Core Space - Crew of the Yamato

Here I present the final of the six crews who are part of the Core Space sci-fi skirmish game by Battle Systems Ltd. This means that I have painted all of the figures supplied with the starter boxed set and supplements, which is always a great feeling.

Captain Johann Weiss, a 50-year old human, served the military of his homeworld faithfully for thirty years but was retired against his will due to cutbacks. Knowing only how to be a soldier he struggled to adapt to civilian life. Feeling both betrayed and lost he drifted on the fringes, moving from system to system attempting to find a commission as a soldier in a different military. The Galactic Corps beckoned but he'd never liked the look of it.
Weiss found work amongst the Traders mostly as a pilot, and eventually took the command of the Yamato where he has made a new life for himself. He still has a stiff military bearing but has learned  that his crew aren't soldiers and that sometimes a soft approach works better than barking orders.He is in general an avuncular man but with tendencies to brood.

Alecia Tunde is a 22-year old human who was fast heading for trouble. Loud mouthed and scornful of authority as a child she passed from one institution to another before being dumped out in the cold on her sixteenth birthday. She moved from one gang to another trying to find a family but soon realised that she wasn't cold or hard enough for that life. Brutality was common and criminality expected, but by then she had nowhere else to go.
Eventually Weiss caught her in a botched attempt to steal cargo from the Yamato. Weiss didn't see a hardened criminal, just a scared child, so instead of handing her over to the local security he offered her a job. Leaving the gang was no hardship and she settled in quickly and found she had a talent for engineering. Although she would never admit it openly, she sees Weiss as the father she never had.

Third in line is Ellen Koharu, a 36-year old human. Although looking little more than a child Ellen has had a long and hard life as a mercenary. She ran guns through the most dangerous sectors of the galaxy and considers the borders of Purge space to be just another job. She struck on the idea of selling her skills as "Beast and Master" when she found the  broken wreck of a Merg living in a freak show.
Ellen learned to control the "beast" via a neural network patched directly to her  bracelets. In reality the relationship is far more symbiotic and over the years the beast, a Merg called Brutus, has become, in many ways, an extension of herself. The responsibility of this relationship has softened her slightly but you wouldn't know it if you met her in a firefight.

Brutus  is a large and powerful being from a species known as the Merg. He has an intelligence on a par with a higher primate and is able to articulate his thoughts and feelings in a fashion, but on the whole keeps his own counsel. Mentally he is like a child who needs comfort and security but will fly into a destructive rage if handled poorly.
He was a broken wreck after several years of abuse before Ellen found him. He accepts Ellen's control and without her guidance would succumb to the destructive nature that caused his species to be hunted to near extinction. Brutus is near uncontrollable when riled and the empathic link is broken. He may take a new link from someone other than Ellen, but this is highly unlikely. The rest of the crew keep their distance from him, regarding him as a trained attack dog that could turn savage at any moment.

Core Space - Crew of the Skylark

Here is the fifth crew of the Traders from the Core Space sci-fi skirmish game by Battle Systems Ltd. They comprise three humans and one robot.

At the far left is Jonathan Weaver, a 42-year old human who is in charge of the Skylark and he lets you know it. He has no time for insubordination or ineptness - on his ship you pull your weight or you're out. He is a hard and ruthless taskmaster but knows how to repay loyalty. He is also surprisingly good with animals. Weaver has his thumbs in many pies in enterprises that are dubious at best. Weaver will fence stolen goods and run arms; in fact, he'll do anything to make a profit. Whether he enjoys the life of a Trader is unknown as he rarely shares his feelings. What thoughts lie behind those hard eyes are his alone.
His closest companion is Marlowe, although they constantly argue, mostly about Weaver's conduct. At some point Weaver may step completely into the criminal world leaving behind the conflicts and grey areas of the Trader life.

Second from the left is Faye Millicent, a 19-year old human, the new recruit, the rookie who still finds everything exciting. Escaping a life of dullness on a backwoods planet, she moves from ship to ship, learning new skills and experiencing dangers and triumphs she'd never dreamed of. She detests travelling by Core Space but considers it a necessary evil for her life.
Faye is rough around the edges when it comes to social graces, but this tends not to be a problem in Trader circles. She also has an intuitive knack for technology with a Trader's eye for mastering the bodge - getting long expired parts to work in new and interesting ways. At this point in her career she's berthed with Weaver's crew and wondering whether she should. A Trader's life is full of hard choices and it's becoming harder to tell who's right and who's wrong. She has found a friend in Marlowe and to an extent, MAC.

Next up is Marlowe Chibueze, a 36-year old Augmented human who tries to do no harm. Although many Augmented let the power go to their heads, Marlowe knows it's all a game. He studies the universe, trying to see where he best fits in. For him this life is but a passing moment, one that he doesn't wish to sully or through inaction allow to be sullied by others.
Born to a wealthy family, Marlowe found himself  becoming more and more distant from his peers eventually losing himself in the fringe worlds. Here he is free to make his own decisions and decide his own future without the crushing weight of expectation that his family upholds. Marlowe often acts as the conscience of Captain Weaver curtailing his excesses. Their relationship is often strained and at some point will most likely snap. Marlowe sees a core of goodness in Weaver but is increasingly alarmed by his captain's actions.

MAC is approximately 150-years old, a human origin robot who is tentatively a member of the crew, on a rolling contract as a mercenary. Originally a semi-autonomous loader machine employed in docking bays MAC has, over its long existence, upgraded its hardware and software, achieving a form of sentience. Machine awareness is contentious depending on which part of the galaxy you're from but MAC has been granted provisional rights to earn and keep its own money.
MAC uses its money for further upgrades, slowly reaching for an ideal that eludes it. Despite being created y humans, MAC doesn't see them as a pinnacle of evolution but rather as an interesting and fundamentally ridiculous bunch - along with all other biological forms. MAC finds the Purge fascinating but repellent, and considers them their own evolutionary dead end. MAC wants something else from this journey but is unsure of what.

Core Space - Crew of the Poseidon

I'm taking a short break from showcasing my Bolt Action figures to concentrate on the last three crews for the Core Space sci-fi skirmish game by Battle Systems Ltd. In this post, I'm highlighting the crew of the Poseidon.

At the far left is Captain Oberon Teelac, a 36-year old human. He crashes through life drawing all eyes and derision. Delusional and gung-ho with a penchant for the glory days of Hollywood, he seems to think he is the hero of his own story, recklessly careering into situations and risking everyone's lives. However, his abrasive attitude hides a deeply insecure and fearful man.
Forced into a life he didn't choose he brazens it out in the best way he can. He has been scarred in part, by the destructive relationship with his twin sister, Satiene, a woman prepared to sacrifice her closest family for her own gain. Oberon prefers action to talk, spontaneity to plans. In many ways it is amazing that he is still alive. Disinherited from a once powerful family, Oberon blunders through life without a goal, looking for approval and rarely finding it.

The crew's only female is Helene Hoskins, a 30-year old human. Born to Trader parents, a childhood accident in Core Space has left Hoskins dimensionally unstable. Part of her physical, living brain is melded into the fabric of Core Space itself. Her condition puzzles neurologists who have concluded that her brain is a direct conduit to Core Space and that she functions because her missing brain is still alive, albeit elsewhere. Over time this conduit has made her increasingly unstable, leaving her delusional and aggressive with a hair trigger temper.
She is an excellent close combat fighter and has drifted from ship to ship, spending as much time in Core Space as possible, as only then does she feel completely whole and sane. The Trader life has been chosen for her, something she laments but is powerless to do anything about. She is close to her shipmate, Pi, who she considers an equal unfortunate.

Pi is a 20-year old Augmented human. He grew up on the streets, an orphan who doesn't know his own given name. He is a true cyberpunk, young and self-taught, a survivor, intelligent and resourceful, he has augmented himself using repurposed junk and outdated tech, often writing the source code himself.
Pi mistakenly believed that the Augmented were higher beings and his ascension to their ranks  would alleviate all his suffering. However, augmentation is stressful under the best of conditions and the rough self-surgery has taken its toll. His implants cause him constant pain, inflamed and interfering with his nervous system. His attempts to reverse the condition have failed and he desperately needs funds to afford corrective surgery. He is still an effective Augment when out in the field, his system flooded with synthetic neuropeptides, the price being a long and uncomfortable comedown. Pi has an uncertain future as his mind is slowly coming apart, but he can still fight, for now...

Finally is Thoman Thomansson, a 26-year old human, who is an ex-soldier, disillusioned with the Galactic Corps and looking for a cause and a leader to follow. He grew up believing that the Corps represented all that was good and noble in humanity but first-hand experience of the brutality and corruption endemic at its core has made him reassess his life and his very being.
A skilled soldier, he is however, incapable of making decisions without doubting himself. He craves discipline and order and the freedom to trust his superiors. He has become rudderless and has drifted to the Poseidon, known to other Traders as a ship of fools. He struggles to relate to the other crew members and constantly looks for other ships to berth with or militia to join - but deep down believes he is where he deserves to be and chooses to do nothing.

Core Space - Galactic Corps & Security Wardens

The Galactic Corps are a combined militia and police force; neither heroes nor villains but sometimes both. They're controlled by an elite of human politicians who have little but self-interest at heart. They're happy to let the Corps do good work such as rescuing disaster victims but only if it does not conflict with their own interests.
The Corps are basically the best and worst of humanity - striving for a better world but only for their masters. The Corps view Traders with disdain and will often treat them as criminals, using any excuse to engage. Towards the more affluent areas the Corps are better trained and equipped, whereas discipline out in the sticks tends to depend entirely on the local director; a lazy corrupt director will lead an inefficient band of bullies rather than a well-oiled machine.
The origins of the Galactic Corps are hazy but most likely it started as a private security firm with military leanings. Over time the general populace has accepted that the Corps are the galaxy's army ans police rolled into one, but in fact the Corps has no true official standing. The GCC tolerates the Corps rather than condones it, understanding that it is too large an organisation to take head on. The Corps does help maintain order, particularly against the Purge, although its rough edges anger civil rights activists and often draw bad publicity.
Squads going into action tend to be small and tightly ordered, consisting of a team of Guards, a Juggernaut and a Director, although the numbers of each are often bolstered for certain situations.

At the far left is Director Zool. Master strategists and relentlessly ambitious, directors are often intelligent but with a cold, unsympathetic eye. Although they are usually from privileged backgrounds the officers are drilled to obey the chain of command and are, at the end of the day, political cannon fodder alongside their men. Director Zool is a hard-edged man with a dry humour and a soft tone. He prefers to get things done amicably and without fuss but will not hesitate to utterly destroy any who don't agree. His principle aim is peace; for there to be no outside disruption or civil disturbance whatever the cost, and he therefore rules his sector with a rod of iron.
Juggernauts are powerful and heavily armed; the hammer of the Corps used to bludgeon and punish any disobedient populace. They are often large men who have been chemically enhanced or have a mutation, normally in favour of size and aggression at the expense of intellect.

At the far right are two Security Wardens. They are hired by the local authorities to keep the peace, essentially civilians with good training and body armour who can be a thorn in your side or a welcome distraction. Security Wardens can be lazy, and lack the discipline of the Galactic Corps. Their actions will depend on how they feel at the time and can be unpredictable. If a Security Warden is not within short range and LoS of the Purge, but they are within medium range and LoS of one or more Galactic Corps characters they will be commandeered by the Corps. They will follow the rules for the Galactic Corps this turn, using both of their actions, targetting and attacking enemies, and apprehending defeated traders if necessary.

Highly trained, often brutal, the Galactic Guards are often recruited from poor backgrounds and from  areas with a lot of racial conflict, making them easier to control. They're not encouraged to think for themselves but to obey commands without question.

The Galactic Corps will target the Purge first then either Gangers or Traders, whichever is closest. They will not attack Security Wardens, Civilians or each other and do not consider these groups as enemies. Some situations require the best of the best and you will notice that the Galactic Corps have alternative "elite" statistics on the reverse of their character boards.

Core Space - Crew of the Cygnus

Here are the four Traders who make up the crew of the Cygnus.

At the far left is Captain Sondar, a 136 year old Ohma dreamer. He considers the excitement and danger of Trader life to be an adventure, and death but a short inconvenience. His species are pantheists and believe they can never die - a point of conflict with his non- Ohma crew. This belief is so ingrained into the Ohma that they had no concept of religion until they encountered other intelligent species and were dismayed to find there were many different points of view.
Sondar has a  romantic notion of Trading; even the hardships and boring bits are like a thrilling novel to him. He is literally without fear and will dive headlong into any danger for the merest of rewards. His species are generally of a similar vein, but he is considered extreme and no longer a part of polite society. Although gentle and charismatic in nature, other Ohma consider Sondar a rogue and a pirate.

Next up is Chit, a 12 year old Chit'chit'ah alien. As a species, the Chit are much sought after by Traders as jacks of all trades. Bootstrapped into space by a neighbouring species the Chit soon established themselves as reliable, trustworthy and quick learners. Chit has been on the crew of several Trader ships in the last few years. Benign, but large enough to intimidate troublemakers, Chit is nonetheless highly intelligent and enjoys the life of a Trader, making no plans beyond the next few days. He lives in the moment, never afraid to try something new.
Despite his terrestrial age he is a mature adult who has sired many children. The Chit raise their young in large communal broods and have a complex set of sexes and genders, none of which affects Chit's abilities. In their own society Chit employ a form of democracy based on family groups, although they will adopt the beliefs of any society they are in direct contact with so long as it is not considered destructive.

Second from the left is Hunter, a 45 to 55 year old human. Hunter is a man so serious about his business no one knows if "Hunter" is his name or job description! Tough as a face full of broken bottles, Hunter has spent his adult life shooting at people for one reason or another. He spent time as a soldier-for-hire, as a security warden and several years as a bounty hunter. He is good at his job and keeps himself to his himself. If he has any hopes and dreams, he keeps them close to his chest. Despite his reserve he is not a cold-blooded killer and tries to capture his bounties alive. In recent years he has tired of being a bounty hunter and is considering a permanent post on a Trader ship. Currently he is on extended hire to the Cygnus and seems to prefer the company of aliens. He sees straight through Satiene's charms and outright ignores her.

Last up is Satiene Teelac, a 36 year old augmented human. Satiene is an example of how power and privilege can corrupt. As a child she was spoiled, devious and manipulative, and she has become  more so with adulthood. She uses guile, seduction and outright threats to get what she wants, and is a ferocious and unnecessarily cruel fighter.
Her augmentations have thrown the darker elements of her character into a terrible sharp relief. Although not without compassion she secretly considers all life but her own as trivial. She is estranged from her twin brother, Oberon Teelac; both of whom are considered black sheep of a once proud family. her machinations have resulted in her expulsion from her"house", the confederacy aligned to the Teelac dynasty. Eventually her actions will drive her out of the world of the Traders and into the arms of a criminal gang where she will rise quickly to the top.

This is a very eclectic crew of mixed races all of whom have fascinating back stories. I like them a lot.

Core Space - Purge Annihilators & Gatherers

I come to the last of the Purge machines - the deadly Annihilators and Gatherers. These were a Kickstarter add on and I only have one set of them.

The Annihilator has only one function and that is to kill everything living. It doesn't care about collecting biomass or the collateral damage of its cohorts. When it appears there's little point standing your ground, it's a signal in humanoid form to run for your life. Although its function is similar to the Devastator it is like comparing a grenade to a tank. Its firepower is awesome and it's extremely resilient to damage. Both the Gatherers and the Annihilators have shielded cores that can be salvaged by a technician before dissolving.

Gatherers comprise of the Mother and "her" Spiders. The Mother is a large insect-like machine that gathers both the living and dead biomass. She will appear towards the tail end of a conflict but is formidable in her own right with a devastating attack. Her Spiders are knee-high machines with a nasty temperament that are more of a nuisance to a well armed Trader than an outright threat. However, they will mindlessly protect the Mother from assaults and may be the difference between life and death.
It will be rare for these Purge machines to appear in a game of Core Space but when they do they will be a serious threat to the Trader crews and anyone else who is foolish enough to get in their way. As with all the other Purge robots, these could be used in a wide variety of sci-fi games. Note that there are five Spiders in this set but I've only shown two as they are all identical sculpts.

Core Space - Purge Elite

Purge technology is very rare, as destroyed Purge start decaying on deactivation leaving nothing but a puddle of common polymers. A wily Trader, however, may be able to distil a flask of Raw Blue, the energy source of the Purge, or retrieve the shielded core of some of the larger Purge machines.
In this post I'm showcasing three elite Purge machines, the ones that Traders do not want to encounter. All of them are part of the starter boxed set of Core Space.

At the far right are two Devastators. Devastators are built like tanks and just as subtle; their job is to destroy not to capture. The Devastator's arms are high energy beam weapons that can be used as bludgeoning weapons in close combat. As they are nothing but walking weapons Devastators are equipped with the bare essentials - arms without hands, a face with a single large eye. They are monsters in robot form.

Next in line is a Purge Assassin. Assassins are infiltrators, able to target individuals in the heart of enemy territory and remove them. Assassins are semi-autonomous and able to make decisions when away  from the group. They will always target the greatest threat and will attempt to kill any high-ranking or dangerous individuals present. The Assassins resemble an eerie robotic skeleton, and along with their spider like movements are particularly unsettling to humans. Like all Purge machines the Assassins "head"is actually a sense cluster, the brain being housed in the chest cavity.

Finally, is a Live One. The only organic Purge ever encountered, the Live Ones are both commander and scout. They control the other Purge but also double as infiltrators using their holographic tech and intelligence to mingle with other races. Live Ones are intelligent but seemingly no more open to reason than a Harvester. They were born for one job and they do nothing else. They are self-aware and can think and feel but they're no freer than their brethren. The Purge are essentially a slave race with a tragic backstory. Live Ones don't eat or drink but recharge from a socket in their back. The full extent of their cybernetics is unknown as like all Purge they rapidly decay upon death.

These are really cool minis that could certainly fit into other sci-fi settings. Incidentally, I got a second set of them as a Kickstarter stretch goal. They have also been painted.

Core Space - Purge Harvesters

The Purge are a semi-sentient race of humanoid machines whose sole task is to harvest worlds. They have a hive mind, much like insects, and almost no sense of self-preservation. The Purge appeared suddenly from the Barrens, the sterile area surrounding a black hole, and immediately attacked all living beings within their reach. In less than fifty years they have rendered parts of the galaxy uninhabitable and cemented their reputation in the galactic consciousness as monsters.
The Purge aren't evil in any real sense. They are machines, driven to perform their tasks with no free will, but this doesn't stop them from terrifying people the galaxy over. Little is known bout the Purge including their motivations or their drive to catch their victims alive and drag them away screaming to an unknown end... Rumours are rife and this ambiguity has, in part, pushed the galaxy back into a superstitious and fearful age. To humans the Purge provoke the primal fear of being eaten alive.

The Purge Harvesters are the rank and file, the foot soldiers, and often the first (and last) point of contact for anyone encountering the Purge. They have no long range weaponry and always attempt to disable their victims. With no evident fear, Harvesters will stride relentlessly towards their targets and attempt to overwhelm them.

The Core Space boxed set comes with these five figures all in unique poses, which I greatly appreciate. I received a duplicate set of them as a Kickstarter stretch goal, thus giving me ten of them, which is more than enough for most games. They are very slender but you couldn't mistake them for anything else but robots. Sure, they are cannon fodder but I still like them.

Core Space - Criminals

In Core Space the prominent criminal gang is Zed's Crew. Self-styled as a "crew" it is true that occasionally they will hijack a ship and indulge in piracy. However, they don't have the cohesiveness to work as Traders due to their leader's uncaring nature and the subsequent high turnover of gang members.
First in line is Zed, the gang leader. Charismatic and dangerous, Zed spends his time controlling, cajoling and bullying his "family" to do his bidding. Although superficially charming he is an extremely dangerous man with a hair trigger temper and no regard for life at all. He is an endless font of risky get-rich-quick schemes that often end badly for his "crew"; hapless beings conned into an endless cycle of easily replaced hired muscle.
Evangeline is a hired killer with a talent for violence. Once only interested in profit she has been drawn to the chaos of Zed's crew, fascinated and disgusted by Zed's machinations and the unknown folly of his crew. She is a skilled and merciless fighter masking her fury with grace. Emanating a hard exterior she is no longer interested in money, sex or power, only the cold oblivion she finds when killing.
Whatever Chunk started life as he is now just a huge, drug fuelled meat-puppet who does what Zed tells him and questions nothing but his next fix. This unhappy creature is the fusion of both technology and medication at the far end of "experimental". A pet project of Zed's, Chunk is never far from his side and will fly into a berserker rage at the merest nod from his master.

Collectively, the three gangers to the right of the two photos are known by the charming term slumscum - someone who has grown up in a poor neighbourhood, with no education, poor nutrition and dogged by a lifetime of bad decisions. With no real choices left to them they easily fall into the roles of lowlifes and thugs for hire.
From left to right are Hobb, Razor and Milly. Hobb has tried to live a normal life but his anger and selfishness has pushed him further and further away from normal society. Razor is a collection of impulses and drives that seem to bypass the smartest parts of the human brain - he takes what he wants and cares nothing for consequences. Milly has a lifetime of regrets made worse by bitterness and a blind hatred of everyone.

These are a great set of figures, making excellent starport scum or perps. They would fit in well in Mega City One as a perp gang and I have already used some of them in my The Ace of Spades Campaign. Regarding Evangeline, she very much reminds me of Battle Angel Alita as played by Rosa Salazar in the 2017 film of the same name. Definitely a cool character.

Core Space - Civilians

In Core Space, civilians, human or otherwise will often get caught up in the action. They perform the day to day duties needed to keep things running and are not used to being invaded by Traders or Purge and can therefore act irrationally. Although lightly armed, they are not trained soldiers and are prone to panic.
Civilians will sometimes trade with characters, join a Trader crew or attack them without provocation. Civilians can join a crew and likewise, a trader can retire and become a civilian. However, civilians are not always what they seem, so be careful. Civilians may be Galactic spies or even disguised Purge Live Ones on reconnaissance duty!

The three civilians to the left of these two photos are part of the boxed core set, whilst the other two were Kickstarter add-ons.
At the far left is Butler, privileged, pompous and entitled, he demands the best. His empty swagger hides a deeply insecure man whose fortunes have teetered on the brink more times than he cares to admit.
Gan'eek is a skilled engineer and tech designer who works in the rough end of the galaxy. He prefers to be in the thick of the action rather than take the soft posting that his family had arranged. He is a member of the Ech Triune race, renowned scientists and engineers.

In the centre of this group is Kaori. Young, strong and fast, she grew up on the mean streets working as a "runner", a foot courier who could deliver to places traffic could only dream of. She is a self-styled cyberpunk using her credits to buy and upgrade the tech she needs to stay one jump ahead of the competition.
A downtrodden plumber by trade, Treva Jole has spent the last few years fixing the hot tubs of the rich and famous. He looks on in envy at his customers but also envies the Traders' exciting lives on the edge, something Treva can't bring himself to commit to.
Finally, is Ooma, a member of an obscure species who ambles through life with his malfunctioning translator, the eternal tourist even on his homeworld. However, his bumbling facade hides an extremely sharp and in some ways, devious mind.
I always say that you can never have too many civilians whatever genre they belong to and that is certainly true of sci-fi civilians. I have already used some of these in my The Ace of Spades Campaign on my WOIN blog and will certainly use them when I start my new Judge Dredd campaign.

Core Space - Crew of the Ion Hope

The two Trader crews that come with the starter boxed set of Core Space by Battle Systems Ltd. are the crew of the Black Maria (shown last post) and the crew of the Ion Hope, which I'm showcasing here.

First up is the Ion Hope's captain, Arianna Sabrine, a 32 year old human. A little cocky, Arianna appears to be ex-military with a confident air. She served in the inter-system navy of Calypso in the Frane System, before taking early retirement to marry a fellow crew-mate. Her and her husband, Wyot Sabrine, were successful Traders, their fearless and reckless nature helping them to not only own their own ship outright but to also buy the Ion Hope.
The good times were short lived when her husband died in an engine explosion after a confrontation with the Purge. Left as the sole owner of the Ion Hope, Arianna had little choice but to carry on as a Trader, a bit less reckless and the cocky attitude in part a front. She knows it could all be over in the blink so it's best to enjoy it now. Arianna tries to be a good person and has turned down ethically dubious missions that other Trader captains would jump at. She is a natural leader who others turn to in a crisis.

Next to her is Roykirk Inskipp, a human who is in his mid-fifties, an advanced age for a Trader. He knows how to survive and others would do well to stick by him. Softly spoken, he uses diplomacy when he can but also knows when to shoot a gun. Despite his age he has very quick reflexes and is able to gauge new situations accurately. He would make an excellent captain but prefers to be a lieutenant, despising the life or death decisions a captain has to make.
Originally an engineer by trade, he has adapted many times during his life and has a wide plethora of skills including technician and medic. He tries to avoid killing when he can and has been known to relinquish a valuable item if it means he doesn't have to shoot someone for it. he is close to his crew, especially Arianna who values his input.

Second from the right is Gak, a Quell alien of indeterminate age. Gak is Arianna's gun man, always close by. He is a very quick thinker with a dry sense of humour. He is a large biped with bisecting arms effectively allowing him to carry four weapons at a time. Although the Quell appear argumentative and rash, in reality they are introspective, each carrying the destruction of their homeworld close to their heart.
Gak refers to himself in the third person, as all Quell do. He also knows that his large size and gormless expression can cause humans to think he's dumb, but he is fine with that, he prefers to be underestimated. Gak keeps his cards close to his chest and rarely talks for the sake of it, he talks when he has reason to. He has formed a close bond with Arianna, a woman he respects, despite her being a member of a backward species.

Finally, is David Tirgarde, a 34 year old human. In many ways, Tirgarde is in it for himself. He is an incredibly skilled and intelligent crewman but has a cold blooded attitude to his fellow beings. He has a quick and cynical sense of humour, which is amusing to newcomers but chafes anyone who knows him.
His attitude makes him hard to like, the awareness that he would sell you out in a heartbeat ever present. Roykirk has tried to treat him as family but so far Tirgarde has proven resistant. Why Tirgarde is this way is unknown, as he rarely speaks of the past or the future, only ever the here and now. Tirgarde has a nest egg hidden away in an off-world account. He plans for an early retirement and sees work as just a means to get what he wants.

I like this crew more than the crew of the Black Maria, simply because Arianna has a lot in common with Kimberley Wells, the captain of The Ace of Spades from my ongoing N.E.W. campaign.

Core Space - Crew of the Black Maria

I have finished painting my first batch of 32mm scale hard plastic figures for Battle Systems Ltd's, Core Space sci-fi skirmish game. Over the next few posts I'll be showcasing my painted figures for this excellent game, starting off with the crew of The Black Maria.
First in line is Jace Dolman, a 38 year old human. Captain Dolman had a short but distinguished career in the military of his homeworld Kalli in the Derfer System. He became sickened by the constant civil wars between the nations of his planet and their neighbours and decided to cut his career short. After buying himself out of military service he found himself broke and in the rough end of the galaxy.
Jace spent most of a decade bouncing between jobs but eventually found work. He used his skills to establish himself as the cool-headed pilot of The Black Maria, a heavily financed trader ship constantly teetering on mechanical failure and repossession. After four years his Captain died and he found himself reluctantly in charge, left with the responsibility and financial burden of the ship. Jace takes his responsibilities very seriously, the welfare of his crew always his main concern. He uses his military-honed wits to keep his crew alive and ahead of the competition.

Next up in Eli Renton, a 36 year old human who is a trained soldier with a sardonic attitude that didn't fit well with his superiors, eventually resulting in a dishonourable discharge. He believes that every soldier and every civilian is not an expendable asset and tries his hardest to keep everyone alive. He likes to have as much information as possible before making a decision but can make sharp judgements under pressure.
Renton always looks for ways to avoid conflict, reasoning that the best way to win a fight is to not be in one. He would like to be anything other than a soldier, but his skill-set always brings him back to the fringe worlds, risking his life for little gain. He dreams of settling down and having a family but he craves excitement, and the Trader life gives him what he needs.

Jay "Lars" Larsen is a 42 year old human and the ship's technician, an overworked, underpaid master of his trade. Over the years professional differences with his employers have seen Lars move from prestigious positions in the Galactic heartland to head spanner-monkey of a decaying ship in the fringes. This is a position he greatly prefers, as he holds absolute authority.
A bit querulous with a short fuse, Lars struggles to form close friendships and has little patience with those he considers less knowledgeable than him - everyone! Arrogant and surly, he is however, an excellent technician, able to fix the most dilapidated machine with the minimal of resources. Keeping the ship from falling apart is a full-time job, but Lars also doubles as the ship's medic, approaching each injury as an engineering problem. Unfortunately, a good bedside manner does not come with it.

Finally, is Lukas Beck, a 40 year old human, who is the ship's quartermaster, keeping the crew supplied with food, weapons and other essentials. He is a speculator of the galactic stock exchange and a trader in every way, looking for the very best deals and infuriating his crew by insisting on travelling from port to port and negotiating until he is satisfied. Trader life is often lean but none of the crew have missed a meal since Beck joined up, so he's doing something right.
Beck looks younger than his years which can be a hindrance during negotiations, but he has learned to let his inexperience do the talking. He prefers to stay out of trouble but fights ferociously when backed into a corner. He claims to want a normal job in a quiet sector but the glint in his eye says otherwise.

In Core Space there are currently six crews, each made up of four humans and/or alien species. I haven't mentioned how the crew are armed and armoured as that can change from mission to mission depending upon what they can find or trade. I can certainly envisage using all of the Core Space figures in my N.E.W. or Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD games, which is a nice bonus.

Core Space - a Review

At the start of this month I received my Kickstarter package from Battle Systems Ltd. for the sci-fi skirmish game, Core Space. As you should know I am a massive fan of the Battle Systems scenery sets. This is their first venture into producing a game using unique 28mm scale figures and their own scenery. I knew that I wanted this as soon as it was first announced. Suffice to say, I am most impressed by everything about this game.
Core Space is a deluxe fully modular three dimensional board game for 1 to 6 players. The game can be played as single missions or campaigns with each player in charge of a team of Traders, their sole objective, to survive in a dangerous galaxy!
Each of your characters can be levelled up with new skills and equipment to help them in their mission, but it will not be easy. The rival teams, gangs and the Galactic Corporation will hinder your every step... but the real threat is the ever expanding plague of synthetic life forms that are slowly purging the galaxy of all life. They are known as the Purge.
Play using a unique 'real search' system and advance your characters between games. It's fast to set up, fast to play, and fully compatible with all the Battle Systems terrain products. To win you will need to follow the Trader credo: salvage, trade, adapt and survive...

Here is a stock photo showing the components of the boxed starter set, which includes a hardback deluxe rulebook, a 2' square neoprene gaming mat, scenery sheets of walls and assorted scatter terrain, PC boards for the Traders and their spaceships, special dice, rulers, counters, pegs, a tie-string bag (for keeping equipment and weapon counters in), event cards and of course, the miniatures, which are colour coded grey for the traders, blue for civilians and beige for the robotic Purge. The quality of all of these components is of a very high standard.

The Deluxe Rulebook runs to over 170 pages and is extremely well written. As well as the game rules are a set of scenarios which may be run in order as a campaign, rules for creating your own characters, scenarios, equipment and weapons, background information on the Core Space universe, the Purge, Civilians, Gangster, Security Guards, Galactic Corporation and the Traders (these are who your players will be playing). Six different crews are detailed, the crews of the Black Maria, the Ion Hope, the Skylark, the Poseidon, the Yamato and the Cygnus. Each Trader team consists of four crew members of various races. The book is full colour throughout and it looks gorgeous.

To the right of here are the dashboards made of plastic, in which you can place your trader profile, weapons and equipment tokens they collect, a list of their special abilities and spaces for pegs to track their hit points, skill points and ammo expenditure. You get eight of these, which is enough for two full Trader crews. The profile and skills boards are laminated so you can record your advancements with a dry eraser pen (not included in the game).
I have been patiently waiting for this game for a long time and I can't wait to finish reading the rulebook, painting the figures and making the scenery. I can see me using the figures and scenery in other sci-fi games like my N.E.W. The Ace of Spades Campaign and my upcoming Judge Dredd campaign. Because the Purge are all robotic in appearance, I'll be using a lot of their figures in The Robot Wars supplement for Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD. Rather than pledge for the Standard set I pledged for the Titan set which netted me £281 worth of product for £120. That's a great deal! I leave you with a set of photos taken from the Battle Systems website that show just how cool this game looks.

Chaaaaarrrrgggeee!!!!!!

The crew of the Ion Hope - Roykirk, Arianna and Gak

The crew of the Black Maria - Renton, Jace and Lars

Get to the shuttle!

Shootout at Zed's

The Purge advance