Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: oldskoolrebel on December 10, 2009, 07:59:02 PM
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Hello rivet-lovers, steam-junkies and 'Nef nuts!
For a while now I've been looking at all the glossy pictures of Victorian Sci-fi and been truly mystified. I think I'm beginning to see the attraction but I'm struggling with the context. Just exactly what is the inspiration for your wonderful adventures?.
Colin is/was planning a VSF campaign in Savageworlds, and I must admit I was a little interested. However having a quick look through this board I've been surprised to see that it is largely played as a wargame. Hmm I'm now a little more confused. Can some one explain?
Please ;D
Cheers
Confused Andy
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I'm with you. For me VSF is about adventures and interesting stories, and is much more suited to role-playing and small scale narrative-based skirmish games. But that's just personal taste.
Edited to remove grumpy old fart comment about VSF that added nothing to the discussion but negative waves. Always with the negative waves, Moriaty. :)
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I'd suspect the original inspiration for people is the writings of Jules Verne, ERB and HG Wells. Things like War of the Worlds, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Warlord of Mars etc, all of which (unlike the film version) are based in the Victorian period (or near as damn it before someone says something about WotW).
It's essentially a forwarding of technology while keeping to the victorian ideals and aesthetics.
After that, we grab an idea and run with it :D A good example that's easy to show is my VSF Venus campaign background at the top of this board.
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Colin is/was planning a VSF campaign in Savageworlds, and I must admit I was a little interested. However having a quick look through this board I've been surprised to see that it is largely played as a wargame. Hmm I'm now a little more confused. Can some one explain?
Please ;D
Cheers
Confused Andy
I think its easily suited to either RPG games, small skirmishes or equally the larger battles that have graced this forum.
If you look back over the last year we have been playing several ongoing campaigns. One is Dewbakuk's lovely Venus setting and the other is England invaded.
However the real reason for the large games you have seen is the excuse to get all our toys onto the table at the same time :D
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Hello rivet-lovers, steam-junkies and 'Nef nuts!
For a while now I've been looking at all the glossy pictures of Victorian Sci-fi and been truly mystified. I think I'm beginning to see the attraction but I'm struggling with the context. Just exactly what is the inspiration for your wonderful adventures?.
Colin is/was planning a VSF campaign in Savageworlds, and I must admit I was a little interested. However having a quick look through this board I've been surprised to see that it is largely played as a wargame. Hmm I'm now a little more confused. Can some one explain?
Please ;D
Cheers
Confused Andy
Being able to use conventional troops from my all-time favourite period, alongside pretty well anything else I decide to throw in ( dinosaurs, ridiculously implausible machines, Lord Of The Rings "Moria Orcs" as Troglodytes, flying monkeys, insane oriental masterminds, fictional detectives etc etc)
Suitable for small-scale RPGs or overblown hollywood-style epic battles. You can use historical uniforms etc or invent your own. Likewise with countries. Dr Who also often visits the Victorian era, so you can stick him and Cybermen in there too, if you wish.
Really, it's perfect for people who have a vivid imagination, as unlike "proper" SciFi or fantasy it doesn't really suffer from the pre-conceptions forced on us from Hollywood or the world's leading gaming hobby empire ;)
To quote some silly sportswear adds - Just Do It!
lol
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On this subject of what was and what might have been, I heard an interesting story on National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday about Charles Babage's Difference Engine, which never was, but almost (and eventually) came to be. The commentator suggested that had he been able to complete it, there might have been a steam-driven technological revolution. Here's the story if anyone's interested:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121206408
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Check out William Gibson's book The Difference Engine in which just such a scenario is detailed. If I recall correctly the British empire immediately puts Babbage's device to the task of cataloging all available information about anyone they care to for the purposes of national security. Hmmm ;)
I got the opportunity to see the engine here in California when the exhibit first opened. Very impressive.
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Being able to use conventional troops from my all-time favourite period, alongside pretty well anything else I decide to throw in ( dinosaurs, ridiculously implausible machines, Lord Of The Rings "Moria Orcs" as Troglodytes, flying monkeys, insane oriental masterminds, fictional detectives etc etc)...
Seconded. I do all of those, having an RPG campaign set on Atlantis (actually a version of Brian Lumley's Primal Continent of Theem'hdra) where Victorian adventurers and adventuresses (including a platoon of late Victorian British Line Infantry) mix with energy-gun wielding Atlanteans, Wild West outlaws, Dr Who, superheroes, villains with submarines, sinister magicians, Detectives with deerstalkers, lizard men as Deep Ones and lots of orcs and goblins saying "no, no, we're Morlocks really".
And dinosaurs of course, gotta have dinosaurs.
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Check out William Gibson's book The Difference Engine in which just such a scenario is detailed. If I recall correctly the British empire immediately puts Babbage's device to the task of cataloging all available information about anyone they care to for the purposes of national security. Hmmm ;)
That could never happen in reality though, with our open and free society :-I
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Seconded. I do all of those, having an RPG campaign set on Atlantis (actually a version of Brian Lumley's Primal Continent of Theem'hdra) where Victorian adventurers and adventuresses (including a platoon of late Victorian British Line Infantry) mix with energy-gun wielding Atlanteans, Wild West outlaws, Dr Who, superheroes, villains with submarines, sinister magicians, Detectives with deerstalkers, lizard men as Deep Ones and lots of orcs and goblins saying "no, no, we're Morlocks really".
And dinosaurs of course, gotta have dinosaurs.
That's my kinda place :-*
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Thanks Gluteus, your posts on here were one of the things that convinced me I wasn't completely mental to go for it. Or, if I was, it was at least an illness that we shared ;)
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Thanks Gluteus, your posts on here were one of the things that convinced me I wasn't completely mental to go for it. Or, if I was, it was at least an illness that we shared ;)
I can't possibly comment :-I
;) lol
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There's something Grand about VSF, it's hard to explain what it is and it varies for different people but I think some of it stems from the fact that the Victorians themselves pretty much started the whole sci-fi/fantasy aspect of life and everything has come on from there.
Maybe ;)
cheers
James
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It's a fine madness.
Really it is. I was just looking at a bunch of Tartars I ordered from The Assault Group for one of my Renaissance armies and thinking: "You know, if I just gave them Remingtons they'd be perfect light cavalry for my Tsarists."
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A fine madness indeed.
For me, it was the ability to try and build steam-driven fantasy, and combine many of the models I love the look of, and combine them with my desire to challenge my own ability to scratchbuild things, as well as repurpose already completed models. For example, my Norwegian Forces now include:
Brigade Models Belgians (they were the closest uniform I could find to the 1890 Norwegian uniform)
Pulp Figures mad scientists
a Reaper Iron Golem
Warmachine Khador warjacks
2 scratchbuilt Aeronefs
Warhammer fantasy Dwarf Gyrocopters with replaced pilots (more Belgians as pilots with Maxim Guns added)
Pulp Figures Gyro-pirates and Cloud Hoppers (to crew the 'Nefs)
Warhammer 40k Tanks
Foundry Thor figure
Demonblade Walkers
and some other bits and stuff...
And it also allowed me to do a Martian game recently that included Star Wars prepaint Tusken Raiders, Bronze Age Red and Green Martians, and my Norwegians. It was a kick in the pants.
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The Foundry Thor figure? :o
How on earth have you shoe-horned him into a VSF army? 8) ;D
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The Foundry Thor figure? :o
How on earth have you shoe-horned him into a VSF army? 8) ;D
He is King Olav the 1st, a slightly mad royal with delusions of grandeur. I am almost done painting him. Now that I am finally a supproting member, I am planning on resurrecting my Norway thread, and posting pictures of the newest additions.
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may I join in the general theme and ask if anyone can tell me how aeronefs stay in the air?
I know about the "flywood thing" and understand it if they look like wooden boats, but how about ironclads etc???
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If you're talking Space 1889 then the ironclads use Liftwood too. A wooden flyer is not made entirely of liftwood. Liftwood is too rare and precious to waste making entire ships from it, besides which, it isn't necessary. Whatever your ship is made of it has sets of liftwood slats on the underside (like the slats on a blind), the angle of the slats is constantly adjusted by the trimsman during flight to keep the thing in the air. Liftwood, which comes from a tree that grows in the savage Martian highlands, has peculiar properties which cause "lift", hence the name.
If we're talking Aeronef, I don't remember what rationale is used to justify flight of such machines in that game. Sorry.
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thx
... even more questions raised
I thought it was the same thing...
So, technically speaking, liftwood extends it's properties to the whole ship?
this is not bickering about physics, I try to understand the principle :)
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It's not a matter of extending properties so much (except in the same general sense that the engine and wheels on a car work together to extend the property of "moving forward" to the whole vehicle) more that a certain amount of liftwood generates enough lift to carry a certain mass of ship. Bigger ship needs more liftwood, I guess. Hell, I dunno. I quit college before finishing my course on made-up physics. lol
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lol lol
this would be indeed a weird idea...
make a sticky thread about made up weird VSF physics.... ;)
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Here's how my aerodynamics teacher explained it...
You have "lifty's" and you have "dragy's". And when you have more "lifty's" than "dragy's"... the thing flies.
:D
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I thought aeronefs flew due to suspension of disbelief?
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that's indeed a very good explanation
I suggest to introduce "suspention of disbelief" as the main fuel for alternative physics energy ;)
how about SoD?
other name suggestions?
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I thought aeronefs flew due to suspension of disbelief?
But I think it's the liftwood that provides that suspension ;)
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He is King Olav the 1st, a slightly mad royal with delusions of grandeur. I am almost done painting him. Now that I am finally a supproting member, I am planning on resurrecting my Norway thread, and posting pictures of the newest additions.
Brilliant! 8)
What an excellent idea and perfect for introducing otherwise unsuitable figures. We should all have more lunatics in our games :D
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may I join in the general theme and ask if anyone can tell me how aeronefs stay in the air?
I know about the "flywood thing" and understand it if they look like wooden boats, but how about ironclads etc???
There are 4 main pseudo-sciences that I know of for lighter than air travel.
1) Liftwood. In Space 1889, there is a Martian wood that repels gravity, and forms forests around one of the Moons, if I remember correctly. The thought is, you use enough of this wood to offset the weight of your vessel, as it is proprtional in its ability to repel gravity.
2) Cavorite. From HG Wells 'The First Men in the Moon', Cavorite is named for its creator, and is a metal substance that cancels gravitational forces to one side of it, and is blocked by lead. So, if you point uncovered cavorite towards the largest source of gravity, it will then be affected by all of the other gravititional forces in other directions, and move that way.
3) Martian Beams. THe John Carter books reveal that Mars uses some form of beam technology to push against the ground, like a hovercar does with air.
4) Antigravity Screws. Aeronef (the game) reveals that Americans have found a way to affect gravitational fields the same way we can affect water, and thus form a screw technology that allows them to push Aeronefs through atmosphere much the same way a submarine does in water.
These are the main options I have always seen used. Hope that helps.
The Norwegians, by the way, use every bit of technology they can steal, and some they can develop form the examples in front of them. :D
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thx for this very comprehensive info
I wondered if and how I was to represent this technology for the aeronefs I intend to build, and am relieved there is no need to ;)
I still find the antigravity screw concept a bit "shady", but nevermind:
screws it is
and of course SoB ;)
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thx for this very comprehensive info
I wondered if and how I was to represent this technology for the aeronefs I intend to build, and am relieved there is no need to ;)
I still find the antigravity screw concept a bit "shady", but nevermind:
screws it is
and of course SoB ;)
By George, I think he's got it! :D ;) 8)
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I'll be in my bunk :( 8)
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I'll be in my bunk :( 8)
lol lol lol
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Thanks all for the replies, some pretty informative responses.
Ok so I see the general attraction to VSF... it's beginning to see like a scifi/historical hybrid. Nice. :)
Ok so the next obvious question to me is... what 'armies'/'factions' do people play and why? What armies/factions are the easiest to get models for? And does everyone paint their models in contemporary uniforms?
Cheers
Andy
who is still full of questions... lol
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Andy
British and Prussian seem to be the easiest to get a hold of.
Loads of firms do suitable British and Prussian infantry etc.
These two armies seem to be the main protagonists in most peoples games.
I decided to be a bit different (well so I thought when I started but not now :'() and go for British V Chinese.
From what I have seen the majority paint their figures in period correct uniforms so that they can use them in straight up historical games as well as VSF. But people also have the odd unit that would not fit anywhere else. o_o
The list of opposing sides is only limited by your imagination.
Armies I have seen about so far are –
British (to fight my Chinese ;))
Chinese (to fight my British ;))
Russian
Japanese
Turk
American
Norwegian
Martian – various different ones (Green, high, imperial etc)
Venus Parrotmen
Venus Lizard men
Irish
French
Evil scientist’s henchmen
I am sure people here will come up with an even bigger list.
Colin
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Adding to the above list (and ignoring anything I have that's already listed)
Belgian
Prussian
Mad Scientists (they're not all evil you know)
Venusian Colonial Militia
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Oooh a couple of nations/factions that I find particularly interesting are the Turks (A nation in slow decline, The Sultan or Amir fielding Bedouin along side his standing troops- visually quite an interesting army) or the Japanese (Either adopting the Western practices or continuing on with the old always and struggling against Western Imperialism).
So was there any particular reason why people choose certain nations/factions?
Cheers
Andy
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and just as an example:
International Anarchist Insurrection Army featuring:
capt. Nemo
Robur the Conqueror
Nestor Machno
The Phantom
Sala's Sky Band
Nicola Tesla
etc
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I've always had a hankering to do a Danish VSF army, somewhat like the Norwegians done by Siewgrab:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=9632.0
I've read quite a bit on their various wars against the Prussians and Austrians and I think they would make good allies for the British.
Really, any real or fictional nation can be VSF-ed. Even (or maybe especially) those who had virtually no advanced tech at the time. Pick a favourite country, do a bit of historical research and then go berserk with all sorts of themed uniforms, weapons, vehicles, mythical creatures etc :D
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Italians for me next, gotta love those cross battery cruisers :D
cheers
James
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Ok so the next obvious question to me is... what 'armies'/'factions' do people play and why? What armies/factions are the easiest to get models for? Andy
Should be easy to get 28mm French for Franco-Prussian War. I think Foundry has some. Advantages of using French as an interplanetary colonizing force are:
1. basic infantry uniform is very colorful, bright red pants and dark blue coat
2. French had excellent long range accurate rifles from 1870 on
3. France employed many colorful colonial troops such as Algerian turcos and Senegalese tiraillers
4. Beau Geste! ...you'd get to use the French Foreign Legion in some dusty hell hole on Mars!