MicroFleet: Triplanetary

The usual disclaimer:  Triplanetary is currently the property of Steve Jackson Games.  The below content is mine alone and doesn't represent any official position, endorsement, etc., by SJG.  Please don't sue me.

Back in 1973, Games Designers' Workshop released an innovative space combat game called Triplanetary, which was designed by Marc Miller of Traveller fame.  After GDW closed its doors, Steve Jackson Games picked up the rights to Triplanetary and re-released it through a 2018 Kickstarter.

Last summer, I got a request from a fan of the game to design miniatures for the game using my MicroFleet bases, which are 1/2" across and could be used on both the original map and the 2018 version.  The fun part of this project is that I had to work from nothing but silhouettes:

For me, this means that I had some freedom to innovate within the bounds of the top-down silhouettes.  Here's what I came up with.

First, a group shot with a US quarter, a British Pound coin, and a Euro penny.

First, the combatants.  You'll note the ball turrets;  the number of turrets corresponds to the ships' Combat Strength, for ease of visual reference.

Next, the auxiliary ships:

And finally, the markers, which includes mines, nukes, torpedoes, and lifeboats:

These will eventually be available for sale (without using the trademarked Triplanetary name) as printable STLs on my MiniHoarder and CGTrader pages.

MicroFleet Update: The Do'Minions

The Do'Minion fleet was somewhat challenging because the inspirational material is fairly limited.  Still, I gave it my best shot and I think they turned out okay.

https://www.shapeways.com/search?q=Do%27Minion

MicroFleet update: The Tridrans, Cardashians, and a Cease & Desist Order

First, the good news. 


First, after a discussion thread on the Lead Adventure forums, I decided to whip up a starter pack, which I'm calling the "MicroFleet Skirmish Pack".  It includes five ships from each of three different factions and a starbase for them to fight over!  I figure this may help give some folks the opportunity to try playing a few games with these teensy-tiny ships before deciding if they want to invest in more of them.

Second, two new MicroFleet factions are nearly ready to make their debut!  First up, we have the Tridrans, a race of aliens always ready for a good scrap. 

And a group shot, with a US quarter and British 1-Pound coin for comparison:

Our second faction coming soon is the feared Cardashians!  Fresh from their reality show, "Keeping Up With the Bajorans", the Cardashians bring a little different aesthetic to the MicroFleet line.  It was a challenge to add meaningful detail while still staying within the parameters required by Shapeways for these to print successfully, but I think they turned out okay.

And the obligatory group shot:

And now on to the bad news. 

Shapeways recently received a takedown notice from Amarillo Design Bureau, owned and operated by Steven V. Cole, alleging that my MicroFleet designs were infringing on his copyrights.  Shapeways has taken nearly all the MicroFleet stuff off my storefront until we get things sorted out, but I've already sent a counter-notice to them and hopefully those products will be back up in the next couple weeks.  There is still the possibility that Mr. Cole will take me to court over this, but I really hope not.  I actually don't think he could prevail, given that he himself has publicly admitted that his agreement with CBS/Paramount is not an official license.

What annoys me the most about this brouhaha is that Mr. Cole's agreement with CBS/Paramount applies only to those items in the Star Trek universe that were developed prior to 1979 or thereabouts, but Shapeways pulled nearly everything off my site, including those items which are based on The Next Generation or the Starfleet Command series of PC games.

Anyway, I'll keep you, my legions of loyal fans, posted about what comes of this, so I hope neither of you lose any sleep over it!

MicroFleet Update: The Leerans

So!  Continuing with the expansion of the MicroFleet line, here we have the Leerans. 

Now for a group shot (as usual, with a US quarter and 1 Pound coin):

And here are the three fleet packs.  First, the Carrier Battle Group:

The Heavy Battle Group:

And the Fast Attack Group:

All are now available on Shapeways!

https://www.shapeways.com/search?q=leeran