I managed to get my first Dystopian Wars game in over a month last Sunday, at my old stomping grounds (Eagle & Empire). Forum member Creon was nice enough to meet me for a 1250 point game of my Prussians versus his East India Merchant Company. We were playing a strait “shoot-em up” scenario, which I really wanted as I needed a refresher on the rules after not having played in so long. Continue reading
It has taken a LONG time, but I’ve finally finished up a huge wave of new ships for my Terran fleet for Firestorm Armada. Here is the group shot, with both the old and new models together:
And here is a gallery of more pictures of the fleet, old and new!
Hello once again fellow naval gamers!
Here is a quick run-down of the goings on around MBS over the last month:
The Dystopian Wars section has seen some interesting discussion on a “Battle Patrol” scenario, as well as the new robot models that are coming out:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=2.0
In the Firestorm Armada boards, the new October releases are a hot topic, as are the newly revised ORBATS for Planetfall:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=34.0
Spartan’s new hotness, their spaceship game set in the Halo universe, continues to be a popular topic of discussion!
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=41.0
There have been some new screen shots and a video posted for the upcoming BFG video game:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=788.0
There has been some new developments and additional information released concerning Dropfleet, the space combat game set in the Dropzone Commander universe:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=816.0
Both Landlubber and Quickdraw have been busy! Check out their amazing work in the Showcase:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=10.0
And finally, are you going to Adepticon this year? There is already a sizable contingent from MBS that is attending! If you are also interested, stop on by the discussion thread and let us know! There will be some sort of informal MBS gathering during the event, and it will feature some cool promotional items as well!
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=932.0
Finally, I just wanted to apologize for the slow pace of updates on the blog lately. Fact of the matter is, my work and personal life have been a bit more demanding than usual. This will be changing in the near term, as I will be changing assignments to one that will have more reasonable hours. Along with more blog posting, I’ve also got some exciting plans for some other MBS content, which I will be ready to talk about soon.
Until next time, good luck and good hunting!
Hello again fellow naval gamers. The monthly newsletter is back, after a one month hiatus! The fact of the matter is, I got a little overwhelmed with some family things that were going on, and the month of July just slipped right by me. So, let’s make up for some lost time, shall we?
The new Halo space combat game from Spartan Games has been taking the MBS community by storm! As I mentioned in the last newsletter, a new sub-forum has been created just for this game. There is a First Thoughts thread there that has had some interesting discussion:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=972.0
Additionally, there have been a couple of threads stepping through some of the scenarios that are included with the 2-player starter set:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=979.0
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=984.0
And finally, forum members Quickdraw and Landlubber have been wasting no time getting to work on painting their new ships! You can see their fine work here:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=980.0
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=981.0
Elsewhere around the forums, there has been an intersting discussion going in the Dystopian Wars section regarding the use of allies:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=971.0
The new releases for Firestorm Planetfall are also getting a lot of attention!
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=983.0
There are two theads of interest down in the Space section. First, a discussion on scifi IPs that we would like to see as games:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=969.0
Next, there were some lovely models for the new Dropfleet game on display at Gencon, and MajorMcNicol was nice enough to put them on the forum for us all to enjoy:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=975.0
Don’t forget, if you have any naval gaming-related files you would like hosted on MBS, or if you know of a cool naval gaming website or company, please let me know! I am more than happy to upload files to the Downloads page, and the various sub-forums have stickied Resources topics in them.
Until next month, Good Luck and Good Hunting!
Ruckdog & The MBS Forum Team
Battlefleet Gothic is a space naval game produced by Games Workshop set in the Warhammer 40k universe. It was developed and released in the late 1990s, and eventually grew to encompass all of the major factions present in the 40k universe. Battlefleet Gothic, or BFG, as it is commonly abbreviated, was the very first miniatures game I ever played. It is probably the main reason why I am so fascinated by naval games to this day, especially space combat games!
I just put the finishing touches on some new models for my Firestorm Armada Terrans. First up is a squadron of escorts. These are the old-style metal Guardian-class escorts. I’ve had them since they were released way back in 2010, but they lanquished for a long time before I finally got around to finishing them. I am designating them Escort Squadron 824, nicknamed the “Night Watch.”
Background: Escorts are the smallest fold-space capable warships that are normally fielded by the Terran fleet. They mount no significant offensive armament, but their point defense weapons match the potency of much larger ships. The Guardian-class escort is a venerable design, having served the NTSC for decades. The design is no longer being constructed in the NTSC’s yards, as it is considered obsolete. As a result, the Guardian class is becoming an increasingly rare sight in Terran fleets, though a robust upgrade program has kept the remaining Guardians up to date and combat effective. Escort Squadron 842 was recently formed, using Guardians that had been retrieved from a salvage yard and upgraded to current standards.
Next up is the Teuton-class cruisers. These are the latest Terran cruisers models from Spartan, which makes them the 3rd generation of Terran cruiser models! These are designated as Cruiser Squadron (CruRon) 78. The flagship is the Baltimore (CL-107), while the Memphis (CL-96) and the Honolulu (CL-85) round out the squadron.
Background: Cruisers have long been the mainstay of the NTSC fleet. A number of different classes have been built over the decades, with each incorporating new technologies and lessons learned from previous classes. The Teuton-class is the latest in this long line. CruRon 78 is a “heritage” formation, a newly formed unit that bears the name of a famous forbear that was lost in action. As a newly formed squadron, it is only fitting that CruRon 78 be fully equipped with the latest ship designs.
There you have it! Here are some more pictures:
Hello again fellow naval gamers!
As always, there is a lot to catch you up on from the last month! Let’s get to it.
Landlubber made an interesting post in Dystopian Wars Tactics, talking about the legendary One Good Shot, those times you rolled snake eyes for a Critical Hit or you sank a battleship with 2 dice!
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=879.0
In the Firestorm Armada section, MBS member and Planetfall Guru Stephan has put together a great thread that contains Planetfall FAQs. This is a must-read for anyone interested the game:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=923.0
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, a sub-forum has been created for the new Halo fleet game. As release for this game draws near, there has been a lot of activity! You can get caught up on all the excitement here:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=41.0
The other New Hotness is the MMO naval game World of Warships (WoWS). The game is still in Closed Beta, but it looks like the Open Beta will be starting in a matter of weeks! Don’t forget, MBS will be organizing a clan for the game once the Open Beta begins. If you are interested, make sure to look at the recruiting thread here:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?board=42.0
In the Shipyard, check out the beautiful WIP Terrans that DonWade is working on:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=941.0
In the Showcase, Stephan has posted some incredible fighter and bomber tokens that he has been working on for Firestorm Armada:
http://www.manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=946.0
I’ve been keeping the blog active, as well! I put together a brief report on a Sails Of Glory game I played recently. I’ve also posted a review of Topside Minis, a company that makes 2D markers for use with various WWI and WWII naval games.
Speaking of the blog, I’m always open to posting guest blog posts if any of you have an article you would like to submit! Contact me via email or forum PM if interested.
If you have any naval gaming-related files you would like hosted on MBS, or if you know of a cool naval gaming website or company, please let me know! I am more than happy to upload files to the Downloads page, and the various sub-forums have stickied Resources topics in them.
Thanks to all of those who have helped spread the word about MBS by Liking the Facebook page! If you haven’t done so yet, please consider going and taking a look:
https://www.facebook.com/manbattlestations
Until next month, Good Luck and Good Hunting!
Ruckdog & The MBS Forum Team
Hello again! Today, I take a detailed look at a product that I am quite excited about: Topside Minis. I feel that this product represents an important development for naval wargaming, making it much easier for gamers to get into the hobby. Topside Minis (TM) has been a going concern for a couple of years now, and in that time the company has been steadily expanding its range of ships and aircraft.
Late last year, TM initiated the biggest expansion to their inventory yet via a Kickstarter campaign. This campaign focused on the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters of WWII. Naturally, I jumped into this in a big way, and my long-awaited package arrived not long ago! So I figured the time was right for an in-depth look at these minis.
Ahoy there! It has been quite some time since I’ve discussed Sails of Glory, the age of sail game from Ares games. The simple reason for that is that I haven’t played a lot of this game, though I’ve been wanting to get back to it for some time. Recently, the final round of Kickstarter bonuses (the USS Constitution and HMS Victory) arrived at my doorstep, and that helped bring SoG to the fore once again. My friend Seth also got the Constitution (which is the first US ship in the game), and was eager to try it out too. So, we met to put Old Ironsides through her paces as well as try out some of the advanced rules.
Continue reading 
Hello again! Today, I’ve got a very useful post courtesy of MBS member dalekunz, who has been playing a lot of Planetfall lately and has put together a great list of rules questions and their answers, as well as some observations and lessons learned from playing the game. This is the first real post on Planefall here on the blog, and it is long overdue! This has been re-posted from the forums; you can find the original thread here. Without further ado, take it away Dale!
So we had a new 3000pts game last night, Aquans vs Relthoza, and learned a LOT to pass on. We had basically a full Core helix each (double boxes), though my Relthoza swapped out 2 units of recon Drones for a Bakash Flying Helix.
— Shelve your printed rulebook (unless a new printing) and just use the updated e-Text. SO much is different.
— Case in point – CQB is now *CLEARLY* one unit versus one unit. Nearby models within 4″ take no part. Either the active unit picks a single target, or a single unit within 4″ of the active (but not initiating) unit decides to attack them. Continue reading
