"Rules for a 1950's alien invasion game?" Topic

Any recommendations for a rule set for 6mm to 20mm to model a asymmetrical game of alien invaders vs. cold war era armies? Think "The War of the Worlds" movie from 1953.

Zookie, I have some ideas on my blog, and my contact email is there if you want to discuss it more.

Recently, I have been working on something like Them!

The key is to keep it interesting for the human player.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

You could do worse than Striker (GDW 1983). You can design all of your own weapons (other than small arms) and vehicles at various technological levels from pre-gunpowder through grav vehicles and fusion guns.

I'm running something along these lines but using giant monsters allied with human jets vs Alien fighters and their mother ship. The rules are "Invasion of Monster Island", supplement to "Monster Island" and "Escape from Monster Island". All 3 are needed but I believe they are on Wargame VAult. Not super-accurate but provide for a fast paced game and modifications are easy.

Dirtside II would work too and Laserstorm too ( i played Cold War gone hot scenario with it)

Laserrstorm & Dirtside sounds like a great suggestion. Both have good game systems & allow you to design your own troops. You could use some off the Laserstorm armies in the supplements for the aliens.

JPK

You might try "Invasion X" from
killerbgames.comsubheadingTerry37

I play it using the HOTT rules, and it makes for a very fun game.

Terry

I'd use the "Awful Green Things from Outer Space" rule for weapons. There were chits with different effects for different weapons. Some worked well and some…didn't. Kinda fun finding out the hard way that copper makes the aliens stronger.

Striker is not the fun game for what you seem to want.

There is one such by Ganesha Games in "Song of…" series, and a couple others are supportive of same effort, if I remember.

Italian bias aside, hear it was fun game!

'Invasion X' from Killer B Games may be just what you're looking for. In the U.S. it is carried by Recreational Conflict.

link

recreationalconflict.com

Kick it old school with WRG!

I'm going to do "All Quiet on the Martian Front" but with WWII men and vehicles, but using the Martian tri-pods from the game. By the way, the game is 15mm scale. Sold by Miniature Market.

Tri-pods and Sherman's sounds cool.

I'm old enough to remember Striker….that was a complex set of rules. Our sci fi group tried it and did not like it.

I like the cool stuff Pegasus Hobbies released for WotW. It would be nice if someone wrote a set of rules for them.

28mm Fanatik

I'm salivating now. Wow. Those look enticing.

Dan

Pegasus also just released the 1/144 Shermans that come with the War of the Worlds as a 2-pack, so you can beef up the human side at $4 USD per tank.

I have always been drawn to Quadrant 13 from Two Fat Lardies ..
link
It appealed because It was company sized. (using a couple of platoons etc)
reviews
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link

AAR
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TMP
TMP link

I always liked that model with the Martian "aircraft" zapping those M4s !

There's one for the tripods too.

Oh ! Did not see that one !!!!

There is a Flames of War hack called "The Army of Men".

How about "The Army of Powdered Men?

Dan

LOL – I prefer sprinkles.

WOW rules….Tanks, guns, bombs, nothing stops them. Cities destroyed. Civilization all but eradicated. Then, the Martians catch a cold.

Rest and plenty of fluids and in 10 days, it starts all over again?

I'm not sure I get it.

In the original book cannons could stop the tripods.

My favorite scene in Tom Cruise's WotW was when the Grunt Platoon from 10MTN opened up with AT4s(IIRC) on the Marty Tripods when their shields failed. WHOWAAAA !!!!

I always make that point when gaming SF with Titans, Mechs, Combat Walkers, etc. They are nothing but very big targets …

Burn Baby Burn !

Hi – I'm keen on getting a copy of Invasion X by Killer B, but their website is no more. does anyone know where I can find one?

Other than the US, from where I'll be paying more in postage than the rules?

Iceaxe, check here, at the very bottom:

link
recreationalconflict.com

By the way, the premise of this movie could be adapted easily to a game taking place in the 50s:

TMP link

Just think … A group of 5 urban students goes out to the country, perhaps on a dare by friends or rivals at the malt shop, off to a cabin deep in the woods … :)

Dan
PS. Zeelow has also been working on rules for something similar:
link
TMP link

I'd use the "Awful Green Things from Outer Space" rule for weapons.

I played that game. lots of fun. does anybody makes the minis for the aliens?

Vic

Do they look like this?

I think Khurasan makes/made some for 15mm.

Dan
PS. Also, I found these pictures of what I think looks like a miniatures version of the ship and the occupants:
link
link

Vending machine aliens look very Pulp SF too.

Dan

Love the looks of that spaceship !

And some of those vending machine aliens are kind of cool !

Much like the actual invasion or should I say, coup-de-coercition, most people wouldn't even now it was already a fait accompli.

Not that I'm intending to try, but it'd seem possible to adapt All Quiet on the Martian Front. Fair amount of Flames of War 'Nam and Arab/Israeli sets around to bash the humans.

Actually, tripods fighting Arabs and/or Israelis would make an interesting change of pace.

Thanks for sharing those images, Dan. Not interested in those aliens; most are TOO cute, but that Znutar is AWESOME!

Okay, I take the first back; I've always loved cute bloodthirsty aliens. ;->=

Doug

There are a number of interesting Tripod models out there in a number of scales … link

I do like this one in particular … link

There was an anthology of alternate viewpoints of the War of the Worlds (War of the Worlds: A Global Perspective) by various authors, two of my favorites were "The Night of the Cooters", wherein the Martians learn the hard way why you "don't mess with Texas"; and the other was a pseudointellectual analysis of the Invasion vis-a-vis the writings of Emily Dickinson.

Capncarp

I'll check it out. Thanks!

Dan

Or something like "The Invaders".

For skirmish level games set in the invasion, 7TV would be worth a look.

"War of the Worlds: A Global Perspective" should be "War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches".