Pass in Review: Sci-Fi Power Generator and Barricades

(Image:  DSS-02 Shield Generator)

Since I often don’t have the time, talent, or patience to paint miniature figures, I’m a sucker for pre-painted terrain.

A few months ago, I was at the Crossroads Bellevue and stumbled across Uncle's Games for the first time.

One of the items I purchased was the Galactic Warzones Power Generator...

...which is part of Gale Force 9’s Battlefield in a Box, Galactic Warzones line.

The color, weight, and texture a outstanding.  My only “issue” with this piece is that if you want to recreate the Battle of Hoth, and include the targeted shield generators, you’ll need to buy three more sets.  At about $29.25 per set, this will truly be a “high value asset.”

For other gaming scenarios though, a single shield/power generator will be fine.

But even one high value asset needs to be guarded and protected.

A few months ago, I had some Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) quad-autocannons painted by my friend Dan.

These pieces are part of the Imperium’s  Aegis Defense Line.

Here’s a back-view of the quad-autocannons:

The Aegis Defense Line set comes with one quad-autocannon, four long, crenelated barricades and four short barricades. Below is a picture of two long barricades I purchased at a gaming swap meet:

Here’s a look at two identically painted, short barricades along with some obstacles:

Here’s another obstacle:

I purchased a couple unassembled and unpainted Aegis Defense Line sets.  While Dan assembled and painted the auto-cannons, I tried my hand at painting the barricades.  Here’s a couple of examples of a desert barricade:

And a couple examples of a forest/grassland barricade:

Here’s a look at the back of typical barricades:

When it comes to sci-fi gaming, I don’t limit myself to WH40K.  While I haven’t invested (yet) into Star Wars: Legion, I bought a couple sets of the Barricades Pack.

Since I’m too lazy don’t have the time to prime and paint these pieces, I simply brushed them with a grey ink-wash to give them a greasy, dirty weathered look:

I’m a regular patron of The Miniature Page.  This site offers free shipping for orders of $99 or more.
So to take advantage of this deal, I often top-off my orders with purchases of their Tiny Terrain Line.
In this case, both damaged and undamaged Sci-Fi Walls...

...along with the more mundane Jersey Barriers (only one style of damaged barriers seem to be currently available).

For impromptu barricades, there’s various piles of sandbags (currently out of stock):

While Tiny Terrain figures are inexpensive, I found the hard plastic made them hard to paint.  I tried ink-washing the Sci-fi Walls and the Jersey Barriers, but the fluid just beaded up and ran off the surfaces.  I had better luck applying brown wash on to the sandbag piles.

In addition to plastic, painted or otherwise, there’s also paper terrain the you can download.

I believe I got these from DriveThruRPG several years ago, but the set is no longer available.

The site Paper Make It! has some 3D Models available for download, costing between $2.50--$5.90, along with an assortment of various science fiction-themed materials.

So while we're all "barricaded" in our homes due to the Coronavirus Pandemic Stay-At-Home decrees; we can order, assemble and paint our miniature barricades to protect our critical terrain pieces on the tabletop.

Pass in Review: The "Xenochamnids"

("We've lost contact with the colony on...")

Science fiction is full of stories, and gaming Fluff about hordes of ravenous beasties slaughtering every living thing in sight.

First there was the Alien franchise, and the horrific, jet-black xenomorphs.

I've been a fan ever since I saw the first two movies, especially the second film.

Next, there's my favorite role-playing game (RPG), Traveller...

(A single Chamax by William Kieth)

...with two of the most popular adventures:  The Chamax Plague/Horde (in Double Adventure #5)...

(A horde of Chamax by William Kieth)

...where adventurers are confronted with a swarm of voracious critters.

And finally, as I became a "cynical fan" of Warhammer 40K (40K), I was introduced to the Tyranids...

...the "great devourers" in the grimdark of the 40th Millennia.

I like the idea of pitting a band in Kill Team, Traveller, or Wrath & Glory, against an endless swarm of 'Nid-like creatures.

Unfortunately, I'm too lazy I don't have the time to paint-up a bunch of alien beasties, and painted collections of actual Tyranids were either rare, or expensive.

I was about to give up on the idea of amassing a swarm.  But a few years ago I ventured in to Merlyn's and came across a bag of Aliens vs. Colonial Marines by Diamond Select Toys.

(Bag top front)

(Bag top back)

These figures are in the same vein as Green Army Men.

That is, they're made of soft plastic, but in two colors:  Black for the xenomorphs and green for the Colonial Marines.

When I got home from that trip, the first thing I did after unpacking was to order three more bags through Amazon.com.

My "cunning plan" is that I can use these xenomorph figures for other science-fiction wargames and RPGs, in addition to having them count as Tyranids in WH40K games and RPGs.

I also own a copy of the out-of-print game Bug Hunter (Sniper Companion #3)...

...which I think could be converted to miniature use by replacing "hexes" with "inches."

Since the these figures will be Multiverse creatures, I concocted a composite name for them:

The Xenochamnids.

(A pack of Xenochamnids swarm a building somewhere in the Sector Fronteris)

Once I received my additional packages, I flocked the bases of the creatures I plan on using with either sand, or gravel, and a few with grass.  This helped highlight their black bodies.

I have about 60 figures, but for simplicity, only the figures with sand-flocked bases, matching the Sector Fronteris terrain board, will be shown.

The Xenochamnids come in four poses.

The first pose is of a group of creatures kneeling before their Queen.  For game purposes, these will be the Runners (Dog Aliens).

Here's a close up of some Runners:

The three other types are in upright poses.

Here's the next group--"striding" creatures:

A close up of the striders:

The next group consist of standing creatures:

And a close-up:

The last group of upright figures are in "guardian" poses.

Here's the close-up:

These "guardians" required an additional step before I flocked the bases.  Originally, each creature had it's tail curled around a Facehugger egg.

I cut off each egg, which was fairly easy because the plastic was soft enough for just about any modeling cutting tool to snip through:

While I'm happy with my purchase of "cheap substitutes" for Tyranids, there's a few problems when using toys in-place of figures specifically made for wargames and RPGs.

First, is that toy manufacturers more often than not, pay little or no attention to Figure Scale.

The Alien Queen is a huge creature, as seen in this diorama depicting the final confrontation in Aliens:

(Image by:  Peter Parrella)

But the Diamond Select Toys version is actually smaller than her drones, as seen below:

(The Alien Queen is on the right, in case you have a hard time seeing it)

So I have no plans for the several queens that came with the sets.

The same goes for the Colonial Marines, which are too large to use with typical 25/28mm figures.

("Game over, man! Game over!")

They might fit among 35mm figures, which might be close in scale to my Star Wars Miniatures collection--but that means I'll have to get them painted, which is not a priority for me.  Instead, I plan on saving them for my grandkids to play with as "Green Army Men."

The second problem, especially with soft plastic toys, is there's no clear, sharp details.  You've probably noticed already that the figures look rather ill-defined.

A third problem is the weight vs. balance of some of the figures.  The creatures with the elongated bases, the "guardians" and "striders," are rather unstable and easy to tip.  I may get around to mounting them on larger, heavier bases, like washers, or something.

Despite these shortcomings, I'm still happy to have these in my sci-fi miniature wargame, RPG and maybe even boardgame collection.

The final problem with these figures has nothing to do with wargaming:

Currently, these Diamond Select Toys play sets aren't currently available.

One of the main reason for this is because these toys were manufactured in China.

The repercussions of China unleashing the COVID-19 Virus into the world are still unfolding.  As I'm writing this, most of the US and many other countries are under Stay-At-Home orders.

So until the medical/political/economic/social dust settles, obtaining any future re-release of this product, or any other wargame item may be problematic.

I brought this up because the impact the Coronavirus Pandemic has had, and continues to have, on our society is impossible to ignore, and some wargamers may want to avoid purchasing anything with the "Made in China" label from now on.

Update, 22 April 2020, 1130 hours:

In unrelated news within the WH40K 'verse, the Regimental Standard reported an unspecified number of Imperial forces will be deploying to the Zone of Peace and Quiet.

Shantytown Anyverse

(Image from:  Ashes of Dystopia)

Since I'm a mediocre painter, I'm a big fan of cardboard terrain.

Come to think of it, I'm not much better at assembling pre-painted buildings either.

Which is why I like Runestone Entertainment's Model Card Shanty Town.

While actual shanty towns are, sadly, an all-too common sight in our world, they're often the settings for Dystopian-style games and stories, also known as Crapsack Worlds.

So they can fit anywhere from Terra Firma to a recently terraformed world.

Runestone's Shanty Town currently can be downloaded for $6.95.  But Drive Thru RPG often has sales, or even offers stuff for free.  So check the site as often as you can.

You can either print the material on card stock yourself or take it to a print shop.  (There's a local print shop I like going to because their card stock is sturdier and their ink better quality).

This particular product comes in a PDF format and is 23 pages long.  This includes assembly instructions and various Building Templates (white paper "frames") and Texture Templates (exterior) in the following scales:  28 mm, 20 mm (1/72), 15 mm (1/100), and 1/144th.

Not all the Exterior Templates fit completely over the walls and roof.

This is deliberate in order to give buildings that slap-dash, scavenged look.

I assembled 9, 28 mm buildings.

First, are some "public buildings," which could be stores, warehouses or dive-bars.

 Here's the front view:

Here's the right-side view of the "general store," (first building on the left), and the rear views of the other two buildings.

The left-side view of the "general store," along with rear views of he other two buildings.  (Their sides are just plain walls with no unique features).

Next are some "private buildings," which could be dwellings, or storage facilities.

Front view:

Rear view:

Once again, the side views are plain walls with no unique features.

The last three buildings are small sheds.

Front view:

Rear view of the first two buildings:

While I question my skills at assembling cardboard models, I liked how these structures turned out because they're suppose to look decrepit.

Pass in Review: WH40K Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle)

Prelude:

I was originally planning on only raising an Astra_Militarum force for Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K).

However, a few serendipitous events happened that motivated me to expand my force of common foot soldiers.

First, I read Faith & Fire, a novel about the Adepta_Sororitas (Sisters of Battle), or for us "cynical fans" Nuns with Guns.

I liked it so much, I read the sequel, Hammer & Anvil.

There's an additional novel and novella, compiled in an omnibus with the earlier books by James Swallow that I'm currently not in the mood to buy.

But shortly after reading the first books back-to-back, someone offered to sell his painted metal Sisters of Battle miniatures collection for such a great price I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  While I'm not in the mood to buy a book that I've essentially read half of already, I'm always in the mood to buy figures I don't have to paint.

Since this was two years ago, I'm afraid I can't remember the guy's name, nor what I actually paid for the figures.

Anyway, these figures dated back to WH40K 2nd Edition.

The problem for me--and a considerable number of fans of the Naughty Nuns--was that we had rules for 6th, 7th and finally 8th_edition.  None of which featured the Adepta Sororitas.  So folks had to make due with old models and old Codexes and wedge them into their games.

Then, amid much rumors and anticipation, the Sisters of Battle Army Set was released with much fanfare in December 2019.

While the new plastic models look stunning, I wasn't in the mood to add to my Mountain of Shame.

All I wanted was the codex and game accessories, which Games_Workshop (GW) assured it's long-suffering fans--again, with much fanfare--that additional material would be available shortly after the New Year.

Fortunately, GW made good on their promise and I scarfed-up the codex, data cards and dice.

Now that I have all the necessary 8th Edition Crunch to run an Adepta Sororitas task force (in)competently, and Fluff to maintain my geek cred; I can finally post a decent Pass in Review.

Review:

Somewhere in the Sector Fronteris...

...an Adepta Sororitas task force assembles.


The first vehicle to approach the apparently abandoned settlement is a Chimera armored personnel carrier (APC).

This vehicle is actually part of my Inquisitor Retinue, but since the color scheme is about the same does double-duty, serving with both the Inquisition (a.k.a. The Emperor's Pet Psychopaths) and the Adepta Sororitas.

I'm including this vehicle because it is part of the Sisters' order of battle, according to the Witch_Hunters Codex (3rd_Edition), but seems to have been dropped by this edition.  I figure I could use the stats from the Astra Militarum's Splatbook.

Next in the advance column is Rhino...

...followed by an Immolator.

The Adepta Sororitas' vehicle laager-up around the abandoned settlement.

My figures were painted based on the Order_of_Our_Martyred_Lady, in honor of Saint Katherine, the founder of their order and probably the most commonly fielded of the Orders Militant.

Since these figures are dressed mostly in black I decided to remove the settlement buildings for a clearer image of the miniatures.

(1st Battle Sisters Squad)

Adepta Sororitas' task forces are known as "Missions." These are considered the smallest organizational units capable of independent action and form the military arm of the Adeptus Ministorum, a.k.a. The Ecclesiarchy.  In addition to forming the main militant arm of the Church Militant, the Adepta Sororitas also works closely with the Inquisition’s Ordo Hereticus.

Note on higher echelons:  Two or more Missions form a Commandery, two or more Commanderies for a Preceptory, while the various Orders are divided between two Convents—Convent Sanctorum and Convent Prioris.

My particular Mission consists of two squads of Battle Sisters, each armed with an assortment of Bolters,Flamers, /Storm_Bolters, and Meltaguns, with one sister bearing the Simulacrum_Imperialis and led by a power sword-wielding Sister_Superior.

(2nd Battle Sisters Squad)

With a little finagling I might be able to select some figures from the two Battle Sisters Squads and form a single Celestian squad instead.

The Battle Sisters/Celestian Squads will need close-assault specialists or fire support.  And that's where the Dominion and Retributor squads come-in.

(Dominion or Retributor?)

From what I can gather, the four figures pictured above could form either a Dominion or Retributor Squad.  I'll just need to clarify what they are at the start of any game.

If the Adepta Sororitas can be considered religious zealots, then the Sisters_Repentia are fanatics.  These women seek atonement for their real, or perceived sins and form the Sororitas' suicide squads.

Here's my full squad of Repentias:

Since the picture looks a bit crowded, I split the squad in half for a better view of the Chainsword-wielding Repentias, driven-on by their Mistress:

My Adepta Sororitas Mission includes two special characters.

First, is the shotgun-wielding preacher, Uriah Jacobus, bearing the Banner of Sanctity:

Second, and commander of my Adepta Sororitas Mission, is none other than Canoness Veridyan, the iconic poster-girl for the Sisters of Battle:

(The original Canoness_Veridyan cover art by John_Blanche)

While the Adepta Sororitas aren’t genetically mutated enhanced like the Space Marines.  Despite this, they can count on divine intervention in the form a living saint:

 Saint Celestine.

Another version of Saint Celestine and her attendant Geminae Superia:

Here’s my entire Adepta Sororitas Mission, or as many as I could squeeze into one image, minus the three transports shown earlier:

Overall I’m very happy with my Sisters of Battle collection.  While I stated earlier I wasn’t planning on adding to my Mountain of Shame, I could use a few Hopitallers to act as the Mission’s medics or field chirurgeons.  So I hope there’ll be some available separately that I could purchase without having to get an entire starter kit.

Since this is an older set of metal miniatures, some figures, especially the Repentias, required some touch-up paint work.  I also added the sand flocking to the black bases, minus the flying figures of Saint Celestine and her Geminae Superia.

I'm sure the new plastic models will be more detailed.  But for the most part, I like the weight and feel of metal miniatures.  I've had to add washers underneath the bases of my WH40K plastic figures because they're too light and tip over easy.  My metal ones can too, especially if their pose is too extreme, like with my Repentias.

And it's not just the infantry-type figures that have a balance problem.  The flamer attached to the commander’s hatch of the Mission's Rhino is too unbalanced.  I’d rather not glue the hatch down, but I haven’t found the right sized washer to weigh down the underside of the hatch.

Bibliography of Related Videos:

In addition to leafing through my new Adepta Sororitas Codex, I watched several videos on the subject that I couldn't manage to weave into my review's narrative.

So I've listed them below, starting with The Crunch—

—Snipe and Wib, of Codex Complaint, present the Adepta Sororitas' First Codex (2nd Ed WH40K).

—Uncle Atom Smasher, of Tabletop Minions, helps players determine whether or not they need to buy the Adepta Sororitas' Limited Edition Army Box Set.

—Norn Queen Alexis also has an unboxing video of the Adepta Sororitas Limited Edition Army Box Set, as does Sword 'n' Steele.

—Striking Scorpion 82 discusses the new Adpeta Sororitas Codex (from the Box Set).

—For anyone planning to buy the new figures, The Painting Coach has tips on how to paint Sisters of Battle based on the Order of Our Martyred Lady.

—Norn Queen Alexis hosts a Beginner’s Guide video.

—There’s plenty of visual information on Adpeta Sororitas Fluff—

—One Mind Syndicate has 4 videos, starting with:  Sisters of Battle 40 Facts (Part 1) and Part 2, as well as their origins, while delving in to what they don’t tell you about the Sisters of Battle.

—In another Norn Queen Alexis video, our hostess does a rundown of the Adepta Sororitas’ various Orders, as does Arch Warhammer.

—WH40K Theories newcomers’ intro video answers the question:  Who are the Sisters of Battle?

—And for anyone wanting to set their games to earlier eras than the 40th Millennium, Arch Warhammer has a video on The Sisters of Battle in the Age of Apostasy.

Regardless of how involved you are in WH40K, I hope you enjoy the information presented here.