1870 Opening Shots in the Saar

 Paul has repeatedly harangued me to post game reports here... be careful what one asks for! 

After the French declaration of war on Prussia on 2^nd August 1870, Prussian patrols crept through the thinning early morning mists seeking to find the advancing French forces. 

In Saarbrücken the 40^th Regiment frantically prepared defensive positions desperate to delay the anticipated French thrust.

This Sharp Practice game saw an engagement between French and Prussian platoon strength patrols confronting each other.

French fielded 2 Line, 1 Zouave and 2 skirmishers with a Level 3, 2 Level 2s and a Level 1 Leader.

Prussians fielded 4 Line and a Jäger quad with a Level 3, 2 Level 2s and 2 Level 1 Leaders.

As the sun rises the skirmisher squads from both sides let fly the first shots. Prussian Jagers led by a Level 2 Leader lose a casualty and the squad leader is knocked out, but down a French skirmisher caught in the open. A squad of French Zouaves (with a Level 2 Leader) rush to support their skirmishers and a half platoon of Prussian line (with a Level 2 and a Level 1 Leader) move to support the Jagers.

                           

 The Prussian line led by a Level 2 and a Level 1 add their weight of fire to take down two more skirmishers and inflict serious shock on one squad. The Zouves in their rush to join the fray and are now “blown” needing water before being able to move at full speed (Spitting Feathers).

        

While the Jager squad leader still lies senseless the French skirmishers poor more fire on inflicting further casualties and shock.

                                 

The rest of the French patrol now arrives and emboldened the skirmishers start to move forward.

                                  

Ther Prussians still waiting for the rest of the patrol including their leader move forward to deal with the French skirmishers who are getting too close while the Chassepot continue to poor fire on from a distance!

                                         

At last the Prussian commander arrives with the rest of the platoon! Just in time to take some pressure off however they are congested and unable to manouvre! The Jagers have taken too many casualties and although the Squad Leader is now back on his feet he must move them behind the line of Regulars to avoid the effective French fire!

                                  

The fighting is joined in earnest now and both patrols start to advance. The French Zouaves are keen to get to hand to hand with the Prussians and start to move out of the wheat fields followed closely by the French Line. Unfortunately the Prussians have now moved into effective range of the Dreyse negating the Chassepot’s advantage and the telling fire does away with one of the French Skirmisher squads. The Jagers tart to move to a flank where their fire might be more effective without drawing return fire and the Prussian Commander wheels his half platoon to try to flank the French advance.

                               

The Zouaves more to close range and start inflicting serious casualties on the Prussians but lose more of their own in turn! The Prussian Platoon staff are working hard to rally shock off the men as this engagement hangs in the balance!

               

Finally the Prussian commander has been able to swing his second line to the flank and breaking them down into two squads to allow more flexibility starts to advance to outflank the French. While the French commander still has his main line in good hand seeing the last of the skirmishers break and the Zouaves reduced to an ineffective unit determines he has met his orders and gauged the strength and disposition of the Prussians in this sector. His report will be well received but tainted with the loss of his skirmishers and too many Zouaves.

For the Prussians it is a Pyhhric victory as they have too few many to lose so early!

                                 

By Paul:

Hey buddy, GREAT to see your post here. Sharpe's Practice was a favourite of our group in Sydney and with the exception of our FIW campaign back in 2017 or so, very much focused on Napoleonic. Not that thats a bad thing! But the game has lots more potential as you have shown here.

Game looks great and the natty little labels really look good too! Keeping things at a sensible level allows you to enjoy the narrative aspects (like the Dreyse vs Chassepot). Our games to expand to rather astounding levels, in which such things are lost.

As you know, FPW is a big interest of mine but has never gotten to the tabletop. The other period I think the SP would work very well for would be the Crimea. And it just so happens that I may already have an army ready for it...

https://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2024/01/ahpc-14-french-grenadiers.html

Maybe a just a small investment in some Russians then... bugger - you've done it again!!!! 

:-)

Part 2 - Echoes in the Stone

 Captain 'Ace' McGuire returns in...

The Galacteers pressed into the corridor, boots ringing on alien stone, shadows pressing close as if the darkness itself yearned to smother them. At the vanguard strode Astro-Angel Peggie, steel-nerved and eagle-eyed, her scanner crackling like a divining rod of the void. Jane slipped in beside her, pistols loose in her hands, every muscle wound tight as a drawn bow.

Then, the earth exploded!

The stone floor heaved up like the skin of some great beast and from its bowels erupted a nightmare of scale and fang. A colossal worm, its hide glittering like shards of amethyst, reared upward with a roar of shattering stone. Its maw, ringed with grinding teeth, gaped wide enough to swallow an atomik tank!

“The Amethyst Terror!” Jane cried, vaulting back as its slavering jaws thundered toward her.

But the Angel did not falter. Resolutely she stood her ground and her twin pistols blazed, their beams striking fire against the worm’s armoured hide. One shot rang off like a bell tolling doom, but others seared deep, carving sizzling wounds. The beast reeled, howling its hatred into the cavern air.

“Gods, what a monster!”” Jane gasped, her heeled space-boots sliding across grit.

Ace’s blade was out in a heartbeat, gleaming like a comet’s tail. He charged forward with Dr. Zahn close at his side, making room as Stacey and Jen swept past. The Angels’ rifles cracked with fire, bolts hammering into the worm’s flesh and opening fresh rents. Still the thing lunged at Jane, maw gnashing, slime flying.

“Hold fast, Jane!” Ace roared. “We’ll send this nightmare back to the pit that spawned it!”

Rocky, ever the sentinel, dropped into the shadows of the pit below. His blaster was raised but he held his fire—too many comrades, too little space. “Steady!” he growled to himself. “One slip, and my shot burns one of us instead!”

Far beneath their feet, in the labyrinthine dark, the Maker-Bot stirred. Its claws retracted with a hiss of pneumatics, and in its place a winged silhouette detached from its moorings. A drone of steel and shadow banked down a corridor, eyes glowing like embers, angling toward the heroes who dared trespass.

On the surface, the worm reared once more. Stacey’s rifle tracked its bulk. “Hold your lines!” she barked. “If this brute breaks through, we’re done for!”

But with a sudden thunder of dust and shattered rock, the beast dove back underground. The cavern shook with its retreat, the ground trembling like the heartbeat of some titanic god.

“Where - where did it go?!” Stacey shouted, choking on the cloud of stone grit.

Jane allowed herself a grim chuckle. “I’d run too, if I were that ugly!”

The Galacteers pressed forward. Stacey’s sharp eyes caught a gleam ahead: two strange cylinders standing on circular pads, humming faintly. Alien computer consoles stood nearby, their glyphs pulsing like malignant stars.

“Dr. Zahn!” she cried over the comm. “I’ve found your Shlar-Tak resonators!”

Zahn advanced like a scholar approaching a dragon’s hoard, awe and dread mingling in his eyes. His hands hovered above the keys. 

“By the old chronicles…” he whispered. “A resonator indeed, but altered! Galacteer circuits grafted like scars upon alien flesh. This is part of the Shadow Circuit! If Scar activates this network…” His jaw tightened, and his hand clenched into a fist. “I must disable it, though every key I touch might unleash our doom!”

Jane circled the second terminal, eyes narrowing. “I thought I saw something scuttle just now…” 

In the gloom, a tiny seeker drone, no larger than a child’s toy, snapped a glimmering picture of the squad. Its lenses blinked once—and then it flitted away into the maze like a wasp carrying poison back to its hive.

The squad split: two Angels stood guard over Zahn while the others tightened their cordon around Jane. Ace joined Stacey and Jen, his jaw set like iron, eyes burning in the glow of the alien display.

Dr Zahn’s fingers danced, trembling but resolute. “If this glyph combines with that one… ah! A success! One step cracked; one victory against the alien logic! But I need more time!”

“Roger that, Doc!” Jane barked. She spun, twin pistols at the ready, and unleashed a volley into the second resonator. The machine screamed in a shower of sparks, plates warping, ozone biting the air. “This one won’t sing Scar’s song!”

The Angels joined her, firing disciplined volleys. One weapon spat hollow—laser cell empty. “Damn it, dry!” the trooper cursed, slamming a fresh cell into place. The rest of the bolts ricocheted harmlessly from the alien plating.

Far away, the seeker drone’s intelligence reached the Maker-Bot. Its claws tightened, finishing the assembly of a new hover-drone. The machine whirred alive, lenses chevron-bright, waiting for the order to kill.

Ace’s pistol cracked, his shot gouging only a shallow scar across the resonator. He spat. “Not enough. Zahn, wring every secret you can. We’ll burn these abominations to ash!”

Rocky’s voice echoed from the cavern rim, grim and low. “That hum again. Louder now. Like a motor. Steady. Low. Mechanical.”

Dr Zahn’s voice came sharp, every syllable a battle. “Two sequences cracked. More to go. One wrong press and the Shadow Circuit blooms to life!”

Ace raised his sword, its edge catching the glow of alien glyphs. His voice was iron:

“We’ve found two. Scar thinks his shadow grows. But we’ll rip it out by the roots. Three more to go. Hold the line, Galacteers—hold the line for the galaxy itself!”

And in the corridors beyond, the catacombs answered with the murmur of machines waking—hover-drones stirring, shadow wings unfurling, the unseen hand of Scar tightening its grip.

TO BE CONTINUED...

the resonators Live, 

the Maker-Bots stir, 

and the Legion’s net tightens!

Part 1 - The Catacombs Stir

Captain 'Ace' McGuire stars in...

In the bowels of Delta-4, the shadowed halls of the Carapace Catacombs lay in eerie silence—once alive with the bustle of archaeologists and science crews, now cold and still as a tomb.

Doctor Zahn, lantern-jawed and hawk-eyed, pressed boldly into the outpost’s comm-shack. Dust veiled the consoles, relics of work abruptly abandoned. Only a single relay blinked weakly in defiance. Zahn’s gaze lifted—and froze. The Satcom rig had been ripped apart, its dish missing, its arrays twisted like the carcass of a dead bird.

“Sabotage!” he barked, his voice cutting the silence. “This station has been struck dumb—by deliberate hands!”

Meanwhile, Captain Ace McGuire, fearless and unflinching, strode the cracked walkway toward the cavern’s yawning maw. At his shoulder loomed Rocky, steady as a fortress wall, jaw set like stone. Behind, Sergeant Stacey’s voice cracked like a whip.

“Spread out, Angels! Steel yourselves—whatever waits inside won’t find us wanting!”

The Astro-Angels fanned out in gleaming precision, weapons ready, like Valkyries sweeping to war.

Then—movement!

From the shadows erupted a nightmare—chittering insectoids, claws glistening, mandibles snapping, ichor dripping! Their shrieks split the cavern air like banshee sirens. From a jagged pit at their backs, more horrors clawed upward.

“A dirty bug hole!” Stacey spat, levelling her rifle. “They’ve tunnelled into the ruins!”

Jane, swift as a falling star, vaulted to the flank. Her twin lasers blazed, ricocheting harmlessly until one beam struck true. The beast shrieked and staggered.

“They’re armoured!” she shouted. “Straight through the shell, or we’re finished!”

Ace roared like a lion and met the charge head-on. His sword flashed silver, cleaving one monster in twain, while another toppled stunned from the walkway.

“The only good bug is a dead bug!” he thundered grimly.

Stacey and her second, Jen, advanced shoulder-to-shoulder, rifles spitting incandescent fury. One bug reeled back, smoking, but the others pressed on with infernal speed. A mandible snapped inches from Jane’s throat. Another slammed into Stacey, pinning her to the wall with savage force.

On the walkway, the stunned beast leapt upon Ace from behind! Sparks flew as steel clashed against armored chitin. Jane wheeled, steady as a sniper’s eye, and felled the attacker with a crisp shot. Smoke curled from her raised barrel.

“Got a bug problem, sir?” she quipped with a sly grin.

Ace grinned back, bloodied but unbowed.

The Astro-Angels fired in disciplined unison, beams scorching insect hides.
“Well done, ladies!” Stacey cried above the din. “Take that, you stinking bugs!”

Far below, in the labyrinthine dark, another presence stirred. Cold circuits hummed with alien thought.

The crawly things are active, mused the machine. Perhaps they gather materials. The work must continue.

A clawed hand—more iron than flesh—hovered over a glowing console. Across the shadows, two screens lit up like the eyes of demons.

Back in the cavern, Dr. Zahn steadied his trembling hand and fired. His ray pistol struck the creature menacing Jen—but the blast ricocheted uselessly from its carapace.

Then Rocky leapt boldly into the pit. His heavy blaster thundered—but the shots ricocheted wildly as four more horrors scuttled into view!

Above him, Stacey fought like a warrior queen. She and her Angels smashed back the wave, hurling the last attackers into the dark. Jen covered her flank, eyes sharp, as the bugs hissed and clicked before vanishing down a narrow stone corridor.

The Galacteers regrouped, chests heaving, wounds bound, weapons checked. The first clash was won. But in the echoing stillness, the Catacombs themselves seemed to tremble.

From below, Rocky’s voice echoed, grim as a death knell:

“There’s something else down here… a hum. Steady. Low. Mechanical. Like the heartbeat of a machine.”

The sound grew, vibrating in their very bones. A warning. A summons.

The heroes of the Galacteers had beaten back the first wave—but ahead, in the depths, the true foe waited… the shadow of the Robot Legion.

Ace looked his team of Galacteers in the eye:

"Lets move out"

---

TO BE CONTINUED… in the next thrilling instalment of ECHOES OF THE SHADOW CIRCUIT!

Shadow Circuit: Episode 1 "The Carapace Catacombs"

Scenario 1- Setting and Galacteer forces per last post

Table layout - The Carapace Catacombs, Entomon Archeological Site, Planet Delta-4

Use this tabletop battlemat: the brown roads represent the tunnels through the chambers and pits of the archeological site. The Green areas are solid rock and block all LOS.

Place Five mechanical devices in the tunnels, spread out evenly. These are the Robot Legion's Shadow Circuit devices, and the Galacteer's primary mission!

They can be destroyed through fire and melee damage (3 wounds) for 1 VP each

OR

Dr Zahn can inspect them (as long as at least 1 wound remains) to ascertain the scale and scope of the threat.  He must spend a turn to inspect them, with success on a 6. For each additional turn he spends inspecting that device he gets a +1.  Each device can produce only a single clue, worth 3 VPs.

Robot Legion 

Robot Legion force disposition will be sent separately via sonic wireless.

If and when the unit NXS-6 "Scar" is revealed, open and read secret envelope number one (and not before!)

Can Ace McGuire and his team disable the Shadow Circuit devices?

What secret technologies can Dr Zahn unlock?

And what makes Centurion NXS-6 "Scar" Tick?

.....Tune in for the next exciting episode!

Pulp SciFi: "The Shadow Circuit" Introduction

Our remote Pulp SciFi gaming experiment continues: I will be setting scenarios for Rich to play, and adjusting each on narratively depending on the results of the last. Lets see how we go!

---------

Galacteer Command – Mission Briefing File 

Codename: OPERATION "Iron Ghost"

Classification: VERMILLION - Eyes Only

Location: Delta Prime Station, Command Spire – Briefing Hall Theta-7  

The lights of the briefing hall dimmed, lit only by the familiar crest of the Galacteer Corps spinning on the holoscreen. A faint smell of ozone and fresh rocket fuel wafted in as officers, pilots, and Astro-Angels snapped to attention. 

A crackling voice cuts through the static; Galacteer Commissioner Vargo, his hologram in an immaculate silver uniform and his eyes like cold starlight. 

“Galacteers, a shadow has returned to the Delta Quadrant. Our long-range probes on the edge of the Ion Rift Nebula intercepted a Robot Legion cipher burst encrypted at a level we’ve never seen. After days of decryption, Intelligence confirmed the origin of the signal: NXS-6… the Optio you faced during the rescue on Planet Thomas… lives.” 

The holo flickered to reveal a grainy image: a Centurion class robot, its blazing red lens fractured with a jagged streak of light. Beneath the caption reads “NXS-6 // SCAR”. 

Centurion bot NXS-6 // "Scar"

“This machine now refers to itself as Scar.  You damaged its eye lens with your laser pistol in your last encounter, Captain McGuire—a wound it has not hidden. Our analysts believe it wears the scar as a symbol… a warning that it survived what should have been its demise. Instead, it was rebuilt and upgraded from an Optio pattern to the more capable Centurion class command variant.

Reports indicate that Scar has seized the abandoned Entomon Archeological Site on Delta-4, transforming the Carapace Catacombs into a hidden Legion relay node. The site contains ancient Shlar-Tak resonators—if Scar adapts these to Legion tech, it could create a quantum comm-net strong enough to breach even the security grid here at Delta-Prime station. This Shadow Circuit would have an open backdoor into every Galacteer network in the quadrant.” A low murmur rolled through the room. 

“Your orders are direct: Investigate, contain, and—if possible—neutralize Scar. Retrieve or destroy any Shlar-Tak technology before the Legion can exploit it. Expect heavy resistance. Recon drones confirm a full Robot Legion Tactical Warhost, including Scar’s personal guard of upgraded Drone Elites. 

Captain McGuire, your crew and the Astro-Angels will lead the strike force. Dr. Zahn will coordinate science recovery. 

Remember—Scar is no ordinary Robot Legion machine. It has faced you before, and it has learned. The wound you gave it is now our greatest clue… and our greatest danger. Scar knows you. Make no mistake—this mission will decide whether the Robot Legion remains in the shadows… or steps into open war.” 

The holoscreen fades to black, leaving only the pulse of the Galacteer emblem. 

Mission Parameters 

Primary Objectives 

1.  Locate the Legion relay node within the Carapace Catacombs. 

2.  Secure or destroy Shlar-Tak resonators before Scar activates the Shadow Circuit. 

3.  Capture or eliminate NXS-6 (Scar). 

Secondary Objectives 

1. Recover any captured Galacteer personnel or scientists. 

2. Acquire intelligence on new Legion drone models. 

Adversary Forces

NXS-6 "Scar": Command-grade Centurion with enhanced shields, adaptive AI, and unknown upgrades. 

Drone Elites: Fourteen confirmed, equipped with tri-beam blaster rifles and heavy plating. 

Hover Assault Bots: Estimated six; rapid strike platforms with plasma lances. 

Support Swarms: Unknown number of micro-drones for recon and sabotage.

Assigned Galacteer Assets 

Strike Team: Captain Ace McGuire and Crew

Astro-Angels Squad “Starlight,” 

Support Ship: War Rocket Gladiator 

And so, the Galacteers launch into the storm once more! 

Against the haunted ruins of the Shlar-Tak and the iron will of Scar, can even the brave Ace and  Astro-Angels hold the line of Freedom? 

Stay tuned for—THE SHADOW CIRCUIT!”

Episode 3: The Escape from the Robot Legion!

 Another remotely played game, with narration in a bit of a different format for this one:

CAPTAIN “ACE” McGUIRE and the ANGELS of SPACE 

Episode 3: The Escape from the Robot Legion!

[ROLL OPENING FANFARE – trumpets, pounding drums, wild theremin screech]

NARRATOR (booming):
The battle rages in the steaming jungles of Planet Thomas! With the dropship on the field and the Robot Legion pressing in, can Captain Ace McGuire and the Angels of Space blast their way clear—or will the iron claw of the Optio drag them down to doom?

---

Scene 1: Jane Takes the Helm

Inside the rocketship, Jane vaults into the pilot’s seat and starts flicking switches. 

Behind her, wounded crew groan, clutching charred, smoking armour.

JANE (into radio):
Dr. Zahn—I’ve got two badly wounded here! Get aboard as soon as you can!

But her only answer is static hissing back through the comms, and rain pattering off the roof of the space craft.

---

Scene 2: Peg’s Gambit

Outside, the Robot Option marches forward from the jungle, accompanied by four robot legionaries, all armed with blaster rifles.

Peggie kneels, her leg scorched, grimacing through the pain as she steadies her grenade launcher.

PEGGIE (through clenched teeth):
One more shot, you tin devils…

She fires! The grenade arcs through the storm, bouncing wildly—then clatters to a halt right at the feet of the Optio!

STACEY (calling out):
Good shot, Peggie! What did you fire?!

PEGGIE (smirking):
Hold your horses Stace - Patience is a virtue, you know…

For a heartbeat, nothing. Then—KRAK-KZZZZT! Lightning dances across the metal fiends! Two already-wounded droids collapse in sparking heaps. The others shudder and twitch, circuits smoking, but stagger onward!

Stacey laughs, leaps back to her feet and races back to join the rest of the Astro-Angels

---

Scene 3: The Last Stand

Arrayed before the ship, the Angels raise their rifles in a perfect firing line.

STACEY (calling out)
Fusillade Fire! Rapid auto! Take 'em down ladies!

Again and again their rifles blaze. A hurricane of blaster bolts tears into the Legionaries—until only the Optio remains, sparking, staggering, its red eye burning with hatred!

ACE (roaring into comm):
Jen! Rocky! Zahn! Get to the ship! I’ve got this one!

He charges forward, drawing his pistol. ZZZZAP! The bolt punches clean through the Optio’s glowing eye lens! The robot collapses with a metallic scream, crashing into the mud with a splash.

NARRATOR:
The immediate threat is ended! And Ace, with a grin, twirls his weapon and holsters it with a dashing flourish.

---

Scene 4: Boarding the Ship

Rocky and Jen jetpack back to the ship. 

Meanwhile, Stacey rallies the squad, leading them toward the ramp.

STACEY:
Move, Angels! Inside, inside!

At last the heroes march aboard in a very orderly manner. Dr. Zahn kneels among the wounded, his med-kit springing open like a magician’s trunk.

NARRATOR:
Inside the dropship, Jane pulls hard on the throttle—engines roar, mud blasts outward, and the ship claws its way into the stormy sky, leaving behind a pillar of smoke!

---

Scene 5: New Arrivals

Over the comms, a voice crackles through the static:

VOICE:
Hornet 3-1, this is Marauder 6-2. We are right behind you!

JEN (checking her scanner):
Confirmed! Another dropship—coming down right where we left!

From the viewport, the heroes see the second vessel touch down. Its cargo ramp lowers, and a squad of steel-jawed Galacteers charge out, weapons at the ready!

STACEY (grinning):
Welcome to the party, gentlemen! Drinks are on you—since the Astro-Angels have already done all the hard work!

Ace tilts his head back and laughs heartily, Jane smiles from the pilot’s chair, and the Angels cheer in triumph.

NARRATOR (triumphant):

The tide has turned—but the Robot Legion is far from beaten! What horrors lurk deeper in the jungles of Planet Thomas? What mastermind pulls the strings of the iron horde?

[ROLL CLOSING FANFARE]

But these are questions for Galacteer Headquarters. 

For now are heroes are headed home for a well earned rest. 

Who knows where the call of duty will take them next????

Episode 2: Escape from the Robot Legion!

 OK, the last game was so much fun, but a sequel was promised....

CAPTAIN “ACE” McGUIRE and the Astro-Angels in

Episode 2: The Escape from the Robot Legion!

The Story So Far!

Captured in the jungle fortress of the Robot Legion, Captain “Ace” McGuire, his crew comprising the sultry Jane Hunter, heavy laser toting Rocky Rizzo, brilliant Dr. Zahn, plus the fearless Sgt Stacey and her Asto-Angels squad have fought their way free! 

But as the fortress crumbles, danger still lurks among the steaming vines and metallic war-beasts of this alien world…

---

The Escape!

Through the steaming mists of the alien jungle, the fortress doors shuddered wide.

Stacey, bold commander of the Astro-Angels, swept her squad of gleaming-helmeted heroines from the corridor and into the jungle like the blade of destiny itself! Behind her came Rocky, jet pack roaring, Dr. Zahn, Jane with pistols gleaming, and dashing Captain 'Ace' McGuire, ever steady at her side.

But the Robot Legion, though foiled thus far, were not through with them! From the shadows slipped two hovering automatons, their crimson eyes blazing like demon lanterns. They scanned, BLEEPed in alarm,  and raced off into the jungle.

“Angels—deploy!” Stacey barked. The squad spread into battle line, rifles at the ready and faces expectant!

Just then, Jen the engineer pressed her sub-space radio to her ear, her face lit with a spark of hope. “Dropship inbound, Commander! She’s on her way!”

A cheer rose from the Angels —but it was drowned at once by a new menace! The fortress doors squealed open again, and two steel giants stomped forth, blaster rifles roaring fire. Bolts sizzled, scorching the trees and nearby corridor walls. One Angel staggered with a gasp, but none faltered!

“Hold the line!” Stacey’s voice cracked like a whip. Five rifles barked as one, their beams searing into steel! One robot collapsed in a heap of sparking ruin. The other lumbered onward, smoke pouring from its armoured hide!

Then—whoosh!—Rocky soared skyward on a pillar of jetfire, laser carbine blazing. The monster staggered beneath his attack but remained menacingly upright.

“You best leave my girls alone!” Jane shouted, her blue eyes flashing with fury. Twin bolts from her pistols struck true—the beast quivered, sparked, and fell into silence.

“Ha! That’s my Jane!” Ace laughed, his grin and perfect dentition gleaming through the gun smoke.

Dr. Zahn hurried to tend the wounded, his med-ray sweeping for wounds. He thoroughly checked all the shapely Angels for injuries, bringing forth a few giggles.

Jen’s voice crackled through the static again:
“Commander! Dropship landing—two clicks north!”

Eyes strained in the direction of the jet noises, just as the rain started to our down. As the visibility reduced, they all heard the engine thunder over the canopy, shaking the jungle to its roots. Hope surged.

But—out beyond the hazy rain—a lone Optio of the Robot Legion stepped from the vines, its single red eye burning through the wet haze like a hateful curse. But was it really alone?

---

Next Thrilling Episode!

“Ambush in the Jungle!”
The Astro-Angels race for their dropship—but the jungle hides more than shadows! 

Can Captain Ace, Jane, and the Astro-Angels survive the Legion’s deadly trap? Or will their escape end in fiery doom?

Don’t miss the next electrifying chapter in the saga of Captain “Ace” McGuire and the Angels of Space!

-----------

Disclaimer: we did this game as a bit of an experiment, as a follow up from our last adventure.

Rich played at home, sent me notes and pics, and I wrote it up in serialised style. Cant wait to see what happens when the dropship arrives!

Episode 1: Daring Rescue on Planet Thomas

A great day catching up with my mate Rich in Fairfax County. We've known each other since 2008 or so, and seen one another at work and gaming conventions alike, but this was the first chance we've had to roll dice together! Today he hosted me at his place for some classic SciFi pulp gaming using Wiley Game's Galactic Heroes.

Overall I found the game system intuitive, quick playing and fun! It flowed well and was all about cinematic action. Rich's great figure and terrain collection really made it immersive too, as you can see...

Yes, I may have used AI to make this but isn't it COOL!

The Mechanical Minions of the Robot Legion had seized Planet Thomas—and with it, the proud Galacteer Starbase! Now its shining towers were draped in steel tentacles of tyranny, its halls echoing with the clank of mechanical boots! Worst of all—beloved Galacteer heroine Jane Hunter was a prisoner of the fiendish machines, her fate dangling by a wire!

Only one man dared answer the call—Captain “Ace” McGuire! Dashing, daring, and just reckless enough to challenge the cold claws of the Robot Legion! Whispers across the fleet hinted that his zeal was more than duty—after all, wasn’t Jane Hunter his secret flame?

Ace wasn’t alone! By his side thundered Rocky Rizzo, trigger-happy sharpshooter with a Heavy Laser that could vaporize a tank-bot in a single blast! Dr. Zahn, cool-headed science officer and battlefield surgeon, carried his trusty med-kit, ready to patch up heroes on the run. And leading the Astro-Angels, a laser-rifle squad of daring dames, was none other than Sergeant Stacey, as bold as brass and eager to save her mentor!

Into the Jungle of Peril!

The rocketship set down beyond the reach of the Robot Legion’s scanner towers. The steaming jungles of Planet Thomas swallowed the Galacteers as they pushed forward, sweat gleaming on their brows. Suddenly—movement in the underbrush!

“Clankers at twelve o’clock!” barked Rocky. Without waiting for orders, he cut loose! KRA-KOOM! His Heavy Laser roared like thunder, blasting a hover-sentry into flaming wreckage!

Ace and Dr. Zahn dove aside as a gleaming Robot Centurion marched forward, flanked by two clattering sentinels, eyes glowing with cruel red light!

“Blast ‘em to bits, boys!” Ace shouted, drawing his laser pistol with a flourish. ZZZAP! A hover-bot exploded in sparks as he twirled his weapon back into its holster with a grin.

“Onward, men!” Ace cried, striking a pose that could have graced a recruitment poster.

The Angels Strike!

Sergeant Stacey surged ahead, her Astro-Angels fanning out with deadly grace.
“Go get Jane, Captain—we’ll scrap these scrapheaps!” she barked. 

The jungle blazed with fire as laser rifles chattered and a grenade launcher belched WHOOMPH! A chorus of zap! zap! zap! rang out like a symphony of destruction.

The Centurion staggered, showering sparks. But just as the tide seemed to turn, the ground shook. The trees trembled. Something monstrous was coming- fast!

From the shadows thundered a titanic Warbot, its steel fists the size of meteors, its glowing eye crackling with deadly energy!

“SEEK! FIND! DESTROY!” it boomed, shaking the very air with its metallic bellow!

The Warbot of Doom!

“Back off, Ace! This one’s mine!” roared Rocky, bracing his Heavy Laser. 

KRA-KOOM! The blast staggered the towering titan, but it charged forward, its laser-eye firing a sizzling beam that seared through Rocky’s jumpsuit and scorched his arm!

“Gotta keep moving—Jane’s inside!” Ace shouted, grabbing Rocky by the shoulder. Together they ignited their jetpacks, rocketing toward the sealed blast-door of the starbase.

“Our turn now - take it down, Angels!” Sergeant Stacey commanded, her squad unleashing a hurricane of laser fire. 

One shot—no one could tell whose—smashed through the Warbot’s glowing eye! With a hideous metallic groan, the giant staggered, sparks flew, and it toppled into the jungle with a crash that shook the heavens!

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall!” Stacey grinned, rallying her squad.

Into the Steel Fortress!

At the starbase door, Ace’s fingers flew across the controls. Sparks danced as he hotwired the lock. The door hissed open—revealing two steel sentries waiting inside, weapons raised!

Rocky didn’t hesitate. His Heavy Laser swept the corridor with BRRZZZZAP!—one robot collapsed in a smoking heap. Ace vaulted through the door, blasting the other into scrap with his trusty sidearm.

Dr. Zahn caught up and started binding Rocky’s scorched arm.
“I ain’t got time to bleed,” Rocky growled.
“Not on my watch you don't!” Zahn snapped, tightening the bandage with brisk precision.

Behind them, Sergeant Stacey and her Angels cleared the jungle of the last robot stragglers. The path to the heart of the base was open.

The Heart of the Base!

“Forward, Galacteers!” Ace cried, leading the charge down a gleaming steel corridor. But suddenly—ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! A squad of Robot Blasters ambushed them from the shadows!

The corridor became a storm of energy fire. Ace took a sizzling burn across the shoulder and stood stoically with a grimace. Rocky, for once, was forced to duck behind cover. But the Galacteers pressed forward with courage! One by one, the Robot Blasters fell, clattering to the floor in showers of sparks and scrap metal.

At last, the smoke cleared. Dr. Zahn slapped the panel on the final blast-door. It slid open with a hiss—revealing none other than Jane Hunter herself, looking resplendent in her tight green space suit with hair and make-up somehow intact.

“Jane!” Ace cried.

She rushed past the doctor with a quick “Thank you!” and flung herself into Ace’s arms, confirming every rumour whispered in the fleet!

To Be Continued…

The Galacteers had saved their heroine—but danger still loomed! For who commanded the Robot Legion? What fiendish master directed their steel claws? And what sinister plan threatened not just Planet Thomas, but the galaxy itself?!

Find out next time in… “Ace McGuire and the Shadow Over the Stars!”

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Great pulpy fun that was really enhanced by the themed cards produced by Wiley games. You can use any card deck of course, but it was way better using these ones!

Thanks again Rich, for a day of gaming that was out of this world!

See you next time Space Cadets!