Boardgame night

Last night I played Alien Encounters with 3 other people at Just for Fun.  The game went very well with Mike D. winning.  Which makes sense, he was the most experienced (he had played before) and it was his copy.  We hope to make Tuesdays a regular thing, but playing many different games, and not just boardgames.

This is a well balanced resource management boardgame.  It uses a Science fiction theme of trying to colonize a planet with different resource types available from Space stations.  each space station has spaces for a certain number of "ship docks", which restricts the number of players that can use the station at the same time.  The main mechanic is the "ship fleet" that each player has.  Each ship is represented by a d6.  the "fleet" is gathered at the beginning of the players turn and rolled.  The "ships" are then allocated to different spaces on the "space stations" to perform actions.  Some spaces require 2 or 3 dice, often matching or as a straight (sequential). There is also a deck of cards of alien artifacts that provide special abilities or actions.  The game ends when a player places their last colony on the planet.  Then the victory points are totalled and the player with then most points wins.

The game is very re-playable, with well balanced rules and smooth game play.  Due to the complexity I would recommend playing with only 2 players when learning, but it plays well with 4 players.   At this point I would suggest it as a good game to play with  friends or family, but it is not a "filler" due to the variety of options and decisions that a player faces each turn.  Analysis paralysis is a danger with this game.
Ratings and summary:
1-10 (with 1=terrible (I wasted the air to talk about it) to 10= Must have it (you haven't bought/ordered it yet?))

Summary:
I rate this a 6.  I may buy it in the future.  I would play it if someone else suggested it, I may suggest it if the mood is right.  I do not suggest it for non-gamers friends or family.  Takes 1-2 hrs depending on the experience of the players. Requires a medium level of attention to play.


I also found out that I won the June Rebel Minis painting contest held by Just for Fun.  1st Prize was a set of Rebel Minis Alien Greys - the pack said Unarmed, but they all had guns...
I will post pictures of the entry figure when I get it back.  There were only 4 entries, but a win is a win.

Sci fi Tank

Here is the third vehicle that I finished recently.  This is a Siler Heavy Tank from Khurasan.
I am planning two small opposing forces for use with Tomorrow's War. 30 figures and a vehicle or 2 on each side.  And this is the main tank for the first side.

This is a very large tank.  I will post a comparison soon.  You may notice that the miniature is shiny.  I used a "magic wash" to add shadows and bring out the details on this miniatures.  It has since been given 2 coats of Dullcoat to flatten it.  I have found that the magic wash gives vehicles really good shading very quickly.  I have been trying to develop a painting technique that allows me to get a good paint job in a short length of time. 
With the size of these vehicles, getting a smooth, consistent paint coverage is a challenge.  I decided that using a colored primer would be good idea.  I painted this with Army painter army green primer/base coat.  This has worked very well, but at ~$14 a can, it is hard to change colors for a few vehicles.  This has started me looking into airbrushes again.  And the cost of a good air brush and compressor is still in the $200-300 range, which is steep but not out of reach.  Some of the paint manufacturers are starting to make decent acrylic paint that is airbrush compatible.  So, if I am going to keep doing vehicles and terrain I think I will be acquiring an airbrush in the near future.

Another APC

Here is a another APC from Khurasan.  This one is similar to the vehicle in the movie Aliens.  This goes with their Space Demon line of creatures.  How could I resist?

Recent Sci Fi figures and vehicles

I have been on a big 15mm Sci-fi kick lately.  With the combination of Osprey's Tomorrow's War rules and Khurasan Miniatures fabulous figures, I have found a new obsession.  This is an APC from Khurasan that I have just finished.  The trooper is also from Khurasan.  This is one of 3 vehicles that I just finished.