Planets have a life cycle. They start off hot and bombarded, then cool and go quiet. The further from the sun the sooner the cycle begins.
Life has a similar cycle. It starts deep and hot then boils over everywhere. Then, as the planet evolves it recedes into the crannies and depths.
Intelligent life speeds up both cycles. By the time the surface has become a wasteland all life has gone deep. The evolution process means that the brain is the main organ, the body becoming simple and robust, losing whole functions.
Let us take you to Uranus. Deep in the depths old life survives. Creatures with immense brains and robust bodies rule in the dark, casting envious eyes on the newer planets sunward.
In honour of Uranus, a snowball planet, we ate snowballs, thus adding coconut to the scenery.
Location 7 Dense terrain. I arranged the table by tipping the box out then arranging in some sort of order. We were doing scenario 1, Steal valuables. Complication 19 Space Demon . I prefer the beast to hang around, having up to 3 activations on turn over. At the least that makes it mobile scenery.
Uranals Militias. Heavy firepower. 5 hail of fire tokens. 204
Walk 2", Run 7", Sprint 9"
Glorious Leader Huge, Extra legs3, Leader 1 Tough 2 33 Total 47
Laser cannon 6 Heavy, Blind, 2 handed, Energy. 10
Anti Psi helmet 4
Drone Master Big, Extra legs3, Veteran +1 Action/Reaction Tough 25 Total 33
Heavy blaster 6 2 handed, Energy. 8
Trump Ton Big, Extra legs3, Tough 19 Total 27
Heavy blaster 6 2 handed, Energy. 8
Drone Extra legs3, 9 Total 16
Zap rifle 4 Electrical, 2 handed, Energy.
Technician Extra legs3, Tech 13 Total 17
Motion detector 4
Guard Extra legs3, Reactive, 14 Total 32
Force shield Legs 1 rest 4 Melee optimised. 14
Monowire blade 3 Armour piercing 5
Bugblatter Blob Beast Huge, Claws, Tough3 Weaponmaster3
This thing, possibly a colony animal, started as a deep filter feeder until some bright spark turned into a biological weapon. Problem with that is your enemy can say "that's handy" and breed their own. Then the beast go "that looks tasty" and behaves like an invasive species and chooses its own menu.
I was given this thing years ago. I gave it a blue wash, not sure if it made a difference. I'd used it once pre-blog as a dragon egg in a pirate game.
Glorious Persons Empire of Expansion Away Team.
Star Cops Blitzkrieg. +2 at beginning, -1 to take. Total 204
Zod, Interregator Terminant. (Zod IT for short)
Diminutive, Insectoid, Leader, Light worlder, Psionic Master. 23 Total 63
Combat Dress Legs/arms 3 Torso/head 4. Heavy. 18
Electrokinesis Dam 2 ranged attack. 6 to hit. 4
Mind Control TN15 10", LOS. P58. 18
Scout.
Danger sense, Light worlder, Insectoid, Difficult target. 20 Total 34
Light Combat dress. Legs/arms 2 Torso/head 3 14
Motion Detector +2 to spot. 4
Trooper
Diminutive, Light worlder,Insectoid, 14 Total 34
Light Combat dress. Legs/arms 2 Torso/head 3 14
Laser Pistol 4 Blind. Energy. Short range 6
Trooper
Diminutive, Light worlder, Insectoid, 14 Total 35
Light Combat dress. Legs/arms 2 Torso/head 3 14
Laser Rifle 5 Blind, Two handed, Energy. 7
Trooper
Diminutive, Light worlder, Insectoid, 14 Total 38
Light Combat dress. Legs/arms 2 Torso/head 3 14
Laser Cannon 6 Heavy, Blind, Two handed, Energy. 10
The Game. Everything was random so far. I took the locals. Mission 1 Steel Valuables states "no closer than 5" from the deployment line and counters. I had the figures to my side, measured and picked at random in a rough circle.
The Martians advance! Look- the dread Trump Ton - the laser rifle goes "zap" a direct hit, beam through the brain (this is what happened!) A pin. The pistoleer takes good aim, focusing on the hot hole -- Zap! He's dead!
That's it - the game is entangled. Martians poor out running on their little legs.
When all were on we diced for beasts starting point. EEk! The horror is beside my glorious leader! It bears down in slow, menacing and slurping mode. Blobzilla!
The battle rages on.
He's down and damaged!
The guard charges in, but has no effect!
The leader is down again!
The guard works out it's no good slashing away, it has to reach inside and cut some of those wriggly organs.
The Martian tactic is to ignore the goodies until the locals are dead or gone. The swines!
Another long range rifle shot and a dead goon! My side is mounting pips and I've not gone yet.
That was long range, this is short range, surprise - miss - another miss!
Cannot- get - any - closer! Guess? Finest tradition of troopers everywhere.
Oh, wait, what - those flashing lights! Sorry, I was klums away--.
Drone master goes bang! once, twice - trooper down but not out.
The slapping of fast moving tentacles in dust shrouded whorls. A flash of blade and the Martian leader is down, just saved by his heavy armour.
Shots bleep out, and the guard is hit - distracting him from the downed leader.
The next drone goes down AND becomes a sitting target. Possibly presenting just too simple a target to miss and is doomed! Doomed!
Drone 1 suffers the same fate! Red dice = sitting target.
Double doomed. Drat!
The leader is up.
Spotting his aggressor he tries sparking him up - twice and mind control. Failure! Embarrassment!
"I got this boss!" A turkey shoot! The tech routs and I'm done. Well that was a bit more one sided than I'd hoped!
Game 2 Hah! Got you! that's um- 315 points to me! Not swapsies! Having got the goodies, the Martians now have to get away with them.So we go on to mission 17, Make it to the ship alive on our next outing/inning and 7, Dense terrain.
At the start the terrain was just clumped. All from Blotz.
Then arranged once sides organised. Defenders placed as per scenario.
Here come the marauding Martians!
My drones rush in where sane beings would fear to tread, laying down sleets of hail of fire!
That knocks them down, piles on the pins. But no more--.
A lone gunman brings my leader low! Ignoring the chaps out front--.
Next the Drone master gets dead. They'er not supposed to be able to hit anything!
Now the fiends turn on my poor drones-.
One put down, but not out --
I roll a 3, so any hit anywhere and he's a gonner. 17, aaarse.
The field is littered with the bodies of the slain!
Today we are mostly eating mint clubs, but even that helps.
One drone & the leader have recovered enough to provide a distraction, but for what?
Brave hero rushes the platform.
Hail of fire puts one down, but not out --
Then my leader despite his tin foil hat!
Staying out of site good.
If shooting the little B's don't win, let's try tentacle slapping!
Leader is up, the guard charges the evil overlord!
A shot zaps, leader down again. His head should make a nice colander.
Up and blasts his nemesis at point blank!
Hah, I have you now! Raises weapon. A 2. 2.
Trump Ton has spent the entire game in plain site doing nowt. Now he tries, but a reaction is taken and he is a gonner.
That leaves my poor, battered leader and an unarmed tech. He's a big target.These little bleeps are unbeatable! There will be an evil empire of white armoured troopers with black armoured psi using leaders. You know, you could make a film or two---.
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