Adventures in vMiniatures - "How not to storm a spaceship"

UBoater · March 29, 2016, 07:43:20 PM

As my favorite British Comedy starts - "And now for something completely different" - this begins my first real foray into the realm of miniatures - just virtual.

I am an old school wargamer (board and computer) and the closest I have ever been to mini's is playing RPGs (C&S, Traveller) in the late 70's. Recently I have been exploring wargamevalt.com and picked up a few inexpensive mini rulesets. While it is too late for me to start building a mini's collection, I am familiar with VASSAL and figured I can create anything I need in it. So what follows is my first attempt of mini's enabled by VASSAL.

I used a pdf deckplan of a small courier ship as well as a sheet of topdown characters and created a VASSAL module.
For my first play thru I am using a simple set of free scifi rules called "Legends of Time and Space" from DarkCityGames.com.

The situation is as follows - the Pilot and Captain are on the Bridge while the Engineer is kicking back in the crew rec area. This is a psuedo-military ship so all of the crew are armed with a hand gun. In the cargo section 2 shady characters paid some spaceport stevedores to stash them onboard in 2 large containers, each armed with an assault rifle, pistol, and dagger. Their plan is after the ship leaves orbit to take out the crew and then either sell the ship and cargo - or roam the space lanes boarding unprotected merchies and making lots of money. Arr Matey!

MetalDog · March 29, 2016, 08:38:37 PM

There may be a minimum post count to include pictures. Recently added after an attack by Russian spammers. Damn spammers.

MengJiao · March 29, 2016, 08:49:34 PM

Quote from: UBoater on March 29, 2016, 07:43:20 PM
As my favorite British Comedy starts - "And now for something completely different" - this begins my first real foray into the realm of miniatures - just virtual.

I am an old school wargamer (board and computer) and the closest I have ever been to mini's is playing RPGs (C&S, Traveller) in the late 70's. Recently I have been exploring wargamevalt.com and picked up a few inexpensive mini rulesets. While it is too late for me to start building a mini's collection, I am familiar with VASSAL and figured I can create anything I need in it. So what follows is my first attempt of mini's enabled by VASSAL.

<How do you insert images in the middle of a post?>

I used a pdf deckplan of a small courier ship as well as a sheet of topdown characters and created a VASSAL module.
For my first play thru I am using a simple set of free scifi rules called "Legends of Time and Space" from DarkCityGames.com.

The situation is as follows - the Pilot and Captain are on the Bridge while the Engineer is kicking back in the crew rec area. This is a psuedo-military ship so all of the crew are armed with a hand gun. In the cargo section 2 shady characters paid some spaceport stevedores to stash them onboard in 2 large containers, each armed with an assault rifle, pistol, and dagger. Their plan is after the ship leaves orbit to take out the crew and then either sell the ship and cargo - or roam the space lanes boarding unprotected merchies and making lots of money. Arr Matey!

Brilliant! I eagerly await more details of any kind.

besilarius · March 30, 2016, 06:45:34 AM

No doubt, to escape their packing cases, the stowaways have atomic chain saws?

bayonetbrant · March 30, 2016, 08:50:55 AM

Quote from: UBoater on March 29, 2016, 07:43:20 PM<How do you insert images in the middle of a post?>

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=9496.0

UBoater · March 30, 2016, 11:05:15 AM

Quote from: bayonetbrant on March 30, 2016, 08:50:55 AM
Quote from: UBoater on March 29, 2016, 07:43:20 PM<How do you insert images in the middle of a post?>

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=9496.0

Thanks BayonetBrant - lets give it a try.

Our Boarders - who we will call Lloyd and Harry (anyone know the reference?) - successfully extricate themselves from the cargo crates. Luckily the stevedores left them unlatched - thanks for catching that besilarius. They retrieve their assault rifles w/o an accidental discharge. 'Assuming' all 3 of the crew are on the Bridge they rush forward thru the Cargo/Engine Room/Crew Quarters and are about to enter the Rec area.

With Lloyd in the lead they start rushing thru the rec room towards the Bridge but then realize they are not alone. The Engineer is on the sofa against the far wall watching an old 20th Century Western and practicing his quick draw skills. Too bad for our boarders - everyone turns and exchanges gunfire.

Lloyd and Harry get their shots off first but both miss - running and shooting accurately is still a skill they are pursuing. The Engineer though succeeds in wounding Harry. The Captain and Pilot hearing the gunfire immediately draw their hand guns and start back to the rec room to investigate.

Things are not looking good for Lloyd and Harry...

UBoater · April 01, 2016, 09:43:29 PM

Lloyd hears the door to the bridge open behind him and realizes things are starting to go south. He quickly turns but before he gets his shot off the Pilot fires point blank and wounds him. Lloyd's shot misses.

The Engineer on the sofa also shifts his fire to Lloyd and succeeds in hitting him. This is not Lloyd's day. But Harry is still focused on the Engineer and this time finally hits the mark.

This round ends with both Boarders wounded and the Engineer also wounded on the sofa. This gunfight seems to be going against the boarders - but anything could happen at this point.

UBoater · April 01, 2016, 10:02:30 PM

Now everyone is firing except the Captain still stuck behind the Pilot in the passageway.
"Most things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Jack Ryan. But we will address that later...

Lloyd is stunned after two bullets and the Pilot takes another shot and that's it for Lloyd. He is down and out on the deck and bleeding profusely. The Engineer takes another shot at Harry but with his wound his aim is off. Harry returns fire and takes the Engineer out of action.

Now its wounded Harry versus a ticked off Pilot and Captain...

UBoater · April 03, 2016, 04:28:04 PM

With Lloyd down the Pilot now has a clear shot at the remaining boarder. But with the Captain pressing at his back and especially just after watching the Engineer get taken out, the Pilot rushes Harry instead. Still with no clear shot, the Captain also rushes Harry.

Unfortunately Harry sees the Pilot coming and takes a shot - hit! The Pilot is wounded but still keeps coming along with the Captain.

UBoater · April 06, 2016, 10:44:53 PM

Now all 3 are locked in combat at close range attempting to get a kill shot.
First round - the Captain gets his shot off first and... misses!
Harry responds to the Captain and... misses!
Finally the Pilot fires and... misses!

Next round and the Captain gets the initiative again and fires and... misses!
He should stay with commanding a ship over close range combat.
Harry responds and finally hits the Captain wounding him. He sees a glimmer of a chance at getting out of this.
Which the Pilot stomps out by hitting Harry who falls to the deck unconscious and seriously wounded.

And so Lloyd and Harry's most excellent boarding attempt comes to a not very excellent end. Both of them are unconscious and seriously wounded. But the Engineer is also unconscious and seriously wounded - as wells as the Captain and Pilot wounded but conscious. Who will get the limited medical resources first?

Actually the Captain is grumbling something about 'spacing' the 2 yahoo pirates in between grunts of pain...

Wrap up next.

UBoater · April 07, 2016, 11:39:27 PM

While the rules I used were simple and easy to use, in the end I don't think they were detailed enough. There are no rules for multiple positions - stand/crouch/prone. Also cover is all or nothing - no 'peeking.' Finally no reduction in performance from wounding.

As for tactics - I did play Lloyd and Harry a bit Dumb and Dumber. A proper recon of the rec room and then a silent take down of the Engineer would have changed everything. Throw in CS or Stun Grenades and this could have been open and shut. Of course I did not assume there was internal monitoring of the cargo spaces which could have caught the boarders early.

Next up another ruleset and another setting. Either Fantasy Skirmish or I am also working on Tactical level ancients or scifi.

MetalDog · April 09, 2016, 05:23:43 PM

Nicely done. Either way, fantasy or ancients, would do.

UBoater · April 10, 2016, 04:38:38 PM

Quote from: MetalDog on April 09, 2016, 05:23:43 PM
Nicely done. Either way, fantasy or ancients, would do.

Thanks - a small fantasy skirmish level is probably next.

DarkCitiyGames.com has a set of rules for fantasy (Legends of the Ancient World) but it is basically the same as these with different weapons. So I will move up to the next level and use TFT/Metagaming Melee rules - one of the grandaddy rulesets. I was also looking at Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes (ASoBH) but will save that for later.

In the meantime I just finished a VASSAL mod for John Gorkowski's In The Trenches game (re)published by TinyBattles and will give that a whirl.