to painting these up.

In Which the Blogger Finishes Some More Painting

Just in time, I have completed another four figures for my Company, and one will get his first outing tonight!

Maxim Destroyanevsky - Anarchist

During our first game of In Her Majesty's Name I discovered that Doctor Cornelius' Most Excellent Company lacked long ranged weapons. This proved rather crucial in the rather cover-free Railway Yards. While I have some rifle-armed troops coming from Meridian Miniatures, they are part of the Kickstarter project and won't be available until September.

Fortunately, one of the two Anarchists I got from Brigade Games' own Storm in the East range is armed with a very servicable rifle, and he became the Anarchist, Maxim Destroyanevsky (and a pun on the name of a Russian broadcast engineer I worked with).

Olga Petronova - Officer of the Okhrana

The second member of the Anarchist pack looks slightly feminine to me, and her uniform looks more para-military, so I decided that she would be Olga Petronova, an Officer of the Okhrana.

Doctor Griffith Hugh - Chemist 

Doctor Griffith Hugh (or Doctor Hugh - I'm having a bit of a punny day) is a chemist, and an ally of Doctor Cornelius. Unfortunately for Doctor Hugh, a chemical compound he was working on has rendered his body completely transparent to light. Forced to cover his face in bandages to hide his affliction, if Hugh disrobes, he vanishes from view.

Prince Dekkan

Less well known than Prince Dakkar, Prince Dekkan dislikes the Imperial British presence in his homeland intensely. From a secret base in the South Sea, he roams the globe in his Zeppelin, raiding Imperial targets and taking what he needs to continue his struggle.

Both of these last two figures are from Brigade Models' Parroom Station range.

In Which the Blogger Plays His First Game of "In Her Majesty's Name" Pt2

The encounter took place in a rail yard. Three companies; Selous' Scouts, the Society of Thule, and Cornelius' Company, had heard that three crates of advanced mechanical technology had been left in the rail yard. As the battle commenced, Selous' Scouts entered the railyard from the East, while Cornelius' Company entered from the North. The Society of Thule came on from the South-West.

Selous' Scouts head into action

As Selous' Scouts moved around the south-eastern side of the Fabrication Building, Selous sent his machinegunner up on the roof to cover the center of the railyard. Meanwhile, a couple of Jaeger and Dr Kobalt moved along the western end of the Lloyd Morrison Plant while Von Stroheim, Kreig and a Jaeger moved past the west side of the crane.

At the northern end of the railyard, Cornelius' Company moved around the eastern end of Engine Shed #5, while Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe cut across the railway tracks towards the Fabrication Building.

Doctor Cornelius, Lofty and a Minion look east towards
the Fabrication Plant

Lacking long range fire arms, Cornelius' Company had to rely on any speed advantages they had to close the distance with their opponents.

Colonel Count von Horsentrappe and
the rest of Cornelius' Company advance

As Count Otto crossed the second rail line, Selous' Scouts moved into the open.

Selous' Scouts move into view

It wasn't Count Otto's day, and he was soon out of the fight.

Cornelius' Company head south-west around
the Engine Shed. 

While the Scouts secured the eastern crate of mechanical technology, the Thule Society moved in on the crate, just north of the crane. Meanwhile, the rest of Cornelius' Company made a dash towards the third crate, near the Engine shed.

Krieg reached the crate first but before he could secure it, Coleman moved to engage him. As the rest of the company bore down on Krieg, and began taking fire from Selous' Scouts, O'Tipple stepped forward and planted Krieg with a single shot.

Across the yard, the Jaegers beside the Lloyd Morrison Plant were coming under heavy fire from the Scouts. Dr Kobalt dropped back along the track as men began to fall. As his Arc Generator kicked into action, their Revivifiers activated and they rose again as Tod-truppen.

The machinegun and the hunting rifles of the Scouts were soon wrecking havoc amongst both the Thulians and Cornelius' Company, and the demise of Dr Kobalt and his Arc Generator deprived the tod-truppen of their motivation. As Doctor Cornelius made a dash for the central crate of technology, a shot from one of Selous' marksmen put him out of the fight as well.

Seamus O'Tipple and Lofty confront Von Stroheim

Finally, O'Tipple and Lofty cornered Von Stroheim and a crate of technology behind a large mechanical crane. Lofty's ferocity was batted aside by the fearless Von Stroheim, but O'Tipple brought him down with a well placed shot.

Retrieving the crate, Lofty and O'Tipple made a dash under cover along the western side of the Engine Shed as Selous' Scouts moved to cut off their escape. As the machinegunner missed his shot, O'Tipple stepped out of cover and engaged two of Selous' men, as Lofty bolted for the exit. Missing both shots, O'Tipple was gunned down, while Lofty shrugged off a rain of bullets to make his escape.

---

So, a convincing win to Chris as his Selous' Scouts stuck to the plan, secured two crates of technology, accounted for all bar one of the Society of Thule, and all bar one of Cornelius' Company - for no loss. I managed to retrieve a little honour by having Lofty escape with one box of technology, but was badly equipped for a long range gunfight. I also should have remained in cover and come down the western side of the Engine Shed to engage the Society of Thule at close quarters. Jonathan also learnt a harsh lesson - by dividing his force, and allowing his Arc generators to get too far apart, he could not take advantage of his Company's tod-truppen and was taken out piece meal.

In Her Majesty's Name is fast, furious fun, but we are thinking of including the option for "Honourable Surrender" where the victor gets half-victory points for all surrendered figures, but the loser gets to prevent his Company being massacred.

In Which the Blogger Plays His First Game of "In Her Majesty's Name" Pt1

Jonathan, Chris, and I got together on Saturday evening for our first game of In Her Majesty's Name. Jonathan fielded his Society of Thule Company, while Chris fielded his Selous' Scouts - loosely based on Lord Curr's Company. I fielded Doctor Cornelius' Most Excellent Company.

Jonathan suggested we play the railway yard encounter. With some track, carriages and an engine borrowed from his daughter, we set up the table. The idea was that the wagons and engine would each move 1d10 inches along the track each turn, with a 10" off-table loop joining the sections of track together.

Below, is my Company list, and one of the first things I discovered as we deployed was that I had made a fatal error. While my Company was good in a close-in fight, I lacked any sort of ranged weapons. An account of the skirmish is to come.

 

	Doctor Cornelius' Most Excellent Company
	AC	Pluck	SV	FV	Speed	Talents				Equipment	Points
Doctor Edgar Octavian Cornelius	8(11)/11(14)	2+	+1	+4	+1	Leadership+2		+2 Iniative		Faraday Coat (AC11 vs Arc Weapons	54
						Erudite Wit		-1 to enemy SV/FV within 12"		Knife - +1 FV/SV, Pluck +0, 6" range
						Martial Arts		+1 FV, +1 Speed
						Intuitive		+3 Armour 1st time shot at
Seamus O'Tipple	9	3+	+4	+4	+1	Leadership+1		+1 Initiative		Brigandine	52
						Gunslinger		Can split SV b'tween guns		2 x Pistols +1SV 9" range, Pluck+0
						Marksman (Pistol)		Ignores Target's cover		Knife - +1 FV/SV, Pluck +0, 6" range
Lofty	9	4+	+2	+5	+1	Tough		+1 Pluck Rolls vs SV and FV		Brigandine	50
						Terrifying		Enemy must make Pluck to attack
						Numb		Ignores 1st hit against him
Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe	9	4+	+4	+3	+1	Duellist		+2 SV vs Single Opponent		Brigandine	46
						Fearless		Ignores Terrifying Opponent		Pistol +1SV 9" range, Pluck+0
						Impervious		Unaffected by Mystical Powers		Knife - +1 FV/SV, Pluck +0, 6" range
A Minion	9	5+	+3	+2	+0	Medic				Brigandine	18
										Pistol +1SV 9" range, Pluck+0
The Rotten Row Drainers
Coleman	8	5+	+3	+3	+0					Jack	16
										Club - +1 FV, Pluck - 1
										Large Knife - +1 FV, Pluck -1
Roger	8	5+	+3	+3	+0					Jack	16
										Club - +1 FV, Pluck - 1
										Large Knife - +1 FV, Pluck -1
											252

In Which the Blogger Completes Some Figures

Dr Edgar Octavian Cornelius -
Evil Genius' for a Better Tomorrow

I finally finished up a few figures for Victorian Science Fiction gaming and can now begin detailing my Company for In Her Majesty's Name.

Tentatively, my company is either known as Doctor Cornelius' Company, or Evil Genius' for a Better Tomorrow - a name created by Loren Wiseman but which I've always liked.

Firstly, Doctor Edgar Octavian Cornelius - also known as the Duke of Deviousness, the Midget Mastermind of Marylebone, and the Crown Prince of Crime. With twice the brain power, and half the size, of a normal man, Doctor Cornelius craves power and respect within the society that has mocked his diminutive stature and rejected his aspirations.

Lofty
- Dr Cornelius' Man

Lofty is Doctor Cornelius' Man, his faithful retainer and Majordomo. Immensely tall and strong, Lofty is a man of few words.

Seamus O'Tipple
- Master Gunslinger

Seamus O'Tipple spent time in the South African Gold Fields. While there, he discovered that working security was more lucrative than attempting to scrabble a living out of the pits. A crack shot, he is currently working as Doctor Cornelius' Head of Security.

Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe
- the Prussian Attache

Behind every Evil Genius lurks his mysterious backers. Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe, the Prussian Attache, is ever alert for opportunities to advance the interests of Prussia while hindering those of the other powers, such as Great Britain.

In Doctor Cornelius, the Prussian Imperial Ministry believes it has found a weapon to aim at the heart of Great Britain, while Doctor Cornelius sees the Prussians as useful dupes in his cunning plans.

Feodor  Sonovavich
- Agent of the Okhrana

Doctor Cornelius is not a man to keep all his eggs in one basket, even if he believes that an omelette requires the breaking of some eggs. While Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe has his uses, just recently Doctor Cornelius has been in discussions with Agent Feodor Sonavavich of the dreaded Tsarist Okhrana.

When forced together in social, and other, occasions, Count Otto and Agent Sonovavich tend to approach each other like two tomcats in an alley. Doctor Cornelius can keep them in check, but their mutual cooperation is rather reluctant.

A Minion

Another Minion

Beyond and beneath the personalities of the Company are the people who actually get the job done - the Minions. Faceless, numberless, they have the thankless task of carrying out the bidding of their betters.

Coleman and Roger
- two members of the Rotten Row Drainers

Sometimes, an Evil Genius just needs some muscle to take care of business. Fortunately for Doctor Cornelius, Mr Seamus O'Tipple is a useful person to have around when muscle needs to be recruited. The notorious Rotten Row Drainers are an East End street gang, and Coleman and Roger are two of their heavy hitters.

Doctor Cornelius and his Company

In Which the Blogger Considers the Meridian VSF Kickstarter

Much to my delight, the Meridian Miniatures Kickstarter was successfully funded. I really liked the look and flexibility of the greens, as posted, and in particular the different looks that could be created by the different head types.

I decided that I preferred the great-coat wearing bodies as I wanted to be able to create sinister minions, or perhaps Russian Special Forces.

As my Kickstarter support level grants me two six-man squads, I have decided that I like the look of both the Skirmishers and the Firing Line sets. I'm thinking of mixing the two sets of poses together, which will give me a nice selection of poses for my skirmish teams.

I decided to stretch my budget to include a sprue of Arc-rifles because they look so cool.

Half of the soldiers will have these slightly sinister Minion heads (No. 20), while Head No. 34 will probably be the head of choice for my Russian Special Forces.

Completion date for this project is set for September - I'm really looking forward to getting these figures.

In Which the Blogger Makes a Little More Progress

A combination of events, some of them nice and some of them ... nasty, conspired to prevent either progress or pictures for my last update, and the week that has just past. By adopting a strategy of "a little bit each day", rather than freaking out completely, I do find myself making progress amongst the ennui and distractions.

Wide shot of the figures, to date. You can see my revised basing style with 30mm fender washers giving both stability to the figures, and a means to keep them safe in storage when placed upon magnetic sheet.

From right to left - the bare washer; washer with pollyfilla coating, textured to look like cobbles, and then undercoated; drybrushed with GW Blazing Orange, a second wash with Vallejo Japanese Khaki, then a wash of GW Babadab.

And here is Colonel Count Otto von Horsentrappe. He is one of my slotta base conversions. I removed the base and the slotta with sidecutters, glued Count Otto to the base and then textured the base with pollyfilla.

Another view of the group. The diminutive gentleman, behind and to the right of Count Otto, is the nefarious Doctor Cornelius - more on him, later.

The Irish-American gunslinger, Mr O'Tipple, and two Minions.

And some other members of the company.

In Which the Blogger Makes Little Progress But Finds Some Fun Stuff

The remodeled bases are coming along - I'll post pictures in a day or so. Those of the Minions were relatively straightforward, being metallic grey grids, but I'm not completely done with the bases of Count Otto von Horsentrappe and Mr O'Tipple. Rather than painting them slate grey, I went for a more brick-like look. Undercoating in black, I then painted the bases orange. This was followed by a wash of Japanese Khaki, a little touch of grey on the edges, and then a wash of Babadab - especially in the cracks.

The base effect is moving in the direction of mossy brick, or horse-pukky brick, which was what I was aiming for. Still needs a little work, though.

A slow day at work today meant that I was able to spend some time wandering around the Interwebz. Fascinated by some of the more unusual personal names that were popular in the late Nineteenth Century, I found a couple of useful lists while using "Victorian Names" as a search trigger. I also found a couple of fun random word generators, Serendipity and Victorian & Steampunk Name Generator - the Victorian & Steampunk Name Generator does pretty much what it says on the tin, while Serendipity has a whole slew of random generators. There are others out there, but I quite like these two.

Enjoy.