Meet the Planeteers #4 - Count Ventura

Things are heating up as Rayguns and Rocketships roars closer to our galaxy. I thought an introduction to the characters, technology and places you will encounter in the game was in order. This time we meet the galaxy's more charming characters Count Ventura.

The Star Pirates are secretly led by Count Ventura, a nobleman who lives a double life. By day, the Count can be found attending gala balls and rallying others to support the construction of the second sun project. He is thought by many to be merely a smooth-talking silver-tongued rogue. But in reality, the Count is a ruthless pirate who is as skilled his circuit sword as he is with his words. 

Count Ventura intends to use the current upheaval in the galaxy to increase his personal power and wealth. He is as a deadly opponent in combat who gives his victims no quarter. However, there is one victim whom the Count will always spare - the Princess Persevone of Vaporia whom the Count is desperately infatuated with.

Concept art by Scott Rogers

3D model by Simon Grell

Color guide by Scott Rogers

All of the Meet the Planeteers characters and rocketships seen here will come with the core set of the Rayguns and Rocketships board game.

Next time we meet the noble Lizard-Men known as the Zard!

Meet the Planeteers #3 - Star-Pirates

As Rayguns and Rocketships roars closer to our galaxy. I thought an introduction to the characters, technology and places you will encounter in the game was in order. This time let's meet the Star Pirates.

The Star Pirates were once the mighty navy of the despot Mizra Khan, but since the collapse of his galactic empire, they have now turned to piracy. The crew wear terrifying skull-masks to hide their true identities and strike fear into the hearts of their hapless victims.

 

Concept art by Scott Rogers

 3D model by Simon Grell

 Color guide by Scott Rogers

The Star Pirates strike from a hidden base in the Samadi asteroid belt, their rocketships emerging to prey on passing merchant and pleasure rocketships. The once proud fleet of the Imperial Navy now displays a fearsome skull to warn all that their crew takes no prisoners. These military grade rocketships are the best armored in the galaxy with the strongest raygun weapons of all of the Planeteers. 

Concept art by Scott Rogers and C. M

3D Model by Simon Grell

Color guide by Scott Rogers

All of the Meet the Planeteers characters and rocketships seen here will come with the core set of the Rayguns and Rocketships board game.

Next time we'll meet the infamous Captain of the Star Pirates, the nefarious Count Ventura.

Meet the Planeteers #2 - Captain Jessie Novastar

Things are heating up as Rayguns and Rocketships roars closer to our galaxy. I thought an introduction to the characters, technology and places you will encounter in the game was in order.
This time we meet the Astro-Rangers' brash and bold captain: Jessie Novastar!

Each Planeteer faction has a captain that has more health and special abilities in the game. The captains of the Astro-Rangers is Jessie Novastar, the daughter of space hero “Rock” Novastar and has lived in the shadow of his legendary deeds. While she feels she has a lot to prove, she has inherited her father's flying talent and skill with a neurolizer pistol. She is reckless and a bit of a smart-aleck but she can back up the smack talk with action as she fights against space pirates, criminals and warlords that threaten peace in the galaxy.

Model sheet by Scott Rogers (and others)

3D model by Simon Grell

Color guide by Scott Rogers

All of the Meet the Planeteers characters and rocketships seen here will come with the core set of the Rayguns and Rocketships board game.

Next time, we will meet the deadly Star Pirates!

Meet the Planeteers #01 - Astro-Rangers

Things are heating up as Rayguns and Rocketships roars closer to our galaxy. I thought an introduction to the characters, technology and places you will encounter in the game was in order. First up, the intrepid Astro-Rangers!

The Astro-Rangers are heroic human Planeteers. While they attempt to keep peace in a war-torn galaxy, they are closer to the foreign legion than a police or military force. They were once allied with space hero “Rock” Novastar, but now that the empire of Mizra Khan has collapsed, they are trying to find their place in the galaxy. Their ranks consist of adventurers, star-jockeys, revolutionaries and scoundrels.

They operate out of several outpost moons around the galaxy - Ranger 2, 3 and 4. The Astro-Rangers are the fastest of the factions whether it is at the cockpit of their speedy rocketship or flying on their jetpack harness through the inky void of space.

All Astro-Rangers are armed with deadly neurolizer pistols and circuit-swords - AI-driven weapons that give their wielder a lethal advantage!

 

 Concept art by Scott Rogers

3D model by Simon Grell

Color guide by Scott Rogers

And what is any Planeteer without their rocketship? The Astro-Rangers speed around the galaxy in their rocketship. This torpedo-shaped beauty is much more nimble than it looks. Allowing for tight turns and bursts of speed - both backwards and forwards!

 

Concept art by Scott Rogers

 3D model by Simon Grell

Color guide by Scott Rogers

All of the Meet the Planeteers characters and rocketships seen here will come with the core set of the Rayguns and Rocketships board game.

Stay tuned for next time, when we meet the Astro-Rangers' daring Captain Novastar!

Rayguns and Rocketships: A primer

The pulp-sci-fi galaxy of Rayguns and Rocketships has many inspirations. If you are looking to get "in the mood" for the game before it comes out, I recommend the following books, comics, toys and films that inspired me to create this game.

Marx "Space Patrol" and other plastic figures 
I had a few sets of these figures as a kid and fell in love with the "bubble helmet" aesthetic. To me, space men were much more interesting than army men.

Wally Wood's sci-fi stories from Weird Fantasy
I first discovered Wally Wood thanks to reprints of Mad Magazine, but thanks to attending Comic Con every year, I soon found Wally Wood's sci-fi work. For my money, he drew the best spaceman ever.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
I had already read a lot of fantasy by the time I discovered John Carter and was instantly captivated by the swashbuckling mix of fantasy and science-fiction. I wasn't a fan of the movie which didn't capture the romance and adventure of the source material.

Marvel's Star Wars issues #15 and 22
My mind was blown when Star Wars first came out in 1977 and I quickly scooped up the comics to keep up my "Star Wars fix". While I often found the comics to be kind of "hit/miss" I found the zero-G battles in issues 15 and 22 particularly fascinating and it definitely inspired the man-to-man space battles found in Rayguns and Rocketships.

Flash Gordon (1980)
This and Star Wars were my introductions to pulp-inspired sci-fi. Swashbuckling action, rayguns, strange aliens, beautiful women... this movie has it all.

Zathura (2005)
While not very well known, this unofficial sequel to Jumanji features some incredible character design including some great rocketships, lizardmen and one of the best looking robots in movies. If you want to see how I imagine the rocketships flying in Rayguns and Rocketships, watch this movie.

The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A.E. Van Vogt
I discovered Van Vogt a later than many of these other inspirations, but I find the story's planet hopping, bizarre aliens and the serious tone of the crew make for a delightful mix. It's easy to see why so many other creators have found inspiration from this book.

Rayguns and Rocketships nominated for "Most Anticipated Game of 2017"

Over at BoardGameGeek.com, they had an unofficial poll based on all of the games coming out in 2017.

Rayguns and Rocketships was nominated for FIVE "most anticipated" awards: Sci-fi game, Campaign/Legacy game, Dice game, Wargame and Kickstarted game.

I'm very proud to have been nominated, not just once but five times!

... and more on that "Kickstarted game" category soon!!!