In my post 'new-toys-from-salute-2012-pt-2', I ended with a threat to post about the Edwardian spaceships that I got at Salute. Well I've been cleaning them up but - and I have no idea why - haven't been able to bring myself to glue them together as yet :(
So, rather than put pictures of them up, I thought I'd give some more information on them instead, as a mild teaser, perhaps. They are all from Brigade Models' Iron Stars range - specifically the Austro-Hungarian and Russian models - and were designed for use with Majestic 12 Games 'Iron Stars' rules. I've had these rules for longer than I care to admit, and despite really liking them and the background within them, I've never done anything with them :( ... so, I resolved to change that before Salute and ordered a pile of the ships which I got from Brigade at the con.
The 'World of Iron Stars' is one where Cavorite was invented in 1899 and the Martians invaded - but unlike HG Well's story, here their cylinders landed not just near London, but also by Paris, New York, Chicago, and Berlin (yes - M12 are an American company ...). Add in a few political consequences of the Martian War occurring at the same time as some terrestrial conflicts (e.g. the Boxer Rebellion and the Boer War) and the Earth is very different to that of our history ...
I had thought that I knew the story of 'War of the Worlds' (having seen both films and listened to Jeff Wayne's musical version many times), but decided to actually read the book anyway as 'research' for Iron Stars. I have to say that I wish I'd read it a long time ago - as usual with books made into films, there is so much missed out and it is so much better! I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Sci-Fi or apocalyptic wargaming - apocalyptic wargaming due to the descriptions of a deserted London; very evocative.