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!!!

Color Rayguns and Rocketships minis by Simon Grell

Check these out, Planeteers!

Simon Grell is the talented 3D modeler who sculpted the minis for Rayguns and Rocketships.

Over at his site www.simongrell.co.uk you can check out his work including these color versions of the Astro-Ranger and Blaarg from the game!

Nicely done, Simon!

Dress like an Astro-Ranger!

Official Rayguns and Rocketships T-shirts are now available at SpreadShirt!

Get yours today!

R&R at Gen Con 2015!

Now that the Rayguns and Rocketships prototype is playable and doesn't break and the rules are fleshed out, it's time to see if someone is interested in publishing it!

If you are going to talk to board game publishers, the best place to do so is Gen Con. Gen Con is a yearly convention that started back in the 70's and took off when D&D became popular. I had read about Gen Con in the back of Dragon magazine and always wanted to go!

I've been to big conventions like the San Diego Comic Con, E3 and CES but nothing could prepare me for Gen Con. It is absolutely amazing. There is so much to see and, more importantly, so much to do. There are games to play, demos to try, shopping, meet-ups, auctions, shows, parties, dinners, awards ceremonies - most are open to the public.

 

 







There are spectacular cosplayers and one-of-a-kind experiences like True Dungeon and BattleTech. Everywhere are signs of people's love and talent to gaming.

 

There was a hall filled with custom made gaming tables - each one of them a work of art.

 

There were over 60,000 attendees at Gen Con but to be honest, it only felt crowded when we were waiting to enter the exhibit hall. Everyone was extremely well behaved and orderly. It was one of the most pleasant crowds I've ever been in.

 

 

We had a couple playtest sessions of Rayguns and Rocketships that were very productive! Thanks to those who showed up to play. The final game will be even better thanks to your feedback.

 

 

 

So what's next for Rayguns and Rocketships? I met with several big-name publishers and I'm just waiting to hear back from them. Keep your fingers crossed. With some luck, maybe Rayguns and Rocketships will be for sale at the next Gen Con!