[Stargrave] Hit the Hyperdrive!

[jetengine]

Welcome to my Stargrave blog everyone. A realm of contrast paints, recycled heroclix and trash built terrain. Stargrave-on-the-cheap if you will.

This will be a "hub post" of sorts. Similar to my Frostgrave thread I'll have a list of the required miniatures and whether they're finished or not.

Whilst not overtly themed (ala those looking at Star Wars or Firefly) my interpretation of the ravaged galaxy  has its pirates as a barely organised rabble of savage looters, cuthroats and opportunists. Central authority is on its knees with the social, political and economic order spun on its head. Any man, women or alien with guts, skill and brains can make it to the top of the pile.

As of 9/6/21

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
Ryankan

Ferrox

Bileworm - 1

Ruffian -

Shengrylla

Primitive

Magmite

Bounty Hunter - 1

Dedfurd

Gaunch

Porigota

Mindgripper

Horat

Tanglers

Sentrabot

Warphound

Warbot

Sewer Dragon - 1

UNWANTED ATTENTION

Ruffian - 4

Pirate Trooper - 3

Pirate Shock Trooper

SCENARIO

Crashed Spaceship

Steam Vents

Columns

Skymine holes

Perimeter fence

Spaceships

Repairbot

Lava rivers

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Seems like setting up a child board for Stargrave might be a good idea sooner or later, it's likely to wind up with the same post volume as Frostgrave as it reaches market.  Doubt it would become an unvisited dead end the way poor Rogue Stars' board has.

[jetengine]

So I generally try for two to three gangs for these kind of games. My personal gang, a secondary gang to lend out for tester games  and an "evil" gang.

Introducing the Captain for my personal gang, The Xale Trading Consortium.

Cornelius Xale - Rogue

Head of the Xale Trading Consortium, Cornelius began life as the fifth son of the esteemed Xale family on Beson III. Considered unwanted and certainly unloved,  his lack of skill in the planets hybrid combat-political arena  only intensified his families disgust with "their useless lay about heir". His siblings were great soldiers, statesmen and philosophers, what could he do to compare?

Well, what Cornelius excelled at was selling. With a jovial disposition (unlike his hard nosed, permanently serious family), a friendly appearance and a keen wit, the young man found he could sell a Ragellian Tilox its own horns at double the price! Whilst occasionally toeing the line of legality, Cornelius became an expert in selling fine art, arms and just about anything that people wanted. Despite this, his family still disapproved. In their eyes he was "nothing but a grubby salesman".

Off world during 'The Great Fall', he returned to find his world a scorched hellhole. His family dead, their riches gone, Cornelius inheritance was depression and a ten mile hole in the earth. Leaving Beson III in his ship Quarks Fortune, he was adrift in the universe, picking up strays here and there, wheeling and dealing to survive. Whilst his buisness may have a grandiose title, Cornelius hopes to one day reach the heights his family once had, this time on his terms

I like to think of Cornelius as a hybrid Steven Fry/Ferengi. Overweight, affable, cultured and yet able to slide into any social situation possible with an eye on profit, he's a talker not a fighter. That doesn't mean he's not able to defend himself, its just between abhorring violence and being a mediocre shot, he finds his words are more useful.

The miniature is from Cobalt 1, painted with a mixture of contrast, army painter and washes.

[jetengine]

One of my plans is to have two tables, one martian wasteland and the other a kind of sci fi venice. As such certain encounters will have different bases  despite being the same kind of monster.

Ruffians

With "The Great Fall" occurring over ten tears ago, law and order has been eroded significantly. Every world is  overrun with barflys, thugs and general scum of the universe. Some of these grunts are low level fodder for the criminal organisations  that have popped up all over the universe, whilst others have actual connections to the roaming pirate fleets. The destruction of the galactic economy has no doubt incentivised the poor and desperate to violent ends, but the rise of violent crime has been astronomical in some sectors. Merely spilling a drink can result in losing an arm!

For Ruffians I really wanted that Star Wars 'weirdo' vibe for the assorted goons. Thankfully some converted Heroclix gave me the results.

The Anabolian (Ruffian 1) is merely a repaint and base of a Heroclix Doomsday, I like to think his shooting attack is him firing his knuckle spikes at you.

The Emeriat (Ruffian 2) is a Heroclix vampire thug, she had her hand weapon removed and a holstered pistol added, before being repainted and based.

The Cyborg (Ruffian 3) is a Heroclix militia man, he's had a Wild West Exodus energy port added to his chest with some greenstuff work to represent his overalls pulling at the machines underneath. He's also had a Wild West Exodus drill added to his right hand. Finally repainted and based.

The Hydron (Ruffian 4) was the most complicated of the lot. He began as a Heroclix thug. First of all he had his head removed and replaced with a Stargrave fish head, then I greenstuffed a kind of vest/backpack rig for the Stargrave fuel/oxygen tank and Wild West Exodus grill. The intent was to look like a kind of sci-fi rebreather so this fish-man can breathe in our atmosphere. Like the others he was repainted and based.

[jetengine]

I do wonder what the ratio is to dogs/robo-dogs/'orrible beasties for the guard dog profile

The Xale Trading Consortium
Davrum - Guard Dog

In space, no one can hear you squee. Such is the way with a galaxy of fauna. Inevitably the cutest is discovered, bred and then spliced until all thats left is brightly coloured, extremely fluffy and with eyes the size of saucers. What little standards the galaxy had for animal welfare fell apart when the universe came crashing down with "The Great Fall". Now monsters, mutants and things that frankly shouldn't exist flap, crawl and slither their way across innumerable worlds. Davrum is a perfect example, somewhere in his DNA he began as a Mavelly Retriever. A sort of dog, or at least canine. After attempts to add certain foreign genetic samples to give him chameleonic fur, he instead transformed into his current unsettling shape. What began as a thirty thousand credit animal ended as a five hundred credit reject, caged with several other monsters for black market sale.

Despite his new appearance, Davrum retained his mind fairly well and could tell "good" people from "bad". Instinctive perhaps, but he knew when someone would want him for an exotic meal or pit fight. Cornelius Xale (always looking for new wares) was rather drawn in by Davrums eyes, yes his chitin and multiple legs were off putting, but something in the creatures eyes showed intelligence, loyalty and perhaps the capacity for friendship. Of course he also could be going soft in his age? Swift haggling ensued, ruthless price gouging and protestations of 'fair and honest buisnessma' were thrown left, right and centre. In the end though he walked away with his new three hundred credit friend and a bonus chicken monstrosity.

Davrum is incredibly intelligent for a "pet", able to follow complex commands and utilise simple tools. His new form also lends him a fearsome appearance and a venomous sting. This disaparate nature between action and appearance shakes even the most veteran of Xales crew. Watching something so insect like, lick your bosses face is hard to take.

Davrum began life as a Heroclix brood miniature, merely repainted and rebased.

[jetengine]

The prime directive exists for a reason.

The Xale Trading Consortium
Grug - Recruit

An unassuming labourer seemingly hired for jobs that require heavy lifting, the truth is however far more complex. Drawn to Darwyn IV on the promise of a 'most profitable cargo', Cornelius Xale found himself entwined within an unsettling affair. His 'partner' in this buisness transaction had discovered a lucrative market in trading  primitives to whatever nefarious individuals required "brutish savages". Whilst not the bravest of men, Cornelius had a strict hardline when it came to trading in sentient beings. Even if he hadnt, the look one of the poor brutes had given him would have convinced him. Thus it wasn't too difficult a choice to flush the slaver and his few aides into the cold vacuum of space, after they'd finished locking the crate of misery into place of course.

Despite the difficulty, he managed to relocate all the primitives to suitable worlds, all save Grug. The neanderthal whom had looked upon Xale with a pleading beg of freedom in his eyes would not be separated from his saviour. Whilst not much of a teacher, Xale attempted to raise Grug to some standard of "educated", enough at least to keep him useful on Quarks Fortune and earn his keep.

Grug is something of a dichotomy, on the one hand he has the bearing and attitude of his primitive brothers and sisters. He increasingly uses violence to solve simple social problems, refuses to eat any meat he hasnt hunted himself and has a distaste for any technology that can't be used as a bludgeoning tool. On the other, he shows a level of insight and emotional intelligence  far beyond the "advanced" denizens of the galaxy,  is incredibly loyal to his friends and "family" going above and beyond to defend and provide for the crew of the 'Fortune' whilst having an incredibly good eye for high art.

Grug considers himself a simple traveller, a man with a life debt he would gladly pay a hundred times over. He may not understand his friend Xales focus on 'profit', but like all hunter gatherers he can appreciate a good huntsmen

Grug is a Mantic plastic Orx painted in flesh tones.

[LiamFrostfang]

  fab stuff!!!!!

[jetengine]

As soon as I saw this guy I had to buy him.

Xale Trading Consortium
Mcree - Chiseler

"The Great Fall" is the most common term used across the galaxy for the devestating war between the Ro'denn Republic and the Kusal Empire, it also encompassed the frankly more disastrous aftermath referred to by adhoc historians as "The crunch". For after a fall there is usually a nasty crunch, no? Whilst something of a complex series of events, to sum it up simply the war had utterly annihilated the galactic economy. Shipping halted, trade fell apart and worlds that were once beacons of civilisation began to fall into the dark ages. Perfect for someone like Mcree.

A denizen of WT-Alpha Alpha, Mcree may superficially resemble an earth penguin, but his species is infact much older and more complex then anything on earth, with a sophisticated civilisation already in place when man was crawling out of the trees. Despite all of this, Mcree is one of the biggest scoundrels on the Quark. Lying, cheating, stealing, all are like breathing  to the wily alien. With the universe in turmoil, a professional thief like Mcree could pull the biggest job of his life!

Currently under the employ of Cornelius Xale thanks to "The Solomon incident",  Mcree always has one eye open for a quick score. Sure, his boss may yell at him...but not till they are long out the system.

Imagine Bender Bending Rodriguez but as a penguin. Yes, that's Mcree.

[CookAndrewB]

I like Mcree. Where is the figure from?

[jetengine]

CP Models. He's dirt cheap as well.

[jetengine]

Decontaminate your spaceships everyone !

Bileworm

Vile pests, these disgusting maggot like creatures feast not on flesh or vegetable matter, but raw energy. Able to ooze through nooks and crannies, they try to find the warmest, most powerful energy source available to leech from. What starts as a nuisance becomes a much bigger problem when the Bileworm is fully sated. Thousands of eggs are laid through pathogenesis, a mild power drain turning into something that can stop even the biggest warship dead in its tracks. Whilst not a major threat, the creature can vomit an acid in self defense, meaning cleaning crews must maintain vigilance at all times.

The miniature was sculpted from some leftover greenstuff and painted with yellow contrast, then army painter green ink.

As my second ever sculpted miniature I'm actually happy with it.

[jetengine]

Kidnapping is a no-no, but press ganging ? Surprisingly ok.

Xale Trading Consortium
   Professor Fortescue Zagadak - Hacker

Education is important, no matter where you live in the galaxy. From simple data gathering, to  the construction of massive sattelite-cities, all this would be impossible without a good teacher informing the masses. There was a point many years ago where Professor Fortescue Zagadak would have been considered amongst the best, now he is little more then a glorified system breaker.

Studying on the library world of Dudec, the Great Fall took its time to reach the proffesor. Entire systems fell into savage turmoil as the humble scholar began new theorems on hyperdrive interaction within star systems. The news arrived though, and with ugly ramifications, Dudec was to go into a permanent lockdown. Many library worlds had been looted or destroyed during the initial stages of the Great Fall, for its own safety it would transport itself into a pocket dimension for a hundred years. Panic ensued, with violent battles between the inhabitants for the few remaining shuttles out. Somehow in the scuffle, the dimunutive, cowardly professor managed to get onboard the Quarks Fortune, his colleagues too busy bludgeoning each other with data slates.

With the universe on its knees there was no appetite for knowledge, only action. So the poor Professor found himself stuck with that affable rogue Cornelius Xale, despite his attempts at returning to his profession (failed of course). He remains a glum member of the ships crew, his immense knowledge used to hack simple security systems rather then teach the masses. Still, with food in his belly and a roof over his head he takes some solace that Xale wont need him EVERY  mission...right?

The professor was a CP model miniature painted with GW paints.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Brilliant stuff Jet! I really like a McRee and the maggot is a great first attempt at sculpting (from idea to execution, simple but you’ve now got a usable thing!). I need someone like you at my club to help keep my motivation up. Keep up the good work my friend.

BALM

[CookAndrewB]

The Professor is a nice model. Never seen him (it?) before.

Also, the bileworm is a beauty. We all need to have some creepy crawlers to occupy ship vents and bilges! Next up you gotta figure out how they evolve! 

[Chief Lackey Rich]

"Evolve" indeed.  I'm reminded of the set of hand sculpted eggs and fragments I did for Awful Green Things From Outer Space about a decade ago, using Khurasan's unlicensed Green Slime figs for the adults.