Zero Sum Oblivion.

Hello again. It has been quite a long time since I updated the blog. I have been pretty busy working on projects but haven't had time to post updates about them. Sticking to my plan no matter how tempting other distractions were, I recently finished several projects at once. For 28mm sci fi in anticipation of Chalfant's Zero Sum Oblivion sci fi rules from Iron Ivan Games, I finished up some of the Pig Iron Miniatures I will be using for Outlander Miners and Planetary Militia Forces.

I am basing my sci fi setting on a mineral rich planet that had been terraformed and colonized centuries ago by a group of hardy frontier miners. However, after years of isolation from control by any central authority, the miners quit working and have begun attacking government forces in a bid for planetary independence. After years of living in the outlands of the planet, these miners are tough, resourceful, and savage in their desire to resist. They excel in ambushes and the individual miners are skilled fighters able to blend into their surroundings as well as live off the land using the barest resources and outdated technology. The government forces are made up of unskilled, unenthusiastic, and mostly young recruits from off world drawn from across the planetary system. They are cannon fodder for the war machine. They are well equipped and armed, but die like flies.

A savage war of resistance is waged across the barren landscape of a planet once terraformed and teeming with life. Now, after solar storms, the industrial waste of mining, and devastating war, the planet's surface is mostly burnt grass, shattered trees, rusted iron rocks, and gleaming crystal columns.

The miners once worked to remove the highly prized Cobalt Crystals used in starship jump drives. The miners who originally settled the planet were guaranteed the freedom to sell to any planet they wished under the terms of their own contracts. Once the planet became isolated and lost contact with the other planets in the system, the miners turned to survival by underground farming, and their mining operations lapsed into disarray. With the return of the government and demands for new sources of crystals under severe restrictions in contracts, fixed prices, and forced labor demands, some of the mining teams have refused to return to work. Unit 454 was one of these teams, and they have since gone into the wastes to ambush and attack government forces whenever they can.

It's going to be a long war...

Here are some of the pics of the first units in the armies. First up are the miners. I used Pig Iron's Kolony Ferals as the basis for my mining forces. These models are covered in the tattered remnants of their mining gear. They wear the outdated, but rugged life support mask. They are equipped with the standard self defense rifle. It is a robust, accurate, and easy to maintain design. They proudly retain their mining unit number (454) on their clothing. The layers of cloth are worn in a way that allows them to blend into the dusty planetary terrain and is colored similar to the rusty iron deposits found across the planet. When they attack, they rise like ghosts out of the ground. Some of the miners have even been reported to display strange shamanistic abilities. One of these shamans has been rumored to be able to control the dead...

All of the miniatures are from Pig Iron, with the gas mask cables being converted from power cables from Dragonforge Miniatures modelling supplies.

Here are some pics of the militia forces. These are also all Pig Iron Miniatures from their Kolony Militia range.

The Militia are backed up by some vehicles from Old Crow Models range of 28mm vehicles. These kits are awesome. The resin is great to work with, they go together easily, and they take paint like a champ. Unfortunately, it appears Jez is currently limited in what he is selling due to real life business obligations. But if you can get a hold of these models, do it. They are excellent.

 And last but not least...some terrain to fight over. I still need to finish a lot more rocks and crystals, but the basics are done. The rocks are just railroad ballast taken from some train tracks near my old house. They are painted gray but I layered on several base coats of rust browns and oranges and then drybrushed successive layers of dark gray up to almost white for the final sharp edge highlights. The grass is all green static grass drybrushed with a bright orange color to make it look dead. The crystals are from Acheson Creations range of 28mm fantasy terrain. They come in a variety of colors. I chose the emerald green crystals. They come in a bunch of neat shapes and sizes as well. I need a bunch more of these...