"Aquanef or something similar?" Topic

Anyone remember these? I'm assuming development just stalled.

link

Sci-fi (Victorian or not) sub combat seems like a fun theme. Is there anything else out there? My first thought would be that Starmada would work pretty well for this if you used the water movement system from Dreadnoughts and added elevation. No idea what to use for miniatures.

Yeah, I was looking forward to Aquanef. And yeah, development stalled, and along came dust, and cobwebs, and …

I'm sorry, I can't think of anything for minis, though Bridade Model's own Iron Stars minis look like (real big) subs to me.

Impact Miniatures had a Kickstarter for some VSF/fantasy airships that might be able to do double-duty as VSF subs.
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Mine just came last week, look pretty good though I haven't figured out what I'm doing with them yet, was leaning towards using them as a primitive faction's aeronef, e.g. Venuvians.

I don't think scratch-built subs would be too difficult to produce.

Try Deviant Art for inspiration. A quick browse – Steampunk Submarine brought up this little beauty…..

link

Good luck.

Tony

Well, I've a 20K Leagues under the Sea ornament from Hallmark waiting a game like that.

Some of the disposable razor handles I've been cut-and-pasting for spaceships and 'nefs also have that large sub look.

I've some toy pool fish that could sport rivets and appropriate paint, looking like VSF Terrorfish.

Honestly, I'm probably going with Aeronef w/ Manley's height bands, calling the top one 'surface' for a start.

Edit: Had to go get the link, but did you see the discussion about Aquanef started about a week ago?

TMP link

Doug

Ha. Thanks for linking to my thread, I was just about to before I read your post.

Wonder if this surge in interest will lead to any further development?!

Chris

Also (seeing you're in the US), if you hit a fishing store, particularly one of the big box ones like Bass Pro, you can find some larger sinkers that are sub-shaped (although beware, these usually are real lead!) and some soft plastics that would make good creatures.

I do not want to hijack the thread, but thought that this page might be of interest…..

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Half way down there is a link to 150 different designs and models…..

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Enjoy.

Tony

Buy a plastic model kit set of aircraft bombs and missiles. They cover just about all the shapes you need. Then get a set of starship or air combat rules you like and modify them for your games. There really isn't anything available as VSF submarine rules.

I just remembered… (And this probably isn't very helpful). There was a set of rules for Stingray published in an old wargame magazine. I remember my dad buying the magazine when I was younger, so I'm guessing it was Wargames Illustrated or Miniature Wargames in the early to mid 90s.

I'll have to check with him and see if he still has it…

For real-world submarines with steampunk cred, the early French ones cannot be bettered.

Ron

Funnily enough, I was browsing this topic on TMP the other day:

TMP link

then went into the "Man Cave" and looked at th heading "Gaming CV": and Aquanef (in draft) was there…

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So…maybe you can ask the co-author!

There was a set of rules for Stingray published in an old wargame magazine.

I've a copy printed out somewhere, so should be 'Google-able'.

If I find it in the next hour, I'll Edit/add it to this post.

Aquanef (in draft)

Neat how they got as far as cover art… *sigh*

Doug

Edit: Not sure if this is the same one, but…
PDF link

Also, with only four classes of ships, and strictly Stingray, may end up being as much effort as converting one of the suggested above, or rolling your own.

Edit, part deux: Also, a sub game, though 'modern', from the Schild en Vriend Miniature Wargaming Club Leuven, Belgium, made from Full Thrust.

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Brilliant! Thanks for posting the link to the pdf. From memory that's exactly the rules!

Thanks for all the great links guys. Definitely like the aircraft bomb idea for subs.

I bought some 'weapons packs' specifically for such, though mostly spacecraft and aeronef.

Missiles oft look retro spacecraft, and some of the EW packs should make good merchant ships, but the bombs always made me think 'digs'

Still, not a lot of effort to make into subs.

Oh, and Chris? I'd watch that 'brilliant' stuff. Even a stopped watch… ;->=

Doug

Picked up this set for 11 on eBay:
link

The bases cost me more. :P

Aquanef is slightly delayed but does exist – I sent out a pre-publication copy to Houston Gamers last year and this is the game they put on: link

I am incredibly busy with real work and my son's music career at the moment but hopefully this year will be the year of the aquanef…

Here here!

Keep focused Steve. Real Life/Family first, as it ought to be.

Aquanef is on my "Was a great idea" list of things that I will not expect to be real until I see it is in print.

Not bitter, just resigned to not seeing it in the next few years, if ever.

Show me the published rules and available for buying Aquanefs…

Coelacanth – I agree that early French designs are lovely, but don't overlook the mismatch of VSFish designs that came out of Tsarist Russia!

link

Thanks for that, Steve.

Quite frankly, if the final product will allow games like the one in the link you gave, then I'm going to be down the pet store buying all kinds of aquarium decorations.

Can't wait to play these rules!

For my "Alien Subwar" project, I abused Full Thrust until it worked the way I wanted.

There's also some fun real-world submarines you can borrow. I've seen a 1/72 scale Type XXVII U-boat (the Seehund midget submarine), and that looks quite VSFish if you leave the monster torpedoes and their mounts off the sides of the keel, and add some rivets.

There's also the Type XXIII, and I just found 1/144 scale models of it.

Speaking of model plane weapons, here's a LAF Workbench thread for Aeronefs that have quite the possibilities as submarines.

link

Doug