A computer scientist accidentally unleashes a supremely intelligent sentient A.I. named Archos R-14. It becomes self-aware and immediately starts planning the elimination of human civilization and building a new cryptic ecology, where the organic is being merged with robot technology. Over time, Archos R-14 infects all penetrable networked electronic devices, such as cars, airplanes, smart homes, elevators, and other robots, with a "precursor virus". Robopocalypse
What better way of learning about the British Empire than recreating battles or campaigns. There are myriad companies producing board games and miniatures so that pretty much any campaign can be reproduced. Games and figures manufacturers agree that the British Empire makes a wonderful backdrop to set their products within. The products on offer are constantly improved and updated. It can be hard to keep abreast with all the developments, but if anyone would like to add any additional information about games or figures then please do not hesitate to email me so that I can add the necessary links.
Colonial wargaming has a long history, you can go back to HG Wells' Little Wars or Donald Featherstone's Skirmish Wargaming. Wargaming heritage doesn't get much better than that. It can be done in any scale from 2mm to 54mm (and probably bigger for all I know).
Of course, there are many different periods that can be covered in Colonial wargaming. Most people would probably instinctively think of Victorian era games but of course it could encompass anything from the time of Sir Francis Drake to the Falklands War. The geographical reach of colonial wargaming is possibly the widest of any genre out there. So there is a lot of choice out there.
This section is to try and help narrow down that choice and provide a map for those who want to launch in to their own gaming experiences. I also have my own campaign system that you are free to use, adapt or inspire to create your own. It is called Jarania
I personally like to use 15mm figures and have ranges that cover the Indian Mutiny, the Sudan, the Boer Wars, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier and a lot of Zulus! I personally like 15mm as I feel that they are good value for money, and provide a good balance between skirmish and larger battles. Having said that, if you want to fight huge battles - such as Isandlwana - then 6mm is probably the way to go. The advantage of 25/28mm figures is that there is much more characterisation and variety available which makes them particularly well suited to skirmish games. There is an interesting development with hard plastic figures being produced. These are much cheaper than the lead figures and are easier to modify or convert. You have been able to get soft plastic figures for years, but they have a tendency to flake off the paint over time. Hard plastic figures do not suffer from this problem.
As for rules, I have to say that I am a huge fan of The Sword and the Flame rules which I have used with students at school and at various conventions. They are not that common in the UK but they are well worth seeking out! They are much more popular in the States where they are easier to source.
For those who prefer more modern rules for the Decolonisation and End of Empire era, Ganesha Games publishes a set called 'Flying Lead' which provides good low intensity simulations. You can read a battle report of one such example from the Borneo Confrontation here.
It an annual tradition here at the Brazos Evil Empire for members of our group and whoever else that wishes to join in to send a card/provocation from their faction to everyone else. With the loss this year of one of our founding members as well as a life long friend FPPR Comrade Bill, I wasn't going to keep the tradition up but, I thought better of it as a way to honor someone we here will and do miss...
Reverse Engineering the Martian War Machine – The Heat Ray and HMS Thunder Child
This article is a “history” of H.G. Wells classic science fiction novel, “The War of the Worlds”, as if it actually happened, complete with technological assessments, logistical evaluations and strategic analyses. Naturally, the first subject will be prominent given the vast technological superiority of the invading Martians.
Playing the board game with customized pieces. Video is not a review of the box game but more focused on the decisions made during a game and the results.
MobileSuitGundam0083: StardustMemory is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two months; the final volume went on sale on September 24, 1992.
The challenge is simple: create a unique sci-fi tank within 365 days (ending date December 9, 2020). This will allow all members across the world ample time to progress on their work due to seasons varying in time across the aforementioned world.
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The Rules:
(1)The 2020 Tanksgiving Challenge will run from December 9, 2019 and end on December 9, 2020 at 9:00pm Central Standard Time. No entries will be accepted after 9:00pm Central Standard time.
Entries may officially be submitted between November 1, 2020 and December 9, 2020 ending at 9:00pm Central Standard Time. Work In Progress pictures may be posted during the 365 days of the challenge however no official entries will be accepted.
(2)An Official Entry Thread will be posted on November 1, 2020. At this time contestants may post one (1) image of their entry. Contestants may post a link in their submission post to a gallery of other images of their entry however only the one (1) image posted in the Official Entry Thread will be counted.
(3)Entries must be 15mm(ish) in scale. Models can vary greatly in size from entry to entry. Some may be the size of a football (American Pigskin or Soccer, take your pick on the meaning) or a true 15mm scale model. For example one may have an entry the size of a small Ogre (which could be over 24in in length) and another the size of a Flames of War model.
(4)Entries must show at least one 15mm infantry model to show scale in the entry photo.
Models must be a UNIQUE CREATION. No out of the box models that are unmodified!! A "Unique Creation" is defined as a model that can not be purchased from a company, vendor, maker, or other retailer be it national, online, boutique, etc.
(5)Models may use an off the shelf model as a base for their entry. "Off the shelf" includes but is not limited Warhammer 40,000 Rhino, Flames of War Sherman, 1/72 Tamiya Hetzer, and so on. The base model must be modified in such a way that only a hint of its origin can be made.
(6)Entries must have three individual weapon systems and must include one of the following: Ray Gun, Laser Gun, Missiles, Grenade Launcher, Flame Thrower, or Machine Gun. The size of said weapon is left to the contestant.
Ok that about covers it. Please ask questions on this thread and yes, I will post a comment daily in order to bump this topic. I hope we have a HUGE turnout! Goodluck FB Page:D
The Evil Empire on the Brazos (BEE) chronicles the on going wars (games) and the diplomatic efforts (Posts/GNN Reports) of all the known nations (wargame collections) in my little area of the galaxy.My goal is to both entertain
and inform those new to art of miniature wargaming, and have a few laughs with it. This Blog is open to all and also welcomes comment from all and I hope that many will come to join in the madness.....)
Nugget 361
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The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue on Sunday, and I sent it
to the printer earlier this morning. I hope that it will be printed and
ready ...
WMMS 2024
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A big fail for me as I forgot my camera and my phone, so I had no way to
take pictures. Luckily "Tales from GHQ" did take pictures of some of the
games (li...
SA-10 ‘Grumble’ (s300)
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Models of big missile launchers are always good for a laugh, so it was easy
to persuade myself to get this lot painted. They are 1/285 scale models
made ...
Cybertron Terrain
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Its spraying day today and I've got a lot of terrain to get through.
Starting with these futuristic bases from Micro Machines. These give loads
of wonder...
Tales From The Periphery - BattleTech Podcast
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If you're interested in BattleTech I recommend you check out 'Tales From
The Periphery'. Link
It describes itself as, 'An audio podcast, news blog, even...
Psionic powers - all in the mind?
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I got a couple of Alternative Armies Espers to give me some psionic-type
characters for games like Rogue Stars. They remind me of some of the old
"sanc...
And then the wheels dropped off.
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Chris K asked me if I wanted to play in the DBA tournament at Hammerhead in
a week's time. This is not normally my thing at all, but Phil had had to
drop...
An Arabian Night On The Town
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My Middle Eastern building collection has grown over the years. Originally
designed as generic buildings for use with my Crusades collection it will
now ...
The Trans-Syldavian War of 1938 starts......
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One of the things the Tintin books oddly do not cover is Trans-Syldavia,
that region north of the Syldavian Alps whose history which has been
covered in ...
The Conquistador Main Battle Mecha In 28mm Scale
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The Conquistador is the most commonly encountered variant of the varied
Project Cervantes armored walkers, being suited for both close and distant
combat...
New Fantasy sets from Alliance
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I know, I havent been active for..???..a long time but I keep looking at
what´s going on in the world of bods..and today I found
these.....Apparently the...
A different kind of convention (for me anyway)
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Earlier this month, my wife and I went to our first ever science fiction
convention: ArmadilloCon here in the Austin area.
My wife did confess that at f...
15mm Terminator: Junkyard Dogs
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I’ve started work on sourcing and painting up some scenic elements and
terrain for the 15mm Terminator project, and am kicking things off with
some wr...
Week26 Updates
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A bit more progress over the last few weeks, although I still am not
getting out the brushes as often as I would like / need to. The
legionaries are fin...
Food Basics Flyer Dec 8 to Dec 14, 2022
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Browse through the latest Food Basics flyer December 8 to December 14, 2022
on this page. This weekly flyer from Food Basics has found amazing price
for yo...
Car Insurance Sioux Falls
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*Car Insurance Sioux Falls*. The best price for comprehensive car insurance
in sioux falls for most drivers is from state farm at an average annual
premi...
A Wellsian interlude
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Taking the chance to get the guns and matchsticks out on a sunny Sunday
afternoon…
Bought at some point in a job lot ( I think) these were lying unused i...
Wargaming the interwar period
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*CROSSPOSTED FROM WARGAMING MISCELLANY*
This year’s VCOW (Virtual Conference of Wargamers) took place over the
weekend, and I was able to take part in se...
Printing The 7 Years War
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Back in the days, before smart phones, cell phones, the internet, usable
home computers (1985); when one had to go to the local game store to find
out w...
Mighty Armies: Invasion is live!
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We have released our newest Mighty Armies book though Kickstarter
featuring ramies from Splintered Light Miniatures!
Check it out here:
https://www.ki...
Last post here-
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OK, the web site drama is finally coming to an end.
Here is a summary. I had been using a Weebly web site, this blog hosted
by Blogger, and a e-commer...
Boarding Parties
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A couple of stands to represent RN boarding parties or sailors with
small-arms put ashore
For CD3 the count as 'other' so of limited use, expecting spec...
Summer 1001 - Apocalypse Now
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"My Emperor," the messenger announced, "I have news of the war with the
Mangu hordes."
The Emperor paused briefly as he swallowed the soft flesh of the nec...
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The Capture of Piet Petronius-1880
A Great Solo Game-The Men Who Would Be Kings
The Men Who Would is Kings (abbreviated TMWBK) is a* great*fast play
Colonia...
Stalingrad Pt5: Combined Ops
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After a seemingly refreshing break from the bloggasphere, Stalingrad is
back! While the previous games had been some classic infantry attacks, we
noted ...
Wunderlist For Windows 3.18.0
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Wunderlist - is one of the most well known cross-platform task manager and
to-do list application. It is also available for Mac and instantly sync
your ...
15mm Great Swamp Lizard
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We are very pleased to release our latest 15mm fantasy model -- the Great
Swamp Lizard. This towering beast can eat his way straight through entire
enemy ...
Law Enforcement
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Hi!
I've managed to paint up a few law enforcement officers for Jim to avoid!
Outland Judge Patrol
I ended up going for the classic Judge Dredd paint sch...
Grimlocks in 15mm
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Here are 12 grimlocks for dnd 5th ed.....15mm Picts from copplestone.
Back from a long break in gaming....looking forward to a little dungeons
and dragons s...
Hail Mary .....of the LIVING DEAD!!!!
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So I somehow managed to knock out another 60-something zombies before this
baby arrives, nothing fancy here, I didn't even texture the bases. I
figured I ...
Risorgimento or Garibaldi in Sicily 1860
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I studied the Italian Unification at school and it was fascinating; This
lead to following Garibaldi's career and especially his amazing campaign in
Sicily...
More 15mm Orcs painted this weekend.
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This weekend I worked on finishing another squad of Orcs. Note: These minis
are OOP and are no longer being sold. I Also removed the banners that were
cast...
Origins 2013 X-Wing Event
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We had a great time at Origins this year and other then the several hours
we had to evacuate from the convention center due to a flaming transformer
everyt...
more painting-
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I have been working on getting approx. 1500+ points in some at least
minimum "table top gaming condition" before Mid-june. I have most of the
fig.s t...
Hail Zlobenia!
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I picture of PFU troops from Zlobenia. The Zlobs have always been more open
in their views about the outside world, and see the current conflict as a
way...
Martian Civil War
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My flyer was pulled out of the box for only the second time. It was fun to
run, and was a constant pain to the bad guys. After our last gathering,
plans...
SBH SOLO Vikings VS Hunters of Evil
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With my new love of Universal Battle, I have run yet another solo game.
This time it was the under dog Vikings VS the Vet Hunters of Evil.
I set the game u...
Mortimer’s Cross - AAR By Lord Stanley
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Last Thursday we put paid to the lowly Lancastrian and nailed the body of
the Lancastrian leaders to some nice new crosses at a place called Mortimer
- hen...
A game with Vulture
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I had a F.A.D. game with Vulture last week. He won this one by taking and
holding the objective with his light power armored troops, and backing them
up wi...