"More progress on the Captain Scarlet Salute game" Topic

These are some of the latest shots for the Warlords game at Salute 2012: Scarlet Thunder.

link

Change wise, it might not look much but:

All the road sections are now built (4.8m long, 1m wide))

40% of the buildings are painted (including the toll booths)

All vehicles are painted including Jet Copter

I've started building the motorway embankment

John T

Wonderful, but please say you didn't wreck a perfectly good SPV for that last picture!

It was a broken plastic one that was not quite the right scale but – I figured – if I could hit it with my axe and split it apart a lot no one would notice (me being a bit finicky on scale )

And at over forty quid each for the SPVs, then no: I'd have to have been insane to smash one (which I'm, erhem, obviously not… )

J

Gorgeous – how big is the layout ??

Aren't they on the wrong side of the road?

Bar from that a very nice layout – the tarmac is spot on though the cones by the booth are too clean

No idea if I can get down to Salute – would love to see this in the flesh.

Is the blue box in link just calling in or will they / he feature?

Nice stuff… I've got serious toy envy for those vehicles.

Gosh John, this is really looking like a must see next April! Hats off to you it is stunning.

Keep posting updates.

Looking great John – (Karl, Crooked Dice)

Thanks for the positive feedback people.

The road sections are 4.8m long in total by 1m wide (the photo shows just one of them). The grass verges will add another 0.5m to it so all on all 1.5m by just under 5m.

All of the later Anderson TV stuff (certainly Scalet, UFO etc) has everyone driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Gerry was convinced that by mide 21st century us Brits would have to swap (and who knows; he may be right) so I've forced myself to do things the wrong way round

The Blue box…. well, they may have need to call a policeman… (and well spotted Andrew!).

Vehicles are from a selction of sources. Kits (resin and plastic finishd by Kevin Dallimore), ready finished items (The SPVs) from Product Enterprises and other Matchbox and corgie diecasts, usually fiddled with and refurbed where needed by me.

Road ways are solid 50mm thick pink foam with dressings of blackboard paint over sand on PVA, with texture painted on with sponges using grey match pots and white lines and wording masked and sprayed with cans by me.

J

WOW

Awesome!

Ted

Wonderful. I hope you can bring this to a show 'ooop North'.

Wonderful. I hope you can bring this to a show 'ooop North'.

Well we took Slammers to Sheffield earlier in the year so there's always a chance!

John T

Fantastic!

Wow, John. Those look like screenshots from the show.

Thanks again for all of the positive feedback people

John T

Heck, John T--your photos could be mistaken for stills from a Captain Scarlett episode!

Ta muchly Capn!

John T

I echo the comments the others have made, top notch.

What will be the format of this game? Will it be several players against Warlords run 'Mysterious ones'. Also what sort of length are you expecting for the game and finally can we have Salute in January just so we can get to play it earlier (just kidding).

P.S. where are the green circles?

Hang on a second! It's Christmas: where are the Angels? Or is there no air support this time?

A Wargamer – Angels and xmas: nice one!

The format is loosely based (for those familiar with it) on the family board game Thunder Road. Thunder Road is a game of (basically) the end of the film Mad Max 2 with up to 4 players each with a team of 3 vehicles each in different 'sizes/classes' (dune buggy, car and heavy car sort of thing) and a helicopter. The idea is to get off the end of the board which – as you all move – flips or switches the back board moving to the front so you have, effectively, a rolling road. The winner is the one who puts his foot down and gets a vehicle off of the end board whilst – at the same time – eliminating his opponents chances by also ramming and shooting his vehicles.

In Scarlet Thunder each of four players has a team of two vehicles (an SPV and a Spectrum Saloon car) and their job is to escort the world president to London Airport (ie off of the end of the boards). The President is accompanied by Colonel White in the MSV which every player gets to move in their own turn. Everyone starts off as a regular Spectrum player and all playing for the same team but – in each turn – a random card is dealt. The Mysterons have a new secret weapon that allows them to temporarily control people without first killing them and they are trying it out. The player that gets the card will – for that turn only – become under the control of the Mysterons.

In that turn the ‘Mysteronised' player can attempt to destroy other Spectrum players (who may fire back), he may ‘Mysteronise' members of the publics cars and or kill them to permanently gain Mysteronised' allies (who transfer to whoever is the Mysteron player in the next turn) and gains temporary control of the Mysteronised' Spectrum Helicopter (as per the very first episode of the show) – so there is air support but not the good kind with the pretty ladies!

If during that Mysteron players turn, he manages to destroy the MSV with the Pres and Colonel White in it, that player wins by the ‘other route' (other than moving the MSV off of the table as a regular Spectrum player during their own turn).

Trial games have lasted around an hour or so a game so we plan to get 6 or 7 games in at the show with 4 players a game.

The only rules you can see so far is the vehicle sheet PDF link

That's probably finished but may change in detail slightly with further play testing.

Green circes… we're working on the most effective way of doing that

John T

Wow!
Just seen this, wow again!
L

Thanks Leon

Just built a new website for the progress rather than a selection of just pics.

link

It all hangs off of this site:

werelords.com

Which has all the previous games I (and my mates) have been involved with (like werelords.com/ufo/index.htm , and link , and the last Salute game link etc.

John T

Looks good.

Pretty much finished building the big slabs of scenery:

4 Slabs of roadway on wheels!

Upside down board – the wheels to make the boards roll down the table (7 sets on each board – as you can see below)

Lots of motorway embankment – and from this angle:

As you can see the pesky Dalek wasn't helping on the build much (though he did hold the boards steady a couple of times )

Anyway – some more buildings are next in line to populate the tops of the embankments and make it look a little less sparse.

John T
werelords.com/scarlet

Very nice; and I do like the paradox of a road on wheels ( rather than wheels on a road). I do also admire your bravery on the Scarlet Thunder website of noting that it is set in the world of 2065. It takes a very brave man to put a wrong date on something to do with Captain Scarlet knowing about the hordes of Fanderson and FAB people. I SALUTE your bravery.

@ A Wargamer: I'll confess that I was going from memory but thanks for pointing it out!

I will adjust the website to be correct!

As for the wheels within wheels – I'm just hoping it all works!

John T

EDIT: date Changed – 2068

PS – for those who wish to know, the pink foam boards were stuck together with special foam-board glue (Evo-Stik "Sticks Like" [great name!]), the Lego wheels were bought on eBay, assembled into modules with superglue, and then stuck to the boards with (foaming) Gorilla Glue. Which worked absolutely great until the foaming Gorilla glue foamed up and then stuck half of the tyres to the boards as well which then had to be cleared away with a modelling knife to enable them to revolve. Grrrrrr! Still – all done now!

Wow this game looks like it will be a blast. Really neat! By the way, I really like the "Dalek security guard" watching over the table.

Thankyou Thieses.

I really like the "Dalek security guard" watching over the table.

Good help is hard to find

John T

brilliant.

That lot looks absolutely stunning. Can't wait to see the post Salute photo's of the whole thing.

Thanks again for the comments.

I've subitted an article and photos about it for the Mini-Wargs/Salute Programme and I will be doing a follow up article with shots of the game running at the show and rules and so forth in the new Darker Horizons mag.

At least, that's the plan!

John

I am going to have a closer look in at this game, when I get the time at the show.

Being a life long Gerry Anderson fan, as well being a staff member for Fanderson, The Gerry Anderson appreciation society, (I pack and post all the club merchandise), I have a real interest in games like this and how they are received. Incidentally I remember the UFO game that was brought up to our Hammerhead show, in either 2008 or 2009, so it would appear that there are a number of Gerry Anderson fans in your club.

I am part of the COGS and GCN delegation, and have two games running so time during the day may be a bit tight, however I will be round for a look at some point.

I purchased half a dozen of the Scarlet, err sorry Time Lift Security, blisters at Hammerhead last week, so some conversions will be made on some of the miniatures to give me more Spectrum Captains. They are now sitting with the half dozen packs of Space 1999, err Arc Astronauts I got from Crooked Dice last year.

Anthony – I'm glad you want to have a look at the game and, if you get even a small chance, I'd welcome your feedback.

Bit of an Anderson fan myself (Stingray link and UFO werelords.com/ufo/index.htm being obvious games I've been involved with in the past) and – as you're the chap what sends out the merchandise for Fanderson – I've bought the Fanderson periodical and badges and so forth from you guys in the past and you do a great job, I must say.

See you on the day! (even if only briefly )

John T

More progress: 'Plasticville' buildings completed and photographed – with the start or my 'run down caravan park'* – and with more figures.

Buildings painted by Kevin Dallimore and John Treadaway. Figures painted by Graham Green.

For more shots go here:

link

John T

*Two done, 4 more to go!

More progress: 'Plasticville' buildings completed and photographed – with the start or my run down caravan park'* – and with more figures.

Buildings painted by Kevin Dallimore and John Treadaway. Figures painted by Graham Green.

For more shots go here:

link

John T

*Two done, 4 more to go!

Just been looking in the gallery, some nice pictures of the figures and vehicles. What on earth would we do without the likes of Imai and Product Enterprise.

I do need to put my 'nerdy fan boy' hat on for a moment though and correct something in one of the pictures with regards to the image that features 'Captain Fawn', I am prepared to duck if need be!!!

In the Classic Captain scarlet 'Dr Fawn' is CMO of Cloud base, not a field agent Captain.

However the colours the miniature has been painted in looks to be OK if used as Captain Ochre.

In the grand scheme of games at salute ts only a small point, granted, but to us nerdy fan boys and long standing fans its an error to be rectified, ;) and no doubt somebody would point it out on the day anyway. :)

BTW, I am still in the ducking position if there is anybody intending to throw stuff my way.

I think you're right Anthony – that's probably Captain Ochre. I suspect the Doc has a rank but… who knows? (Brigadier possibly ).

I shall make changes to the site immediately! Glad someone's out there spotting this sort of stuff!!!

John T

EDIT: Done!

PS: We plan a full run through in the next 48 hours so I'll try and take some snaps of the whole board in play and post them

The game had it's first major try out last night and all went pretty well:

We need to make sure that the cloth that all of the boards 'roll' on (with their lego wheels) is fixed down well to stop it 'rucking' up but – other than that – it went well.

More shots of the game in progress here link and here link

Now on to Salute!

John T

So who gets the job waving the torch's around for the two green Mysteron rings then. :)

So who gets the job waving the torch's around for the two green Mysteron rings then. :)

We're still trying to thnk of the best way of doing that. We've even gone as far as buying toy Mysteron 'torches' that do that kind of thing but they're designed for young boys to scare their sisters with in the bedroom at nighty, not for a bright day in a big hall full of wargamers (not enough candle power!)…

Looks like it might have to be just tokens with green rings on the vehicles to show who's the bad guy and who aint

John T

Regards producing the Mysteron rings, a dozen years ago or more at a Fanderson convention IIRC, I saw a guy who had made a device for producing the rings effect.

He had taped two small (ish) pen type torches together, they were about eight inches or so in length, with a small piece of wood as a handle in between the two torches so that the device could be held comfortably and be rotated without risk of dropping.

On the end of the torches he had cut out a mask for the ring on each torch, these were not circular but slightly elliptical, and then covered in thin green coloured acetate, the kind of stuff that used to be used for lighting in disco's.

I remember the overall effect of the rings being quite effective, although for the life of me I cannot remember what he had made it for.

I don't know if you could put something like that together, or if it would be bright enough in the venue, although halogen torches might be OK, it just might be worth looking into though.

Thanks Anthony – we'll keep looking at ideas. I bought a green pen light laser which is very powerful and very directional with ideas like that in mind but haven't cracked it yet

Oh and, as an aside, a couple of people said the pictures of the game on the site were quite small when you clicked on them to enlarge so I increased the size of the pics to make it easier to see stuff.

John T

I will look forward to seeing your solution to the Mysteron rings problem on the day.

I will definitely be down at the venue on the Friday afternoon to set up as we have had our ticket/parking passes turn up. :)

We did another run through on Monday night:

Two new/revised play sheets PDF link and PDF link are up on the site and some new pictures:

Lots of crashes!

Our attempt at mysteron rings (if we can't think of anything better)

More caravans

And some Angels (Crooked Dice miniatures painted by Kevin Dallimore) made a brief appearance!

All on this page: link

Salute 2012: April 21. Table GF09

John Treadaway

Pictures from the Scarlet Thunder Salute game feature in the programme for Salute 2012 and on the front cover of the latest Miniature Wargames (which contains an article on the game).

John T

Stunning work John. IMHO all your games have been brilliantly executed (fun and engaging), stunning artistry on the terrain and models, and in a warm, knowledgeable and captive environment setting. Beautiful. Shame I cannot attend this year. I hope those are lucky enough to go will thoroughly enjoy the experience, cheers.

Marcus

What can I say? Many thanks (it makes myself and the guys who are part of the team feel very warm and fluffy) and it is indeed shame you won't be there.

I hope it goes well on the day and I shall think of you as SPVs crash and burn!. Meanwhile, various team members have some plans for games we'd like to do in 2013. Er, and 2014.

Insanity rocks…

John T

Can't wait to see it in person!

Why don't you cut out the mysteron rings, and have them "loose" as such then you can place then against.. save having a solid background.

That aside, it looks impressive. Shame I won't be there. Hope it goes well. Looks great.