Tripod Terror

Time to wheel out the Martians for a couple of games of Tripods and Triplanes at the club as I teach the rules to some first-time players.

Mark the Martian versus Matt and Jim the Aviators.

Martians have Landed

Finally, after much delay, the Tripods and Triplanes Kickstarter has landed. This is a fun add-on for Wings of Glory (Wings of War as was). Unfortunately, a series of events kept delaying the release from Ares games, but it turned up on my doorstep last week (in the pouring rain as the despatch driver didn't put it in the 'safe place' I'd specified. Thankfully it was extremely well packaged inside so avoided rain damage.)

The base game, despite its name, does not actually include a Triplane but instead is a 1 on 1, Mk.1 Tripod vs Rocket-armed Nieuport N16, which was previously available years ago as part of the Balloon Buster set and which was at the time too pricey for me.

World War of the Worlds.

A Wings of Glory Kickstarter with a difference, Tripods and Triplanes mixes genres up and brings the War of the Worlds to the trenches. Ironically there is currently no Triplane models available via the Kickstarter, but rocket firing Nieuport 16 comes with the basic kit. (edit - The Red Barons final Fokker Triplane is now a bonus item)

Have downloaded the Print and Play demo rules, and the main thing to note is these tripods are fast! This speed would render most ground based units useless as the ability to accurately target things travelling at this rate didn't exist at this time. Targeting would have to be close ranged and over the sights, So that nicely sets up the background.

Some are already claiming it's just a rip off of 'All Quite on the Martian Front'  , despite that games primary inspiration coming from a mockumentry and unofficial sequels to the H G Wells original plus a mix of World War 1 and 2 aesthetics for the Humans. Both games have spindly legged, almost insect like, Tripods.

Transplanting the War of the Worlds setting has always happened, whether it's Orson Wells, George Pal, or that film with the shrieking kid. The Furness Wargamers even did a 1920s based invasion of Great Britain.

On image that stuck in the mind was the cover from Challenge magazine depicting a German Tripod in a Steampunk 'Great War comes early' of Space1899. It's a shame the proposed Tripod on Tripod rules involves captured machines rather the Earth built responses, but it makes more sense in the setting, especially given the time frame and tech difference.
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Colonial Mars. pt 3

Unfortunately I was ill this week, but the campaign carried on to it inevitable end.

With the Americans being in thier own little section of the map, and with their strongest assets being conventional Naval, and so slow and canal bound, there was nothing much they could do to intefer in the main theatre of action anyway.

An Email explains the conclusion as follows...


Rear Admirals,

The struggle for control of the great Coprates valley on Mars is over for the year 1889.

The gallant High Martian enclave surrendered in similar fashion as the Japanese to the advancing might of the British aerial steam navy, ensuring the British achieved overall single nation control of the valley.

The superior tactics of the British commander, backed by highly efficient crews and the awesome aerial steam gunboat squadrons carried the day.

The (apparently) free availability of massive French funding and constant aid (meddling) from Belgian sabotage (including seemingly Belgian controlled sandstorms) both served to ease the British victory.

Commiserations to the losing nations who did the best they could with the increasingly meagre resources available.

Peace descends on Mars again, for the time being...

Thanks to all for a fun mini campaign.

regards,

Paul

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Colonial Mars, pt 2

The campaign on Mars continues...

Tony is missing and the French commander Jim is replaced by Dave S.

From Furness Wargamers from Mars

Colonial Mars, pt 1

A campaign run by Paul, and based upon Space 1889 universe, and the Corprates Valley as shown in Conklin's Atlas of the Worlds. The British (Matt), Americans (Tel), French (Jim), Germans (Tony) and Japanese (Dave M) all decide they want a slice of Belgium's (Mark) contested Martian (Paul) domain.

Having the original RPG for the setting, along with Conklin's, I was at least prepared for the idea of aerial warships fighting on Mars.

From Furness Wargamers from Mars

Deep Fried Martian Barred

Another round of the Martian Invasion of Britain.

Instead of last weeks three Martian forces there was only the two. Since the Martians have fewer units to defend with, yet alone launch a serious attack straight off, it was decided to once again start off in Scotland.

A string of lost initiative rolls kept the invaders on the back foot\tentacle. They could clear a city but not move in. The implementation of an advance after combat midway through the game helped alleviate this problem.

With the inability of defenders without attack values to cause damage in a run over attack, the Martian Bases and Factories are now instantly killed. The same applies to the cities as well, but the British have, at least initially, more than enough units to defend. Despite using their aerial units to cut the incoming rail lines British reinforcements still managed to get through.

The RAF isn't as tough as they once were, being forced to do over-run attacks by default and so giving the Martians first crack at them. Unfortunately this weakness is more than made up by the ability for Air Armadas to gather out at Sea ready to launch a massed attack anywhere on the board. If they risk running out of supply then they are capable of striking anywhere on the board.

With one base destroyed and the second under immediate threat the Martians called it a day.
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Green and Unpleasant Alien

The Martians, not having the best of times in 1940's Russia; travelled back in time to 1920 and decided to invade a small group of islands to the west of the main land mass. Just how hard could it be?

Judging by the map the Aliens had been busy prior to the invasion of Great Britain, demolishing the Isles of Wight, Man, Anglesey and dumping the remains to fill in The Wash.

From Furness Wargamers from Mars

War of the Worldski

Sat out again this Tuesday and instead watched another of Paul's games with micro-armour. The rules this time fitting to three copies per A4 sheet!

In a move sort of reminiscent to Turtledove's 'Balance' series of alt history the Martians have landed right in the midst of World War 2. Just prior to Operation Barbarossa in fact.

From Furness Wargamers from Mars

Martians! Mobsters! Munchkins!

Finally got my copy of Martians!!! off Phil. Contents very similar to Zombies!!! Don't think I need to punch and de-chad the tokens as can use my existing ones. As per usual with Twilight Creations one of the first things to do is check up online for FAQs and rules clarifications. Unlike previous games and expansion the rules weren't posted up on the TC site or BoardGameGeek in advance.

Started the night with a game of Family Business. A full compliment of six players lead to a lot of shutting out of participants as interrupt cards sent the turns back across the table. It not for the fact that it's a fun game then this could really annoy people but it was taken in the right spirit. The game could do with some more cards in the deck as we managed to get through the deck at least twice, might even of been three times. 'St Valentine's Day' was used to good effect twice to wipe out a number of mobsters.

Strangest quote in the game must go to the player of the Capone Gang after inspecting his mob, 'I don't recognise any of these names!', 'not even Al?'

True to life Dillinger had a couple of close escapes from the Hit List before becoming the final casualty of the game; leaving Jim with the sole surviving non-entity mobster and the win.

This was followed by a couple of games of Munchkin, the original version with both 'Unnatural Axe' and 'Need for Steed' expansions. Both were over quite quickly as, with more people than normal playing, there seemed to be more assistance given. Managed to win the first game after a string of volunteers helped me kill a high treasure monster. I gave up the loot but got two levels to jump to ten and the win. Not so good in the second game, as a joint victory happened when an elf assisted a combat with both participants at level 9, soon to be 10.
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Martian Malarky

Those pesky martians are at it again, as we play another test of Paul's combat system, this time on a larger board.

An initial Martian landing force verses some Armoured Cars and fixed gun positions.

From Furness Wargamers

A strange object lands in the green and pleasant land.



Mobile (for turn of the 20th Century) troops are sent to investigate as artillery digs in 'a safe distance' away. The object opens up and disgorges a number of strange machines.



The cars pay an heavy price as the Martians destroy everything in their path (including hostile trees and churches). But what they don't spot till too late is a sneaky detachment of cars circling behind.

The sneak attack pays off and the Martian forward base is destroyed even as the cars turn to molten slag.



With their Command Post destroyed the Martians could not win, but they could earn a draw by destroying the British command post which was protected by the artillery. This the Martians did quite easily using their superior weaponry.
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Martian Meltdown

No Campoon this week so just a quick play test of some ancient rules downloaded by Paul. These are quite complex by Paul's usual standards as they spanned over two A4 pages rather than the one sided rules he's more familiar with!

An hex based system with simple army lists and a quick play mentality, the idea behind the test being to find a set that was simple and quick for use in future campaigns, the lack of expertise in Warhammer Ancients currently being a bit of a dampener in the current Campoon, as people avoid combat or use the table resolution mechanism instead.

From Furness Wargamers

A simple battle, Romans vs Barbarians\Misunderstood Culture. Four players taking half a sides forces each. Matt the Romanophile and Dave S vs Me and Paul the Geordie Barbarian.



With only one set of rules it was mostly taught verbal, and a few mistakes were made, but they were a quick set to pick up and everyone seemed to enjoy it.



The Romans had stronger forces than the Baa-Baas and despite manging to hold my flank we were eventually overwhelmed.

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After that it was time to test some more rules, this time Paul's home brewed 'War of the Worlds' campaign rules. Based on one of the recent movies (not the Tom Cruise bore fest.) it has more of a World War One feel about it - War Machines vs Tanks and Armoured Cars.



Very much a game in development, the campaign element involves transport between small battle boards and the protection of factory elements as both sides try to gain the upper hand. The Martians by building more war machines, the Brits by mass producing tanks and guns.

Only four battle maps involved this time but I believed that its planned for a much larger campaign map.



The Brits won the first battle vs Martian scouts, mostly due to the help from the Navy, but in the second battle the tables were turned as proper War Machines started coming off the production lines.



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