Patrol Angis Errata a free eight page download

A treat before Christmas for Ion Fans. In the works for several months and a result of four years of play across the world from three books we present the Errata for Patrol Angis. Written and collated by Aris Kolehmainen it follows up on the expansion to the free Shia Khan Empire article (see that HERE) and gives clarifications, examples, suggestions, revisions and more. Well worth a festive season peruse if you play the game. If you would like to see all of our free files on the website go HERE and for the game books in print and as downloads as well as a game pack go HERE. 

The Patrol Angis Errata 

An eight page free article which outlines answers to common questions and much more for the Patrol Angis series. Covering the core book as well as Callsign Taranis and elements of The Khanate Return plus other minor armies it is the result of four years of play. Compiled by Aris Kolehmainen its contents Download the article from our website by CLICKING HERE. As with all expansions you are free to integrate these amendments to the published books or to ignore them within your playing group. 

We have no further news or releases planned in December and we are working on the new awesome for 2019. We do have a December Offer through for you all to enjoy if you fancy stocking up with goodies before 1st January 2019. Read the details in full on our blog HERE but in essence we will give you 100 Reward Points bonus on every order placed and every time you order a Platoon Pack (a whole force with an additional free unique miniature) from any faction we will add one Bike (worth 2.25GBP) to your package as a treat. Go to the website.

I have been working on an article for Magogs in Patrol Angis with new pictures and additional content on top of what is in Callsign Taranis on these giant machines. It is far from finished but if you have anything on these mecha you would like to see included or questions to ask please do so. Tell me by email to info@theionage.com. 

So all that remains is for me and the little team here to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

GBS

Percival Sparkletrout mixes it up with Battlesuit conversion

I was delighted to see the end result of a great conversion process that 15mm science fiction wargaming fan Percival Sparkletrout showed off two weeks ago and he kindly gave permission for us to share the results on our blog too. What does happen with you take the arms and tri-barrel gun of the Jade Ape Battlesuit and mount them on the body of a Steornede Battlesuit? Now we know. It is awesome! 

Painted up in a fetching deep orange and black scheme with hazard stripes and a white pilots front hatch the conversion looks menacing with its long arms and hands rather than the typical twin cannons or twin missile pods. The idea was a battlesuit as an armoured and armed power loader (part fighter part factory worker) so that the civilian population had some muscle when the Shia Khan or any other Xenos invade their cities. I was told that a little modelling was required for the conversion but it was not a lot. Some carving to widen the sockets for the arms into the resin body of the Steornede and the drilling of a small hole into the top of the battlesuit to mount the three barrelled gun. It has occurred to myself and others that you could do this conversion the other way around and take the body of the Jade Ape Battlesuit and mount the twin Anda Missile Pods or twin Moth Cannons onto it from the Steornede kit. I have not seen this but I have tried it loosely with the parts and it looks good and works well. 

IAF118 Jade Ape Battlesuit 

The Sanbao or Trade Fleet Soldiers of the Xin Hegemony operate Battlesuits in fire-teams of three or singly. This pack contains one multiple part 15mm white metal and resin battlesuit miniature. The Guaiwu II or 'Jade Ape' has twin duties of battle and cargo handling with massive upper body strength. It has a shoulder mounted three barrelled heavy Gonglu support blaster. A big brother for your Sanbao trade fleet soldiers. The miniature is supplied in four pieces and is easy to assemble. The arms may be mounted in varied poses, low, medium or high. Assembled the miniature is 35mm tall to top of body. See it HERE. 

IAF072 Steornede Battlesuit 

The defence forces of the Prydian Precinct have their own battlesuit to put them on an equal footing with those who would invade or insurrection their homes. The Steornede is that battlesuit in two variants. This code comprises a highly detailed 15mm scale miniature which is approx 30mm tall supplied as a one piece resin body and two separate white metal arms mounting Anda 60mm missile pods (IAF072A) or Moth 88 Cannons (IAF072B). Suitable for use in many different settings it is excellent back up for your infantry. See it HERE. 

If you enjoyed this conversion article and would like to try out your own conversions of these battlesuits then you can! If you place an order which includes either of these battlesuits in any quantity and you wish to get different arms just send an email to info@theionage.com titled with your order number and tell us which arms you would like with the battlesuit you ordered. The Arms of the Jade Ape, the Twin Cannons or the Twin Missile Pods. We will then supply the chosen arms with the ordered battlesuit at no extra cost. We would enjoy seeing the painted results too! 

We will make our last release of the month later this week. The whole platoon of Muster Patrol including the new all female squad and extra free unique miniature in the platoon pack. Watch out for this! 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Arcticon 2018 Tournament Event for Patrol Angis as a download

There is nothing quite like the landing of a portable castle, Julian thought as the rumbling beneath his feet increased. Some meters below him, gigantic counter-thrusters were fighting against the gravity of Arcticonus Prime, slowing their descent from their orbital drop. This wasn’t his first time deploying from orbit, but this was the farthest he had ever been from his home system. Around him, strapped tightly into their drop harness’ were the men and women of the 32nd Prydian Muster Battalion, colloquially known as the “Bloody 32nd”. The unit patch was displayed on every shoulder he could see, and upon the door of their mobile barracks; a grim reaper with a bloody scythe, below that was the platoon’s motto “They’ll pay their due, to Thirty-two”. 

Julian leaned back as far as he could and closed his eyes. Sarge had gotten them though worse than this. A lot worse. This time though, the wouldn’t be alone. Noble Retained and Dysteria shared this portable castle with them along with a battalion of the revered Duxis Battlesuits. The thought if those mighty battle machines put him somewhat at ease as the rumbling began to lessen. The lights in the room suddenly went yellow; the castle had landed. The harnesses burst upwards, releasing the Muster from their restraints. Sarge called for weapons check, before hitting a button on the wall, giving Command the “ready” signal. Julian took a deep breath, “Here we go.” - Taken from the campaign for the Arcticonus System (as played at Arction 2018) 

It is my great delight to present to you some images and the free download from the Arcticon 2018 event in the United States where a Patrol Angis event was put on and greatly enjoyed. We sponsored this event and gave prizes to the winners. To tell you more here is Aris Kolehmainen with his account of the day and the PDF of the campaign for the tournament hosted on our website. We will return next week with our releases for this month. GBS 

Back in March of this year, I featured a Patrol: Angis demo and tournament at a local charity convention here in Indiana called ArctiCon. Along with getting a lot of positive interest from passers by, we had an awesome showing from our little growing Patrol Angis community. The tournament was simple: Three games with objective points, highest points at the end of the three games would be declared winner. Further, this particular tournament was designed with new players in mind, balanced in such a way that someone could viably compete with models from the starter kit alone. In agreement with the guys at The Ion Age you can now download the three page document by clicking HERE. You will need miniatures and of course your game books but that is all explained in the PDF. Have fun playing this year’s tournament rules! 

Game play from the day as players fought for control of Arcticonus Prime. Duxis Battlesuits stride the field! 

The winners of the day! Prizes were given out to the guys who are Dave Alsager (on the right) and Roger Rexroad (on the left). 

Thanks for Reading!

Stone Cold Lead paints up 28mm Noble of Prydia

“Across the Prydian Precinct a civil war rages for control of the throne. Marchers Barons who control entire world or even stellar systems raise mighty armies of Retained Knights and Muster before send them to contest the realms of their enemies. In the hierarchy of each knightly regiment the positions of supreme importance are given to Nobles. It is the Nobles who lead from the front in the finest of powered armours and fly the glittering banners of their baronies. Splendid they are and terrible in their wrath upon the field.” 

It is my pleasure to present, following on the heels of the release of our new value platoon packs, the superb brush skills of Simon Bradley of Stone Cold Lead figure painting his interpretation of a Prydian Noble in 28mm scale. He features his work on his own Facebook page HERE which you can check out. Painted to a very high level of finish the miniature shown is IA103 Noble with Carnwennan Pistol (taken from pack IB27 Nobles of Prydia pose 2) in a simple colour scheme which really brings out the detail and soul of this leader of knights. The figure stands well over 30mm tall as it is a Noble and is a fine centre piece for a 28mm force. Here are some shots of Simon's work including a scale shot with a classic Citadel figure. 

You may not realise this but our huge 28mm range of Prydian and Shia Khan miniatures has been almost totally replicated in the popular 15mm scale too and this includes the Prydian Noble who is the subject of this article. It is the middle pose in the pack. 

IAF157 Nobles of Prydia 

This pack contains three different 15mm nobles of the Precinct ideal to command your lances all wearing elaborate Alwite powered armour and carrying a mix of energy melee weapons and Carnwennan Pistol. A Noble leaning forward with decorate helm and Carnwennan Pistol. A Noble preparing Carnwennan Pistol. A Noble running with Carnwennan Pistol and plumed helm. Ideal for characters in the Prydian Army or any other force which uses Retained Knights such as the League of Yordan or League of Canlaster. Just choose your uniform. You have the option of purchasing a pack or three packs saving 10% or single poses from the pack for your collection. Price 3.00GBP per pack. Go HERE. 

We shall return later in the month with an update from Aris all about his games of Patrol Angis at the Articon event! 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Larry Boester fields the mighty Tohlic Armoured Crawler

“The Shia Khan thought they could take what they wanted from the isolated Badlands of Cahokia Prime. They thought the Piasa had abandoned their ancient lands. They're about to be proven wrong...”

Following up on yesterday where we presented new artwork by an IonFan we now have a veteran wargamer in the scale and genre of 15mm science fiction being kind enough to show off his Tohlic Armoured Crawler before it sees battle (and paint) in the Prydian Precinct.  Larry Boester often makes me laugh with his comments and ideas as he expands his collection of 15mm scale miniatures and vehicles and while he loves Lifter (Hover) type propulsion the most he is also partial to tracks from time to time.  

“The Tohlic Crawler is a beautiful beast. I just love that it LOOKS like it's a home to an entire platoon of boots or a trio of walkers.”

As you can see the Tohlic really appeals for the reason that Larry puts forward himself.  It has real presence upon the gaming table and it looks like it really could hold an entire Cold Climes Planetary Militia Platoon transporting it to battle.  That indeed is partly shown in the last picture with a Planetary Militia Platoon on Movement Trays arranged around the monster.  Thanks Larry for permitting this share of your pictures.

If you are keen on learning more about our largest vehicle kit here are its details.  We also have stowage and bolt on pieces along the lines of those shown in Larry's pictures in IAF065 Adder Conversion Kit; you can get a pack or single pieces from it.

IAF146 Tohlic Armoured Crawler

This code contains all the parts required to assemble one large 15mm scale long distance armoured personnel carrier. Used for deep recon it can carry an entire platoon of troops or three battlesuits or combinations thereof operating for weeks away from base. Favoured by Planetary Defence forces but also used by Muster and Retained on suitably frozen worlds the Tohlic is composed of nine parts cast in high quality grey tone resin and white metal.

These are the forward hull, the rear hull, the left track unit, the right track unit, exhaust mount 1, exhaust mount 2, Turret 1 (Anda Missile Pod) and Turret 2 (Moth Rotary Cannon). Supplied with two different turrets to use and since they use the standard turret ring they will also fit onto other Ion Age vehicles and structures. This kit is easy to assemble and durable for use on table. When assembled the Tohlic is approx 105mm long and 40mm tall; it is a large vehicle.  Go HERE.

Thanks for Reading and see you soon for the new Superblue tank killer variant Adder!

GBS

Sinews of War blog on an Ion Age adventure

It always gives me great pleasure to learn of a new blog or other place where wargamers are enjoying The Ion Age and when Bugbear contacted me about his recently begun site 'Sinews of War' I had to check it out.  It is a place with a lot of energy and sense of purpose.  Go HERE and have a look.

“Attack Orbs.What image does that phrase bring to mind, if it is not large, deadly ‘monowheel’ killer machines, there is probably something wrong with your mental imagery.”

The most recent update on the Sinews of War concerned the authors new collection of Khanate Attack Orbs such as the Sphera.  A dozen added to his Shia Khan ready to roll out and crush the puny Prydian Army who resist them.

“When I started with Patrol Angis, I realised that I had almost no scenery. So I dug out some tree’s (see Forestry Post) and ordered some buildings from Ion Age. I ordered what I consider quite a large batch of buildings, Cratered Hab Dome, Smashed Hab Dome,Tower Module, Hab Dome, Landing Pad, Block House and Command Dome. They arrived promptly, and I got to work”

There are other postings such as beginning in Ion Age terrain with Hab Domes and Tower Modules for Bugbear's gaming table and talking about Maligs and their Ordos platoon pack and Infernus Ball Tank.  As well as musings on the Khanate Empire.  The blog is well with bookmarking and have a read.  I will be a regular reader. Go HERE.

If you have a blog or other online place where you play Patrol Angis or have painted up our miniatures or written about them or some fiction please do let me know by email to info@theionage.com or in comments.  Plus you can join the Facebook group I run called Alternative Armies Tabletop Gaming Group where we often talk about Patrol Angis.

Next week the full Ordos platoon pack of Beotan space Werewolves are released!  Our main release for the month.  A new pack of rifle poses plus the platoon which includes an additional free unique miniature.  I know many of you have been waiting for them so it is not long at all now.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

The Great Space Opera Blog campaigns in The Ion Age

With the festive season upon us and the snow falling it gives me great pleasure to present this short article on a brand new blog which is all about a new campaign set in the universe of The Ion Age. Rhys contacted me a couple of weeks ago and told me of his new campaign which is being played out on his The Great Space Opera Blog part by part. It has not taken long for Rhys to become fascinated with the Prydian Precinct and the civil war which has torn it apart and I have greatly enjoyed reading his plans and his reviews too. Go HERE for the blog or read on for more about what has occurred thus far.  

Beginning with an outline of the characteristics of his planned campaign Rhys lays out where he will go and what will happen. See that HERE. 

From there he looks at the contents of the excellent value Patrol Angis game pack which gives you all you need to begin playing in one box. This article is HERE and he talks about the contents of the game pack and then shows off his own painted set of Prydian Army and Yordists. Infantry, Portable Weapon with Gunners, Personalities and Battlesuits as well as the unique Knight Errant which you get only in the game pack. I give one picture here but there are many more in the blog post.

Prydian Intelligence Services Despatch (P.I.S.D.). Outpost Ajax has recently received re-enforcements to its expeditionary force pool. The re-enforcements consist of a detached unit of female retained knights with Angis rifles as well as heavy weapons support. In addition to this, an Espaten weapons platform has also been in-loaded with its specially trained Retained Knight crew of 2. These re-enforcements are a welcome addition to the Prydian force pool. This blog post speaks of the battle on Hertford Prime starting to heat up as reinforcements arrive from off world to join the campaign. Go HERE. An Espaten Portable Weapon Platform and a pack of Female Retained Knights. Have a gander and read on.

The most recent Ion Age posting on the Great Space Opera Blog is about one of our most favoured codes in the 15mm range; the Duxis Battlesuit. Deciding that the Prydian Army on Hertford Prime needed more muscle to take on the Marcher Baron threat three of the machines are now in the red and white. Go HERE. The campaign is starting to take off now and I am sure in 2018 there will be the rattle of Angis fire as the Throne attempts to take the world back for the forces of good

Keep an eye on The Great Space Opera Blog. I am enjoying the build up to the campaign taking place. If I were to guess on where Rhys will go next in terms of expanding his forces it would be in the area of bikes. The Burgeon Grav Bike gives Retained Knights a lot of mobility and fits right in with the open world and skirmish level of play which is going on. 

Where ever you are in the world..or indeed in the universe a happy holiday season to you from all of us here! 

 Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Here are all the free Ion Age files for Patrol Angis!

As well as our print and digital paid download game books we at The Ion Age also have some free files for download.  All of these were hosted on our Dropbox but that has changed and now they are all free for the taking directly from our website.  

You can go HERE and browse the pages looking for 'HERE' links or use the listing in this short article to get what you want now.  Enjoy!

The Patrol Angis Game System

There is a folder of free resources for Patrol Angis.  Download HERE. 

Download a free Scenario set just after the events of 'Return of the Khanate' HERE.

Go to our 15mm Publications page for some external links to independent reviews and such for Patrol Angis.

Playing a minor faction in Patrol Angis.  

We have play test rules and mechanics for several new factions which are outside of the books.  Get these downloads now.

The Prang

There are two free articles for the alien Prang.  Get the Prang Army HERE and the Prang Raiders HERE.

The Xin Hegemony

An interstellar trade fleet back in contact with the rest of Humanity.  Get the Xin HERE.

The Planetary Militia

A play test article which came out before The Khanate Return.  Have a look HERE.

We hope you have fun with Patrol Angis and these free downloads.  If you have suggestions for future free articles please do let me know with a comment or an email to info@theionage.com .  I am always happy to speak with an IonFan.

More news and fun space opera style real soon!

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Patrol Angis expanded QRS by Jason Smith

With the core book in the series Patrol Angis of fast paced skirmish space opera warfare now in its third print run it is my great pleasure to present to all the players of the game out there a new Quick Reference Sheet (QRS).  Created by Jason Smith who is a big fan of Patrol Angis this QRS locks in with the core game and gives you an in depth tool to aid in playing.

Download the QRS from our Dropbox folder for free by clicking HERE.

If you would like to learn more about the Patrol Angis game system as well as getting more free files and links to reviews and other articles please visit the website on our 15mm Publications page HERE.

You can begin in the game with the book in print or as a digital download or as a book with a game pack for excellent value.  See the contents above.  The game pack also gives you a special miniature only found in that set.  A Retained Knight Errant with an Angis 12.5mm AP Pistol.  Excellent!

Thanks Jason for putting together this excellent resource for the game.  May the D8's always roll true for you!

GBS

Condot of the Red Hand Mercenaries by Christian Cuello

It is my pleasure to present an article set in The Ion Age by Christian Cuello all about his Red Hand Mercenaries that make use of the special Rewards Points reward Commander Murdo Taranis Tank (read about that HERE) or see our range of super heavy 15mm tanks HERE.  Enjoy the article and well done Christian!  GBS

Condot of the Red Hand Mercenaries

Villains. Pirates. Scum. Mercenaries - in every sense of the word. The worst of the opportunistic guns for hire of the Prydian precinct can be found in the ranks of the Red Hand, a mercenary condot under the leadership of the self-appointed Count Roderic of Ispalia XII, one moon of the many planetoids condemned to oblivion by the Civil War that continues to tear the galaxy apart. Now almost totally uninhabitable, the husk of this devastated home-world lives on only as a fragment occupied by the fortress city that provides safe haven for those escaping Prydian authority.

Simply put, the ranks of the Red Hand are filled by criminals, the appellation earned by their inconspicuous attire and reputation. And for this reason there is no shortage of opportunity for employment. A constant stream of envoys vies for the services that the Red Hand provides: perhaps an ambitious Baron seeing to expand their rule, or a usurper seeking to surreptitiously obtain a measure of power for themselves, or a merchant seeking protection while undertaking dubious transactions on the fringes of inhabited space. And yet, even the most powerful warlords of the galaxy may be surprised to find themselves looking down the barrel of a laser rifle held by a blood-red gauntlet, betrayed at the last moment by a mere matter of credits.

As long as there is conflict in the universe, there will be individuals like Count Roderic who seek to profit from the discord. And should peace be realised, it would be short-lived. For there is no shortage of antagonists - human or otherwise - in this theatre of war.

My forays into the world of the Ion Age is by way of my mercenary force, the Red Hand. It has been an enjoyable experience, and after a bit of muddling about in the early stages (as with any game) it was very easy to get into. Everything is just too good not to paint and play with! The rules lend themselves to creative and scenario driven force composition so I’ve literally picked out the figures that I just thought looked “coolest”. You may recall this post on the Ion Age BLOG a little while ago.

Keeping the paint scheme relatively simple I’ve been able to churn out something close to a mixed infantry and vehicle platoon in game terms. I will probably go into more detail about the platoon in another write-up but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get stuck into the Taranis. The king of the battlefield in the Ion Age, I was fortunate enough to receive the special variant available through the reward scheme through the Ion Age store. I can tell you now it was surprisingly easy to work up the points!

The Commander Murdo special variant of the Taranis has two mighty hi-explosive Ron cannons, a rotary Moth 88, and a pintle-mounted machine gun. For the uninitiated: it’s a beast. 

I’d had the model for some time before working myself up to building and painting it, and I wish I’d had it done sooner. The tank comes in six pieces which may require a bit of tidying up. Fortunately the resin it is made from is high quality and is very responsive to cutting, shaving and sanding, so it shouldn’t be a problem for a slightly more than beginner level modeller. Here it is in pieces just after tidying up and before putting it together:

And here it is before a base coat. You’ll notice some space between the tracked sponson and hull. This was fixed with a very small amount of wood putty which sanded down and blends right in to the rest of the model. Here you can see it with a black undercoat:

And here are some progress shots:

At this point I’ve left the tank at a “showroom” condition paint job, but really do want to try my hand at some weathering. I’ve kept the paint scheme relatively simple but it really is a blank canvas for all sorts of camo, battle-damage, and squad markings.

This was a great kit to put together and I’m really looking forward to fielding this in our games.

As the harsh Sun beats down on the surface of Mars (or a planet very like it...since Mars is deep within the heart of the dreaded Imperial Commonweath), final diagnostics on the Taranis are carried out…

Video play of Patrol Angis by Dorkside Cookies

At the weekend a new video was put up giving a look at some play of Patrol Angis the central title in 15mm scale Ion Age tabletop gaming.  Dorkside Cookies and Jason made a really nice video with the play though of one of the three scenarios given in the book for the starter set. Enjoy!

You can see all the books as print and download in the Patrol Angis series on our website HERE.

I enjoyed the video speaking as the creator of the rules system.  I have played with a dozen different gamers and have seen a dozen games played and heard of a great many more.  It was well explained and got the game over well.  Patrol Angis is a vicious game of space opera combat and it scales up well in use of Infantry to Battlesuits to bigger vehicles and more forces.  Like most games the more you play the easier you find the progress of play.  Some players find it hard to accept the base 2+ to hit meaning its normally hard to miss a target.  Jason played scenario one 'Stalking in the Forest' and found it challenging as the Prydian player which is odd to me personally as during testing and since the white and red win more than 50% of the time.  Tactics are vital against Battlesuits and use of cover too.  I did it by being in the woods at all times and using Anvil 888 plus precise fire actions from larger Troop Elements and targeting the closest Yordan suit each activation with little movement favouring ranged fire precise until the way was clear.  A lot comes down to terrain placement and to the use of support grade weapons as battlesuits are tough for infantry only forces if caught in the open. 

I do hope Jason plays on and decides to scale up to Callsign Taranis or to get into the Shia Khan when the new book is released.  I also hope he finds an opponent for his regular gaming.  I have a small circle but often play solo also.

Thanks Jason!

GBS