Terrain from Khurasan Miniatures and CorSec Engineering

We have two major terrain releases this week.  Khurasan Miniatures has just released a fortress that will appeal to fans of a certain "buggy" movie.  From their announcement:

Hi all, just a quick note to let you know that the 15mm modular sci fi field fortification that we previewed back in November, KILO OUTPOST, is now available.

The starter set is the minumum possible size as we didn't want to play the guessing game of how big each gamer would like his wall sections to be. Thought we'd leave that up to you -- there is a booster set of parapetted wall sections available separately to make the walls longer.

Usual great job by John Bear Ross and a very handsome paintup by the talented Martin of the blog Fire Broadside.

Available here, thanks for looking!

The starter set (pictured above) costs $39.99.  Expansion wall sections are $10.99 for a four-pack.  

Meanwhile, fans of a current dinosaur-themed series might be interested in CorSec Engineering's latest release:

We have added 15mm Barrier Fence sections to the store. The optional rods are 3" long. They are made from clear acrylic and come unassembled and unpainted. We have written a short tutorial to show how to assemble them.

Future releases will include a gatehouse and corner towers. We are also going to release a 28mm version.

Price:

With rods $1.99 per section

Without rods $1.49 per section

The CorSec website also has details of where to source fluorescent colored rods if you want to create a laser barrier - or you can use 1/16" dowel rods if you're protecting your "new Earth" colony from carnivorous wildlife.

With these new releases, there's no reason for your armies to keep fighting in open battlefields!

Cheers,
Chris

The Christmas War - Cimmerian Invaders

In my Christmas War setting, I envisioned the Cimmerians to have access to lower technology levels (but more soldiers) than their Laurentian neighbors.  There are many good lower-tech 15mm ranges available to represent this.  If I was willing to open the wallet and give this game some time, I think my "ideal" choice would be Oddzial Osmy's NVL infantry, which would ride in Combat Wombat's newer Type 563 APCs.  Khurasan's Nova Respublik infantry and APCs would be another great option.

But I've wanted to complete my Rebel Minis Homeguard infantry for quite some time now, and they also have a good low-tech look and feel.  I finished one fireteam of Homeguard in early 2010, wasn't satisfied with the result, and left the rest sitting in the lead pile.  To get them ready for the Christmas War, I knocked out a test mini with a slightly modified paint scheme.

The washes were a bit heavier than intended, but overall I was pleased with the result (especially compared with my 2010 version).   I knocked out 15 more Homeguard in a couple hours.  They are organized into teams of four - believable from most military background viewpoints, and compatible with just about every set of rules in the world.  My basic Cimmerian fire team has three carbines and one rocket launcher:

I also included an assault team - two carbines and two flamethrowers.  These elements are led by a command team - three carbines and a designated marksman.  I included a light conversion - swapping a Homeguard head onto a standard Earthforce Command body.  Not a big stretch, since they are the same basic models.  In hindsight I wish I would have used a more interesting head, like a Micropanzer Veteran. But it gets the job done.

Now how about some support vehicles?  I have a platoon of Rebel Earthforce Wolverine APCs (the dual autocannon version) and a Merka tank set aside for my Homeguard.  But I've been thinking about some mecha warfare games in the future, so why not get a head start?  So I put together a Titan Marines HAMR suit, using the Recon arms and the Support missile launcher.

Every picture I took of it came out either too dark or too light.  The golden appearance on the servos and joints looks far darker in person - those components are Vallejo Gunmetal with Secret Weapon Armor Wash.  The HAMR suit is a good visual match for my Cimmerian infantry, but probably a bit more high-tech than I intend them to be.  Something like the Khurasan Federal DIMOGs or the Kremlin Rising Sun MANITOU probably would have been a better fit, but this will get me through the Christmas War.

This should be enough of a Cimmerian force to run the border-crossing scenario.  I'll add two more fire teams and another HAMR suit for the second battle, and I painted up some Cimmerian Special Forces (Laserburn Imperial Scouts) to include with the third and fourth scenarios.

FUBAR cards for my Cimmerian forces:

Cheers,
Chris

1,000

Tonight, the Dropship logs it's 1,000th flight since I first kicked the tyres, lit the burners and launched off into 15mm space 3 years ago, on 12th January 2009. So the lads very kindly asked me if I wanted to take another spin in the cockpit and enjoy this moment.

Rather than turn this milestone into an excuse for an orgy of congratulatory self-indulgence, I think you'll agree, there's no more fitting tribute to mark Dropship Horizon's 1000th post than to reveal two new 15mm Sci Fi vehicles we can look forward to in the early part of 2012.

I was blown away when Jon at Khurasan showed me the renders for these vehicles. I was transported back thirty years to the fun of my first 15mm Sci Fi games. Playing through the classic Traveller adventures of  Twilight's Peak and Double Adventure 2: Mission on Mithril/Across the Bright Face. These are not just any Sci Fi vehicles but THE ATVs I had in my mind's eye and now they had been brought to life! Then to cap it all, Jon gave me the honour of not only exclusively revealing but also naming these beauties.

So! Ladies, Gentlemen and Tentacley Things, 

let me introduce you to......

The Horizon Explorer A.T.TR.

(All Terrain Tractor)

I chose to call this model the Horizon Explorer because it just seemed to embody what Dropship Horizon is all about - exploring the innumerable worlds of the15mm Sci Fi gaming universe. But of course if you really must go prepared for anything and armed to the teeth....

The IGUANA A.T.M.P.C.

(All Terrain Military Personnel Carrier)

We'll touch on these models  in more detail with further pics over the week to come.

What started as a way for me to document my own 15mm Sci Fi gaming out loud, the challenges, the ideas rattling round my head, the failed attempts and the successes, morphed into a resource for the 15mm Sci Fi community. A resource that I've been able to turn to myself over the past months and see my passion with fresh eyes.

And it's from that perspective I want to post my thanks to the crew, all top notch guys, who bravely stepped forward to take over the helm. They've supported me through my illness and recovery, done a bloody good job with the blog to boot, and I'm sure will continue to do so going forward!

But, above all, I, we want to thank each and every one of you fellow 15mm Droptroopers who hitches a ride and shares your time with us.  Here's to the next 1,000!

Cheers! Salute! Slainte!
Mark

Breaking News

From:
Ground Zero Games

Date:
Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 2:52 PM

Subject:
GZG store is open again!

To:
dropshipcomms

Hi all at DH, just a heads-up to let you know that the GZG store is back open again, several days earlier than I'd expected! All outstanding orders have been shipped, so we have a clean slate to start the New Year, and all the vouchers are now valid and enabled on the store.

Full details, including how to use your vouchers online, at the Ground Zero Games Webstore

Thanks!

Jon (GZG)

Congratulations, Jon, standby for in-coming.

Looking forward to 2012

We don't actually follow the Maya Calendar here on Dropship Horizon so it won't surprise you to learn that we're looking forward to 2012! Inspired by this post on the TMP 15mm sci fi board, below you'll read what some of us are looking forward to and what we hope to achieve over the year.

Matt (The Closet Gamer)

1. Paint More. Like lots of gamers I always find it hard to find painting time to paint my purchases. I don't think I can paint any faster, and I don't want to reduce the quality of what I paint, so I'd like to have more painting time in 2012 and still have a happy wife and a good job!
2. Play More. I also don't seem to be able to find a lot of time to actually game so I'd like to do more actual gaming in 2012 - If you're in central Scotland and you're looking for a 15mm sci fi skirmish let me know.
3. Space Knights! I'm looking forward to Blue Moon's Space Knights. I'm currently obsessed with Blasters and Bulkheads type games so they're my number 1 purchase of 2012.
4. Pulp Sci fi! Almost every manufacturer seems to have a near-future sci fi force. There are almost too many! So what I'd like to see in 2012 is some more pulp 15mm sci fi forces. How's about some palace guards with blasters? Maybe the release of the film version of John Carter of Mars in 2012 will encourage a manufacturer to produce something...
5. Growth of the hobby. The fifth thing I'd like to see in 2012 is for the 15mm sci fi hobby to continue to grow steadily with more gamers discovering the this branch of the hobby. If new manufacturers do enter the market, I'd like to see them coming up with new, interesting, ideas for figure ranges rather than simply another near future human force equipped with body armour, personal and more or less conventional infantry support weapons.

Chris (Basement Gaming Bunker)

1. Linked games and campaigns.  My Blasters & Bulkheads series taught me that I enjoy my games far more when they develop an ongoing story, instead of representing one-off fights.  Hopefully the Christmas War will prove that this can work with full battles as well as skirmishes, and that both types of games can be blended into the same overall conflict.
2. Universe development.  Running these campaigns, narrative skirmishes, and linked battles should help me to develop my existing gaming worlds, and possibly create a few new ones.  This is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the hobby for me - I think it flexes my creative muscles even more than painting figures or creating terrain.  Speaking of...
3. Terrain, terrain, terrain.  I'm going to try to diversify the pieces I have my three current boards (desert, snow, red planet), and start a fourth board (urban ruins) this year.  The latter leads me to my next goal...
4. Mecha battles.  We've seen so many good mecha released in the last two years, and it doesn't seem that pace will slow down in 2012.  While I'm going to keep using some of my Mecha as support vehicles for traditional armies, I would like to try a few 15mm mecha-only games this year.  Something like five Rebel Minis HAMR Suits (or similar) fighting against two or three Ravenstar Thunderfoots or Critical Mass Gruntz Imperators in a ruined city.
5. Figure conversions.  My experience so far has more or less been limited to swapping heads or kitbashing Matchbox vehicles.  2012 is going to be the year that I learn the basics of sculpting putty!

Kobold (Waystar High Port)

1. Paint more. Like Matt I'd like more time to paint and complete figures.
2. Play More. I'd also like more time to actually play games. Both of these can be solved with better time management, so I must set goals and strive to achieve them.
3. Campaigns. I'm finding that the solo and narrative campaign style of game, such as 5150: New Beginnings, is really inspiring me and is something I can actually see myself getting a chance to play. I like how I get fit it mechanisms over my existing Traveller campaign and experience the best of both worlds. These sort of games may be the niche to aim for in 2012 for games designers and rules writers.
4. Character miniatures. Characters and civilian figures, both human and alien. I would like to see new releases that catered for the skirmish gamer. I realise that this might be a bit of a pipe dream as the economics are stacked against it, but it might be worth pursuing through pre-sales or figure clubs.
5. More greens! I would like to see more sculptors trying out their greens through blogs. This seems like a great way of getting input from the public - testing the water - as well as giving manufacturers a pointer as to where public interest is heading.

Spartan 117(STARBASE-SPARTAN)

1. More aliens! - You can never go wrong with more aliens! More Crusties! More Felids! More Harook! More new alien races too!
2. More terrain! - Human terrain, alien terrain, and "natural" terrain.
3. More Space Opera! - Near Future forces are cool, but we need more "Star Wars-esque" minis in 15mm.
4. More rules sets for Solo-gaming! - A large portion of wargamers(myself included) that work crazy schedules don't always have time to get together with their peers and enjoy a game. I'd like to see more rules sets, like THW's 5150: New Beginnings, that are geared to solo play.
5. Khurasan Miniatures Cormorant Dropship! - This one is long overdue! 15mm needs a decent dropship miniature, and from what has been hinted about KM's Cormorant Dropship, this will finally provide gamers with a good-sized heavy duty combat dropship.

Eli (I See Lead People)

1. Sculpting. I really want to pour it on and start cracking some of the mysteries of this art. I've got some work in "the biz" now, but I feel I need to keep expanding and growing still.
2. More Aliens. I really want to see some new and interesting aliens coming out. Whether they are just improvements in the basic "rubber suit" concept or something more bizarre or different, I think there is still plenty of room for growth here.
3. Getting Things Done. Really stepping up my painting and building to get things going to a playable level. I've got a lot of projects languishing on their way to playable.
4. Playing Stuff! I don't play nearly enough games these days.
5. Convert New Players. There just aren't enough 15mm sci fi players in the area. I plan to fix this buy getting some forces squared away and finding a few solid rules sets.

So readers, what would you like to see or achieve in 2012?

Breaking News - GZG webstore reopening delayed

This just lifted wholesale from the Ground Zero Games Webstore front page:

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ: THE STORE IS STILL CLOSED TO NEW ORDERS!
The original plan was for the online store to re-open on the 2nd of January - however owning to various things outside my control (mainly family matters and other Real Life issues) I didn't manage to get as much work stuff done over the Christmas break as I'd hoped, thus I still have a fairly large pile of pre-Christmas orders to cast and pack. I have therefore taken the decision to delay re-opening the store to new orders until I have cleared the existing ones.

So all of you, like me, clutching vouchers from the GZG pre-Christmas sale, will just have to exercise a little patience while Jon digs himself out from under his backlog. The target date for the webstore going back on line is now January 9th, but Jon advises checking the GZG website from time to time for updates.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Jon for all the cool stuff he released in 2011, and wish him every success for 2012.

- David