OMOG Science Fiction / Space Supplement Available

The Science Fiction / Space supplement to the OMOG Advanced game rules can be downloaded here:

www.thortrains.net/shambattle/OMOG-space-supplement.pdf

Have fun!

This is a set of ideas for running your own skirmish games. Much is still tentative.


You can download OMOG Advanced here: http://www.thortrains.net/downloads/OMOG-advanced-game-2015.pdf


There is a place to discuss OMOG and Shambattle games here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/shambattle/

Sci-Fi Crewmen, from Mortars to Starships

Crewmen

Science fiction has its share of small craft pilots, fighter pilots and crewmen of various weapons and vehicles. A glimpse at aspects of current crewmen gives insight into how the crewman of the future may develop.

With the release of the Hasbro Star Wars army men type figures, we have a nice assortment of armed combatants based on that franchise. Along with Imperial Stormtroopers and Rebel infantry, one will find various pilots, crewmen, Jedi and aliens.

Let’s look at pilots and various crewmen.  At this time on Earth, pilots and crew of military aircraft receive training both for flight and for ground situations. Fighter pilots are taught what to do if they are shot down. This includes escape and evasion and use of firearms. The same training is given aircrews of bombers and other combat aircraft. While they might not have the ground combat skills of an infantryman, they can put up a fight.

In a futuristic setting, an air crew might be able to also act as a small landing party. They may be able to set up a small perimeter and explore the immediate area. I doubt they would be prepared to fend off a serious attack. In that case, escape via their aircraft would be the obvious option.

If we look to the Star Wars figures as an example, we see the Tie Fighter pilot and several X-Wing pilots all armed with pistols. It would be realistic to assume that the Tie Fighter Pilot has good training in using his weapon plus skills in the use of cover, concealment, escape and evasion. Rebel training would vary from unit to unit. It may range from very good to poor to uneven..For instance, one unit may be taught excellent shooting skills but poor escape and evasion techniques. This kind of spotty training is consistent with historical precedents for rebellions and mercenaries.

Crews of combat vehicles such as tanks, personnel carriers and self-propelled artillery are trained primarily in manning their respective vehicles / crew-served weapons. Most armies also give these troops basic infantry training so they can fight when dismounted. Crews of crew-served weapons such as mortars, missile launchers and the like also receive infantry training. They can defend themselves and their weapon. Usually, such troops are protected by infantry operating between them and the enemy. It was discovered in World War II that to leave such men untrained in personal combat is a mistake. The speed of modern warfare and the likelihood of troops operating behind the lines demands that all military personnel in the combat zone need basic infantry skills. We can assume that in futuristic scenarios among humans and alien types, that lesson had also been learned.

Then again, there is no accounting for some things that aliens do.

I am reminded of how Japan used Koreans as secondary troops during World War II. These men were used in labor and construction battalions, supply units and such. They had very little combat training. Call it a case of smugness and bigotry that the Japanese did not think it worthwhile to teach the Koreans to defend themselves. Indeed, many of the “Japanese” troops captured during World War II were actually Koreans from labor and supply units.

We can use the Navy as an example of how crews of larger vessels would be trained. Most would receive a basic sort of training that may include rudimentary crew skills and perhaps basic use of personal weapons. Most training would go into developing a crewman’s skills for his particular specialty. For instance, a ship‘s crew today includes radar men, sonar men, engine crews, and even food preparation. Combat with larger ships generally involves crew-served weapons such as ani-aircraft guns, heavier artillery and missiles. Many crewmen have a “battle station” that requires serving the guns or other combat necessities.

For times when personal combat skills are necessary, most ships have a contingent of security personnel. The US Navy assigns Marines to its ships for this purpose. Futuristic craft may have special security teams or their verison of Marines. They would handle internal troubles as well as attempted boardings and provide landing parties.

Special types of ships are designed to transport troops and heavy weapons to combat areas. These would be well-defended.

Something like the “Death Star” would have an abundance of regular crewmen plus contingents for internal security and landing parties. A starship like the Enterprise should have a unit of personnel similar to the Marine contingent on a modern Navy ship. The crews of small ships like those in Firefly and Farscape’s Moira are responsible for thetr own defense.

On the whole, be they assigned to large weapons, vehicles or components of a large vessel, crewmen prefer to stick to their specialty. While they can function as an impromptu infantry, they prefer to man their guns / tanks / ships. Crewmen would rather leave infantry and security work to the grunts.

*****

To understand dismounted crewmen in a gunfight, the best example is from the Western genre. Think of scenes where cowboys defend from behind a wagon or from a house. This is not the coordinated musketry of a rifle team. The cowboys can shoot and provide cover, but they are not as polished as men trained to fight as a unit.

Sci-Fi Realistic Armies and Squads

Judging from the movies, Imperial Stormtroopers are lousy shots and poorly trained in combat in enclosed areas (towns, ships, etc.) They have very little training in practical infantry tactics. Then again, the same can be said for the Redshirts among original Star Trek crews.

For a realistic sci-fi game, units of regular and elite troops would have to be formidable thanks to equipment, training and support. These troops would have protective gear, reliable weaponry and appreciable combat skills. It is useful that these would include:

Use of cover and concealment
Marksmanship
Use of extra weapons such as hand grenades.
Close combat skills, both unarmed and using hand-held weapons
Practical fire team and squad tactics.
Use of various infantry weapons: pistols, heavy rifles, small rocket launchers, etc.
Scouting and Patrolling
The ability to assess and respond to enemy action
The ability to coordinate one’s actions with other team / squad members
The ability to communicate with other members of one’s army

These are basic skills, the equivalent of which are taught in modern basic training. Advanced versions of these skills are common among regular combat troops.

Among advanced skills are fighting techniques adapted to various types of terrain. These may include jungle, grassland, tundra, sand and stone deserts, forests, and swamps. Sci-fi scenarios would also include combat in low atmosphere and low gravity environments. Combat in aquatic and subterranean environments may require specially-trained troops.

Unless they had good training and discipline, a platoon of Rebels would be at a disadvantage against a squad of Stormtroopers with realistic fighting skills.

Remember also the ability of Imperial troops to call in support and reinforcements from larger units.

In an OMOG game, imagine a Stormtrooper unit of nine to twelve men. It will have a commander, assistant commander, regular weapon teams (equivalent to rifle teams) and a heavy weapons team (equal to auto rifle or LMG team). There may likely be some sort of rocket-propelled or simple grenade launcher. Imagine that at first contact, the squad has alerted the next level of command. This means that in a number of turns - maybe ten or twelve - more troops and weapons may intervene. The Rebel unit has to accomplish its mission before Imperial support arrives.

Stormtroopers, may also be standard enemy infantry / marines, Peacekeepers, Scarans, etc. Rebels may also be mercenaries, etc.

Rebel and irregular forces usually have inferior arms, mixes and incompatible weapons, and limited supplies of ammo and support. Imperial and other government forces are part of their government supply chain and have abundant ammo and other resources. This includes the ability to operate in different environs, etc.

***

The problem with Sci-Fi writers is that they have no experience with military matters, especially in these days. When designing a government army, they should look at current counterparts. I would suggest downloading one of the soldiers’ basic skills manuals from the past 40 years. Also, a manual on the infantry squad and platoon. and one on scouting and patrolling. Various such manuals from World War II to the present can be found online. If a writer wants to write about armored vehicles or artillery, he ought to acquire basic information on the operation of modern tanks, personnel carriers and artillery units.

It stands to reason that futuristic infantry, armor and artillery will evolve from the lines established for its current counterparts.

There are ways that armies have fought through the ages. Modern armies have evolved to current modes of warfare. What may the future bring? What may be available in a futuristic, distant part of the galaxy that evolved differently from Earth?

Another monkey wrench in the works: how would different cultures affect the way soldiers fight? In World War II, Japanese culture supported suicide attacks. On the other hand, the Israeli army does everything it can to protect the lives of its soldiers because of its far more limited manpower.

This much I can assure you as a veteran: the regular army forces of a government will reflect its leadership in terms of training, equipment, leadership and support. Armies of stable governments tend to be well-trained, well-led and well-supported. They can fight well. A ragtag bunch of rebels would have a hard time confronting such a force. Rebels may pull off a small raid or ambush infrequently, but they would find themselves outmatched by a well-trained and well-led government unit.

*********

Star Wars, Star Trek and other militaries are made to look good on screen. Their primary purpose is to entertain within the parameters of their respective franchises. We cannot easily equate the weapons carried by sci-fi characters with their Earthly inspirations. The standards are not so much how an effective weapon might appear, but how cool a weapon looks.

Starcraft. Bag O' Terran Marines and Bag O' Zerglings

 

I am pretty much unfamiliar with Starcraft and Warcraft. The only thing that caught my eye were these figures, which Billy Hill posted in the Army Men Homepage FB page. What with my recent work on sci-fi topics, I had to have them. They looked like superb characters for a sci-fi skirmish game.

Starcraft Terran Marines

I ordered a bag each of Terran Marines and Zerglings. What I gathered from a Starcraft fan site is that the Marines are armored and use weapons that fire metal spikes. The Zerglings are creatures with sharp appendages that can do great harm in hand-to-hand fighing. They seem to be a mix of insectoid, crustacean and reptilian features.

Terrna Marines and Zerglings

This reminds me of a starter set for Warhammer 40,000 from ten years or so past. We carried it in a hobby shop where I worked at the time. The game set had Space Marines versus a swarm of buglike critters. Starcraft’s Marines and Zerglings seem like a similar kind of nerdware.

On pages and sites of those selling the figures, each stated that each bag has nine figures. One said there were nine figure and six poses of the marines. He was mistaken. In reality, there are three each of three poses. The marines have one pose rushing with rifle pointed, one standing with rifle up, and one rushing with shield and rifle. There are three Zerglings in three poses. (Zergling sounds like something they would name a Pennsylvania beer). The figures have a lot of overhangs, which means they were originally molded in parts that were assembled prior to packaging. Marines are in light blue; Zerglings are brown.

Marines and Ajax Spacemen. Marines are shorter but just as thick.

Despite their thickness, the marines are about 54mm to 60mm size. It is their overall thickness that dwarfs Star Wars and Galaxy Laser Team figures. These guys are thick. The Zerglings have all sorts of appendages and it takes a while to figure which part is the head. Detail on marines and Zerglings is very nice. They could easily be fit into a game like Laserblade. (When I finish the Sci-Fi supplement for OMOG, I will have to accommodate figures like these. They are too cool!)

Marines with Galazy Lasrer Team. Marines are much larger.

The Terran marines resemble the space-marines of popular nerdware Warhammer 40,000. Of coure, they are not the same. I am sure that nerds who play both Warhammer and Starcraft can point out all the differences.

Zerglings with Galaxy Laser Team

These Terran marines and Zerglings would both look great if they were painted.

Marines and Hasbro Star Wars 54mm figures. Similar height, but the thickness of the marines makes the Star Wars figures look smaller.

Even if you do not want to add elements of Starcraft to skirmish games, you could use both Marines and Zerglings for other things.

Zerglings and Star Wars figures.

Good plastic sci-fi figures are a treasure. In 2015, we had Hasbro’s excellent Star Wars Command figures. These were 54mm size and had a nice variety of types and poses. An interesting set was a 40mm scale bag soldier set of Aliens Colonial Marines and Aliens. Though far from ideal, they gave fans of the Aliens franchise something with which to work. An old favorite, reissued by Tim Mee is the Galaxy Laser Team. The team is a source of various figures, from turtle-monsters to conventional astronauts. Throwing the Terran Marines and Zerglings into this mix could provide some intriguing scenarios for space skirmish games.

Marines and MPC Astronauts (Mercury - Gemini Type). Marines are massive compared to astronauts.

 

Star Wars Command "Epic Assault" army men set

 

The Star Wars Command "Epic Assault" set had promise. I had some luck and found a set for a very low price. The box was far from pristine, which accounted for the discount. Of course, I care most about what is inside the box.

AT-DP Drivers

The set is promoted as having 22 pieces. These include 2 "rev" bases that work like the old pullback toys. Put a Star Wars space ship or vehicle on top, pull back ,and then it wheels forward. I played with some jousting knights like that when I was a kid.

Imperial Storntroopers and Tie Fighter pilot

 

The set had eight Imperial soldiers, five character figures, a robot, two AT-DPs and four spacecraft. The soldier poses included kneeling and standing shooting Stormtroopers, two AT-DP drivers and two Tie Fighter Pilots. The figures that were new to me were the drivers. They had a good pose and were well-sculpted and cast. All of the poses look like those used in the movies, by the way.

C-10 Chpper robot, Ezra bridger, Inquisitor

 

The character figures were unknown to me. These were three light-saber wielding figures, a skinny woman with two pistols and a thick-bodied alien with a huge blaster rifle. There was also a little can-shaped orange robot. I checked online and found that these figures were based on an animated series. The light saber figures were silver "The inquisitor", gold "Ezra Bridger", and green "Kanan Janus". A dark red "Sabine Wren" packed two pistols, and a purple "Garazeb Orrelios" had a the huge blaster. Then there was a C-10 "Chopper" can robot. The swordsmen looked slim and wispy in comparison to the soldiers.

Kanan Janus, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios

 

The set also had small vehicles. Two of the two-legged white "AT-DP’ land craft were included, as well as 2 black Tie Fighters, a special Tie Fighter and a ship called a Ghost. The Imperial craft were about the N scale (1/160) to TT (1/120) size. The scale of the Ghost was much smaller.

AT-DP Walkers

The sculpting on the ships and the soldiers was good. I like the animated poses and the detail. The character figures were probably based closely on the animated characters, and so have an unreal and spare look.

Tie Fighters

For skirmish games, this set is an odd assortment. The Empire has all the firepower. There are only two Rebel shooters as opposed to eight gun-toting soldiers. Of the three swordsman, one is an Imperial fighter. You can tell Imperials from other figures by the base. The Imperials all have bases with angular ends. The rebels all have bases with rounded ends.

Enhanced Tie Fighter

Of course. I could not beat the price. I had wanted to get a few of the vehicles to see how well they were made. Having a few more Imperials was icing on the cake.

"Ghost" Rebel Space Ship

Again, folks, these sets have been discontinued. I believe it was done because of the movie that was recently released. I have found that if you shop Amazon for the Star Wars Command sets, you can sometimes get better prices from "other vendors." Just remember that when using other vendors, there is a shipping fee, so calculate accordingly. The best deals I saw on Ebay were from the Hasbro Toy Shop (HasbroToyShop). Most of the other sets on Ebay were woefully overpriced. Big Bad Toy Store had a few sets reasonably priced.

Sci Fi Galaxy Laser Team and Star Wars figures

 

Just for fun, I decided to compare several Galaxy Laser Team figures with the Star Wars characters who inspired them. Or did they? On closer inspection, some Galaxy figures are entirely different from those they supposedly portray. Star Wars may have inspired some of the Tim Mee brand figures, but both sets are distinct.

 

 

Chewbacca and Chompsnuffa

 

The main similarity between Star Wars’ Wookie and the Galaxy Fur Alien is the fur. Granted, the Galaxy figure was an attempt to take the place of the Wookie, but the facial features and weapon are entirely different. My suggestion for those who paint their figures is to use very different colors on these funny fellows. An imaginative modeler could get a very distinct miniature from the Galaxy fur alien just by creative use of paint. Green fur? Maybe...

 

Darth Vader and Magnutto

 

Darth Vader is a very distinct character. Side by side with the supposed Galaxy Laser team version, they are very different figures. The Tim Mee counterpart looks like a Marvel Comics character. Thigh-high boots, a pectoral chest-plate and pro wrestler belt are very different from Vader’s clothing. The helmets are also unique. The Tim Mee figure wears what looks like a variant of an open-faced Greek helmet. His cape is shorter and so is his weapon. A light-club? With a little work, it could be a Greek-type sword. Again, a creative painter could make the Tim Mee figure look stunning.

 

X-Wing Pilot and Soldier with Pistol

 

These two have more in common than the other pairs. Helmets, though distinct, have a similar overall shape. However, the pilot is obviously in a flight suit. The Tim Mee figure could be anything from a security officer to Buck Rogers type soldier. He wears a very different outfit and unique boots that seem to flop over the top like those of pirates. While he could fit in the realms of Buck Rogers, Death Star personnel or Rebel infantry, he is unique enough to stand out. It is all in the paint work.

 

Tusken Raider and Turto-lob

 

These are so distinct as to have no middle ground between them. The Tusken is a desert character. If not humanoid, it is still likely mammalian. The Turto-lob (Turtle + lobster) is reptilian with a bird-like beak, buggy antennae and lobster claws. Still and all, both are cool aliens to add spice to your spice adventures.

　

 

R2D2 and the Washboard Robot

 

Mistakenly called "droids" in the movies, short tin-can robots were a common feature of the Star Wars franchise. (Droid is short for android, a robot having a basic human shape. C3PO from Star Wars, Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Terminator are androids. R2D2 and his type are not.) R2D2 is a small, cylindrical machine with a dome top and three legs. By comparison, Tim Mee’s Galaxy Laser Team robot is a flat, rectangular-bodied machine with two legs.

 

Small robots like both of these examples were common in the Star Wars movies. Another movie using small robots was Silent Running with Bruce Dern from 1972. He had a pair of two-legged, boxy robots. Cute robots seem to have been a thing of the times. For instance, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a 1970s show, had a comical little robot named Twiki. (Think Hello Kitty goes Andriod: Twiki.)

 

Of course, Star Wars was not the only inspiration. Three of the characters in the Galaxy Laser Team had other origins:

 

The Astronauts

 

The two astronauts in the Galaxy Laser Team are somewhere between Gemini and the Space Shuttle. One pose is reminiscent of the early MPC "Mercury" type astronauts. The other has similarities to two other poses. However, these Galaxy astronauts are more modern. For instance, the air supply on the astronauts’ backs tells the tale. The MPC astronauts have tanks similar to a scuba diver. The Galaxy men have a boxy pack instead. It would have been more like that worn on the Space Shuttle. The Apollo air pack was much larger, wider and taller.

　

 

What happened to the woman with console? She is apparently based on the female crew of the original run of Star Trek. Unlike the others, there is no previous plastic figure on which she might be based.

　

The Galaxy Laser Team is a good source of affordable 50 to 54mm scale space figures. Because they are different from the characters of popular sci-fi movies, there is a lot of leeway as to how they can be painted and their use in games. A skillful modeler could get more than a few good conversions from them. The recent Hasbro "Star Wars" plastic figures are a great asset, but they will be getting scarce due to discontinued production. Perhaps Airfix will reissue their fantasy space men soon. They can accompany both of the aforementioned sets of spacemen.

 

Sci-Fi: Hive Minds, Telepaths, Terminators and Demons

There are aspects of science fiction which border on the esoteric. Some might even be considered the dark side of mystical. Others are extrapolations based on observations of nature. Demons are an occult phenomena, plain and simple. Hive minds exist on our world in the communities of the beehive and the ant colony. Let us take a brief look at them from a sci-fi perspective.


Hive Mind

The Borg of Star Trek share something with the Bugs of Starship Troopers and the monsters of Alien. They are controlled by a higher level of intelligence. In effect, this is a Hive Mind. It works similarly to the unseen intelligence that coordinates an ant colony and bee hive. The hive mind of Starship Troopers was embodied in a class of Bug known as a “brain.” The Borg collective seemed to have a hive mind centered on its ship. In fact, the top of the hive mind was killed off in the first Next Generation movie. Skynet served like a hive mind for all the mechanical weapons and robots in the Terminator franchise.

Member of a hive mind have little or no volition. They are 100% obedient to the Mind that controls them. They can only make choices insofar as fulfilling their assigned work. Even then, it is pretty much reactive. A bee can choose the flowers it visits, but these choices are governed by instinct rather than reason. The bee follows its programming, so to speak, in fulfilling the command of its hive mind.

The A.I.s of Space Above and Beyond are coordinated through a “modem” each has, allowing it to transmit and receive to other A.I.s. However, they are independent units and not part of a hive.

As most hive minds go, the over-mind gives the individual units their orders and dispatches them to where it wants them. The individuals take it from there when they get to the place to do their job. In most cases, these units will do everything in their power to do that job. How far they go is a matter of the degree of volition and intelligence they have. For instance, suppose a large fissure were opened up in the ground between the unit and its objective. Some types might be stopped in their tracks, unable to move.  Others may be stalled until they get new orders. There are some, like ants, who would use members with special capabilities. The rank and file workers might be stalled, but pathfinder units would be alerted and look for a route around or through the obstacle. Once found, they would lead the workers through the new route. A more intelligent type might begin its own efforts to bypass the fissure. It would be driven to fulfill its mission and be possessed of enough intelligence to deal with most unforeseen circumstances. No matter how they stack up, however, the hive creatures would be stalled for a time when confronted with an unexpected obstacle or problem. The amount of time it takes depends on the species. Ants would remain confused until the pathfinders were alerted and went into action. A Terminator had enough programming and artificial intelligence to solve problems on its own. It seems that when one member of the Borg collective solved a problem, others in his hive also gained that ability.

The hive mind provides command and coordination. Destroy the hive mind or block it from communicating to its units, and they would normally hesitate for a turn. Some types would resume their mission and some would hold in place or return from whence they came. Terminators would not hesitate, as they are not reliant on Skynet to direct them through their mission. Skynet never solved the problem of transmitting and receiving signals through time.

Hive minds have their limits. They take time to make changes in their plans and the directions given their units.  Hive minds are predictable because they each have their distinct ways of doing things. They are ponderous, and that makes them slow and predictable.

 ***

The Borg leader of the first “Next Generation” movie reminded me of Terminator in having living flesh over metal parts. Her attempt to implant living tissue on the android Data is much like the living flesh developed to cover a Terminator robot. Star Trek’s Borg and the Skynet of the Terminator movies both have aspects of a hive mind. The individual Borg and the Terminators both follow the will dictated by their respective controlling minds. They are programmed to obedience and act at the behest of their hive minds. What makes Terminator different is that he cannot transmit his info back to the future, whereas Borg can relay info back to their hive ship.


Telepaths and empaths

Science fiction has had its share pf psychic types, despite the claim that such practices are un-scientific. Despite all the science, sci-fi has had various characters with telepathic abilities.  They may be mind-readers or persons with the ability to communicate mentally, or both.

Telepathy is one of the psychic powers acknowledged by New Agers, parapsychologists and occultists. Others include clairvoyance, divination, psychokinesis, telekenisis and astral projection. With my background in esoteric spirituality, I know the theory and reality. These are not great powers that make people wise and all-knowing. One thing I will warn you is to avoid those psychic parlors that advertise themselves. The other is to take anyone’s claims of being psychic with a grain of salt the size of a medicine ball.  I have known a very rare few people who had some kind of psychic talent, and even then, it was not 100% and was not all the time.

A telepath or any other psychic is easy to jam by a person who is focused. He can also be jammed by noise, confusion, and anything that interrupts his concentration. They have very limited power to influence others, if at all.


Terminators

The Terminator franchise centers on a type of robot that is programmed to find and eliminate a target. It is provided with flesh over its metal frame to pass as a living being. A later type is “liquid metal”. There was a comic series from DC in the 1960s called “Metal men” which were a team of robots made of various metals. The one made of Mercury was a liquid robot.

The Terminator is based on a primal fear that shows up in dreams: the implacable pursuer that will not be stopped.

Robots are machines that can be programmed for various tasks. Some can be programmed and then set out on their own to complete their assigned tasks.  Others need to be guided from a control center, much the way drones are controlled. They are implacable because a robot can only follow its programming. It has no alternative choice. Artificial intelligence would give a robot the means to solve problems encountered while fulfilling its mission. A.I, would not give it volition.

For science fiction stories and skirmish games ,a robot could be programmed to attack a specific person or place. It would be a modern-day Assassin, much like the Assassins of the medieval Islamic Ismaili sect in the Middle East. Both are often sent on suicide missions. While the Ismaili would do it for a better place in his afterlife, the robot does it because of programming. The human assassin may feel fear and a host of other emotions that may make him hesitate or change his mind. A robot has neither emotions nor fear of harm to deter it.

Other human versions are the modern suicide bomber and the Japanese kamikaze.

A robot could be programmed to kill by a direct attack on an individual, such as battering, stabbing or shooting. The robot might also carry an explosive which detonates when it reaches its target. During World War II, German combat engineers had a small tracked vehicle called ‘Goliath.” it was packed with explosives and sent on tasks ranging from blowing up anything from barbed wire obstacles to tanks. This was controlled through a long wire and was an early form of attack drone and robot.


Demons

Most of the so-called demons are actually breakdown forces happening in realms other than the physical. They are intelligent, and are psychologically programmed to find places to fulfill their purpose. In their rightful place, they are fine. It is when they are taken out of that place that there is trouble.

Think of wood decay. Like it or not, but it has its uses. Without wood decay, our forests would be choked with the remains of dead trees. Take wood decay and place it in a new place, like a house, and it is destructive.

Wood decay’s nature is to seek and find places to do its thing. Offer it a new place, like a porch and it will go to work with the same mechanical efficiency in which it tackles dead logs.  It will stop when it is stopped and returned to its natural place. So it is with demons. Those who invoke them invite them to a place where they can do their thing. If they get out of control, they remain a while and wreak havoc. The reason for problems is this is not their natural place. However, as it is not their place, they eventually go back where they belong, much as a fish that gets beached tries to return to water. There is nothing to keep them here.

In a sci-fi context, a demon would do what it could to prolong its stay, providing their were enough opportunities to do its thing. It would leave only if forced to fo so, or if it no longer found enough opportunities to sustain itself here. Like a robot, it is “programmed” to fulfill its specific mission.

****************

Sci-Fi; Adding Mystical Power to Games

 

The mix of mystical powers and science fiction is hard enough to reconcile. Though the Warhammer 40,000 series of games seems ot have done it, they are a genre all their own. Warhammer blends science fiction and fantasy and technologies that have long since passed plausible reality. It is strictly a game that stands alone. Most science fiction does not blend the two easily. 

The following examples are ideas on what might be usable in sci-fi games. They are general concepts which can be adapted to fit within a game. I wrote them with the intention that they serve as idea which others would want to alter and adapt to fit their own games. Please feel free to adapt as you see fit.

Shambattle Spy Rule: Each side designates one soldier of the enemy to act as a spy. This figure is played as a normal soldier on the other wise. The spymaster chooses when to activate him. At that point, he is operated by the spymaster. He can be used to attack enemy soldiers.

In my opinion, there have to be limits. He cannot be an officer. You may have to limit what kind of soldier he is. Maybe he cannot be a heavy weapons man, or an elite trooper, etc.

Telepaths and empaths: there is little use for telepathy in the heat of a battle. Like most psychic skills, its use is for non-combat situations. Indeed, most psychics cannot use their skills when under duress, such as in a gunfight. They need time and enough calm to concentrate. The one use in a battle game would be to expose the spy. Should a telepath come within a half move of a spy, the agent is exposed. To make it harder, neither the telepath nor those within a half move of him can have fired that move. The also cannot be involved in hand to hand combat or the operation of a weapon.

Zen / The Force: A fighter using spiritual power will have certain advantages. The use of Zen and the Force are both legendary in their respective fields. The first obvious effect is to enhance the fighter’s offense and defense in close combat. A fighter can strike and deflect weapons.

A second enhancement is for those fighters who may use aimed weapons. They will have improved accuracy, like snipers. Think of Luke using the force to aim his missiles in the first Star Wars movie, or a Zen Kyudo archer hitting target.

The Force allows a fighter to move objects and attack at a distance. He can push an enemy or knock him down, depending on his skill.

With Zen and the Force, there are levels of ability. We can simplify this for game purposes. These would be Novice, Average and Master. We think of a novice as Luke first learning to use the Force. A Master is a highly accomplished fighter. Historical figures like Miyamoto Musashi and fictional characters like Obi Wan and Darth Vader are masters.

A Novice gets +1 when defending and attacking with a sword or light saber. If using the Force he can also deflect one shooter per turn using a standard firearm. (This is not a Zen power, except whe ndeflecting arrows and hand-launched projectiles).

An Average warrior gets +2 on attack and defense. A Force user can deflect 2 shooters per turn using standard personal firearms.

A Master gets +3 on attack and defense. Usoign the Force, he can deflect three shooters with personal weapons or one squad-level heavy weapon.

As novices have yet to develop enough concentration, they must roll before using the Force. On a six-sided die (not the nerdy D&D dice) 1 and 2 he fails the concentrate and so fight as a normal fighter.

An average Force fighter who is not shooting or in close combat can stop an opponent at 1/2 move away. This does not work on other Force users, nor on officers, as they have developed sufficient will to be unaffected. The affected individual cannot move for 1 move.

A Master force fighter can push an opponent to the ground at 1/2 move. The individual cannot move for 1 turn and fights at -1 for one turn. If the opponent is an Average Force user, he can only push him back. A Master can use this skill against anyone with whom he is not engaged in combat.

Like a telepath, a Force fighter will detect a spy at up to 1/2 move away.

A Master is going to be a very powerful piece in a game, so steps must be taken to retain game balance.

Rule of Three: to make close combat more practical ,we had invented the Rule of Three for the updated Shambatte (A Game for Old Fashioned Toy Soldiers) and OMOG. A figure attacked by three figures resolves combat thus:

In a 2 to 1 fight, the single fighter is penalized:

He fights at -1 against the first enemy

He fights at -2 against the second foe

If there is a third enemy in the fight, the defender still fights the first and second enemies as above. The third automatically kills him. This Rule applies to all normal fighters and the Novice.

　

For fighters using the Force, an Average level fighter has the Rule of three extended to a Rule of Four. He gets -1 for the first enemy, -2 each for the 2^nd and 3^rd enemies, and is automatically killed if there is a 4th enemy.

For a master, he fights the first enemy at no loss, the second fighter at -1, and additional enemies at -2. He is not automatically killed, no matter how many are in the melee..

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Thinking of Sci Fi commanders, who would be my picks? Kirk was too much of a hothead and too impatient. He got a lot of people killed. Not a guy you want on your side in a gunfight. Adama was too laid back. Picard was passable., Archer and Crichton both would be good in small actions with a squad or smaller. Darth Vader was good with small units and larger operations. He would be a good man to have on your side in a small gunfight and a larger assault.

Vader’s problem is the material with which he must work. Let’s face it, folks, Imperial Stormtroopers are matched by Star Trek’s red-shirt security for coming up short in a fight. If Vader had troops like the mobile infantry of Starship Trooper, he would have done wonders. Even with mediocre troops, Darth Vader got things done

 

SciFi: Space, Mystics and Magick

Though science fiction, fantasy and horror are often lumped together, they are three very distinct genre. Science fiction deals with speculative fiction based on science, be it the science of the present, future, or an alternate world. Fantasy deals with non-scientific realms based on folklore, myth and magick. Horror involves both criminal acts and the work of monsters. While the premises behind some characters may seem occult, Horror’s essential nature is to entertain via the terrible and ghastly.

We expect the mystical in fantasy. Wizards, sorcerers, and magickal entities are part and parcel of the genre. Books like The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, the Conan series by Robert E Howard and Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson typify the fantasy genre. In the aforementioned examples, the protagonists encounter strange mythic beasts and magick-wielding adversaries.

Fantasy was separate from science fiction for one simple reason: plausible deniability. Many felt that science and spirit were separate matters. For many sci-fi buffs, things had to have a scientific explanation, even if it were based on fictional science or things not yet developed.  A science fiction writer who incorporated any mystical or magickal elements had to tread lightly. It was too easy to slip past the thin line of plausible deniability.

The original Star Trek series had a few episodes that touched mystical subjects. For example, one involved a “Roman planet” and worshipers of the Sun / Son. Another had the crew encounter the Greek God Apollo. Even then, there was an attempt at a scientific explanation. More often than not, those that dealt with unusual phenomena found a rational explanation for it. Apparently, in the Star Trek universe, telepathy and empaths were within the realm of science, but sorcery was not.

The Star Wars franchise introduced its own mystic element known as The Force. According to its lore, the Force was a power that could be used for good and evil. Certain knightly mystics known as Jedi and Sith learned to use the Force. These characters were like the Japanese Yamabushi warrior monks. Unlike the Yamabushi (lit. “mountain warriors”), the knights could use the Force to influence others and move objects. For instance, near the first movie’s end, the hero drops into a Zen-like state to let the Force guide him to launch his missile accurately.

What is this Force? It is like bits of the Astral, Ki / Chi, Prana,  Megin / Magna / Macht, Wyrd and synchronicity all rolled into one. Of course, the power is fictional and any connection to actual mystical or occult phenomena is tenuous at best.

Star Trek Deep-Space Nine had its own mystical aspect involving the Bajorans and their religious connection to the Prophets, which were actually “wormhole aliens.” On the bad side were something like demons, one of which was called Kosst Amojan. Prophets and the demons could possess people. Of all the Star Trek series, this one was most connected to a mystical and religious trend.
Farscape. and the other Star Trek franchises had their own occasional contacts with mystical events and beings. Farscape’s search for the wormhole itself was bizarre and at times esoteric. The character Q on Star Trek’s The Next Generation and Farscape’s Zahn and Stark each had mystical attributes.

Too much of the mystical in a science fiction story can dislodge fans who insists on science.

A peculiar thing about science fiction is that many aliens are similar to the appearance and mannerism of mythic beings. Star Trek’s Klingons are like orcs or hostile imps. The Vulcans and Romulans have a similarity to the old Norse light and dark elves, respectively. The Scarrans of Farscape are a hominid dragon species. Scorpius is a wraith or ghoul. Star Trek’s Jawas are like dwarves who work with metal things. The Wookie could be Bigfoot or a wood troll.
Several members of the crews of various science fiction series correlate with mythic roles. One finds the Jupiterian leader, Mars warrior, Venus love interest, and so on. We find a similar thread in Captains Kirk, Picard and Archer, John Crichton, Adama and Han Solo. Scotty, Worff and Ka Dargo share more than a volatile temperament. Many a successful ensemble follows older patterns of storytelling.

Darth Vader is a mirror image of the heroic Captains and Commanders mentioned earlier. He is the same type but works for the opposition.

So why have we not seen these patterns before? We have! Prior to the rise of science fiction on television and movies, the Western genre was the popular milieu for storytelling. Instead of the crew of a star ship, the ensemble members were the townsfolk of Gunsmoke, the family of Bonanza and the various characters of Maverick. You may have noticed that Lorne Greene played a similar type character both as Ben Cartwright, family patriarch of Bonanza, and Adama, commander of a battle-star ship. It is all part of telling a good story

Science Fiction is the mythology of the present and future. In view of Dr. Carl Jung’s work on archetypes, it should be no surprise when an old magickal myth re-emerges in a modern scientific context.

Personally, I find that many attempts to include the mystical with science fiction fall short. Brief encounters such as those in the original series of Star Trek are fine, so long as they remain well within the limits of plausible deniability. With my background of esoteric spirituality, I find that many writers do not have enough knowledge of the mystical to include it in science fiction and remain plausible.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine overplayed the “wormhole aliens” and the Bajoran mysticism. The series went from science fiction to occult drama, complete with bizarre rites, demonic possession and evocation of evil spirits. That is the kind of thing you expect in a horror movie, not a science fiction series.

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Gaming with mystical elements has been around since the 1970s. The Chainmail miniature game for Medieval Warfare added a fantasy supplement to accommodate entities from various popular books and myths. This later evolved into the pinnacle of nerdware, Dungeons and Dragons. The game blended magickal and other esoteric properties with Medieval weapons and combat techniques.  This was strictly within the fantasy genre, where science has little impact.

The Chainmail fantasy supplement included several magickal spells that could be used in miniature battles.

Science fiction is a very different genre. Mystical and magickal powers would have a much smaller place. As with nerdware like Dungeons and Dragons, it could be used in a role-playing game.  For sci-fi battle and skirmish games, the impact of magick and mystical powers would be limited. Things like the Vulcan Mind Meld and wormhole aliens would not find a place, as these are things that occur in non-combat situations. In fact, most of the mystical things added to science fiction stories tend to happen only outside of combat.

One mystical power that has combat application is the Force of Star Wars. The Force can improve a fighter’s ability to aim and to use a weapom. A person with enough Force can deflect projectiles and other weapons. An expert can use it to influence others, move objects and attack at a distance. The trick for gamer makers is balance. A character could become too powerful and offset the balance of the game. On the other hand, too little power lowers the value of such a character.

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I have been exploring the varieties of spirituality for decades. As was said, I’ve been “...from Alchemy to Zen and back again.”  This is not to say I am expert in the many systems that I researched. I spent more time with some than others. Several were studied and experienced in depth, others with less interest.

One thing that must be noted is that a religion may seem bizarre to outsiders, but it is perfectly normal to its adherents. Here is an example:

A fellow I knew was stationed in Thailand with the Air Force. He became romantically involved with a local woman and they decided to be married. The man was Catholic and wanted to have a Catholic wedding. He took his beloved to the nearest English-speaking Catholic church to make arrangements.

The results were not what he expected.

Behind the altar of the church was a large crucifix with a painted statue of Jesus mounted on it. There were other statues in the place, as well.  The Thai woman was mortified. She was terribly frightened by the large statue of a man being crucified with bloody wounds and thorny crown. The Buddhist woman left in terror and refused to go back.

Catholics and most folks from Western countries take a crucifix in stride. Whether Christian or not, they know the basic Jesus story and are familiar with the cross as a religious symbol. They also have seen the Catholic crucifix and know its context. People from other cultures may regard it as strange and  frightening. By the same token, Christians from the West may see Hindu and Shinto rites as weird. Even within Western culture, adherents of conventional religions may find Rosicrucian rites exotic and eerie. Those familiar with Western esotericism would see nothing unsettling about them.

Whether sci fi or not, unfamiliar religious and spiritual practices may look bizarre. Again, those involved in those beliefs consider them perfectly normal. For writers of sci-fi, it is a good distinction to understand when writing of alien rites and beliefs.

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Tomorrow's article will include suggested rules for adding special powers like The Force and telepathy to skirmish games.

Review: Hasbro’s Star Wars Command army men

 

Two things I like in a figure are historical accuracy and realism. I like good poses, good detail and good proportions. A miniature soldier is a story in itself. I like to look at a figure and see the story of the character it portrays.

 

The Star Wars Command figures, which are Star Wars army men, are some of the best figures I have seen in the science fiction genre. Good detail and animated poses make them a charm. They are true to the movie characters they portray. When you look at a Star Wars figure, you know exactly who he is and what he is doing. That is, if you know the movies. My only complaint about the figures themselves is that a few have smallish heads. That is it. The choice of poses and even the plastic colors are just right.

 

I ordered a 51-piece figure set from an Amazon vendor and two smaller sets from Hasbro Toy Shop on Ebay. Wow! Nice figures all around. Along with the various rebel and Imperial troops are characters such as Wookies and Tusken Sand people. They look good. Whether making a diorama of a Star Wars gunfight or playing a skirmish game, the Hasbro Star Wars army men are excellent.

The science fiction genre occasionally gets some really nice figures. The old Ajax figures had six poses of classic spacemen that looked good. Archer’s spacemen were nice, too. Marx produced astronauts, spacemen and aliens worth having. One of the best and most common sets in the old days was by MPC. They were Mercury-type astronauts in various poses. The original MPC figures were well-posed and sculpted. They were followed in the 1970s by the Tim Mee Galaxy Laser Team.

The Star Wars figures are fun both for fans of the movie franchise and for sci-fi skirmish gamers. For games, there are armored infantry, light troops, unarmored station personnel and some weird aliens. In fact, you could easily build a heavy infantry squad with the Stormtroopers. They have a kneeling and standing figure with a short submachine-gun sized weapon and a "sandtrooper" with what looks like a light machine gun. There is even a binoculars guy among the Stormtroopers.

 

Two things I like: good minatures and good sci-fi. I liked the first two Star Wars movies because they were entertaining. I had a problem with the third and its teddy bear Ewoks. I tried to watch the fourth on cable, but it was a kiddie movie. Good sci fi is not kiddie cutesy. Good sci fi is gritty and tough. The first two Star Wars movies had enough edge to them. Farscape and Starship Troopers did not pull their punches, either. That’s what I like.

 

The figure sets I bought were mostly characters from the first two movies. Like good sci fi, the figures were in animated poses and had the right detail and realism. These are the kind of space army men I will enjoy having. They have character.

 

I understand that Hasbro has discontinued the series, so get while the getting is good. I found a great deal at the Hasbro Toy Shop on Ebay. They have four sets total. I got good deals on Amazon, but it seems the 51 piece set is now over $20. Get `em while you can because these are nice figures and great pieces for space skirmish games.

 

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If we judge by movies and TV shows, some of the worst soldiers in space are the Imperial Stormtroopers and original Star Trek’s redshirts. They are lousy shots and take a lot of casualties. Most movie bad guys are like that.

 

As an Army veteran, I would think Imperial stormtroopers and Federation of Planets redshirts would be much more formidable. They would be trained to fight and defend. They would be given intensive weapons training, especially in using personal weapons. The stormtroopers and redshirts would also be taught to disperse and use cover rather than "bunch up" in a mob. Were they handled more realistically, security forces would be crack shots who attacked and defended with skill. Amateurs would have no chance against them.

 

A squad of soldiers just out of basic training in Fort Dix circa 1972 could make short work of a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers or Federation redshirts. Imagine a sci fi story where the enemy is formidable. Imagine he is motivated, trained and very skillful in use of weapons and tactics. He is a good shot! That would be a good story, indeed!

Science Fiction: Subterranean Warfare

Currently, there are people who have some expertise in rescuing trapped miners. What of people whose specialty is subterranean warfare? We see an inking of it in Starship Troopers, where the Bug "Brains" had to be hunted underground. The other bugs were ferocious defenders. A computer game from the 1990s called "Descent" involved a special vehicle to go underground and clear hostile elements from a mining complex. Space- Above and Beyond had an episode that was based on combat in a subterranean Chig or AI complex. Vietnam had its "tunnel rats" who went in to Vietcong tunnels to flush them out. Siege Warfare often devolved into a game of mine sand countermines. culminating in underground tunneling in World War I. Considering the likelihood of combat in mines or against a subterranean-dwelling species, it stands to reason that future space armies might have special troops for the purpose.

I would imagine such troops would have advanced version of things like seismographs and ground penetrating radar. They would also need sophisticated equipment to detect gasses and places where air is too thin or humidity is to thick to breathe. Such conditions exist in Earthly cave systems. One cave with deadly heat and humidity had giant quartz crystals. Explorers must bring air and wear special suits to enter. Certainly, we may find cavern-dwelling aliens who thrive in that kind of environment. Indeed, some may thrive in any one or more underground environments that would kill a human. These same aliens may very well have a bad reaction to our air. I am reminded of the volcanic tubes in the Western Pacific that spout toxic fumes and great heat. Various crustaceans and other sea life have adapted to breathing it and thrive in that environment. Take then away from it and place them in normal seawater and they die and crumble rapidly. Certainly, there may be alien species living underground who evolved in a toxic (to us) environment or adapted to it. Going into their realm would be like entering the chemical warfare battlefield.

Other aliens may have taken to the underground to avoid harmful radiation or toxins on the surface. A cosmic accident, extreme series of solar flares or other misadventure might be the cause of their planet’s surface turning inhospitable. There was a very hokey movie titled "The Mole Men" that had a surviving Sumerian people who had adapted to living deep underground. The original Superman series had its own mole men in one episode. Horror movies dealt with things like CHUD (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller) that were humans who had devolved underground. There are also urban legends of bums living in abandoned sewers and forgotten subways tunnels who devolved into something creepy. Imagine a civilization where part of the populace was forced to take refuge underground to escape persecution or as a result of losing a war. There may very well be a war between underground and surface societies.

What with archetypes and mythology, the underworld has always figured in the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres. The popular Dungeons and Dragons nerdware originally based itself on a subterranean adventure. Now there are millions of nerds playing it. Movies have dealt with underground themes, from radioactively-altered giant ants in "Them" to the Martians concealed in their underground lair in the 1953 movies "Invaders from Mars". There is a primal aspect to the subterranean monster genre. We shall leave further discourse on that to adherents of Dr. Jung’s work on archetypes.

We may find anything from hostile aliens, giant monsters or worse on our journey to other worlds. It stands to reason that special units may be needed to handle them. I wonder if they will be an elite force of individuals with a penchant for spelunking. On the other hand, underground combat duty might be a place for commanders to send their misfits and troublemakers. An unofficial punishment duty and convenient place for commanders to dump undesirables is as old as armies themselves. The U.S. Air Force used to send troublemakers to a stint at Thule, Greenland. Maybe a subterranean unit will be composed of a handful of elite specialists and a rank-and-file of the dregs of the army. Then again, it may be an all-elite unit or a group of misfits with few qualifications and little additional training.

No doubt some specialized heavy equipment, weapons and vehicles will be in order. I think of the long line of vehicles railroads use to replace ties and fix roadbed. Imagine a similar device to place roof supports in caves so as to prevent collapse. There would likely be various troops carriers, drills, robots and drones for underground warfare. Some would be altered mining equipment of its time and some may be entirely original. I see crawling, slithering, rolling and small flying drones and robots playing a large role. As the rules of warfare may not apply to alien combat, I would imagine scientists would develop heavier-than-atmosphere gases to use against underground dwellers. We can be certain that despite technological advances, gas warfare will be as messy at it was in the trenches of World War I.

There may even be weapons to cause vibrations, like localized earthquakes, to collapse tunnels and caves at a safe distance from the operators.

One thing is certain: the Bugs of Starship Troopers are not the last work in sci-fi underground warfare. There will be more to come so long as popular fiction feeds off common archetypes.

(This is another part of the thought experiments inspired by science fiction. It is not an answer, but a starting point for further thought. Hopefully the article will inspire writers, toy soldier collectors and battle gamers who enjoy the science fiction genre.)