UVS - 5PFH: Tactics: A painted figure 01/09/2025

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Modiphius has recently published a standalone large scale combat system, based on and compatible with Five Parsecs From Home

I ordered it together with the Stargrave Death Vector and the new Automata figures.

All the usual suspects (humans, ferals, precursors, swift, soulless, converted etc) are in there with some ones new to me.

Though there is more emphasis on GM and/or PvP games, there is coverage of solo play.

I am still reading it, but there a variety of different  scaled basic scenarios.

The skirmish scenario has a maximum of 15 figures on each side (if you go by points one side will have 15, the other potentially less).

So with the availability of the .Stargrave Automata figures, I decided that I would build a pair of skirmish armies.
One will be a Converted army (using the Automata figures as a base), the other a Human army using the Stargrave Troopers.

The human force:
Minor character
Infantry squad (5)
Infantry squad (5)
Weapon squad with autocannon (3)
Medic

The Converted force
Minor leader
Infantry squad (5)
Infantry squad (5)

Currently building the figures (I have a 20mm autocannon on order from Anvil, I will need to work out how to crew it).

[Rick]

I picked up a copy a week or so ago; the rules look very good and extremely playable, although I've not had much time for more than a flip through the book. I think I might have a go at using Grymm as one of the forces, although I was under the impression that it was a minimum of 2 sections  (of 6 troops), not a maximum.

[punkrabbitt]

Following with interest. I may be picking this one up soon.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

although I was under the impression that it was a minimum of 2 sections  (of 6 troops), not a maximum.

It is, but five years on I have not finished the minimum armies for Oathmark.
Just checked, squad is four infantry plus a Sergeant (four rifles plus an LMG).
https://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/search?q=Mini+army&max-results=20&by-date=true

I think I might have a go at using Grymm as one of the forces,

It did cross my mind, if Hasslefree were reliable.

[Rick]

Well I've not had a single problem with Hasslefree in the whole time I've been buying from them so, for my money, they're reliable as any small business.
Plus I've got a box full of Grymm I've been meaning to sort out and get on the tabletop - If I can't make 2-3 squads out of them then it'll be a poor do! 
I must have miscounted the squad size, doh! 5 still seems like a fireteam size but it'll work out ok I think.

Oh yes, having gone through the box (and the rulebook) I think I've got more than enough for a platoon - 7 or 8 squads perhaps.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

The squad size is five (Sergeant + four infantry).

I only bought Hasslefree at Salute, so the last purchases were 2018.

[Rick]

The squad size is five (Sergeant + four infantry).

I only bought Hasslefree at Salute, so the last purchases were 2018.

I know, you said it was previously. I wasn't doubting your word, just making an observation that 5 seemed a little on the small size for a squad, but about the right size for a fireteam plus sergeant.
Yeah, I saw they had been down for a bit, I'll just have to work with what I've got (which IS a lot) and hope they've worked through their illnesses and backlog, and are back up and running fairly soon. I think I've bought the odd figure here and there from the website since 2018 but probably nothing in the last couple of years.

[Rick]

Ah - that's something I hadn't realised; back in 2022, Kev White went back to work for Forgeworld full-time, meaning that only Sally and Dameon are now sorting out the kickstarter, sorting backorders, working through Kev's backlog of unreleased greens, managing the website and dealing with illness (Sally has a long-term debilitating illness). Ouch.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

So the first of the Converted.

Two built from the parts on the Automatons sprue, and one built with bits from the Scavenger and Crew sprues with an Automaton head.


A trooper squad (with LMG).
I have decided which of the rifle armed figures will be the Sergeant,  they will get some additional kit to go with the grenades that need to be added.

[zemjw]

Ah - that's something I hadn't realised; back in 2022, Kev White went back to work for Forgeworld full-time, meaning that only Sally and Dameon are now sorting out the kickstarter, sorting backorders, working through Kev's backlog of unreleased greens, managing the website and dealing with illness (Sally has a long-term debilitating illness). Ouch.

Not to derail this thread, but the KS is now over 2 years late (yup, I backed for a few figures, despite knowing the chances of it delivering were low). There hasn't been an update on the KS, or a newsletter, all year. Dameon has more than his fair share of illnesses as well

I believe they have a temp person doing stuff, but I would be incredibly wary about ordering from them any time soon.

On topic, I have the book, but haven't done anything with it. I have enough Tau and Pig Iron figures to come up with a few squads, but I'm still working through the world's slowest Five Parsecs campaign. I like the fact they tie together and, I have plans to incorporate it into the campaign. However, I have about 1000 other plans for other things as well, so "it's in the queue"

[Ultravanillasmurf]

I have the book, but haven't done anything with it. I have enough Tau and Pig Iron figures to come up with a few squads, but I'm still working through the world's slowest Five Parsecs campaign. I like the fact they tie together and, I have plans to incorporate it into the campaign. However, I have about 1000 other plans for other things as well, so "it's in the queue"

I am hoping this will prompt me to assemble (and paint) the boxes of Stargrave Troopers I bought way back when.

[Rick]

So the first of the Converter.

Two built from the parts on the Automatons sprue, and one built with bits from the Scavenger and Crew sprues with an Automaton head.


A trooper squad (with LMG).
I have decided which of the rifle armed figures will be the Sergeant,  they will get some additional kit to go with the grenades that need to be added.

Hmm, yes - been sorting through the pile of Grymm, got 2 Recon squads (styling them Jagers, I think), a 3rd waiting to be sorted and I might even be able to get a 4th out of remnants. Should be able to get about 3 squads of Infantry as well, plus 2-3 squads of Shock troopers. I've been seperating them out by headgear and weapons - with the helmeted heads going to Infantry and the bare heads going to Recon (where they are immediately issued with a Perry backpack, and beret courtesy of the old bolt action commando sprue!) and Shock (where I'm probably going to have to sort out some helmets.
It's gathering momentum.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Damn you, Autocorrect!
They are Converted  not Converter....

[Rick]

Damn you, Autocorrect!
They are Converted  not Converter....

I'd guessed! 
Just looking around for other races - Etsy used to do a set of sci-fi Vargr but I can only find the fantasy ones now. Khurasan and Elheim both do 28mm 'cat-like' aliens which could be useful but not much else out there for non-humans or aliens.

[Psychopomp]

Not to derail this thread, but the KS is now over 2 years late (yup, I backed for a few figures, despite knowing the chances of it delivering were low). There hasn't been an update on the KS, or a newsletter, all year. Dameon has more than his fair share of illnesses as well

I believe they have a temp person doing stuff, but I would be incredibly wary about ordering from them any time soon.

There's been more developments, recently.

Hasslefree was one of the companies whose webstore was hosted on the server that went down last year, affecting a lot of companies.  Unlike the other companies, Hasslefree's webstore never came back up.  There's just been a placeholder message promising they'll be back 'next month' for a year, followed by a recent update saying pretty much the same thing but also promising big news 'soon'.

The company the owners set up for Hasslefree, Black and White Games, LTD; was forcibly dissolved by HMRC back in May.  No details on why, but there was an appeal and denial, so its unlikely to be something as simple as a late filing.  The owners stood up a new company, HF Minis, LTD, a few days thereafter.

No one outside the company is sure what's going on, but SOMETHING is.  The above information is only known because the Kickstarter backers (who haven't seen the Pledge Manager open yet, despite it being promised 'next month' two years ago) have been following the company info as best they can to try and figure out if they'll ever get the stuff they paid for.



So, I'm not doing this to be mean to the owners, or to derail the thread.  This is a big, practical 'buyer beware' message from someone who has been burned and managed, after three years, to finally get a refund.

Every single time Hasslefree comes up over the last few years, it's followed a cycle, usually after the yearly "I'm back, I was sick, and I have a plan this time and email me if we owe you something, in the meantime here's a sale!" update: someone has had issues getting an order, in part or in whole, that they paid for, then get ghosted for months to years when they try to contact customer service. 

Then a few people chime in to say they got their last order just fine, Sally and Dameon are lovely people, and the illnesses besetting them are tragic.  Then a few people, encouraged by the latter, make orders and say they arrived quickly and with no problem.  Then, after the excitement of the sale has worn off and the thread has fallen off a bit, several more people start posting that their order, or some of the items in their order, from the sale never arrived, and no one's responding to their emails - then they ask what should they do?

The ratio of happy customers to ghosted customers without product has been getting markedly worse over the last few years, and now there's been no movement of a decent-sized Kickstarter for three years and no webstore for a year.  I'm sure Sally and Dameon ARE lovely people - when I finally got a response, Dameon was very nice, yes.  Their illnesses are indeed tragic, I agree.  However, these things do not change the basic facts on the ground - Hasslefree has been very unreliable for years.  If you get your order in full, amazing.  However, any purchase you make is gambling that will happen.  Their customers can and do fall in the cracks of their unreliability, and it is incredibly and increasingly difficult to get ahold of anyone to make good on it.

Now there's company regulatory issues going on in the background.  If the webstore does come back up, I strongly advise not to order from it until the company is under new management.  Regardless if intentional or not, regardless of other circumstances, as a business the current owners are highly unreliable.

Caveat emptor.  Buyer beware.