"15mm Late 21st Century Time Travelers?" Topic

"Without moving a micron in space the crew of the H G Wells traveled from 2070 A.D. to 12,000 B.C. Four of the most brilliant scientists of the present have been given the chance to solve the most puzzling riddles of the past. It was an opportunity that many would have paid any price for. But Time does not give up its secrets so easily." From the back cover of the novel Time's Last Gift.
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But, for a gaming scenario, why stop at just 4 travelers . . .

A) If you had a way to send 20-25 people back in time, to the Pleistocene or some such far off period, what sort of occupations would you include in the mix? The usual military and/or corporate commander and a few security troops? Botanist? Medical Doctor? Anyone else?

B) Now, if you were going to pick two dozen figures to play the part of modern-to-near-future time travelers for this, which specific 15mm figures do you recommend?

C) And would you make the time machine something looking like a sub or a space ship?

Dan
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Maybe the earth was on the verge of being destroyed and various countries sent back their most able people to the far far past, 26 million years ago, in order for civilation to survive.

I think the mission mix, as always, is going to be determined by when you intend to travel to. So for example, visiting the Roman Empire a historian specialising in the social aspects of Imperial Roman life may be useful.

I'm not sure what the form of the Time machine itself this would bepend upon whether you wanted capable of self propulsion or not. In any event making it as robust as possible would be pretty high on my agenda.

I think any time machine should be all-terrain capable, like the Roadmaster in Damnation Alley.

For minis, I would definitely recommend looking at Ground Zero Games colonists, techs, and crew. I just received Civilians Pack A and Armed Civilians Pack C and they are great. Their dress is near future; some could pass as moderns and others have clothing quirks that put them a few decades from now. Take a look, half way down:

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What I like is that there are both armed and unarmed versions, as well as crew carrying equipment. Very appropriate for your setting.

As for who I'd put on the crew? 12,000 BC is long enough ago to be zoologically and anthropologically interesting, but not that different geologically. Climate would be very interesting.

1 Project Leader + 1 assistant – planning and logistics, communications

6 Security detail armed with conventional and non-lethal weapons

2 Anthropologists + 1 Linguist + 3 assistants (post docs) – study of early human culture

1 Epidemeologist + 1 assistant – study of disease evolution and early human immunology

1 Zoologist + 1 assistant – study of extinct species; genetic clock studies

1 Climatologist + Assistant – Climatic change and atmospheric composition

2 Multi-purpose scientists to carry out various other experiments planned prior to mission

Yonderboy,

What a fantastic breakdown! I am definitely keeping that list forever.

Wow. Thanks.

Does anyone have anything different?

Dan

1 Marine Biologist

1 Botanist + assistant – study of extinct plants

At least 1 of the post-doc Anthropologists should be a specialist in ancient myth cycles and stone age religious beliefs and practices. Do the natives practice any rituals associated with birth, coming of age, marriage, death? Do they have any creation myths? Flood myths? Gods and demi-gods?

Recording team – 1 TV Reporter, 1 TV Cameraman, 1 Sound Technician, 1 Print Journalist, 1 Photojournalist, 1 Painter, 1 Poet, 1 Musician. Some of these can be specialities of other crew members, to keep the numbers down.

For those who scoff at this kind of thing, can you imagine Walter Cronkite reporting from the Cretaceous?

A National Geographic team covering the Jurassic?

Ansel Adams ( link ) documenting the landscapes or Dorothea Lange ( link ) documenting the natives?

Mickey Hart ( drummer for the Grateful Dead: link ) interacting with native musicians?

Frazetta painting anything and everything? (Okay, that last one gave me goose bumps. Hah!)

Definately need reporters of a credible reputation, with CGI they could be in New Zealand or something.

Don't forget the nerdy fix-any-computer-electronic-piece-of equipment-that-will-break-down-at-the-worst-possible-moment kind of guy. Of course he'd pee his pants before he'd pull a trigger.

NO LOVE INTEREST where is the babe in the midrift and short khaki shorts pony tail and I don't need a man to tell me anything attitude, but you're cute Make sure if she runs anywhere you roll to see if she falls and twists her ankle for only a couple of turns.

Jeff Goldblum you know why.

time machine, Phone Booth. I think I saw that somewhere though.

Oh, yeah, Jeff Goldblum is a must! "Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming."

We need Jeff Goldblum minis in 15mm and 28mm! Some sculptor needs to step up to the plate!

Oh, yeah, Jeff Goldblum is a must! "Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming."

We need Jeff Goldblum minis in 15mm and 28mm! Some sculptor needs to step up to the plate!

I must have seen that 50 times, and I still laughed hard at that. And yes Cronkite, if there is anybody now that is as well trusted. For a vehicle, something on the order of an M113. You just cant beat tracks for places with no roads. An updated version, not an original, but not some overengeneered junk that breaks down all the time.

A sniper, because there is no way you are not going to want samples of big critters. Probably a big game hunter as well, as just because you are good at twenty-first century warfare does not mean you are going to be much good at tracking down wild game.

If you are going to a period when there are organized groups you may need a historian versed in the military practices of the time. Perhaps the magic boom stick will scare the natives, and perhaps they will decide that dead is dead and they really want the boom sticks for themselves, and damned to the price.

And a stone ax makes you just as dead as a nuke. I dont see that courage is a modern thing, nor is field craft. A stone age Mad Mike Calvert could be a real problem despite the technology difference.

Crap, I did not need another project to work on and now this is number two for the week.

Thanks for the compliment!

I realized that I did forget a media team (maybe two). Also, I suppose there'd have to be tech support for the time machine just in case the hypogravitic transmogrifier broke…

But of course the hypogravitic transmorgifier will break, otrher wise they just pop back to where they came from if there is a problem. And the repair guy was coming in on the second lift because the politician that helped fund the whole thing bumped him.

There has to be some reason why you cant just go back and forth else you will have 500 people swarming the area. Good reality, bad game. While I can easily invision a horde of spear waveing neanderthals storming a thin line of troops that cant use thier assault rifles on auto because of ammo limitations, I dont know that those same tribesmen no matter how brave are going to storm a company of Bradleys. Certainly not successfuly, without prohibitive casualties.

Besides do you really want to bring in a lot of heavy gear? So you need to linmit how big the machine will be, as well as how fast it can cycle. Hmmmm.

CC, do you have a source for the neanderthals or some such? I have lloked around, but ancients seems to be as far as it goes. Any suggestions?

badger22 & CC-

In case you had not seen, Irregular minis has pre-historics in their "Tusk" range:

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Yonderboy, thank you, I had not seen that bunch. Another set to get as I can.

The TUSK cavemen are definitely very cool.

You could also mix in these other types, as either separate tribes, or as guys at a different level of evolution:

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And these QRF ones are really awesome:

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Dan
PS. You guys need to make sure and bookmark the following link:
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I'd definitely make the time machine highly mobile, it should also have capacity to carry a few ATVs and launch at least a couple of UAVs.

WW,

Excellent idea. Though that would make for a very large TM.

Dan

Can you get the Tusk cavemen seperate, or do you have to get tehm with the Mammoths. I want a bunch of them, and while I dont mind a few mamoths, I dont really need a whole herd of them.

Also, how well do the tusk guys mix in with the QRF ones? could you get a pack of each and mix them? Or is the style to different to go togather well?

CC you are an evil man. I have bolwn off the whole weekend hunting this stuff down, and painting up US Vietnam troops to be the security element.

What rules does anybody plan to use for this? I have looked around and dont see anything that will really fit, other than a roleplaying game or two that may fit the bill, but that may be a bit to detailed to work very well.

Badger22: "What rules does anybody plan to use for this? I have looked around and dont see anything that will really fit, other than a roleplaying game or two that may fit the bill, but that may be a bit to detailed to work very well."

Have you joined our Cave Wars Yahoo Group? There are several options available for gaming prehistorics.

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These two other groups have lots of rules too:

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Dan

On the TV show _Angel_, two characters once had an in-depth discussion about who would win in a fight: an astronaut or a caveman.

Scorpio,

Did it go something like this?

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Dan

After several days thought, I believe there needs to be a team to capture animals alive, like that guy whos name presently escapes me, but wrote "bring em back alive".

It is one trhing to have Cronkite with a film of a sabertooth, but quite another to have one down at the san Diego Zoo. besides they can help offset the costs to a great degree.

Also have any of you given thought to haveing a atlantis or civilisation zero out there as well? Lots and lots of fun when the hapless explorers find out they are not the only high tech folks running around. And with the sea levels so low yoiu just have the citys where they will be flooded when the icecapps melt.

I believe that instead of a straght back in time trip, I will have them also go sidewise one time line. You cant really go back into your own time, you either go to another very similar one, or the act itself splits it into another one. Either way that gets rid of those annoying, but how is this affecting our own future questions. Of course I dont think I will bother telling the players that just yet. gives them something to figurte out along the way.

Those time travelers better not leave any tempting and distracting trash lying around . . .

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Dan

If you could choose which prehistoric period to go to . . .

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Dan

A lot of redshirts

LOL. Reminds me of poor "Crewman Number Six" (Guy):

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Dan

No-one sent back a medical team? That could be tricky. A touch of H1N1 influenza could wipe out our ancestors …..

I know. An I even hinted at it in the original post.

Dan

Get ready for Terra Nova, which premieres Sept 26:

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Dan
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