So we thought it was going to be a small game.

Ever had one of those game events were you thought it was just going to be a small 6 player gamer but turned into an 10 player event? Well that was out Saturday Martian Empires game.  The first line up was 2 Red Martian City States and Lizardmen vs 2 columns of British and an Italian Force. More players arrived.
The second force pull had 2 Red Martian city states, Green Martians and Lizardmen vs 3 columns of Brits and the Italians . Then more players arrived. Final pull, Red Martian, Green Martian, Lizardmen, Germans and the Italians vs 5 columns of British. Actually, we had 12 players but Troy and I sat out the first game and played referees.

Game objectives: 2 Canal Bridges , east and west road. Started at 1:30 would play till 4:30
First Game a tie, Germans/Green tribes broke the British center but lost the road ends.

Second Game, Yes another player showed up and those that didn't play got into the second game.
Republican Mexicans, Red and Green Martians vs 2 British forces and a German player
Same map and same objectives.
Second game a tie. Mexicans broke the British center securing the bridges but both ends were lost. 

Somehow no pics of game 1 have shown up yet

The Battlefield

Canal

 

 

Martians patrolling the canal

Game 1

Game 2

Game 2

Red Imperial Martians

Evil German line

Railroads and Lizardmen

Unfortunately due to my work schedule, Martian Empires has only made an occasional appearance at Treefort Games this year. So yesterdays game was a joyous return, and it included the debut of the Lizardmen army, new terrain and the Railroad.

Reason for Battle: A Earth company has built a small rail line into a remote region to transport an ore which can be refined to produce Cavorite. As everyone knows Cavorite when mixed with coal allows steam engines to produce more powder. Unfortunately the rail line has intruded into the sacred lands of the Lizard people and the Barbarous Green tribes. It has also diminished trade along the route controlled by several Martian Cities. So forces were gathered to tear up the rails and in turn political ties were pulled to get the Earth powers to protect it.

The once peaceful valley

The Rail Line

Objectives: Each side got points for every turn they held the following objectives,
 Religious Temples, Rail Towns, Road ends and crossroad.

Objectives

 

Earth Forces included Germans, British and Imperial Mexicans

Glen (British) and Steven (Imperial Mexicans)

British Setip

Germans prepare to attack

Imperial Mexican and German lines

The Allied forces to remove the latest Earthling outrage included the Green tribes of the Wastes, the newly appeared Lizardmen and troops from two  Imperial Martian cities.

A variety of Martian forces

Big John's Savage Green tribes

Cool calm and collected, Troy's Lizardmen make their first appearance

Martian Players discussing their soon to come victory party

Martian Lines

I see the objective

Waves

The Battle begins with great bluster!

The Martians Advance

The Hammer! John's Green tribes quickly cross the tables.

High tide of the Martian Advance, the Mexicans are hard pressed but hold

The thin red Line

Never get to near those dusty ruins

Maximum advance of the Martians

Final aftermath of the battle, A Draw, 14 vs 14 points. the Martian center and run it's course and was now exhausted but the Earth forces still had too many foes on the flanks to disengage and attack in the center.
Conclusion GREAT FUN!

  

Lizardmen coming to Mars

We had plans for Venus, but this army has been waiting long enough, Lizards of Mars!

Germans vs French and Italians

I've managed to get a lot of table time in so far for 2015, but very little Martian Empires.
So this weekend the owner of Treefort Games, our local brick and mortar store, asked me if
I could put on a game because PBS might come by to do a little filming! He was hoping for a couple of nice looking games to show off, Charlie Traylor was also running his beautiful Pirate game.Fortunately I had the 
weekend off, a rarity these days, so a last minute call went out and the game was on for Sunday.
I went for a 4x12 foot table, a little smaller than are usual 6x12, but it was nicely packed with terrain.
It was Germans vs an Italian /French alliance, with a French and German force facing off in the center and both awaiting reinforcements.  Daniel had brought some nice Blue Moon Victorian civilians, who we labeled 'instigators'. So in addition to fighting each side was trying to round up some of these civilians who were trying to rile up the indigenous natives. If we ran out of time, whichever side had captured the most civilians would win.
It was a pretty bloody fight in the center, with the French and Germans sparring but also trying to get as many civilians as possible. I got to try out the new Heavy Walker, that Mike of Black Hat put out late last year. It is pretty formidable what with 3 shots and all, but it almost went down to those nasty little German rocket troopers. Troy did well with the Italians, probably the best luck anyone has ever had with them, though Rick's Germans beat him to the center.. Which was bad for the French. In the end the center Germans and French had taken a licking but the Germans had captured the most troublemakers. A very fun game.
Oh and PBS did show up and take some pics of the game!
Set up positions.

French Position, Balloon is serving as an officer

Germans, always ready to plant some flags

Italians, right after their coffee break.

The Battle of Partoum! or Return of the Cephlipods.

Saturday the gang gathered for our Quarterly Martian Empires bash. Well it's suppose to be quarterly but sometimes life and other interests get in the way. I did manage to paint a new Cephlipod army, the old one is now in Indiana with Dan, and a few new large rock formations and a new ruin, actually designated for an eventual Egyptian Campaign.
 So the scenario called for a coalition of 2 Cephlipod, 2 Green tribe and an Imperial Martian command, besieging a German outpost. 6500 points.
 Three Earth forces, 2 British and one German, were on their way to save the day. 4500points
 von Redd was saddled with  holding out against overwhelming forces, a responsibility that he took with great humor! 1500 points
There was also a chance that a gunboat may arrive down the canal in time to support the besieged force. von Redd was to roll a die every turn, when the total of the pips reached 20 the ship would appear.
Sadly the gunboat appeared on the last turn after von Redd's demise. 
The colonial forces fought hard but barely made half way to the old fort. In hindsight, the defending force should have had more points or the gunboat at start.

The Captains of Grins and Mayhem

The first big game of the year 15,000 points on the table!
So what happened? I got a rare Saturday off and on short notice 8 friends showed up for a Martian Empires game, we would have had 9, but poor Eli had his hot water heater burst that morning.
In expectation of the game I sent out maps to various commanders and collected their orders.
Nothing elaborate but it added a bit of fun. In the British-german coalition there was a bit of confusion, as to was in overall command.

The Captains of Grins and Mayhem

Earthling forces

Martian Forces

The cunning Bavarian

Final plans

The Thark himself

Kurt Karter

The British discussing the correct time for tea on Mars

The center was as expected a mess! The Germans and British under Daniel and Glenn advanced with no fear. In turn, they recieved charge after charge of Green cavalry and Infantry, while under constant fire from Martian artllery stationed in the Keep and the guntowers. The British after repulsing the mad tribesmen had to contend with the Mutinous Askari. The Germans meanwhile had started to push their way into the foward town, the street fighting was furious! On the far Martian right, Col Smythe's British were encountering stiff resistance from the forces of Kurt Karter, an earthman turned native. Accurate artillery fire by the Civil War vet Karter accounted for more than one of Smythe's machines. another machine went down to fanatical swordsmen weilding smoke pots! At one point the Martian Warlord was so confident of holding out till dark, that he ordered his reserves of cavalry away( where they went will be revealed in the future) But in a most cunning move our favorite Bavarian commander sent his Dragoon rocketeers on a mad dash to take out the big American guns. Smythe sent a walker and a small flyer to support the Dragoons! Needless to say the the American gun crews were shot down without mercy, the guns blown up and the rocketeers flew the coop!

The Wave prepares to attack the British

Those Rebel Askari are everwhere!

Kurt Karter's foces on the wall

the canal

French on Mars!

The French guarded the canal and did little else!

Smythe's Armored might

Royal Navy

British Troops and Loyal Askari

French, 'We have stopped any attack on the canal!'

The End Phase

 And many thanks to Charlie, Stelios and Rick for the pics!!