Author Archives: Gavin Syme

We Can Remake it for You Wholesale – Total Recall 2012

Posted on by

Is it Good or is it Me?

Last night I went to the cinema.  Myself, my good lady and Eve Hallow.  Now I know what regular readers of this blog are wondering ‘he said he did not like the new Total Recall, so why did he go and see it?’.  Two reasons, firstly I was being paid for (which greases the wheels) and secondly I decided to be fair and after seeing extended trailers from the movie I took the chance.  Have a read of my previous posting about Total Recall 2012 for my opinions there.  But anyhoo how was the film?

Well it was actually pretty good.  Leaving aside the plot and characters the biggest impression I got from the movie was the superb and beautiful cinematography of the landscapes and an imagined future.  Hammering in the gritty dank darkness of Bladerunner and the vertical living of The 5th Element the world of Total Recall was astonishing.   Well worth fans of sci-fi seeing the film just for this.  Moving onto the plot.  It was aright, same core as the last incarnation, with bits of the original short story by Dick too.  But it did lack something..sanity.  I followed the movie closely and ended up a bit confused as to where it literally was placed.  Instead of Mars and a corrupt Earth it was sad to see it come down to yet another ‘nasty imperialistic Great Britain’ attempting to enslave the ‘Colony’ (I mean really it was two and a half centuries ago, let it drop!).  The colony was accessed by a tunnel through the centre of the Earth called ‘The Drop’.  I kid you not, a ruddy tunnel through the earth from London to…where?  Australia!  This was hard to swallow, flying cars, robot soldiers, light guns, palm phones, multi-layered cities all cool.  But really, anything is easier than drilling through the core of a planet!

The story moved along at a cracking pace and it was nice to see several nods to the previous version including the larger lady with ‘two weeks’ stay and the triple breasted hooker (yes, she was there Edward!).  Aside from some glaring holes and so on (I do not want to nit pick) I enjoyed the plot.  What about the cast?

I just can’t take to Jessica Biel (who played Melina) but I thought Kate Beckinsale was really top notch as the wife Lori Quaid.  Little was made of other characters with the plot really being Doug Quaid and his not really wife Lori  trying to kil each other.  The resistance movement and its leader were a backdrop to this as was Cohaagan, the baddest guy in the older film.  I know though that you all really want me to push on and talk about Colin Farrell as Doug Quaid / Hauser.  What can I say.  He was and still is weak as a leading man.  He played the part very well but he does not shine like say Daniel Craig does as James Bond.  The film would have been better with a different leading man.  But Farrell has buried the ghost of Alexander I will give him that.

So overall its a really good science fiction B-Movie, in that it will not be remembered as a classic, but it is well worth the ticket price and I will be buying a DVD copy in the future.  Plenty of wargaming fodder in there!

Lastly a special mention to Eve Hallow who also did not want to see the film but was convinced and lured by the promise of beer and company.  He is a splendid fellow and while he did break the cinema (I kid you not, all the lights went out and the screen cut out too, that is a first for me!) I enjoyed the evening with him.  I think he plans a blog posting of his own on the movie, I will be keen on reading it once he does.

GBS

Roadway Rock and Deer

Posted on by

Roads and Hazards

The end of another busy week is upon me so its time for a little muse about life and this time its about driving and the roads here in not so sunny Girvan.  A few of you will know already that I had a very nearly bad accident in the middle of the week but no one yet knows of what happened only a couple of hours ago.  Let me fill you in.

Back on Tuesday I was puttering back home in the car along the some of the same roads I usually drive.  These roads are on the whole winding country roads with many little hazards such as blind corners, steep hills, tight bends, missing verges and the occasional insane tourist standing in the apex taking pictures for the folks back home.  On the whole this is ok as I know the roads and drive with care but on Tuesday as I listen to some Peter Green (upcoming music posting) there was a flash of red and then a bullet like crack before a splash of blood and broken bones shot across my wind shield.  I  did not see what I had hit as it jumped out of the forested verge and its head connected with my wing mirror.  After stopping (I was in the car on my own) I collected myself and after stopping went to investigate.  It was not a person….   I had hit a Deer.  Deer are common around here but I have not see many.  It had been killed instantly, its head obliterated by the wing mirror.  The car was not damaged at all aside from marks on the mirror.  I think myself fortunate for this as if it had been a fraction of a second earlier then it could have been through the wind shield or worse.  The poor animal and I met by fluke chance at that precise moment.

Today as I drove home…on the same road…another event took place.  Not as dramatic but potentially more dangerous.  The road in question is prone to weather related debris and this time as I rounded a bend I saw something in the road.  Small items like branches you drive around, likewise little rocks.  But this was a ruddy great rock sitting in the middle of the lane.  It had rolled down from the slope next to the road.  I could not in all good conscience just leave it there.  So I stopped and put all of my warning lights on; then went to move it.  So in the rain and mud I sized it up.  It must have weighed more than 70lbs and it took some effort to lift.  I pushed it down the opposite slope into the river.  Despite being muddy and wet and the risk of being hit by a mad courier driver or big rig loaded with timber I feel I did the right thing.  A bit of stone that size, in the dark, is invisible, and could easily cause a fatal crash.  If I had heard of this later, having done nothing, it would have been heavy on my mind.

So there you go.  It ain’t all just wargaming and such for me.  Sometimes adventure awaits!

GBS

Support Cyberpunk Horror

Posted on by

What’s this?  An appeal to donate money to a new charity for man machines that do grotesque things?  No, its just a catchy title for this posting which concerns what I have been up to over the stretch of yet another Bank Holiday in the UK.  Aside from talking Flintloque with Eve Hallow and a few other things I have been putting to bed three new paid for PDF downloads to be added to the growing list of such that 15mm.co.uk sells.

Released back in time for Salute 2012 this year there have been a number of wargamers eagerly awaiting the time when UM010 Support Pack, UM011 Cyberpunk and UM013 Eldritch Horror would be put out for use on computer screens, portable devices and the infamous ‘ease print’ for a cheap hard copy too; all for the princely sum of just five dollars.  Each of them involves little in the way of real work (well as I would count it) but it needs a dozen or more hours of digital layouts for the purpose designed files for screen viewing and searching.  I have had close to a hundred emails saying how much this is appreciated as few company’s seem to take this time and simply issue a PDF of the print file which often does not display properly and is not tagged for searching.

Each time a new release is made for USE ME I sit back and think of how great it is to see the series grow.  I have said before that I did not expect thousands of copies sold, magazine and blog coverage, a frankly awesome day of sales at Salute 2012 or the constant ping of download versions flying off to far off lands.  All from my own home brewed rules set.  It will soon be time to set up an account and then make these and the rest of the digital titles available through specialised online sellers of such versions.  Not to mention the next new print titles too.

Release is going to be end of this week with an email campaign too courtesy of Mail Chimp.   If you are reading this later than that then refer to the below.

If you want to learn about USE ME then go along to 15mm.co.uk to see the series.

GBS

O.G.Joel takes on a new USE ME project

Posted on by

The Space Cockroach (as Omer Golan Joel refers to himself online) is a busy man indeed.  On top of his gaming interests and work he writes USE ME series titles and as of this week he and I agreed that his next project will be USE ME 6mm.  Covering World War Two, Ultra-Modern and Science Fiction this planned new rule set will be in the usual format and will feature all arms from infantry to vehicles, aircraft, orbital support and so on.  You can read more about his plans over on this post on his blog.

I am looking forward to this set of rules since O.G.Joel and I both feel that the ‘engine’ of USE ME is well suited for adaptation to 6mm and that the wargaming market is in need of a fast, easy and tactical set of game rules for this scale and setting.  More of this when the time is right but I think 15mm.co.uk might well be publishing this title at the end of the year or early in 2013.

Expect another posting on the talented Space Cockroach on an ultra-modern theme soon.

GBS

Big Man Japan (2007)

Posted on by

This is not one of my normal reviews of a Japanese movie or anime.  Oh, no.  This is something far worse that I subjected myself to this weekend and kind of regretted it aside from a couple of moments of real genius in film making.  But hey, for a fifty pence download I gave it a Sunday morning go.   What I am talking about…Hitoshi Matsumoto’s Japanese mockumentary send-up of monster movies: Big Man Japan!

The Japanese are a unique people with a real passion for the creative arts but they sometimes create things which to a non Japanese (even someone like me who has studied that nation for years) comes across as utterly surreal.  Big Man Japan follows Matsumoto’s Masaru Daisato, an unassuming, sad man living in a Japanese slum.  His wife has left him, taking his daughter away, and he is despised by the people of Japan.  Why?  Because he carries on the tradition of his forefathers as a protector of the country.  Unfortunately, this involved being zapped with electricity and growing into a giant man in small shorts who fights odd monsters who attack the country.  These monsters are nothing like Godzilla and are in fact downright weird including a head atop a leg, a monster that throws eyeballs, a white and black rubber band man monster who has a comb over hair cut and many more.  The film cuts back and forth between fight scenes (highlight of the film) and Daisato and his dull as dishwater, crappy life.  The pace of the movie is all over the place and it is badly let down the by overly long and badly done ending tribute to Ultraman fight which as well as being shockingly shoddy is overly long and too violent to be funny (at least to me).  The film ends with a conversation over dinner between monsters and Big Man…well no idea there.

Below are a couple of You Tube links.  Be warned this is not for kiddies (due to its lack of sanity) but they will give you an idea of what this is about.  The first one is the trailer, the second one is one of the weirder fights with the rubber band comb over monster.

You can get the film from Amazon for a few pounds in the UK.


Lastly the moment of genius…what is it?  Well just before they blast Daisato with electricity in a Hammer Horror esq sort of way he stands inside a vast pair of underpants which he then grows into!  Only in Japan would you see that.  He might be mad and crude and weird..but he can’t be butt naked!

Watch it or don’t…but if you understand it..let me know.  🙂

GBS

Danger on Outpost 32!

Posted on by

I really do need to keep track of time.  Really I do, as I seem to have lost a couple of months.  I blame the summer holidays from the schools.  Having the three little demons at home has thrown me for six and no mistake.  My own work output has dropped by about half over the last eight weeks.  Leaving aside the fact that I personally think that eight weeks is WAY too long for children to have off school (poor overworked teachers they say, what about all of us who work on while they relax for twice the time I get off in a whole year!) my reason for this post is to announce a return to normal once more with my next project about to go on general release as of the end of this week.

Danger on Outpost 32

This follows up on the WIP posts from back in May.  Have a read of those for the concepts and so on behind the USE ME Starter Packs and the over all plan.  But DOOP32 (catchy eh!) is all you need to play in a handy box which, trust me on this, is really good for carrying about your current Flintloque project too.  A rulebook, two dice, twenty seven miniatures and twenty seven bases along with a set of sheets with three scenarios and rosters.  The miniatures are from the HOF range and the SHM range and include some crackers such as the Prang that Eli Arndt designed for the range. Packed full of Fun!

You will be able to see more images once it is uploaded to the site along with a link to download a PDF of the included sheets, so you can read them and use them if you already have the rules and miniatures to hand.

DOOP32 was a small project that came about due to some conversations mainly with Chris Knowles (head blogger on Dropship Horizon blog) and a few dozen requests from customers who desired to get a whole game in a box for USE ME.  It was about fifteen hours work all in.  A testament to the rugged simplicity of the rules system and the 15mm scale.   I do not know how well it will sell but time will soon tell and I await wargamer responses with eager nervousness.  One additional point worthy of mention is that many of the requests for a starter pack was that it be affordable as most wargamers are working to a tight budget these days.  Well I took this on board and DOOP32 is very affordable at only twenty pounds which is spot on budget for what you get.

You can see the whole USE ME Series on 15mm.co.uk.

GBS

Flintloque Reviews on Voodoo Ork channel

Posted on by

Rob Alderman, sculptor of Flintloque and other miniatures for Alternative Armies, operates a rather good YouTube Channel under the title of the Voodoo Orc.  He paints, reviews, looks at and talks about many gaming systems and miniatures but his first love (or at least he tells me it is!) is Flintloque.  So in response to requests from all of you out there in the wide world I have gathered Rob’s top video picks for fans of Flintloque.  These videos are all good fun and feature tips, information and of course lovely painted figures.  They are my picks and are not in chronological order of creation but hey, they make more sense to anyone not familiar with the game.

Have a look through the list here and click through to any that grab your fancy.  And of course if there are any Flintloque miniatures you would like Rob to look at comment on this post or email me direct at Alternative Armies.  Enjoy!

A Review of 5025 Flintloque – War in Catalucia

In this video Rob looks at the first game book in the series for Flintloque 3rd edition.  The third edition, written by myself and Mike White, is a quantum leap in the evolution of the the system from the previous edition with a greater page count much more art and that is before you get to the expanded world background and the excellent game mechanics.  I will let Rob tell you more…

The 4th Cacadores Light Infantry Regiment – Goblins of Al-Garvey

In this video Rob talks about his Goblin Light Infantry and lets everyone see how he went about creating his unit.

Guinalean Legion Bog Orcs “Unlucky 13th” Line Infantry

This video is all about Rob’s own vision for the Bog Orcs of the 13th Line regiment.  Unlucky…you bet!

Krautian Guard Infantry

Rob Alderman loves Dwarves…trust me he does!  One of his favourite formations are the iron helmed Dwarves of the Guard.  Check them out!

Todoroni of Nepolise Showcase

In this video Rob goes into detail on his most worked on sculpting race for Valon, the Todoroni.  This includes a look at his first full unit design for LEU01 a code with only 100 numbered sets now long sold out.

—

I hope you enjoyed these videos.  I did.  I look forward to more on the world’s best alternative fantasy game soon.

GBS

Noble Knight Games now carrying 15mm.co.uk ranges

Posted on by

Something I had been working on for several weeks a wee while ago has now become public knowledge so I can mention it on the blog!  Below I have lifted the text from 15mm.co.uk as it saves me a bit of typing:

We are proud and pleased to announce that Noble Knight Games, one of America’s foremost suppliers of wargame miniatures, roleplay games, out of print titles and much more, is now stocking 15mm.co.uk and Alternative Armies products. NKG aim to provide a top notch service and with that in mind if you are in North America please go along to their website on the links below and have a look. You can order HOF,HOT, Laserburn, HOTT Armies, Altuos and all Alternative Armies starter sets and rulebooks like HOF Fire-Team and the USE ME Series. All prices in USD and provided locally to American gamers. If you are a fan of Noble Knight Games and of us as too you can now combine both interests in one order!

Additionally if you can’t see one of our products on the NKG website that you would like to order please email them and let them know!

I am very pleased with this new arrangement with Aaron Leeder over at NKG’s as I have watched his work with admiration from afar for years.  Noble Knight often causes referrals to Alternative Armies. When they, NKG, pick up small amounts of stock (Firefight 1.0, Flintloque 1.0, 2.0, Erin and other miniatures) from their sources and sell it on using their webstore.  Their customers then coming to us directly for more.  Back in the 1990’s Alternative Armies product was in most of the thousands of gaming stores in the USA before the big distributors went belly up.  This results in little amounts of treasure popping up all the time.

Once more the peoples of the USA can access the goodness of the Alternative!

You can read more and follow the links by going to 15mm.co.uk now.

GBS

15mm.co.uk sponsors HOTT Zaragoza tournament 2012!

Posted on by

I am pleased to announce that 15mm.co.uk is an official sponsor of the 2012 Zaragosa HOTT 2nd Edition tournament to be held in Spain on 15th September. The tournament is to be held in Zaragosa and expects more than twenty active players on the day. Working with organiser Ignacio Poblador several prizes have been supplied for the winners of the event including two 24AP complete HOTT Armies and some HOT packs of 15mm Fantasy miniatures. In addition to this 15mm.co.uk has supplied a special voucher for all players on the day which will get them 10% off an order on the website.

Here is the information for the event which, along with a transation into spanish will appear on 15mm.co.uk later this week.

I Torneo de HotT Zaragoza “Vamos a Chichimequear”

Date: Saturday, September 15

Place: The neighbor of the beast, located in Luis López Allué No. 6

Game schedule:

9: 30 – Reception of players
10: 00-11: 00 – 1St round
11: 15-12: 15 – 2Nd round
12: 30-13: 30 – 3Rd round
FOOD
17: 00-18: 00 – 4Th round
18: 15-19: 15 – 5Th round

Price: 10€ (Payment in hand the same day of the tournament)

Rules:
-Rules, version 2.0.
-We accept all the land available in the regulation unless the BUA.

Army lists:
They will be delivered at the time of registration, with armies of 24 AP according to the rules of the game (12 point maximum in troops of 3 or more AP).

Scale:
The armies must be based for 15 mm scale, its size being that the player you prefer (although we recommend the use of 15 mm or similar).

In case of not having the player of an army, the Organization will have several armies in order to assist participants who have warned him previously. However, do not have strengths for these armies day today, so yes we would need that they trajesen their own strengths (are DBA camps or prepared itself).

Score
The classification will be sorted according to the number of WINS/losses, and in the event of a tie, with the difference between points killed / lost points.

Awards

-Rated first
-Runner-up
-Third classified
-Better painted army
-Best army
-Kills General
-Wooden spoon
-Possible surprise prizes as receive from sponsor.

You can view the original page with this information in Spanish here: http://laarmada.info/index.php?topic=19502.0

Adios!

GBS

Advertising in Miniature Wargames Issue 352 – Results!

Posted on by

Following up on last months look at the result of 15mm.co.uk advertising in Miniature Wargames Issue 351 it’s time for a round up on the advert placed in Miniature Wargames Issue 352.  You can follow the link backs to previous posts to see those results and the advert in question but it was an advert for the Altuos 15mm Renaissance range of white metal historical miniatures.

Last month’s look at the results of magazine advertising were positive in fact 15mm.co.uk has continued to receive orders citing the USE ME advert right up to this week.  So quite happy there. However the response to the Altous advert have been quite frankly a disaster.  Enquiries and orders citing the advert were virtually non existent and the level of sales for the Altuos range actually fell 25% overall during the calendar month of the advert.  How the advert actually reduced sales is beyond my ability to understand but I expect (and hope) they were not connected.  Web views on those pages relevant ran about 10% down on the month before but total visits remained the same.  Based on the results of last months questionnaire on the Notables Yahoo Group it seemed that outside of the UK few read MW magazine and many prefer to get content online too.  But there was a solid core of players who read it each month.

The 15mm Renaissance range is fairly popular for 15mm.co.uk.  Not on the same level as HOF 15mm Science Fiction and Laserburn but it more than holds its own for players of FOG and DBM and so on in the historical gaming clubs and societies across the world.

Frankly this has left me rather glum and puzzled.  Comments and thoughts welcome on this by reply or by email.

So what is the link between advertising and figure / rules choice for wargamers?

GBS