Starfinder Iconic Heroes 01

Not long after I had bought the N.E.W. sci-fi RPG rulebook by EN Publishing I bought the Starfinder sci-fi RPG rulebook by Paizo. There were more things that I didn't like about Starfinder but there was also a lot I did like about it, in particular the myriad races and character classes. These I thought could fit in well with my The Ace of Spades Campaign for N.E.W. Just last week I bought the two sets of Starfinder Iconic Heroes from North Star Military Figures. See here for a link to them - http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=276&page=1
In Starfinder there are seven basic races you can choose from (Android, Human, Kasatha, Lashunta, Shirren, Vesk and Ysoki) and these can be one of seven classes (Envoy, Mechanic, Mystic, Operative, Solarian, Soldier and Technomancer). All seven races and seven classes are represented here.

We start with Navasi, a human envoy. Humans are an extremely and adaptable race that is constantly expanding and exploring. An envoy is a charismatic people person good at a wide range of skills who inspires others to accomplish great heroic feats. There are more pictures of Navasi in the Starfinder rulebook than any other character, which pleases me as she is my favourite Starfinder PC. The fact that her character was included in this set was the main reason for buying it.
Next to her is Iseph, an Android Operative. Androids are artificial people with mechanical components, formerly built as servants but now recognised as citizens. An operative is a stealthy combatant with wide-ranging know-how who is adept at taking advantage of unprepared foes.

Third in line is Keskodai a Shirren mystic. Shirren are an insect-like race that broke away from a locust-like hive. They are community-minded but addicted to individual choice. A mystic is a magic user whose mysterious connection to a powerful force grants abilities that break the laws of the universe.
Last in line is a hover drone, a robot with artificial intelligence. This is Scout who is the property of Quig the Ysoki mechanic. As Quig advances in experience so too does Scout.

Moving on, is Quig the Ysoki mechanic. Ysoki are also called "rat-folk" and these short furry scavengers make up for their short size with big personalties. A mechanic is a master of machines and technology whose tinkering produces a drone companion or a powerful brain implant.
Next to him is Raia, a Lashunta technomancer. Lashunta are a charismatic and telepathic race of scholars with two sub-species; one tall and lean, the other short and muscular. A technomancer is a magic user who is preternaturally attuned to technology and can use it to unlock powerful effects.

Second from the right is Altronius a Kasatha solarian. Kasatha are a four-armed race from a distant desert world with a highly traditional culture. A solarian is disciplined warrior whose mastery of the stars grants either a weapon or armour made of stellar power.
Finally is Obozaya a Vesk soldier. Vesk are a warlike reptilian race that recently declared truce with the other six races... for now. A soldier is an expert with a wide range of armour, guns and melee weapons who specialise in certain fighting styles.
Set 1 contains Navasi, Iseph, Keskodai and a miniature starship, the Sunrise Maiden, not shown here. Set 2 contains the remaining five characters. Both sets costs £34.99. If you think that's a bit steep for four or five miniatures do bear in mind that they come fully painted. I have to admit that their paint jobs are far better than I could have achieved. All I have done to them is to add sand and gravel to their bases. They are all made of hard plastic.
If you are playing a sci-fi game that features multiple races you could surely find a use for these miniatures. I certainly plan on using them in my The Ace of Spades Campaign. They would also fit in well as a Trader crew in Core Space. One thing is for sure, I'll get a lot of use out of these two sets.

Vampifans Views 97 - Monthly Musings 70

Welcome to another of my Monthly Musings and once again it has been a very busy month hobby-wise for me. But first I start as always, with my picture of Vampirella. This offering is by comic artist, David Rodriguez, whose work I am not familiar with. I do like the cartoony look of Vampi here and I think the gold glasses are a cool touch. The orange moon and sky put me in mind of pumpkins, which is appropriate seeing as Halloween is only just around the corner. I love Halloween and I already have my bag of goodies ready for the trick or treaters.

I'll start with some news about the RPG I am most excited about seeing and that is Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD. Previews of some of the pages of the book are now available for viewing (see https://www.worldsof2000adrpg.com/news-previews/) and we have been given a release date of this winter. Yes, I know, that could mean late this year or early next year but it gives me something to look forward to. I'll be covering this game in great detail on my WOIN blog.

Speaking of my WOIN blog, have you checked out my The Ace of Spades Campaign there? Playing and writing about it is a total labour of love. The scenario I'm running my PCs through is very long (I'm currently up to part 08), full of atmosphere and detail, and the way I'm writing it up, makes it feel more like reading a sci-fi novel than a batrep. The PCs are people you want to know about and spend time with. Please check it out if you haven't already. You may just be pleasantly surprised. 😉

I showed this picture of the main NPCs who were appearing in my current scenario on my WOIN blog. The female in the centre attracted the most comments. She was produced by Asgard Miniatures as part of their sci-fi range of 28mm scale figures way back in the early 1980's. I thought that this range was long out of production but to my great surprise I have only just discovered that Alternative Armies have revived it. You can check it out here - https://www.alternative-armies.com/collections/space-marines-and-adventurers The female whom I named as Sheas Danelish is HA6 Adventuress with Laser Pistol and she costs £2.00. I can't tell you how happy I am to see them all available again even though I have them all.

Work continues on the painting of my figures for Dracula's America and Shadows of Brimstone. In addition, I have started painting the four figures I ordered for the Frazetta Miniatures Kickstarter - 2 versions of Vampirella, a werewolf and a chaos knight on horseback. Photos will appear as soon as they're finished. Suffice to say, these are incredibly detailed resin cast miniatures. The chaos knight came in 12 parts, including his base! I'm pulling out all the stops on the painting of these figures. They deserve time and care being lavished on them.
I have also been painting some of my growing collection of micro-scale starships for my The Ace of Spades Campaign. For someone who was never interested in starship combat gaming I have fully embraced this genre of the hobby. My primary source for the starships I have been buying is Brigade Models (see here - http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Spaceships/index.html) Their range is very extensive and they have just what I'm looking for. I haven't decided whether to showcase them on this blog or on my WOIN blog.
Finally, I have also painted all of the figures that came with and which I added to for a brand new game that has tickled my fancy. It is called Rumbleslam, the game of fantasy wrestling and it is produced by TT Combat. Expect a full review very soon.

It is a really fun game but I realise it won't be to everyone's taste. That's okay. I don't mind.

Kickstarters - love 'em or loathe 'em? Personally, I love Kickstarters and I've backed many over the years. This month I've backed two. One was for the Resident Evil 2 game by Steamforged Games. Backing this was a no-brainer. It features zombies, so of course, I'm going to be interested in it. Plus, I'm a big fan of the Resident Evil films and books. Oddly enough, I have never played any of the computer games, but that's simply because I'm just not into computer games at all. I have far too much to do anyway without having to find time to play computer games. My brother, however, is heavily into computer games, so he keeps me up to date with them.
The other Kickstarter I backed this month was for the Starfinder Masterclass Miniatures by Paizo Inc. and Ninja Division. My reasons for backing this project are not so obvious. The Starfinder RPG was only released very recently and it certainly intrigued me. However, at roughly £70.00 for the rulebook, I was in no rush to buy it. My patience paid off because a month or so after its launch, Amazon UK were selling it for £40.00, so I bought it at this bargain price. Running at 528 pages, it is a massive book. I've started reading it but I'm only half way through it. As I read it I keep making comparisons to the N.E.W. RPG by EN Publishing, which I absolutely adore. The two systems have much in common but of the two, I much prefer N.E.W. It is a lot simpler to play and more importantly, it does not have a fixed setting, which Starfinder does. I pretty much knew that I'd prefer N.E.W. before I bought Starfinder so why buy it? That's easy - to pinch stuff from it to use in my The Ace of Spades Campaign. It has cool new races, weapons, equipment, vehicles and settings I can use. This also explains why I decided to back the Kickstarter campaign. The resin cast 28mm scale figures are just a joy to behold. The level of detail on them is incredible. And they also make starships as well, although not in 28mm scale! So, I'm looking forward to getting some ultra-high quality figures to use in N.E.W. instead of Starfinder. Just check out these five figures from the range. I was wondering why they looked so familiar to me and then the penny dropped - they're the five characters who appear on the front cover of the Starfinder rulebook. I really love that purple-haired female. She reminds me of Lieutenant Gay Ellis from Gerry Anderson's UFO TV series. 😍

Next month, Battle Systems are going to launch their first sci-fi game, which will come with new card terrain and 28mm scale figures - a first for them. I'm immensely looking forward to that one.

That's all for now. Take care and have fun - that's what the hobby is all about!