Merry Christmas

Festive Greetings to one and all.

I hope you and yours are having a great time over Christmas and hopefully getting in a bit of game related fun. I have just been watching a TV program about the Must Farm archaeological excavation, a 3,000 year old, Bronze age settlement that has been preserved by fire, mad as it may sound. The wreckage dropped into the water below the platforms the village were built on.  They are calling it Britain's Pompeii.
                    The preserved textiles, wood, bronze swords, bowls and beads are giving the archaeologists a glimpse into the lives of the people living there with hints of the overseas contacts for trading. So for all of you Ancients battlers out there, take a look, it might give you an idea for a game.


http://www.mustfarm.com/bronze-age-river/archaeology/


Ivor

Thoughts on - Rogue One (No Spoilers)

Hi there,
             I think that Disney are finally getting their act together with this franchise. It seems like they may actually done a little bit homework before writing the film script.  Rogue One: A Star Wars (TM) Story (I saw the 2d version, but intend to see the 3d version too), was much slicker than Star Wars VII -  A Force Awakens, as it was more of a general action film, not needing too much background knowledge apart from the main character details.
             It probably helped that the plot itself was fairly linear. The graphics and acting were very good, as you would expect of Disney. There were nods to Star Wars that the fans will recognize, which was nice to see. A few old faces appear as cameos, just to wet our appetites for Star Wars VIII.
            All in all, it slots into the Star Wars History with barely a squeak out of place.

Niggle - How is the massively mighty (not to mention heavy) Star Destroyer able to just hovver in the atmosphere with only the rear engines going ? I suppose anti-gravity of some sort, like the land speeders ?

Lets see how they do with the next one.

It is worth a look.

Rating - 8 out of 10.

Ivor

P.S. I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of Carrie Fisher and then her mom Debbie Reynolds. They were icons of their age that will be missed indeed.

Thoughts on - Arrival (Spoilers)

Hi all,
         My feelings after coming out of the cinema was that this was a bit of a missed opportunity. The alien spaceships looked more like floating giant seeds than spacecraft, as you can see in the trailer. Rather boring. (They could have omitted the spacecraft landing out of the trailer, at least that would have been one more surprise to be had, even if it may have been a bit of a wet blanket moment.)  The aliens were shrouded in mist. Quite possible for their atmospheric needs, trying to add to the tension, but boring once again. Not much texture or colouration in their skin, another opportunity missed.
         The alien language and its actual decoding was handled in an interesting way, but why would the aliens have evolved its written / squirted usage in the first place? Just sound would suffice, unless they have genetically modified themselves at a later date. How were they able to control the smoke / ink once it had been emitted from their "hands" and into their atmosphere ?
         How had they managed to contact Dr. Bank's mind and not everyone on the planet (I know, that would blow the film), she was in the right place at the right time.
         I will confess that I had to leave before the film had finished, (about 5 mins to go, she was talking to an ambassador) so I may not have gotten some of the plot details, but I did not miss much, according to my friend who had seen it earlier.

A qualified 5 out 10.

Ivor

Terrain - Junkers Base Test Bed

Hi all,
           I'm just tinkering about with bits for my 6 mm scale Junkers base. Nothing set in stone by any means.  I did a very rough paint job on the "tents and garden" (not sure on the colours either) and nothing on the "junk pile". There has got to be a junk pile to go along with a junker base, probably with most other bases too.
           Its not exactly the Ritz hotel standard, but that's the way it is when you pick a new planet to play with.

Junker Base Prototype

Lower View

The items were formerly sauce holders, drink caps, old store cards and broken tags. An armed soldier (Pendraken, I think) is shown for scale.

Added soil.

Tags and modelling clay were used in this partly constructed Fortified Vehicle Entrance.

Fortified Vehicle Gate 1a

From outside - lower angle

Better view of ditch

Gate from the inside.

The gate itself is under construction and I need to make some supports for the pulleys.

 The gate in blocked position.

 The gate now open.

 Resting on the ramp.

From the rear.

It is still missing the pulley system to raise and lower the gate. I should also have made the rampart bigger, so that the figures could stand on it easier. But it is a learning curve, as they say.

Ivor

Thoughts on - TV Supergirl Series 2 Episode 1 (Spoilers)

Hey folks,
               I have just watched the latest TV episode of Supergirl (Series 2 Episode 1 - October 2016), change is very much in the air.
                There is a new base for the Defense force. Fair enough, a new set to stop the audience from getting bored. We are just suppose to ignore the fact that there was no mention of it before, no intelligence etc. came from it. Such is life.
               Superman and Kara finally get together in the same place, it should have happened ages ago, possibly it was supposed to, but we never got to see it. So Clark / Superman is going to be in the show some more ? So this must mean there will be stronger baddies to go up against.
               Kara and Jimmy's relationship, is it all systems go ? yes / no, yes / no, just keep us guessing. Par for the course.
               Is Lady Lexx a goody two shoes ? I doubt it very much. But she looks like an interesting new character to develop. I am glad they had not forgotten Lex and co.
               So Kara's new job is a reporter. Hmmm, so hopefully there will be less of her as a  Catco runaround person, I thought it was it was getting a bit stale. (Good luck, Miss Tesssmacker. Is she a spy for Lady Lexx ?)

Lets enjoy together.

Ivor

Pause 6

Hey folks,
               This is just to fill you in on why there has been a pause in the action of late. I work in a national retail store, which shall remain nameless, but it is now stocking up and swapping things around for Christmas, So I have been getting overtime when it is available, as you do. That means I am playing catch-up with all of the other stuff I have to do. I did manage to fit some new lights and reflectors to my pushbike, ready for the darker nights.

                I have got some more 6 mm items from an online store, but these still need painting. I have done running repairs to a couple of critters that needed a bit of attention. I have been gathering some raw materials for my next area, bases which will need cutting, painting etc. you know the drill. Things are moving forward, but slowly.

                  I have made a bit of terrain for my Junker Base, some tents, a rubbish pile and a partially completed fortified vehicle entrance, with a swing drawbridge.

                  I may do a quick fantasy game to keep my dice warm or possibly something based on the Ultramarines board game. (This is still in the planning stage, my fingers are getting twitchy for lack of dice play).

                  I have just started getting into the wargame scene on Youtube, a bit late, I know but better than never. I have watched a few diy tutorials and a few demo games of  SAGA games. If you have any recomendations, please leave them below in the comments.

Time Commanders was back on the Uk TV, yaaay.

I did get to see Star Wars : Rogue One on Saturday. (See my Review.)

While passing a railway hobby shop, I purchased a few goodies, landscape wise.

Also purchased, a command post in a ruin made by airfix.

Regards all,

Ivor

Thoughts on - Suicide Squad

Hi there,
             I watched this film in 2d, I'm not sure if it came out in 3d, but I did not see any obvious shots that were put in for the 3d viewing audience. Its a nice little film. It is set in the DC Comic universe. Superman has died (or at least, is not at all well, as they say.) Batman is holding down the fort for the time being and the Government is wondering what they do now ?
             Their answer is to gather up the biggest bunch of baddies they can get their hands on and pit them against the uber baddies who will naturally come crawling out of the woodwork next. As they say "Fight fire with fire", a tried and tested solution.
              This is another "turn your brain off and enjoy the scrap" film, as I had expected, with a few plot twists along the way. The scraps are ok. Lots of wisecracks. Will Smith gives a fair performance as Deadshot, but there is nothing to tax him here though. I doubt if I will buy this on DVD.

Smiles rather than belly laughs. Rating 7 out of 10.

Ivor

5P - Ship Log 3d - Job 1 Droids - Trouble pt2

Hi all,

Previously 5P - Ship Log 3d - Job 1 Droids - Trouble pt1.

On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet

Dave and Martin are still trying to troubleshoot the problem of a stuck sensor turret.

Mike, "Rosie to the bridge please. Just to let you know, we do have a technical issue at the moment, but it is not life threatening. Out".

"Maybe she can spot something that we have missed."

Rosie soon appears and they fill her in on the problem, "Well, our options are, we could limp back home to Hougemonte, but having the turret sticking out into the atmosphere would throw us off balance during re-entry, so I would have to manually retard our speed, it could also be damaged or totally wrecked in the process."

She pauses, "We could dock at Wheel One or Two with no problem, then see if they could somehow modify a large safety bubble, attach that to the hull with someone in a spacesuit, they could then remove the spacesuit and make the repair. Time consuming and messy.. But that would violate all sorts of safety regulations along the way, very costly to us."

They all have glum faces, looking at the display, when there is a knock on the door.

David, "Enter."

In walks D 834, "I have been listening to the problem. There is another option that you have missed."

David retorts, "Rubbish."

Martin looks puzzled, "I'm listening D 834."

D 834, "The one thing that you have overlooked," it pauses, "Is that you now have me on board. I do not need a spacesuit and I can fit into Aperture Port 23. I can splice the wires together and repair them at a later date."

Martin considers this, "Ok, D 834, you are our best option, you can give it a try. What do you need ?"

D 834, "Just a heating module, a number 4 toolkit, plus a standard safety line and clips."

Martin, "We will want to monitor your progress, so Ted will fix you up with Hologram capability as well".

-------------------

A short time later.

D 834 was just about to enter the airlock.

Martin, "Comm Check."

D834 , " Coming through clearly.  My eyebrow LED's are  turned on and hologram feeds from my eye cameras are transmitting, as requested. The internal fluid heaters are active. The upgrades are working fine. My battery charge is at 93%.   All systems are ready."

Rosie, "We have Holo and audio links, all comms are ok. Patching it through to the projectors."

Martin saw a small version of himself appear on the Holomats dotted around the area. "Away you go."

D 834 entered the airlock It closed and latched behind him, began the air storage cycle and the warning panel lit up.

PRESSURE DROPPING, NO ENTRY ALLOWED.

It clipped on the safety lines to the eyelets, tested them and moved to the outer door. The inner panel display read.

INNER PRESSURE ZERO. OUTSIDE PRESSURE ZERO.

INNER GRAV PLATE AT 1.00 GRAVITY. OUTSIDE GRAVITY ZERO.

PRESS BUTTON ZERO TO SOUND ALARM.

PRESS BUTTON ONE TO EMERGENCY PRESSURIZE.

PRESS BUTTON TWO TO OPEN / CLOSE HATCH.

PRESS BUTTON THREE TO PRESSURIZE.

PRESS BUTTON FIVE TO BEGIN DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.

PRESS BUTTON SIX TO PAUSE / RESUME DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.

PRESS BUTTON SEVEN TO BEGIN HEATING TO 17'C.

PRESS BUTTON EIGHT FOR HELP / SETTINGS / CHANGE LANGUAGE.
(Underneath this was a translated message in the Screand and Orkragg languages).

D834 pressed button two.

PLEASE CONFIRM SAFETY LINE IS ATTACHED AT BOTH ENDS BY PRESSING BUTTON FOUR BY THE SAFETY LATCH.

D834 pressed button four.

ATTACHMENT CONFIRMED.

REDUCING INNER GRAV PLATE TO ZERO AND OPENING DOOR.

PLEASE USE THE EXTRUDED HANDHOLDS PROVIDED.

D 834 took hold of the handrail as his weight began to reduce. It was not fitted with "Mag Feet" as it was not expected to be operating in a space environment. It soon floated off the floor.

ZERO GRAVITY, OPENING DOOR.

The door swung open to the blackness of space.

It clipped on its second safety line on the point outside the airlock, then began to move towards AP 23, which was on the left side of the nose. At regular intervals it clipped the line to the handholds as it fed from the spool by its waist.

It halted outside Access Port 23.

Rosie on comms, "I am releasing the safety locks now. You are clear to open the hatch, the security code is 3341 Bravo. The faulty wire is in bundle Hotel 22. Power to that area has been cut."

It felt a small vibration through the handle as the locks disengaged around the port. It entered the code into the keypad. The panel flashed a green light and the hatch sunk into the hull slightly and slid towards the rear, exposing a tunnel. It pulled itself head first inside and looked for section 4a.

Section 4a was outlined with white tape for easy identification. It floated further in to find the optimum working location. Once it had located H22, it locked its feet into a stable position so that it would be operating from a stable base. It selected the snips from the toolkit, then cut the tags holding the wires together, then placed the bits in a waste bag, then spread out the wires for inspection.

D 834, "I have found the cause of the problem. The wire had been rubbing against a protruding bolt end as it vibrated it wore through the insulation, causing a short. Putting some padding over the bolt and a quick splice should fix it. Then I will add some more ties to a bracket that will keep it in a better position."

The job was soon done. It exited out of the port. "Try it now."

Rosie powered up the section again and got a green light on the status board. She pressed the turret deployment switch and it smoothly extended into its operating position.

Rosie, "A green light on the status, initiating a passive low level scan."

A smaller port on the turret slid back to reveal a series of lenses. The turret then rotated 360 degrees. The program mulled over the data returned.

Rosie, "The low level scan has been completed, the results are as we had hoped, our position has been verified. Its not accurate enough to initiate a jump from, but it is good enough to confirm it is working properly. Well done, Droid 834. I will just try the retract and deployment sequences, just to confirm the repair is holding."

The turret obeyed her commands without a hitch and  the board remained green. "All clear, Martin."

Martin, "Come on back, D 834."

D834 retraced its path, retracting in the safety line as it did so, finally unclipping the one outside the doorway and swinging itself inside, then pressed button 2 to close the hatch and begin the entry and decontamination sequence.

--------------

The inner airlock door opened and the Droid emerged to smiling faces and a round of applause.

Martin, "Well done D 834, you have saved us from a very tricky situation. In recognition of that fact, I have decided to keep you on as part of the crew of the 'Magic Carpet'."

The screen noted, "Change of status has been recorded in the Ship Log, this date and time."

D 834, "Thank you, Martin".

Another round of applause and cheers met this news.

Martin, "You can download the ship maintenance logs and review them, always remembering that it states what should have been done, but not necessarily what actually has been done. There could be a difference."

----------

Later, after lunch.

Martin, "I had originally planned to just dump all of  the droids at the first port of call, but they are quite useful, so I am thinking maybe selling one or two per customer and we hang on to 834."

Pinky, "If you don't mind, I would like to keep one too, for a hobby project. You can deduct it out of my pay."

Martin, "That's fine, Pinky."

-------------

If you are enjoying this, please hit the like button. Thanks.

Regards all,

Ivor

5P - Ship Log 3c - Job 1 - Trouble pt 1

Hi all, 

Previously 5P - Ship Log 3c - Job 1 - Coasting to CL.

On the Cargo Deck of Magic Carpet

Ted hits the start button of Droid 834, "Wakey Wakey sleepy head, rise and shine."

Droid 834,"I was not sleeping, I was deactivated."

Ted, "Same thing, same thing. Since you are fond of cleaning and I am on light duties, you can do my share of the polishing. Cleaning materials are in that storage bin there. Start at the top and work downwards, cleaning the hand rails. I want them clean, but not so polished that I cannot get a grip on them if I needed to. Safety is paramount. The same when you do the deck later, clean but not slippery, that is slippery by human standards, as in the safety protocols. You do have them loaded ?"

Droid 834, "Yes, Orakkg."

Ted, "Well, I'm glad to see that your species recognition software is working, You can call me 'Mr.Greene'...on second thoughts, you might as well call me Ted, like the rest of them."

Droid 834, "Yes, Ted."

Ted, "Any questions or problems, I should be in the kitchen. You may begin."

Droid 834, "Yes, Ted."  He walked over to the storage bin, selected the correct items and went to the top deck and began cleaning the handrails.

After a few moments observing the droid, he walked off to the kitchen, thinking to himself *This is the life. I wonder if there is any of that Gerbiloid pie that Dave made left ?*

-------------------

Later, on the bridge.

From one of the console comes "Beep, Beep, Beep" , on comes a red warning light.

Dave is alone sitting at his desk in  Navigation / Science mode,  "What now ?", he wonders.

The console flicks to diagnostic mode, showing that the sensor turret has only partially extended from the hull. He checks for more information and it reveals that the wire to the motor has snapped. "Oh dear."

He flicks a switch, "Martin to the bridge please."

Martin soon comes bounding up the stairs, almost colliding with the droid as he did so and into the bridge, "Whats wrong?"

Dave, "We have a major problem, The Navigation system is down. The sensor turret is stuck, half way extended. It will not budge either way. The fault is a snapped wire, but to get to that wire we have to go through Access Panel 23."

Martin nodded, "Which is only used on planets, and is too small for our spacesuits to get inside, even the ladies. So, we're stumped. We will have to go back, blowing our schedule and our reputation."

Continued in....Trouble Part Two.

Regards,

Ivor Cogdell

5P - Ship Log 3a - Job 1 - Coasting to CL Jump

Hi all,

Previously  - 5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Depart for CL


On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet

Melody on view screen. "Height 300 km, speed 27358 kph and increasing."

Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, we have visual on Wheel 1, 100 km plus distant, please confirm departure vector clear of traffic."

Tower, "Wheel one departures reports no change, you are clear to pass through their 100 km outer sphere zone. Please set Navigation Transponder to send 10 minute updates and report when ready to jump. Tower out"

Rosie, "Understood, Clear to pass outer zone, 10 minute squawk and report when set to jump. Magic Carpet, listening out."

Captain Martin, "That was a very smooth departure Rosie, Well done."

Rosie shrugs it off, "Just a stroll down the lane, Captain."

Martin looks over at the other crew member on the bridge, "Anything showing up on Tactical, David ?"

Dave replies, "Not a bleep, apart from the Wheel 1 beacon. Tower reported that there were no scheduled departures for today, just a sky-bike coming from the Shack to pick up supplies for the Vac Jockeys at Wheel 2."

Martin, "Ok, you can switch everything over to automatic, long range and short range scanning as usual and...."

The door opens and in walks Lucy, looking sternly at the Captain, "And David can take it from here. You are now officially off duty."

Martin retorts, "But we haven't plotted the Jump Sequence yet !"

Lucy replies, "Then it will be good practice for them, won't it ? They can do it independently of each other and if they get the numbers differently then Melody can check both sets for errors. Agreed ?"

"Well..."

"Any other answer will get you confined to quarters with no computer access.", insisted Lucy.

"Agreed. David, you have command."

Dave, "I have command."

Lucy, "Now then, Martin, how about a nice game of Ma Jong ?"

She escorts him off the bridge.

Dave, "Right, lets get that sequence out of the way and then we can set the watch."

To be continued...

Ivor Cogdell

P.S. I have just ordered a few little bits from Angel Barracks, to spice things up a bit.

5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Departure for CL

Hi Everybody,

Following on from 5P - Job 1 - Interlude.


Next morning, on the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.

The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.

"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board, unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"

Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."

Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a message from the "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Courier" to go into the safe for them as well."

Martin, "We are always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too."

Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."

Martin, flicks on the coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from "Med Flyers", arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. You can put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky. Also the "Ace Courier" Service will need access to one of the wall safes. Make sure they use the scrambler key code on it."

Ted, "Will do, Captain."

Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."

Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. We have a green light from security and customs."

Shortly afterwards....

Ted, on coms, "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs seals intact, are stowed and the parcels are secure in courier safe 1.All Droids secure, charged up and in power down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Good to go here."

Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".

Rosie, on comms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male plus 15 droids.
No change to flight plan.. Magic Carpet - Over."

Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."

Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks George. Commencing lift. Liftoff."

Melody displayed text on the view screens, "Liftoff confirmed, at 10:05:05. Noted in Ship's Log".

The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.

Melody, "Heading is 43 degrees and increasing. Height above pad is 15 meters and increasing. Internal gravity engaged at 1.00g."

Rosie, "Magic Carpet, under way, green across the board. Heading up, Over."

Tower, "Depart vector is 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. take care. Tower standing by. "

Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do.Magic Carpet out."

She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.

Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job 1 - Coasting to CL Jump.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Departure for CL

Hi Everybody,

Following on from 5P - Job 1 - Interlude At The Admiral's Table and More.


Next morning, On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.

The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.

"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"

Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."

Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a ping from "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Couriers" for storage in the PP Bonded safe.

Martin, "Always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too. I will see to that".

Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."

Martin, on coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from Med flyers, arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. Put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky."

Ted, "Will do, Captain."

Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."

Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. Green light from Security and customs."

Shortly afterwards...

Ted, on Systems Console - "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs Seals intact, they are stowed and strapped down. Their self-contained power packs running the refrigerator units show they will be well for 21 days. I have connected them to the Aux power supply number 2 for backup charging. Their status is green on the board. You have dealt with the parcels secure in PP Bonded courier safe 1. Their status is green as well.  All Droids are secured, charged and in power-down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Confirm, good to go here."

Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".

Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
I have Orbital Situation Report Gamma. Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male, plus 15 droids. No change to the filed flight plan. Magic Carpet - Over.

Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Confirm Report Gamma. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."

Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks, George. Commencing lift. Lift-off."

The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.

Rosie, "Magic Carpet, underway, green across the board. Heading up, Over."

Tower, "Depart vector is 127 degrees, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Take care. Tower standing by. "

Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do. Magic Carpet out."

She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.

Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job1 - Coasting to CL

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

5P - Job 1 - Interlude At The Admiral's Table and more

Hi everybody,

Previously - 5P - Job 1 - Droids Part Three

At The Admiral's Table Restaurant

After a fine meal was had by all, (meals had been delivered for Rose and Ted from the local ET Eatery) the team relaxed with a drink, while Martin finished explaining the next part of the operation.

"So there you have it. Any questions ?" Asked Martin.

"Er, yes." said a voice, coming from an unexpected direction, behind him.

"The name's Chris, Chris Don Royton, and that's Eric Vickers. I'm a freelance reporter and Eric is my cameraman / Bodyguard / Survivalist, I heard you were going to Camp Livingstone and wondered if we could come along too ?"

Chris continues, "We could only pay about a third of the standard rate of the journey to Camp Livingstone, but if you want, we could do interviews of you and possibly, your crew and get your profile boosted in the area  Who knows what that might lead to."

"Are we talking  about one way or return ?", asks Martin

"Probably there and back, unless things have changed after we get there. what I'm after is the local angle. You get the headlines on the news, but nothing more. I aim to provide that follow-up, the grit and the dirt, that sort of thing. Get interviews with the civilians, some of the grunts, the commander, if I'm very lucky.  It should take us about a day, all told. Then we edit it on the way to your next drop."

Chris takes a drink, "Once we have it ready, we post short clips on the net to editors of magazines such as "Grunt", "Homesteader" or "Trailblazer" and the news corporations. After they have had their pick, we release the rest to Netblogs. Different material to different markets."

The Captain muses a moment, "Two return tickets at 1/3 usual rate, the Outbound to be paid in full, the Return fee notarized and deposited with "Safe flyer" until we get back, plus", he pauses slightly, "10% of any royalties you make from all of the interviews, before tax. Contracted with "Blog Bank", we get the fees straight from them. That way there are no messy lawyers and their fees involved."

Chris was surprised by the unexpected extra cost, "10% ?"

Martin explained, "Sure, you are cutting into our safety margin of supplies. No transport, no story. The regular supply run is not till the end of next month, the story will be cold by then. Look at it this way, I could have said 20%."

Chris looks at Eric, who nods at the unspoken question, "Ok, Captain Martin, you have two new passengers."

Martin smiles, "Good, now that's settled, let's seal it with a drink and you can get to know everybody."

Eric, "We would be delighted."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in an altogether shadier part of town....

A hooded figure knocks on a door.

The inset grille slides back and a gruff voice asks, "Who is it ?"

The figure replies, "Slinky, its me, Specs. Have you got a place where I can lie low ?"

"Sure mate, come on in,"

Assorted bolts clunk and the door swings open, revealing a dimly lit hall. Specs wearily goes inside, using the wall for support.

"You look a bit shaky, how did the job go ?"

The door shuts with a thud.

"Well, tell ..Rusty.. it    Ugghhh.." He passes out on the floor.

"Oh, great.  FRANK, get the medkit, its going to be one of those nights..."

Later, Slinky makes a call.

"Rusty, Its Slinky. If you were expecting a package, I don't think its going to arrive. I have one of the delivery men here on my couch. I think they call him "Spats" or  "Specs", something like that."

"I had heard there had been a foul-up from other sources. Is he going to make it?"

"Yeah, that is.. If you want him to?."

"No, no, he would not dare die on me, he still owes me for certain favours and I will collect, sooner or later, off him or his associates. Look on the bright side, it means you don't have to dump his body anywhere. I will pass the news along to any interested parties."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Next - Job 1 - Departure for CL


Ivor Cogdell

Thoughts - On Star Trek : Beyond

As usual, I had avoided all of the trailers and the magazine articles about the film, as I like to enjoy this cinematic feast of goodies fresh off the screen, not emotionally or visually thinned down by previous exposure to pictures. My 3D specs were cleaned and ready to see what awaited us on the final frontier. Away we go on another Trek.....

PRO'S

* Great sets and acting, as usual.

* Good character bonding.

* Interesting alien races.

* Good continuity to previous films. (The timeline is three years into a five year mission.)

CONS:

* Poor 3D quality.

*  The space battle scenes were too fast and furious. Lets throw the kitchen sink against the Enterprise.

* There was not enough time spent on the Enterprise before it was trashed, yet again. (It was trashed in the Search for Spock, coincidence ?).

*  An unimpressive main baddie. (Not the actors fault, he did well with what he had to work with.)

I came out of the cinema feeling let down.I had expected a red hot enchalada, I got a jalapeno. The whole was less than the sum of its parts. I was not a happy tribble. Do go and see it, it may be just me.

"Live long and watch out for Harry Mudd bearing gifts."

 They reached for the stars but did not achieve warp speed.  5 out of 10.

Ivor

P.S. I have since learned that Simon Pegg and his colaborator wrote the script in about a month, so that was a good effort on his part. So, a revised score of 6 out of 10.

Thoughts - On Ghostbusters 2016 (no spoilers)

Just to let you know right off the bat where I stand, as a general rule, I am not a great fan of what is known as "re-imagining" in film making, with the honorable exceptions of the latest two (and hopefully three - I have not seen "Beyond" yet) Star Trek movies. I would much prefer if they set the latest offering of GB3 further along the timeline of Ghostbusters 1 and GB 2, instead of a rehashing of an old favorite, this could have easily be done in this case.

 The new lady team of paranormal "butt-kickers" could have been scripted as family members of the old well loved crew, this would have been easily done as Dan Aykroyd still has the rights to Ghostbusters and two of the old stalwarts did have cameo roles in the film anyway.

I watched the 2d version due to circumstances, but I would imagine the 3d version would give a better enjoyment factor in this instance. The 2d graphics were acceptable, but not in the WOW category, as you would hope for. Reasonable quality performances from the actors, but this was not supposed to be Shakespeare, so no complaints there.

The plot was average, not that I was expecting much from this slapstick genre film. But, considering they had a free hand, I was not greatly impressed with the results. It is just out there to make money, not to please the film going public.

Could have done better.    6 out of 10.

Ivor

W3 - Road Attack Rules tryout

Hi all,

           This is just a quick tryout of the Wastelands 3 Vehicle attack rules, with a couple of my house rules thrown in for good measure. My apologies, but a bit of imagination is needed, there is no actual "tail gunner" or shield on the back of the truck - I did not have any 15 mm characters to use or the passenger firing out of the car, plus it has a windshield, it is not exactly a Mad Max quality setting like the great layout that was at Salute 2016.

House Rule - Obstruction ahead - Roll a d20 each turn.

1-3 = Off road to Left,

or central reservation for highways.

9 = Left highway,

10 = Middle highway,

11 = Right highway,

18-20 = Off road to right.

(Amend number of lanes

 to suit your layout).

House Rule - Visibility - Roll for a visibility change every three turns.

2 x d6 *10 feet =  This is the distance from the front of the leading truck/car to where

 the object/car/ truck appears out of the mist and put on the table.

Note: Different vehicles may be in different thicknesses of visibility as the winds blow about them and change the view. Possibly, you could have a roadside marker

 for the smog distance as it alters for the vehicles at that point.

Optional - Roll for weaponry available.

------------------

Status

The truck, driven by Sandy, is towing a flatbed with shielding on the back end

 (giving a -2 to hit roll), with a civilian  "Tail Gunner", Raven using a bow and arrow.

Optional - roll a 2 x d20 for the number of his arrows left.

Optional - roll a d4-1 for the number of  Molotov Cocktails he has made up.

The car, driven by Whizz, has a militia passenger, Beaky, who is armed with a pistol.

Optional - roll a d6 for the number of bullets he has left.

Roll a 1 on a d4 for a windshield fitted on the car (this gives -1 to hit roll

 against arrows, but not bullets).

Note: An arrow fired from a modern sports bow can penetrate a car windscreen,

 but most of its force would be spent on impact, so I estimate no damage done to the target.

If there is no windshield in the vehicle, then the driver could also be a target, not just the passenger. Both of them are classed as being in light cover. (-1 to hit roll). State who

 you are aiming at before shooting.
Optional - Not used here, roll on the loss of control table instead of the "to hit" table.

Starting Positions

Turn 1

Visibility = 90'

 Obstruction Roll =14 - None.

The truck's speed is 5, in the right-hand lane.

The car's speed is 5.

Position =  5' behind the truck.

 It has no windshield.

Initiative - Roll a d20 = The car wins 15 to 8.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to drift to the left and accelerate.

Sandy, in the truck, plans no action during this turn.

Move - The car drifts left and accelerates to 7, beginning to

overtake the truck, which remains at the same speed of 5.

The car's militia passenger, Beaky, shoots

 at Raven on the flatbed, 2 and misses.

The "tail gunner", Raven returns fire at

Beaky - 2 missings also.

Turn 2

Obstruction Roll =18 - Off road to the right.

The truck's speed is 5 in the right lane.  

The car's speed is 7 in the left-hand lane.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to decelerate.

Sandy, plans no action this turn.

Move the car forward relative to

 the truck-Whizz decelerates by

 1 to 6, to give Beaky a smoother

 ride and help him aim.

The car passenger, Beaky, shoots

 at Raven on the flatbed, 2 and misses.

The "tail gunner", Raven, returns

 fire - 4, the arrow misses.

Obstruction appears, top left

Turn 3

Roll for visibility - 5 + 4 * 10 = 90',

it remains fairly good.

Obstruction Roll =19

A warning post looms out of the  mist, off-road to the left, 90' in

 front of the truck's front bumper.

The truck speed is 5.

Its position = Right Lane.

The car speed is 6.

Position = Left Lane, 3 foot forward

 of the truck's rear bumper.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to sideswipe the truck

Sandy, in the truck, plans no action.

Move car  -Whizz sideswipes the truck.

Car Attack roll = 26.

Truck defending roll = 33.

So, the car takes a whopping 33 points

of damage, leaving only 2 points left.

And

Around

Critical Damage has been done, so roll on the Control Loss table = 8.

The result is that it bounces off the truck and spins off the road 360

 degrees and comes to a complete halt, just in front of a warning post

 regarding a large mast that had been knocked over in the past.

They

Sandy, in the truck, feels a slight wobble at the back, he checks

 the rear mirror and grins as he sees the car spinning wildly off

 the road.

Go

 SKREEE...

The car finally skids to a halt in a cloud of dust and sand.

Beaky is dizzy after the spin, so holds fire.

Raven takes the opportunity to

 shoot at Whizz as he comes into

view - 4, it misses.

Turn 4

Obstruction Roll  = 7 - Nil.

The truck speed is 5.

Its position = Right Lane.

The car speed is zero, stationary.

Position = Off the highway to the left.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz has no option but to reverse.

Sandy takes no action this turn.

Move  - The car reverses by 5 back

 almost onto the road and the truck gains some much-needed ground.

Both passengers hold fire.

Whizz has lost sight of the truck in the thickening mist.

Turn 5

Obstruction Roll  = 7 - Nil.

The truck speed is 5.

Its position = Right Lane.

The car speed is 5 Reversing.

 Position = Off the highway to the left.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz slows to a stop

Move the truck forward and the car is stationary, but at least back

 onto the road.

Sandy, in the truck, takes no action

 this turn.

Turn 6

The visibility drops to 40' for Sandy, but

 is still at 90' for Whizz.

Obstruction Roll =19 - A boulder appears

 out of the mist, off-road to the right.

The truck speed is 5, in the right lane. 

The car speed is 0 stationary.

Position = In the left lane.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to accelerate.

Sandy, in the truck, plans to decelerate,

because the mist is getting thicker for him.

Move - Whizz floors the accelerator and with a screech of
tires, he darts away again and accelerates to 5, eager to catch his prey.

Sandy drops a gear and goes down to 3.

Turn 7

Obstruction Roll =10

A boulder is in the left lane. (There

 must have been an avalanche.)

The truck's speed is 3. 

The car speed is 5.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to accelerate.

Sandy takes no action this turn.

Move - Whizz accelerates to 8,

 eager to catch his prey. Sandy remains calm and steady at 3.

Turn 8

The visibility remains at 40' for Sandy, but

 drops to 70' for Whizz. He still cannot see

 the truck yet.

Obstruction Roll = 8 - nothing.

The truck's speed is 3.

Its position = Right Lane.

The car's speed is 8.

Position = In the left lane.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to accelerate again

as the truck seems to have

 eluded him.

(Note: I did a random roll here

 to fairly decide the car's action

1-2 Slow,

3-4 Same pace,

5-6 Accelerate.

The roll was 5.)

Sandy takes no action this turn.

Move - Whizz accelerates to 9, eager to catch his prey. Sandy remains

 calm and steady at 3.

Turn 9

The visibility lifts slightly to 50' for

 Sandy, but drops to 40' for Whizz.

 The back of the truck has suddenly

 popped out the back of the mist and he yells in glee.

Obstruction Roll =19 - Off road to the right.

The truck speed is 3.

Its position = Right Lane.

The car speed is 9. Position = In the left lane.

The car spends its action point. -Whizz plans to decelerate.

Sandy, takes no action this turn.

Move car -Whizz decelerates by

(random roll) 4  to 5. Sandy remains calm and steady at 3.

Raven was surprised as well when the car appeared out of the mist beside them, Beaky got off a lucky shot (6) and hit him, which proved fatal (3).

 Raven lies slumped over the shield, his bow at his side. Beaky gives

a roar of triumph.

Turn 10

Obstruction Roll = 5 - nothing.

The truck speed is 3.

 Its position = Right Lane.

The car speed is 5.

 Position = In the left lane.

The car spends its action point. -

Whizz plans to accelerate by 1.

Sandy, takes no action this turn.

Beaky's a roar of triumph came just at the wrong moment as it

 distracted Wizz and he hit the accelerator harder than he had

 planned.

Move car -Whizz accelerates by 2  to 7, that's when they smacked into the large
boulder, for a combined impact of 10.

 (Roll for damage 6 = -4 Body points = BOOM). The car disintegrates in a fireball.

CRUNCHH.

 Sandy looks through the rearview mirror and gives a long "TOOOT  TOOOT" on his horn, expecting Raven to get up and respond too and he is shocked when he does not and realizes why. Life is hard in the wastelands.

I hope you like it, please comment below.

Ivor Cogdell

Thoughts on Independence Day 2 (No Spoilers)

Here are my thoughts on the Independence Day film sequel. The story is fairly fast paced as you would imagine and it blends in well with the previous film timeline. One comment that I heard was that you could play them back to back and hardly notice the join. It was nice to see some of the characters again. Good acting by all involved. The Special Effects team must have been on overtime, there are plenty of battle scenes to get you on the edge of your seat, chewing the back rest of the person in front of you.
                    I saw the 2d version this time around, occasionally I found it hard to judge the scale of the mothership, but that may have been just me. I may well go for the 3d experience too, at a later date. I would have liked to see more of the action set at the moon base, but that's just me being greedy for space stuff. It was well worth a visit to the big screen to find out if our heroes can save the day once more.

8 out of 10.

Ivor

W3 - Star Subway Station

Star Subway Station

Situated in a ruined central city area.

Settlers

Rep = 3     Morale = 5+         Heroes = Merchant, Doctor.      Current resources = 40     Income = 35

                          Move    Aimed   Combat   Kill  Special           Kit                               Cost

Civilians 5            2            5+         5+         3+       -      Bow, Knife G_mask               10


Dreg       5            2            6+          6+        3+       -     Bow, Knife G_mask                 8


Dog       3             4            -             4+        3+    Bite                   _                              10


Bow (Power -1) Range = 9



Notes: I'm just deciding on the layout of the station. I will probably use D and D maps to portray the site, rather than in a 3d model, as it is multi level.

Just to prove that research pays dividends, I have just checked, there is actually a Warren Station (my original name for this station) on the London Underground, so I have changed the name to Star Subway Station.

Ivor

W3 - More mobile mayhem

Here are another bunch of roadsters for the wastelands.

Bad Mudder 2

Sting Rod II

SWAT Van

 Matchbox and Hot Wheels Copyright (C)  2015 Mattel. All rights Reserved.

I have done a short run through with a single vehicle against a Flatbed truck to try out the vehicle rules. Part of it has been posted.

Ivor

W3 - More mobile mayhem

Here are another bunch of roadsters for the wastelands.

Bad Mudder 2

Sting Rod II

SWAT Van

 Matchbox and Hot Wheels Copyright (C)  2015 Mattel. All rights Reserved.

I have done a short run through with a single vehicle against a Flatbed truck to try out the vehicle rules. To be posted shortly.

Ivor

W3 - Some goodies for my Wasteland

Hi all,
         I have just got some transport items for my wilderness setting.

The Target- A nice juicy helicopter

It will need a bit of customizing though, the trailer is much too open.

Here are the baddies.

More baddies courtesy  of  "Hot Wheels". (C)2015 Mattel.All rights reserved. (R) (TM).

Cruise Bruiser.

 I was just trying to write the code to generate the scenery positions, possibly other stuff too. I tried using python, it was too fiddly, I went back to Microsoft Small Basic, but I can't find the random function. I will probably resort to tape measuring and random dice rolls.

                Hmm, does w3 include how much ammo for each person ? Accuracy of shooting while driving and shooting at the same time ? No.

                I'm just pondering adding a bit of "Necromunda" - Ash Wastes" to the mix to give the action a bit more spice.

Wastelands = Necromunda, Ash Wastes conversion.

1 resource = 10 Cash.

For more pics on W3 - More Mobile mayhem.

My W3 Vehicle Rules tryout has now been posted.

Ivor

Free Bit 2

Warlord Games

 (Click on the title above to go to their website.)

They are currently giving away free Zombie Apocalypse Rules and Quick Reference sheets and a situation generator on their website. If you need to add to your zombie collection, they can help with models and terrain.


Two hour Wargames 

(Click on the title above to go to their website.)

They have released a little item called 2d6 Sword and Sorcery. Easy start rules.

Also on offer :- Chain Reaction rules 2015.
                          Swordplay 2015.

Thanks guys,

Ivor

Alumwell Show 2016 Pictures

Hi all,
           Here are my pictures from the Midland annual Alumwell Show 13th March 2016. As usual, there were quality efforts by all of the clubs to put on fantastic displays and run demo battles. My apologies for not having many details of the clubs doing the displays or the subject matter involved, but you might be able to track them down on the Alumwell Website. I hope they give you some ideas for your next layout.

Ivor

Village Life

Elst, near Arnhem.

"Charge !"

A futuristic setting for an Infinity Rules skirmish.

Egyptian area.

30.5 cm Howitser  1/11/1916

Industrial area.

Defenders well dug in.

Defend the Airport

"Bandit at Two O'clock"

A sleepy little village.......

Perhaps not.

"To the barracades !"

"Have a care.....Fire !"

Assorted yokels....  Errmm  I mean ..trained militia.

"Its your round !"

Market day in the village.

"Get them pigs out of the way  !

Objective - Capture the King in the coach (He has just crossed the bridge)

Clip clop clip clop.

"All these posh folks are always in a hurry ."

"I bought the last pint."

"..... so I thought lamb stew again tonight."

Can they stop the coach ?

"Oi, you've knocked my hat orf !".

"This riding lark don't harf make you thirsty, I could murder a quart right now."

In case you were wondering, he did manage to escape.

Slightly more modern transport.

Yer actual bit of kit, lovingly restored

Advert - I hope you went along.