"Metal Express: Where We're Going in 2014" Topic

So 2012 saw Metal Express bring Silent Death: The Next Millennium back to this classic game's fans, and 2013 was the year of stasis as Dr. Greaves and I found ourselves completed submerged in our professional duties as educators of higher learning and other mischief. While Silent Death in particular and Metal Express in general didn't expand on the existing games with new supplements, we did manage to bring back the plastic Core Ships for Silent Death, work out technical kinks in our web store, and perform other behind the scenes chores to make things run smoothly in the web store and on the Metal Express Forum.

Now we're into a new year, and we're intent upon making 2014 a step forward for Metal Express in general and Silent Death: The Next Millennium in particular. Hard experience has taught us that we need to accept that as much as we are enthusiastic about Silent Death: The Next Millennium, we have to work within our limited resources, and that includes time. So to this end, we're setting ourselves a series of goals we'd like to reach over the course of the year, projects we will tackle one at a time, like peeling an onion:

 

1)   Publish a revised Night Brood supplement and ship stats, including a Design System including rules for Night Brood mutations (lots of radiation out there in space!).

 

2)   Publish a revised Terran ship design system, and revise all existing Terran ship displays to conform with the revised design rules.

 

3)   Publish a science fiction ground combat system set in the SD:TNM universe.

 

4)   Publish a Bladestorm supplement adapting the system to historical setting from ancient times to the renaissance.

 

5)   Publish a set of WW2 tactical ground combat rules based upon the Metal Express Dice Engine.

 

6)   Add new ship miniatures to the Silent Death: The Next Millennium range.

 

7)   Publish new House books for House Red Star, Luches Utopia, House Tokugawa, and other factions  not yet in print.

 

 

So there you have it, our goals for the course of 2014. We'll be giving it all the old college try, however we will keep our aspirations rational and reasonable, and tackle these projects one at a time, like peeling an onion, and in the mean time, start adding new photos and information on the Metal Express Home Page and Forum for the enjoyment of all of you, the loyal fans of Silent Death: The Next Millennium and Bladestorm, who have done so much to keep these fine games alive through all of the trails and challenges that have beset this series once too often for all our liking.

So keep on playing, keep on painting new ships for your favorite House, watch yer sixes, and stay tuned to your TBD receivers for future transmissions on this secure channel!

 

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

Good luck with your endeavor. I look forward to seeing some new SD ships though I do not yet have all those I want from the range currently available.

Al

May I remind you to split the fighters from the Warhounds in the online store? Please?

3) Publish a science fiction ground combat system set in the SD:TNM universe.

Can I just say please, please please use (essentially) the core rules – the three dice trick – on the ground? I've done it – twice – in hand built (and therefore not for sale) rule sets (my original Slammers outing and the 'Nam Low Level Hell*) link and it works.

John T

* OK helicopters so not 'on the ground' as such but you know what I mean…

6) Add new ship miniatures to the Silent Death: The Next Millennium range.

Obviously, highest interest to me low on list, but completely understandable. Do tease us with ideas-in-progress, though.

…however we will keep our aspirations rational and reasonable,…

Sounds like you're following your own good advice and watching YOUR sixes.

Doug

I always liked the Bladestorm game and look for more related to the game. I tried, years back, to bring those rules into the Starmaster time-frame, but never was happy with anything I tried.

Hello from hibernia !

Sounds great, can't wait to see #3 , best of luck, Leland.

Phil

Ground combat in the SD universe?

. . . What scale? he asked, mouth watering at possibly new 6mm goodies :)

I second John T on the ground combat game. I have played Low Level Hell on the yank side of the Atlantic and loved it. I in turn adapted it for Star Wars Hoth – lots of fun.

Lost Pict

I have been waiting for #1, #2, and #6 since the 80's – looking forward to see what you guys deliver. 8^)

May I remind you to split the fighters from the Warhounds in the online store? Please?

I stand reminded, and I have passed on that request to the higher ups. Further, I have recommended that we also separate the gunboats as well.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

Can I just say please, please please use (essentially) the core rules – the three dice trick – on the ground? I've done it – twice – in hand built (and therefore not for sale) rule sets (my original Slammers outing and the 'Nam Low Level Hell*) link and it works.

Um, John, first of all, why would we even consider using a different dice mechanic? Seriously, from the get-go that was a given.

In fact, who the Hell's tree did you think I was going to shake really, really hard for play testing these rules, anyway? Seriously, you and your cunning minions are the head of our A List candidates for play testers for this very project…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

Obviously, highest interest to me low on list, but completely understandable. Do tease us with ideas-in-progress, though.

Oh, I already posted some of the original artwork for the QVP ships that was *supposed* to have been the basis for the miniatures, and if the 3D prototyping pans out, we're looking at a small renaissance in our stable of ships, both in numbers and in styling…

Sounds like you're following your own good advice and watching YOUR sixes.

Why do you think I designed the Black Widow with two (2) 360-degree gun turrets? It's so I can concentrate on my driving and blowing the Hell out of whatever poor sod I can line up in front of me…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

I always liked the Bladestorm game and look for more related to the game. I tried, years back, to bring those rules into the Starmaster time-frame, but never was happy with anything I tried.

I think you might find that the planned sci fi ground combat system will enable you to do so.

Regarding BladeStorm I'm not sure how many people are aware of this, but the dice mechanics used in BladeStorm were the prototype for the mechanics used in Silent Death 1st ed., and SD:TNM. It's one very versatile system, and we're looking at it very carefully for adaptation to other genres and levels of play, from historical ancients to the aforementioned sci fi ground combat system.

The immediate effort on the Bladestorm front will be to post stats on the Metal Exress forum for historical warriors from antiquity, and special rules for their use to give a strong period "flavor." The first one out of the gate will in all likelihood be PreColumbian warfare, Mexica (Aztecs) vs. their traditional rivals from Tlaxcala and other cultures that gave them a run for their money.

We'd like to cover the following periods in this fashion, as many as we can during 2014:

*PreColumbian Warfare

*Ancient Near Eastern (Biblical) warfare (cue the Abominable Dr. Greaves)

*Warring States China

*Sengoku Jidai (16-17th century feudal Japan)

*Renaissance European warfare

*Ancient Mediterranean civilizations (Greece, Achaemenid Persia, Macedonia, and the Successor Wars)

*The Rise of Rome

*Wild West gunfighters

*Native American Plains Indian warfare (a level of skirmish warfare that is both colorful and very, very much driven by the individual warriors involved)

*Dark Ages

*Medieval Europe

*The Rise of Islam and the rivalry with Byzantium

*Polynesian warfare

*African tribal warfare including mythological creatures and magic

So there you have it. Lots of potential fun to be had with Bladestorm. We've also made notes concerning developing a true mass battle system from the Metal Express Dice Engine, but that is a very long term affair.

So stay tuned, as we're not going to be neglecting Bladestorm any longer.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

Ground combat in the SD universe?

For all of you interested in the SD:TNM ground combat system, initially it will be a 1 to 1 tactical scale game system, squad, platoon, and mixed combat teams up to company strength. AFVs, robots/drones, bioweapon systems, and yes, low level flyers will be included, as will off board fire support assets, capsule drops, and other favorite sci fi mischief. Powered armor suits will come in different flavors, with the state-of-the-art rigs being on par with what was described in Robert A, Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers (ie., they are truly scary!).

House specific TO&Es will be included up front, and a number of Non-human forces will be covered as well, most importantly the Prometheans and the Night Brood (now you know what the Terrans need all the nastiness they can get!).

The rules are structured with 15mm figures in mind, but simple conversion rules for using 6mm, 20mm, 25mm, and 28mm figures will be included. Quite simply, if you're using 6mm figures, all movement values and weapon ranges are in centimeters rather than inches. If 20mm, double all ranges, movement values, and blast radii. If 25mm, multiply them by 2.5, and if 28mm, triple them. This should give the right feel for rules meant to "simulate" combat at the sharpest end in the dangerous universe of The Wars of the Terran Succession.

If all goes reasonably well, we will be able to garner enough play testing feedback and get this into hard copy before the year is well over.

Initially, we'll encourage people to use any figures they have on hand, as frankly, despite the best efforts of the Night Brood, Terran Space is still teeming with sentient life of terrestrial origins, and they're as cantankerous a species as they;ve ever been, even 9,000 years from our present times (and brother, they're as ed at the Night Brood as they are with one another!).

Stay tuned, and yes, I will be soliciting play testers probably by the end of this month/beginning of March.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

In fact, who the Hell's tree did you think I was going to shake really, really hard for play testing these rules, anyway? Seriously, you and your cunning minions are the head of our A List candidates for play testers for this very project…evil grin

Leland: I will be very glad to help out in any way I can including looking forward to reviewing items/rules/whatever in the Fantasy Facts MiniWargs column.

More power to your three-polyhedral dice chucking elbow!

John T

John,

welcome to the Flying Circus. Always watch yer six, and always watch for the Grub in the sun!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

I remember playing a game of SD at a con a number of years ago and thinking it was quite a fun game. Seein your post makes me want to look into finally getting it myself, but looking at your website it looks like the starter set (Silent Death: The Next Millennium Deluxe Boxed Set) is OOP. Is that the only way for a newbie to get into the game, or am I missing something on your website?

For the moment, alas, you'll have to get the core rulebook, a hex map or mat, and some ships (I'd recommend a couple of sprues of the plastic Core Ships to give you wing pairs to start with). The beauty of the game is that (1) the basic rules are no more complex than Monopoly, (2) you can adapt the game to any setting you like (fans have long since adapted SD:TNM to Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica), and (3) you can keep the game as simple as you like, or expand upon it to your heart's content building up your flights of fighters into coherent squadrons, fight duels between single ace pilots to battles royale between scores of ships and multiple players (I think the record sized convention game involved several hundred ships on each side of the extended table).

So on the other hand we don't have an all in one starter product back in production just yet, we *do* have everything and anything else short of full color counters (something we've already been discussing bringing back as "low hanging fruit") and an official SD:TNM game mat (which Monday Knight Productions and Hotz Mats makes wonderful felt black mats with a choice of hex sizes).

So don't be shy! You do have options to get started Silent Death: The Next Millennium, and it is a very fun little game that is easy to pick up, easy to teach, and easy to set up or take down. The optional rules give you all sorts of extras to enhance your experience playing, and the supplements allow you to introduce unique House specific craft and technologies.

Go get 'em!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

P.S. Just one caveat, our metal minis are cast and shipped to the purchaser directly from RAFM Miniatures in Canada, so any orders for metal ships will have to route through Canada Post as well as your own postal service. The books and plastics will come from our hub in the U.S., so turnaround on those items for U.S. Customers is understandably faster.

For the moment, alas, you'll have to get the core rulebook, a hex map or mat, and some ships (I'd recommend a couple of sprues of the plastic Core Ships to give you wing pairs to start with).

Well, I've already got a couple of space hex map (I'm something of a spaceship combat junkie!) so if all I need is the rules and a couple of plastic ship frames that's an incredibly inexpensive way to get into the game. I guess I have no excuse *not* to place an order! ;-)

Well, I've already got a couple of space hex map (I'm something of a spaceship combat junkie!) so if all I need is the rules and a couple of plastic ship frames that's an incredibly inexpensive way to get into the game. I guess I have no excuse *not* to place an order! ;-)

Ditto here on the spaceship combat junkie. And the core rule book has a design system, so you can adapt your favorite non-SD:TNM minis to the game quite easily (I use quite a few of the classic Reviresco Starguard! universe ships as gunboats, shuttles, and fighters. The Rep-Com Armed Freighter makes a perfect stand in for a light one-hex freighter or heavy shuttle BTW).

Go get 'em.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net