My Xenos Rampant forces (Sci-Fi Scatter added 6/12/25)

[mikedemana]

My Wiley Games 'Marines' with one Reaper Bones figure thrown in

I plan on using this thread to update my progress on creating forces for Xenos Rampant Sci-Fi skirmish games. Here is the first squad for my first human (or humanoid?) force - the Bronze Legion. The figures are from Wiley Games, who are best known for their Fistful of Lead rules. They are resin figures that seem to be fairly sturdy. I really like their angular look and the armor isn't the overblown, power-trooper armor. More sleek and classic Sci-Fi looking, in my eyes.


Close up of the 'Marine' and 'Marine Sergeant' in front of my Sci-Fi terrain

My plan for my Xenos Rampant games is to use five 28mm scale figures for 10 strength points. I'll have some sort of casualty marker for when you can't remove a whole figure (2 points of damage). One of my main reasons is because I like the look of a 5-man squad, plus it will make it a LOT easier to field multiple forces to host games...! 


The next two Wiley Games figures - another marine and the 'Marine Sergeant' pose

These Wiley Games poses are a bit bigger than my metal 28mm figures, though they don't look that much larger than the Reaper Bones figure accompanying them to round out the squad. I did multiple layers of a new metallic acrylic paint that I'd picked up (Ancient Bronze) and black wash. I thought it looked too coppery full strength so toned it down with a heavy black wash, then brought it back up with watered down and full strength highlights.


This Reaper Bones figure had LOTS more equipment and extraneous detail then the very clean, sleek looking marines

Since I had purchased only four of the marines months ago, prior to deciding to get into Xenos Rampant, I needed another miniature to round out their squad. He was 'Gavin Markus, Nova Corp Hero' and ended up being quite a bit more of a pain to paint than the marines. When painted up in the same color scheme, he matches fairly well with the Bronze legion. I'd originally purchased him to be a leader figure for a force, and I may yet use him for that. Not sure, as I have another batch of Wiley Games figures coming and there is one in there I have my eye on for the Centurion in charge of this legion detachment!


A squad of Bronze Legion troopers investigate an abandoned scientific outpost

I'm really happy with how this batch of figures came out. The black underneath the armor was a bit of a pain to paint, but I think it is an effective look. For the plexiglass visors, I chose Iron Wind Metals 'Steel' and then did a gloss coat over after the figure had been dullcoated. I was wondering how I would like the effect of the Testors Dullcoate on the metallic bronze, and I think I do like it. It gives it more of a dusted rather than burnished look. However, the brush-on gloss on the visors make them pop in person, and I'm happy with that effect, too.


A couple Terminators from my first real batch of figures painted up for my Xenos Rampant project

Stay tuned for more squads and forces on this thread! If you'd like to see the Terminator Machines I painted up for my first real batch for Xenos Rampant, I already posted them on my Post-Apocalyptic thread. Here's the link (and a pic, above):
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=139578.30

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Mike Demana

[LouieN]

good stuff.  Nice work

[Pattus Magnus]

Very cool figures there! The marines definitely have that sleek sci-fi look. I associate it with the Traveler RPG. The bronze looks quite good on them. The terminators look great, too.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Looking good! 👍

[beefcake]

I like the bronze on them. They could also double as robots with that look. Nice.

[OSHIROmodels]

Nicely done 

[Daeothar]

Those bronze legion troopers look awesome and the reaper Nova Corps guy does fit in nicely. Did you remove some clutter/equipment from the mini, or did you use it as-is?

[Malamute]

Really like the look of these.

[Metternich]

Very neat indeed.  Under the Xenos Rampant rules, as what do you classify them?  Elite Infantry?

[mikedemana]

Nova Corps guy does fit in nicely. Did you remove some clutter/equipment from the mini, or did you use it as-is?

I painted him "as is," but there were probably some more things I could have painted in a mix of colors such as the headset. I didn't want him to be a riot of different colors, thus making him stand out more from the marines.

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! From as talented as folks as you, that is high praise indeed!! 

Next up on the table are five troopers from the Mercenaries Stargrave pack. I'm trying to match the color schemed to my "Nightstalkers" post-apocalyptic gang. They look Sci-Fi enough that I think fleshing them out to a Xenos Rampant force will be a nice shortcut for another faction.


The Nightstalkers that I will be matching the next force's color scheme to...

Speaking of which, Metternich, I have yet to stat them out. I am trying to look at lots of list already created and published to get ideas. How would you do them? I want them to be a full 10 strength points since I am using 2 SPs per figure for my project...

Mike Demana

[Metternich]

If you want to do them as 2 SP per figure, then Elite Infantry isn't an option (as Elites can only be in 5 Strength Point units and don't have Increased Squad Size); that means they would have to be something like Heavy Infantry (with Increased Squad Size, which allows for 10 SP units).  That is a pity, as they look like Elites (which are actually much harder to kill, with Armor 4 instead of Heavy's Armor 3) given their full hardsuit. An option could be to use 5 of them at 1 SP each vice 2 for other figures.  By contrast, those Nightstalkers look like Light Infantry (or Recon Infantry), having no armor at all.  Up to you of course as to what Options you want to give them - Armor Piercing is always good, which could be by virtue of the rounds used, e.g. gauss rifles (railgun rifles) or HEAT grenades fired from an underslung grenade launcher (and units in full suits, whether Elite or Heavy infantry, could have Mobile and/or Stabilised Weaponry).  Doesn't look like any of these figures have a Heavy Weapon.
 My figures are built around the backstory of a central govt. (Greys) confronting a breakaway province (Greens - which explains why some of the equipment and armor is the same).  Off-world help is provided the rebels by the Imp. Marines.   There is also the existence of an Alien force (based on Tau figures), which may prove inimical to both sets of Humans or may pick a side.

My figures are mostly Copplestone Castings Future Wars (with my Heavy Infantry in chest and groin armor, knee and leg armor, helmets). (I have two forces, Grey and Green).  My Elites are old Grenadier Traveller Imperial Marines (full hardsuit) (two units of 5 figures each), and a Copplestone Power Armor troop (5 figures) as a unit of (Grey) Elite Infantry in Super Heavy Armor (with a range of Heavy Weapons and other options available).   The Heavy Infantry have Armor Piercing and/or Heavy Weapon (due to the Copplestone riflemen having the underslung grenade launcher; and some Grenadier RPG men and a Copplestone shoulder-fired Missleman joining the fray; each Heavy Infantry unit is Increased Squad Size - i.e. 10 figures; there are two such units for the Greys and one for the Greens).  The Imperial Marines have gauss rifles (AP) and a plasma gun (AP with a vengeance, or AT as the situation warrants).  I have a Recon sniper/countersniper unit for each of the Green and Grey forces.  For the Greens there is also an Increased Squad unit of Light Infantry (ten figures with Heavy Weapons, due to the 3 machine guns) made up of mostly old Grenadier mercenary figures from their Secret Agent line. There is also a (Green) Support mortar unit; an Infantry Gun (Support Unit - Grey); and an Artillery piece (Grey); two light armor cars, and a tank.  In addition, there is an Increased Squad sized unit of Robotic Heavy Infantry.   

[mikedemana]

Thanks for the thorough examples and explanations. I think I will take a crack at making lists with that in mind. I was thinking that for Elite Infantry, they could be 3-figure squads with a token on them to show they are down from 6 to 5 SP.

Mike Demana

[mikedemana]

Here's my next squad for Xenos Rampant. I used the Stargrave Mercenaries box, gluing on the "alien" heads. I was actually quite impressed with myself. Normally, I avoid sprue-type figures that need assembling like the plague! I have boasted before that the only thing I have successfully super-glued is my fingers to each other... 



Back when I assembled them several months ago, I was planning on using them for either Space Station Zero or Wiley Games' "Galactic Heroes." So, I went heavy on the equipment -- giving them handheld devices, suitcases, etc. Those became less important as I decided to go ahead with Xenos Rampant, where they are more infantry and less explorers. However, I still like the look of the different types of equipment on them.



Once the clothes were done, it was time to decide how to paint those alien heads. I went back and forth and finally decided on a light blue skin tone. Think Andorians from Star Trek with no antennae. I gave them red eyes to stand out more and honestly really like the effect. I painted the skin a sky blue and did a darker blue wash, followed by a less watered down (and thus darker) blue wash around the eye sockets.



I painted their uniform, web gear, and armor plates to match one of my post-apocalyptic gangs, the Nightstalkers. In fact, I plan to port over several of my post-apocalyptic gangs (typically of 7-8 figs) as the core of a Xenos Rampant force. I am imagining that I will need 4-5 squads of around 5 figs (1 fig = 2 strength points in my system). Obviously, tanks and artillery will require fewer figure. However, it is likely that I will need four times as many figures for a Xenos Rampant force as a typical skirmish force for one of the other rules sets.



Here's a quick look at the Nightstalkers, so you can see what I was trying to emulate and give a consistent uniform look for this force. Of course, these are metal figures -- Battle Valor Games, or the old Sgt. Major Miniatures line. They have LOTS of very flavorful figure designs, each with several packs so you can variety of poses and weapons.



I use craft paints for the bulk of my colors, especially the metallics. The base tone for the uniform was called Khaki, with a Howard Hues (much lighter) khaki as dry brush. The webbing was "Wild Rice" with white highlights. That is the one things about painting 28mm in my styles. Pretty much everything gets either a base color and dry brush highlight (eventually followed by a darker wash. Alternatively, for the weapons, I do metallics as a base coat with a dark black vehicle wash over them. I am pleased with the effect of my system. It is not world-beater paint jobs...no "Golden Demons" here. However, they look nice on the tabletop and in closeup pictures usually.



One final photo of this newest force, showing the Miniature Building Authority Middle Eastern Arcade they are posed with. So many Star Wars settings seem to be desert like that I felt it worked well for these figures. This resin building from their excellent line of terrain actually came pre-painted -- much to my suprise! I did add the darker color in for the bricks and the tiles on the roof. Then I did a dark brown vehicle wash over it all to give a warm color effect. If you are interested in high quality urban scatter or buildings, I encourage you to check out MBA (https://www.miniaturebuildingauthority.com/).

Stay tuned for more squads and forces for my growing Xenos Rampant project!

Mike Demana

[mikedemana]

My progress lately has been filling out my post-apocalyptic survivor gangs so that they are 10 figures. That way, I can field two 5-figure squads with them. If you remember, I'm doing 1 figure = 2 SP so that a 10-point unit is five figures.



First up was F Troop. These former Sgt. Major Miniatures figs in gas masks needed only two more. I had only one actually mini left, though, so I painted up "Torch" -- a Wiley Games miniature with a flame thrower. I really like how he turned out. So far, I'm very happy with the Wiley Games minis I've painted up (the Bronze Legion is from them, as well).



Next up were three Planet of the Apes gorillas. These were also originally from Sgt. Major Miniatures (most of whose lines were bought out and are now produced by Battle Valor Games). This gives me a total of nine of them, so I guess I'll have to toss in my mounted gorilla general as the 10th figure (see later pictures of them in two squads of 5).



From Foundry's 28mm Street Violence line comes three more figures in long duster jackets. They bring the Bass Reeves, my African-American survivor gang, up to 10 figures. I think they'll make good light troops or mercenaries for Xenos Rampant.



Back to my Planet of the Apes force, here are three more Eureka Minatures chimpanzees sporting a variety of weapons. I struggled a bit on matching the exact colors of the original batch painted, probably most notably on the faces of these. It's always a bit disconcerting when I look at a previous paint job of mine and think it is better than my more recent job. I wonder if my painting skills are in decline?



Like with the gorillas, I didn't have enough figures left of the Nightstalkers to fill them up to 10. So, I assembled a plastic figure from the Stargrave Trooper box. I did my best to match the paint scheme from the original batch. Probably the least impressive, in my opinion, of the five sets. Still, this means that I am about halfway or more towards completing five different forces for Xenos Rampant. It was nice to get them all done and mark solid progress towards running my first game of XR for our Sunday night crew!



Now to take a look at those two squads of each force. First up, two squads of F Troop. The two corner ruins behind them are recently-painted ruined buildings sections for my post-apocalyptic (or Sci-Fi) games.



The gorillas (no, the rock band!). Note the mounted gorilla general. Anyone know where he comes from? I was actually given him by a fellow gamer who knew I was collecting Planet of the Apes figs. So, I have no idea who he comes from.



Two squads of light troops or mercenaries is how I will likely field the Bass Reeves. The more I paint up of them, the more I wish I had bought more of Foundry's Street Violence range at the flea market vendor I picked them up from...!



Two squads of five chimps for XR. You have to love the leader smoking a cigar in the left-hand squad! Yeah, yeah, the guy on the other end with the staff...I know! Way, way back when I first started painting the chimps, we were playing Mutants and Death Ray Guns and I had one guy who did not have a gun. We were only given so many weapons in our starting builds, and he was stuck with a melee weapon. I chose the staff because of that scene from Planet of the Apes where the apes are corralling the primitive humans.



The Nightstalkers certainly look the part of a Sci-Fi force. For not liking the figures I painted up in this latest batch, I *DO* like the "Blue-skinned" aliens from my previous update. They will be part of the same force.

So, there you are! First update to my Xenos Rampant forces of 2024. What's next? I will likely do some figures from the Eureka Miniatures Gibbon pack. That should round out that force and get it ready for the tabletop. Stay tuned...!

All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated...

Mike Demana

[mikedemana]

A squad of five Gibbon monkeys for the Planet of the Apes "Detachment" I am working on for Xenos Rampant

With this batch of miniatures, I think my Planet of the Apes force is ready for the tabletop. That and a re-reading of the rules and seeing how few units I really need for a 24-point force! Anyway, these are from the Eureka Miniatures Boiler Suit Apes line of 28mm miniatures. They are Gibbon monkeys and are a great batch of miniatures. The poses are lively, and there is nice variety. There's even a monkey on a laptop that I will tap to be a fire control officer for an artillery piece (read Support Infantry for XR).



I did a base yellowish-tan color ("Maple Sugar" craft paint), followed up with a dry brush of white. There are more than one type of Gibbon monkey, apparently, and I chose the light tan colored ones to represent. I followed that up with the white and black facial pattern, which I think really makes then stand out on the tabletop. I did a dry brush of medium gray to bring out the facial highlights, but probably should have done more in that regard.



I went back and forth on what color to do the clothes. Originally, I was thinking an olive drab, but settled on a brighter "Leaf Green" craft paint. I dry brushed them with a very bright pale green color, and think it did a nice job of bringing out the excellent detail on these Eureka castings. The weapons were done in various metallics finished off with a black vehicle wash. I'm very happy with how this squad came out. They are going to be Light Infantry in XR, with the Guerrillas and Fire Support upgades for them to be able to call in artillery strikes.



The monkey on the laptop is a really cool figure. He is tapping away, his assault rifle next to him, wearing a headset. Of course, being a Mac user, I made his laptop into an Apple product. I think you can see the logo on the back of the screen. I also decided to add in a chimpanzee bodyguard for the fire control monkey. Long ago, I had picked up a pack from Brigade Games of "Space Chimp on Litter." I don't really need a chimp astronaut being carried around by two humans, so I instead propped him up against a boulder and he's keeping an eye out on the little fella!



Here's a closeup of the space chimp. I decided to go with the color that I did to match the uniforms of my other chimpanzee forces. I used Iron Wind Metals Red Brown as a base coat and Howard Hues Middle East Flesh as a dry brush. He came out okay, I think. The photo doesn't show the metallic brown shin and arm pads very well, but they look better in person, I think. Maybe I'll go over them with some clear gloss to be sure, though!



One more shot of the Gibbon squad, charging straight towards the viewer. I love their Mac-10 machine pistols, and the way they are representing the various ways monkeys move on the ground (on two legs, all fours, knuckle walking, etc.). Now, to sit down and create an actual 24-point list. After a quick read-though of the section of the rules on creating your detachment, I am actually reconsidering doing the 1 figure = 2 points. It isn't taking as many figures to get up to 24 points. Hmmm...

Hope you are enjoying my monkey business...!

Mike Demana