Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: Dewbakuk on December 08, 2008, 10:08:25 PM
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One day I'll work out how to create one of these new fangled website things and do this properly. However, as we're going to start a VSF campaign in February, which will of course be fully reported here, I've been asked to put the setting info up. I'm pulling together all my old notes and thoughts so this thread will have sections added as it goes along. So, here it is...
When British explorers first visited Venus, they were struck by its primal beauty. In stark contrast to the desert expanse of Mars’ surface, Venus was covered by an endless rain forest, or so it first appeared. Had that first impression been true then humanities ventures upon its surface would have been short and limited in the extreme, for the jungle floor and swamps of the surface are no place for the frail human body. The air is thick with moisture. The lack of any real breeze means there is no release from the stifling temperature. Sunlight rarely penetrates the canopy directly. There are insects and similar creatures of enormous size just waiting to devour an unwary adventurer. Large creatures closely resembling the dinosaurs of Earth’s past crash or stalk through the trees, crushing or devouring all in their path. Worst of all are the savage Lizardmen that call the jungles their home...
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before explorers discovered a large mesa rising far above the jungle canopy. The climate atop the mesa was far more hospitable, the humidity was lower, it was cooler, there was wind and sunlight and there were far fewer creatures trying to eat them. Even the basic act of breathing was easier. The mesa was large enough to house a small town but far better was the view from the edge. In the distance were many more mesas, some of which were many times the size of the one upon which they stood. Venus was open for colonisation!
A suitable site was found for settlement and during the initial stages of construction a Royal Navy Aeronef was dispatched to survey the nearby mesas. During its survey, the ‘nef crew spotted another aerial craft in the distance. As no other nation had yet claimed to reach Venus, it could only be an indigenous craft. The ‘nef followed the course of the alien craft and discovered a native village atop a large mesa. The village looked nothing like those of the Lizardmen and no-one could entertain the idea of such brutal creatures creating an airship. The ‘nef’s captain ordered the ship to stand off and viewed the village through his telescope. The airship was clearly a trading vessel as cargo was being lain out and displayed to the villagers. The villagers themselves were most certainly not lizardmen, in fact they appeared to be some kind of bird. Realising that contact with a trading species might be better not being initiated by a warship, the captain marked the location and reported back to the fledgling settlement. Contact with the new race was made a priority and a group set off the next day, thus was made initial contact with the Parrotmen of Venus.
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A short treatise on the “Noble Savage” of Venus, the Parrotmen. Penned by the hand of Sir Solomon Wandsworth of the British Explorers Society.
Settlements
The villages of the Parrotmen are universally located atop the mighty mesas of Venus. When I enquired as to whether any villages had ever been built in the jungles below, I was almost always emphatically told that the “world was in two” with Parrotman above and Lizardman below. The sole exception to this was an ancient village shaman who told me a story of an older age when large numbers of their ancestors gathered together in the deep jungle and built a home of stone, larger than any village, which was ultimately doomed. This story is most probably told as a warning tale, warning of both trying to build in the jungle and of overpopulating a mesa. The tale is intriguing however and I must admit to a desire to quest out with a ‘nef and see if such a place does, or rather did, exist……
Homes
A Parrotman village is an odd looking place, even to a seasoned traveller’s eye. I was expecting a collection of huts as may be found in Africa or South America. In truth, such structures do exist in some villages, those located far from any Lizardman tribes. However in most villages, huts would be susceptible to attack from Lizardman raids and as such they have developed what have been termed Eyries by most human settlers.
A common feature atop the Venusian mesas are spires of rock rising from the ground. These are usually found near the edges of a mesa and I am told by my geologist companion, Monty, that such formations were most probably caused by extremely high winds in the past. Thankfully for the Parrotmen such winds are unknown in the modern day, for they have taken to building their dwellings atop these spires.
Each spire will support a single dwelling of most unusual design. The dwelling is made in a manner that appears to be an interesting variation of a style still used on Earth by some cultures, that of wattle and daub. The unique part however, is that the dwellings are spherical! I had the fortunate opportunity to see such a dwelling being made on one of my visits and the construction process appears to be an odd mix of basket weaving and plastering. The dwelling is supported on the spire by several wooden posts which are recessed into the rock and the dwelling itself. The result is a very stable, if somewhat odd, single room dwelling.
Each dwelling is linked to it’s neighbours by suspended walkways which run throughout the village. Certain sections of the walkway can be raised or lowered to allow or deny access from the ground. In this way the village has a rather effective defence against the predations of their enemies.
Society
Parrotman society is somewhat similar to many human societies. There is a headman or chief who is nominally in charge of the village at all times, however all important decisions are made by the Council of Elders, of which the chief is a member. The Council of Elders is made up of the 10 eldest members of the village not including the chief or the tribal shamans, who are also members.
For some reason a village will always have two shamans, regardless of size, although no-one would tell me why. I expect it is a tradition that has long lost any reason. The shamans act as spiritual advisors to the council and the chief and practice some form of ancestor worship. They also take on the role of doctor within the tribe and I have to admit, their poultices are effective. I just wish the shaman were a little quieter while making them, the ululations of a human shaman are nothing compared to the vocal capacity of a Parrotman.
Farming/Hunting
A Parrotman village is restricted in its size, largely by the size of the mesa upon which it rests. Although the village rarely takes up much room itself, the Parrotmen long ago took up farming in order to ensure their food source. This means that all villages will have grain fields and fruit groves alongside them.
Oddly, while the Parrotmen have developed animal husbandry (more on which later), they don’t apply this to livestock and rely on hunting to provide their meat. This means a larger proportion of hunters than would be expected in such a society.
Rite of Passage
There is one aspect of Parrotman society that dominates all, the rite of passage. This act serves both as a test of manhood and as a method of ensuring a viable gene pool. Once a Parrotman male reaches the appropriate age, he sets off alone into the surrounding jungle, where he must make his way to another village, avoiding or killing anything that seeks to stop him. Usually this means Lizardmen. Many of the young males never make it and I believe this, more than any other reason, is why the Parrotmen and Lizardmen will forever be enemies.
Technology
While technologically inferior to ourselves, the Parrotmen have nonetheless made some impressive steps in their development. Need surely drives invention and nothing makes this clearer than the airships which the Parrotmen employ in both travel and war. While the airship is their most talked of device, they have developed other equally amazing machines.
I was most amazed to discover they have developed a lifting platform for use at the mesa edge. While simple in concept, the amount of rope needed to lift such a distance is phenomenal. No animal would be able to perform the task of turning the vast coiling spindles. To solve this, the Parrotmen have developed a form of gas engine. I am not an engineer and cannot explain its function but it has pumps and some form of turbine which provides power.
Airships
The airship is the most well known Parrotman device; it is after all how we originally found them. Travel and trade between villages is handled almost exclusively by airship, an obvious exception being the rite of passage. This is due to the dangers of travelling through the jungle depths. In the past, Parrotmen caravans would come under constant attack by Lizardman raiders and they expected to lose more than half of the caravan on any trip.
The invention of the airship changed everything for the Parrotmen. Travel became far safer and trade blossomed, which led to more invention. The early airships were unstable bags of animal skin filled with gas that were driven by the wind. The current airships vary in size and design greatly, some using sails, others using gas engines, while others use both. A common design is for a large central fabric body with two gas cells inside, with either one or two smaller bags protruding on spars to the side for stability. Unlike our own airship designs, the Parrotman craft are crewed from above, rather than below the gasbags, hence the need for stabilising bags to the sides.
Methods of War
On a recent trip to a village one morning, I arrived to discover it had been raided by Lizardmen that previous night. The damage was obviously not too severe but many Parrotmen had been killed in the attack and the chief had called for a reprisal. It was at this point I realised where the chief’s power truly lay. In times of peace he was a council member, but in times of war, his rule was absolute and everyone obeyed.
It was an astounding thing to watch the village prepare for battle. The most common weapon looked to be some form of crossbow, although the firing mechanism seemed very complicated, I was later informed it sped up the loading process somehow. However there were many Parrotmen who seemed to prefer simpler weapons such as fighting picks and spears. A few came out carrying enormous serrated fighting clubs that required two hands to wield, apparently weapons of honour carried by the best fighters.
Hearing a screeching sound, I turned to see large bird like beasts being brought to the assembling warriors. The smaller of these savage creatures were then harnessed and their riders claimed them. The larger ones were to be coaxed and goaded into battle, although I saw one calmed by a shaman and a large crossbow loaded onto its back. Clearly the animal husbandry I had heard of only applied to these fighting beasts.
The final act of preparation I saw was the one I’d most expected. The airship currently docked at the village was being fitted with weaponry. It was also, like the large bird, fitted with large crossbows, however it was also fitted with pedestal mounted tubes. I was then informed that such tubes held explosives that could be dropped by an operator when over a target. I was somewhat surprised to see the airship crew readying jezzails. A trader colleague explained that the Parrotmen had something similar to gunpowder but most villages didn’t use it, preferring their rapid fire crossbows. Clearly the airship was from a village that did employ gunpowder.
Interactions with settlers
So far the Parrotmen have welcomed human settlers openly. They are keen traders and excellent linguists. Very few skirmishes have broken out between humans and Parrotmen, as there are plenty of empty mesas for settlement. However there have been a couple of occasions where settlers were told they couldn’t stay somewhere as it’s sacred ground. So far the settlers have been advised to move on and there has been little conflict. I am sure there will come a time when settlers refuse to move however and I hope I am not around at that time.
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most excolent! I loved ever hit of it and cant wait to read more.
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Thanks, next up is the Lizardman info.
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Great!
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Its sticky now. :) Great stuff, Dean I am really looking forward to taking part in this.
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I think I'm going to get myself a huge block of polystyrene and make myself a mesa or two..
Inspiring stuff and well written. I'm looking forward to both reading more of the background and also seeing your gaming group put together this into a gaming table. Do you draw straws as to who stores it at their house?
Thanks for sharing
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Great work Dubakuk. Id like to read a description of the parrotmen. Do they have wings and arms?
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Oddly enough they look rather like GW Kroot, my wip shots are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/28016805@N00/sets/72157600451299762/
Actually, I always imagined them as a cross between Kroot and Skeksis, not quite as dirty and unkempt, but that kind of savagery and more clothes than Kroot. I used to have some nice artwork that was done for me, but it got lost in a computer failure.
New terrain is being built at the moment. I should expect the Village and it's mesa will live on top of my shelf unit. The terrain will mostly be merged from multiple players though.
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Venusian Parrotmen! Pure genius. Just don´t let them run afoul of the Parrot rifles of the US imperialists. lol
Looking forward to seeing an army of those.
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Thats alot of kroot you got there! Nice colour cheme.
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Thanks, there's more.....
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I think your Kroot/ Skeksis idea is a good one. I'd be interested to see how you might convert the GW plastic kroot, wihich we're going to be using (pretty much as is) for our subterranean dwellers in our Mars campaign. Your description almost makes me think of a Central American race like the Inca or Aztecs, who used a lot of animal ceremonial costume. I wonder if you can get some good figures of them and do some cool conversions (though I suspect that unless you got some more heroic scale 30mm stuff that the kroot would be too big).
Good luck!
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Great ideas. 8)
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Love the idea...
BTW, saw this in the toy shop the last time I was there... perhaps I need to pick it up... a box of 12 rather large insects:
Large insect toys (http://img.alibaba.com/photo/101534132/Large_Insects_Toys.jpg)
Each insect measures about 70 or 80mm's in length.
I especially like the beetles.
UPDATE: I bought these and the bugs are huge (a couple of them measure around 14 to 16 cms). I think I can use about four or five out of the set but if you are thinking about buying them, you should see them up close and decide for yourself. May not be everyone's cup of tea for giant insects.
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Ooh, I like those insects....
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You might try these for skeksis looking vulture men, an overly aggressive subset of the parrotmen.
http://www.crocodilegames.com/secure/list_items.asp?CatID=24&SubID=35&pageHeading=Items%20-%20Miniatures%20-%20Aegyptus
Crocodile games Aegyptus Nekharu.
Also the sebeki
http://www.crocodilegames.com/secure/list_items.asp?CatID=24&SubID=26&pageHeading=Items%20-%20Miniatures%20-%20Aegyptus
For a different lizardman tribe
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I was planning to buy the troglodytes (http://www.dragonbloodminis.com/troglodytes.htm) for my lost world stuff, but I think they can also work on Venus.
(http://www.dragonbloodminis.com/images/Dragonblood/miniatures/thumbs/trogs_f.jpg)
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I was planning to buy the troglodytes (http://www.dragonbloodminis.com/troglodytes.htm) for my lost world stuff, but I think they can also work on Venus.
They are very nice. :)
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Nice work with the write up Dean. Sorry I'm a bit slow off the mark, uni commitments are all out of the way and now it's time to play!!! Looks like I've got an e-mail or two to catch up on! ;)
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Nice work with the write up Dean. Sorry I'm a bit slow off the mark, uni commitments are all out of the way and now it's time to play!!! Looks like I've got an e-mail or two to catch up on! ;)
"Uni commitments" Geese, you guys live the life of Reilly... ;)
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Hic! o_o
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So any thing new on the parrotmen front?
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Has anybody given any thought to using these? Pyg Bushwackers from Hordes mini's.
(http://www.leisuregames.com/acatalog/pip71016.jpg)
I've got a pack and they are a decent size.
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Sorry guys, the festive period was a bit demanding on my time and energy so I got very little done. I'll make a concerted effort today and tomorrow to get the lizardman bit finished.
On the plus side though, what little time I've had has gone towards making Venus scenery, so expect to see a few shots in the next few weeks.
I like the Pygs, although for Venus I prefer the Bogtrogs.
(http://www.privateerpress.com/HORDES/gallery/images/minions/units/75007-bog-trog-ambushers-blister.jpg)
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These maybe of interest:
http://shop.hydraminiatures.com/index.php?cPath=3
Interested to see what the terror birds will look like...
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Where does Carson Napier fit into all this?
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What about the Heru from Crocodile games. http://www.crocodilegames.com/secure/list_items.asp?CatID=24&SubID=24&pageHeading=Items - Miniatures - Aegyptus (http://www.crocodilegames.com/secure/list_items.asp?CatID=24&SubID=24&pageHeading=Items - Miniatures - Aegyptus)
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40K Kroot might work aswell, they look different enough from the usual 40K stuff it might just work.
cheers
James
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Kroot are what we use as the base figures for the Parrotmen of Venus.
I really must apologise, I haven't updated this thread in some time..... I even have some stuff ready to post. I shall do it this weekend.
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I really must apologise, I haven't updated this thread in some time..... I even have some stuff ready to post. I shall do it this weekend.
oohh exciting, can't wait to see what. :)
We must resurrect the campaign and plan a game for the future, I think we have all got sidetracked in some form or another. I still haven't done anymore work on the Queens own Venusian mounted rifles...!
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You've already read one of the pieces.
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You've already read one of the pieces.
Ah,ha.. I know of what you speak now ;)
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Okay, huge delay as I've not been online much lately. Here is a piece of setting info that answers a few background questions. I'll try and get another piece up this week too.
So, to understand this one, I'll have to give some background and technology info. In order for the colonization of the planets to take place, mankind has to reach for the stars. In order to do this, aetherships were invented. An aethership propels itself through the void of space; powered by an engine drawing its energy from the rich Luminiferous Aether through which the suns rays travel (gotta love Victorian science). However, an aethership is an incredibly expensive and resource heavy investment which only the wealthier nations could afford to build and are, at least partially, military vessels. So how to encourage travel, trade and colonization?
The answer was simple. It was discovered that once out of a planets atmosphere, the light from the sun was significantly brighter and more reliable, in that it didn't set, although could be obscured. To take advantage of this resource, solarships were designed and built with immense mirror sails which reflected the light from the sun and directed it onto the solarboiler which formed the core power source of these vessels. While many times more expensive to build than a traditional ship, these solar vessels were at least achievable and mankind started to expand into the solar system. The problem with solarships was speed. The aetherships were much faster and had access to what was theoretically limitless power, while the solarships were more akin to old sailing vessels, plying the winds and taking a long time to get anywhere, particularly if a planets orbit disrupted their light. A major problem was in reaching the outer planets. As the ships got further from the sun, the light grew less intense and the solarboilers produced less energy. A trip to the outer planets was deemed unreasonable.
A Spanish engineer and businessman, Severo Monturiol, dedicated his life to solving this problem, but came up with a solution in remarkably short time. Contacting his investors and swearing them to secrecy he gathered funds, materials and ships to prepare for an expedition. Before leaving, he told the papers that within two years, solarships would be able to increase productivity tenfold and that all the planets could be reached! For a small fee of course. His expedition left and was witnessed heading towards the sun. Nothing more was heard and many believed the expedition lost until eighteen months later, a ship from the expedition arrived in orbit around Venus and started assembling a platform in orbit above the planet.
Severo appeared before the gathering press and told them that they must be patient, all would be revealed soon. Two month's later, the platform was completed and Severo held a grand party aboard the platform inviting any and all notables and newspapers to bear witness to his creation. At the high point of the party, the ceiling of the hall opened to reveal a glass dome looking out across the platform. As the guests watched, sections of the platform, driven by enormous pistons, moved into position forming what looked to be an amphitheatre. Suddenly, that section of the platform was bathed in golden sunlight, even though the sun was not due to reach there for some time. Severo explained that he had created giant focusing lenses and mirrors which enable him to focus the suns rays into tightly controlled "tunnels" of light through space. By linking these lenses at each planet, the solarships would have access to guaranteed power and recorded shipping lanes to follow. What's more, the solar ship he had arrived on from his new company base on Mercury had moved into the new shipping lane and was reporting a doubling of engine efficiency. The planets were opened to all and Severo Monturiol was swiftly titled by the press. Long live the Sun King!
The aetherships were still the masters of the void; they're ability to travel anywhere and reliance upon no-one means that those with the power and money still covet these leviathans. Plus, if running on all power to engines, they were still faster. However, the solarships were now seen as the future of travel and for a reasonable fee could freely use the Sun Kings shipping lanes. Severo was aware that his platforms and technology represented a source of wealth and power all through the solar system and that others would covet that power. So in order to protect that interest, he formed a private army that would guard his installations and enforce company regulations if required. Very pleased with the title of Sun King, however unofficial, he has had the company troops and uniforms styled to give an air of opulence and prestige. Let none doubt that he who controls the sun, controls the trade.
Many have ridiculed the Sun Kings army as ceremonial troops and nothing more than showy 'toy soldiers', those that have faced them in battle are under no such delusions however. The Sun Kings wealth can hire some of the best troops available and most are ex-soldiers from the armies of sovereign nations. While ostensibly defenders of company platforms, moon bases and planetary offices, the Sun Kings army is a company asset and is required to provide income, as such, they have been involved in several wars and skirmishes acting as 'peace keepers' or 'security' to nations and individuals.
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Wow, I really like that. Such a great idea :o :-* :-*
Let none doubt that he who controls the sun, controls the trade.
And he who controls the trade, controls the solar system ;)
cheers
James
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And he who controls the trade, controls the solar system
At least the important bits :)
Glad you like it. Now my 18month old daughter is sleeping properly I might actually get some stuff done......... maybe....
I'd love to do a Sun King army, but it's definately at the end of the VSF Queue. For figures I was thinking Perry Isabilino troops with some alterations. I love the idea of these guys given 'Death's Head' gasmasks.
(http://www.perry-miniatures.com/images/isa/ISA%2015.jpg)
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What do you think the forthcoming plastics are for? :D
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The problem with the Napoleonics is the cut of the clothing is totally wrong for later Victorian stuff. However, the plastic heavy cav has breastplates etc which completely obscure that fact. I'd not looked at them previously due to them being Napoleonics.
Looks like I'll be doing at least one Sun King unit then, as they're mercs, they can go in any of my forces :D
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Great backgound write up Dewbakuk. Looking forward to more..... and painted goodies. ;)
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With the main re-enactment (event organising) season coming to a close during September, I will soon have more time for painting-up toys. Included in the first batch will be more stuff for my Frenchies ...
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Painting........ I haven't picked up a brush for about 2 months :(
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With the main re-enactment (event organising) season coming to a close during September, I will soon have more time for painting-up toys. Included in the first batch will be more stuff for my Frenchies ...
There is a VSF re-enactment movement in the UK? Perhaps I should not be surprised... :)
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There is a VSF re-enactment movement in the UK? Perhaps I should not be surprised... :)
Not VSF enactment - my main 'other hobby' after wargaming is mid-18th century historical re-enactment.
However, there is also a growing interest in steampunk in UK, especially via this forum:
http://74.126.25.104/bg-forum/ (http://74.126.25.104/bg-forum/)
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Not VSF enactment - my main 'other hobby' after wargaming is mid-18th century historical re-enactment.
However, there is also a growing interest in steampunk in UK, especially via this forum:
http://74.126.25.104/bg-forum/ (http://74.126.25.104/bg-forum/)
Ah. And 'enactment' is obviously the word we are looking for.
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That is a fantastic background. The Sun King concept is a great idea. All of this great background stuff would easily fit into a world VSF campaign. We could have atlantis stuff, Sun king stuff, Mars and venus stuff Brilliant!
Sun King for evil scientist faction maybe??? ;)
Cheers
Fuzzy
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The joy of a mercenary force is you can put it anywhere you like.
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I have just been reading Space 1889 rules and setting and I have noticed that they rule out using liftwood on Venus, as it decays in the atmosphere. This is a background point I was not aware of. :'(
I was thinking about running VSF games on Venus as I have some Lizardmen and some Kroot to use as natives but the no liftwood puts the “kybosh” on me using my Aeronef as part of the games. >:(
Does everybody go along with this background or do they use other ones. If they use others ones, what are they? Are they published or just home grown ???
I have been planning a VSF RPG game using Savage World rules based on Venus. The party were going to be the crew of my Aeronef. I was going to explain the liftwood problem by someone discovering a substance that would prevent the decay of the liftwood thus allowing the Aeronef to operate for a couple of months before the decayed liftwood needed to be replaced. :D What do you think?
Are you intending Aeronefs to be part of this campaign setting or is everybody using other means of aerial transport?
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I was going to explain the liftwood problem by someone discovering a substance that would prevent the decay of the liftwood thus allowing the Aeronef to operate for a couple of months before the decayed liftwood needed to be replaced. :D What do you think?
Varnish ??? ;) lol
cheers
James
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Varnish ??? ;) lol
cheers
James
lol lol lol
I had though of that :D
But they are even more difficult than that, they say it is something to do with the magnetic field that causes the decay in the liftwood :'(
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there are several different "anti gravity" phenomenon used in VSF.
Liftwood, zeelium, cavoritic lift engines, r matter, negative gravity screw. Take your pick and run with that :D
cheers
Fuzzy
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Or just ignore the piece on liftwood not working on Venus :o :D
We most certainly do have Aeronefs on Venus. Flyers are the most common means of transport if you read the initial background posts. Steam tanks etc, while used, are largely restricted to the mesas and certain routes through the lower jungles. Vast areas of the lower surface are swamp lands and heavy vehicles bog down very quickly, assuming they are able to make their way between the iron hard trees in the first place.
The Parrotman airships use a particular swamp gas that they gather and refine. This is used for lift and in some ships also for propulsion. Although clearly, using too much for propulsion isn't a good plan. It's fine for short journeys or for short bursts but a long journey isn't practicle that way so most also carry sails. Gas propulsion is almost always used in battle however.
Some human trading vessels have also adopted this process as it is cheaper to use and much easier to maintain on Venus than the standard Aeronef. Aeronefs are still in wide use however, particularly amongst the military.
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Good :D :D :D
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lol lol lol
I had though of that :D
But they are even more difficult than that, they say it is something to do with the magnetic field that causes the decay in the liftwood :'(
How about an electromagnet (or some such) in a prominant place on said nef, that would look cool and 'could' be used as some sort of protective field against ramming ???
The possiblities are endless.
I quite like the idea of the liftwood not being able to work for whatever reason, it brings a whole new angle on things :D
cheers
James
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Another update. Just put the finishing touches to it.
Excerpts from the journal of Sir Solomon Wandsworth of the British Explorers Society, found after his disappearance in the deep Venusian jungle.
June 7th
I have to admit to feeling a certain amount of unease now we have entered the jungle proper. The trader I am travelling with tells me that it is only 2 days travel from the mesa to the nearest Lizardman village, however we will be travelling for over a week. Apparently no one has successfully traded with the closer village and many lives have been lost trying.
I have descended into the jungle many times while learning more about this savage planet. It is a dangerous but beautiful place, ripe with the promise of adventure and excitement. This time is different, I seem to be noticing the danger more than the beauty, perhaps the prospect of meeting the lizardmen concerns me more than I expected.
June 9th
Three days into the jungle. It seems much longer. The breathing devices we have to use periodically are horrendous contraptions! I will freely admit that when I breathe through one my lungs seem hugely relieved. It is obvious how necessary they are, I doubt my lungs could cope with the thick air for longer than a day without relief, but the heat and the smell! The jungle air is hot and humid, so putting a thick leather mask over ones face is not a pleasant experience. Not to mention the scarcity of the devices, meaning each one is shared by several people…..
I can content myself with the knowledge that I have now travelled further from a Mesa than the majority of mankind on this planet. Only the occasional adventurer and the few traders, such as those I travel with, who trade with the Lizardmen have any cause to journey further than a day.
June 10th
I saw my first Lizardman today! He, I assume it was a he, how would one tell? He was perched on a rock watching the trade column as we passed beneath. No clothing at all and no obvious weapon. There was a rather heated discussion amongst the traders over whether to shoot him or not. Some were of the opinion that he could be from the village we are travelling to, others pointed out there could be others watching that we couldn’t see. Those who wanted him shot, pointed out that the hostile village was much closer than the trade village, therefore he’s more likely to be a scout for a raiding party. All argument was made moot when he scampered into the jungle however.
I’m not sure where my own feelings lie. I’d rather not antagonise the natives, but by the same token I don’t want to be attacked by them. I’d also like to examine one close up and I doubt a live one will be obliging. Tomorrow promises to be tense.
June 11th
We lost six porters today and one of the traders is injured. Evidently, the traders worried about a raid were correct and the scout should have been shot yesterday. We were attacked by a small group, perhaps ten lizardmen in all, who came out of the forest suddenly. Three porters were lost in the initial assault as a flurry of darts flew out of the canopy. Apparently the darts are coated in a poison as the porters were dead within minutes. Then the lizardmen showed themselves and came charging from amongst the trees. They are indeed savage creatures, they stand a little shorter than a man due to their hunched posture, and are wiry rather than broad of the shoulder. Damned strong though! One of them leapt on me before I was prepared, but was pulled away quickly by a quick witted trader. Unfortunately the trader has lost the use of his left arm currently as the lizardman tore into it with it’s rows of teeth. It’s amazing what you notice in the heat of the moment but the thing definitely had multiple rows of teeth. While the trader had the creature distracted, I pulled out my old Webley and put a hole through the things head.
This was clearly not the first time this party had been attacked in this way as they all reacted far quicker than I did. Rifles and pistols were drawn from where they had clearly been close to hand and gun fire made short work of the enemy. I saw three killed before they reached us, which with mine makes four confirmed kills. Once they got amongst us we lost another three porters to their bladed clubs and spears.
Then suddenly, they ran. They were gone. The porters grabbed the packs, the traders grabbed everything they could and the whole party started a fast march/jog through the trees. No-one talked, no-one would answer my questions for almost two hours. Then we stopped, I believe the only reason we did so was to make use of the breathing masks, but it did give me a chance to find out what was happening.
The traders had used a “musk gland” taken from a Parrotman scavenger-hound. They use the gland to mark territory with small amounts of musk. Apparently dispensing the entire gland is like sending up a signal flare to all the creatures in the area. If a wild hound pack is nearby it will come to enforce it’s territory, however it is also likely to bring in other large carnivores. Nobody sensible stays in the area.
June 12th
I spoke to a porter today who went back to where we were attacked. One of the porters killed was a friend and he went to collect something to give to the mans family. He didn’t get close. Hearing a crunching noise near the place, the porter climbed onto a ridge to look from above. He claims to have seen what he calls an Alpha-hound as big as a rhino! I’m sure the fear of the moment has caused him to describe the creature as bigger than it actually was. Once the story has been around the campfires a few times I expect it will be the size of an elephant.
June 13th
The flora of this planet is every bit as deadly as the fauna. We had to make a detour today past a large area of carnivorous plants. I’m glad to be travelling with seasoned travellers, as I would have never noticed the plants on my own. I asked what the plants were like and one of the men threw a hunk of raw meat far into the area. Tendrils from several plants lashed out and attempted to grab the meat, but all were beaten to the prize by a maw opening directly beneath it in what appeared to be a patch of moss.
I must be more careful in selecting places to relieve myself in future.
June 15th
The ground has become distinctly more swamp like over the last couple of days. This confirms what I have been told by the Navy Aeronef survey teams, that as you get further from the raised land around the mesas, the land gets wetter.
Tomorrow we arrive at the village. I hope interactions with these lizardmen go better than the last….
June 16th
We are here.
I’m not sure what I expected from the village, but I can happily say there are no bodies strung up on ropes, nor carefully cooking over an open fire. No huts made from bones and I have yet to see a sacrificial alter. I’m sure the papers back home will be very disappointed.
The village is in fact rather attractive, in an odd swampy kind of way. It brings to mind the bayou area of Louisiana in America, which I had cause to visit a few years ago. The village is built on the edge of a large expanse of water, in many cases; it is in fact built over the water. The buildings themselves are simple rectangles made from branches and reeds, raised on stilts above the soft ground.
Raised dwellings do seem to be the ‘norm’ on this planet.
We were led through the village to a large platform that is built partially over water and is remarkably clear of the clutter found amongst the rest of the dwellings. It was obvious immediately that this was their equivalent to a ‘town square’ although it may also serve in other functions. At the end over the water was a raised section with a stone throne atop it. The throne had simple carvings on it and a hole at the back for a Lizardman tail to fit through. I hadn’t considered it before, but our human chairs would probably be very difficult for a Lizardman to sit in. Should I ever have to entertain Lizardmen, I’ll have to make sure to get stools. These ruminations about seating occurred later however, along with spotting the carvings on the throne. At the time my attention was drawn entirely to the large crest around the throne. I have heard many stories about dinosaur like creatures dwelling amongst the Jungles although I have yet to see them. The crest surrounding the throne however was proof that they existed and while I am no expert, I would submit that this particular crest is from a creature rather like a Triceratops. It makes for a very splendid seat.
At this point, a group of Lizardmen warriors pulled themselves out of the water and made there way towards us, as I immediately suspected, the largest was the village Chief, who sat down in his thrown. We were then joined by an older Lizardman who wore an amazing cloak made from bird feathers (I wouldn’t be surprised to find many of them came from Parrotmen). This lizardman led a group who started laying out trade goods such as food and simple crafts. Amongst these items however were other, more interesting items. I spotted the distinct glisten of gold and there appeared to be uncut gem stones as well. Obviously this was why the journey was worth while for the traders.
The Lizardman with the cloak (I suspect he’s a shaman, yet another similarity to the Parrotmen, not that I would mention it to either species) appeared to be handling the negotiations with a series of hisses and clicks that I found incomprehensible, until I realised that the negotiations were being done just as vocally by the traders in English. It turns out neither side can speak the others language, however a simple sign language has developed that can handle the exchanges. I expect the vocal part is just to convey emphasis. I myself traded for an item of interest, it cost me my cologne which I will no doubt miss on our return journey, however I had to have it. The item in question is a small stone statuette that is very finely carved and of a style totally different to anything I have seen done by Lizardman or Parrotman, most intriguing.
June 17th
Apparently the trade negotiations are likely to take a couple of days. I have been taking an interest in the surroundings as I’m here to see the Lizardmen in their natural environment.
We have been given a hut to stay in while here. It’s nice enough I suppose but there is precious little in the way of comfort. There are reed pallets to sleep on, which is better than the floor, but that’s it. Water is available by leaning over the edge of the hut ‘s platform, but I haven’t seen any toilet facilities so I am keeping to my water skins currently.
The Lizardmen appear to be carnivorous, I certainly haven’t seen them eat anything other than meat and fish. Groups of hunters leave in the morning and return in the afternoon with a variety of prey, they don’t seem too picky. Vegeatable matter is collected and used for making things, in fact I saw a villager scraping out the insides of a vegetable that looked like a squash. They seemed to be making a bowl, however the flesh of the vegetable was dropped into the water.
I have decided, watching the Lizardmen, that they don’t go out hunting Parrotmen or Humans and roasting them over a fire as has been stated by some of the more ‘sensational’ newspapers back home. However, I suspect they would have no problem doing so. If a man was caught alone by one of the hunting groups I suspect they may well end up on the menu. A chilling thought.
June 19th
We have left the village and started the return journey. The traders seem very pleased with the exchange.
June 21st
Everyone seems nervous. One of the porters went missing last night and one I mentioned in a previous entry is talking about the Alpha-hound again. I’m starting to think the Alpha-hound is Venus’s answer to the bogeyman.
June 22nd
Two more porters have gone missing. Their packs are still here but they just seem to vanish in the night. Now everyone seems to be talking about the Alpha-hound. I still can’t get a straight answer about what it actually is though. The description I’m given is that of a very large scavenger-hound with it’s starved-hyena like body and serrated beak. The story is that these Alpha-hounds can control scavenger-hounds and Parrotmen have ended up fighting their own hounds when confronted by them. Precisely what the relationship is no one can tell me, nor can they explain why such a vicious creature doesn’t just leap on the caravan and take as much meat as it wishes. The reply seems to be “we’ve got guns”. Obviously this Bogeyman creature is intelligent and can understand firearms. Perhaps it could join me for a game of chess too, I haven’t had a decent opponent for quite some time.
June….24th? 25th? 26th?
I’m not sure of the date anymore. The last few days have mostly consisted of finding water and staying alive. My last entry now reads as though written by another’s hand. I shall not be so flippant in future.
The Alpha-hound is real and every bit as large and vicious as rumoured. I also suspect it to be fairly intelligent. Not the intelligence of man, but certainly more so than most beasts. We were attacked the night I wrote my last entry. A pack of wild scavenger-hounds pounced from out of the jungle and while they raced about tearing at people and causing chaos, the Alpha-hound struck. It raced through the middle of our camp, smashing aside men and tents, picking it’s prey meticulously. Those it picked as prey were definitely chosen. It took down those traders who carried heavy calibre rifles and ignored or shouldered aside the others.
I witnessed all this from the ‘safety’ of a nearby tree. I had climbed it to look at what I thought was a nest, but wasn’t. I was without a gun and had been told to stay out of the way should a real fight start. Even had I ran to join battle however, it was over so quickly, I doubt I’d have got to the first body before it was finished. The survivors scattered into the trees and I did likewise.
The hounds are still here. Hiding from them is difficult but not impossible. The Alpha-hound is also still around although for what reason I do not know. Perhaps it has been stalking us since the musk-gland was released weeks ago. Maybe we offended it. Perhaps it just lives here and we were unfortunate. I know not, all I know is I have to get away from here.
I found a breathing device the day after the attack. It was lying near a dead porter in the jungle and has enabled me to survive this long. I have been gathering water from moisture laden leaves but hunger has brought me back to the camp. The hounds are of in the jungle and the area is currently clear so I am taking this opportunity to pen one last entry. I’ll place this journal at the base of a flag, weighted down with some of the trade goods. No one will ignore those and hopefully this journal will be found, even if I don’t make it back. I am gathering food and bullets and will attempt to walk back to the mesa.
I can hear hounds, it’s time to go….
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Most excellent Dean. :)
Lord Belborough is definately looking forward to bagging one of those Alpha Hounds on his next trip to Venus ;)
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Well I have the bodies for two. Just need to make heads for them... Meeting two would be a bad thing however.
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Well I have the bodies for two. Just need to make heads for them... Meeting two would be a bad thing however.
Don't worry Lord Belborough has two barrels in his Holland and Holland express rifle, one for each of them, more sporting don't ya think?
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Jolly good.
Went for journal entries for this one as it allowed me to throw in some jungle info. Also let me throw in some setting themes like the breathing apparatus needed for extended time on the lower surface due to the atmospheric density at that level. Besides, I'm not convinced someone could study the Lizardmen well enough to write a proper document.*
What do people think? Did it read okay?
Not sure what to put up next. Time to write up the campaign proper and do a current events type coverage or is there something of the setting I've obviously missed?
I'm deliberately not writing up about settlements etc as I'll leave that up to players etc. There are a few locations that will be revealed as the campaign progresses though.
*It is rumoured that certain nefarious types have studied captured "specimens" however. Though such studies could never be entered in anthrological papers.
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That read absolutely fine to me, very enjoyable. Liked the style of the journal and would like to know more :D
cheers
James
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That read absolutely fine to me, very enjoyable. Liked the style of the journal and would like to know more :D
cheers
James
James, next time we organise another Venus big battle you will most certainly be there to join in. :)
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Dewbakuk
Thanks for the very useful information/ideas.
I really like the journal style of the writing. Some very useful bits of information included in the story. Also some nice hooks that could be used for other ideas or adventures.
I am not getting your idea about the musk gland though?
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Glad you liked it. Yes James, I expect you to drop everything and attend the next game with those lovely ships of yours.
As to the musk-gland, I shall quote Wikipedia as on this occasion it's bang on.
Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name, originated from Sanskrit muṣká meaning "testicle," has come to encompass a wide variety of substances with somewhat similar odors although many of them are quite different in their chemical structures. They include glandular secretions from animals other than the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors.[1]
Until the late 19th century, natural musk was used extensively in perfumery until economic and ethical motives led to the adoption of synthetic musk, which is used almost exclusively.[2] The organic compound primarily responsible for the characteristic odor of musk is muscone.
Modern use of natural musk pods is limited to Traditional Chinese medicine.
Venusian scavenger-hounds have a similar gland which they use to mark pack territories. The gland secretes a small amount of liquid which is rubbed onto rocks and trees, however much more liquid is contained within the gland. The small amount usually rubbed onto things as a territory marking will be found by other animals when they are nearby and often cause territorial disputes. A gland removed from a hound is full of the musk and can be used in desperate circumstances to eject it's entire musk capacity in one go (essentialy you squeeze it out). This emits a very large, concentrated dose of the hounds musk which can be smelled from a long distance by most territorial creatures. Such creatures upon smelling this dose react to it instinctively and see it as a challenge to their domain, most rush to the area ready to do battle. As such remaining in the area is a very bad idea.
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Weeeee, jolly good :D
cheers
James
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Great stuff Dean. I will soon have to venture back into the jungles of Venus, accompanied by the new figure of Lord Flasheart that I'm working on ;)
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vary nice story, cant wait to start seeing some pics of what you are up to
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Is there room for Carson Napier to make a splash
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Is there room for Carson Napier to make a splash
Yes and no. This isn't a fixed setting and adapts as players bring more things to the games, so that style of character is fine. That said, the ERB style doesn't really reflect the way we play VSF as evidenced in the recent "Swords and Planets" thread, besides I've never read those books ;)
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Quite intriguing. I may have to visit this if the Atlantis campaign winds down.
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I hope you enjoyed reading it Froggy. Currently my gaming attention is split between some Atlantis games and my Deadlands stuff. I'll return to this one though and write some more.
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I hope you enjoyed reading it Froggy. Currently my gaming attention is split between some Atlantis games and my Deadlands stuff. I'll return to this one though and write some more.
Excellent ... because I feel the urge to do some more stuff for my French (after I have got my US force up to scratch for Atlantis) ;)
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.... finally a reason to paint up 3 squads of Vostroyans. ::)
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.... finally a reason to paint up 3 squads of Vostroyans. ::)
New targets are always welcome ;)
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Indeed they are. Just don't make too many holes in them it releases all the juices and will ruin the soup.
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A year later, is anything still happening with this? I feel the need to make a Parrotman flyer.
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A year later, is anything still happening with this? I feel the need to make a Parrotman flyer.
So do I ;)
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A year later, is anything still happening with this?
I'm getting there with my Venus project, but still have a ways to go.
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Most of my stuff is in storage currently but the setting certainly hasn't gone anywhere :)
My Parrotmem airships needed a huge amount of work when the balloon sections came out of the moulds in resin. So much so that it hasn't happened. I keep wondering if I should just start again...
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I do believe we need another large game at the Grotto sometime soon ???
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I'm glad to see that this is still on going, love the background and fluff.
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Actually, is this happening within the same setting as the Atlantis campaign?
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Actually, is this happening within the same setting as the Atlantis campaign?
Nope.
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Yeah, sorry, had I not just started making the Atlantis campaign up because it seemed like a good idea, I'd have tried harder to make it compatible. I did try not to make it conflict with the Venus setting but I don't know how well I managed.
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Any interest in reviving this? We can both make this contiguous with the Atlantis campaign AND say it's happening in the unspecified 1880s, thanks to the vagaries of the Luminiferous Aether and its reactions with the galvanized Unobtanium on the hulls of the ships used to ply their ways along. It makes as much sense as it has to.
Besides, I just made a lot of jungles.
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Venus never went away. I'm still gradually adding to my French forces, indigenous natives (parrottmen and skinks) and other native fauna and flora. The lack of posts from me is due to me slowing down over the summer to do my Victorian spacemen and other (non-wargames) projects.
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Coool. So, various colonial powers with aspirations, where is your landing?
(http://www.solarviews.com/browse/venus/venus1.jpg)
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Sorry, been on holiday so a slight delay in the reply. The Venus campaign hasn't gone anywhere and will get a bit of a resurgence when my man cave gets built (hopefully later this year, relies on the sale of my old house going through). Sorry, inlaws being a pain in the ass, I'll do a proper reply in a bit :(
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Venus never went away.
Agreed.
However, because of the jungle context, this was always going to be a bit of a long term project.
I still need a bit more terrain and if I can ever get my Egyptian Landship finished, I will be able to put together a rather large battle.
Summer, however, sloooows down everything.
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I still need to locate coconut halves and build a Parrotman mesa.
However, contact was reported two days ago between a (crashedmis-landed) British exploration force and a surprisingly organized native patrol. The clash was reportedly brief and decisive, the primitive menace easily dispatched with the loss of only half of the British contingent.
Battle report to follow "soon".
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Right, they've gone.
As has been said, the Venus campaign hasn't gone anywhere. It's not had any real games lately as we've been playing on Mars etc. Given that most of us are scattered around the country, we can only get together a couple of times a year and at last count there were, I think, four 'campaigns' in progress. Venus is my baby, so I'd love to have that one running constantly but I have to allow the others fair billing too :P
However, as I said, I'm hoping to have my man cave built soon which will be big enough to have a big game running or several smaller ones. Once it's all up and running I intend to have a few people get together and do a Venus campaign weekend. My house, my setting :)
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Man cave is done ;)
cheers
James
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Commandant S. Bleu, "Put a communications person monitoring the Aethergrapgh 24 hours day! Those shop keepers are up to something!"
Le caporal Venteux, "Oui, monsieur! Immédiatement!"
Commandant S. Bleu, "Oh, be sure Fifi... I mean Spécialiste M. Dieu... is on day shift."
Gracias,
Glenn
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Man cave is done ;)
Very nearly... So close...
Water, gas and electric should be connected today. Then have to plaster ceilings, paint walls, lay the floor and start the 'make right' work on the garden. Then I can start making the table array etc...
Here's the view from my kitchen window.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/15/1667_20_11_13_9_09_57.jpg)
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Can't wait to see it. ;D
I presume it will be decked out in traditonal Victorian furniture and decorations, Deep red walls, an occasional table lace covering, photo of Queen Victoria(Gaud Bless Er), decanter of Port and a globe showing the extent of the British Empire ;) :D
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If I could double the space I would have done but the 12' gaming table is a bit of a space hog :)
There will be a map of the empire in canvas up on the wall though and I'm working on getting an old cabinet for my VSF stuff.
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If I could double the space I would have done but the 12' gaming table is a bit of a space hog :)
There will be a map of the empire in canvas up on the wall though and I'm working on getting an old cabinet for my VSF stuff.
At the very least then a photograph of Her Majesty ;) lol
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cool man cave
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At the very least then a photograph of Her Majesty ;) lol
Nonsense, a statue dear boy!
cool man cave
Thank you :)
It'll be better when I can move all my crap hobby stuff in. The door on the right is for storage of bikes/tools etc, but I'm also putting a bench in there so I can do casting/cutting etc away from the 'clean' room.
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Arse. Yet another problem with my house (not the man cave) uncovered by this build. Drains again but at least this time they are my drains. Problem is this on top of the other bits essentially clears out the coffers :'( Not sure where the money for the flooring is coming from now, let alone the materials/cupboards to build the 12' board...
Right, time to cancel the Kickstarter I've pledged to and start the ebay list early, get ready for my pointless 'I'm selling stuff' thread :D
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The joys of home ownership ;) lol
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Drains are a right pain - we had a hole in our drive for over a year whilst we waited to see who would pay >:(
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The joys of home ownership ;) lol
Which are what?
:'(
Gracias,
Glenn
who owns the starter version of George Bailey's house...
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Drains are a right pain - we had a hole in our drive for over a year whilst we waited to see who would pay >:(
The joys of home ownership ;) lol
Indeed. This is just old clay pipes that have given up and need replacing but it's made the concrete area that runs alongside the house (theoretically part of the drive but no way my car would fit)'loose', so it all needs replacing.
The previous one however was a discovery that under my man cave we have a secondary sewer pipe running at an odd angle. The reason it's at an odd angle is that it has nothing to do with any of the houses near me. It apparently links two side roads but does so by looping under everyone else's gardens..... The only reason for this shape that anyone can see is that their must have been a change to the road layout when the houses were built back in the 30's. That was an expensive discovery! Fee's to the water board and an insurance waver thing plus ordering a specialist pipe and digging out an extra section of the garden, reinforcing it, filling it in, etc, etc....
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That's weird i was just re-reading this thread because i got a hold of some kroot . And surprise surprise there are new entries when i get to the end. Cracking man cave. So jealous .
Dean sorry to back track but what did you use for the crossbows on the parrotmen?
Also let me know if you have any spare root looking for a new home?
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Dean, Make sure you have got a build over agreement in place with the water board or you'll run into trouble if you come to sell in the future. I assume thats what you meant by fees to the water board and possibly indemnity insurance.
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Dean, Make sure you have got a build over agreement in place with the water board or you'll run into trouble if you come to sell in the future. I assume thats what you meant by fees to the water board and possibly indemnity insurance.
Yep, got both of those, not that I'm selling my man cave :)
Colin, the crossbows are from the GW empire crossbowman/handgunner sprue. Most people make hand gunners so it was quite easy to get them as bits. I just chopped the ends off and added beads to make them look a bit like bowcasters.
When I sort everything out I expect I will have left overs.
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Cheers Dean
I will need to look and see if I have any of those about.