Miniatures Wargames + Traveller - what do you use?

[kaladorn]

I ran an event at the Ground Zero Games East Coast Convention last year, a Traveller game of Zhodani Commandos versus Imperial Marines. The IMC figures were GZG UNSC Marines (look a lot like BD) and the Zhos were Denizen/Ainsty Ventaurians with helmets on (look a LOT like the old Zho clamshell armour cover on Alien Module). They were fighting over an Ancient Ziggurat on an alien airless moon.

I used a modified set of some rules from GZG not released yet (FMA Skirmish). But I have in past used Stargrunt II to do squad based actions. And Dirtside is a good candidate for 1/300th scale Traveller combined arms company sized clashes.

Of course, you need to bash up some add on rules to fit the genre, but that's half the fun.

So, what games do other folks use?

Is there any interest in a T20 or T5 compatible wargame for 25mm/15mm or alternately for the 1/300th scale/6mm? Something like a new version of Striker?

 

[jwcarroll60]

Somewhat interested in 1/300 scale for Striker or Merc operations. I play the bigger picture now, not the small party.

 

[jwcarroll60]

I would be interested in something for 1/300 scale for Merc/Striker/Raid scenarios. Just not into the little picture (small parties) anymore and burned out on the 'Grand Tactical' scene.

 

[siefertma2]

There is fellow (Judas is his handle here in CoTI) who is working on an updated verions of Striker. He's quiet active on the ct-striker Yahoo group.

Since I like what Power Projection did for Traveller/Full Thrust conversion, perhaps a Traveller SGII/DSII conversion could also be called for. I've got a lot of 25mm GZG figs (ESU, New Isreal, NAC, UNSC) for SGII, I'm begining to collect GZG 15mm minis as well. I picked up a platoon of standard NAC marines over the holidays, and my platoons of NAC powered armor and ESU troops came just today!

I'm not that big of a micro armor gamer, but I've got DSII and I'd be more than willing ot give it a whirl.

 

[Elliot]

I have to admit I have never owned minis but I do have lots of lego space - When I have played Striker or AHL (about as far as I go) I find that the little plastic Danish chaps do alright as Traveller figures.

 

[someoneelsehasmyname]

The old warhammer epic minis work well for large scale battles that is if you already own them i dont think the line is avalable anymore. But as long as you dont want a single mini for each individual solder they work out.
For Smaller units (up to a dozen or two) warhammer 40k minis work as long as you have the space.

 

[kaladorn]

I've got two traveller conversions on the burner (my own partially done, and Allan Goodall's) for SG2 as well as a scenario called Plasma Ambush that is classic Merc fair.

I've also got John Dailey's submission (yet to be published on our site) that is Zhodani for Traveller. And my own FMA Skirmish adaption I used at the convention.

And the 15mm GZG figs are okay, if a bit bulkier than the old MM figs. And they are in a good scale for buying vehicle models or scratchbuilding. Brigade Models and DLD Productions have some excellent 15mm models.

I just bought so many 25mms, I'm stuck in the scale.

Old EPIC was supposed to be a good game. New Epic though... <cringe>

Maybe we should pick a project (Trav -> SG2 or Trav -> DS) and start working on it. Of course, if we were serious, we'd talk to the PP:E guys and find out how they got permission from Jon T and from MWM or LKW to proceed (if we wanted to do an actual for-release-and-sale product).

GZG-stargrunt or DS influenced games will be appearing - a licensed Hammer's Slammers conversion is underway by John Treadway and Jon Tuffley at GZG is building the infantry minis, while the Old Crow guys are building the vehicles.
So there is a precedent of sorts.

 

[Whipsnade]

Mr. Barclay,

A better question may be "What minis rules haven't I used with Traveller?"

I've used Striker, Command Decision, DBM, SG2, and a host of homebrews plus Snapshot and AHL with minis. I've heard very good things about Doug Berry's ACQ too.

As a GM, it was a matter of 'horses for courses' - the type of campaign the PCs were involved in determined the minis rules used. Imperial Advisors 'assisting' a potential client state tackle 'rebels'? Use Striker or CD. Small unit skirmishes during some brushfire war? SG2 is best. A PC group fighting boarders? Snapshot or The Rules With No Name.


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[Elliot]

I recently re read Snapshot - I must say I remembered the expletive action with a good degree of fondness.

The little die cut paper squares are pretty good for snapshot - as are plastic danes (the facing rules work well with the men with bowl hair cuts).

 

[Emperor Cleon]

Another great sci-fi miniatures rules set was Princess Ryan's Space Marines (not to be confused with Princess Ryan's Star Marines, a boardgame by AH).

These rules are no longer available, but I still play my copy. It seems AH bought the rights from the author then rewrote it into something completely different and republished it under the new name mentioned above.

 

[Jame]

What are some good ship wargaming figures?

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
Mr. Barclay,

A better question may be "What minis rules haven't I used with Traveller?"

I have Kill Zone tucked away and it too would make workable fair. Yes, there are lots of choices, if you wanna toy around.

I've used Striker, Command Decision, DBM, SG2, and a host of homebrews plus Snapshot and AHL with minis. I've heard very good things about Doug Berry's ACQ too.

Thanks to Chris Keelan, I now have a copy. Very fine, though one could ignore the penguins as melee weapons as a Berryite mental abberation.

As a GM, it was a matter of 'horses for courses' - the type of campaign the PCs were involved in determined the minis rules used. Imperial Advisors 'assisting' a potential client state tackle 'rebels'? Use Striker or CD. Small unit skirmishes during some brushfire war? SG2 is best. A PC group fighting boarders? Snapshot or The Rules With No Name.

For the firely feel, Monday Knight Production's Desperado...! A lot like RWNN. In fact, we combined the two into Desperado with No Name.

I am in AWE that you used DBM though....

Sincerely,
Larsen

FMA Skirmish (coming along in playtest) is going to be quite a viable fast-paced competitor to MK, Kill Zone, Void's i-Kore, etc I think. Single figure scale (manouver unit is 1 figure) but with some sort of rules for squads and maybe larger units, plus lots of adaptability to lots of genres, and fast paced play. Main focus would be Trav TL 7-12 I'd say. It looks good... now if only we can get Jon to finish it and get it out the door (of course we have to do more playtests for him too).

 

[kaladorn]

Never seen PRSM, though I understand the PRSM boardgame was actually quite good.

For ships, I'd say visit Ground Zero Games and Brigade models. Both have lots of ships (GZG has many lines). Now, they're not really to scale with the old trav ships (a Scout Courier would be about a Mass 34 DD in Full Thrust) but then the old trav ships are not to scale with one another (the Scout Courier is as massive as the patrol cruiser). So GZG and Brigade both produce nice lines of space minis well worth a look over.

There are others, Dean Gundberg's Star Ranger Miniatures page (URL escapes me.... Go Go Goggle Fu...!) http://www.star-ranger.com/Minis.htm
Has lots of interesting info on space minis.

 

[wa11eye]

Has anybody used Noble Armada form Holistic games
if so is it any good Wa11eye

 

[siefertma2]

Originally posted by kaladorn:

Maybe we should pick a project (Trav -> SG2 or Trav -> DS) and start working on it.

I'm game if you are.

Of course, if we were serious, we'd talk to the PP:E guys and find out how they got permission from Jon T and from MWM or LKW to proceed (if we wanted to do an actual for-release-and-sale product).

Remember that Power Projection initially got started as a set of home-brewed Traveller conversions for Full Thrust 2nd Edition. Who knows where it can go if we do it right?

 

[kaladorn]

Sure. And Allan Goodall, John Dailey, and I have all made cuts at parts of this task that will see publication on stargrunt.ca when life gives me a cycle or two more.

But what I meant about talking to the PP:E guys was that they cut some kind of agreement with Jon T, and I was wondering about how they presented it, what sort of terms it was couched in, what sort of limits he placed, and how they approached MWM/LKW/? and what sort of approach and limits existed on that side. Seems like an interesting bit of work, but both sides would want a fee, no doubt about it. So that'd hike the cost of any resultant product, even a PDF.

 

[siefertma2]

Best to get in touch with Dom Mooney and find out.

 

[aramis]

I've only used two rulesets for minis gaming in the traveller universe:

Striker (I) and MT.

 

[siefertma2]

The reason I'm keen on the notion of converting Traveller to GZGs products is, lets face it, GDW had this tendency to make games that were far more complex than they had to be. For Striker, if you wanted to create a vehicle, you needed an entire BOOK of rules. For SGII/DSII, all you need are just a couple of paragraphs. You seldom need a referee to oversee a SGII/DSII game, but Striker nearly DEMANDS it (unless you're willing to play with vetran troops or ignore the C&C rules.

Of course, the basic question is, where to start with a conversion?

 

[aramis]

I've found that most wargames work better when refereed. I''ve played a few ronds of DS2 using counters.

Playable. Very playable.

Likewise, FT is very good stuff. (I disagree with the scaling used for PP, as I need rules for play at a personal craft kind of level. And the DS2/FT2 conversions put the tonaages considerably smaller than the PP conversion rates, but I digress).

I'd say that its as good a fit as any... But I have done far more with MT than I ever did with striker. From mano-a-mano to Field Army vs Field Army (Unit size for the latter was corps/division).

So First task: Pick a scale. So does size 1 = 1-5 tons, size 2 = 10, etc?

Remember, most Traveller MBT's are in the 10-25 Td range. o that means size 2-4 should cover the same ground. Size one is small jeeps, large bikes, etc. Which range from 0.25 to 5 tons displacement

Or, go the other way. Assume DS is corrcectly scales, and figure that YTU needs no traveller designs...

Option 3: Hybridize. (PP apparently does this...)

But any way, I'd say that the design sequence could safely be tinkered with... Assume that the Spaces/Size are variable by TL?

Say, TL 7-8: 4 spaces per size
TL 9-11: 5 per size
TL 12-13: 6 per size
TL 14-15: 7 per size


Now, take the TL, main weapon and ROUGH size fit, then build.

Trepida: TL 15 Size 3 MBT Grav, Armor 3, Fusion 3 turreted, coax RFAC1, turretted AP, good FC, GMS/S.

Astrin: TL 15 size 3 APC. Armor 3. GMS/S, Turreted AP, Good FC, Turreted RFAC1.

I treated the VRFGG as an RFAC. Not a terribly good fit, but this is just off the cuff (my books are in another room...)