Tempest at Hazard

© Paul Daly 2018 - used with permission from the artist

For those of you who like Victorian science fiction and Pulp/Spy action gaming, my good friend Paul Daly has released his Hugh Adventure web comics, Tempest at Hazard, and The Terranaughts. I've got several pieces of Paul's work hanging on the walls of my gaming room, including an original of the picture above. Yes, Major Tempest does look somewhat like a certain former Bond actor...

Paul's work has appeared in countless RPG games across the years, and these are a brand new series of webcomics featuring his distinctive style. Head on over and check it out!

* * * *

In other news, I've made the movement bases for Dux Britanniarum's Saxon force. They're been given a base coat of green spray paint, and I'm waiting for the paint to dry before giving them a touch of scenic embellishment. All I have to do now is print off the cards and I'll be ready for a game.

Card shoe

A card shoe is a game accessory I've meant to make for some time. Too Fat Lardies rules sets mostly use event and order cards for game play. When placed in the slick plastic card sleeves these tend to slip and slide all over the place if brushed accidentally during a game. That's why I got to work with my Hirst Arts molds and made a card shoe to keep them neatly stacked and ready for use.

Pulp Alley also uses a card activation method. PA games run for a maximum of seven turns (it's normally six, but the game is extended by one turn if an extra turn card comes up). I fixed a row of holed blocks along the centre row with a bead for a peg to keep track of the turns during a game. There are nine holes in all should another set of rules require the players keep track of more turns.

The photo below shows the shoe in use with turn cards (left) and special event cars for my home brew Colonial variant of Sharpe Practice.

Assorted musings

This Labor Day weekend has put a temporary halt to our (so far) fruitless search for a new home. We've seen and discounted several places for various reasons (A "Crazy cat lady's" former abode stinks - er, sticks - in the mind). It's not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility that we may look to return to the UK, or possibly head for Ireland. International moving's a whole different set of complications, but we'll see.

In the meantime I'm catching up with my reading and musing on different wargaming periods. Our excellent local library has a copy of Nick Lloyd's book Passchendaele: The Lost Victory of WW1.

This is the centenary year of the terrible months-long battle, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, which lasted from July to November 1917. It's a battle I've heard about often but have never really studied until now. I've reached the point where planning for the offensive has begun under the command of General Gough, GOC Fifth Army. Apparently this army had a reputation within the BEF for being lax in pre-battle planning, so even at this stage of the narrative things aren't looking good. Lloyd's book is a good read. It's enough to tempt me into contemplating WW1 gaming, perhaps using Pendraken Miniatures 10mm range. For those interested in seeing how a master does it, take a look at the incomparable Sidney Roundwood's blog.

Another little gem came up unexpectedly on the AVBCW Facebook page. A gamer is asking about suitable 28mm vehicles to use in this delightfully daft conflict, and another member posted this suggestion...

It's a First Corps (Curteys Miniatures) resin/white metal four-wheel speedster from their 20th Century Follies range, and it looks lovely! Some time ago I searched for a similar vehicle for a Pulp game idea I had, but didn't find anything suitable. I did see an example of the speedster painted up on the Lead Adventure forum, but couldn't pinpoint the manufacturer. Now, when I'm not looking, it pops up. Go figure.

Once I'm in a position to do so, my gaming priority really is to complete the collections I already have. The Dux Britanniarum set up needs the Saxons to oppose the Romano-British. I have a handful of foot regiments, a cavalry regiment, dragoons and perhaps another gun apiece to complete the 10mm ECW forces.

Apart from the temptation to start a Great War collection (early or late? That is the question) I've also been tempted to start an Indian Mutiny collection. Dixon's Miniatures produce a nice-looking range in 15mm. Their 'personnel carrier' elephant is just darlin'. But - Pendraken has an Indian Mutiny range on the drawing board, and I believe the figures may make an appearance next year.

I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens. 

Leaning on a lamppost

This afternoon I took a breather from the process of clearing up my man cave to make a few more odds and sods for molding. The weather's warming up to the point where I can pour the silicone and have it cure in reasonable time.

A recent discussion on another forum about casualty figures reminded me I needed a few for my 10mm ECW collection, so I made a trio of generic Civil War types. These'll replace the poker chips now doing duty in my games, which do the job but lack visual appeal.

Alongside them is a lamppost of the traditional type, this one in 1/56 scale, which is intended for Pulp/Victorian games and also for bookends along with the cobblestones I made earlier. A more complicated piece, it'll be made into a two-part mold. I'll cover that part when I come to it.

The pole is made from the inner tube of a ballpoint pen, and the brown base is a wooden bead. The top part was constructed from four pieces of basswood cut to shape and glued along the edges, then capped by a square of basswood and a plaster component from the Hirst Arts small pipe mold. I used Puffy paint to fill any small gaps along the edges, building it up to form the frames for the 'glass.' The crossbar is a bit larger than it would be in this scale so resin can flow into it. As it is, after pouring the resin I'll need to gently squeeze the mold to persuade any air bubbles to escape.

More on the whole molding thing later when I get time.

The Search for Fatima bint Daud

After his reconnaissance CSM Harrington was approached by G'kobani, a friendly local, who had news of the slavers operating in the area. After conferring with him Harrington briefed his men, Cpl. Lewis and the guides Andile and Khuselwa. The previous day G'kobani had seen a young woman scrambling over the ruins in a hurry but had no idea where she went afterwards. Harrington decides to search the ruins, while directing the others to conduct a sweep through the scrub by the river.

Lewis and Andile approach the area of scrub. Something's in there - but what?

Lewis falls foul of a peril.

Lewis pushed forward, sweeping the brush aside with the point of his bayonet. A sudden loud and angry buzzing filled the air - he'd disturbed a nest of biting insects! With a shouted oath Lewis hit the deck, swatting for all he was worth.

A life in ruins...

The other side of the stream, Harrington scrambled cautiously over the ruins of a small building in his search for clues, but came up dry.

Reverend Tyler, I presume?

In the scrub, the insects vanished as quickly as they'd appeared. Lewis looked up then reached for his rifle as a tall, gaunt figure emerged from the bushes. He relaxed when he saw the figure was a man in formal European clothing of a clerical nature. A battered stovepipe hat sat atop his head. The stranger helped him to his feet. "I say, are you all right?"

The man had a firm voice, one used to declaiming from a pulpit, but it was marred by a nervous quaver. Lewis brushed dirt from his uniform and smiled to reassure the man. "Reverend Tyler, I presume?"

"Yes! Yes, that's me!" Tyler shook Lewis' hand with enthusiasm. "Oh thank Heaven! I thought it was all up with me when those brutish slave-traders took myself and that young woman. With her connivance we managed to escape two days ago, but were separated in the rush to evade the scoundrels." He gestured to the thick scrub about them. "I've hidden here ever since.

"We've come to rescue you both, sir. My sergeant's looking for the lass now. Would you know where she may be?"

Tyler scratched the beginnings of an impressive beard in thought. "I'm not sure. A few hours' ago I did see a young lad, a local shepherd or goatherd or some such the other side of the stream. He may know."

"We'll look for him, vicar." Lewis took the man by the arm with a firm but consoling grip. "Now, let's see you to safety..."

Meanwhile, beyond the stream, the slave-traders were also looking for the fugitives.

Now, I know there's something in there...

Matoub and Jenana approached the millet field with caution. They'd seen someone run into the crops - but was it one of the escapees?

Matoub, being the senior of the two, made Jenana enter the millet field first. A scream of pain announced trouble for his follower. Matoub followed quickly, to see a Cape cobra slither off between the stalks in high dudgeon. "Praise be to Allah, that was lucky!" Matoub said, stepping over the twitching form of the unfortunate Jenana. Movement in the crop caught his eye. Thrusting the muzzle of his musket forward Matoub glared at the disturbance. "Show yourself!"

A moment passed before a nervous young lad emerged, shaking like a leaf, his hands raised. "Don't shoot, b'wana! Don't shoot!"

Matoub grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck. "I will not kill you, if you tell me of the woman and man who came here recently..." He broke off as firing came from behind him. "What the..?

Three of Matoub's followers had spotted a red-coated figure moving amidst the ruins. The scarlet uniform of the Great White Queen spelled trouble for slavers everywhere and by instinct they let fly - to pitiful effect.

Harrington had found a clue in the shape of a gold bangle of distinctive Arabesque design. The sudden fusillade broke in on his speculation about the wearer and her whereabouts. Dodging the flying lead, Harrington took cover behind the corner of a mud walled house. Drawing a bead on his assailants with his Martini-Henry, he fired - and dropped his man.

Harrington was not alone in firing upon the slavers. G'kobani had his own score to settle...

...to good effect.

Attracted by the firing, the Wazir himself entered the scene to find his followers dropping like flies. Lewis saw Reverend Tyler to safety under Andile's care then joined G'Kobani in firing upon the slavers. Another follower dropped to the Martini-Henry.

Leading his followers, the Wazir decided to take care of the red-coated assassin of his men. Sweeping around the edge of the millet field they headed for the houses.

In the meantime Harrington had climbed the heights to survey the battlefield. It had been a scramble and he'd slipped a few times, but now he had a commanding position - which he used to good effect by shooting Matoub where he stood in the millet field. The young goatherd took the opportunity to escape.

But what's this? A map, concealed by a small cairn of stones. A map with Arabic writing, which had a distinctive feminine hand...

It showed the houses below. Could it be Fatima bint Daud was hiding there? Harrington descended the slope at a run, coming dangerously close to tumbling. On reaching the ground near the steam engine he saw the Wazir heading toward him with blood in his eye. "You shall pay for your intrusion, English dog!"

"I don't think so, old chap," Harrington replied.

They exchanged shots...

The Wazir missed by a country mile, but Harrington winged his man. Cursing, the Wazir drew his sword and charged...

Only to be met by a swinging rifle butt - something British infantry have been notorious for using since the 1630's. Game over for the Wazir.

Enraged, his remaining followers tried to intervene - but Cpl. Lewis came up to lend Harrington a hand.

Now it really was game over - for the slavers.

* * * *

Harrington walked over to the house near the ruins. Knocking on the wall by the curtained doorway, he mustered his store of Arabic and called softly into the interior. "Miss Daud? I'm Sergeant Harrington, British army. Are you in there?" He repeated the words in English then French.

A small gasp was followed by stirring and the scrape of furniture being moved. The curtain was pushed aside and a young woman emerged blinking into the light. Her pretty face split into a grin of delight when she saw the scarlet uniform. "You really are British!" she said in fluent French. "Jolly good show!" she added in broken English.

Harrington smiled at her open pleasure. "We're here to take you home, Miss Daud..."

The End for Now.

A Gentleman Ranker, Out on a Spree.

CSM Harrington stood atop Tyler Knoll, his hands resting on his rifle as he gazed down at the men preparing camp below. He noted with approval the sentries were out and alert as their comrades pitched tents and took care of the native wounded. There were a good many of the poor devils thanks to the musketry from the British line during the day's action, but the rudimentary care they received at the hands of their Barsetshire foe-men was better than nothing. Shadows lengthened across the ground as the sun sank in the west; the sudden African dusk would descend soon and then, just as quickly, it would be night. The air atop the height, already cooler than the plain, would grow chilly within the hour. I'll see that the sentry up here has a coat, he thought.

Captain Pike climbed the slope, binoculars bobbing on his chest, to stand beside him. He took his pith helmet off to wipe his brow and nodded to Harrington. "All well, Albert?"

"Well enough, Fred." Up here away from the men and the needs of discipline they could call each other by their first names with all the respect comrades have for each other after many a shared trial of combat.

"Good, but we have a bit of a problem." Pike unfolded a sheet of paper. "The last heliograph signal from Fahtah says the daughter of Mustapha ibn Daud, the Al-qadi, is still missing. Her name's Fatima, Fatima bint Daud."

"Are we to look for her?"

"That's the idea. Aside from being the right thing to do, it'll go a long way towards making friends with the locals." He folded the paper away and turned to face north. "Tomorrow, I'd like you to take one of the men and two guides north for half a day. The guides say the slavers who took the lass went that way." He pointed toward a pale streak filling the northern horizon. "There, toward those hills. Here, borrow these..."

He passed Harrington the binoculars. Harrington adjusted the focus and peered through them. Dun-coloured crags leaped into being, the heights shimmering in the heat haze, and he sucked his teeth. "Those broken hills, sir? What do we know of them?"

"Not much. The guides reckon there's some kind of settlement up there, but how big or who lives there they can't say. It's on the edge of what they know. The place might make a good staging post for the slavers. If so, Miss Daud might be there."

Might? Two mights too many! Harrington passed the binoculars back but didn't voice his opinion. Even after attaining his present rank, years in the army had conditioned him not to complain about doubts and uncertainties. "What am I to do if she should be there, sir?"

"Bring her away, Fred - if it's possible to do so. You might keep an eye out for Reverend Tyler, too." He gestured down the slope to where the missionary's simple mud-walled house stood next to the millet field. "The poor devil's certainly not at home. If you should find the slavers in too great a strength, assess their numbers and report back. I'll follow up with the lads during the day, leaving about an hour after you, so you'll have us to fall back upon if the need arises."

"Yes, sir. When should we leave?"

Pike rubbed his jaw. "Early, at dawn, I think. Tell the man you choose to accompany you, and I'll notify the guides. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Lewis, sir. He's a crack-shot, and sensible."

Pike chuckled. "In that order? Very well, he's yours. Now, go down and eat then turn in. You'll have a busy day tomorrow..."  

* * * *

Their trek through the brush and scrub went about as well as Harrington expected. The local native tribe had suffered a serious defeat the previous day and had vanished to lick their wounds, leaving the savanna to the abundant African wildlife. Even the slavers had made themselves scarce, although his two guides found traces of them here and there.

As the little party progressed through the day, so the hills ahead grew higher. Harrington looked at them from time to time with professional appraisal, and he concluded they looked like a nasty place to fight in. God help us if the slavers have taken the prisoners into that little lot...

As noon passed at last they came to a stream, which the guides swore ran by the settlement. Harrington stood atop a small rise and scanned the area ahead. Some rough scrub, the stream, a large pool, and beyond some ruins, a millet field, and what appears to be a steam engine alongside those mud houses. A mechanical thresher or mill, out here? Interesting! Something to tell Fred about when he comes up.

Harrington thought over the options then made up his mind and turned to the others. "All right, lads, here's what we're going to do..."

And so here's the set-up for the next game, for which I'll use Pulp Alley rules. The white poker chips are the locations for plot points. The entire length of the stream, the pool, the millet field, the ruins and the hills are perilous areas. A game report will follow tomorrow.

Rover Eight 1922..?

I've recently finished the first draft manuscript for a murder-mystery set in England in 1923. While writing it I thought it would be fun to have some 28mm figures representing two of the characters, and a model of the car they drive, the 1922 Rover Eight. Yes, I do have Pulp Alley games in mind!

The figures are no problem: Copplestone Castings have just the ones. 

 Here they are superbly painted on Carmen's Fun Painty Time blog.

What I can't seem to find is a model of the 1922 Rover Eight in 1/56 scale...  

It was such a popular car of the time I'd be surprised if someone doesn't make it in model form, but my Google search has come up dry. If anyone could point me in the direction of either a kit or a die-cast version of the car, I'd be obliged.

Volcanic crater - tutorial

Thanks for all the kind comments on the making of my shell craters. I've now adapted the design to produce two volcanic caldera suitable for Pulp/SF/VSF gaming.

Follow the first steps given in the previous post to produce the basic crater. This time place the craters on a level surface, mix a small batch of watery plaster and pour it into the depression. It should form a smooth surface as shown below.

Next, add blobs of hot glue to the surface, giving the glue-gun trigger a half-pull to get smaller droplets. You'll find the glue doesn't stick to the plaster and comes away. This is perfectly fine. Remove any strands of glue from the droplets and replace them on the surface in a random pattern.

Next, mix yellow acrylic ink and watered-down PVA adhesive and pour slowly and carefully into the crater. The pour shouldn't disturb the glue blobs if you're careful. Don't worry if the ink mix runs over the side. Any spills will be covered later. You'll need to repeat this step once.

Glue discs of card to the bottom of the caldera, leaving a rim of about a quarter-inch wide. Wait until the glue has dried then mix yellow and red ink with Pledge floor polish to make a suitably fiery orange shade and pour onto the yellow glue surface. Add a few drops of water and work it around with a brush to get an even spread. You'll find the polish and water will dry to leave a crackle effect, revealing more of the yellow beneath the orange and the glue blob "bubbles" giving the effect of hotter lava welling up from below the cooling orange crust.

Once this is dry, add ground effect around the caldera by smearing 'Liquid Nails' construction adhesive onto the card surface and pressing dry coffee grounds into it. This'll create rough terrain that looks like it's cinder-covered. At this stage I also made the sides of the crater more uneven by applying smears of spackle.

Two intrepid explorers get uncomfortably close to the lava wells.

Once all that is dry, paint using ordinary craft paints to get the desired color scheme. I chose a dark gray, and added streaks of dull yellow and brown to represent sulfur out-gassing.

A Couple of Links of Interest

Not much going on in the gaming department lately, as I'm getting ready for a number of upcoming SF conventions. I hope to fight the next game of the VBCW campaign soon. 

In the meantime, I've found a couple of links that may be of interest to Victorian Colonial/Darkest Africa/SF/Steampunk/Pulp/Back of Beyond gamers. 

Tiger Miniatures (UK) have a lot of nice shiny figures from various conflicts outside the periods usually gamed, including some mule-mounted German askaris...

Photo from Tiger Miniatures.

...of definite interest to me. Tiger even include a number of comparison photos near the bottom of their main page so buyers can see how they match up to other popular ranges.

http://www.tigerminiatures.co.uk/

And, via Terry Sofian on the Space:1889 forum, we have the Kickstarter 28mm 'Phroggs.' It looks like they're near their total to go ahead, and the figures have all kinds of possibilities...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/550360615/phroggs-28mm-sci-fi-amphibians

The Unusual Suspects

I've rounded up a few figures to serve as leagues for Pulp Alley games. The versatility of the rules allows games to be set in any period, from cavemen times to far future. My setting is High Victorian Africa, which allows me to make use of existing figures and terrain.  I might also use the rules for small-scale games featuring some of the characters from the regular campaign.

The figure second from left is a Eureka Miniatures "Nanarchist" throwing a bomb. She's a big lass compared to the others, but I think she'll fit in any scenario. I also found two Asian girls - I can't remember which company makes them, but they'll suit nicely. I do intend to get some of the Copplestone High Adventure figures when funds permit, probably packs BC10, and BC19, which includes that female character who seems to have become a firm favorite with Pulp gamers all over the world. 

The figures need some touching up, but hopefully I'll get a game in with my wife soon.

Pulp!

A couple of matters cropped up recently which resulted in me shelving my Chain of Command project for a while. I still wanted something different to the colonial gaming I've played recently, though, so I opted to buy the Pulp Alley rules instead. The appreciation for these has been high since their release two years ago, and I've enjoyed looking at all the pulp-related blogs and AARs on the Lead Adventurer Forum. 

My wife and I are both fans of Pulp fiction, so it'll be something we can both enjoy. The rules suit most of my existing models, figures and scenery, too, although I'll buy a few figures expressly for the games later. I can even use the rules for individual games featuring some of the Barsetshire characters from my Colonial world if I want. Sweet!

Journey without Maps

I've just finished reading Journey without Maps, British author Graham Greene's account of his four-week trek through the nation of Liberia. Greene seems to have sunk an awful amount of whisky during his journey, and he has a predilection for describing the scantily-clad native women met along the way.

He traveled with his 27-year old cousin, Barbara Greene, and appears to have owed her a great deal. It's a fact she nursed him back to health during a near-fatal illness he incurred in the jungle, yet she gets scant mention in this book.

All the same, it's an interesting read for its take on Africa in the final decade of Western Colonialism. I think there are more than a few scenario ideas to be found in these pages, both for the high Colonial era and for later Between the Wars/Pulp games, possibly even modern "bush war" games. Recommended.