Laurelin's Tower

For a long while now I've wanted to get some Hirst Arts molds so I could build some castles.  Some, of course, would be for gaming, but I also thought it would be great to use as craft projects to do with my daughter.

So for our first project I decided to do a simple round tower using the 4" Circular Tower Mold #52.  In the end I ended up doing most of the work, but she contributed significantly in every step of the process, and had a lot of fun doing it.  There will be more castle projects in our future!

Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations: South China Clash

This past fall Warfare Sims Ltd. released the long awaited modern wargame simulation Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations. I was very fortunate to participate in some of the beta testing, unfortunately I was so busy with work and family that I didn't get to play it nearly as much as I would have liked.

Finally I was able to sit down, play a simulation, and do an after action report. The scenario I chose is called "South China Clash", and features the US Navy coming to the aid the Philippines against the Chinese in the contentious South China Sea.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 26: Conclusion

Stardate 2137.01.01 With the war going on for so long and the government paying more attention to the war than the galaxy, much has apparently passed the Republic by.  The galaxy is apparently an extremely busy place.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 25: Last Stand

Stardate 2133.09.01

The XHuman War has lasted seven years now.  The people still tolerate the war, but they, and the government, want it over.  1st Fleet heads back to the Relakis system to draw out the XHuman Navy, and once it is destroyed, an attack will be make on Relakis 1 itself.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 24: Harrassment

 Stardate 2131.03.05  Furious undergoes repairs.  The XHumans attempt to rally, furiously building new ships and sending them to attack the crippled RN ships still in the Relakis system.  

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 23: Punch and Counterpunch

Stardate 2130.01.01 While 1st Fleet blockades Gamma Crateris 1, 2nd Fleet heads towards Relakis to end the war.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 22: Offensive

 Stardate 2129.02.13  3rd Fleet begins its attack on Sigma Capricorni.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 21: Space Battles

Stardate 2127.10.17

The XHuman 3rd Strike Force arrives at MLM2 to find the RN waiting for it.  Centurion II 001 and Decimator XI 001 take the brunt of the initial fire.  The other two ships flee...but foolishly return to the system and are destroyed.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 20: Red Enforcer

Stardate 2127.05.21 With MLM2 falling into XHuman hands, the battle lines have changed.  

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 19: WAR

Stardate 2127.01.01

The declaration of war upon the Republic by the XHuman Supremacy has caused an uproar in the Senate.  Accusations fly and vows are made.  A few voices speak for peace, arguing that the Republic is having a difficult enough time fighting off pirates, and can not handle a war at this time.  They suggest that the XHumans be appeased and trade sanctions lifted.  These voices are drowned out in the general calls for war, taking the fight to the enemy, and making them pay for the unprovoked firing upon the passenger liner Daring Pathway, in what has been called the Daring Pathway Incident.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 18: Big Pirates

Stardate 2125.01.01

Andeysas Space Port is easily destroyed by Rebellion of Eta Horologii, but 2nd Fleet is on the way.  

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 17: Adding Colonies

 Stardate 2123.01.01

The year starts out with diplomacy.  Hoping to promote democratic forms of government, the Republic sends monetary gifts to all the democracies and republics in the galaxy.  These empires include the Free Ikkuro Alliance, the Enton Alliance, and the Lipid Republic. (despite them being bugs, they are a republic...)

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 16: Peace through Video Games

Stardate 2121.01.01

Missiles fill space.  But after enduring a single volley, Implacable Sentinel turns tail and runs.  

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 15: Implacable Sentinel

Stardate 2119.01.01

All private shipping flees the Andeysas system as the pirate battleship Implacable Sentinel closes in.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 14: Powerful Pirates

Stardate 2117.01.01

3rd Fleet destroys Savage Moon Spaceways’ spaceport, then sets a course back to Arcadia Prime to repair and refuel.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 13: Colonization

Stardate 2115.01.01

2115.02.01  Stellar Pearl is complete, and the Republic’s first colony ship is away.

2115.03.03 In the Phi Lupi system, a ruin is discovered that reveals disquieting secrets concerning the galaxy’s history.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 12: Making Contact

Stardate 2113.01.01

2113.02.09  Another wave of exploration ships departs for the stars. Soon after, a pair of Grim Gang mining bases are discovered in the Eta Herculis system.  2nd Fleet sets a course to destroy them.  

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 11: Revenge

Stardate 2111.01.01

2111.01.20  Dark Victor travels directly to Ixion Gas Mining Station and destroys it.  With the Grim Gang pirates destroying the Republic's stations at will, the rhetoric in the Senate becomes especially fiery, and the pressure is on the scientists to finish their research immediately.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 10: Election

Stardate 2109.01.01

It is an election year.  President Mishku Bendu was elected in a time of war, but most of his presidency has been marked by peace and advances in science. However, his term is nearly over, and beginning next year there will be a new president.  Already forerunners in the various parties are jockeying for position.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 9: Spies and Piracy

Stardate 2107.01.01

2107.02.17  Republic Intelligence has learned that the Grim Gang has supplied information about the Republic to the Great Sluken Hive, the empire of an insectoid race.  They do not appear very friendly, so the Senate decides not to initiate any contact.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 8: Diplomacy and Sabotage

Stardate 2105.01.01

2105.02.18 All retrofitting of the navy is completed.  Research improves, and a better beam weapon, the Maxos Blaster, is developed, but it will be installed on the next class of warships. Right now the priority is hyperdrive technology.  

2105.05.22 Republic agent Peter Berallia, sent to the Grim Gang’s Pi Leonis 2 Gas Mining Station, successfully destroys the station and escapes.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 7: Rebuilding

Stardate 2104.07.01

2104.07.06  The Savage Moon Spaceways offers the Republic a protection agreement.  With a navy now, the Republic declines.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 6: Retaking the Solar System

Stardate 2104.01.01

The Republic Navy prepares to attack, but there is dissent in the Senate. President Bendu is revealed as a pacifist as he makes an impassioned plea to forestall the attack.  He argues that the protection money the Republic has paid thus far cost less than a single warship, and that it is a small price to pay to keep the peace.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 5: Building a Navy

Stardate 2103.01.01
Construction on the new space port is critical.  If the Republic is to recover from the previous pirate attacks, it needs a few quiet months to complete work.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 4: Bootstraps

Stardate 2102.03.03

Construction begins on Arcadia Prime Orbital Battery 1, but after a month, it is not even 20% completed.  The Republic hopes for a reprieve from the Grim Gang.  This is a critical time period.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 3: Back to Square One

Stardate 2102.01.01

Priorities are as follows:

• Build a Weapons Research Station
• Upgrade Arcadia Prime Space Port to Medium size
• Begin researching weapons
• Begin researching hyperdrive

In order to protect itself from pirates, the Republic begins a military buildup.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 2: Extortion and Treachery

Stardate 2101.03.28  The Gas Mining Station at Arcadia is completed, and construction of an Energy Research Station in orbit around Arcadia Prime begins. The Senate passes a bill to begin construction of a space navy in order to protect Arcadian assets, but the bill is vetoed by President Karl Bendu.  

"We seek only to explore the solar system in peace," says the President. "We have no need to sully space by weaponizing it." Arguments made by the opposition that our stations already have defensive weapons are ignored.

DW: Republic of Arcadia, Part 1: Baby Steps

Stardate 2100.03.21

The Republic of Arcadia (RA) has begun humanity's return to the stars.  After much debate, the Senate of the RA voted to begin construction of starships.  The first priority is to build a construction ship to facilitate the building of outposts, and to build several exploration vessels to explore the solar system. The home planet of Arcadia Prime orbits the magnificent gas giant Arcadia, so that will be the first target of exploration.  The RA also intends to examine the small vessel seen orbiting Arcadia.

Distant Worlds

Uh oh, I found another computer game.  I already have far too many demands on my time, and then I stumble upon Distant Worlds, a space grand strategy wargame.

Back in the 90s I fell in love with a 4x game called Stars!  There were essentially no graphics to it, but the game was about the strategy, not the graphics.  You explored the galaxy, sent out ships to colonize other planets, built up an economy while fending off attacks from alien races, and ultimately exterminated them to rule the galaxy.  Long after I had abandoned many other games, I kept coming back to Stars!.  There was a planned sequel called Stars: Supernova Genesis, which was billed as an improvement with the addition of cool graphics, but it was abandoned, and I was heartbroken.

Our Turn to Shoot

My World War II short story, Our Turn to Shoot, is now available at the Amazon Kindle Store.  It will be free for a short time, so hurry on over and pick it up!

In early 1942, while the Imperial Japanese Navy rampaged in the western Pacific and the East Indies, the US Navy was desperately attempting to recover from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. A raid by US Navy aircraft carriers on the Japanese-held Marshall Islands was a small but important step in showing the world that America was still in the fight.

Ensign Jim Novak is a dive bomber pilot on board USS Enterprise, eager for a chance to take the fight to the enemy. This will be his first mission to strike a blow against the Japanese, but it could also be his last...

Our Turn to Shoot is a short story of approximately 6,300 words.

First Foray into the Flames of War

Although I have bought some Flames of War stuff months ago, only recently have I actually been able to play it!  And even then it was the smallest of skirmishes, as I only had a short time in which to play, little time to refresh myself on the rules, and only the barest of armies ready for the tabletop. 

The Pirates of Alnari gets a new cover!

The Pirates of Alnari gets a new cover!  Recently I hired an great artist, Ander Plana, to make me a new cover.  He has also done some awesome work for my fellow author, Jack Badelaire, for his books Commando: Operation Arrowhead, and the recently released Commando: Operation Bedlam.

Here is is link to Ander's Deviant Art page, which has some really great stuff on it.  Check it out!

Book Review: The Children of Hurin

It has been several years since I last read The Lord of the Rings, and even longer since I last read The Silmarillion.  Returning to Middle-Earth was a better treat than I had at first expected.  The first time I had read The Silmarillion, in middle-school in the 1980s, I found it to be interesting, although tedious in places.  Two of the longest tales (and therefore the most tedious) were the tales Of Beren and Luthien and Of Turin Turambar.  I found that I just had to plow through them to "get on with the story" of the First Age.

Open Fire! Sturmgeschütz III

Here is my first German vehicle from the Flames of War Open Fire! boxed set, a Sturmgeschütz III.

Change is Coming...

 

When I created the Arcadia Prime blog in 2007, it was intended to be a home where I could post my Warhammer 40k Battle Reports, along with any other 40k-related posts I felt like writing. Yet soon I wanted to write about more than just battle reports.  I wanted to write hobby articles, showing my progress in painting miniatures, along with some tutorials.  My series on painting Imperial Guard camouflage has turned out to have some of my most popular posts.  But the more I strayed from the original "mission statement" of 40k Battle Reports, the more reluctant I was to post. 

The Pirates of Alnari is Free Today!

In honor of my daughter's 4th birthday, my fantasy novel The Pirates of Alnari is free on Amazon today.

So pick up a your free copy now!

Martyn and Arycke are two young nobles forced into hiding after experiencing an act of unspeakable violence. They buy passage on the Isalian frigate Selene, but after a bloody battle against two pirate vessels, Martyn and Arycke find themselves shipwrecked castaways along with a beautiful young woman, her ever-watchful grandfather, and the rest of the Selene's crew.

Unfortunately for the survivors, they now find themselves stranded within reach of the pirate city of Alnari. In short order, Martyn and Arycke find themselves fighting for their lives, not only against marauding bands of savage pirates, but mutinous elements within the Selene's own crew.

The shipwrecked survivors are dragged into a maelstrom of vengeance and intrigue, as rival pirate lords maneuver against each other for dominance over Alnari. Martyn, Arycke, and the rest of the Selene's crew will need every ounce of courage, cunning, and strength they possess if they hope to escape alive...

The Pirates of Alnari is a gritty fantasy adventure story filled with bloody naval battles and vicious sword fights, combining the cutthroat political intrigue of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire with the dashing nautical adventures of Patrick O’Brian.

Amazon US store: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon UK store: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Germany store: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon France store: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Canada store: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Italy store: http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Spain store: http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Brazil store: http://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00ACD1N1A/
Amazon Japan store: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00ACD1N1A/


And if you don't own a Kindle, no problem! You can download the free Kindle App for multiple platforms from Amazon here.

Painting M81 Woodland Tutorial

Here is my latest camouflage painting tutorial, and this time we go back to a classic, M81 Woodland Camouflage.  This camouflage was introduced to the US military in, you guessed it, 1981.  Since then it has become one of the most common camouflage patterns in the world. 

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter Three

The following is Chapter Three of my second novel submission to Black Library, entitled The Charge of the Danoans.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 2 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 3 is located here.

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter Two, Part 3

The following is Part 3 of Chapter Two of my second novel submission to Black Library, entitled The Charge of the Danoans.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 2 is located here.

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter Two, Part 2

The following is Part 2 of Chapter Two of my second novel submission to Black Library, entitled The Charge of the Danoans.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter Two, Part 1

The following is Part 1 of Chapter Two of my second novel submission to Black Library, entitled The Charge of the Danoans.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter One, Part 2

The following is Part 2 of Chapter One of my second novel submission to Black Library, entitled The Charge of the Danoans.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Writing: The Charge of the Danoans, Chapter One, Part 1

What follows is the first three chapters of The Charge of the Danoans, the second of my novel submissions to Black Library back in 2010.  I will be serializing the first three chapters in roughly 2,000-3,000 word blocks, posted every couple of days (typically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  The total length of the three chapters of The Charge of the Danoans is approximately 17,000 words.  

Here is the setting:  In the Arcadia Sector, the Tau Empire begins their attack on Imperial space with an invasion of the Imperial planet of Danoan.  Aware that Danoan's strategic position makes an attack on it likely, the Imperium has given it a small garrison of Imperial Guard in addition to the Planetary Defense Forces, but nowhere near enough.  The situation looks grim for the Imperial defenders as the Tau put their plan into motion...

Writing: Only War, Chapter Three, Part 3

The following is Part 1 of Chapter Three of my novel submission to Black Library, entitled Only War.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 3 is located here. 

Chapter One, Part 4 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 2 is located here.
Chapter Three, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter Three, Part 2 is located here.

Writing: Only War, Chapter Three, Part 2

The following is Part 2 of Chapter Three of my novel submission to Black Library, entitled Only War.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 3 is located here. 

Chapter One, Part 4 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 2 is located here.
Chapter Three, Part 1 is located here.

Writing: Only War, Chapter Three, Part 1

The following is Part 1 of Chapter Three of my novel submission to Black Library, entitled Only War.  

Chapter One, Part 1 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 2 is located here.

Chapter One, Part 3 is located here. 

Chapter One, Part 4 is located here.

Chapter Two, Part 1 is located here.
Chapter Two, Part 2 is located here.