Prometheus - a little disappointing?

Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen it yet!

Went to see Prometheus yesterday evening and left the cinema feeling more than a little disappointed.

An impressive film, yes, but I found it rather disjointed, with various subplots that seemed to lead nowhere or follow no logical course.  Not what I've come to expect from Ridley Scott.

Special effect were excellent, well acted, good production standards and I liked the ship and vehicles.  These explorers have taken the sensible approach and brought their own transport with them, unlike some we could mention (yes Outcasts, we're looking at you - what sort of colonists fail to bring any sort of mechanised transport or riding beasts with them?).  I'd say that the Old Crow Claymore APC would be a good match for the exploration rover.

It was also good to see some of the ideas that didn't quite make it into original Alien film finally appear; the breast-like alien mound, the hieroglyphics inside the central chamber.

What I didn't get was the crew mix.  As one character pointed out, they've spent trillions of credits getting them there so wouldn't they select a crew who had at least a remote interest in completing the mission?  Some were very keen but others displayed complete disinterest, the entire mission was unfocused and pretty aimless with no real leadership from anyone.  ("Oh, we've found an alien race?  Well, I'll just go back to the ship because I'm a geologist and if it's not a rock then I don't care!")  At least in Alien there was a reason for the disinterest, they were a commercial ship on a different mission, not an exploration vessel like Prometheus whose sole purpose was to investigate the possibility of alien life.

The whole pregnancy thing felt a bit shoehorned in - didn't she recover quickly after being stapled back together!  Why did the rest of the crew seem so unconcerned about her reappearance when she'd just knocked 2 unconscious, broken quarantine and turned up bloodstained and gooey after fighting off a mutant monster foetus?

Why did David infect the scientist if he wasn't going to watch to see how he developed/mutated?  There seemed to be no logic or purpose behind it.  I can accept that in this sort of film people are always going to venture into a dark room on their own or will peer closely at what is clearly a dangerous creature or object with no apparent concern for their safety, but there was too much that didn't make sense.

Why were the engineers/space jockeys so much smaller than the one from the original film?  Why did they leave the clues on Earth leading humans to somewhere that was only a small outpost?  What was with the carbon-dating of the alien corpses - don't you need a knowledge of the carbon cycle on a planet in order to carbon-date an item?  If these aliens came from elsewhere, then it doesn't even make a difference if you know the C14 levels in the atmosphere as they won't have been breathing it most of their lives!  DNA match to humans - what's that all about?  I don't think that they seeded earth and humans leapt fully formed out of the water, they had one of the scientists comment on decades of Darwinism being thrown out of the window but never bothered to address his question!  Suspension of disbelief is one thing but very bad science is quiet different!

In The Thing (John Carpenter version), they tried to do all the ideas they could think of and it worked.  Here they try to use all their ideas and they just don't seem to fit together.  Some scenes seem to have come from a different film.  Perhaps there is a "Director's Cut" waiting to appear with extra scenes that explain some of these things, who knows?

Overall grade for this film: C-  Some good ideas but too incoherent, directionless and inconclusive.


What does everyone else think?  Am I being too harsh or does anyone else think the same?

Broadside 2012

Just a quick advert for Broadside 2012, happening this Sunday (10th June) at the Swallows Leisure Centre, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 4NT.

Sadly it's not one I can make but if you're in the area I'm sure it'll be well worth a look!

Zombies!

 I got the USE-ME Zombie Dawn rules set from 15mm.co.uk a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to play it until now.  A very quick game featuring some GZG security & armed colonists trying to escape from a  horde of Rebel Minis zombies with additional unarmed GZG civilians standing in for extra zombies.

A 3-person mining crew from IMEC (Interstellar Mining & Extraction Consortium) have returned to the town to find it unusually quiet and apparently deserted.  They make their way to the company offices only to find them empty and apparently abandoned.  Suddenly a couple of security officers appear along with a civilian lugging a missile launcher - quick, some sort of plague epidemic, they must escape now!  As they turn to run back to their trucks on the far side of the town, the groaning hordes shamble into view...

(Zombies marked with a red zed!  Double-zombie bases are "zombie brutes", big extra-tough creatures.)

The group start their run back across the town...

 Thanks to some extremely poor shooting it took at least three turns before they hit any zombies!

Half way there - but more zombies in sight!

One of the IMEC crew is attacked by 2 zombies even as he gets within sight of the trucks!  Although he manages to kill one, he is severely wounded by the other.

Look out!

 The zombie hordes close in.  Surely the end is near?  Using the missile launcher at too short a range means that one of the IMEC crew is injured by the blast!  She has three zombies closing on her but only a pistol to defend herself.  After her string of misses and friendly-fire incidents, the civilian with the missile launcher succumbs to the zombies on the right - and immediately rises again as one of the undead!
 

A target rich environment - shame no-one can shoot straight!

The humans are getting overwhelmed, only 3 survivors left... and then the female IMEC employee falls to her three attackers.

More zombies follow the blood trails round the corner.

The female cop decides to split, abandoning the last wounded IMEC employee to his fate.

Surrounded, he is torn apart by zombies!

Within metres of the trucks, the security officer is also overwhelmed and devoured!

Too late!  The last survivor goes to her grisly fate!

All 6 survivors have been killed (though 3 have re-animated to join the zombie horde).

With no-one to carry warning of the outbreak, what will happen next?

A fun little game, easy rules to use though a couple of bits don't seem to make sense but I'm sure it'll become easier with the next game.

Power Armour

The latest powered armour suits are currently being issued to units.  These new suits retain the features which have made power armour so effective but add new abilities to enhance their effectiveness.  It is envisaged that the 2 types of armour will function alongside each other for many years to come.  Though similar in appearance, there is little commonality of parts between the 2 designs, so they will not tend to be mixed within units.

Left to right: missile trooper, standard trooper, tribarrel SAW gunner

The older suits have a characteristically chunky appearance with the head sunk between the shoulders for added protection.

Rear view of old style power armour

Different back mounted pods provide attachment points for missile pods, SAW ammo packs or other useful items.

New style power armour equipped with grenade launchers (left) and LSWs (right)

The new suits have lowered the shoulders, resulting in an increase in situational awareness from the better view.  With newer technologies, the armour can be slimmer and more flexible without sacrificing any protection.  Units tend to be equipped with an even split of light support weapons and grenade launchers.

Rear view of new style armour showing manoeuvre packs

An enhanced firepower and manoeuverability pack adds to the effectiveness of the new armour.  In addition to making it jump capable, the pack includes 2 triple barrelled grenade launchers, one firing over each shoulder.  The grenades will usually be either smoke or high explosive depending upon mission requirements.

Comparison shot of old and new style power armour suits

These are the old & new versions of Ground Zero Games' NAC Power Armour.  They're painted in the same standard brown/grey/green camo as my other NAC troops.

My Tomorrow's War stats:

Old style armour:
Confidence: High
Supply Level: Normal
Tech Level: 2
Grid: Yes
Armour: Powered 3D
TQ/Morale: D10/D10
Weapons: Basic troops have assault rifle
Special troopers have either:
Tribarrel SAW (Med AP:2)
Missile pods (AP:2 AT:1(L))
Notes:
Advanced Sensors
Active Trauma Treatment
Intimidating
Inspiring


New style armour:
Confidence: High
Supply Level: Normal
Tech Level:3
Grid: Yes
Armour: Powered 3D
TQ/Morale: D10/D10
Weapons:
Troops have either LSW (AP:1)
or Grenade Launcher (AP:2 ATL:1(L)
Notes:
Advanced Sensors
Active Trauma Treatment
Intimidating
Inspiring

Manoeuvre pack adds:
Shoulder Grenade Launchers (AP:1 AT:1(L))
Makes armour jump capable (Move 8" standard / 16" rapid)

Combat Cyborgs

Combat cyborgs are a smaller and less extreme form of militarised cyborg.  While an Assault Cyborg towers over a normal human and is considerably more bulky, a Combat Cyborg is little different in terms of build and height to a human wearing full body armour.  Although these smaller cyborgs do not carry as much armour as their larger companions, they are still far tougher than a normal human, and with built in medical systems they are capable of surviving injuries that would incapacitate anyone else.

 Although physically smaller and less overpowering than the big Assault Cyborgs, Combat Cyborgs have the potential to be just as problematic politically.  Though their general deployment is not as difficult, their smaller size lends them to a covert role that can have major political ramifications.  Rumours of Cyborg "kill squads" being released behind enemy lines have the potential to bring any military force using them into disrepute.  Lightweight Cyborg support units operating in a warzone with their unaugmented counterparts are generally considered acceptable; undercover assassination units operating in civilian areas with the potential for huge collateral damage is another matter altogether.

My Combat Cyborgs will be analogous to a human in light powered armour.
They will generally be of high quality and high morale.  Although it doesn't always follow that more money equals better quality, cybernetic troops are so specialised that in this case it is true.  Cyborgs naturally tend to feel superior to normal troops and are aware that they can take significantly more punishment.  They will also tend to be confident in their own abilities and weapon systems.

Tomorrow's War stats:

Confidence: High

Supply Quality Level: Normal to High (varies depending upon mission)

Overall Tech Level: 2

On Grid? Yes

Body Armour: Tech Level 2 integral hard body shell (1D) (2D with skeletal augmentation - see below)

Troop Quality/Morale: D10/D10

Weapons:

Medium advanced ballistic support weapon: TL2 ABW, Med, AP:3 (stats already include +1D firepower for advanced ballistic weapon.  Will also add +1 to die roll when rolling on vehicle damage table)

Unit Attributes:

Advanced Sensors (+1 Die shift when trying to spot enemy units, double optimum range for spotting (becomes 20"), night vision system)

Hard to Kill (Roll D6 when unit takes casualty; 5+ they are uninjured, do not count as a casualty for morale. 1-4 treated as a normal casualty.  Survival roll cannot be made against any weapon with unmodified firepower of 3D+)

Old School (Will not become pinned or lose confidence if the grid goes down)

Physical Augmentation: Active Trauma Treatment Nanites (allows advanced first aid check even if no-one present to administer aid)

Physical Augmentation: Skeletal Augmentation (+1D armour)

Optional extras:

Some Cyborgs have retractable blades or other weapons built in to their bodies, these will count as Natural Weapons, giving a bonus die in close combat.

Marine directing Cyborg troops

I've painted the cyborgs in my usual brown with black wash, grey & green drybrush camo so that they match my NAC Marines & their associated vehicles.  They've all been mounted on washers to match my other figures.

Red Cyborg

 Having opted for 2 squads of 4, I have a couple of cyborgs left over.  One is red, a tribute to the old Palladium Rifts Red Borgs.  This could end up as the main protagonist in a game, an elite enforcer leading a group of lesser troops in some nefarious purpose.

Blue Cyborg

On the other hand, my blue cyborg is likely to end up supporting some security forces, perhaps on an isolated backwater world where law enforcement will need some extra muscle.

Zombie Hunters

Some more figures from The Scene, 3 male zombie hunters/survivalists.

Left to right: ZH006, ZH002, ZH004

 Loads of detail, though the similarity of the basic figure is obvious when they're all standing together.  Still, when mixed in amongst plenty of other civilians they'll be fine.

Now I just need to paint some more zombies for them to hunt!

Size comparison between The Scene figure and GZG armed civilian

Head swaps

 First an apology for misleading you - the fellow on the left isn't a head swap at all, he's just a Rebel Minis street punk (can't remember which pack he came from) that I though I may as well throw in with the other two.

The real subjects of this post are a pair of GZG armed colonists/civilans from SG15-V07 and SG15-V08.  I've used a couple of the gas mask heads from SG15-XH2.  Existing heads were carefully cut off and saved for re-use elsewhere.  A hole was drilled down into the torso and the head clipped from its sprue leaving a 5mm stalk to drop into the hole.  A blob of epoxy resin to seal it in place and it's all finished.

I'm particularly pleased with the way that the aiming figure has turned out.  Rather sinister...