Agis Page of miniature painting and gaming

Victorian Science Fiction

John Carter of Mars, Space 1889, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Lost World etc. etc. etc. The term denotes works set in an era or world in the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England - but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions.

The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch

A Victorian, adventure board game taking place in an alternative England where magic and technology have taken an extraordinary turn!

Rise of Moloch is a Victorian, adventure board game for 2 to 5 players. One player will act as the Nemesis and take control of the secret society called The Cult that plans to install a government of the dead. The rest of the players cooperate as the Gentlemen of the Unicorn Club, dedicated to foiling the conspiracies that threaten the Crown.

In Rise of Moloch, archaeologists have discovered the means to reanimate dead bodies, quickly replacing mechanical inventions with cheap, undead labor, putting England in dire peril. The campaign consists of six different Chapters. Each one has a unique set of goals and losing conditions for both the Gentlemen and the Nemesis to accomplish. There are many different paths players can follow, and everything from Events, to Upgrades, to the results of different battles and encounters will shape the way players experience the game as they progress. No two campaigns are ever the same!”
from SMOG Kickstarter website.

Another splendid CMON Kickstarter, great backer support and a delivery right on time! The miniatures are simply breathtakingly good for one piece game pieces and the game play is IMO very nice, a solid 1 vs many game like Star Wars Imperial Assault.

The minis below are an experiment for me - a joined venture of Regina Matke and me. We wanted the 5 core heroes (Gentlemen / women) painted for the 1st game so we decided to split the work. The 3 minis to the left (Emma Swanson, Abigail Sutherland and Drago) are painted by Regina, while the two folks to the right (Walter Cavendish and Major Dreadful) are done by me. By doing this we finished all five minis within a week.

The embarrassing part for me is, Regina paints minis only for ONE YEAR! Incredible work IMO.

Some days later I finished my 5 heroes, see them above. Not much of a difference, only a different approach in style! BTW - CMON was kind enough to give two different sculpts of the feisty Miss Swanson, even with different rules! The mini above is the more heavy armed lady.

Some more minis painted by Regina - Damon, the Damsel in Distress, Suzanne Taylor (the double of her Majesty herself) and Parvin Khan the Indian Mekamancer.

Some allies for the Unicorn club - Cavendishs Meka Nanny and Winston the faithful dog of Major Dreadful.

Captain Nemo.

Nemo, Automaton Kali and a Nautilus Sailor.

Automaton Kali and Prof. Blackmore.

The Holmes expansion!

The main Gentlemen from the Holmes expansion - Sherlock Holmes himself!

..and Holmes faithful sidekick - Dr. Watson!

Two villains/ Gentlemen from the Holmes expansion - Irene Adler and Colonel Moran. You can play them as villains or heroes!

Wild West Exodus

“Wild West Exodus is a miniatures game played by 2 to 4 players in control of the faction of their choice. In the world of WWX, every model has the potential to be a hero or a villain. The game mechanics and rule set feature exciting game play from the first dice roll. Each player will be allowed to field a posse of 3 to 40 models. The WWX rules have been designed to allow for scaling of the game to high or low model counts while maintaining a dynamic and fast-paced game tempo.

One of the most exciting parts of the Wild West Exodus game mechanic is the reusable influence pool. The influence pool will give players the option to gamble away a set amount of tokens in return for a reroll of the dice. Be careful what you gamble on because once the tokens are committed they are lost for that turn. The D10 system gives the game life and options that round out easily and allow for quick decision making.” from Wild West Exodus website.

I got interested when they launched their 1st Kickstarter. Pledge fulfilment was splendid and the minis are really really good! So here we go the first of my WWX minis.

And the always welcome size comparison.

John Carter and Space 1889

I got interested in the Martian adventures of John Carter or in the Space 1889 setting. I searched the net for suitable miniatures to play some games and was amazed that there are many suitable ones.

The miniatures to the left (posing as Dejah Thoris) and below are from Bronze Age minis and Parroom minis, while the scenery head is from Fantascene.

Burroughs description of Dejah Thoris: “And the sight which met my eyes was that of a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life... Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper color, against which the crimson glow of her cheeks and the ruby of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.
She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.“

John Carter on his faithful Thoat, Green Martian Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.

Some more fine Bronze Age miniatures: a “Mutant Ape” ( by sheer coincidence the mini is very suitable for a White Martian Ape. The White Ape of Mars is a huge, ferocious, semi-intelligent gorilla-like creatures whose middle limbs, like those of the Green Martians, can be used as either arms or legs.

Again it is a big mini, Dejah Thoris is used for scale reference...

British Regulars (Suitable for Space 1889 or Parroom)

Parroom Station minis: The redoubtable soldiers of the British Empire are represented by men from the Punitive Expedition wearing Netherton Patent Breathing Devices and carrying the advanced Lee-Metford rifle. Of course, this equipment makes them suitable for portraying later period high-altitude aeroscaph marines as well - although you will want to paint them in blue jackets for that duty.

Excerpts from Parrooms background: “With an empire on Earth that stretches across the globe, Britain is reaching out to extend that empire to another world. Boasting the most advanced aeroscaphs and ethyr conveyors, awesome Battle Strider walking machines and heat projector cannons, as well as some of the most stalwart infantry Earth has fostered, Britain would seem, without question, to be the preeminent Great Power. And were her resources not so stretched, it might be so.

British forces rely on a core of Regular infantry, many veterans of Her Earthly colonial campaigns, bolstered by more numerous and less well equipped Territorial (sepoy) Infantry. She still maintains notable cavalry units, both Regular and Territorial (sepoy). Her artillery units are quite good. In the realm of Steam Technology Wonders, she relies heavily on Battle Striders (and their more lightly armed companions, the Scout Striders.) Home to the original Cavoritic engines, Britain is the world leader in aeroscaph technology and has Earth's largest and most advanced fleet. Certain Special Units are equipped with captured Cephalid Heat Projectors that have been adapted to teslonic energy sources. Such weapons are found in dedicated artillery units and occasionally on Battle Striders.”

Colonel Roundbothom and his 2 trusted Lieutenants

The colonel is a well known figure around Parroom Station and a regular at the Red Sands Club. He is an excellent raconteur and, by his own accounts, has served almost everywhere that the British army has seen action. He is as renowned for his military exploits (some call them blunders) as for his prodigious capacity for alcohol and fine food.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Allan Quartermain, Mina Murray, Nemo by Ironclad Miniatures