UFP Starforce Commandos 01

I only recently bought these three beautifully sculpted 28mm scale figures from Statuesque Miniatures and they jumped to the front of my painting queue simply because I am so impressed with them. Statuesque Miniatures sell them as SM009 S.O.E. Kill Team consisting of Emilia, Poppy and Tilly. In my The Ace of Spades Campaign there is no such organisation as the S.O.E. so I have made them as members of the UFP Starforce Commandos. The Space Marine Corps is the elite assault force of the United Federation of Planets Starfleet. Every starship carries a complement of Marines for landing and boarding actions, as well as for major planetary raids and invasions. The Starforce Commandos are an elite force within the Space Marines organisation which trains for deep penetration raids and prolonged operations behind enemy lines. Commandos are also dropped onto enemy-occupied planets to assist BRINT (Bureau of Intelligence) agents to mobilise resistance groups.

At the far left is Emilia "Foxy" Foxwell, a rugged human Starforce Commando Captain who is always on the lookout for danger. She is a highly decorated combat veteran who grew up on Sol 10 (Spectre) as a navy brat before serving two tours of duty at UFP Starfleet Academy on Sol 3 (Terra), where she enrolled in Command School after completing Basic Training. She took on a two year Marine Cadet Assignment followed by two tours of duty, each lasting four years as a Space Marine. In recognition of her achievements and combat prowess she was offered a command posting with the Starforce Commandos. She is now serving her second tour of duty with them. Emilia is 35 years old and rank grade:8. As a larger than life character I applied the cinematic rules to her. She is armed with a MicroCo JO40 Stingfury Tachyon Autopistol with Advanced Scope and High Damage modifications, a Phaser Pistol and a Combat Knife. She wears Master Crafted Streamlined Combat Skin, which grants her SOAK:9 but is ineffective against piercing damage. She is one hell of a tough cookie and a superb leader. Her figure came in four parts - body, two arms and a scenic base for her to rest on.

In the centre of this trio is Tilly Tumbleworth, an athletic human Starforce Commando Corporal who is a keep fit fanatic and very energetic. She was born on the jungle planet of Regulus 6 in the Terran Star Sector where she excelled at sports in school. At the age of 15 she enrolled in the UFP Starfleet Academy on Sol 3. After completing her three year Basic Training course and a two year Marine Cadet Assignment, she saw front-line action as a Space Marine, serving two tours of duty which earned her a promotion and a bravery medal. Seven years ago, she applied for a transfer to the Starforce Commandos and was accepted as one of the crew under the command of Emilia Foxwell. She has the utmost respect for "Foxy" and will follow her anywhere. She is armed and armoured in an identical manner to "Foxy." She is 35 years old and is rank grade:7. Her figure came with separate arms.
Finally, is Poppy Compton, a deadeye human Starforce Commando Corporal who always checks where her exits are wherever she goes. She was born on Sol 3i (Luna) and like Emilia, she grew up as a navy brat. She enrolled at the UFP Starfleet Academy on Sol 3 (Terra) when she was just 13. She spent one tour of duty each at Basic Training, Marine Cadet Assignment and as a Starforce Marine. Her commanding officer recognised her talent as a marks-woman, and so she spent a five year tour of duty as a Marine Sniper. She was then offered a transfer to the Starforce Commandos, which she readily accepted. Here, she was assigned to a posting under the direct command of Emilia. She quickly bonded with "Foxy" and Tilly and the trio have worked as a team these past seven years on many a dangerous mission. Poppy has replaced her Stingfury Autopistol with a 10mm Ballistic Sniper Rifle with Advanced Scope and High Damage modifications. She is one year younger than the other two and she is rank grade:7. Her figure came in three parts - body, right arm and back wall. Note that her left arm was sculpted as part of the back wall she is leaning against.
The sculpting of these three figures is just exquisite. They are incredibly well detailed and superbly animated. Unsurprisingly, they are expensive. "Foxy" and Poppy cost £5.25 each and Tilly costs £5.00. However, you can buy all three for just £14.00, saving you £1.50, which is what I did. I have just finished creating N.E.W. character record sheets for all three of them and I could very easily set a whole campaign based around their exploits. I'm not saying I will, but I could. I can't recommend them too highly!

Daruma SLA Industries Augustus Luxury Car

Last month I posted a review of of the Daruma Romulus Stretch Limo for the SLA Industries game. I mentioned in my post that Daruma also made a smaller version of it - the Augustus Luxury Car. At the time I was uncertain if I wanted to buy the Augustus as I much preferred the Romulus. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would probably be worth getting. Wayland Games, whom I bought the Romulus from, had a couple for sale, so I placed an order for one and here it is.

Sleek, Luxurious and Aggressive is a fitting description of the Augustus Luxury Car, much favoured by successful SLA Industries operatives.

This is a resin model and it came in six parts - the body, front grille and bumper bar and four wheels.

As with the Romulus, which it closely resembles, it has a very tall body and tiny windscreen and windows. From the front it looks angry and aggressive, all the better for those wanting to intimidate other road users.

As I mentioned in my review of the Romulus, the driver relies on advanced sensor technology to drive the vehicle and doesn't really need the windscreen at all.

The Augustus can comfortably seat five - the driver and four passengers. Note that it only has two doors, not four.

The dimensions of this car are 13.5cm (5.5") long by 7cm (2.75") wide by 3.5cm (1.5") tall.I painted it in gloss black paint to match the colour scheme of the Romulus Stretch Limo.

Here are a couple of photos showing the Augustus Luxury Car and the Romulus Stretch Limo side by side, with my figure of Vampifan to give a sense of their scale. I would imagine that these vehicles are very heavily armoured but have superb handling and goodness know what modifications and/or hidden weapons.

Now that I have the Augustus, I'm pleased that I made the decision to buy it when I did. Both vehicles will definitely see use in my The Ace of Spades Campaign and in future games of Judge Dredd. Note that Wayland Games no longer have these models in stock and I'm not aware of anyone else who sells them.

N.O.W. Supplement - Career Ops

I was recently contacted by author Michael Woods, who kindly sent me a PDF copy of his latest book called Career Ops, which is both a supplement and a scenario for the N.O.W. Role-Playing Game by EN Publishing. He asked if I'd mind reviewing it here on my blog and I was only too happy to oblige. Michael penned the excellent The Holds of Vendalyr for N.E.W. as well as the incredibly useful WOIN GM's Screen.

Career Ops: Job Fair #1 includes new careers, new equipment and vehicles, an add-on to the vehicle combat rules and a detailed scenario based upon the info included. Inside you'll find -

New Careers
The new careers include -
The Faller (aka Lumberjack or Logger)
Wilderness Guide 
Museum Curator (also, Curator of the Occult variant)
Offshore Roustabout (also, Circus Roustabout variant)
And a bonus career - Freestyle Watercraft Rider

Rules for Thaumaturgy
These are an optional spell-casting system based on Russ Morrissey's Sorcery option found in EONS#110.

New Equipment and Vehicles
These include a Felling Axe, a Heavy Duty Sledgehammer, a Flotation Jacket, a M151 Mutt Quarter Ton Jeep, an Ultra 300 Personal Watercraft, a 40' Convertible Canopy Powerboat and a CB90 Class Fast Assault Craft.

The Gaean Order
An eco-terrorist/militant insurgent organisation with stats for a leader and a standard operative.

Bedevilled by the Deep Blue Sea
A detailed adventure hook for 2-4 Grade 5 PCs. A storm is coming, and the PCs are tapped to rescue the crew of an off-shore oil rig before the storm hits. But, the Gaean Order means to stop them from seeing things on board that are best kept secret. Can the PCs survive the job?

Verdict
It is a well written supplement but how useful or essential it will be will very much depend upon what you're looking for. I liked the addition of the rules for sea-based vehicle combat as well as the stats for some boats. The Gaean Order are an interesting group of villains whom I could find use for. I doubt if I'll use the new Thaumaturgy rules. Of the new careers, the one I found most interesting and potentially useful, was the Museum Curator and its variant. The scenario is probably the best thing in the supplement. It is clearly aimed at a group of starting players but if you were running a more experienced group of players it wouldn't be too hard to beef up the difficulty level. For example, just include one Gaean Order Centurion to lead the bad guys.
This 20 page supplement costs $2.99 or £2.28 from DriveThru Games for the PDF copy, see here - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/254331/Career-Ops-Job-Fair-1

Repair Crew and Reporters

Seeing as I was so impressed with the Hong Kong Killer Fembots from Statuesque Miniatures (see here ) I decided to purchase some more figures from their sci-fi range and here they are.

First up are the repair crew. This set of four figures could be planet-based or work on a space station or a starship. I haven't decided how I'll be using them just yet and I haven't named any of them. I just finished painting them a week ago and wanted to showcase them as soon as possible.

At the left are two females. The one at the far left was a two-piece casting with her large tool bag a separate component. They all have torches held at the back of their belts except for the female second from the left who is holding her torch up in her left hand. Moving on, are a male with wrench and at far right, a male with a flame rifle. The flame rifle is a separate component. Strangely enough, in none of the WOIN rulebooks are there any stats for a flamethrower type weapon, but there are stats for an Incinerator Unit weapon in the Xenomorphs supplement (see p.15). I'll probably come up with my own stats for flame rifles, flame pistols and flamethrowers.

These next two figures are cameraman, Staz Carter, and reporter, Tallulah Caine. Despite looking like contemporary figures they are part of the Resistance Fighters range of sci-fi figures. They are certainly generic enough to be used in any setting from the 1960's to the far future. I'm undecided as to whether to use them in N.O.W., N.E.W. or Judge Dredd. These figures are both two-piece castings - Carter comes with a separate right arm and camera and Caine with a separate right hand and microphone.

Andrew Rae's sculpts are really beautiful and incredibly detailed. They are a bit pricey, with the repair woman holding the torch costing £4.25, the repair man with wrench and female with tool bag both costing £4.50 and the guy with the flame costing £4.75. You can, however, buy all four for the discounted price of £16.00, which is what I did (see here - http://www.statuesqueminiatures.co.uk/p/9280414/spl001-the-deck-department.html ). Carter and Caine cost £8.00 for the pair (see here - http://www.statuesqueminiatures.co.uk/p/8690578/sm017-tallulah-caine-and-carter.html ). I should mention that I received my figures the day after I placed my order, which is incredibly fast and efficient. I am very impressed with all of the figures that Statuesque Miniatures make and I'll certainly be placing further orders with them. These six 32mm scale figures that I've showcased here are versatile enough to be used in many a setting which makes them great value for money, in my opinion.

Starport Inspectors

Last month I bought and painted this set of five Starport Inspectors from Heresy Miniatures to use in either my The Ace of Spades Campaign or in a Judge Dredd scenario. These are the men and women who inspect starships when they dock at a starport, ensuring that everything is above board and legal. They are the sci-fi equivalent of today's customs officers and have similar sweeping powers. In short, you don't want to get on their wrong side. I've been eyeing this set up for a long time, and whilst I have no immediate use for them, they are such useful figures to have, and I'm sure I'll easily find a use for them. I haven't created any stats for them (yet) but I have given them all names.

At the far left is Bob Jones, a portly and elderly gent who no doubt has seen it all and got the T-shirt to prove it. He's relaxing with a mug of coffee or if in Mega City One, a mug of synthi-caf.
Next up is Camille Van Towe, the only female of the group. Being the youngest member of the group, she is keen to impress and will go strictly by the book.

In the centre is the team leader, Noel Johnson. Not much gets past him. He is firm but fair and is well respected. Note that all of the inspectors are armed with Phaser Pistols set to stun. These men and women are not combat specialists but if trouble occurs they will defend themselves.
Second from the right is Thomas Kane who appears to have spotted an irregularity and is contacting control to see how to proceed.
Finally, is Roger "Knuckles" Knox, the hard man of the team and an absolute stickler to the rules. You don't want to mess with any of them, but especially not "Knuckles."
I do love these figures, as each one appears to have a different personality. Although sold as inspectors, you could just as easily use them as corporate security guards. These are all available for sale from the Heresy webstore and are priced at £3.00 each or you can get all five in a special deal pack for just £12.00, which is the option I went for.