Showing posts with label Star Wars Miniatures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Wars Miniatures. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Star Wars Portal

Iron Seer's Star Wars
Despite everything you may think to the contrary, Star Wars is still the most consistently popular tag on any of Iron Seer's sites.  I know, right?  I still dig Star Wars even if I got more Imperial than First Order on my table.  So, as we move into 2021 it's probably a good idea to get all this sorted, especially if we want to reference it later.

Speaking of references, this post will be updated as new Star Wars posts hit.  I still have so many unopened ships I want to devalue by opening.  I also plan to make a great many more 'pew-pew' noises.


Last Entry: 05/16/21




More to come!

Reverse Format 5/16/21

Sunday, August 2, 2020

It's a Clone War

If you are too careful in the gang, you are not enjoying the gang.
Inspirobot reminds us not to squander what we have.
X-Wing 2.0 seems to have a lot of issues at the present.

I've read about how folks aren't happy with it (competitively speaking) after recent events.  I won't go into any of that now, it's irrelevant.  It is merely an aside that seems to reinforce my recalcitrance to replace all my X-Wing gear with the exact same stuff but different.

My unwillingness to attempt to liquidate all the cardboard and general recalcitrance to buy all new cardboard to replace the other cardboard doesn't mean I'm a fogey who wants to be stuck in the past.  Instead, I think I've come to a happy medium regarding X-Wing.

For me, the Galactic Civil War will be where most of my current gaming lies.  All those TIE fighters, X-Wings and such...I'm not going to try to update 75+ fighters per team.  By the time I'm done collecting all that, it would be time to trade in the chips for a 3rd asinine edition.  X-Wing 1.0 is a great game though, so we'll just leave that there.

For 2.0...I had thought, well, let's do the Clone Wars.  They didn't release any Clone Wars era ships in 1.0...not with "Republic" stamped on it, anyway.  Certainly, they didn't release and CIS droid ships.  So, it only makes sense to move forward with the new edition, in an entirely new theater.  Basically, it will be a totally different game to me.

For the same price it would take to upgrade one of my factions (maybe) I can pretty much pick up the rules and both faction starters for CIS and Republic.  That doesn't give me such willies, honestly...considering it will be a good handful of totally new ships.  That's kind of exciting.

Yeah...but I'm not going to do that.  

2.0 and Star Wars in general seems - dead.  At least in my part of the woods.  The move to 2.0 absolutely destroyed the 'scene'.  The last movies pretty much guaranteed that everyone has a bad taste in their mouth now, all by themselves.  Throw in a pointless change to a new system requiring everything to be bought again and...well, the worst part is this is well before COVID came along and shut everything else down.

What seemed so awesome a few years ago has lost it's lustre.  All the potential for returning Star Wars to a dominant setting used in games everywhere has been terminated.  I guess that's what happens when every company involved decides to metaphorically shoot themselves in the head.

For now, I'm hunting down the last few 1.0 ships I don't already have.  A TIE Defender and Shadow Caster is on the way here now, via some Ebay.  There's only about three more from the entire 1.0 run that has eluded me so far, so that's something.  Besides, if I really want some clone fighters and jedi ships I can always fire up Photoshop and make something nice for myself.  

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Edge of the Empire Player Characters

Edge of the Empire Player Characters
Our current crew!
WotC Miniatures Left to Right:  Devaronian Soldier, HK-50 Assassin Droid, Corellian Pirate, Twi-lek Scoundrel
I recently acquired some old Star Wars Miniatures for our Edge of the Empire campaign.  No particular reason, I just like to use Star Wars Miniatures for Star Wars games.  I mean I use non-Star Wars Miniatures for Star Wars games also, but I specifically collect Star Wars Miniatures for Star Wars games.  Is that enough keywords, Google?

Edge of the Empire Player Characters
WotC Miniatures Left to Right: Twi-lek Black Sun Vigo, Mission Vao
Anyway, it turns out that some of these are the most expensive collectible prepaints I've bought to date, weighing in at around the $5-20USD on the secondary market.  Mission Vao and the HK droid specifically were pretty expensive, but I typically don't spend more than a few bucks each on prepaints.  It's not bad though, and with Star Wars Miniatures it's one of the only ways to get an official model of certain characters.  I know I need to pickup some lightsaber wielders soon...and some clones.  We'll see how far I actually go down that rabbit hole once I've tracked down all the Attack Wing and X-Wing 1.0 stuff.

I thought it would be cool to kit out our team as a Rogue Stars unit!  A team of Pirates, aggressive and to the point.  The Hard to Kill tactical discipline and the Difficult Target traits will make this team an annoying and dangerous foe, just like our group.  However, two of our players had to bug out during the campaign, so I let their characters take a vacation.

Anyone can use this team in Rogue Star Wars!  Just in case anyone wanted to rough some stuff up, our merry pirate band can fight any other team.  Even other scum.  ESPECIALLY other scum.


Mayhem, Inc. (Pirates)
Hard to Kill

  • Rokka Reer, Twi-lek Entertainer (50)
    • Difficult Target (2), Fast (2), Fire into Melee, Free Disengage, Perceptive (2), Reactive
    • Sonic Pistol, Knife, Kevlar Jacket
  • X, Devaronian Scout (49)
    • Agile (2), Alert, Danger Sense, Difficult Target (2), Marksman (2), Stealth (2)
    • Laser Rifle, Knife, Kevlar Jacket
  • B3-T5Y, Combat Droid (50)
    • Artificial, Nonreactive, Difficult Target (2), Steadfast (1), Tough (1)
    • Laser Rifle, Force Glaive, Light Combat Dress
  • Modo Phloid, Thief from Outer Space (50)
    • Alert, Difficult Target (2), Fire into Melee, Free Disengage, Stealth (2)
    • Laser Rifle, Knife, Kevlar Jacket, 3 Stun Grenades


Sunday, August 5, 2018

Rogue Star Wars: Bothawui Run

Bothawui, where rebels yell.
Planet Bothawui, where it gets cold only sometimes.
After the close call with the pirates, the Rebel station at the Bothawui polar region was to be evacuated.  They knew it was only a matter of time before the Imperials figured out what was going on and came out to investigate, so the teams quickly moved to evade any so-called 'entanglements'.  After procuring most of the sensitive equipment and data, only a few sections of the base remained to be dismantled.

Reeling from casualties sustained in the earlier skirmish, the band of rebels attempts to upload a cache of sensitive deployment data to courier ships waiting in orbit.  Already on the way, unbeknownst to the rebels, was a team of Imperial Stormtroopers led there by an independent contractor, an outer rim bounty hunter.  We open as both teams close in on the transmitter...

All the rebels have to do is establish the uplink and complete the transfer.  The Imperials are inspecting the ruins, and are soon alerted to their presence.  It's a simple thing, to complete the transfer...nought but a few keystrokes.

BATTLE REPORT
Rogue Stars by Osprey Publishing

Rogue Star Wars Campaign 
Bothawui Rebel Attack on Imperials; Hacking Mission

Setup
Rebel Tech-Partisans vs Imperial Hunter-Killer Team

No complications were used for this match, despite what we were explicitly told to do.  We simply forgot.


Quickly and quietly, the Rebel team begins its advance back into the ruins...only vaguely aware of the precariousness of the situation.  Imperials weren't immediately expected, but little did they know that a mysterious bounty hunter had tailed the Buru brothers right to the ancient Jedi ruins.  By the time the Rebels had returned from the first phase of the evacuation, the contractor had returned with an Imperial patrol and were already sniffing around the site.

Bothawui Run 1
Let's just wait here and see if anyone shoots at them.
Imperials had the first activations, but were taking their time walking across the treacherous snow and avoiding those TN 8 Terrain rolls.  The Rebel Pathfinder and Bothan Commando took the first reactions to run as fast as they could toward the objective.  For a while, there were no targets in sight for either team.

Bothawui Run 2
This looks like a good spot to wait for someone to shoot.
It takes multiple actions to get anywhere.   At 2" each, you have to spend all 3 from 3 successful dice to get a 6" move.  It's kinda funny that it's more stressful to walk than run, but then I remembered they were walking in ankle deep snow slush over muddy ground.  Still, it's worth indicating that you should probably only walk where it's injurious to do otherwise.

After all, you could be shot.

Bothawui Run 3
Just take baby steps and you'll be ok.
The stormtroopers moved to cover the center area of the board, as if they could feel the rebel presence long before they could see it.  Scan-darts should be a thing...but it didn't matter anyway.  The Imperials had Heavy Firepower, and knew how to use it - concentrated on one area.

Bothawui Run 4
Remember to cover your squadmates during leap-frog advances.  It's just plain rude not to.
The Rebels made it to the edge of the ruin where the uplink was concealed within the Jedi Temple's architecture.  The advance stalled there when they tried to move more elements up to repel the Imperial fire that was about to pour on the comm-station.  However, the Rebel team was at a pretty strong disadvantage for one reason:  the Rogue Stars campaign system for survival is quite brutal, and the Rebel team was already down two members to four at the outset of the game.

Bothawui Run 5
That's not reinforcements but ok...
Get to the comm-link, spend two actions and make a roll of 15+ on a d20.  That's all they had to do.  Things were going pretty good for the first few rounds of the game...

Bothawui Run 6
Hey, let me just plug in this data-spike and we'll begin the upload...
However, the Imperials were already in key positions overlooking the transmitter.  They must have detected the encrypted signals coming from the transponders hidden in the ancient rock spires.  It was mere seconds before the Imperials sighted movement and began their attack.

Bothawui Run 7
PLA-KET-KETT!
Fire was exchanged in all directions, and second rank guns moved up to take the place of those that went down.

Bothawui Run 8
Dammit, Jenkins...get in that hole and press the button!
After a few harsh rounds of fire using several Imperial Heavy Firepower tokens, two rebels were out of action and a single stormtrooper was stunned.  The Rebel Commando finally got to the scene and immediately began First Aid, owing to how brutal the campaign system is on fighters that go out of action.  Mainly, you're dead most of the time even if you're somehow stabilized.

Bothawui Run 9
Uhh...it's not working, sir?  I think it's because Jenkins is dead.
The Imperials poured on the fire, using the Heavy Firepower discipline until it was gone.  Once the Rebel Pathfinder went down, it was clear this was going to be an uphill climb for the Rebel team.  Still, they pressed forward, determined to get the last datastore uploaded and away from their enemies.

Bothawui Run 10
Anyone that runs is a Rebel soldier.  Anyone who doesn't run is a well-disciplined Rebel soldier.
The last remaining rebels dove for cover but it was no use.  They'd have to take more of the guns out of play.  After weathering the Heavy Firepower, they were already out of position and undermanned, but if they couldn't take out more troopers quickly they'd have to roll the dice on the upload.  The last remaining rebel, the commander, moved up to work the uplink and finish the mission, despite almost 100% casualties.

Bothawui Run 11
Who needs maneuver when you've got firepower and armor?
The commander managed a return shot before he was knocked prone.  Several shots from the Imperial fireteam melted the snow where he was lying before he could get the uplink finished as they raked the area with their guns.  They piled on a huge amount of pin tokens during their frantic deluge of blaster fire, as well as 3 wounds.  However, he was successful and punched the code...only to fail to get the thing to truly upload.  With that...the game was over.  The Rebel Commander retreated, leaving the fallen where they were.

Bothawui Run 12
We found a large number of pin tokens and a few wounds among the survivors, sir.
The Imperial team calmly reloaded their weapons after running out of ammunition and resumed firing into the structure.  The structure funneled the rebels right into their fire solution.  They didn't advance until there was no more movement on scanners, and then began searching the ruins for evidence of rebel activity, capturing all of the Rebel team except the captain.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Rogue Star Wars: Jedi Temple Heist

Bothawui, where rebels yell.
Planet Bothawui, remote polar region.
Buru Brothers Shipping & Handling, Inc. arrived on Bothawui with somewhat noble intentions.  Based in the infamous Cloak of the Sith, on a planet called Roon, Urdaaghr Buru and his family have skirted Imperial law their entire lives.  With the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War, the company has been having frequent meetings with the rebel Spynet.  However, negotiations have gone sour.

It seems the Spynet thinks that the Buru Brothers OWE them something...duty or what-not.  The whole thing ended with everyone walking away, but Urdaaghr was more than miffed.  They had braved the Imperial patrols and come all this way, for what?  Not to be pretty much slapped in the face!

Unfortunately for the rebels, the murderous aqualish knows a little bit more than they'd like about their operations on Bothawui.  At a remote ruin that is supposedly an "ancient Jedi temple" is an Alliance safehouse, lightly guarded.  Supposedly, weapons and other trade goods are stockpiled there, ripe for the taking.  And so, Buru Brothers Shipping & Handling, Inc. got right to work doing what they do best...stealing.

BATTLE REPORT
Rogue Stars by Osprey Publishing

Rogue Star Wars Campaign 
Bothawui Scum Attack on Rebels; Steal Valuables Mission

Setup
Buru Brothers Shipping & Handling vs Rebel Tech-Partisans

Complication: I thought you had it!
Both players lose 1 piece of equipment chosen by the opponent.  I took this to mean Equipment exclusively, that is, Equipment bought from the Equipment list.  The Rebels lost their medikit, and the Scum had no equipment to take!



For the Steal Valuables mission, we needed to make use of six tokens.  The book called for three "Yes" and three "No" tokens, but I didn't have anything readily on hand to use.  I had a sheet of cardboard chits though, and figured it's a good a time as any to use them.

I have no idea where that sheet of chits came from or where I got them, but one side was yellow and one side was white.  Instead of marking them "Yes" and "No", I simply wrote "!" and "?" on them.  Might as well get some mileage out of them.  I'm sure we can use them for plenty of games.

Making Tokens
Blank Token Sheet.  No idea where it came from.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3f6JI6nPYX-dCXgsdHX1c1gvaUGVZUi1WIdQV5E41SU_IcL2jOI0C3RgeDpFRHNicbmDEyMgzTLPQFUtjq24QqnRibqwAj9HclnFrRc4A0RREn19KuephNyqxZ70fVGPYt0OhaeMO_1Zs/s1600/Rogue+Star+Wars+2+-+New+Tokens.JPG
De-blanked tokens, white face.

Once the tokens were made, they were placed on the field.  We realized that with mission parameters this pretty much pushed everyone to the edges without any other rules.  Scum gained the initiative, and began to advance.

Rogue Stars and Star Wars Miniatures - Setup
Scum have a rough start, immediately slipping and falling.  Other people just stood there like morons.
Unfortunately, the snow made things rough.  A TN 8 terrain check may not sound like much...but with everyone running everywhere it quickly became apparent that it was going to be a problem.  A lot of stress and not much ground was covered as warriors immediately slipped and had to spend an action getting up.

Rogue Stars and Star Wars Miniatures - Rebel Advance
Let's go out here where there isn't any cover and play in the muddy snow.
The Rebels have it slightly easier, but manage to get caught in the snow in the open.  The melting snow and muddy grass is hard to run in...not solid at all.  The Rebel Pathfinder will have an easier time with his Agile trait.

Rogue Stars and Star Wars Miniatures - Steal the Initiative
Moving in the snow is difficult and hazardous.  Get more done with solid Reactions.
The Scum had activated all six of their models before it was realized that the initiative could be stolen before that.  Six or more Stress markers on the enemy team and you've got a good chance.  At the point, the game quickly picked up in pace as the initiative began to get stolen back and forth at breakneck speeds.

Also there were a lot of reactions.  Like...a LOT.  That's part of the game, and even if you don't have the initiative you can get a lot done.  Look at the picture of the board above at the end of what you might consider the first "turn".  The Rebels reacted more than the Scum acted.  Get used to it...this is why the Rebels didn't realize they could steal the initiative earlier.

Rebel Commando and Duros Technician Advance
"There's one over there...and over there...and over there!"
The Rebel advance team consisting of a commando and the medic arrive in cover as they move toward the objectives.  As the Rebel team creeps forward, the Scum start to use their reactions to get further into the map, and steal the initiative back quickly.  It's not long before they make an egress into the central area of the ruins.

Whiphid Tracker is obviously drunk.
Except Whiphid Tracker.  Whiphid Tracker doesn't care what your problem is.
The Scum manage to retain the initiative most of the time, despite not being able to accomplish much other than ratting about in the snow.

Aqualish Spy is Stressed.
Everyone is alarmed, even though the enemy has not yet been encountered.
The Duros Scoundrel actually takes the first shot, nailing the Rebel Commando that advanced earlier.  It knocks him prone, and the Rebels use reactions to move him back into cover for the Duros Technician to use First Aid...even though he doesn't have a medikit.  The Commando is Stunned, which puts him in danger of going Out-of-Action anytime he attempts anything.  First Aid can fix this condition, so they huddle behind the stones as the scum continue their advance.

The Scum advance on the Rebel positions.
Make 'em keep their heads down...
The Aqualish Spy and Duros Scoundrel on the Scum side pin down the Duros Technician and Rebel Commando as the rest of the team advances on the East flank.

Boss Buru always gets his goods.
I like to steal things before my boss gets here.
On that side of the table, the Aqualish Technician (Buru) and his brother (Aqualish Assassin) move toward the objectives.  The Kel Dor Bounty Hunter working for the Buru Brothers moves to grab an objective.

Rebel Commando down!
Want me to show you a trick to take your mind off that pain?
First Aid was performed on the downed Rebel Commando, who was not yet out of action.  He remained pinned though...actions were precious and weren't allotted to his recovery.  This kept him down and wounded behind that rock for most of the game.

Rebels Approach the Objectives...
Folks are having a hard time in the snow.
At least until the Scum moved up and finished the job.  The Commando raced out into the open with his rifle, hoping to stave off the Scum from reaching the objective.  Brave, but foolish...he was rewarded with another laser blast.

Rebel Commandos and Laser Rifles
What accuracy with that laser rifle!
The Bothan Commando finally reached the center area after a long struggle across the snow.  From that position, he was able to use a reaction to take the Whiphid Tracker out of action with a single shot.  The Rebels stole the initiative soon after and the Bothan was able to take out the Duros Scoundrel with another well-placed shot!

Rogue Star Wars Steal Valuables Objectives.
Agility and Speed really paid off here.
Soon, more actions were floating toward the Rebels, unlike in the early game.  The lead the Scum had was soon squandered after every objective they reached was fake.  The Rebel Pathfinder with the Speed and Agility traits really shined in the late game as he was able to move faster and with smaller chance for error.

Kel Dor Bounty Hunter on Objective
Here's looking at you, bothan kid.
Soon after this, the Rebels had most of the objectives locked down.  The 'real' objectives.  The Rebel Commander found one at the beginning of the game and simply stayed there in case his rifle was needed.  The sheer clownery of the Scum kept them from securing the further objectives...bad luck for the Buru Brothers.

Rogue Star Wars Rebel Victory
Every objective you touch shall turn to "?".
In the end, the Rebels carried the day after the Scum decided to retreat after losing half their team.  With the number of objectives in Rebel hands, it was best to call it a day.  According to the Objectives section of the mission, both teams score 6xp each.  It is pretty much a draw, but the Rebels get to keep the gear they were stashing here.  Alarmed that their cache is compromised, they begin moving it to a more secure location.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Rogue Star Wars

Amidst the turmoil of the Deathwind Corridor, countless small dramas play out with little fanfare or visibility.  The lives of the rebel soldiers, Imperial personnel and innocent bystanders all move along at the same pace, more or less.  Heroic actions, horrific atrocities and humble day-to-day life all come to pass as the Galactic Civil War grinds on, and little does the wider society even know.

As they may loudly claim, there are heroes and villains on all sides.  In the ongoing turmoil around planet Roon and the Cloak of the Sith, a drama begins to unfold involving all three factions vying for power and position in the area.  These small groups become tied up together in what will become an ongoing vendetta for some, and a long nightmare for others.

The aqualish bandito Urdaaghr Buru and his band of cutthroats begin the campaign on the planet Bothawui, near the northern polar region.  Amidst the snow and ice, their talks with the rebel Spynet have fallen through.  Feeling dejected and put upon by the snide Spynet representative, Buru and his men decide to take plunder from the foolish rebels before heading back to Roon.  Buru Brothers Shipping & Handling, Inc. are not to be trifled with.

Captain Namus Vance of the Rebel Alliance takes note of the attack, and his team has another mission that happens to take them in the direction that Buru's Crew are traveling.  No doubt they'll have trouble with the pirates again before they are able to execute their mission:  sabotage of an Imperial patrol ship near the Cloak of the Sith, and the retrieval of the records it carries.

Yet the Imperials are being proactive.  The bounty hunter Halse Balgi is tracking all the known fugitives in the area, and is working closely with the Imperial army.  With the cutthroat mercenary rooting out the criminals, the Imperials are hot on the heels of both the rebels and the cartels.
Bothawui [800x800]
We begin on the mountainous slopes of Bothawui's northern pole...
Campaign Rules
This mini-campaign follows three teams of fighters amidst the Galactic Civil War, using the Rogue Stars ruleset published by Osprey Wargames.  There will be three sets of missions, each with a different theme and map set.  During each mission set, each of the three teams will fight a total of four battles, gaining experience with each encounter.

Each team may attack each other team once, and will be attacked by each other team once during each mission set.  Each faction's missions are noted below, showing each factions' attack on each other faction by initials.  Once all missions in a set are complete, play moves on to the next set.  There is no set order of playing missions within a set, so they can be played as opponents are available.

For each scenario win, 1 campaign point is awarded to that team.  Each team must win in it's own scenarios.  No points are awarded for losses, or winning a scenario that isn't your mission, but experience is gained as normal for each game.  The team with the highest number of campaign points wins, with total experience gained as the tiebreaker.
  1. Bothawui Polar Region Missions
    • All missions count as Ice Planet terrain.
    • Cartel Missions:  Steal Valuables (R); Smuggling (I)
    • Rebel Missions:   Hacking Mission (I); Manhunt (C)
    • Imperial Missions: Bodyguard Work (R); Secure Area (C)
    • Roll for Complications as normal.
  2. Attack on the Lightstation
    • All missions are Low Gravity Planet terrain except where noted.
    • Cartel Missions:  Ambush (I); Hacking Mission (R)
    • Rebel Missions: Boarding Action [Spaceship Terrain] (I);  Space Gladiators (C)
    • Imperial Missions:  Abduction (C); Control Terrain (R)
    • Roll for Complications as normal.
  3. The Dark Side of Roon    
    •  All missions are Dense terrain except where noted.
    • Cartel Missions
      • If the Imperial Abduction mission in Set 2 was successful, Rescue (I); otherwise Make it to the Ship Alive (I)
      • Repair (R)
    • Rebel Missions
      • If the Cartel Hacking Mission in Set 2 was successful,  All-Out Battle (C); otherwise Duel (C).
      • Destroy Property (I)
    • Imperial Missions
      • If the Rebel Boarding Action mission in Set 2 was successful, Explore a Wrecked Ship [Wrecked Spaceship Terrain] (R); otherwise Interrogation (R)
      • All-Out Battle (C)
    • Roll for Complications as normal.
(C) Cartel;  (R) Rebel;  (I) Imperial.

The missions are designed to be played over the next few months as we expand our terrain galleries.  As such, the planets depicted will correspond to the first three sets we finish and serve as an alternate way to frame the assets.  We'll also get to see the Rogue Stars system work over a 12 game span for each team.

The narrative outcome of this campaign will affect the Star Wars campaigns in general in the next iteration.  If the Cartel wins, they'll have a lot more resources as they will be able to outmaneuver the other forces.  If the Imperials win, much of the Cloak of the Sith will be impassable for both the rebels and cartels.  If the Rebels win, they'll have a safe base in the Cloak and passage through Deathwind Corridor.  In any event, the outcome will have far-reaching implications.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Rogue Star Wars: Scum & Villainy

Welcome to Rogue Star Wars.

Scum & Villainy, across all Star Wars media, are my favorite faction.  A ragged group of pirates, criminals, smugglers, mercenaries, desperados and / or banditos...take your pick.  I've just always felt more 'at home' among these types, so today we take a look at the third scenario team for our campaign.

Of course, we're going with Pirates.  An interesting bonus they get is access to all Silent and Non-Penetrating weapons.  I'm not really interested in the non-penetration factor, but Silent is what I'm all about.  It allows the wielder to remain hidden while shooting, unless you just fully open up on the target.  Sneaky...sneaky.  It's all about being sneaky.

After I worked this list up, I realized I had something different than the other two teams.  There's far more stealth and melee-focused characters.  The down-and-dirty methodology here is pretty apparent...get close, then get rekt.  To that end, the requirement that one character have a cyberweapon was an easy fit with a concealed vibroblade...somewhere.

Skills play into the style a lot more, and I think a lot more was spent on skills in general with this team than the Rebels or the Imperials.  I actually think this might be the contender list, but then this is my third attempt at a team...but the others definitely have ranged advantage in any contest.  Each melee attack will have to count, so the Pirates get the Brawlers tactical discipline, which lets you re-roll up to 10 failed melee attacks during the game.

Buru Brothers Shipping & Handling, Inc. (Pirates)
Brawlers
  • Aqualish Technician (43)
    • Free Disengage, Leadership 2, Martial Arts 2
    • Force Shield & 2 Knives; Plasma Grenade
  • Aqualish Assassin (26)
    • Weapon Master 2
    • Force Shield & Vibro-Blade; Knife
  • Aqualish Spy (37)
    • Stealth 3, Tech 1
    • Kevlar Jacket & Needler Pistol; 2 Stun Grenades, 
  • Whiphid Tracker (33)
    • Stealth 3, Perceptive 2, Martial Arts 2
    • Force Shield & Bow 
  • Kel Dor Bounty Hunter (32)
    • Veteran, Danger Sense
    • Light Combat Dress & Flechette Pistol; Vibroblade Cyberweapon 
  • Duros Scoundrel (29)
    • Alert, Free Disengage, Stealth 3, Medic 1
    • Kevlar Jacket & Laser Pistol
  • 200 XP Total
The S&H company from the Outer Rim definitely have chops up close, but will they be blown to pieces by concentrated firepower or even just a lucky shot or two?  Perhaps their stealth will help, since a few can fire their Silent weapons and remain hidden...but activation isn't guaranteed, and reactions aren't predictable either.  Soon enough, we'll find out...

Rogue Star Wars Scum & Villainy
Junk dealing aliens or ... something far more sinister?

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Rogue Star Wars: Imperials

In this follow on from our Rebellion team, we take a look at the first Imperial scenario team for our Rogue Star Wars scenarios.  The team will also be 200 XP at the start of the campaign, and will be built around a core of Imperial Storm Troopers.  It will represent a hunter team first dispatched to Roon to ferret out the last remaining rebels still operating there.  More on that later...

For now, let's take a look at the actual team.

Star Cops get a neat advantage in that one member can use Intelligence gear, but I'm not going to exercise that ability in the initial build.  Instead, I'm going to be spending a lot of points on Storm Trooper armor.  Once you start handing out armor, you'll notice your troops basic cost is a lot higher...and that's to be expected.  I opted for basic gear on most of the troopers, but the squad has a rifle specialist.

As well as all that, the Bounty Hunter has a few skills to make him more dangerous, even if I didn't end up giving him a Marksman bonus or full combat dress.  I see him more as an independent operative rather than the squad's combat leader.  He's the tracker...and he wants to get paid.

To that end, this team is taking the Heavy Firepower tactical discipline.  This allows your team members to perform Hail-of-Fire attacks, which is basically auto/rapid fire, without a penalty.  This is limited to up to five times per game, but in a clench that seems really powerful.

Imperial Hunter-Killer Team (Star Cops)
Heavy Firepower
  • Bounty Hunter (59)
    • Veteran, Tough (2), Reactive, Lucky
    • Light Combat Dress & Assault Rifle; Frag Grenade
  • TK-666 (35)
    • Marksman (1)
    • Combat Dress & SMG; Frag Grenade
  • TK-187 (35)
    • Marksman (1)
    • Combat Dress & SMG; Frag Grenade
  • TK-138 (35)
    • Marksman (1)
    • Combat Dress & SMG; Frag Grenade
  • TK-272 (36)
    • Marksman (1)
    • Combat Dress & Molecular Slugthrower; Frag Grenade
  • 200 XP Total
The Heavy Firepower discipline will allow the team to keep up a withering hail of fire on any target that presents itself, even as they advance.  Following the tactics of the Storm Trooper Corps., the idea is to march forward and overwhelm anything that might think about trying to put up a resistance.  Add in all the grenades and you get a very promising-looking group of troopers that should be able to breach any resistance they may run into.

Imperial Hunter-Killer Team with Alpha-class Starwing
Imperial patrols in and around the Cloak of the Sith have stepped up the firepower.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Rogue Star Wars: The Rebellion

So, we're gonna play Rogue Stars.  With Star Wars minis.  Today we'll be taking a look at a team created for the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War.  We'll explore some Imperial-styled teams later on, but for now I've got to get my Rebellion in order.

Rogue Stars is a strange beast, so I'm going to walk you through how we made the squads for the scenarios we'll be running.  Other than the 200 XP you get to build your initial squad, there are a few things you get to pick independently to further define who they are and how they fight.  These are called 'Themes' and 'Tactical Disciplines'.

Themes decide which traits, equipment and other details your squad can initially start with.  Tactical disciplines grant a bonus or special feature to all members of the squad.  Together with buying equipment and traits for each model, this is how a squad is created in Rogue Stars.  One last thing - it's important to remember there are no flat stat-lines in Rogue Stars, so it's all down to how traits, equipment and special rules interact with one another.

For the first of the two scenario teams, I've decided to put together a team of Rebel Tech-Partisans.  These are a well-organized and equipped team of guerrilla fighters striking at the heart of the Empire from within, so I chose 'Militia' as the Theme.  This gives me access to a list of traits, as well as all Civilian and Military weapons.  The special requirement is that one character has the Veteran trait, and that's not an issue.

For the Tactical Discipline, I'm taking 'Only the Brave'.  This allows the squad to re-roll failed morale rolls, redoubling the resolve of the rebels.

Rebel Tech-Partisans (Militia)
Only the Brave
  • Captain Namus Vance (38)
    • Veteran, Marksman (3)
    • Kevlar & Assault Rifle
  • Duros Technician (38)
    • Perceptive (1) & Medic (2)
    • Kevlar, Refraction Field & Laser Pistol 
    • Medikit
  • Rebel Pathfinder (29)
    • Agile (3), Fast (2), Stealth (1)
    • Kevlar & Laser Pistol 
  • Rebel Commando (32)
    • Marksman (3)
    • Kevlar & Assault Rifle
  • Rebel Commando (32)
    • Marksman (3)
    • Kevlar & Assault Rifle
  • Bothan Commando (31)
    • Marksman (3)
    • Kevlar & Laser Rifle
  • 200 XP Total
The squad is based around the Marksmen, using their rifles.  I have included medical and scout specialists to widen the ability base here, but brute force reigns supreme.  These rebel scum will surprise an Imperial foe expecting them to melt away at the first sign of a fight.

Note that the 'Medikit' was actually omitted from the book but is available in an errata.  I opted to give him medical training and the medikit, so he can actually do his job.  Placing the medic in the fireteam will add to that resilience, making this rebellion team fairly dangerous despite the lack of armor.

Rebel Tech-Partisans, fresh from the Auzituck!

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Star Wars Miniatures

In the late 80's and 90's, West End Games had a very successful game called the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.  Grenadier produced a line of miniatures for it, and West End eventually produced rulebooks for Star Wars Miniature Battles in 1991.  Here's an article you can read on starwars.com, because we're not talking about that today.

Back in 2004, the first set of Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Miniatures game dropped, and I almost didn't notice at all.  I really wasn't very happy with prepaints at the time, as I've expressed before.  The game would run several years, with many releases.  You can peruse these and a great many other miniature sets at the Pre-Painted Plastic Minis Gallery.

Rebel Tech-Saboteurs
"Quickly, look like you're doing something!"
I'm a relative newcomer to Star Wars minis.  I've explained how in the last few years my view on prepaints has changed from nearly a decade and a half ago, and I'm surprised this line is still readily available.  After the Star Wars hype of 2015, X-Wing and Star Wars RPG ruled the game club...so I started hunting these down to integrate into my existing figure collection.  A few years later and I've grown to love these ugly little critters.

Star Wars Imperial Hunter Troops
"We will now fire wildly in all directions!"
Imperial Assault from Fantasy Flight Games has revitalized the Star Wars miniatures "collection game" for me.  The new miniatures are very high quality, as FFG has already received praise for.  I haven't quite gotten around to painting mine, but I wanted to show they work quite nicely alongside their predecessors from Wizards of the Coast.

WotC vs FFG Mini Comparison
Wookiees and Imperial Royal Guard.  FFG (unpainted) vs. Wizards of the Coast (Pre-painted).
Unfortunately, the old Grenadier models for West End are closer to 25mm...maybe even smaller a bit.  I had a handful of the Grenadier Stormtroopers but they don't look very nice next to the newer models.  I looked for them, but they seem lost forever in the vault.

WotC vs FFG Mini Comparison
Bothan Commandos and Imperial Stormtroopers, (WotC vs FFG).
Now, what concerns me is Legion.  The next Star Wars game from FFG will be a proper miniatures battle game.  Fine right?  In fact that sounds great!

However, FFG has decided to use 32mm scale for the game.  While that might not sound like such a big deal (because it's not in most cases), we've actually seen what the new miniatures look like right next to FFG's other Star Wars line, Imperial Assault.

Star Wars Legion vs Imperial Assault Miniatures Scale Comparison
Picture by TallTonyB on the FFG Community Forum.
The discussion has been rolling on this for a while, and you can read about it on the FFG Community Forum where I found that picture.  I do not like this at all.  It's not that I don't like the miniatures, but the fact it will look jarring on the table to use any of the stuff I already have...which is a light investment. 

Part of the appeal of Imperial Assault was the fact it came with 28mm miniatures.  I understand FFG's drive to do this, to discourage use of WotC's old line with their new game...but that's a business decision.  Business decisions like that ruin games by chopping off momentum.

With the amount of other rulesets that are available to me, such as Rogue Stars, Rogue Planet, Tomorrow's War, etc...I don't feel compelled to buy into another Fantasy Flight excursion...and I was really looking forward to it until I saw this comparison shot.  I haven't counted Legion out yet...but I'm also not really as jazzed about it.

I've already got an investment in Star Wars miniatures - and there's more than enough to fill out my universe.  Changing the established scale on us is like asking us to change all our bases from 25mm round to 30mm rounds and all squares to equivalent rounds.  Especially considering FFG already sold me 28mm Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and whatnot.

Now, that's not to knock people looking forward to this - I understand.  Great for the newcomers.  However,  space is always a premium and Legion would have to take up space I could use for something else.  28mm to 32mm is not ENOUGH of a scale change to warrant investment, for me personally. 

Now, FFG - there's your challenge from the Iron Seer!  Give us a 6mm, 10mm or 15mm land battle game set in the Star Wars universe.  I'll be the first guy to buy a whole army of droid battle tanks.