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!!!

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!