"A" is for...

ALCOVIA

Alcovia is my go-to imagi-nation for most games these days. Orignally created as an analog for small Balkan nation to be used for colonial era wargaming and VSF, it later evolved into other eras as needs dictated. As Alcovia grew from the 19th century into the early 20th century it gained legs as an inter-war locale for Back of Beyond style gaming and as it did, it gained other imagi-nation neighbors such as Elistonia, Iqenistan, and Theogonia.

Then I started the Crisis in Alcovia project which was the first dedicated blog for Alcovia, chronicling the outbreak of a modern 21st century civil war. This blog is mostly made up of fictional news stories, interviews and media commentary about the goings on during the civil war. I used a lot of pictures of real world conflicts to make the events seem more "realistic".

Most recently Alcovia has been used as the setting for 18th century wargaming during the War of Alcovian Unification? This is a period in which a single Alcovian warlord set his sights on bringing the rough and wild Alcovian Steppes under a single crown as a "modern" nation. You can read about the build-up of this side project on The Dream of the Sleeping Wolf blog.

I'm sure Alcovia will see other incarnations, but I plan to slow down on new iterations of the fictional nation until I've fleshed out the few I already have. 

Awww Thanks Jay...

So, my post announcing my decision to include myself in the whole A to Z thing received it's first comment from Jay where he was kind enough to spell out what is important to him about blogging. He was also kind enough to thank me for my participation in the blogging hobby.

His comment inspired me to comment back and that comment turned into this post. So, Jay, thank you for your comment and for inspiring me to write the following...

I feel blogging is as much for everyone else as it is for me. Sure, it might be viewed as a bit of a narcissistic bent, and that would be true to an extent. After all, we gamers have always had a bit of the "hey look at me or what I did' sort of thing going on. But really it is about community and the extension of that community in a way that we were not allowed in ages prior to the quick and easy flow of information across an electronic medium.

There is so much that I get from the blogging thing. There is inspiration, motivation, education and a dozen other "-ations", including occasional humiliation, that I can tap into through this keyboard and this screen. These might have been had at the local gaming store back in the days of my youth, but how many of those are there these days. Without stores, clubs and the free time of my earlier gaming career, blogging is really the only other outlet I have for getting the ol' geek on besides my regular weekly game night. But I think it goes even farther than that.

Besides the latest conversion, D30 table, or monster of the week, blogging has led to many things I would not likely have had if not for blogging. I have friends across the globe now. I'm not just talking gaming buddies who I swap dice talk with. These are people who I share my life and its happenings with. This sort of social networking has not replaced more localized socializing but it has allowed me to venture forth beyond the confines of my geography and experience people from other regions and lands that I am sure I'll never be able to visit. Back in my childhood this used to be encouraged and we called in having a "pen pal". Now, I've got there folks who are my sort of "pixel pals" that I communicate with through the virtual ink of my blog and the emails that have been born of those blog communications.

My sculpting is something that I can attribute to blogging as well. Though the first steps toward my sculpting were taken long ago when I converted my own figures for use in other games, it really was spring boarded by this blog. The ability to share my progress and elicit commentary and tips from those in the know. It has allowed me to network and get my work out there through companies like 15mm.co.uk. Even my budding business of Loud Ninja Games is likely a byproduct of my increased knowledge, awareness, and initiation into the greater community at large through blogging.

Soooo...

Yeah, blogging good, fire bad.

Thanks for reading,

-Eli

This A to Z Thing

So, I have been seeing folks doing this and it looks kind of fun. In my old hardcore gaming days, I would have told you it'd be a breeze for me to come up with something for every letter and would have likely spat out 26 topics in no time. Now days, with life, wife, kids and commitments, the gaming stuff is harder to zone in on, despite what it may look like to anyone else.

I soon hope to start filling the pages of ISLP with an alphabetical roll call of the things that I find fun and interesting in RPGs, miniatures, board games and general geek-fu. This should be fun, pathetic or a bit of both depending on what I conjure.

Keep an eye out folks,

-Eli

Alien Servitor Sculpt WIP

One of the really fun pieces in this new batch of sculpts is a huge alien humanoid of considerable mass and might that I am designing as a sort of big dumb servitor type. Though he's nowhere near finished a lot of the character of the figure is already taking shape. 

His legs and lower body are rather thick and his skin is wrinkled and loose on his legs, his paunchy gut contained only by the cloth wrappings that preserve his decency. His broad back spreads to the shoulder of his massive, primary arms that can also double as walking limbs if he should wish more stability or load-bearing capacity. Not shown yet are the two smaller secondary arms that will be dangling from under her forward bent torso.

His face is vaguely reptilian, and i have chosen to sculpt a scar across his face and broad mouth to show the hard life he has lead (one too many strikes with a master's gaff). That mouth will get some broad, flat herbivore teeth and the eyes will be sculpted small and beady. I haven't decided as to whether or not I want to adorn his head with any sort of horns, ears or not. I am tempted to give him dangling ears, but those might clutter the secondary arms.

-Eli

What's on the Table Now?

With my second batch of minis having been release through 15mm.co.uk's SHM line, I'm hard at work completing several new sculpts and starting a few others for future submission to SHM. Displayed above is a collection of science fiction sculpts I have on my table at this time.

You will notice there are more armed figures in this batch than in past batches as well as some familiar faces among the new ones. There are two new Prang in there as well as a Vergan warrior. You will also notice a few figures that are non-humanoids in there. Two are large alien beasts that will originally be cast without any sort of gear or tack on them. I hope to make equipped versions of them to act as sci-fi pack animals or mounts. One of these figures is based on a drawing by my 8-yr old daughter.

You will also see a couple figures in there  from the group of figs I am doing of civilian heavy space suits, industrial exoskeletons and such.

Hopefully all of these will be able to be molded and cast for you enjoyment in the coming months.

-Eli

Victoria's Boys In Red Turns 50, Followers That Is!

Just a shout out to mention that my buddy J's blog (I'm supposed to post there too) "Victoria's Boys in Red" just got it's 50th follower. Now 50 followers may not seem like a lot, but it is not to shabby for a blog dedicated to a very small audience hobby like Victorian Science Fiction.

If you've never checked it out and you want to see one man's vision of a future that never was and some top notch salute to the more civilized sort of science fiction that is VSF, then give VBIR a look-see and enjoy. J puts a lot of love into the projects he posts there and has some great ideas for VSF players new and old.

Thanks for reading!

-Eli

Building a Setting - The Galactic Trade Authority

For a while now, I have been trying to come up with a good setting in which I can use all the different 15mm scifi miniatures I've accumulated. I've got a million different humans and aliens in various numbers and state of combat readiness. I'd like to come up with a use for them all but some of them are either too few or duplicates on a theme that I really cannot find a unique place for.

To make use of some of these figures, I have created an organization that can make use of these odds and ends and still have them have an overall effect on the setting. Enter, the Galactic Trade Authority (GTA).

The GTA is an organization created originally by the Nalween Mercantile Houses as a way to protect their own warehouses and later those of other species (for a price). Functioning primarily as a for hire organization but with a mind on maintaining and promoting free trade throughout the galaxy, the Nalween offered armed protection, escort, interdiction and recovery services as well as general security. As time passed and more and more species came to trust the implacable Nalween, the Galactic Council took notice.

After several sessions, investigatory committees and more than a few long nights of deliberation, the council came to the conclusion that the Nalween's private ventures be made official and their methods and tactics expanded on a galactic level. This organization would become the Galactic Trade Authority with the Nalween placed at it's head and given and official office. However, there were to be a few provisions made to this new arrangement.

In an effort to assuage any fears of monopoly or some sort of fascist invasion, the council decided that each species would be allowed the option to provide its own GTA agents on their own worlds. Also, worlds officially shared by multiple species would be allowed the same concession. Worlds with no official ownership or who were held by a species incapable of maintaining their own GTA office could have one designated by the GTA or have another species' GTA provide for them. GTA operations would be maintained by their parent species, armed and equipped from their own resources, all confirmed, scrutinized and certified by the Nalween and their agents.

Under this new measure, GTA operatives would very greatly in equipment but would generally be supporting their own people. All would wear the orange and white of the original Nalween GTA so as to be instantly recognizable. All GTA would operate only on their respective worlds or vessels registered to worlds they policed and technically only within designated trade zones surrounding civilian space port facilities. Normal planetary defense and police duties would continue as they always had as would off-planet operations.

What Miniatures to Use?
For my first few GTA teams, I have picked two groups from my miniatures collection. For my human GTA, I decided to use my Control Battalion minis from Khurasan Miniatures and for an alien unit of GTA, I decided to go with the Ygs from Critical Mass Games. Both have a look, that to me fits nicely with my idea for the GTA and both have armor that will allow me to come up with a nice orange and white color combo.

-Eli