tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88666458354712605172024-02-01T20:42:59.819-08:00Steam and AetherMiniatures range, game development, world building, painting and modelling blog.Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-71319982994816314572015-08-28T05:01:00.001-07:002015-08-28T05:01:03.987-07:00long awaited Aequatherium scenario.<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must admit that I've had this one sitting around for a while but have had other distractions to contend with. The rules for the figures can be found on the Interdimensional Bestiary KS updates but I will olate them here in the next update for your convenience. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scenario</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aequatherium Hunt</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a851fd34-742c-9610-f6f1-f381f52b5d78" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most prized beasts yet discovered in the wasteland, the Aequatherium Magnus is a tentacled hulk – a nightmare made manifest. The price offered for the recovery of a live specimen is so great that it outweighs the need for caution, and wasteland expeditions will often abandon their objectives for the chance to capture this deadly beast and its offspring.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Battlefield</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re playing a game of 100 points a side or less, then the maximum sized playing surface you will need is 4’ x 4’ (48” square). For larger battles, of around 200-500 points, a table 6’ x 4’ (72” by 48”) will afford more room for manoeuvre.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set up your terrain on the battlefield in a mutually agreeable fashion. In the centre of the board, set up the monster’s lair – a circle of rocky outcrops, ruined building, swampy forest or other suitably fecund scenery. This should cover an area of approximately 12” diameter, and be considered dense terrain. If you are able to place at least one aquatic scenery feature (river, pond, swamp, etc) near to this lair (within 6”), it will make for an even more challenging scenario.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deployment</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The forces are set up opposite each other, within 12” of a corner of the board (see diagram). The players choose their deployment zones – if one player set up the scenery, the other player gets to choose. If not, both players should roll a D10, and the highest scorer gets to choose his corner. The opponent must take the corner opposite.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Players then ‘dice off’ again to see who starts deploying first – the highest scorer chooses to start deploying first or second. Once this is decided, the player who deploys first places a single Element in his deployment zone. The opponent then does the same – deployment alternates in this way until all forces are set up on the battlefield.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The player who finished deploying first then places the monster models within 6” of the centre point of the board, in the monster lair. These consist of one Aequatherium Magnus, one Aequatherium Whelp swarm (comprising 5 models for every full 100 points of the game being played, to a maximum of 20). For example, if the players agreed on a points limit of 300 points for the game, the Aequatherium Whelps swarm would number 15 models.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, the player who placed the monsters should roll a D5. Starting with the same player, take it in turns to place that many Egg Clusters around the board, no closer than 12” to another model, friend or foe.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Game Length</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The game lasts for 10 turns, or until the Aequatherium Magnus is killed.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Special Rules</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Controlling the Monsters:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> While it is possible to play this scenario with a third player controlling the monsters, the rules assume that the monsters will have to be controlled impartially by the two regular players. The player who finishes activating his Elements first in each round moves the monsters that turn. The monsters’ turn always occurs after both players have finished their turns, but before the next Round begins. All monster Elements are activated in the monsters’ turn – there is no alternating.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monsters are activated using the Act on Instinct special rule. Players should agree the fairest way to move each monster element, so that it attacks the closest target, or moves into cover, for example, conferring an advantage to no one player if possible. When seeking cover, the monster will attempt to shelter from the largest number of enemies possible, regardless of whose side those enemy models are on.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egg Clusters:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Egg Clusters are in effect scenery pieces, which can be attacked as though they were large models. They may not perform any actions except Engage. When they are able to Engage a foe, the Egg Cluster model is removed, and is replaced with a swarm of 5 Aequatherium Whelps, which then completes the Engage action and thereafter behaves as a normal Element.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Victory Conditions</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of Turn 10, or when the Aequatherium Magnus is destroyed, the game ends. Each player adds up the casualties he has inflicted on his opponent’s force, receiving a number of victory points (or VPs) as follows:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egg Cluster destroyed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 VP</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aequatherium Whelp swarm reduced to 50% strength or less*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 VP</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aequatherium Whelp swarm destroyed/Routed*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 VP</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enemy Element destroyed/Routed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 VP</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enemy Leader destroyed/Routed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 VP</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aequatherium Magnus destroyed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 VP</span></div>
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</ul>
<br /><span style="font-size: 13.3333333333333px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* Note that the points for destroying an element are not cumulative with the points for reducing it to below half strength – the half strength point only applies to those enemy Elements left on the battlefield at the end of the game.</span>Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-29781696607150620032015-07-20T03:44:00.001-07:002015-07-20T03:44:11.491-07:00Steampunk Militia now on Kickstarter!<div>
STEAMPUNK MILITIA KICKSTARTER LIVE!!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/steampunk-militia-miniatures" target="_blank">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/steampunk-militia-miniatures</a></div>
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I am pleased to announce the long awaited follow up to the first Meridian Miniatures Kickstarter "Steampunk Army". This campaign has bee set up to fund the production of a range of 28mm "Steampunk Militia" to complement the military figures with their civilian counterparts in the "Steam & Aether" table top setting.</div>
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As you can see below the, initial miniatures are already sculpted with the pre production painted masters shown. In each of my previous campaigns I have tried to avoid leaving to much ambiguity between the miniatures promised and the actual product you will recieve, where possible I try to avoid relying on renders and "concept art". Occasionally I will illustrate an idea using either but feel I have built up the reputation for delivering on promises by this stage that you won't be dissapointed.</div>
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The above figures show painted preproduction masters on resin bases, your reward will consist of metal castings supplied with round plastic bases, the option to upgrade to resin bases is given on the campaign page. </div>
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In the Steam & Aether setting I will be introducing rules for "benefactors", these miniatures represent rich patrons that fund expeditions into the apocalyptic ruins. This aristocrat figure is the first of them, en extremely highly detailed figure that will be cast in high quality resin providing a centerpiece to your force or a great project for the modelers and painters out there. This figure is a KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE figure. I will. at a later date remodel it as a simpler one piece casting for those that missed out but this figure will never be cast again after the rewards are sent out.</div>
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Thank you to any and all that come onboard to back this project, I appreciate all support offered. Meridian Miniatures is a "one man band", I do 90% of the sculpting, painting and promo by myself with much needed support form a small number of others. If you like what I do then please take 5 mins to share this campaign with your friends, be it on social media, blogs or forums and you will have my sincere gratitude. </div>
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Andrew </div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-49186380003253966832015-07-13T15:14:00.003-07:002015-07-13T15:14:54.128-07:00Interdimensional Bestiary creatures now online.Hi all, just a quick note to say that the Interdimesional Bestiary figures that were funded via Kickstarter last year are now available online for those that missed out first time around.<div>
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<a href="http://meridianminiatures.com/steam-and-aether/bestiary" target="_blank">Online store</a><br /><div>
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I'll drop by later in the week to post the rules for using the figures in Steam & Aether alog with a scenario from the Pen of Mark Latham.</div>
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Cheers again to all the backers.</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-4052071105968463232015-07-07T04:53:00.002-07:002015-07-07T04:53:42.544-07:00Sorry for the extended silence!Hi all, just a quick post to say sorry for the gap in comms. I've had a very busy year, two house moves, one house renovation, a son approaching 2yrs old and all sorts of other distractions! Combined with a relentless freelance sculpting schedule I've had precious little time for blogging.<br />
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I had switched over mainly to the easy updating of Facebook:<br />
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meridian-Miniatures/278329682295664<br />
Those following me on there will have seen plenty is still going on in the world of Steam & Aether but I now feel it's time get stuck into the blog again.<br />
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I'll be updating here at least once a week from now on with WIP photos, news, rules, background information and all sorts of other cool stuff.<br />
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Thanks all!<br />
AndrewAndrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-32128181835058175332014-12-05T03:11:00.000-08:002014-12-05T03:11:00.972-08:00Online store now launchedHi everyone, Just a quick note to say that I now have an online store for Meridian Miniatures. The complete Steam & Aether range from my first KS is now available to the general public. So if you missed out the first time around then now is the perfect time to stock up. Thanks again to everyone that pledged to make this range possible. Check out the store at:<br />
<a href="http://www.meridianminiatures.com/">Meridian Miniatures</a><br />
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Please if you can take time to share the link with anyone that you think might enjoy the figures.<br />
Cheers!<br />
Andrew<br />
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<br />Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-49476523146787227182014-09-15T16:13:00.001-07:002014-09-15T16:13:59.863-07:00Interdimesional Bestiary Kickstarter launched.Hi all, those of you that follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meridian-Miniatures/278329682295664" target="_blank">Facebook</a> will have seen that I have been feverishly working away in the darkest recess of the Steam & Aether setting and have birthed quite a monster! I launched a Kickstarter campaign this morning ad it's gone great guns! Here's the blurb from the front page:<br />
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Meridian Miniatures hope to bring you the first in a line of impressive creature models to populate your tabletop worlds.</div>
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with this, my second project in the world of Steam & Aether, I invite you to contribute towards the moulding and casting of a monstrous 28mm scaled creature and more!</div>
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<i style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As expeditions into post-catastrophe France increased in frequency, so too did the discovery of bizarre and monstrous forms of life inhabiting the Aetheric wasteland. Whether these creatures are divergent mutant strains of life corrupted by the Aether explosion, or are not of this world at all, remains to be seen. The Prussian science ministry and British Royal Society demanded military missions into the wasteland carry out research and bring back samples, both mineral and biological. The Prussian Guildmasters and British regimental commanders were initially reticent to endanger their men by subduing some of the more ferocious beasts of the Wasteland, but as soon they saw the rewards offered by the authorities, they danced to a different tune.</i></div>
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Just over a year ago, with the help of many generous backers, I successfully funded my "Steampunk Army" campaign to produce miniatures for my Steam & Aether game setting. Since then the backstory for my Victorian sci fi world has grown, unveiling a rich setting that demmands to be populated!</div>
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<i style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After the Aetheric catastrophe, much of Western Europe was permeated with cosmic emanations, transdimensional elements and particles were strewn about the land, wreaking chaos everywhere. While the Consulate's portals remained open, stranger things still crawled, strode, slithered and floated through into our dimension.</i></div>
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The first monster that I have chosen to create is this horrifically tentacled maritime mass, dubbed "Aequatherium Magnus", of the many concepts and sketches that I have compliled I felt that it was the most versatile in that it has plenty of scope for use outside of the Steam & Aether setting. I can imagine it being used in plenty of other sci fi/fantasy/mythos games.</div>
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<i style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Many soldiers and collectors have lost their lives in the pursuit of these terrifying monsters, but their high demand and sky-rocketing value ensures that there are always others willing to risk life and limb for the sake of the hunt.</i></div>
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Of course, in the Steam & Aether setting someone needs to step up to the challenge of defeating such a monster, each side needs it's steampunk monster hunters to take to the tabletop! Both of these 28mm scale miniatures are cast in high quality resin and are<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">timed limited figures </b>available for the KS campaign, only seeing general release one year from campaign end.</div>
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Hanne Haas is an infamous maritime hunter, renown across Prussia for her explosive exploits since the Aether catastrophe.</div>
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William Scoresby III is an avaricious British whaler turned monster hunter, leading expeditions deep into the northern teaches of former France in pursuit of riches.</div>
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I have full back story and rules to publish for these figures too, it will be posted on the Kickstarter first and then compiled here. So even if you don't pledge do check in periodically to see what develops.</div>
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Many thanks for your time Steam & Aether fans, please spread the word far and wide!</div>
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Andrew</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-67918425742223939092014-09-01T03:17:00.001-07:002014-09-01T03:17:12.715-07:00Imagining post-europocalypse France part 2Hi everyone out there in S&A land.<br />
My Tooth & Sword Kickstarter turned out to be quite a success but don't think that I have been entirely distracted in the mean time! Behind the scenes I've been busy with my gaming terrain project and have received the first laser cut sheets components that I need to bring an aether ravaged world to life.<br />
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The concept has translated really nicely and I've been busy trying out prototype building ideas. Sadly it seems that these A4 sheets may turn out too expensive to sell on to you, my dear readers but I will endevour to find a solution, I will email round some more cutting firms shortly. I'm also toying with a couple of other ideas to get my vision of ruined splendor into your hands including resin components and cardstock buildings, I will keep you up to date!<br />
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Meanwhile, remember that you can keep up to date with all Meridian Miniatures on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meridian-Miniatures/278329682295664<br />
At the moment I'm working on and chronicling one of the less pleasant inhabitants of post catastrophe France....<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10649629_565023260292970_5397229245314726631_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10649629_565023260292970_5397229245314726631_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-3238285487438992192014-06-18T15:15:00.002-07:002014-06-18T15:15:34.989-07:00Sorry for the short break......I've been more than a little busy with this.....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOyZKjojFM2q9OYTAYh44zcehzh-K2Xt5kLsakUhcdEwZjn4uoThSN2i8fEvCxpp5F-_O1tDpdAJW0bMjn5W4tx_795V7ta3bX7rWEyxAMFe81ADppjZGWewvN0-VIs0iS_VhBT2siQ9C/s1600/Tooth+and+Sword+KS+Main+Panel2+(1)+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOyZKjojFM2q9OYTAYh44zcehzh-K2Xt5kLsakUhcdEwZjn4uoThSN2i8fEvCxpp5F-_O1tDpdAJW0bMjn5W4tx_795V7ta3bX7rWEyxAMFe81ADppjZGWewvN0-VIs0iS_VhBT2siQ9C/s1600/Tooth+and+Sword+KS+Main+Panel2+(1)+final.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/tooth-and-sword<br />
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Normal service will resume momentarily!Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-37107380967067889582014-04-29T15:33:00.000-07:002014-04-29T15:33:08.758-07:00Imagining post-europocalypse France.I've pondered over what direction to take the landscape of Steam & Aether for a while, I want the aesthetic to be unified and distinct with even the industrial architecture to reflect a style or art movement. My vision of a Steampunk world while toned from most down needs ostentation and I don't shy much away from anachronism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNP87RjqNFH3GeMZnPkdiWiBwjYcFE0pyhHgCvl24xs-lXOZvHaVJ8YDDoV4a-JnRj0PWS3JA5Y2Ht9AAvOWdrSGgAf03WSTdhoEeN3Jra4eCMDc0C30T6WYvWNHfVXjNnQ9K50hIF_0iJ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNP87RjqNFH3GeMZnPkdiWiBwjYcFE0pyhHgCvl24xs-lXOZvHaVJ8YDDoV4a-JnRj0PWS3JA5Y2Ht9AAvOWdrSGgAf03WSTdhoEeN3Jra4eCMDc0C30T6WYvWNHfVXjNnQ9K50hIF_0iJ/s1600/1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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A muted and ruined Art Nouveau has been drifting inexpertly into my sketchboook, I just need to figure out how to coalesce the ideas into tabletop reality. As I said before, I aim to have individual elements drawn out to be laser cut, ending up acting like modular panels that will enable me to build simple structures that will be suitably embellished to be in keeping with the the Consulate's lofty heights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV3iqiTe61wugltTJxD9DREwzjFvV4INBR85jd5IoKhB0kh55v6DV543B8GA5twuthByRej_CxjmiGtR1m53rvoSfOqCPEdOoO3aHOdkacqYbGIZzfORQF6nGn98Shp02-r1Qwwae0JGr/s1600/image_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV3iqiTe61wugltTJxD9DREwzjFvV4INBR85jd5IoKhB0kh55v6DV543B8GA5twuthByRej_CxjmiGtR1m53rvoSfOqCPEdOoO3aHOdkacqYbGIZzfORQF6nGn98Shp02-r1Qwwae0JGr/s1600/image_2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hopefully my doodling will elucidate you a little as to where I'm going with the terrain plan, see below for an idea of how I imagine the laser cut panels being laid out.<div>
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I'll keep you all up to date as the new project progresses.</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-71626968428290989682014-04-26T10:32:00.001-07:002014-04-26T10:32:53.709-07:00Steam & Aether quick-play rules. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">So here at last we have the free Beta edition of "Steam & Aether" fast play rules of download. This is the consolidation of a very large amount of pondering and pontification over my gaming life as to what would make a game that I would like to play. After a fair bit of play testing and an expert edit and thorough re write from Mr Mark Latham, it's time to hand it over to players. This is very much a "beta edition" and I'd love to hear what you think, especially if you actually try it out with Meridian Miniatures or even other figures from your collections. What work for you, what doesn't and what you'd like to see in the future. These rules are designed to be fast playing, fun and easy, they're definitely not designed to be an accurate simulation of reality, they're a game and written with enjoyment in mind so do please take them in that spirit. I'll be updating and expanding over the coming months based on feedback and further play testing. For those wanting to purchase more miniatures I am able to take orders via email, please contact me via the blog. I have a webstore being developed as you read this, I'll be keeping everyone up to date as it launches in the next couple of months.</span><br />
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Many thanks</div>
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Click here to download</div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9TFKiOOi9rxV2YxOGdxT0ctZjA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Steam & Aether</a></div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-35315402396070807522014-04-22T15:32:00.001-07:002014-04-22T15:32:56.503-07:00Building a world Pt2As promised, here's the full collated gaming board build that was previously only to be found in full on <a href="http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=56642.0">Lead Adventure forum</a> I've edited and added a little detail to this posting, let's hope that it proves inspiring for you all reading out there.<br />
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Over the course of our hobby, I'm sure we've all considered utilising a cheap, common wallpaper pasting table for gaming. The thought has crossed my mind several times over the years but I've always discarded the idea, the tables are too long and narrow and pretty unstable but suddenly one day I had a brainwave, now I'm not sure if anybody else has had the same thought or even already built a table like this but it's a fresh idea to me so have look at what I've been up to.<br /> I'm sure many of you share my problem of having too little space for a real gaming set up, especially a permanent table with any thickness for landscaping. As I mentioned, I used a pasting table but anyone with a solid set of woodworking skills could adapt the idea to make a board with different dimensions. I however have fairly rudimentary woodworking skills and an old pasting table otherwise gathering dust. My table is intended for Steam & Aether so covered in cobbles/paving but I should think it'd work well with grass or hills or whatever you like. <br />The idea is to actually build the board on the inside of the table, thus protecting it once it's folded away also I'm changing the edge that the table folds along making a nice square surface, it's hard to explain so I hope I make sense, here come the pictures.<br />Here's what I did on the first day of building......<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img580/5736/4ntt.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Take one ordinary pasting table.<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img534/5734/uzrx.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />It opens like this, pretty useless....<br /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img109/9096/2d7f.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Still, open it flat and carfully remove the legs.<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img24/466/cyoc.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Now remove the hinges.<br /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img96/9501/5n2u.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Now turn the halves 90deg and put the hinges on, this time on the other edge (I drilled guide holes using the hinge as a template). <br /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img27/5893/db7h.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Next take the legs and cut them down to fit the inside width to use as braces (the fibreboard surface is pretty flimsy!)<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img7/2780/og1h.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Now with white glue underneath and screws in each end through the frame, fix the bracing.<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img23/3954/lgug.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />I found some more wood to brace with in the shed and used the off cuts of the legs to make cross bracing. Make sure your extra braces are the same thickness as the legs or it will cause problems later.<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img812/2299/qe3c.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Next using guide holes drilled from the other side I used little screws to fix the bracing securely to the board. There's no real depth to the fibreboard for countersinking so the next step is pretty essential. <br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img541/8388/qy1d.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br />I got two cheap foamed sleeping mats for camping and glued them to the board. This covers the screwheads and protects the board. It'll also protect the board from slipping off of where ever you lay it.<br /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img856/8332/yty0.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Here's it finished, the edges were fixed down with superglue.<br /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img29/8366/9d5b.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />And here it is folded again.<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img821/4158/4f9g.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />And weighted with heavy books to help the gluing (I actually added more and distributed them more evenly).<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img20/1566/1lrv.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Next comes the infill, I used really cheap polystyrene packing sheets to build the bulk of the board. Some areas have been left shallow as I want to add scenic elements below the regular playing surface, you could carve a river or trenches or whatever you like (allowing for bracing).<br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img833/7879/3hha.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />Next the surface layers of blue styrofoam are built up. If you plan better you might only need one layer.<br />I forgot to photograph between stages here but in the picture I have used a plane, chisels and belt sander to reduce the height of the two lengths of wood that form the internal section of the frame. When I add the next layer of styrofoam they should be fairly flush with the playing surface, only needing a little work to disguise (that's the plan at least!) <br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img20/361/6mkw.jpg" style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />For added stability at the edges I've inserted short lengths of cut down cocktail stick, the theory is that they should help reduce the compression that could occur from knocks or leaning players! <br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br /><br />
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/16/mbzc.jpg/" style="background-color: #999966; color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3603/mbzc.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="480" /></a><br style="background-color: #999966; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br />The last layer of styrofoam went on and to my relief is pretty flush with the internal frame edges (the filler isn't as caked on as it looks, it's filler is B&Q brand flexible filler to try to avoid cracking.) All of the paved areas are Wills plastic sheets and there's some other dressed stone plastic sheeting on the walls that I picked up from 4D models but didn't notice the brand name.<br />
You can't see well in the photos but one recess is the collapsed basement and one is a sewer (it looks a bit like it is purposely open rather than collapsed but it will look better painted).<br />Next up I've got some basketball textured fabric to make cobbles, loads of putty work to blend and edge the paving and some grit to glue on! <br /><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img153/7475/hjin.jpg" style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" />The red area is suede "basketball" textured fabric, it looks just like cobbles when it's painted. I glued it down with a thin layer of PVA, there may be a better adhesive solution however as I had a lot of annoyance with it wrinkling unevenly when it absorbed the moisture. A coat of thinned glue to seal it and a few hours in the sun got it tight as a drum again. The brown areas are dry soil, collected from the garden and sieved to remove pebbles etc. Again I used PVA to glue and seal it, brused at the edges to feather it out a bit.<br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img841/6165/4ps9.jpg" style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img541/7003/6nga.jpg" style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="480" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><br style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" /><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img4/83/s8cw.jpg" style="background-color: #cccc99; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;" width="640" /><br /><br />And now for the "baffles" 2mm plasticard that will be covered with the same textures as the board to eliminate the built in terrain features, to give more flexibility for gaming as you can see below:<br /><br />
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<br /><img alt="" border="0" height="420" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img707/7529/gkw6.jpg" width="640" /><br /><br />I covered the 2mm plasticard with some Wills sheeting, "basketball" fabric, a little dry soil, some cut card flagstones and sculpted some curbstones with "greenstuff" putty.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="630" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img203/2931/dt2e.jpg" width="640" /><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="417" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img692/2594/clx6.jpg" width="640" /><br />A coat of primer followed by a couple of layers of ink washes was drybrushed grey. I used watered down Talens acrylic ink for the washes, mainly black but a little brown/green/sepia for tonal variety. Some cheap acrylic craft paint did fine for the drybrushing, a thin wash of ink over that helped finish it off.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="462" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img707/7765/mj0v.jpg" width="640" /><br />Here's the finished article, A coat of matt varnish has been applied.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="310" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img845/5637/ul6n.jpg" width="640" /><br />Afterwards I glued a sheet of 2mm neoprene foam fabric to the underside to protect the tabletop and help it sit nicely on any slightly uneven surface.</div>
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The finishing stages were fairly straight forward. The rest of the tabletop was finished in the same manner as the earlier stages with the exception that I found sculpting curbs monumentally tedious and I ended up using lengths of styrene and card to edge whole sections of paving. It's not turned out to be to bad of a compromise, once plenty of cut card flagstones were scattered around it all blended together nicely. <br /><div class="post" id="msg_684896" style="overflow: auto; width: 893px;">
<span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="938" src="http://i.imgbox.com/BdPRS0ip.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1066" src="http://i.imgbox.com/PfRrRzjT.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1066" src="http://i.imgbox.com/11jyPPs1.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1040" src="http://i.imgbox.com/gvnu2sBy.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" />Next up I covered the board with an outrageous amount of grey spray primer and panted the frame in black acrylic. This was followed by the same wash and drybrush technique as on the test baffles. The finished effect has proved devilishly hard to capture using my feeble photography skills! Hopefully the close up images posted previously will display the effect better than the shots of the whole board. <br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="863" src="http://i.imgbox.com/ReQVLkqS.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="787" src="http://i.imgbox.com/ZLUYoOGK.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="782" src="http://i.imgbox.com/s7Awm0O0.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="600" src="http://i.imgbox.com/NECV6JvM.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" />Next I finished the rest of the baffles, moving these around the tabletop when I set up the board should provide some nice variation to gameplay.<br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="556" src="http://i.imgbox.com/eb8WCv7d.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><br style="background-color: #999966;" /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="564" src="http://i.imgbox.com/V6GWWftY.jpg" style="background-color: #999966;" width="800" /></span><br style="background-color: #999966;" />And here's a shot of the board with all of the baffles in place and that's the table complete. </div>
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I'm very happy with the final product, despite my bad photography! Maybe if I had painted the board a little lighter it would show the final effect better but you can see it all well in the close ups that i posted before. :)</div>
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Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-11293268808880209142014-04-13T14:26:00.000-07:002014-04-13T14:26:00.170-07:00Building a world.<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">
First, sorry for the prolonged silence. The last few months have been preoccupied with full time commissions combined with relocating from old London to rural Somerset. </div>
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For the TL/DR inclined, this post will mainly be pontification and rumination on how a gaming table and terrain should be for the purposes of Steam & Aether. Some of those here that inhabit the milieu of wargaming forums found online may have seen that I started to build a compact gaming table last year. The good news is that it's been completed in the meantime the build of which will be posted here for your perusal very soon. </div>
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In all of my years of wargaming I've never possessed a purpose built gaming table or a set of matching terrain and so thought that I'd better "go to town" on building a really nice game board to set my europocalyptic visions upon. Steam and Aether games take place of course, across the catastrophic ruins of 19th century industrial France. I thought that a great base for which would be a mixture of typical street surfaces for the period, flagstones, cobbles etc, strewn with a little detritus for good measure of course. This will allow me a suitable substrate to place the terrain of various environs atop. I will aim to build suitable buildings and sundry urban scatter to represent constructions of the industrial sprawl to ruined metropolis and regions between. I'm going to start sketching out on paper what I envisage the décor and aesthetic of Consulate France to be before working once again with the very talented Dave Needham on laying out some templates for architectural ornament to be laser cut, aiding me in constructing the terrain and eventually offering up to yourselves!</div>
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Posts will arrive more regularly from now on, here's hoping that you enjoy the little previews that I've posted today. To those waiting for the rules, I've just got them being arranged as a PDF, they'll be available very soon now!!</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-72408077422470546052013-11-27T05:42:00.003-08:002013-11-27T05:42:56.780-08:00A further quick note on Steam & Aether.<br />
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For those that have not read the background story or followed my project, the miniatures that I've spent so long making and developing are designed to represent the first two opposing sides for the ruleset and world setting that I've been working on for that past year or so, the eponymous "Steam and Aether".</div>
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For a tabletop wargame I've always wanted a set of rules that are simple to learn yet aren't boring or too generic and so that's what I've set out to create. The game will be powered by just a couple of easy mechanics allowing you to focus on play and narrative. I'm currently playtesting the rules but I hope to release a "beta" version within 6 months for anyone interested. Mark Latham will be on board to help me develop the rules further and set them out the way a veteran games developer knows best. I intend to make the rules freely available in PDF form to everyone once they're ready and have an online "living rulebook" incorporating player feedback where suitable. I'm not going to give much more away at the moment but stay tuned, I'll be keeping you all up to date.</div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-65092171638266633312013-11-21T09:55:00.001-08:002013-11-21T09:55:40.854-08:00Kickstarter figures rebased.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that 99% of the Meridian Miniatures KS is done with and shipped I've been able to sit down and continue work on the Steam & Aether ruleset, miniatures and setting again. </div>
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For those of you that don't know, I work as a full time miniatures sculptor so I have to try to balance my schedule to include personal work alongside the bread as butter of paid commissions. Over the last couple of days I've made time to rebase the painted figures that I used to promote the Meridian Miniatures KS. </div>
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The Steam and Aether setting wasn't fully set in stone when I painted them so I stuck with my default basing scheme. I've chosen to refinish the bases to represent the post catastrophe landscape of industrial France. I've simply removed the grass tufts and added (overscaled) miniature bricks and tiny cogs (both from eBay) with some pieces of card create nice bits of loose paving. This all received a coat of dark grey plus a black wash, then a little brass and brick red to pick out the details. Next came a light grey drybrush plus some orange on the bricks and the odd patch of ground. A little chestnut ink was added to shade the brass. I hope you'll agree that they've turned out to be very effective and evocative of the setting for relatively quick jobs.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">
The next sets that get painted will be experiments with speed painting, that won't be for a little while though I'm afraid. Plenty more to share with you in the meantime though.</div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-89522050195156368652013-10-20T03:10:00.000-07:002013-10-20T03:10:14.089-07:00Additional<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Aether<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The French scientists of the
Consulate of Peace spent many months ensconced within the extraterrestrial
installation, deep beneath the <st1:place w:st="on">Jura Mountains</st1:place>.
There they happened across greatest discovery in human history, the discovery
that would change the world forever: Terrestrial Aether.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
truth behind Terrestrial Aether was never revealed to the world. Only the
products of French ingenuity and the marvels that this new element could make
possible stood testament to the discovery. And yet the scientists laboured on,
determined to discover how such a wondrous material could have come to be. After
deciphering knowledge from the complex’s many libraries and glowing logic
engines, the greatest minds in <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
were awed to learn that there were many dimensions in existence, and the Aether
was the very stuff that bound them together. All space and time exists by
virtue of the Aether, and all matter and energy is created and conducted
through it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Beyond
the veil of our own reality, manifold dimensions lie. Some are like our own;
some are utterly alien—planes of scintillating light and Stygian darkness, and
everything in-between. And with knowledge of the Aether, distilled into its
purest form, mankind could conceivably traverse the planes of reality, and even
cross the cold void of space to worlds far beyond our own. And yet in these
myriad places, unimaginable forms of matter and life exist. Alien intelligences
lurk at the fringes of reality, waiting hungrily for the chance to cross into
our world, were they only given the means to traverse the Aether…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-2566983291860349952013-10-19T01:03:00.000-07:002013-10-19T01:03:23.684-07:00Part 5<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">The Present: 1867<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN">When the Aether storms
miraculously calmed, both <st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:country-region> dispatched
science expeditions to assess the safety of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>. They found that, as long as
precautions were taken against noxious fumes and strange atmospheres, it would
be possible to explore the desolate country. Early indications were that many
of the ruins of the French towns, not to mention the great industrial
complexes, were ripe for exploration, and would certainly yield a great bounty
in unique</span> artefacts<span lang="EN"> and
advanced technology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
Former cities house untold
technology, much of which was never released to the outside world. The vast
industrial plazas that once covered endless acres of land lie abandoned, ruined
factories brim with wares, engines of manufacture lie unguarded, and secret
caches of Aetheric materials surely wait to be discovered.<span lang="EN"> Even
Louis-Napoleon’s super-weapons now sit dormant along <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s borders, standing silent
sentry against innumerable plunderers. Perhaps, it was argued, the source of
the Terrestrial Aether discovered by the French all those years ago still
existed. If it did, then perhaps it could be made safe, and the scientists of
the age could carve success from the failure of the Consulate. Whoever achieved
such a feat would be wealthy beyond measure and, if the</span> rumours<span lang="EN"> of
Terrestrial Aether’s other properties were to be believed, practically
immortal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> And yet the dangers of exploring the mist-shrouded ruins
of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>
were immeasurable. Dangerous storms are like to flare up without warning, with
winds that can strip flesh from bones and lightning bolts capable of cutting
through entire companies of men. Some regions of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> remain entirely inaccessible
by land, sea or air, as they seem engulfed permanently by conflagrations of
multi</span>-coloured<span lang="EN">
fire. Sometimes, towns and landmarks that had been wiped from the map flicker
into existence, offering up their secrets for a</span> tantalisingly<span lang="EN"> short space of time
before blinking out of reality once more, taking with it anyone unfortunate
enough to be nearby. What befalls such unlucky individuals is unknown, but none
have ever been seen again. Worse still,</span> rumours<span lang="EN"> persist of strange beings,
terrifying to behold, appearing as if from nowhere, sometimes with messages for</span> travellers<span lang="EN">, and
sometimes with murderous intent. There are places where time and space are
damaged beyond repair—places where time runs backwards, or more slowly, or even
stands still; where a</span>
traveller<span lang="EN"> might find himself aged twenty years in the blink
of an eye, or else find himself at his destination in moments, whilst his
companions have all aged several years, or are long dead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> Drawn together by the dimensional flux, even more strange
elements have coalesced from the realms beyond, and melded with Terrestrial Aether
into myriad strange and exotic materials. Boulders and sometimes whole villages
are left lighter than air, gently drifting dozens of feet from the ground;
forests of bizarre, glowing crystalline trees have sprung up across the
wasteland, and rich seams of extraterrestrial minerals run through the rocky
mountain ranges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> Some ‘survivors’ of the Aether catastrophe have become
something less than human—hideous, walking corpses, shambling revenants of
humanity whose grotesque forms have become hosts to inter-dimensional
parasites. Dead bodies have been found with crudely-written decrees pinned to
them, decrees apparently written by King Charles X. Could it be that something
still stirs in the ruins of Paris, the city worst affected by the catastrophe?
Could it be that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Paris</st1:city></st1:place>
is ruled over still, by the king of the revenants?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN">Other
beings, strange and ravening, also wander the land. From which hellish dimension
they came, no one can be sure, but their nightmarish forms are myriad. Whilst
some keep to specific regions, perhaps bound by particular conditions or drawn
to exotic alien minerals, others drift across the wasteland, searching for
living things on which to feed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> But not everyone in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> is dead or cursed. Some
natives live still, in the few remaining rural settlements, or makeshift
communes in the hill country. From all walks of life, these dispossessed people
have banded together, fearful of strangers and rightly so. What remains of the
French militia does its best to look after these pockets of</span> civilisation<span lang="EN">,
but it has its work cut out.</span> Some groups of soldiers have long since forsaken hope, and operate as
pirates and rogues, their knowledge of the harsh wasteland unsurpassed. Legends
are whispered by the ragged denizens of the communes that Napoleon III still
lives, and fights against revenants, murderous rebels and invading foreigners
alike. They whisper that he has somehow remained untouched by the catastrophe;
the only man in <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
to remain pure when all around him has been corrupted. Whatever the truth of
the matter, Louis-Napoleon has become a folk hero, his stories told around
campfires at night to ward off evil.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><i>The Race for Supremacy<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
With so many horrors, and with <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place> still very much in a state
of Aetheric flux, it seems foolhardy for any nation to contemplate expeditions
into the wasteland. And yet the Prussian central ministry and the Royal
Geographical Society of Britain have put together several expeditionary forces
to foray ever deeper into old French territory. And they are not alone—several
of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s more partisan
regiments have disobeyed orders and entered <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place> in search of riches.
Mercenary warbands from rival nations delve into the wasteland unaided. And all
this, for the merest opportunity of fame, fortune and the advancement of
science beyond measure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
These
expeditionary forces must face all the dangers of the wasteland, and doubtless
other, as-yet-undiscovered terrors from alien dimensions. Until more of <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
has been explored, neither side dares launch a full-scale military invasion,
and so instead smaller forces push ever deeper into the chaotic realm in search
of untold treasure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place>’s
forces are primarily well-organised expeditions, led by the greatest explorers
of the age and supported by well-drilled elite Yeomanry. Regimental
expeditions, however, tend to be less well prepared, and are usually dispatched
at the whim of a mercurial regimental commander whose only interest is
garnering more glory for his regiment. These missions are likely to change at
the drop of a hat, as officers in the field become greedy for more personal
wealth, filled with battle lust, or lose their nerve entirely in the face of
extraterrestrial horrors. Some British regiments are even said to be in the pay
of the exiled French Duke, Louis Antoine, who pledges his assistance to any
force that promises to preserve French wealth and national treasures, so that
one day he may restore his kingdom and sit the throne that is rightfully his.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
Prussian states send out legions of border forces into its ravaged western
territories daily, primarily in the hope that, once secure, it can be restored
to its former glory. Their troops are patriotic and well-drilled, after two
decades of border patrols, but they are also weary of the bureaucracy from the
capital, and the endless politicking of their leaders. Those that press on into
<st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region> do so under orders
from their regional controllers, and often find themselves competing with
regiments from other regions of <st1:place w:st="on">Prussia</st1:place>.
They are almost always burdened by over-complicated chains of command, manifold
objectives, and secondary targets which much be achieved meticulously, all the
while recording their every manoeuvre for the central ministry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Added
to this, private companies from both sides often set out to stake their own
share of the wealth. From <st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place>,
individual explorers, scientists and trading companies often venture into the
wasteland, backed by foreign mercenaries, hired muscle or bribed soldiery. Only
the most determined and well-prepared get past the first few days of perilous
exploring, but those who do return so laden down with riches that they always
inspire another group to have a go. Likewise, the civil institutions of <st1:place w:st="on">Prussia</st1:place>
form coalitions of brave, foolhardy and disenfranchised militia to delve into
the wastes and bring back what treasure they can find. Many towns put together
their own private expeditions, waving official papers signed by backwater local
politicians as a passport to adventure. Scientific institutes pool their
resources to pay off the Prussian border guards, sending in small teams to
study the French ruins, determined not to let the Royal Society of Britain beat
them in the race to scientific discovery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Even
less prominent nations have found their way into France—small forces of Spanish
guerrillas seeking wealth to rebuild their country; Nordic and Mediterranean
nations risking their tiny fleets over the still-treacherous seas; and even Russian
and American mercenaries have been found in the wastes, usually at death’s door
due to their distinct lack of Aether technology.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Only
the bravest of the explorers ever survives long enough to reach the interior of
the nation. Those that meet inevitably come into conflict. The stakes are too
high for either <st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> to contemplate sharing the spoils and
so, in the no-man’s land that is <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>, all treaties are set aside
and hostilities are commonplace. Of course, it is no place for the unwary
commander. Entire regiments can appear as if from nowhere, falling upon their
enemies out of thin air; hordes of shambling revenants can suddenly stumble
from the buildings of a seemingly deserted settlement; and armed exploratory
forces will stop at nothing to stalk a rival who has the relics that they seek.
Whatever the dangers, everything is at stake for the side willing to gamble; a
whole nation lies under a pall of chaos, its secrets waiting to be revealed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
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<br /></div>
</div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-4285052220480454172013-10-18T02:16:00.000-07:002013-10-18T02:16:18.573-07:00Part 4<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The New Balance of Power<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN">The cosmic strife persisted for almost two decades, remaining mercifully
confined to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>
and the surrounding environs until one day in 1867, quite suddenly, the storms
calmed. The sun rose into a blue sky for what seemed to be the first time in
eons, and the world held its breath. No-one knew what had befallen France and
its people. No-one knew what the other nations had been up to during the time
of isolation. But the race was on to find out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><i><span lang="EN">Great Britain</span></i></b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b><i><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN">During the storms, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>
had become more isolated than ever before. Robbed of its naval strength by the
Consulate’s decrees years earlier, and denied egress into Europe by the Aether
catastrophe, it would have seemed to outsiders that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s dominion had come to an
end. However, that would be to discount the resourcefulness and tenacity that
had for so long characterized the people of Britannia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place> had managed to use
its navigational heritage to maintain contact with the Indian subcontinent,
braving long and perilous sea journeys to secure a source of wealth via trade
routes with the exotic east. Thousands of Queen <st1:state w:st="on">Victoria</st1:state>’s
Indian subjects were welcomed into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>,
bringing the finest minds, skilled </span>labourers<span lang="EN"> and military commanders from the farthest reaches
of the Empire to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place>.
Eastern food, religion, music and culture became increasingly popular, as the
ruling classes of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>
embraced new ideas after being so long cut off from the cultural</span> centres<span lang="EN"> of <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.
The cities swelled with industry, culture and commerce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN">Meanwhile, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s
greatest scientists, the elite of the prestigious Royal Society, had never
stopped their efforts to unlock the secrets of the Aether technology gained
from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
It was whispered that the most radical thinkers of London’s intelligentsia had
taken to distilling Terrestrial Aether with opiates, in order to expand their
minds sufficiently to give them greater insights into the inter-dimensional
secrets. Whether this was successful or not, British scientists certainly made
great strides into Aether technology, and began to finally develop military
devices—Aetheric airships, ocean-going dreadnoughts, and super-charged personal
weaponry foremost among their discoveries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN">However, due to <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>’s
restrictions on foreign military power decades previously, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s army had become a
fragmented</span> organisation<span lang="EN">. In
order to find a way around the sanctions imposed by the Consulate, the Duke of
Wellington had disbanded the central command of Her Majesty’s Army, handing
control of individual regiments to trusted local commanders. As a result,
regiments fell back upon centuries of history and tradition, becoming
autonomous fighting units answerable only to the Queen, yet sometimes behaving
in the manner of privateers or self</span>-aggrandising<span lang="EN"> guilds whilst fighting for the interests of the
Empire. To keep some semblance of order, the Iron Duke elevated the territorial
Yeomanry—traditionally a ceremonial force—into a permanent fighting force, which
trained in secret to become an elite army. Under the command of the bullish
commander in chief, General Sir Colin Campbell, recently returned from fighting
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
the new Royal Elite Yeomanry became a feared strike force. Though primarily
used for domestic</span> defence<span lang="EN">,
they were just as often called upon to undertake secret missions in the Empire’s
interests, or even to police the more capricious excesses of the great regiments.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><i><span lang="EN">Prussia</span></i></b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b><i><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN">Suddenly finding itself the greatest continental power still standing,
Prussia set about unifying the remaining German states, cementing bonds that
had been set in place by the well-meaning Consulate of Peace. Seeing no profit
in retaining their independence, Bavaria and Austria joined the Unified
Prussia, and their vast, ponderous standing armies swelled the ranks of King
Frederick’s already unwieldy forces. Of the largest nation-states, only <st1:country-region w:st="on">Hungary</st1:country-region> remained independent, solidifying its
position as the second most powerful state in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> King Frederick himself suffered
a stroke in 1857, so severe that it should have forced his abdication. However,
aided by Aether technology, the Royal surgeons managed to prolong his life,
augmenting the king’s frail body with beautifully-wrought mechanical
prosthetics of brass and gold. <st1:city w:st="on">Frederick</st1:city> became
increasingly bitter and militant the more his body was changed by subsequent
surgeries, and his ministers faced a constant battle to keep him from sending
his forces sweeping into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Hungary</st1:country-region></st1:place>
to claim the stubborn state by force. To rein in the king’s excesses, his son—a
liberal and staunch supporter of the Consulate’s ideology—used his political
guile to make Otto von Bismarck prime minister. Von Bismarck had long proved
himself capable of quelling the king’s irrational rages, whilst maintaining
cordial relationships with foreign powers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> Von Bismarck’s first
initiative was to divide the Prussian armies into smaller forces, so that they
could not easily be deployed en masse against <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Hungary</st1:country-region></st1:place> or anyone else. However, he
remained wary of leaving <st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region></span>
defenceless<span lang="EN">, so he ensured that each
force was sent on constant</span><span lang="EN"> </span>manoeuvres<span lang="EN"> on the borders of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, under the control of
regional commanders. This directive kept them ever alert and battle-ready, and
yet ultimately under the control of the hideously bureaucratic ministry at Königsberg. The duty of
furthering <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
military technology was also given to the regional commands, with military
guilds forming to accomplish their assigned tasks. Prussian regiments,
therefore, tend to be armed and uniformed as dictated by the innovations and
rules of their guild, rather than by the central ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> For all of its wealth and might, however, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region></st1:place>
was still left comparatively isolated by the Aether catastrophe. To the west of
the country lay a vast wasteland, an irradiated steppe where nothing grows and
nothing can live. At least, nothing natural. Westphalia and <st1:state w:st="on">Hanover</st1:state>
were abandoned, and beyond them lies what is left of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>. To the east, the minor
independent states clung to their sovereignty, engaging in petty squabbles with
each other, and in effect providing a buffer between United Prussia and the old
power of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> With uncertain foes and fickle friends all around, von
Bismarck’s armies set about securing the borders, creating hundreds of miles of
defensive lines, unbreachable by foreign aggression, and from whatever perils
lurked within the Aether storms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-43604435328992524162013-10-17T02:58:00.002-07:002013-10-17T02:58:40.400-07:00Part 3<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">La Catástrofe Aethér<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN">What the Consulate scientists were working on in the lowest, most secure
levels of the extraterrestrial complex will perhaps never be fully understood.
However, the pinnacle of their work was surely the invention of portal
technology—the ability to transport a living person from one place to another
almost instantaneously, by passing through a portal of pure Terrestrial Aether.
Philosophers posit that the Aether is in fact the building block of all matter
in every dimension, existing simultaneously in all time and space. By passing
through a portal, one effectively folds reality itself, stepping out at the pre-defined
point unharmed. Although the initial test subjects reported strange sensations,
unexpected side-effects, and glimpses of realms beyond the veil, the invention
is celebrated as the future of French dominance over the world. Work commenced
to iron out the problems, and in the spring of 1849, the <i>‘Port du Aethér’</i> was constructed, with stations situated all across
<st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region> and the <st1:place w:st="on">Low Countries</st1:place>. The Consulate is jealously protective of
this technology, as the builders of Aetheric portals required access to pure Terrestrial
Aether—the very substance from which France had derived its new-found power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> However, the construction
of portals large and small, and in such vast numbers, had never before been
tested. Most were man-sized portals, designed to send</span> travellers<span lang="EN"> to their destination in single-file.
Others, like the ones in <st1:city w:st="on">Paris</st1:city> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Calais</st1:city></st1:place>, were large enough
for steam-engines to pass through. However, when the <i>Port du Aethér </i>was finally brought on-line, disaster ensued. No
longer confined to simply transporting a single person between two points, the
intricate web of portals and inter-dimensional routes caused confluences of raw
Aether and other alien matter to pour into our dimension. The energy of distant
stars, radiation from parallel universes, and sanity-splitting
extra-dimensional beings flooded through the gates, and continued to do so
until all of the energy that powered the <i>Port
du Aethér </i>was expended. Cosmic storms wracked the land, coruscating
energies washed over the skies, and great dimensional fluxes blinked randomly
into existence, wiping town and cities from the map in an instant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> Overnight, the Consulate
was destroyed, along with most of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The nation that had flirted
with ultimate power became nothing more than an irradiated wasteland,
inaccessible due to the otherworldly fires and clouds of noxious gases that
continued to erupt across the land. The <st1:place w:st="on">Low <span lang="EN-GB">Countries</span></st1:place> did not escape unscathed; huge tracts of
coastline fell into the sea, and the major towns were leveled by gigantic tidal
waves, which flooded the land and killed tens of thousands of people. From the <st1:place w:st="on">North Sea</st1:place> to the Straits of Gibraltar, the oceans roiled
with chaotic energy, making travel by sea an</span> impossibility<span lang="EN"> in those regions. Western Germany, the Iberian Peninsula,
Northern Italy and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Switzerland</st1:country-region>
also felt the after-shocks of the most horrendous catastrophe in the history of
the world—a catastrophe that threatened to wipe every man, woman and child in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> from the map.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN"> Despite the calamity
inflicted on the west, the main power of Prussia escaped the worst of the
fallout from <i>‘La Catástrofe Aethér’</i>,
as it had became known, and King Frederick suddenly found himself the ruler of
the most powerful nation on the continent. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Great
Britain</st1:country-region>, meanwhile, found itself isolated from the rest
of <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>, cut off from the continent by churning,
unnatural seas and violent electrical storms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-79770373838087950722013-10-16T02:30:00.002-07:002013-10-16T02:31:41.286-07:00Part 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A <st1:place w:st="on">New
World</st1:place> Order<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
Though France controlled all commerce in Aetheric goods across Europe, the benefits for all could not be denied, and many common people in Unified Prussia and even Britain reaped the rewards of the new age of invention.<br />
In Prussia, the finest architects embraced Aether-forged building materials and labour-saving industrial machinery, transforming the capital, Königsberg, into a gleaming marvel of towering iron and glass structures, rising almost to the clouds and serviced by passenger airships. In Britain, steam-conveyances zipped along city roads, fuelled by Aetheric carbon. All manner of mundane tasks began to be carried out autonomously by clanking devices of brass and iron, programmed with analogue task disks of Aetheric copper, or logic maps cut from slivers of Aetheric silicon or crystal. Whilst the death of the service industry in Europe signalled the rise of self-made men and the lower-middle-class, in nations such as Great Britain the cultural shift was a step too far, and the poorest people were made poorer still by the lack of manual work on offer.<br />
The tale of hardship was repeated tenfold in Spain and Portugal. With no monarchy and a fractious government controlled by France, the countries quickly fell into misrule. Guerilla fighters took to the hills, fearing another French invasion, and eventually became feared bandits, preying on the very peasants they had once sworn to protect. To the north of France, the Dutch monarchy similarly fled to the East Indies. The Consulate, not wishing to repeat its mistake on the Iberian Peninsula, moved to take control of Holland immediately, setting up a trade alliance with the East Indies to take advantage of the newly strengthened links between those nations.<br />
<br />
Over the following two decades, Europe flourished in spite of the animosity and problems. Trade in non-military Aether technology finally reached Russia, the Americas and the Orient, sparking never before seen technological expansion in those far-flung corners of the globe. Meanwhile, France continued its transformation into the centre of Aetheric development on Earth. Entire regions were given over to industry, and countless factory complexes churned out new contraptions, materials and weapons around the clock. Acres-long warehouses are built to store the newly forged wonders, and the smoke from factory furnaces blotted out the sun. Much of the rolling hills, pastoral forests and isolated villages that once characterized France were irrevocably transformed by mile upon mile of landscaped brick and iron concourses, cobbled roads and industrial complexes. The Consulate ruled supreme over this new regime, believing the sacrifice worthwhile in the name of worldwide peace, profit and progress. All the while, their scientists continued to unlock ever more ancient secrets from the strange, subterranean alien city; the existence of which remain the most closely guarded secret in the world.Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-66356975382269399752013-10-15T02:23:00.001-07:002013-10-16T02:32:06.360-07:00Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/833/0yf8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/833/0yf8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b>In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, peace descended on a troubled <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> for the first time in living memory. It was an age
of reason, of enlightenment, and progress. An age where the ingenuity of
mankind scaled heights previously unimagined. And yet, it was not science or intellect,
nor even conquest that was to change the world. It was the discovery of
something older and far more mysterious than anything humanity could have dreamt;
something that had lain dormant since the dawn of time… <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b>…the Aether.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The discovery of this wondrous,
alien element was heralded as the greatest achievement of the modern age. It
brought unimaginable wealth to those who knew its secrets, and allowed the
greatest minds of the nineteenth century to realise their wildest theories and
create inventions to be marvelled at around the world. And yet the expansion of
industry and prosperity made possible by the Aether proved to be a short-lived
phenomenon; for it was no natural force, to be harnessed by mankind as they saw
fit. With Aetheric experimentation came hidden dangers, both physical and
metaphysical, and dabbling with this unknown force was to cost the world dear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">France</span></b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, 1815-1830<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Following Napoleon’s defeat at <st1:city w:st="on">Waterloo</st1:city>, the Bourbon monarchy was restored, and Charles X
reclaimed the throne of <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>.
Though <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
finally had peace, few were happy that their dream of democracy and freedom
from the yoke of tyranny had finally been quashed. Fewer still were happy that
their ruler was a puppet to the British, with whom they had fought for so many
years. As Charles X introduced ever higher taxes in order to rebuild his
nation, the people suffered, and animosity festered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
In
darkened meeting-houses and taverns across <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>, a new revolution was
planned. A secret order of wealthy industrialists, scientists, free-thinkers
and <i>haute-bourgeois</i> radicals formed a
covert society, calling themselves the Consulate of Peace. They quickly
garnered the support of the old National Guard, who had been disbanded by King
Charles; yet although they sought a change for <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>, the Consulate did not want
another Reign of Terror. Instead, they sought to install a new republic based
on reason and liberty. Through enlightenment, they argued, <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place> would not only be restored
to glory, but also lead a new world order.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
Led by the
radical politician Adolphe Thiers, and the nephew of Napoleon himself—the
bombastic Louis-Napoleon—the Consulate drew support from a veritable army of
scientists, explorers, philosophers, writers, ex-soldiers and philanthropists. They
began a decade of expansion and exploration, growing ever bolder with each
political and ideological victory. They bought land, factories, mines and
safe-houses across <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>;
they delved into the history of the nation, recovering lost archaeological
relics that told of the glories of the past, restoring national pride and
gathering more supporters wherever they went.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><i>The Consulate’s Discovery<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
It was during such an
archaeological expedition near the Jura mountain range that an amazing
discovery was made. Ancient caves long-overlooked were accidentally opened up,
and the Consulate explorers followed the strange, labyrinthine tunnels deeper
and deeper beneath the mountains, until finally they came across a marvel to
science. Lying dormant for millennia, a sprawling complex of unknown origin
gave up its secrets to the explorers. Who had built the cyclopean palace, none
could say. Yet at the presence of living men, glowing lights of unknown design
flickered to life, and consoles of illuminated glyphs activated at a touch. The
Consulate discovered a veritable city devoted to some alien science; a buried
repository of technology and knowledge, its endless corridors and chambers
filled with strange devices and libraries… and weapons. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
seeds of unrest within the ranks of the Consulate were sown. Even a cursory
exploration of the devices on display convinced Louis-Napoleon—by then Napoleon
III—that they could retake <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
by force, even with the meagre numbers of National Guard at their command. Yet
Thiers had his way, and the Consulate spent many months in their new
headquarters, deciphering ancient scrolls, learning to use bizarre logic
engines, and making scientific discoveries that would have made da Vinci weep.
The greatest of these was a new element, found in abundance at the glowing core
of the monolithic facility. It seemed to be the source of power for the entire
complex, and everything in proximity to the roiling, crystalline material
seemed to warp and twist. They called this element ‘Terrestrial Aether’, and
learned much of its practical application. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
The complex was
greater than the fabled library of <st1:place w:st="on">Alexandria</st1:place>,
and soon the Consulate had learned enough to put some of their new inventions
into practice. Giving new instructions to their factories across <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>,
the fires of industry burned day and night. With the application of Terrestrial
Aether, metal could be made both lighter and stronger, any number of devices
could be powered without coal or oil, medicines of previously unimagined
potency could be concocted, and mankind could at last take to the skies in
small airships, the likes of which had never before been seen. Most interesting
to young Louis-Napoleon, however, was the use of Terrestrial Aether in machines
of war. He commandeered a munitions factory in the south of <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>, and within a week had them
producing Aether-powered rifles, gigantic cannons that spat beams of ferocious
energy, and armoured, horseless carriages impervious to musket shot. He knew
that, for all of their ideological superiority, the Consulate needed his Aether
weapons to rid <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
of the monarchy, and keep her enemies across the Channel at bay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><i>Revolution and Conquest<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
When the Consulate of Peace finally
revealed their intentions in the summer of 1829, all of <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place> was in awe at their power
and invention. Napoleon III, like his illustrious uncle before him, marched
from town to town, gathering old soldiers and idealistic volunteers to his
banner, and arming them with Aether weaponry. At first, the monarchy and their
royalist army resisted the will of the people, but that soon changed when Louis-Napoleon
unleashed his super-weapon upon the <i>Palais
Bourbon,</i> sundering it with a shot launched from over a mile away, and
reducing it to ash. His army then marched into <st1:place w:st="on">Paris</st1:place> in a display of power, and as the
people cheered and shouted for a new Emperor Napoleon, Charles X relinquished
the throne.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Dismayed
that the Consulate of Peace had resorted to military might, Adolphe Thiers
nonetheless continued his plan. He swiftly set his supporters in place as a new
National Assembly, and began dismantling the old monarchy and last vestiges of
Catholic power. The cathedral of Notre Dame was rededicated as the home of the
Cult of Reason. Charles X was imprisoned for his crimes against the people, but
his son, Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, was exiled to <st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place>, under orders to take with
him messages from the Consulate. Despite their newfound military might, the
Consulate was still determined to establish an era of worldwide peace—albeit
one under their yoke.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Though
he secretly harboured ambitions of conquest, Louis-Napoleon did as he was bid.
He set about installing his Aether-cannons around <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>’s borders, as a dire warning
to any nation who would attempt to thwart the Consulate’s power.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
And
so, under the shadow of unprecedented military threat, Europe’s nations one by
one fell into line, signing new agreements of peace and trade with <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>,
and with each other. Armies of all the great nations were curtailed, regiments
disbanded at <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>’s
behest, and even the mighty Royal Navy was halved in size. The Consulate
continued to experiment with Terrestrial Aether, reverse-engineering almost
every common technology and material in a bid to become the most advanced nation
on the planet. Slowly, derivative Aether-based technologies began to find their
way into the hands of other nations, first illicitly, and then through open
trade—although the secrets of the Aether-weapons remained a closely guarded
secret. <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>’s
immediate neighbours felt the economic squeeze most keenly and, fearing the
return of the French Empire, dared do nothing to anger Napoleon III. The rulers
of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Portugal</st1:country-region> abdicated and fled into self-imposed
exile in South America, leaving <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
no option but to assume rulership of a dispossessed people, hostile to their
every move. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region>, a proud
and militaristic state under King Frederick William IV, began to plot the
downfall of <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>,
coveting their remarkable weapons for themselves. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Great
Britain</st1:country-region>, meanwhile, concentrated on unlocking the secrets
of Aether for itself, resentful of the restrictions that <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place> placed on international
commerce and its long-standing naval dominance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: #666666;">More to come tomorrow and every day for the rest of the week.</span></div>
Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-19988834724798215122013-10-14T04:25:00.002-07:002013-10-14T04:27:38.191-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/833/0yf8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/833/0yf8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Over the last few months I've been musing over and planning out the background story and game world for my ongoing project. To compliment the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/meridian-miniatures-steampunk-army">miniatures</a> that I have sculpted I wanted to create a new setting, separate from traditional Victorian Scifi and still different from the newer and established steampunk settings. So with the the concepts and story all set out I decided to approach a professional writer to coalesce my imaginings into a solid backstory. Mark Latham has done a marvellous job for translating my ideas, approaching the subject matter with great enthusiasm. I'll be publishing the backstory over the next week starting tomorrow. I hope everyone that decides to follow it enjoys what we have created. The next stage is the continued development and playtesting of the Steam and Aether ruleset, if you want to stay abreast of what I've got coming then please follow the blog and I'll keep you all updated.<br />
<br />
<br />
Many thanks<br />
<br />
<br />
Andrew May<br />
<br />
<br />
Mark Latham is an author, editor and games designer from Staffordshire, UK. Formerly the editor of White Dwarf magazine and head of Warhammer 40,000 for Games Workshop, Mark is now a writer of short stories, books and tabletop games, such as Legends of the Old West, and Waterloo.<br />
<br />
Mark has been ensconced in the worlds of science fiction and fantasy for many years, but his real passion is for history. Mark has a deep obsession with the past, especially the nineteenth century; an affliction that can only be salved by writing on the subject for far longer than can be considered healthy.<br />
<br />
<br />
Mark’s Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thelostvictorian">www.facebook.com/thelostvictorian</a><br />
Read Mark’s blog here: <a href="http://thelostvictorian.blogspot.co.uk/">http://thelostvictorian.blogspot.co.uk/</a><br />
Or follow him on Twitter: @alostvictorianAndrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-9337806344686679972013-09-03T14:27:00.000-07:002013-09-03T14:27:09.771-07:00New artwork by Des HanleyI actually had these commissioned a while back but they ended up being finalised a little later on. Des did a fantastic job of translating my figures into images, I hope you find them inspiring, they'll be popping up again in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnTFyNoy1qpM_V67T2ltTqjWWss0b5fuWdqopo09F4Uh8BODNIMvGyXTIX8e8a7HSPGkDaKZv1MHF-JNhZsCfevsUwW36kUdTu8XtFnbodUvNDYLSjRR5dfsI0F8wKZ04cfwl0dX6t5dA/s1600/MeridianBritBust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnTFyNoy1qpM_V67T2ltTqjWWss0b5fuWdqopo09F4Uh8BODNIMvGyXTIX8e8a7HSPGkDaKZv1MHF-JNhZsCfevsUwW36kUdTu8XtFnbodUvNDYLSjRR5dfsI0F8wKZ04cfwl0dX6t5dA/s320/MeridianBritBust.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbueAJ8CEKT9nPA3Bk4Bb0uIoTPMecw3wkJA4HYm9osO8QLpbQ9MV8NaxqhmkQGF0vWtWZGPtHT7jgOH1fj1LmI5HEoN0dd64afCWQWV8qW4wAMY1iRKKe9D1mSXPL-2fzxiEIWvFPIoM2/s1600/MeridianHun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbueAJ8CEKT9nPA3Bk4Bb0uIoTPMecw3wkJA4HYm9osO8QLpbQ9MV8NaxqhmkQGF0vWtWZGPtHT7jgOH1fj1LmI5HEoN0dd64afCWQWV8qW4wAMY1iRKKe9D1mSXPL-2fzxiEIWvFPIoM2/s320/MeridianHun.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-75154709720388868692013-08-22T09:06:00.000-07:002013-08-22T09:06:08.556-07:00First batch of master castings arrives.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84NA19odnM5kJ3_V4qoUEImtCHzP8s9yaMzCv3jDM02sQlxrtlZ4WYgdd7GlpVSSRoZ4jRGBM2N9zYKhCVsjEJ3cd1juRag-Ms6hYBdQrqM5BNG_gzMpxkfq93yRDzatRmQ66cfNrRnvk/s1600/photo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84NA19odnM5kJ3_V4qoUEImtCHzP8s9yaMzCv3jDM02sQlxrtlZ4WYgdd7GlpVSSRoZ4jRGBM2N9zYKhCVsjEJ3cd1juRag-Ms6hYBdQrqM5BNG_gzMpxkfq93yRDzatRmQ66cfNrRnvk/s320/photo-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b1902; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">I'm happy to say that the first batch of master castings for my <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/meridian-miniatures-steampunk-army">Kickstarter</a> miniatures arrived today. It includes all of the standard troops and 75% of the head sprues. Griffin moulds did a fantastic job as ever so I'll be sending back some masters to make production moulds from while I get the greatcoated figures finished.</span>Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866645835471260517.post-87366413219318645132013-08-20T08:53:00.001-07:002013-08-20T08:53:18.493-07:00Full steam ahead...<br /><br />Hello everyone and welcome to my project development blog. Many of you will have come here via the page for my first <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2004599158/meridian-miniatures-steampunk-army">Kickstarter</a> project, the project is funded and working toward fulfilment but head over and take a look if you're not familiar with my miniatures. The miniatures that are now half way to production are the first public step towards creating my own gaming system set in an alternate history of my imagining, I'll be using this blog to document the goings on that will bring that world to life. Please follow the blog and check back often if you're interested, I'll try to update at least a couple of times a week. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />That's all for my first post apart from to thank Dave Needham aka: <a href="http://realmofzhu.blogspot.co.uk/">Zhu</a> for designing the "Steam and Aether" logo you can see at the top of the page, he was also responsible for designing the Meridian Miniatures logos for me. Whilst I'm just one person carrying out this project it's great to be able to call upon other talented folk in the gaming community to contribute towards realising my project.</div>
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Andrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18021239618737327349noreply@blogger.com0