Spodding

While projects like “Atomic Sunset” and the “History of the Runestaff” might have been a little inactive in recent weeks, I have actually been busy helping to bring a new game to completion. A friend of mine has been feverishly producing a ‘pulp-era’ skirmish game based on the matinee serials and dime-store novels of the 1930s. The game is called “Rayguns!” and I have been working on concepts for the cover design. The game is still in heavy playtest mode at the moment, but it looks to be an absolute hoot (I plan on playing my first game of it next weekend) – very cinematic in feel and the emphasis is on the ‘story-telling’ aspect of skirmish games, rather than the tactical side.

Here are two cover concepts I produced – any feedback on which you prefer is welcome, plus any suggestions for improvements.

… it came from outer space, and this is how the message ran.

Just put the finishing touches on a scratch-built flying saucer model and it’s now ready for invading Planet Earth. I bought enough bits for 4 of these vessels (my youngest has already claimed one of them) at the princely sum of $35. Not bad, an invasion force for less than $9 a ship!

It takes about 10 minutes to make the basic ship, and a bit longer to fill the gaps and finish it all off. I’ll be writing a full construction guide as a part of the Atomic Sunset rule book, but a shortened version will appear here too most likely.

Just finished mocking-up this newspaper headline about an alien invasion in 1953 to include as artwork in Atomic Sunset. Nothing like a bit of sensationalist press to set the scene!

Well, not a poster as such. More of a magazine advert really. I drew inspiration for this image from the old Green Army Men ads you used to get on the backs of comic books of the 50s and 60s. I was pretty happy with the end result. It will most likely feature in the hobby section of the rulebook.

I’ve been in two minds about where to take Atomic Sunset and how to go about developing and producing the rules. I was leaning heavily towards doing it as a ‘theatre of war’ supplement for Flying Lead by Ganesha Games. That is a very playable ruleset and is gaining a strong following, which are very important considerations. But I just bought a copy of their first supplement, Hearts and Minds, and was singularly unimpressed by the amateurish production values and the excruciatingly bad grammar throughout the book.

So, my current thinking is to develop the game as a standalone ruleset and publish it myself as a PDF document. Still, that idea will no doubt change again before the end of the week.

I think this version is better – it tells a story and lets the kids know that hitting giant ants with a baseball bat is A-OK!

Bert the Turtle hits a home run

In between meeting deadlines at work and watching football well into the early mornings, I have been thinking a lot about the Atomic Sunset game concept and where I want to take it. Andrew and Greg have been helping me build a clearer picture of the idea in my mind and define the sorts of stories I want the game to tell. To get back into the feel of the postwar era, I have been busy watching some of the amazing Civil Defense educational movies that were made back in those days. The absolute epitome of the era was the Duck and Cover film, starring Bert the Turtle.

I got to thinking about what other threats Bert might be called upon to give us some useful survival tips for. What about Giant Mutant Ants?

So here’s the first draft poster I made up this evening. I expect to rework this when I get a little time to spare:

The blinding light of an atomic blast fills the skies over New Mexico. The intense heat from the blast instantly vaporizes everything within a one mile radius. A deadly cloud of radiation falls over the land causing most living things to sicken and die an agonizing death. But some creatures survive, mutated by the atomic fallout to become gigantic monsters – the stuff of nightmares.

The sunset of man’s dominion over the earth has begun.

I watched a few 1950s classic (b-grade) sci-fi films over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed myself – The War of the Worlds and Them!. I used to watch these films as a kid and seeing them again brought back a real feeling of nostalgia, but also opened up my eyes to the gaming possibilities it presents.

Imagine the 1950s “duck and cover” mentality (commies under the beds, giant mutant bugs, flying saucers), the “googie” architecture of the times (Art Deco meets the Jetsons), and the gung-ho military attitudes of the post-war era. A host of great gaming opportunities – National Guard troops rolling through the streets of Los Angeles with WWII-era Sherman tanks and halftracks, setting up a defensive line against the hordes of ants that are pouring out of the sewers.

Or a zombie attack at Disneyland! Atomic waste spilled from a train crash near Disneyland contaminates the food in the staff cafeteria, which causes the employees to mutate into Zombies who then go on the rampage attacking the patrons. I have images in my mind of Zombie Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck shambling through the wreckage of Tomorrowland.

Cool stuff!

I’m hooked! Are you?

Patiently waiting upon my doorstep last night was a large brown parcel.

I knew what it was as soon as I saw it and rushed it inside in a state of child-like excitement. Inside was “Space Hulk” – a 20th anniversary re-release of Games Workshop’s classic miniatures board game. The package weighs in at a whopping 4kg and is literally stuffed to the brim with its contents (after taking everything out to examine, I couldn’t fit it back into the box again).

The cardboard terrain pieces are about 3-4mm thick, glossy, and slightly embossed. The artwork on the pieces is simply beautiful – photo realistic images with superb detail. They interlock like a jigsaw puzzle and appear to be compatible with the original board pieces too. The miniatures are multipart plastic with the highest level of detail I have ever seen on GW’s plastics. They click together tightly and don’t need gluing (although that’s not a bad idea). I cannot wait to start painting these guys – 11 terminators, a Librarian, 22 Genestealers and a Brood Lord. Fabulous!

Games Workshop have gone all out with this product. It has been done to the highest standard I’ve ever seen and is worth the money in my opinion. I am in geeky heaven. Now, can I afford to buy another one so the kids can play it without me freaking out when they drop one of the models?

I will take some photos later when the light improves.

(some days later, here’s a photo of my first game)