Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Intelligence Summary # 15: Warning Delivered/Ships Missing

 
Stardate: Thirday, 102-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector: Shannekam
 
Warning Message to Pierson Station Delivered
 
A subspace radio transmission from Pierson Station on Zenya, confirmed they received the warning about the impending attack by Bongolaanian forces.  The station's starport received a garbled transmission from Diplomatic Security Team Three (DST-3), on board the Gadnek Survivor.
 

 The ship arrived within a day of being dispatched from Ku Crassus. 
 
 
 The message from Pierson Station also mentioned the Gadnek Survivor was approached by the Zenyan Mainland United Government (ZMUG) corvette, Jamhuri
 
 
 
 Data on the Jamhuri, is as follows: 
 
 
 The Jamhuri may have employed its jamming systems against the Gadnek Survivor which interfered with their transmission to Pierson Station.  This however, cannot be confirmed. 
 
Attempts to contact and locate either vessels have failed. 
 
So it is unkown whether or not ZMUG is openly hostile to Tarsan vessels and shipping interests.
 
While corvettes are among the smallest military starships, the Jamhuri could easily outgun an armed freighter such as the Gadnek Survivor
 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

News Brief # 17: Missing Persons on Ku Crassus


Stardate: Wonday, 100-130 ABY/Fringe Info Network (FIN)--Ku Crassus Bureau
Subsector: Shannekam
"All the news that's fit to transmit."

Several Police Officers Now on "Sick Leave"

FIN has just learned that the five surviving police officers involved in the gun battle at Cortona Park have fallen ill, or have somehow been injured.  The firefight erupted two days ago when a Tarsan Diplomatic Security Team (DST) became involved in an altercation between a force-user and a street gang.  Within moments, the fight escalated when a squad of Sith Mutants covered the escape of the force-user, rumored to be their Sith Lord.  Two patrol cars and several officers from the Cortona Police Department (CPD), responded to reports of blaster fire erupting in the capital city's central park. 

A spokesbeing for the CPD, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would only say that the officers were placed on sick leave.  However, follow up calls to Cortona hospitals and doctors' offices revealed that no one from the CPD has checked-in to report any illnesses or injuries.  Calls made to hospitals and doctors' offices across the planet also turned up negative. 

The police officers involved in the gun battle are not the only ones missing from the public eye.  All the homeless beings that inhabit, or frequent, Cortona Park are nowhere to be found.  At this time it is too early to jump to the conclusion that there is a connection between the two vanished groups.  However, it seems unlikely that this is a mere coincidence.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Redshift Tales #1


A few months ago, the folks at Comic Life put out a Version 2.  I bought two copies right away and downloaded them to my PC and laptop.  The new version has some cool templates and features, but there is a noticeable learning curve after being so use to the initial version.

I finally found some time to do some serious playing around writing the other day.  As an opening test I wrote this vignette, Tales from The Redshift Chronicles: Carnage in Cortona Park.  (You can also click on Redshift Tales #1 under the Chronicles Pages tab). 

This was based on an actual gaming incident this past summer.  During a session of my Star Wars Role Playing Game (SWRPG), the good guys were chasing a high-powered bad guy through a city park.  One of the players tried to shoot said bad guy, but rolled a "1" on a 20-sided die (d20).  In the d20 game system this is considered a fumble, which can have disastrous, or hilarious consequences, depending on which side you're on.

Fortunately for our hero, the result "only" turned out to be a burned-out powerpack in his weapon.  However, despite being safe from immediate harm, this single malfunction jeopardized the entire team.

I took some liberties with the dialogue, primarily for the sake of space, but I like to think I captured the spirit of the banter that ensued.

I'm not sure if I'll use this new Comic Life version for Breakout from Bongolaan and other full-length graphic novels I plan on writing.  For now, I'll toy around with the program and post vignettes, especially comedic ones, when my muse inspires me.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Mixing and Matching Figures


 
A few of weekends ago, I went on a two gamestore shopping spree, that I posted about several days ago on Stern Rake Studio.

At the Hobbytown store in Wilsonville, OR, I ended up buying four boxes of AT-43 figures. While I like pre-painted miniatures, I felt the Rackham products were a bit too pricey. "Were" being the operative word, because the company went into liquidation a couple of years ago. (I guess other gamers thought their figures were too pricey too).

This was, however, unfortunate because they made excellent quality figures. They're now offered discount prices from sites like The Miniature Market and on the discount shelves in some retail stores, like Hobbytown.

I didn't snatch-up the packages right away, but spent over an hour pondering whether or not to buy them. This was not because the figures were lacking in quality. On the contrary, they're awesome looking.

My major concern was whether or not I could integrate these with my 25 millimeter (mm) Star Wars Miniatures. The Hobbytown staff, while helpful, weren't sure if the AT-43 figures were 25, 28, or even 30 mm.

I didn't have access to the internet, nor did I bring any of my Star Wars figures for a comparison. With the "clock ticking" (I had to pick up my girlfriend from work), I decided to buy four of the box sets, all from the "U.N.A." (United Nations of Ava).

So, without further ado, here's my latest sci-fi figure purchase:

The first set I decided on was the U.N.A. Star Trooper Squad.



This consists of 6 x troopers with assault rifles, 1 x trooper with a "Volcano Machine Gun," and a Star Trooper leader.

Rifle squads often need additional fire support, so I selected the U.N.A Star Trooper Attachment Set.

 

Some, (or maybe all?) of the troops, bearing the following weapons can be added to the basic squad: Missile launcher and flame thrower, along with another Volcano Machine Gun. A medic and/or engineer can also augment the squad, along with another officer/NCO.

All these figures have detachable heads that can be swapped out with triple-lens helmeted ones.

Troops wielding heavy weapons is one thing, but they're still foot-bound infantry.

What about mobile firepower?

As with Star Wars, the AT-43 universe seems fixated on "mechs" or "walkers." The only two I found at Hobbytown were two "Fire Toads," Mark 02 and Mark 03.


At 50% off I couldn't pass these two up. Now that my troops have mech support it was time to answer the big question: Are these figures compatible with my 25mm Star Wars Miniatures?

These U.N.A. troops bear a passing resemblance to Rebel Hoth troopers, so when I got home and conducted my photo-shoot, I dug out the appropriate Star Wars Miniatures for a direct comparison...


 
..."Dang!" The AT-43 figures are visibly larger than the Star Wars ones, even when looking at them from a distance. By the time I was taking these pictures I had access to the internet and confirmed the AT-43 figures are, in fact, 28mm. 
 
(Sigh).

But then I started thinking: Maybe the mech/walkers can be integrated with the Star Wars figures?

Before answering this question, I placed a U.N.A. soldier and a Fire Toad side-by-side, for an initial comparison:


 
Then I placed a Hoth Trooper next to the Fire Toad:



Hmmm. Not bad. In fact, I think the size ratio seen in the above photo is more appropriate.

I mean, mechs SUPPOSE to be BIG, right?

(Whew!).

So this purchase wasn't a total bust.

I may buy a squad of "Red Block" infantry as opponents to the U.N.A. which will give me a couple of small forces for 28mm-scale games. More importantly, I'm seriously considering obtaining more AT-43 vehicles for my sci-fi collection--especially if they're offered at discount prices.

After some more internet snooping I came across pictures of "O.N.I" vehicles and figures (some are conversions):


 



 
They appear to be more suited for police/security/riot control than heavy combat. However, they have that Aliens look that sci-fi gamers love--which is why these vehicles are almost impossible to find.

(Sigh).

Just what I need--another quest for out-of-production game material.