Category Archives: News

Because of my role as Creative Manager of Alternative Armies and 15mm.co.uk I have access to material, news and information that will not be made public on the company websites for days or even weeks to come. I share it here in this category of posts.

Making an Advert for Miniature Wargames Issue 350

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Off the back of the huge success that 15mm.co.uk has enjoyed from Gary Mitchell’s Darker Horizons column in Miniature Wargames and my chat with Andrew Hubback at Salute 2012 I decided that once more we would venture into paper advertising!

So I was set the task of designing a half page advert for the next issue…the subject..what else but USE ME!  I think it has come out rather well!

Click on the image below to see the advert that will be in the magazine.  I look forward to getting my contributors copy 🙂

15mm.co.uk's MW350 advert for USE ME series - full size.

GBS

USE ME Starter Packs – Theory Distilled!

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The Controller says 'I command thee, create starter packs!'

Over the last week I instigated a conversation about the possible creation of Starter Packs, complete games, for the USE ME series of titles.  Primarily the grand daddy of the series UM001 USE ME 15mm Science Fiction.  I put forward many possible ideas but all around the core idea that a starter pack would contain a rule book, miniatures, dice, rosters, scenarios and so on.  Essentially you would get all you need in one box to get playing.

There was a good response to this posing of the idea.  More than twenty posts on the Notables Yahoo Group and a dozen emails direct to me from players including Chris K and Craig Andrews.  All of these putting forward their take on what a complete pack should be.  Variations of content and direction were batted back and forth until distilled into a fairly even brew that left me to finish it and put it into cask (can you tell I am itching to drink that bottle of real ale I got at the weekend!).  Well the process of fermentation is now complete and I can put forward what the final starter pack will be and also what packs there will be in the near future.

A USE ME Starter pack for sci-fi will contain the following:

UM001 Rulebook, Approx Thirty Miniatures, Two D6 Dice, Scenario Sheet (3 complete linked scenarios with solo play option), Pre-Filled Rosters (for the supplied miniatures and scenarios), Plastic Bases:  All in a box. There will be an unpainted and a pro-painted option available.   All you need to play right out of the box!

The first packs will be the following and they will appear on 15mm.co.uk over the next couple of months:

UMS01 – Danger on Outpost 32.  Alien Greys are looking for test subjects on the human built Outpost 32, will the diverse population of the outpost give in without a fight?

UMS02 – Ziggurat of Clem IV.  The Zidhe wish to capture the secrets of the Progenitors but will the  Octopods let them have their way?

UMS03 – Rage of the Machines.  Automatons run wild with a virus that requires the attention of the Prydian Army to put right.  Shut them down before they shut you down!

UMS04 – Livestock of the Earth.  The Argo City of New York is suffering from a bombing campaign by the fanatical ‘Livestock of the Earth’ cult.  Can bombs be defused and people kept safe amid attacks by the cult?

So I hope this grabs you.  Each starter pack will be around or under the 20.00GBP mark and offer a small saving over separate purchasing.

GBS

Interviewed on ‘Bring your A Game’ blog

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Blog Logo for Bring your A-Game

A couple of weeks before Salute 2012 I was asked if I would like to be interviewed by Bring your A-Game blog.  Mike, the fellow who runs the blog, said it would be fine for me to wait until after Salute to give my responses to his questions which I readily agreed to as it suited me and as it turned out it suited Mike too (he was a bit under the weather during the time of the show).  Now the interview is up and live so why not head on over and have a read!

Questions ranged all over the place including my origins in miniature wargaming, what my favourite set of rules was, what I am currently up to and intend to be up to as well.  Also covered are the origins of 15mm.co.uk and the gaming theory of Flintloque 3rd edition.  In fact once I had finished my evening’s work in writing my answers I realised that it ran to several thousand words but hey…I have a reputation for just going on and on 🙂

Hat’s off to Mike, great work, great blog.

GBS

Opps! Not enough Bandwidth!

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Not quite what I found this morning but not far off!

Maybe its down to the pre and post Salute boost in the viewing numbers on the Alternative Armies and 15mm.co.uk websites but we have used too much bandwidth!  Despite increasing it and a combined total of more than 24,000 views per month it ain’t enough.  So both websites have for the moment vanished but worry not we are still here!

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.  Please comment here if you have a question.

GBS

The Free Scenario for USE ME Eldritch Horror

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With life now returning gradually to normal after the mad weekend of Salute 2012 I was putting the final touches to the free scenario mentioned on page four of UM013 USE ME An Eldritch Horror.  This free scenario will begin mailing out to those who requested it from tomorrow.   Almost all of the titles in the series have a free folder of files or just a scenario but I will admit that my workload has meant that I have to write and test these scenarios in my own time at the weekends.  Below is an extract from this two page scenario…enjoy!

GBS

An Eldritch Plant indeed!

An Evil at the Buresmouth Tavern

Captain Standish stood back from the blurred glass panes of the ‘Fisherman’s Ankle’ tavern and considered the grotty little town that was Buresmouth. He was not local to the area and it showed. For a start he has the right number of fingers and toes which, he was beginning to feel, was not the case for many of the local people. Standish and his fellow investigators had been brought to the tavern following a rumour of a cult that had begun to worship a growing plant that was most certainly a creation of the elder gods.

This plant was in the remotest part of the tavern’s plot of land and the main room of the tavern was serving as a gathering point for those who sought to undo the evil of the unknown. Standish had been among the last to arrive and the small army detachment (former rank had it privileges after all) he had recruited for the night had already invested the tavern. They would begin shortly. Standish knew that he would be outnumbered, but dealing with cultists was one thing…if anything from beyond this realm was here then that would be a different and rum deal for all of them.

The Voodoo Orc Salute Video Interview

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I have to hand it to Rob Alderman.  As well as being a really nice guy he is a talented miniature sculptor and also it seems a guru of the video chat too.  To this end he had asked me a couple of weeks before Salute 2012 if I would be willing to do a short interview with him about what I had been up to.  I will admit I had forgotten this..but when he reminded me I was more than happy to do it.

It is always strange watching and listening to yourself but I hope you all enjoy this short film.  The sound quality is rather low (though that could be me, it was a very long day, in a very large room) and in case anyone is wondering who the strange fellow is that appears behind me and pulls a face about three minutes in…its Edward Jackson…artist for the World of Valon and the Ion Age.

If anyone has any questions about what I said just comment on this post and I will be happy to expand on points.

Thanks Rob!

GBS

Salute 2012 – My take on the day

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Driving into London is a hairy experience at the best of times.  I know, I have asked those who live and work there.  But for me and the rest of the team it is a once a year event and sometimes getting to Excel is an adventure in itself.  Luckily this time the trip inside the M25 and then through many, many streets passing such sights as the Angel Islington, the Spittalfields Market and the Moorfields Eye Hospital (plus many streets that feature on the Monopoly Board!) went well and when the doors opened the Alternative Armies / 15mm.co.uk trade stand was set up and ready.  It did not take long for the crowds to build as you can see below.

What do you mean you can't see me, I am near a white wall!

I am always awed by the sheer scale of a hall at Excel (and Salute only occupies half of the possible space!) and if you have not been you can see above what I mean.  I took this standing next to our trade stand which was no where near the opposite wall so this is not the whole length of the hall.   At this point I have no idea of the attendance but I think it topped five thousand and felt just as busy as last year.  I did manage to walk round the whole hall once and said hello to many traders whom I know and also a good number of the Warlords themselves who are customers of ours.

I did not work on the stand this year instead I went back to my 90’s roots and took on the challenge of the ‘Sharkes Gingerbread’ demo scenario for Flintloque.  You can read all about the scenario over on Barking Irons and I managed to entertain a good two dozen with it who all went away happy.  I played as the Gingerbread Men and lost and lost and lost.  The most memorable event on table was watching Sharke being killed by a Trolka armed with a Skandavian Kannonderbuss (basically a musket that is a 6lb cannon!) at short range; even his legendary status did not save him.  A big thanks to Tony Harwood for giving me the actual Gingerbread House from his article; it was photographed a good thirty times across the day and I have seen it on three other blogs so far!  Below is a picture of one of the games in progress; it was excellent fun and really entertaining.  Being my first public demo in…humm…maybe three years.

Can I play mister?...I love Flintloque!

The trade stand itself was right next to the demo game table and it was busy for the whole day.  As yet I cannot say what the highest selling codes of the day were but I am fairly certain of some.  We ran out of the packs used in the demo game (including the Gingerbread Men) and handed over a good deal of Sharke’s Chosen box sets which was the big release for April for Flintloque.  HOF Fire-Team was greeting with big grins and open hands (only being released this week no one had seen it before!) and the print edition of MOTH went down well.  But!  I only put half the number of USE ME books we brought back on the van with there being virtually none of some of the books left out of the now Twelve titles in the series.  I am told that the article in Miniature Wargames reviewing USE ME was quoted by many (I will review that current issue given to me by MW Editor Andrew Hubback himself real soon) and also the poster showing the series brought gamers over.  I took a photo of part of the ‘books table’ so you can see this.

Can I speak to Omer Golan, is he here? If I take all twelve can I get one free?

It would not be Salute without meeting my good friends both old and new.  I apologise in advance if I miss anyone out but I must have spoken to a hundred plus people and my throat still hurts!  First off the Warlords themselves including musical and sculpting talent Steve Young (he of Burrovian fame for those in the know).  Thanks Steve for the novel too…all good Joccian fodder!  And then a new talent by the name of Sam Croes (he of the Ion Age art and tiles already on the blog) who is a super guy and a real pleasure to speak to (I will not go into what we spoke of…but great things will happen later this year!).  The feature writer for Starburst magazine whose card I got.  I also got to meet Darker Horizon’s column writer Gary Mitchell and thank him for his full page review of mine and the company’s work.  I also later on got to meet the editor of MW Andrew Hubback who impressed me with a huge knowledge of the hobby and views similar to mine that diversity in wargaming is the key to its continual thriving.  I am sure I am missing people…   Edward Jackson, artist extraordinary of Valon (he draws all the art for Flintloque and other ranges too) with his good lady spent some time and made me smile…he is a really talented fellow and brimming with ideas.  Watching ‘Jacksorc’ talking with Rob Alderman (sculptor of a good number of current Flintloque miniatures) and Tony Harwood..you could almost see the lightening of ideas in the very air!  Below is a picture taken of that chat (sorry I am not in these pictures, but hey I need to press the button!).  Again there were many more people….

Feel the talent! Yes...I was lurking next to the Flintloque racks!

I got myself some swag too.  I will not reveal who make ‘swops’ with me for our stock in return for theirs (more this year than last) but it will keep me in reading for a few months.  I got a copy of the Aeronef rules by Wessex Games,  a title I had been lacking that was recommended to me.  I look forward to digging in this pile when time allows.  We also ended up with a good number of Salute promo materials that were handed in at the stand, mugs, badges, the salute miniature, magazine and bundles of business cards and flyers.

Rob Alderman asked me to do a video interview (good thing I brushed my hair!) so in return I got a snap of him holding his favourite reading material…

Don't hurt me...I will hold the books!

All in all this years 40th Anniversary Salute show was a roaring success for both me and the company too.  It never ceases to amaze me what talent exists not only in the world but also in connection with me.  Wargaming is home to some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Thanks to all of you dear customers…I ate prime steak on Saturday night!

GBS

HOF Fire-Team is in from the printers!

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Lovely new stuff! Book and Tiles for HOF FT

While it is still one week to the release of HOF Fire-Team I just had to share this with you all.  A huge package from the printers has arrived! I ‘nicked’ some of it which you can see a small number of items from above.  ‘HOFFT’ (pronounced houft) as we call it in the office is up for pre-order just now (thank you to all who have taken us up on this offer and saved 15% too!) the book and the first three tile sets too.  There are twelve tiles in each set, nine battle boards and three scenics to be cut up and the book has fifty six pages.  It looks superb and the printers even too extra care in glossing the thick paper of the tiles for durability.  These codes are released just after Salute but will be for sale on the day at the show!

With Salute only a week or so away I will have no time to get some games in of HOFFT but I do plan an in-depth posting here on the making of the game and I hear rumours of a review on the mighty Dropship Horizon blog too.

In development for nearly two years its been a while coming but here is to you Mr Minadeo…well bloody done!

GBS

It’s great to see an empty shelf!

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Run out of Stock button

Sometimes I get a good feeling when I go into work and today was one of those days.  I was told, and then checked for myself, that 15mm.co.uk had just about run out of three USE ME titles.  It was true!

The second print run of my own title UM001 USE ME 15mm Science Fiction is all but gone along with last of the first runs of UM004 USE ME Modern Warfare (by O.G.Joel) and UM006 USE ME Starship Battles (also by O.G.Joel).  I have ordered up a re-print on all three with a bigger run again.  This is the third time for UM001.

I honestly did not see USE ME becoming what it now is.  From one game book, UM001, to now twelve books with another five currently in various stages of development for 2012-13.  They are great little books that fit in your pocket and give a simple but elegant set of rules to suit a certain genre of wargaming.  Makes me proud.  Also the emails I have had passed on to me from gamers all over the world from the UK to the USA, Australia, New Zealand and even North Africa and the Russian Federation along with Hong Kong.  A dozen or more languages and more than that in terms of nations…those little books sure get about!

Maybe its down to the three new titles that have just come out but the number of gamers who come in and order up EVERY title in the range continues apace.  I certainly adore the lads over at Dropship Horizon blog as their readers are big fans of the series.

I do not see the company running out of stock (but if orders are heavy in the next week it is possible) before the new books arrive.  Hence there should not be an ‘Out of Stock’ update on 15mm.co.uk.  I just thought this warranted a post and a good feeling on my part that my ‘little fighter’ continues to grow in popularity.

GBS

In from the printers!

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in from the printers late march 2012

New Books!

The second of April sees the release of new products that I have been lucky enough to have been involved with.  I wrote a couple of them and edited another and laid out one more.  Busy, busy!

Above you can see the printed books and materials from these products.  From the left they are ION01 MOTH – Prydia Aflame, UM010 USE ME Support Pack, UM011 USE ME Cyberpunk, UM013 USE ME An Eldritch Horror and underneath them is the insert for the Flintloque boxed set 5109 Sharkes Chosen.  MOTH is a 28mm scale science fiction squad level wargame set of rules which you can learn more about on the MOTH pages of the Alternative Armies site.  It’s a print version of the good selling download edition which demand had us put into print.  The three new USE ME series titles are over on 15mm.co.uk and are released on 2nd April 2012.  Support Pack is a wargamers resource while Cyberpunk and Eldritch Horror are both rules sets for their respective genres.  The 5109 insert goes with the Flintloque boxed set and has stats, rules, scenario and more for the miniatures in the box.  All good!

Of course there is a load more to see and read about all of these over on the websites.  Just thought you might all like to see them laid on me window sill.

GBS