Bedtime Battles: Part Two

In my previous post, I mentioned that my daughter and I have been playing Star Wars or super hero themed skirmish games. These are very rules light, d20 roll-offs with (sometimes) a bit of story to them. But often they're just quick excuses to pick out cool minis and roll dice back and forth.

Earlier this evening however, I thought I'd try (or retry, to be accurate) running an actual mission with a goal. 

She played the heroes (Rebels) and I played the bad guys (Imperials). We kept the rules super streamlined, using a d20 for most things, and a d12 for special circumstances. 

Mission 1: Rebel Retreat!

My daughter chose five rebel-esque minis from my collection, including a stand-in for her favorite Star Wars character "Princa' Leia" and two well-known droids. I tossed a few Paizo Gamemastery map tiles down (Ambush Sites pack) with a bridge and told her it was her job to get the droids safely across a stone bridge over a fast-moving river. 

Imperials cut off the Rebels' only escape!

As the Imperial commander, it was my job to capture the droids before they got away aboard the Millennium Falcon on the other side of the bridge.

A giant, mini-chomping monster lurks behind our heroes!

I started with four Imperials on the board with three more in reserve. She started with all five of her characters. The droids didn't have weapons and had to be protected, so they essentially were non-combat characters.

Victory conditions: 

Rebels win by crossing the bridge to the Falcon. Imperials win by capturing the droids. Eliminating all your enemy's forces is an automatic win.

Here are the basic rules:

Activate 2 characters per round (d20)

Each player could move and fire (a single action) with two separate characters per turn. So two characters got to something for each team. The reason for this is simple--we were nearing bedtime so it kept things moving! 

Minis could only move 3 squares at a time. 

Weapon types determine your attacks

Any mini with a blaster could shoot from a distance. Minis with a weapon in hand had to be right next to their target to attack. A Jedi with a lightsaber could deflect blaster fire. 

To hit roll results and critical fails/successes

• 1 is a miss and player misses next turn 
• 2-9 is a miss
• 10+ is a hit
• 20 is a double hit (choose a second target to take out)

We never had either type of crit. In retrospect, having so few characters on the board would have been devastating to have 2 taken out with one hit. So maybe a 20 should be a hit and the attacker gets to move again (but not shoot). And maybe the 1 means you get to move but not shoot next turn (weapon malfunction, etc.). 

What happens when your character is hit?

They go to "jail" which is the other player's area on the board. Rebels are captured and can be rescued. Imperials are taken out and can be replaced with fresh recruits. (See below on both.)

Refresh your faction (d12)

Once per round, in place of an action, a player could rescue a captured comrade (Rebels roll 11+) or call for reinforcements (Imperials roll 8+. A refreshed character respawns back on their team's side of the board.

Using the Force (d12)

Any side with a Jedi or Sith (basically a character with a lightsaber) could use one of their two actions to use Force Push (8+) to take out an opponent. 

When attacked by blasterfire, a Jedi could immediately defend themselves by rolling a 4+ or higher. This was way too easy, so I'd suggest making it at least a 6 for future games. Alternatively, it'd be fun to use whatever the blaster bolt roll was as a roll under target. So the higher your opponent rolled to hit you (10 or higher), the better chance you have to defend!

How'd it go?

Victory dance!

She won! Handily, I might add. It's no small feat either as the game was weighted in favor of the Imperials since they had more combat-capable characters (just like in the movies!). Then again, I never chose a force-wielding character, so she got to use the Force powers (at least in the first game). 

Turned out having a Jedi was a boon, though I captured "Obee Kenobee" before the game ended. She had great rolls though and the Force was ultimately on her side.

Mission Two: Starship Takeover!

Whomever designed the innards of this vessel should be expelled from the Academy!

This was a pretty standard capture the flag mission, with each side starting out on separate sides of the "ship" (Paizo's Starship Corridors maps). Here, I was looking to see how well she could move around the board--esp. one that didn't have a straight forward layout, like the bridge. Results were mixed, owing to what I'll chalk up to a confusing layout and a increasingly weary toddler.

Moments before this stormie went airborne...

One new element with the corridors was the idea of line-of-sight when shooting. We've toyed with that before (quite literally--shooting around Star Wars toys as terrain) but this was a little harder to grasp because everything is on the map, so the corridor pathways were less discernible to her. There were no three-dimensional items to work with.

We also tossed in a new rule for movement. That if you had one character left on your side, you could move twice. Again, this sped things up, especially when you're hopping through long, convoluted corridors--and by the end of the game we both only had one character left.

She won again, but not nearly as easily. She opted not to use a Jedi and her forces were picked off over time. One of her three "Chewbaccas" was the sole survivor for quite a while. But she eventually wiped out the Imperial forces. Her last  hero made it fairly deep into Imperial territory as well--so she could have won that way too, had she not mopped up every guy on my squad!

Oh, and I couldn't resist another new rule for the Wookiee clan: If they were in an adjacent square, they could roll a d12 and have the chance to pick up an hurl a bad guy (11+). And of course, she rolled a 12...

That's my girl!

Bedtime Battles: Part One

My daughter (age 4 and 1/2) and I play with minis and dice quite frequently. We usually play "Star Wars" or "Super Heroes" which means hauling out the appropriate minis (about 10 per player), lining them up in teams, and moving them one at a time to "challenge" each other.

Sometimes we use terrain (Little People furniture, Imaginext or Star Wars spacecraft, etc.) but a lot of the time it's just figures. 

Essentially, we just roll off with d20s and the highest number wins--meaning the winner gets to put the opposing foe in "jail" (behind their figures). 

How to play...but also be a good player

This--I've learned--is an ideal way to teach a few basic concepts. Nearly as important as counting and learning numbers is the idea that some numbers are "higher" or "lower" than others. Last summer she was only just beginning to understand sums and how there are more or fewer amounts of objects. But the idea that more = higher took a little while longer to sink in.

Another important concept is the idea of fair play. From the very beginning of our gaming escapades, I told her that she will lose more games than she wins. While that might not be statistically true, I think it's important not to expect to win. And it's likewise essential that every game can be good--even if you don't win--because you still get to have fun!

I worked hard not to fudge dice rolls for her or let her off easy so she understood what that meant (and believe me, it wasn't easy! I want her to win!). It's more than just playing nice. To me, playing to have fun means you have respect for the other player(s) and respect for yourself enough not to take losing personally. 

I grew up with kids who would scream and cry--even as old as 13--if they felt like they were losing a game or being treated unfairly.

Plus, I want to play games too, and the sooner she gets this concept, the sooner we can get on with just having fun together! 

Anyway, we now have a solid track record of shaking after every finished skirmish, just like it were a Little League T-ball tourney: "Good game!"

Ready to use d20s!

She's grasped numbers up through 20 faster than I thought, so a few months ago we switched from using d12 for everything to d20. That's a pretty big step! It means we have a lot more latitude when it comes to probability and we can finally start building on some of those early sessions. 

We'll still play "story mode" without dice. And we'll do the opposite and ditch the plot and just have gladiatorial roll-offs. But tonight we worked on running through a simple scenario as it would be presented in a miniatures wargame or RPG that uses minis. 

It wasn't our first attempt at this, using maps, minis, and dice to get from point A to point B. But it's been, by FAR, our most successful. 

It's heartening to see her come around on some concepts and finally "get it" not just because she understands, but more for the fact that she WANTS to play the more challenging game. 

A mission-driven play session was a little daunting to her before. She'd say she was bored or didn't like it. But now, she's definitely pushing to stay up past her bedtime in order to get more game time in. 

As it turns out, Dad is a bit of pushover if you ask to play more Star Wars!

I kept this one light, but I'm working on a second post to cover the game we played using some simple, impromptu rules.

UPDATE: Read Part Two for play report of tonight's game and the rules we used.

Coming soon: "Retro Raygun" tabletop mini game (Video)

I've long been a fan of Hydra Miniatures retro space figures--I've got several of their space ranger-y dudes. I even ordered a bunch of their War Rocket spaceships from the Source (say, that order never did come in...). That game has it's own rulebook for staging rocket-and-saucer style space battles a la Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. They're a smaller shop, who's work cannot be celebrated enough.

Earlier this month, they've announced their next tabletop game--a set of rules to go along with their character miniatures line. Here's a video preview:



So it sounds like the game will be more of a goal-oriented adventures, not so much "this army vs. that army" which sounds like a lot more fun to me.

While I wish there was a separate blog post to link to, they've put up an update on their main webpage (so this will be outdated as soon as they put up a new one). But you should go there now while you can and see the book layouts they've posted, plus a bunch of new mini designs.

Here's a few of their current Retro Raygun figure offerings:

Good, old-fashioned space pulp fun! Check out their full range of Retro Raygun miniatures.

UPDATE: Retro Raygun: Action Adventure in the Atomic Age is now available! 

Galaxy Laser Team makes everything gonzo!

I've had several people ask me where I got the green figures that made an appearance at Saturday Night Space Opera last week. The answer is: The Internet!

Okay fine, it was Amazon. Seems like just about everyone remembers seeing those figures, but not recalling where. "When" is always "when I was a kid" which if you're like me, was in the 80s.

The line is called Galaxy Laser Team, though they also go went by "Star Patrol". Tim Mee Toys is the name of the company that's recently brought them back into production, and boy are they doing a stellar job!

The exact set we had on game night were these fellas, the jumbo set:

Back in the day, Processed Plastics was the manufacturer, but a few years ago they closed and sold off the molds (is my understanding anyway). Tim Mee has been reproducing the sets, including this jumbo set which was also produced years ago. If you're thinking that the sculpts look strangely like other popular scifi characters, you aren't wrong. GLT were expeditiously brought to market following that one 70s space opera with that big hairy dude and that short, boisterous robot.

Unfortunately, they're only able to recreate what was originally produced back then. The female space commander at the computer console and the cool "x-fighter" were never previously made as jumbo figures---so no current ones exist either.

I've inquired as to whether these will ever get made or if NEW figures could be designed and released in the same aesthetic as the originals (like say, a female figure with a ray gun, more spaceships, playsets, etc.). The response was along the lines of "we hope so," which I think translates into "we'd love to, but these have to sell well enough to allow us to do that."

So in hopes of someday seeing NEW Galaxy Laser Team members.....

WHERE TO BUY GALAXY LASER TEAM TOYS
You can find them on Amazon for a reasonable price, the regular figures come in packs of 50.

• Blue/Green set
• Red/Orange set
• Jumbo Green set (no female or x-fighter figures)

....and if you wanted to make your space adventures Gonzo-to-the-MAX, there's also these sets:


That's a lot of funky fantasy dudes in yoga pants!

• Cavemen (Prehistoric Warriors)
• Dinosaurs (These are not in scale with other figures, but make for good smaller monsters, pets, etc.)
• Legendary Battle (sort of fantasy meets superheroes)
• Frontiersmen (Daaaaavy, Davey Crocket, king of the wild frontier!)
• Cowboys and Indians (Self explanatory)
• Army Men (Light and dark green)
• Battle Mountain Playset (This thing is awesome! And it looks like it would work for a wide range of other minis)

BONUS: If you're REALLY inclined to ask for more far-out space and fantasy figures, go "Like" the GLT's Facebook page and tell them how awesome they are/send them a message!

I have several vintage figures from the Galaxy Laser Team, so it was inevitable that they'd find their way to guest appearances here on Exonauts. The Space Yeti inspired a whole alien race I wrote up for X-plorers. I've a fondness for the old-fashioned static-pose, plastic figures of my kidhood. I'm sure you'll see more them here in the future.


To be continued...
A few weeks ago, the jumbo figs were on sale and I acquired several extra sets to use as prizes for some future fun activity. Haven't decided yet if they'll be awarded at a forthcoming Saturday Night Space Opera or part of that world-building blogging event I'd still like to do. Stay tuned!

How are you using (or not using) art in your games?

Here's a question for your veteran GMs out there: how much or how little do you rely on game (or other) art during game play?

Do you show your players art to set the mood or give them an idea of their environment or adversaries?

How much of your art at the table is non-game art?

Do you let them bring in art?

While I've used art in games, I've encountered players who admit that the art doesn't do much for them. Others love it because (they say) they're "not great with visuals". (Not sure if I should find that worrisome or not!)

I've considered describing images that the players cannot see (hidden behind a screen), and let their imaginations do the rest. In the past, I've wimped out and shown it to them because, I deemed it just too cool not to show. But I think for some people it detracted from their experience.

Again, I think it's important to make a distinction here: I'm not talking about how you use art in crafting settings, creatures, or NPCs--but how important that art is during game play.

Feel free to be as detailed as you like in the comments.

And thank you!

Get X-plorers RPG for a STEAL during GM's Day sale!

RPGNow is having their annual GM's Day sale right now and you can pick up X-plorers full game booklet at a super reasonable price: $12.96 for the softcover and PDF.

You can also pick up several supplements, including one on robots, the Cleopatra Station adventure module, and the super helpful players guide in digest form. And character sheets are free! There's also a free no-art version.

If you've been procrastinating on picking up X-plorers, now is a great time to get it cheap!

X-plorers game and supplements at RPGNow.com

Best scifi games I played in 2013 - micro review edition

By no means is this a comprehensive list of games I've played this year, but I wanted to touch on a few of great games I got to play in 2013...before the ball drops! No RPGs here (disqualifying my own games as well). Here's a glimpse back...

Eclipse (4X) board game

I got this with a gift certificate and a nice fat discount last Christmas at the Source. The box is big, heavy, and filled with goodies. Eclipse is a 4X game, meaning it focuses on exploration, expansion of empires, exploiting resources, and exterminating rivals.

Gameplay is not for the faint of heart--make no mistake this is a longer, extremely detail-oriented game, but it's a ton of fun. You pick a race and build the game board (laying down hex tiles) as you explore the universe. You have the option of attacking or building alliances and you've got to manage the resources you've acquired. Ultimately though, you will end up battling your foes using space armadas you've amassed and outfit with the latest tech.

It takes a full evening (4 hours or so) to learn properly. But the setting is immersive and the rules are extremely well orchestrated. This is precisely the 4X space game you've been pining for!

ALIENS...with action figures

This was a game I played at Con of the North and thoroughly enjoyed. It's basically a scaled-up version of the classic 1989 board game using highly detailed 6" action figures and an entirely custom-built gameboard and terrain. I detailed my experiences in a previous post, so check that for the full story.

The short, short version is it's basically an action figure skirmish game with a refined rule set. I can see this being adapted for just about any army-guy kinda' game you can imagine. Oh, and the dude who made this enormous game board included LASER POINTERS because line of sight is CRITICAL to gameplay. That's gameplay cranked to 11, my friends.

Star Command (touch screen video game)

I've been a booster for my share of Kickstarters over the last couple of years, but none had more promise in it's premise than Star Command. Boy did it deliver! The developers, Warballoon Games, rendered the game as a low-res pixel-y, nostalgia-fest, but don't rely on looks alone to win over players.

At it's core, Star Command is essentially a Star Trek-style exploration and space combat game that hearkens back to classics like X-Com and my beloved Star Control. You meet a variety of interesting and colorful alien species, make friends with some, do your best to vaporize others.

You pick a ship type, name it, even pick it's color combination. Along the way, you upgrade using tokens you win in battle. The ships starts out pretty much empty and you add engineering, science, command, and weapons modules. You also hire crew and build up their skills for better performance.

Don't have great shields? Better make sure your redshirts are good at phaser-to-phaser combat, because your aft is getting boarded. Oh and be sure to outfit your ship with more than one type of weapon or you're bringing a knife to a disruptor fight.

In short, Star Command is awesome. It's everything a wannabe starship captain could want. I should mention that the game was overdue in development, but new content is on the way, as well as playability on PC and Mac platforms other than Android and IOS. (I play on my Galaxy phone set).

So those are a few of my favorites from this year. What games did you enjoy in 2013?