The Martians have moved deeper into human territory and are expecting fiercer resistance. Here are some Alien Dungeon bunkers where the feeble maggots will hide out.
Nice little models. The paint job is a very simple 10 minute job with various sprays. Black,Red oxide, Cappuccino , Tan Brown and a teeny bit of Army Painter Green. Will get around to giving them a wash and some foliage another time.
While waiting for the AQOTMF Kickstarter I did some hunting for miniature period vehicles. The best I could find were from a company called Highway Miniatures. They are not easy to track down it seems unless you are in the States, but I was able to find a trio on eBay. I’ve made one up already and here is a run down on the second.
These kits are very, very fiddly. In fact they are the most fiddly kits I have taken on. I’ve not researched the history properly but I’m guessing from the retro instructions and box design this is because the kits are very old. There is something quite quaint about the handwritten instructions and black and white box, but trust me, you will fear the contents!
With the first kit I made I followed it exactly including the gear stick, suspension systems and other ridiculously tiny fragile parts that don’t fit together particularly well. This time I took a few short cuts and ended up with a model that should be fine (if not quite as intended) in an hour or so.
These kits are not easy to work with but I’m not aware of any other option. I’m hoping they will look nice with a lick of paint and be a nice addition to my AQOTMF games.
A great game of AQOTMF today. 1500 points a side and scenario one from the book. Across the table Field Marshall Dreads.
The
The objective of the game was to get my Tripods into the human town and drive the feeble maggots out. I decided to play aggressively and put everything into the table and advance relentlessly with no mercy! The Martians got off to a great start destroying the human command tank in turn 1. The humans could only chip the paintwork of the advancing Martians and by the end of the turn they had made good progress toward the town.
In the middle of the game the Martians looked dominant, but a determined close range onslaught from the Yanks saw them take out a scout ‘Pod and damage two others. It looked as though there might be a tight finish but two unforeseen events put the Martians in a very strong position. Firstly, the Lobototons kicked into action blasting and slicing their way through the surprisingly dangerous Dough boys – not bad for a horde of mindless zombies! Secondly a few dodgy morale checks by the Yanks were capitalised on by the scuttling Martian ‘pods. This was compounded by the serendipitous discovery that it was possible to break a unit and then use the second movement to move with 3ins of the routers resulting in them panicking and dispersing.
In the dying action of the game the Martians all but eradicated the Yanks securing a comprehensive victory. It was a good game and with the scenario rules there was a depth to the play not present in the first couple of games played. We are planning on playing out all of the scenarios in the book and already looking forward to the next one 🙂
Thought I would share my technique for painting Martian Tripods.
Step 1 : prime with Alclad black primer. This is a very glossy black paint that helps develop the metal tones.
Step 2 : a light covering of Alclad Pale Burnt Metal all over.
Step 3 : a carefully targeted application of Alclad Chrome. This is focused on areas that would receive highlights.
Step 4 : some areas get a blast of Alclad Polished Brass to add a bit of interest.
Step 5 : a carefully targeted application of Alclad Hot Metal Red. This brings out the Martian in the models. It’s a subtle effect but I hope it gives them a slightly more alien feel. Goes with the fluff too!
Next time Martian eyes!
A second game of AQOTMF this evening. Another game where the aim was familiarisation with the rule-set and it was good fun.
This time I took a Grenadier Tripod along with a trio of Assault ‘Pods and a couple of Scout ‘Pods. The Yanks across the table had brought the usual array of tanks and infantry and I was pleased to see just one unit of Rough Riders on the table. We decided to set the simple objective of eliminating 50% of points by unit of the enemy.
Turn 1 saw the Yanks with the initiative. They advanced and let off a couple of shots that failed to make an impression on the Martians. When the Martians advanced they were able to take out a couple of tanks but not enough to trouble the Yanks.
In turn 2 the Martians secured initiative and they were able to put some hurt on the Yanks. I was particularly pleased to take down a couple of elements of the Rough Riders although one was left. In the Yanks turn there was some retaliation that included a Scout get tied up by the remaining Rough Riders.
By this time the action was full on and brutal. The Yanks were able to knock out the weapons of two of the ‘pods and chip the armour of a couple more. Unfortunately they were not able to find a big enough hit to take any ‘pods down and the fire power of the ‘pods eventually proved to be too much. The Martians walked out winners with no ‘pods down.
I enjoyed the game and if you’re looking for a simple but characterful game you can’t go wrong with AQOTMF. I am finding it a little light on tactical variation at the moment, but to be fair we have been playing with the simplest models, terrain and scenarios. I’m hoping the action will become more interesting when the second wave of stuff arrives and I’m keen to have a look at some different terrain and scenarios now. My one criticism of the game is that it seems the Martians need to play defensively relying on evasive tactics rather than being the terrifying near indestructible behemoths you would imagine. I’m sure I’ll get over this and it was nice to see a Martian win after reading so much about them getting pummelled by the Yanks.
Well, another delayed Kickstarter but AQOTMF finally arrived a couple of weeks back. Three local guys split the loot and ended up with basic Martian and Earthling forces. As most of my BEF stuff hasn’t been released yet I decided to crack on with my Martians. The models were relatively simple to construct and the tripods lend themselves very well to the attention of an airbrush. I quickly produced a 1K force and was keen to get it on the table.
My opponent also managed to bang out an effectively painted Yank force so we booked a first game one evening this week. The game was played on a 4 x 3 and we just clashed the models together to get used to the rules.
The game started with an initiative roll which the Martians won. The Tripods advanced and I was pleasantly surprised to find they were already in range with their heat rays. One of the ‘pods promptly fried the Earthling command tank demonstrating that this was going to be a quick and brutal affair. The interesting turn sequence then saw the Martians moving again to seek cover. This moving out, attacking, seeking cover, tactic is a definite feature of this game and quite an unusual one. The fact you can also spend a limited number of orders to double some of these moves is an interesting twist too.
The early action saw the Martians picking off the Earthlings using these hit and run tactics. The Earthlings decided to advance and swarm over the ‘pods in a desperate attempt to pull them down. An effective tactic seemed to be surrounding the surprisingly nippy ‘pods to stop them escaping. This gave the Earthlings more opportunity to bring their guns to bear and the Martians started to take some damage. However the real problem came in the shape of the Rough Riders. These guys entangled the ‘pods and escaping was a risk the gangly alien machines really couldn’t take!
So, in the end the Earthlings won as the ‘pods were eventually entangled and then worn down under repeated fire. It was a good game and the forces seem balanced. The Martian ‘pods are tough but they will go down to a jammy shot or under repeated fire. The Earthlings are much squished but they have numbers on their side. The models are very nice and the gameplay is pretty tight and simulates the War of Worlds feel faithfully. I think the game will be more interesting once more units are available but there is no reason why subs couldn’t be used in the meantime. I really enjoyed it and looking forward to another game soon.
All Quiet on the Martian Front is another Kickstarter I backed that has been delayed. Only by a month or two this time …… or so they say……
I noticed this amusing picture on the Alien Dungeon website though. Great fun.
I don’t often publish posts like this but I’m really excited about this new game.
I spotted the Kickstarter a few weeks ago and made a speculative post on my local club forum to see if anyone else fancied some War of the Worlds type gaming. As it happens one of the other guys was keen so we bought in together.
Roll on December is all I can say 🙂
All quiet on the Martian Front
Nurgleonbass 