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...
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| 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!
