the ancible magazine issue 15

8/12/2019 The Ancible Magazine Issue 15

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THE

Your portal to Sci-Fi and Fantasy Gaming

Issue 15

the-ancible.com

Rogue Trader RPG

Cutlass I N S I D E

ISSN 2042-7727

Ancible

StrangeAeons

Star Trek Expeditions


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Kenny R

View from the Command Deck

T .he Ancible team headed out to Salute and thanks to theexcellent organisation we all got there in good time andjoined the ever growing que at the Excel. A funtastic timewas had by one and all and it nice to see so many people andget good feedback on our ongoing efforts. We met some oldfriends and hopefully made some new ones. Prize of the day had

to go to TWTs who had managed to persuade one of his friends to cattyall his purchases in his rucksack by telling him it was good training andwould keep him fit. Much respect TWTs. Things never seem to slowdown here and with a whole lot of new companies appearing and

existing companies expanding and adding to their ranges we are stillinundated with potential reviews and the like to do. In an effort to dosomething different we have all decided to try our hand at the RogueTrader RPG and Jez is going to be doinghis games master thing and reporting allthe nonsense we get up to. This shouldbe interesting and fun. I had mentionedthat I was going to be making the trip toGencon this year but that is now lookingunlikley but hopefully I can persuade oneof our colonial readers to do a report. Youmay have noticed that this issue is a bitlight thouigh, there is still a fair amount ofvaried content, this is down to me and andthe big crack that appeared in the middleof the office causing all work to stop for abit. Normal service will be resumed in thenext issue

Our aim is to introduce YOU to the games you dont

yet know

AncibleTHE

Magazine Team

Managing Director Kenny [email protected] Editor Christine [email protected] and Merchandising Simon [email protected] Review Writer Jez [email protected] Staff Writer Ian [email protected] Staff Writer Ian [email protected]

ContributorsAndy Walker, Spencer D Taylor

Article SubmissionsThe team welcomes ideas for articles and in the first instance youshould contact Kenny Robb ([email protected]) for some handyhints on submission. Please note that while every care is taken withyour submitted material we cannot be held responsible for any loss ordamage that may occur.

Artwork SubmissionsAre you a budding artist or are you already established? You shouldcontact Kenny Robb ([email protected]). We will take everycare with any work you send us but unfortunately we cannot be heldresponsible for any loss or damage that may occur.

ReviewsManufacturers and publishers are invited to send in samples of theirproducts for our team to review in the magazine.

mer: The publisher cannot be responsible for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text is the copyright of AKRtions. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are

ised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure that al l theation is correct at time of print, process, availability and specification may change. This magazine is independent and not affiliated iny with the companies mentioned herein.inions expressed in The Ancible are those of the authors alone and should not be construed to represent the opinion of the publisher.r Gun Carriage Battle Engine and related WARMACHINE elements 2001 - 2011 Privateer Press, Inc. Privateer Press,

MACHINE, Khador, and their logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc.


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The Ancible Issue 15 Cutlass Review

There are certain genres in miniatures wargamingthat seem to be neglected, and amongst those isone of my favorite eras of history; the golden age ofsail. That glorious time when massive ships sailed thehigh seas, empires expanded, new nations formed,exploration and discovery were around each corner.The other thing around each corner was pirates readyto rob every single ship they could blind. It seems likegood pirate based games are extremely hard to find;the only other one I can think of being FreebootersFate(which was covered back in issue 7). I wouldhave thought with the massive success of the Pirates

of the Caribbean films that more companies wouldhave gotten on the pirate ship and set sail towardsfortune.

Thankfully the good folks over at Black ScorpionMiniatures were kind enough to fill the void in mylife for pirate goodness with their fantasy pirategame Cutlass!, and is it ever a good one. Cutlassis a 28mm skirmish game based during the goldenage of sail, but with some unique twists. The

most obvious of which

being the fantasy racesdotted throughout. Rightaway I loved the premise

because Im a big fan ofboth fantasy and high seasadventure, so mixing thetwo so brilliantly as BlackScorpion have just makes

me endlessly happy.

The book is written by Adam Clarke(who happens torun the company) and a name that should be familiarto many in the wargaming community; Gav Thrope.

The game has seven different factions which playerscan choose from: Royal Navy, Pirates, Privateers,Dwarfs, Elves, Orcs and Goblins and the Undead.Each faction has its own special rules and skillsthat models can either start with or gain throughout

bySpencer D Taylor


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campaign play. Theres a nice variety in the choicebetween regular humans and fantasy races, andtheres even some extra stuff thrown in simply forthe sake of diversity such as the all-female pirategang(who dont actually have different stats, theyrejust a visual difference to set them apart). I really digthis because theres a good balance, and it still leaves

room for growth should Black Scorpion take that path.

The book comesin at 115 pages,but a goodportion of thosepages arentrules related soreally the rulesof the game,including ganglists, comes in ata little under 100pages. Thats agood size, to me,and consideringhow much iscrammed intothose 100 or sopages I must sayits a very tidy little package.

Theres one thing I dont normally discuss in myreviews, and thats the art inside books. Most timesI just sort of ignore it unless it really catches myeye(like Heavy Gear and Infinity have for example),but I just want to, very briefly, touch on the art inthis book. Its got a very old school 90s charm to itthat really takes me back to my youth. Much of theart inside the book reminds me of the old art fromWarcraft 2, although I am a little upset that its black

and white. Its a somewhatperplexing case, then, that

the cover art seems morestepped in realism than the art

found inside. Still; even withmy gripe about it not beingin color I cant help butlove the art inside simplyfor nostalgias sake.

Moving on thegame itself anyonewhos ever played

Mordhiem will be rather

familiar with how things go. You pick a gang from theseven factions, are given $500 to purchase modelsand weapons, and then you play and gain experience.It seems like a pretty straight forward concept, butMr. Thorpe and Mr. Clarke threw a few extra bits in togive the game a unique flavor.

Perhaps what makes this game most unique is how

it handles stats and characteristics. In a normalminiatures game youd expect a static number torepresent a models skill at a certain thing, such as aclose combat score of four. Well Cutlass does thingsdifferently from that. You see each model has a setof seven attributes: reactions, accuracy, combat,dexterity, constitution, damage and daring. Whatsets the game apart is that instead of having a staticnumber, the game uses different types of dice torepresent relative skill. So a model wouldnt have acombat score of four, hed have a combat score ofd4 meaning hed roll a 4-sided die when using hiscombat attribute. Its a really neat system which willbe familiar to anyone whos ever played the RPGSavage Worlds. Modifiers are handled differentlyas well. Instead of getting a flat +1 combat bonustheres two different modifiers; dice level and bonusdice. Dice level refers to the types of dice used, soa model attacking with a combat of d6 and gaining a+1 die level will instead roll a d8. As models get hurtduring games they actually get worse as their dicelevels go down from injuries. The other modifier,

bonus dice, is pretty self-explanatory; you get to rollextra dice. So a model using his combat skill of d6


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with a +1 bonus die will roll 2d6 and then pick thehighest value rolled. I have to say I am absolutely inlove with this system, and it adds so much varietyand really makes dice rolls important. Ive seen manya games where a single model can cleave througharmies simply because it has a higher static numberin an attribute. In Cutlass a model may have a d12(the

highest a models stat can go) in his accuracy buttheres still a good chance hell miss simply becauseof the nature of dice rolling.

So to begin a campaign in Cutlass you need to pickyour gang, and as mentioned above you start with$500 to purchase models and weapons. Each ganghas four entries for models which can be broadlycategorized as leader, officers, elite infantry andmooks(although the book prefers leader, seasonedhand, ordinary hand and lubber to be more piratesounding). Each gang must have a leader, obviously,and at least a single elite infantry/ordinary hand.

They can then buy up tofour officers/seasoned

hands and any number ofelite infantry or mooks from

that point on. Then youcan buy weapons for yougang varying from regularswords, to the famedcutlass, to muskets and

even some specialitems like powdermonkeys and

lucky charms.

Unfortunately this is one of the few areas I feel thegame falls a little short. Only having four categoriesof models to pick from feels really limited comparedto something like Mordhiem which some groupshad four different hero types alone. I know themechanics are different, but I just would have likedmaybe another one or two types of guys per gang

to add some more variety. Equipment has a fairlydecent variety at 22 items(if you split pistol and braceof pistols into two separate things) broken into twocategories; common and uncommon. Still it feels like

some of the items might be a bit similarin what they do given the fact that theyeither give you a bonus die or they add+1 level.

So now youve got your gang assembledand armed and ready to go, so lets get

into how to play the game already. Soonce you and your opponent are ready togo you can either pick an encounter(thegames name for scenarios) or someonecan roll a d8 and random determine theencounter to be played. Each encounterhas its own special rules and deploymentand so on and so forth.

Lets talk a little bit more about thosestats for a moment, because theyre very

important. So the first stat is reactions, which is oneof the most important stats in the game. You seewhen its not your turn and an enemy model doescertain things your models have the chance to reactand possibly steal the turn so you get to start goingagain(Ill explain how that works in a moment). So, forexample, if an enemy model comes within six inchesof one of your models that model may make a reactioncheck, rolling whatever die they have for reactionsand needing a four or better to succeed. If they passthen they get to react however you see fit, and itbecomes your turn. This means there can be a nearlyconstant back and forth of the active turn switchinghands as models make reaction rolls, and I thinkthats a really neat idea. One of the things that makesInfinity such an exciting game is its reaction system,and its really nice to see other games working thattype of thing in as well. It really does help prevent thegame from being boring when its not your turn. Thenext two stats are pretty self-explanatory; combatand accuracy. These are used for, no surprise, closecombat and shooting. After that is dexterity which isused mainly as a defensive roll when being shot at,


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but its also usedwhen trying todo acrobaticfeats or whensprinting. Nextis constitutionwhich is used

as a purelydefensive rollwhen trying toavoid takingdamage. Afterthat is damagewhich is thetype of die rolledwhen trying todamage a modelin close combat;which is then opposed by the target making aconstitution roll. Lastly is daring; which is this gamestake on morale.

So once youve deployed your gangs each playerrolls a die equal to a special stat only leaders have;authority. This authority roll is very important becauseit not only determines who goes first, but it alsodetermines the number of action points available toyour gang during that turn. Action points are handledrather interestingly in this game. As opposed toother games where each model might have actionpoints, in Cutlass the total action points representsthe number of models you may activate at that time.I know thats a little confusing, so let me give you anexample. If I roll and I get seven action points duringmy first activation I can spend one action point toactivate up to seven models, but all those modelsmust perform the same action; moving, shootingor fighting in close combat. What then happens

is I would move my actionpoints to six as I spent one

already to, for the sake ofsimplicity, move seven models

with my first action. Now Ican activate again, but thistime I can only activate upto six models who must allthen do the same action.

This means each timeyou activate youcan activate fewer

and fewer models,which means you need

to plan carefully. However you can lose the turn to

the other player if they make a successful reactionroll. If you succeed in reacting you reduce your actionpoints by one and then become the active player. Ifthe model fails, however, you still reduce your actionpoints by one and the model is given a surprisedtoken. The turn ends when either both players runout to action points or both players pass their turn.

I really like how they worked in action points, andthe being able to activate multiple models at a singletime really does help move the game along. Im also

a fan of the fact that your action total is determinedby your authority roll. I know a lot of people probablywont like that simply because it might seem toorandom, but its a fairly good way to represent thatsometimes not everyone is on the same page andthat things dont always work out how you hoped.

Once you spend an action point you declare whataction the models youre activating are going todo; move, shoot, fight in close combat or specialactions. You might have noticed that movement

wasnt one of the listed stats, and thats becauseeach model has a base movement of four inches.The only models exempt from this rule are the Elveswho can gain the Agility skill which gives them a +1to their speed, but not all the Elves start with this skillso in the beginning most of them will be moving thestandard four inches. The other model exempt fromthis rule is the Giant who has a movement of eightinches. I have to say this is another minor fault to meas Im just not a fan of a set movement speed foreverything. I get that some stuff may move the samespeed, but its always been one of the game design


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choices that rubbed me the wrong way. It doesntruin the game for me, but I still would have liked tosee movement values.

Now when moving a model can also opt to sprintover open ground. This is done by making a dexteritycheck and then checking the corresponding table.This table will tell you how far you get to move duringyour sprint, but theres always the chance that youremodel will roll poorly and only get to move d4 inchesand get a stunned token in the process. Its justone more thing that adds chance to this game, andIm actually a pretty big fan of that(mostly becausetheres few things I love more than rolling dice).

The next action available to models is to fire anyranged weapons they may have; be it a pistol, musketor other type of weapon. To do this you must, ofcourse, have line of sight to your target. Models mustbe able to see at least 25% of their target if they wishto shoot it, using good old true line of sight. For thosewho might not be entirely familiar with true line of

sight; it boils down prettysimply to getting down

to a models eye view of thetable. If you can see more than

25% of the model you wantto shoot then youre free to

open fire. If you have lineof sight then you checkthe range based on thefiring models accuracy.

This means thebetter a modelsaccuracy the long

the ranges it has, which

can really be a game changer when it comes downto trying to snipe the enemy leader. There are threedifferent ranges; point blank, normal and long withno weapons being able to fire beyond 32 inches. Thetwo listed ranges with the accuracy are the pointblank and the long range. Point blank is the listedrange and closer, while long is the listed range and

further. Normal range is anything in between the two.So, for example, if a model is firing with an accuracyof a d6 then his point blank is 0-6 inches, his long willbe 16-32 inches and anything in between those twois his normal range. Firing at point blank gives you +1level, and long range is -1 level. So once you establishany modifiers from range, cover and the weaponyoure ready to shoot. Like most rolls in Cutlass thisis a face-to-face roll between the two players; theshooter rolling their accuracy and the target rollingtheir dexterity. One of the beauties of this game isthat the dice rolls are open ended meaning that ifyou roll the highest value on the die then you get toroll again and add that to the first roll. This means

that, with someluck, even thelowliest mookcan take out amore powerfulmodel. Onceboth rolls aremade andtotals talliedup you takethe shootingmodels rolland subtractthe defendingmodels roll andconsult a chart.On a 0 the attack

misses, a 1-4 is a regular hit and a 5+ is a critical hit

which lets you roll two dice on the damage roll(whichIll explain later).

Of course shooting isnt for everyone, and for thosewho like to be a bit more personal in your fightingyou can engage your enemies in close combatlike a true pirate. Close combat works on a slightlymore complex level than ranged combat, but aftera few goes at it isnt so bad. Models get modifiersbased on being injured, attacking from outside thedefenders 90 degree front arc, weapons and so

forth. Before any attacks are made if the attacker isin the defenders front arc the defending model may


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attempt to parry. They roll a dexterity roll and checkthe chart to see what happens. They can fumble andgive the attacker an extra combat die, the can just fail,they can parry and get a bonus die for their combatroll or they can feint which gives them 2 bonus diceto their combat roll. Once all modifiers have beenaccounted for both models roll their combat skill, and

you once again check a corresponding table. On thetable you see where the two rolls intersect and thatwill tell you the result of the attack. There are severaloutcomes during an attack roll; miss, hit, critical,injured, taken out, counter and riposte. Injured andtaken out cause immediate effects without having toroll for damage, while hit and critical work similarlyto ranged combat. The interesting ones in closecombat are counter and riposte. Counter allows thedefender to make an immediate attack or to walkaway from the combat after passing a 4+ reactionroll, and regardless of which you do you dont spendany actions to do so. Riposte does the same thingbut without the needed roll. The best part is that ifyou get a counter or riposte result the active turnswitches over to your gang.

Now that youve managed to hit your enemy itstime to see if you can hurt them. To do this theattacking player rolls a die equal to the damage oftheir attack(the damage of ranged weapons is listedin their profile while hand-to-hand always uses thedamage stat of the model), and the defender rolls aconstitution check. Once the rolls have been madeyou once again consult a table and check the result;no effect, stunned, injured or taken out. Stunnedmodels take a -1 level to all tests and cant makereactions, but at the end of each turn they can rolla d6 and on a 4+ they get rid of their stun token.Injured models also take a -1 level to tests, but theycan still react. Taken out means the model has

fallen unconscious and isjust lying on the battlefield.

Models which are takenout cannot do anything and

any tests they do have tomake are made on a d4. Ifa model is injured whilealready having a taken outtoken they are removed

from play.

Models can also, during their activation, performspecial actions. These special actions include thingslike dragging friendly models to safety, hiding whilein terrain to make it even more difficult for the enemy

to see you, reloading weapons and so on.Now one thing you might have noticed during thisreview is how often I mention referencing tables andcharts, and I feel like this is where the game really rubsme the wrong way. This game is just loaded with tablesand charts to check seemingly every time a modelwants to do something. I can understand where theywere coming from since there are so many opposedrolls in the game, but I cant help but feel that perhapsthere was an easier way that didnt involve upwards

of a dozen different tables. Theres even more when


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you get intothe campaign,but those onesIm willingto let off thehook becausetheyre all post

game stuffas opposedto beingc o n s t a n t l ychecked duringthe middle ofthe game. Itsa shame, too,because allthe charts andtables really do

seem to bog the game down a bit and keep it frombeing everything I had hoped it would be. Dont letmy words fool you; this is still a fun game with somereally good concepts, but I just feel its a little marredby all the tables.

Moving past all that doom and gloom that we getinto the real prize of Cutlass; the campaign system.Ive said it time and again in my articles here that Iam a huge fan of games with campaign systems; Ilove the idea of a coherent story with my wargames,and its even better when I get to actually write thatstory. I feel the campaign is really where Cutlass, andother games like it, shine. One of the neat twists thatCutlass has in its campaign system is the inclusionof a home base which players can buy additions forto give them bonuses. You can buy a storehouse soif a model dies instead of losing all their gear it justgoes to the storehouse, a lockup to keep prisonersin, a surgical building to help with post game injury

rolls and so on.

You may have noticedthe mentioning of prisoners,

and thats because in thisgame you can take captives

and then ransom themback to their owners. Ortry to convert them. Oryou can just kill them and

skip all the hassle. Ithink this is a neatlittle inclusion as it

adds player interaction

in the post-game sequence as well, and it also addsa really neat little narrative touch. One gang keepscapturing your guys and ransoming back to you formoney? Capture one of theirs and make an exampleof him with a swift execution. Its a great way tostart in game grudges, and I have to say I was prettysurprised to find it in the book.

Another really interesting part of this game is thefame/infamy mechanic. Basically how it works itwhen you build your gang you decide if you wantto be famous or infamous, and then through certainactions in games to can either gain fame or infamy.Such actions include things as kicking modelswhile their down, executing prisoners, and winningencounters. By moving up or down the fame/infamytrack gangs gain benefits as well as making it somembers from that gang can be ransomed or have

bounties collected. Being famous or infamous alsoallows you to buy certain upgrades to your homebase, which is a nice touch. I think its a really coollittle mechanic that didnt need to be included, butagain adds such character to the game and a goodamount of story to the gangs being played.

The final important part of gameplay is the end game,or the final reckoning. When a gang reaches either ahigh enough fame or infamy, has amassed enoughwealth, or gotten enough fighters then the final

reckoning begins. This is a tournament style end-all-be-all fight to see who the most powerful gang onthe island is. This is handled the same way manysports handle it; the most powerful gang(determinedby multiplying their fame converting infamy topositives- by ten and adding their total value in cash)fights the least valuable, and so on. This basicallyworks as single elimination knock-out fight withthe last gang standing taking control and winningthe campaign. Its nice to see an actual end-gameas most games seem to just say whenever youredone, pick a winner. Black Scorpion really wantedto make sure a definitive winner is decided, and Ilove the way they chose to do it. It makes it so themost powerful gang isnt automatically the victor;everyone fights at the end to be the best of the best.

The last thing I want to discuss is the models,and how much I love them. Black Scorpion makes animpressive range of miniatures for this game(as wellas other ranges such as fantasy football, wild westand a few others), and the designs I just love. TheNavy, pirates and privateers are about what youd


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expect; looking as they did historically. The Undeadlook fantastic and creepy with tattered clothes andskulls for faces and skeletal hands gripping theirweapons. The Dwarfs are short and stout with theirbeards, and thankfully only one of them is holdingan axe. The Elves are a neat subject; they look reallygood, but at the same time theyre sort of ugly. I dont

mean this in a bad way, though; when I say they lookugly I mean the Elf models dont look like a bunch ofpretty boys who dont belong on a pirate crew. Theylook tough and rugged while still looking like Elves.The Orcs look like Orcs tend to, and the Goblinslook plenty silly with their giant ill-fitting hats. Thentheres the Giant, and words almost cant describethe sheer beauty of that model. It looks like a properlumbering behemoth of a thing with a ships anchorin one hand, a person hanging from his belt(which isproper scale, so this thing is huge), and it just looksso good.

Overall I am very impressed with Cutlass, and it reallydid turn out to be everything I wanted. FreebootersFate always looked great to me(the Amazon modelskeep tempting me into spending my money), but thediceless system always turned me off a bit. Cutlassgives me not only 28mm skirmish Pirate combat,but it also lets me roll dice and use Black Scorpionsbeautiful models at the same time. For all my

complaining about how many tables there are I cantreally say I dont recommend the game. Beyond theamount of tables the game is extremely well done andvery solid, and theres plenty of room for expansionwith new gangs, more types of members for gangs,more characters and just more of everything really.The campaign system is beautifully done with the

fame and infamy mechanic, the fact theres playerinteraction in the post-game and the final reckoningwas spot on.

So for all my minor gripes with the game I still haveto give it the thumbs up and highly recommend it toanyone out there looking for fantasy skirmish gameswith a new twist. The book will run you 20 Poundswith models of varying prices so at the very least Isuggest giving the book a look over and checking outBlack Scorpions impressive selection of miniatures.

This game can only get better with new content, andif this does well perhaps we can expect more gamesfrom the kind folks at Black Scorpion games. Its agreat game with tons of potential, and if youre likeme and love the age of piracy with a healthy doseof fantasy, and want something that doesnt requirea whole lot of models from the start, then I wouldsay that Cutlass is just the game youre looking formatey.


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The Ancible Issue 15 On the Spot - Andy Walker

Andy Walker How did you get into the hobby?

When I was about 12-13 years old, one of my bestfriends got a copy of Heroquest. Other than readingthe Hobbit at primary school, I had never really gotinto Fantasy before, so this was something new andexciting (for us geeky types who thought swinginga sword around was cool). We then moved on toAdvanced Heroquest and into Warhammer FantasyBattle. I dropped out of the hobby when I was atUniversity, but picked it up again around 5 years ago

with a Crimson Fists army for Warhammer 40K. Idbought and painted some miniatures from othergames in the past, the now defunct Warzone inparticular, but never really left the comfort zone ofGW up until relatively recently. Then this Scottishchap turned up at work, convinced me to write forhim and now Im painting just about everything I canget my hands on...

What was your first model?

The first model I painted was a Dwarf warrior from theAdvanced Heroquest paint set, hes been strippedand repainted sometime in the past, but in honourof him, I painted another recently. Hes a classic GWdwarf from the 80s, with chainmail, long beard andhorned helmet.

What has been your biggest challenge on thepainting front?

Overcoming the fear when confronted with a largeor complex model. Im a procrastinator at the bestof times, but when faced with a difficult model, orone that I know I have to pull out all the stops on,I get so anxious about painting it, I put it off andpaint something easy (usually a GW Space Marine,because theyre really easy) rather than face up tothe challenge straight away. Im getting better at

overcoming the fear, but now I just get more andmore challenging miniatures to paint (thanks Kenny!).


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What do you get asked to do most?

Lord of the Rings miniatures Ive always felt thatthe Peter Jackson movies pulled our hobby outof the shadows and into the light, and the GamesWorkshop Lord of the Rings miniatures are suchgreat representations of the characters in the films,and are now recognisable and part of our popularculture.

Ive also been asked for Doctor Who stuff, particularlythe TARDIS. I painted one for a departing colleague,possibly the biggest Dr Who fan Ive ever known,as a leaving gift from the team, and Ive had severalpeople asking for one of their own. Unfortunately Ineed to build myself up to painting POLICE BOX4 times in tiny lettering, so any new ones may be awhile off.

What is your Favourite model of all time and why?

I really dont have one a few years ago it wouldprobably have been one of Games Workshops Eldarmodels, but theres so much out there it would beimpossible to pick just one.

What would be your ultimate achievement?I think Ive already done it writing painting articlesfor a magazine read by thousands of people aroundthe world has always been something Ive wantedto do, and I thought blogging was as close as I wasgoing to get. To win a Golden Demon, Crystal Brushor any other painting trophy would be fantastic, buttheres something incredibly satisfying seeing yourwork, and your words about it, in print.

If someone was starting the hobby or was alreadyin the hobby and looking to improve their skillswhat advice would you give them?

Learn the Basics, Read/research, Practice,Experiment/record.

Learn the Basics: Learn to walk before you run andget the basics right. All the fancy techniques workbest when you start with a smooth, solid, neat basecoat. Shading and highlighting will cover up someflaws, but its much easier if you get the foundations

of the colour right in the first place.


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Read/research: When I first started out, I had onevery thin painting guide from Games Workshop thatcame with the Advanced Heroquest paint set, andthe odd article in White Dwarf and that was it. SoI really only had a few techniques and I stuck withthem for quite a few years. Now with the growthof the hobby and the internet, newcomers to the

hobby have everything they need to learn the basicsand carry on all the way through to the advancedtechniques used by the top miniature painters. Thereis so much out there to read (and watch now witheverything on YouTube), I cant think of any questionthat hasnt been answered!

Its not just technique either, theres a lot you canresearch Ive found Osprey books to be great forcolour schemes, Ive used Google images for rusteffects and taken random photos when Ive seen acolour combination or piece of architecture Ive liked.Museums are great too.

Practice: Learning the theory is all well and good, butlike every hobby, pastime, skill, etc it takes plenty ofpractice to get good at painting. Ive also found thatif I take a break from it for more than a few weeks, ittakes me a while to get back into the swing of things,so keep going with it, even if its just for half an hourevery other day.

Experiment/record: One of the great things aboutminiature painting is that theres no one right way todo it, and its a great when you find a new way to dosomething and call it your method. Ultramarines areblue and Khador are red, but there are many differentshades of each colour, and many different ways ofpainting them. However, its a really good idea to

make a note of what youve done its very frustratingto come up with that great colour on a model, andthen not remember what you used when you wantto do it again. Always have a notepad somewherehandy, or make a note of it on your smart phone,or blog about it if youve found something good,share it!

Give us one secret to good painting that you have.

Its not really a secret, because most people will tellyou the same, but invest in some decent brushes,and look after them. Dont use your best brushesto drybrush, or overload them with paint, and getsome brush soap to clean them with. Good qualitybrushes make the painting experience much morepleasurable and you have much more control overwhat you do with the paint.

Dont ask me how it works, Ive just accepted that itdoes...


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What games do you play?Warhammer 40,000 has been my main game for quitea while now, but thanks to The Ancible, Ive spreadmy wings a bit. Last issue showed my disastrousleadership of an Aquan Fleet, a wrong which maynever be righted, and Ive been getting into somegreat board games recently, notably MunchkinQuest, Gears of War and Pandemic.

The phrase Im an artist not a fighter sounds a bitwet, but Ive definitely been more of a painter thanplayer in the past. That situation may be changingthough, as I have a warband for Bushido painted up,a crew for Malifaux in progress, and a Warmachinearmy on the way.

I also have a hellgun toting arch-militant characterrolled up for the Rogue Trader role-playing game,ready for my first ever role-playing session with theAncible team.


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Other than your home, what is the most expensivething you have ever bought?

The car. This year my wife and I bought a Kia SoulHunter, I think this is the perfect name for a carowned by a couple of people who are so obsessedwith Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Ive been informed Im not allowed to paint any skullson it though...

Do you have any models on your desk at work?

No, bearing in mind how my desk usually looks afterthe cleaners visit it, I wouldnt dare leave any modelson it.

What was the last book you read?

The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding, its the third inthe Tales of the Ketty Jay series and it could bethe best of the three so far its eighteenth centurypirates meets not-very-tech-heavy Sci-Fi in the air(but not in space), with lots of humour, action andgreat story-telling. Retribution Falls is the first in theseries.

I thoroughly recommend it.

Whats on your iPod?

Mumford and Sons, Bellowhead, Laura Marling,The Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveller, JonathanCoulton, Barenaked Ladies. Ive been getting intoFolk type music a lot recently, while having JonathanCoulton on there helps top up my Geek Cred.Whats your favorite movie of all time?

I dont really have one in particular, but if I had tochoose one it would probably be Bladerunner (Imnot fussy about the cut). I just love the atmosphere,the technology imagined, the soundtrack.

However, there are so many other movies that comeclose:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Hot FuzzIndiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Matrix

300

...and I could probably name 20 others at least


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Do you have a gaming/painting room at home?

Oh yes, early last year I decided I need my own spaceto paint, and so I have a number of desks along onewall of a spare bedroom, with lots of shelves andstorage. In the past, sitting down to paint miniatureswould involve a lot of setting up, which can be a littleoff putting, especially when you know you have toput it all away again both activities eat into preciouspainting time. Now I just walk in the room, pop acouple of lids open, and Im ready to go.

We are also cat owners - if you can ever own acat, its more a case of them gracing you with theirpresence in your home. Our two, Hex and Ponder,see everything on my painting table as a potentialtoy, whether its a pot of paint, a fragile miniature ora sharp knife! So its really important that I can shutmy hobby away from meddling paws.


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The Ancible Issue 15 Start Trek ExpeditionsIn the Boxwith Kenny Robb

Captains log: Stardate 2259.26 - The Enterprisehas entered orbit around Nibia, responding to aninvitation from the Nibian government to opendiscussions about the planet joining the UnitedFederation of Planets. However. Now that theEnterprise has arrived, we find the President ofNibia less happy to see us than the invitationsuggested, and Mr Spock has detected evidencethat another star ship may have recently been inorbit. Im beaming down to the planet with MrSpock, Dr. McCoy and Communications OfficerUhura to begin the negotiations, and find outwhats changed the Nibians attitude towards theFederation.

Welcome to Star Trek Expeditions! You arenow in the shoes of Captain Kirk and his fellowofficers of the USS Enterprise. In addition to yourdiplomatic duties, you must investigate why theKlingons are so interested in Nibia. You will beamdown to the planet, uncover numerous challengesand mysteries, and attempt to survive as dramaticevents unfold on the planet and the the Klingonfleet approaches.

The balance of power between the Federation andthe Klingon Empire rests on the outcome of yourmission. Can you succeed?


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The Ancible Issue 15 Start Trek Expeditions

Before we begin there are a couple of things to beaware of. Firstly I am a massive Star Trek fan, doesntmatter which series, which ship, which film. I lovethem all in their own way. I dont think you can takeone series over the other as they all have somethingunique to offer the discerning trekker.

It was with a falling heart that I went to watch thenew prequel Star Trek movie and despite having abang up to date and very trendy cast I did think tomyself, has Hollywood committed the ultimate sinand ruined the whole thing. Should I have beenworried, well of course I should, was it founded, noit wasnt. In my opinion they did a very good job ofsetting up an alternative timeline for movies and allsorts of other merchandise. This leads us nicely ontothe subject of this review. I had been involved withWizkids in the past, before the magazine started and Ialways found their attitude to the games and gamersto be second to none. So it was with excitement thatI got my hands on a copy of Star Trek Expeditions.

Things were looking good for this as the movie onwhich it was based was good and the company

responsible for production have always exceededmy expectations in any dealings I had with them.

Enough scene setting, on with the review.

Like all gamers, when I buy a game I like to feelthe quality, or at least the weight of the box whichpromises all the gaming goodness that might belurking inside, and on this front Star Trek expeditionsby Reiner Knizia published by Wizkids games doesnot disappoint. You can be in no doubt that this game

is based on the new film as the graphics splashedall over the outside of the box are straight from thefilm posters. The box its self is sturdy and well-constructed which I feel today should be the norm,there is no excuse with modern manufacturingtechniques. This particular box looks and feels like itcould quite happily go off to war and return withouta scratch. Also the smell of a new game is justintoxicating or is it just me?

Now that I have had that little private moment it is time

to actually open the box and see whats inside. As I


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Playing the game

Once you start playing the game it all start to happenaround you and with the time ticking and multiplethings to manage it take quite a bit of leadership andco-operation to achieve a successful conclusion. Youall start on the ship and firstly you have to decide

do you bean down to the planet or stay on the shipand fight the Klingons. The more characters who areon the ship during an attack then better but if youdont get down onto the planet and start solving thevarious missions and sub missions then you are notgoing to succeed.

The planet is represented by a number of sectionson the main board and as part of the setup onemission card and one token is placed face down ineach section.

So let us suppose we leave the Enterprise to fendfor its self for a bit and we beam down to the planet.Each character has a number of actions they canperform as well as a number of skills. These skills willbecome clearer later on in the mission so to speak.

Before each character takes their turn you draw anenergize card that will dictate what is happeningfrom the number of actions your character has thatturn to the amount of in game time that passesand not forgetting whether the Klingons attack theEnterprise or not. Your character can then use theseactions to do a number of things from beaming tosolving missions or performing their special actionslike healing other characters (in the case of Dr.McCoy)

Each mission have certain criteria that must be metby using your characters stats, some extra bonusesand a roll of the dice which will determine whether ornot you are successful. Depending on how successfulyou are will also determine how many victory pointsyou get. You can also loose points for failure. Yourcharacter stat line is a combination of the click value

on the base of the character plus bonuses if yourcharacter matches the colour of the mission (red -engineering, yellow - command/diplomacy or blue- science) obviously each character has a specialistarea. There are further bonuses but I am not going togo into them as that might spoil the game a bit butneedless to say these fit in with the characters youare playing.

Completing the mission will result in a number ifvictory points and either a special token or it open

up the next part of the three main missions youhave complete. Deepening on how well you did willdictate the next part of the mission.

You continue doing this until either you finish all themission, time runs out, the Enterprise gets destroyedor all your characters get killed.

The mechanics of this game are brilliant, fiendishand on the easiest of the levels it is fairly easy towin though, there have been a couple of occasionswhere the game has gotten the best of us. On thesecond and third levels it is nearly impossible to win,or at least it has been for us and the missions areusually over fairly swiftly. I believe that the game haslongevity up to the point where you start to win every


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time on level 3. I mentioned the expansion set earlierwhich introduced another three characters thoughWizkids recommend only using one extra characterbut this could mean that you play a mission withoutthe captain for instance and that makes some of themissions very hard because without his unique skillssome of the missions become very tricky.

I am hoping that at some point there may be anotherexpansion that has a new set of mission cards whichwould further extend the longevity.

In conclusion

For all the fans of the Star Trek Universe this game isone way to play games with your favourite charactersand that in its self will persuade a lot of people tobuy the game. For the more hardened gamers thisgame offers a level of challenge that will have youand your friends staying up till after midnight withthe cries of Just one more game please At a cost

of around 37 you get something that is completeand ready to play with 3 friends and the expansioncosting around 13 will allow you add another friend.Buying the whole lot is just about the same price asstarting a table top skirmish games with 1 of friendso it is great value for money. Co-operation gamesare a lot of fun and you could do a lot worse than

go out and pick up a copy of Star Trek Expeditions. Iknow I did.


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The Ancible Issue 15 Club Gaming Network

The Ancible Issue 6

LONDONTanelorn Wargames ClubLeytonstone & District Ex-Servicemens Club,Harvey Road, London, E11 3DBSunday [email protected]

The Good the Bad and the BromleyUnit 21, The Mall, Bromley, BR1 1TSTuesday 5pm-9pmwww.thegoodthebadthebromley.comthegoodthebadthebromley@live.co.uk

The North London ImpsGordon Hall, Huntley Drive, West Finchley,London, N3 1NXMonday 7.30pm-10.30pmwww.northlondonimps.comdakommittee@northlondonimps.comSOUTH EASTBedford GladiatorsNorth End Working Mens Club, Bedford, MK417TWMonday [email protected]

Gravesend Gamers GuildThe Three Daws Public House, 7 Town Pier,Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0BJ.Wednesday 6.30pm-9.30pmwww.gravesendgamersguild.co.ukzenga@blueyonder.co.uk

Bognor Regis Gaming AsociationNewtown Sports and Social Club, Bognor Regis,PO21 5EUTuesday [email protected]

Brighton WarlordsKing and Queen Pub, 13-17 Marlborough Place,Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UBMonday [email protected]

Chelmsford BunkerChelmsford Police Sports & Social Club, St.Margarets Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6DA.Wednesday 6.30pm-10.30pm

www.bunkerassault.co.uk

[email protected]

Gambit GamesSt. Leonard?s Church Hall, Glebe Villas, Hove

East Sussex BN3 [email protected]

Newmarket KnightsStudlands Park Community Centre, BrickfieldsAvenue, Newmarket CB8 7RXAlternate Fridays [email protected]

Outpost 47

The Seven Sisters Pub, Alfriston Road, Seaford,East Sussex, BN25 3JFTuesday [email protected]

Phoenix Gaming ClubThe Scout Centre, Skinners Hill, WellingboroughRoad, Rushden, NN10 9YETuesday [email protected]

Southend Toy Soldiers ClubSouthend High School for Boys, PrittlewellChase, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RGThursday [email protected]

Walberton WargamersThe Pavilion, The Street, Walberton, Arundel,West Sussex BN18 0PQFriday 7.30pm-10.30pmwww.walbertonwargamers.org.uk

[email protected] Wells Wargames SocietySpeldhurst Village Hall, Speldhurst, TunbridgeWells, Kent, TN3 [email protected]

Club Directory


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SOUTHBracknell Forest GamersSt Pauls United reform Church, Bracknell, RG129LPMonday [email protected]

The Oxford Gaming ClubBotley Baptist Church, Westminster Way, Botley,Oxford OX2 0LWMonday [email protected]

Abingdon Wargames ClubNeave Room, Abingdon Conservative Club,OX14 5AGFriday 6.30pm-10pmwww.abingdonwargames.org.uksteve@evanssteve.wanadoo.co.uk

Armageddon IncReggie Goves Centre, Pauls Row, HighWycombe, Bucks, HP11 2HQMonday [email protected]

Sad Muppet Society, TheGlebe Hall, Church Square, Basingstoke, RG217QWTuesday [email protected]

Spiky ClubRPOSSC, 6 Richfield Avenue, Reading,Berkshire, RG1 8EQThursday [email protected]

Guildford Games Club

Park Barn Centre, Park Barn Dr, Guildford GU28ENMonday [email protected]

SOUTH WESTBeast and BionicsPoldark Inn, Delabole Cornwall, PL33 9DQThursday 6.30pm-10pms6.zetaboards.com/[email protected]

Calne Gaming ClubChurch House, 30 Church Street,Calne SN11 0HUMonthly - see [email protected]

Dice and Dagger Gaming Club, The

Stratton Hall, Union Hill, Stratton, Bude,Cornwall, EX23 9BBSunday [email protected]

Exeter InquisitionFountain Room, St. Sidwells Centre, SidwellStreet, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6NNTuesday 6pm-10pmexeter-inquisition.orgvia website

Rygas RoughnecksWhipton Institute Social Club, Whipton VillageRd, Exeter, Devon EX4 6AWWednesday 6pm-11pmwww.rygasroughnecks.com

Swindon and District WargamersMoredon Community Centre, 1 The Street,Swindon, SN25 3ERWednesday 7pm-11pmwww.sadwargamers.com

[email protected] Cornwall Games ClubSt Just Methodist Church Hall, Chapel Street, StJust, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 7BBThursday [email protected]

MIDLANDS1st Company Veterans

Warhammer World, Nottingham, NG7 2WSThursday [email protected]

Celler DwellersLaser Zone, 29 St Johns Road, Huddersfield,HD1 [email protected]


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COGS-Chesterfield Open Gaming SocietyThe Parish Centre, Stonegravels, 91 SheffieldRoad, Chesterfield, S41 7JH.Alternate Wednesdays [email protected] Hall, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1ARMonday 7pm-10pm

Da Wot NottsWarhammer World, Nottingham, NG7 2WSWednesday [email protected]

KIA Games ClubKirkby-in-Ashfield Library, Ashfield Precinct,Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7BQAlternate Saturdays [email protected]

Nuneaton Model and Games ClubThe Cube, Methodist Church Hall, EdwardStreet, Nuneaton, CV11 5RHSunday [email protected]

Sutton ImmortalsAll Saints Church Centre, Belwell Lane, FourOaks, B74 4TRThursday 7pm-10pm

http://z7.invisionfree.com/SuttonImmortals/ [email protected]

Tamworth Games ClubCentral Methodist Church, 18 Glyndebourne,Tamworth, B79 7UDWednesday [email protected]

Warlords of WalsallHatherton United Reform Church, HathertonRoad, Walsall, WS1 1XS

Friday 6pm-10pmwww.freewebs.com/[email protected]

Derby Wargames SocietyRoyal British Legion, 85 Chellaston Road,Allenton, DE24 9AFMonday 7pm-11pmderbywargamessociety.combencurry@derbywargamessociety.co.uk

Ripley Terror Troopers

Ripley Library, Grosvenor Road, Ripley,

Derbyshire, DE5 3JEAlternate Thursdays [email protected]

Leicestershire Warrior Wargaming ClubArnesby Village Hall, Mill Hill Road, Arnesby,Leicester, LE8 5WG2nd & 4th Wed 6.30pm-9.30pm

www.lwwc.co.ukVia website

NORTHDoncaster WildcatsThe Leopard, 2 West St, Doncaster DN13AAMonday [email protected]

East Cleveland WarsmithsSt Margarets Eductaion Centre, Brotton,

Cleveland, TS12 2PJSunday [email protected]

Hulls AngelsUnit 2, Grimston Street, Hull, HU1 3HGWednesday 4pm-9pm & Saturday [email protected]

Leeds Games ClubHeadingley Community Centre, Inner Ring Rd,Leeds, LS6 3HGThursday [email protected]

Leeds Nightowls Gaming ClubHeadingley Community Centre, Inner Ring Rd,Leeds, LS6 3HGSunday [email protected]

Middlesborough Gamers ClubSt Marys Centre, 82-90 Corporation Road,Middlesbrough, TS1 2RWTuesday & Thursday [email protected]

Northumbrian Adventurers GuildSt Cuthberts Church Hall, Bridge St, Blyth,Northumberland NE24 2AASunday 12pm-7pmwww.anythingbutaone.com

[email protected]


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Redcar IronbeardsCoatham Memorial Hall, 7 Coatham Rd, Redcar,Cleveland TS10 1RHMonday 7pm-10pmwww.ageofstrife.com/[email protected]

York Garrison Wargaming Club

Burton Stone Community Centre, EvelynCrescent, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 6DRTues & Wed [email protected]

NORTH EASTGobstyks Gaming ClubSt Andrews Church Hall, Garmston Street,Lincoln, LN2 1HZThursday [email protected]

Lost Boys Wargaming ClubAinsdale Methodist Church, Ainsdale, Southport,PR8 3NQTuesday [email protected]

NORTH WESTCoppull and Chorley Knights

St Marys Parish Centre, West Street, offDevonshire Road, Chorley, Lancs. PR7 2SJThursday [email protected]

Winsford WarhawksThe Edge, Winsford, CW7 1QSTuesday 6.30pm-9.30pmwinsfordwarhawks.forumotion.comwinsfordwarhawks@hotmail.co.uk

WESTGatekeepers Wargames ClubThe Gateway Education and Arts Centre, ChesterStreet, Shrewsbury, SY1 1NBFriday 6.30pm-10pmwww.gatekeepers.me.uk

Telford STAGSHadley Scout Hut, Cyril Hayward Court, Hadley,Telford, TF1 5NBAlternate Sundays 12pm-4.30pmwww.freewebs.com/[email protected]

SCOTLANDDunfermline Wargaming and Roleplaying FellowshipThe Del Farquharson Centre, Netherton BroadSt., Dunfermline KY12 7DSFriday 6pm-9pmwww.freewebs.com/[email protected]

The Gaming KingdomThe Meeting Place, Keith Crescent, Leuchars, StAndrews, Fife, KY16 0JXMonday [email protected]

Kirriemuir Wargames ClubThe Guide Hall, The Roods, Kirriemuir, DD8 4EZ2nd Friday of the month [email protected]

Livingston BattlegroundLanthorn Community Centre, Kenilworth Rise,Dedridge, Livingston, EH54 6NYSaturday [email protected]

St Aidans Warriors

St Aidans Scottish Episcopal Church, MearnsRoad, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 7EUSunday 7pm-11pmwww.ukclubs.org/info/[email protected]

Stirling WargamersOchil Community Hall, Ochil Crescent, Stirling,FK8 1QJThursday 6pm-10pmstirlingwargamers.50webs.cominfo@stirling-wargamers.org.uk

WALESBridgend Games ClubGilead Chapel Hall,Coity, Nr.Bridgend,BridgendCounty CF35 6AUSunday [email protected]

To get your club into the GCN register, [email protected].


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The Ancible Issue 15 Strange Aeons

This isMadness!

by Marijn Bierhof

Back in Ancible #5 I reviewed the game StrangeAeons. Its a simple game, being a mix of H.P.Lovecraft, X-Files and Pulp gaming. Its lots of funand a great one to play with many people and atevents. Fortunately for the fans, Strange Aeonshas three expansions by now. In this review I willlook into the three expansions to check if they areworth the price.

The three expansions are: Shocking Tales #1,

Shocking Tales #2 and Morbid Adventures.

Shocking Tales of Madness And Mayhem #1($16.95 CAD)

This was the first expansion to Strange Aeons andit was released in 2010. Strange Aeons was onlyseveral months old, but it was good so see a newexpansion so fast. Shocking Tales (ST) is a 32 pagesoftcover booklet, in full color. The layout is similarto Strange Aeons and is a nice continuation on the

main rulebook. It has nice sepia photos, drawingsand sketches which all fit in very well with the themeof the game.

The book is divided into several parts: an introductionby Uncle Mike, new weapons for the game, newpromotions for experienced Threshold agents,animals for your Threshold team, prototype weapons,new scenarios, new Lurkers, scenes of horror andthe first part of a story written by Uncle Mike himself.You can see thats a lot of information for only 32

pages. Yes, the book is crammed full of good stuff.

The weapons add new options for both the Thresholdteam and the Lurkers. You can now equip your heroesor villains with battle axes, Molotov cocktails or evena flamethrower. To top it off, there are options forspecial types of ammunition. Its always smart to takesome silver bullets when heading off for a Werewolf!I really like the added weapons as they give for moreoptions. And in a simple game like Strange Aeons


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more options are a good thing as it allows for morevariety.

The promotion rules give you options for moreadvanced Threshold teams. Whenever a Thresholdteam has won fifteen games, they will get apromotion. This basically means they can take onmore difficult missions and they can employ trainedanimals, like attack dogs, falcons or horses. Therules for promotions are nice, but the requirementfor fifteen wins is a bit silly. Usually, our team willlast a maximum of ten games before either theyremauled or the players get bored by them. So to usethem well, I would give Threshold a promotion afterwinning five games.

In the Special Branch you can find some excellentand exotic weaponry for your games. Ever fancy aMartian Heat Ray? Now you can take one and fry youropponent to slag! There is one problem though: youneed a promotion to take them. Argh! So lower thatpromotion demand and fry away.

In the Scenarios chapter there are four new scenarios.All of them require the Threshold player to expendMap Pieces, so theyre not for new teams. Your teamneeds to have found Map Pieces to play these, sothey are interesting for experienced players. There isa rescue mission, a supply drop, the investigation ofa bad place and finally, the Threshold team needs todestroy a Doomsday Device.

Then we get to a fantastic chapter: new Lurkers! Intotal there are eleven new Lurkers, so lots of newchoices. You can find small critters like swarms or

giant vermins to scary daemons like the fire daemon.There are also more humanoid choices, like a rogueThreshold character (who can pick a special weaponas stolen item!) or the suicide cultist. For me, thischapter really is the highlight of the book as it allowsfor lots of nice new miniatures to use in the game.

The Scenes of Horror explains how Lurkers can investpoints to place D3 pieces of scenery on the table tohelp them against the Threshold team. They are veryscary for humans and tend to be annoying bogs toblock incoming Threshold agents. The downside isthey are quite expensive to field.

And finally, we have the story by Uncle Mike. Thestory reads like a battle report of Strange Aeonsand is lots of fun. The main downside is that it isunfinished and will continue in a later book.

All in all, Shocking Tales #1 is a great first expansion toStrange Aeons. It gives all players nice new options:new weapons, more Lurkers and new scenarios. Thepromotions are okay, but I think you will never seethem on the table unless you tweak the rules. For($16.95 CAD it is highly recommended!

Shocking Tales of Madness and Mayhem #2($19.95 CAD)

More than a year after ST#1 was released, UncleMike released #2. Like #1, this issue is softcover anda mix of full color and black and white. Like StrangeAeons and ST#1 it looks great and is perfectly fittingwith a 20s Lovecraftian setting. This issue has gainedeight pages and is 40 pages thick in total.

In contrast to ST#1, this issue has a theme to setit apart: Dinosaurs! So this issue is not only aboutscary monsters and unearthly Gods, its also partlya Lost World issue. The issue is divided into twodistinctive parts. The first 22 pages are black andwhite and are about playing a campaign in a hostilejungle where time stood still. Neanderthals anddinosaurs roam the lands and the Threshold teammust try to navigate through these dangerous landsto find a lost explorer. If they find the explorer intime, the Threshold team is successful and headsback to the known world. If not, they will be lost inthe jungles and probably end up as a lizards lunch.Before the campaign rules are explained, the book

gives Threshold some more options for weaponsand supporting characters. These characters can be


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picked for the campaign, but also for regular gamesof Strange Aeons. After all, who doesnt want to havea Big Game Hunter with an elephant gun supportinghis team?

The next chapter explains how the players can play

a campaign, called a Black Dossier. Each BlackDossier has its own rules, victory conditions, weapontables and Lurkers. I assume this is how Uncle Mikeeasily sets each theme and Black Dossier apart andit works well. The Threshold player first builds anexploring team of models of any value. Of course,building a team of 50BP gives the Lurker player a fieldday and the option to take the really nasty critters,like the T-Rex. So its wise to dont go overboard.But remember that you are stuck with the team anddont get any regular reinforcements. After all, youreneck deep in unexplored jungles. The nice part isthat you are able to find new recruits in the junglesand you can arm them. There are severe limits onthe weapons, so it will be common to find a survivorand arm him with a long bow. Roaming through thejungles is not easy as your team has to feed thegroup. This means you need to have enough food tofeed the followers. If you fail to feed them, they willstarve. At first this leads to decreasing statistics buteventually it will lead to death.

The team is in the jungle to find the missing explorer.There are several scenarios to play and ST#2introduces five new scenarios for the Black Dossier.In some scenarios there is a chance the team findsurvivors or the explorer if they succeed.

The Lurker player has access to certain Lurkers. Hecan field cave men, velociraptors, pterodactyls andother Lurkers, including some of the existing Lurkers.

The main problem with the Black Dossier rules isthat a Threshold team needs to win five consecutivegames in order to do a Black Dossier. Thats hardvery hard. So you might introduce some house ruleshere to compensate.

After the Black Dossier, there are 18 pages with morestuff for your regular games. ST#2 introduces tennew Lurkers, from the Witch (who has a new spelllist), to zombie dogs and several types of ghosts. TheLurker player now has loads of enemies to choosefrom if you include Strange Aeons and ST#1!

Uncle Mike then introduces a very special type ofLurker: Mobs. These are groups of Lurkers workingtogether as a crazed mob of villains. They aremounted on a regular CD and have lots of scary rulesto simulate a group of madmen working together tobring down Threshold.


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spice them up and he has added game tips to givesome tactical advice.

After the long chapter with scenarios, the book hasfive pages filled with all the Lurker profiles whichwere published so far. So not only do you have allthe scenarios in one book, you also have all of theLurkers in the same book. Nothing new, but it helpstremendously during gameplay.

The book then spends two pages on Game Modes,like solo play, multiplayer games, etc. All in all thischapter does not add a lot and I think most playerswill think up these rules themselves.

And finally, the book ends with two pages filled withall the weapons and special weapon rules together.No more flipping through three books to find it all.Its all in the back of the book. There also is a smalltable with all the scenarios and the requirements foreach scenario. Once again, it was not required butit makes gameplay a lot easier and saves a lot ofsearching through the books.

Morbid Adventures is a bit of a strange book. Onone hand it doesnt offer a lot of new stuff, on the

other hand it offers everything an experienced playerwants. All of the scenarios, Lurkers and weapons arecombined in one book. It also makes ST#1 and #2a bit obsolete. Then again, since the Shocking Talesissues can be hard to get hold of, its a nice way toget hold of the most important rules for the game.

Concluding

So there you have it, three expansion books forStrange Aeons. Theres a lot of new stuff and I thinkmost of it will appeal to players. Basically, they are allthree must haves for fans of Strange Aeons. They alloffer lots of new rules and goodies for the game andI think it will take years before you get bored. If youare new to Strange Aeons and youre still not sure ifthis is your game, then I would advise to get MorbidAdventures. It gives you the most important thingsfrom all of the books and is an excellent referencepiece during games.

From what I learned, the next expansion book byUncle Mike will be Von Aussprechlichen Kulten,which will introduce a new campaign system to givean experience similar to Necromunda or Mordheim,but then set in the world of Strange Aeons.


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The Ancible Issue 15 Rogue Trader RPG

by Jez the GM

FairclouGh

A few months ago I was surfing around the netlooking at some of the new games out there and itseems that a new game pops up every other day.

While looking around, I realized that as a group wehadnt run an RPG for some time and maybe thebreak would be a laugh. I do tend to find that ourRPG sessions have no sanity whatsoever. Weveplayed Paranoia far too many times to take anythingserious, which can be both fun and frustrating.

I decided that it would have to be a Sci-Fi RPG as Ifancied a break from characters running around semidressed (And thats just the guys J). I also fancied abash at something in the 40k Universe. As a group

we all love the rich background that the Universehas been added to by people like Dan Abnett, AndyHoare and Gav Thorpe to name a few.

The Universe itself offers a good option and choiceof playing style. I settled on playing Rogue Trader.The idea that the group could start with a hugebank account and influence really interested me.Speaking to the other guys they were interestedenough to take the plunge as well. All we neededwas the book. Now for that I turned to Kenny and

he spoke to his contact at Fantasy Flight Games

(www.fantasyflightgames.com/ ) who produce thegame under license from Games Workshop ( www.gamesworkshop.com ). They were more than willingto send us a copy of the main rule book and also theGames Masters Guide as well.

Although Ive read a fair few books, youre alwaysgoing to have moments when you dont knowsomething. Instead of asking about I hunted onlinefor a good Wiki. We all know that fan createdwikis are the best. So finding the 40k Wiki ( http:// warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wiki) was easy and I used it to find out about thearea that Rogue Trader and Inquisitor RPG are setin. The 40k Universe is huge and knowing even alittle bit can help you out. I also looked at planettypes and got a better understanding of how RogueTraders, the Ecclesiarchy and Administration work.

By the time the book turned up I was happy that Idgot a good understanding of the world around inwhich the game was set. As a Gamesmaster its upto you to know everything even if its a charactersspecialist subject.

With books from FFG you cant fault the quality anddedication they go to ensuring that you get a goodproduct. Not every game is for everyone, but weshould all be able to say when something positivewhen it has been done right. The book itself is awhopping 400 pages in size and its really notsomething youre going to skim through in the firstnight.
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/http://www.gamesworkshop.com/http://www.gamesworkshop.com/http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wikihttp://www.gamesworkshop.com/http://www.gamesworkshop.com/http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/


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The Game Concept

As a concept, Rogue Trader does it a little differentto the normal RPGs Ive played in the past. In mostcases you start low, hardly any power if any at all,and try to make a name for yourself. In Rogue Traderyou are a member of an elite group whose name can

make red tape vanish; you can call upon the supportof Imperial Guard Regiments and members of theLegio Astrates as well. You have money come outof the piggy bank and power that scares people silly.So its not the normal game start by any stretch ofthe imagination.

The idea is that your group takes the roles of a RogueTrader and his loyal henchmen, playing the space-lanes to seek fortune and fame. To help you alongthe game provides you with a profit factor which

can make buying things easyno checking the localprice or working out if you have enough money.Mundane things will come easy, bigger things willbe a challenge, but what a Rogue Trader considersbigger things is beyond the normal citizen.

The game aids you with a ship and then youre off andrunning. The Gamesmaster, along with the playerswrite the story and live out the highs and lows.

Character Creation

Okay, right from the start, I had trouble with this. I just

didnt get it. I read the main creation rules throughtwice and I still kept thinking Id missed pages. Itwasnt that the rules are complicated, far from it.

The creation process like most games starts withyour stats; you roll 2d10 and add 25 to the result.Unlike some games what you have in your statsdoesnt decide what sort of character you are. Insome ways I like this as we all end up in jobs that wemight not be the perfect choice for, but we can stilldo them.

The next element is what does it for me. In manyRPGs you spend ages trying to help players decidetheir background, where they came from, what theyhave done in the past and so on. Rogue Trader usesa system called the Origin path. You start at the topand work your way down, you can go left or right ofthe option youre on as well. Once you hit the last


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level you have a good amount of information on yourcharacter, including some adjustments to your stats,skills, talents.

So in this example my Character is Void Born, bornamongst the stars and may of not set foot on a planetever.

My Birthright is that of a Stubjack, Im a person happywith violence and someone whose had it aroundthem all his/her life. My Lure of the Void is Criminal,so at some point I was running from something andmay still be.

Trials and Travails is the Hand of War. Along withStubjack and my Lure of the Void being Criminalmaybe Im running from the Imperial Guard army,shell shocked and scared. Or maybe while running Iended up in Imperial Service to hide from my past orwas forced into Imperial Service because of my past.

My Motivation is Fortune, so Im in it for the money!Its plain and simple for me.

Finally, my Career as Void Master shows that Ive beenon a ship some time, working my way up throughthe ranks to control a small part of the huge ship.

These subtle choices all change the base statsyou rolled in various ways. For instance, Void Bornmeans my Strength will be reduced by 5, while myWillpower will be raised by 5. Criminal, dependingon what sub option I pick, could up my perception orgive me an Enemy.

Its the little things like this that really help peopleflesh a character out and make them a little differentfrom the cookie cutter style that is seen all too often.

Your Career is what you are, but like many games itdoesnt fix you into a certain direction. For instance,not all Rogue Traders are the same, each one decidesjust how much he tows the Imperial line and someare seen as being no different than bandits andpirates. Others are seen as shining lights bringingold colonies back into the fold and guiding light ofthe God Emperor of man. So the stats are just thestart.

Once you have gone through the Career Path the nextelement is to make sure you pick up the Skills andattributes that your Career gives you. Each one isdifferent even if they might share a few similar skills.A Void Master who has forced his way up throughthe ranks to govern the Macro Batteries of the shipwill have skills that the sneaky and trading Seneschaldoesnt need. Why have the muscle when you canjust hire it. Who, apart from the Explorator Emissaryof the Machine Cult, needs such close contact andarcane knowledge of every sub system the ship hasto offer? The Combat Master hidden in the guiseof the Arch-Militant, master of nearly every weaponbrings the group the muscle they might need.Though you dont always need physical strength tocommand the battlefield, both the Navigator with histhird eye and ability to transverse the Immateriumand the Astropath Transcendent with his psychicabilities can turn the tide of any battle. They also

bring powers some may see as witchcraft. Not tobe missed is the fiery voice and belief in the GodEmperor in the guise of the Missionary, alwayswilling to help the lost back into the fold. But dontsee these preachers as weak and easily mollified asmore than one has called down total destruction ona planet for it heresy.

At the top of all this is the top man/women in thegroup, the Rogue Trader, holder of the ImperialWarrant.


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But as Ive said its really the player that decideswhat or how there character deals with situationsand there is plenty of scope to send a character ina specific direction. There is nothing to stop theSeneschal turning his gregarious personality intothat of a cold and calculating spy master. The ruleshave plenty of scope to do this and so much more.

Once sorted and equipped you are ready for theGames Master to start you off. A few rolls are madefor the group as one decides just how much fortuneyou have as a group. The other determines howmuch you have to spend on the vessel which willget you around on your adventures. Its only a smallthing but pick wisely since the last thing you want issome rust bucket when the going gets hot.

Another thing that makes up your character is his/ her skills and talents. Just because you can afforda Hellgun doesnt mean you have the ability to use itand even if you can you might not be very good withit. Guns really are the area the Arch-Militant excels in,he can pretty much use any standard weapon froma Bolt Pistol, through to a Lasgun. Taking him in acertain direction can also give him access to moreexotic weapons used by various Xenos races.

In its essence, skills govern what you can do andhow well you do it. Being unskilled in somethingmeans that although you can give it a go yourchances of success are going to be slim at best. Itsgood to try and have a good mix of character typesif you can. Your group might not be big enough tocover all of them but the more the merrier. As GamesMaster you should try to avoid people doubling up.Its possible to do this by introducing NPCs (NonPlaying Characters, the faceless cast of thousands)but its always more fun when the players make themistakes themselves.

Talents, much like skills, are those unique things acharacter knows or can do. They are things pickedup from living somewhere or doing a certain type ofcareer. The rules dont stop you learning skills andtalents outside your own career path; they just try tomake it not so easy to do so.

The book has whole sections just dedicated to whatyou can do with your own strange ability. While loadsof people can fire a weapon it takes a certain specialperson who can ride the warp or pick up a personsthoughts behind a closed door. If youre not playingthis type of character there isnt any need at all to


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start by reading those sections. If youre theGames Master then you need to make sureyouve read these even if you dont have anycharacters who need to use this talents asyou might have NPCs who do have themand youre going to have to know how theycan affect the rest of the players.

Our first session as a group was goingthrough the Origin Path getting everyonesorted out with what they were, what theyhad and the like. I used the Wiki afterwardsto send them some more information to tryand help them all out a little.

Our little group is as follows.

Kenny Seneschal

Ian B Rogue Trader

Ian C Missionary

Si Explorator

Andy Arch-Militant

Although we dont have some of the moreextreme character classes like Navigatoror Astropath, we have enough to be goingon with and I can supplement them withmembers of the ships crew.

For Andy, this will be his first real go at a RPG so itsbeen fun trying to explain how it all works withoutminiatures. Though not to be deterred hes alreadystarted to find minis to convert or use so that everyonewill have something painted for his character. Youcant keep a good paint monkey down!

One of the most interesting creation-type areas is thechapter on Starships. It doesnt just help you buildthe ship of your dreams, the one thats going to takeyou from port to port (remember my comment onrust buckets earlier). The rules give life to the shipthrough Machine Spirit Oddities and Past Histories.Maybe your ship likes trouble and doesnt want torun from a fight. Its something to deal with andkeeps you on your toes a little.

It also explains in great detail how to deal with Ship toShip combat. You might think itll never happen buttrust me it will, unless the Games Master steers youaway from it all the time. In my experience, someoneat some point going to say we have a bigger shipthan they do, so lets open fire. The spoils of war forthis sort of venture can be high. If you can cripple

the ship space the crew (I mean hand them over tothe correct authoritiesJ), its your ship. It might takea few months in a space dock to hammer out theodd dent or two but youve expanded your fleet.

It is little elements like this that adds another directionto the game. Get a big enough ship, maybe a cruiserand whats to stop you going pirate hunting or takingon ships from the ruinous powers.


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As a rules set, most RPGs work along the sameidea: to do x you use y ability or z skill. Some ofthese skills wont have anything to stop you; somewill be opposed to make life hard. You cant alwaysbrow beat someone to do something if thats whatthey normally do.

Okay the rules are slightly more complicated thanwhat Ive described but if you break it down its notthat bad. For instance, I want to shoot someone soI use my Ballistic skill, my target is my skill level orless modified by certain circumstances. If I wantsomeone to do something I can intimidate them aswell. But they could resist and if they do they mightwell see me in an even worse light than before. Itssomething every player needs to be aware of. Whenit goes wrong people dont always stay neutral, moreoften they get hostile. This is worked out using the

degrees of success/failure.Like any RPG, every game turn there could be a lotgoing on; its not always simply shooting at people.The game gives you depth to expand and personalizewhat you feel is the way you as a group want to play.It brings in all the elements that a tabletop wargamewould as well. The Injury system reminds me of whatwas used in MERP (Middle Earth Roleplay) as in itsnot just a wound. Places can be hit, limbs can be lostand permanent damage can befall a character if hes

not careful. This could lead to replacement limbs ororgans, or the slip into madness or corruption by theruinous powers. It can all happen, and if youre luckyit will.

The rules give you plenty of ideas on how to gainmore profit value for your group and even ways tolose it. Other supplements expand on this as well asoffering new and interesting ways to make a groupmore powerful, or as the Games Master, to maketheir downfall even more fun.

The last 100 or so pages of the book are turned overto helping the Games Master out by explaining how

to guide a game or deal with issues. It also hassome good information on the Koronos Expanse, thearea the game is played in, but its not everythingyou need to know. The game has more than enoughgrey areas that allow you to add in new systems,new bad guys and anything else you need.

The final chapter in the book is a simple starteradventure, tricky enough to make the group think,but not dangerous enough that they should all bedead by the end of the first act. Well you hope thatdoesnt happen ;)

For my group this will be where we start. Ive read itthrough a few times and Id advise anyone running agame to do the same. Read each bit before you doit. Decide at what point you plan to stop and try notto let it go past that point. Most groups like to chatso filling in spare time is never a worry.

I know the idea of Trade and its style may not suiteveryone, but it shouldnt put you off playing in theever expanding universe. Dark Heresy covers allthings Inquisitor and you can garner informationfor that or bring things over into Rogue Trader. Thesystem also lets you play as Adeptus Astratus (SpaceMarines), Agents of the Ruinous powers and morerecently the good old trusty Imperial Guard. Thereare more than enough options to keep everyonebusy and interested. If you cant find a style to suityou, then you are looking into it too hard. With anever expanding catalogue of expansions, the gameisnt static as more is being added to expand yourcharacter (Into the Storm) or have a better ship(Battlefleet Koronus), and you can always keeppushing the envelope of choice and direction.

Thanks to Final Fantasy Games for the game and wellkeep everyone abreast of the groups adventures.


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Infinity Miniatures

March New releases

Force de Rponse Rapide Merovingienne.

Finally, the long-awaited French-Ariadnan Sectorial Starter Pack has been released. This box is a compilation ofpreviously released figures: 3 Mtros - the Merovingian base troops; 1 Para-Commando HMG - with so powerful

support weapon this parachutist is the true death from above; 1 Zouave - this skilled light trooper can bedeployed in advance, able to take down any armored enemy with his D.E.P.; 1 female Moblot with Rifle - thisough Heavy Infantry is a conversion of a previously released figure. As a powerful mobile force, the FRRM is

perfectly placed to respond to any threat or neutralize any danger at any point on the planet in a short space ofime.

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Hafza (Spitfire).

The Haqqislamite Hafza is one of the fewunits that can use a Spitfire, the queen of thesupport weapons, as a Lieutenant. Thanksto their holo-devices the Hafza can disguisethemselves by taking on the appearance ofa different troop type. They are very usefulas hidden Lieutenants but also in an InfinityFireteam, where they provide more tacticalflexibility, allowing creation of cheaper linkedteams.


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Sun Tze v.2 (Marksman Leader)

This is the most tactical version of theRecreation of the legendary strategist.The Marksman Leader equipmentprovides him with the ability to shoothis enemies at a very long distancewith his characteristic serenity and

methodical precision. Now Yu Jingplayers can combine Sun TzesStrategos Special Skill with his sniperability.

Gwailos (Spitfire)

The Gwailos are the Shasvastiistrike forc

the ancible magazine issue 15

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