Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Starforged - campaign setup

 It's been a long time! I got sidetracked from painting minis due to various circumstances, the heat of summer being one of them. Recently I finally got around to starting a solo sci-fi RPG campaign, mostly using Starforged, but trying to keep things light, and a simplified version of the Mythic Game Master Emulator as needed, called One Page Mythic. The latter came from Mythic magazine.

The setup:

Fore Edge Campaign

Basic Premises

There is a vibrant mix of people and cultures.

There are many different alien species.

Settlements can be scattered and isolated, or abundant and near other settled places.

Discoveries await. Even in settled regions new things can be found.

The galaxy is full of wonder, ancient mysteries, space-faring creatures, startling phenomenon, and other marvels.

Despite any challenges, hope remains.


Truths

Laws: there are various governments and jurisdictions, laws vary, level of enforcement varies, etc.


Religions are as diverse as the people and cultures.

Many have no religion, or offer an occasional prayer out of habit. Others pay homage to the gods of their forebears as a way of connecting to their roots. Some idealize the natural order of the universe, and see the divine in the gravitational dance of stars or the complex mechanisms of a planetary ecosystem. And some now worship the Primordials—gods of a fallen people who once dwelt within the region, or precursor races.


Magic, or something like it, can be wielded by some people. There are likely different kinds of magic or psychic powers or other skills. Some may be specific to a given race or culture.


Communication: there is FTL communication, as well as slower forms of delivering data and information. Personal communicators and devices similar to cell phones/smart phones are also common.


Medicine is advanced, but may not be widely available in isolated locations. Still, ships will usually have some facilities, and people may have personal kits and supplies for healing and treating patients to some extent even in uninhabited places or in emergencies.


AI, robots, droids, etc., are common.


War: usually not widespread or large scale, but there may be wars, raids, and other actions at various levels. Most major factions and many minor factions will not be in a constant state of war.


Lifeforms: intelligent life, various flora and fauna, can be found in many places. Many planets and some moons can support life. There may be some lifeforms in space, too.


Precursors: previous civilizations have left traces behind. Ruins, artifacts, derelicts, etc., may be discovered in space and on planets, moons, asteroids, and other celestial bodies.


In addition to any of the above, there is scope for other stuff, events, places, things, etc.


Major Factions

Wide spread, found in many places, sometimes as the controlling power, sometimes as invaders, attackers, visitors, ambassadors, etc.


  • The Empire

  • The Federation

  • Orks


Minor Factions or Organizations

Could be widespread or could be limited to a few places or just one

Might be allied with a major faction or other minor factions, long term or temporarily

Might have rivalries and enemies

Might be generic, with similar groups found in many places, but not all from the same organization

(for example, each independent planet will have its own planetary forces0


  • planetary governments

  • corporations

  • crime gangs

  • pirates

  • some alien species (maybe space dwarves and space elves fit here?)


forces:

  • planetary defense

  • corporate security


Individuals

Big Bad Guys, Evil Overlords, leaders (good, bad, allies, friends, enemies, etc., usually leader of minor factions/orgs), other major characters and recurring characters


Main Player Character


Name: Mulligan Psmith Species: human
Explorer, Navigator
Backstory: Wanderlust
Character Goal: Gain Knowledge
stats:
Edge 2
Heart 1
Iron 1
Shadow 2
Wits 3

Starship: Found abandoned in perfect condition
Looks defenseless, but exterior panels open to reveal weapons
Hull rattles and groans in atmospheric flight (so, maybe not quite perfect condition? Ha ha)
Ship Name: the Wild Goose

Companion: utility bot 
10-Kr (Tinker)

Personal items:
1. Small collection of paper books – some favorite fiction books, which he likes to re-read occasionally; some non-fiction/reference books; other books?
May provide some comfort, relief, information
Roll to see if he has any books that may help in a given situation
If yes, +1 on some “Move” rolls

Mulligan Psmith and Tinker at the starport



Sunday, March 17, 2024

Orks in spaaace!

 These space ork pirates are from Meridian Miniatures, as part of a Kickstarter project. Sculpted by Kev Adams, who has sculpted orcs and goblins and other minis for the likes of GW and others for some time now. The figures were cast in metal, and are single piece minis with plastic bases. Fun to paint, and I'm always happy to add a few more characterful orcs or other types to my collection.




Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Even More Sci-fi Minis

 Here are a few Star Schlock minis, with very basic paint jobs. I am trying to decide if these are good enough, or if I want to do more with the helmets and shoulder pads on the militia/rebels/planetary defense.

some droids



Imperial bot



militia/rebels/planetary defense





Sunday, January 14, 2024

More Sci-fi Miniatures

 More from Star Schlock. These looked close enough to the troopers from a well-known franchise, so I used that as the basis for the paint job. Not very colorful, which in a way made them trickier to paint. 




Friday, December 22, 2023

Sci-fi Space Miniatures

 My latest is this squad of 8 Galacteer minis from Hydra, and some robots (the canine unit is from Hydra, the other two are from Star Schlock).





Thursday, November 16, 2023

A Few More Chibis

 The Deeproot Druid from Super Dungeon Explore and his bear form



Hearthsworn Fighter (dwarf hero) and Captain R (zombie pirate)

(with a cauldron from somewhere else; just wanted to get it off of the unpainted list)



Saturday, October 21, 2023

Rangers (or Bandits)

Various rangers from Midlam Miniatures. These are metal figures. I think they could also work as your typical wilderness bandits, too. Do they seem more foul or more fair?


I primed them in gray gesso; then did a heavy dry-brush in white gesso. Then blocked in mostly various greens and browns and fleshtones, and to be honest, wasn't super careful about getting the paint just right or within the "lines", as it were, figuring the next step would help cover up minor discrepancies. Next, I covered them in Army Painter's Light Tone wash. And after the wash, I painted the iron bits, such as the sword blades, and the gray of the arrow fletching. I think they don't look too bad for tabletop use.


17 of them was kind of a lot to paint at once, but for this lot it seemed to make sense to do it that way.