In Her Majesty’s Name

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

If you had asked me several years ago “Are you into Steampunk wargaming?” I’d have said a flat “No”, largely because it just didn’t appeal to me at the time, but also because I hadn’t really researched into what Steampunk wargaming really was. I just thought it was stuff like Malifaux and Twisted, where everything is really creepy Victorian horror and the whole thing looks really messed up. However, more recently I have taken up researching into the genre in my (very limited) spare time and have found that it really features two categories (I would tell you how I became inspired to look more into it, but that’s another story):
Victorian Sci-Fi: This is more oriented around the theme of the Victorian world as it was but with more advanced technology as crazed inventors start producing bonkers steam and electricity-powered weapons and machines - think along the lines of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells type settings. There are monsters too, but they’re more based on mythological and fantastical beasts and they’re fewer and further between.
Victorian Horror: This is the aforementioned version where the whole setting is considerably darker and weirder with all sorts of creepy and disgusting mutants all fighting each other in twisted parodies of Victorian fiction.

Anyway, In Her Majesty’s Name is the first ruleset I’ve found based on the former of these categories, and to be honest, this is a lot more my thing, being a fan of H.G. Wells myself. It looks a lot of fun - it’s a skirmish game similar to Necromunda in some ways, but with far more freedom to create your own custom gang, or Company as it’s called in IHMN. The points system facilitates this by allowing you to basically build your characters’ profiles from the bottom up, as it charges you a certain number of points depending upon how good your character’s Pluck (basically saving throw) is, how high their fighting and shooting modifiers are, how agile they are, what weapons and armour they have and any magical spells (or Mystical Powers as they are called here) they may have.

Furthermore, in terms of the actual background and nature of your Company, the only limit is really your imagination. Not only are there some pre-generated Companies from varying backgrounds (including an Ancient Egyptian cult led by an undead Pharaoh - you could generate your own company based on this to feature a more Tomb-Kings style Company with a Pharaoh commanding a load of skeletal soldiers), but you can also create your own characters based on quite literally anything as long as it has some basis on Victorian society, literature or culture. There is a website made by the game’s creators who have created some more varied companies including parodies of Tarzan, Tintin and the Trumpton firemen and even a set of scenarios based on the events in the War of the Worlds. I’ve been playing around with rules for a company led by an eccentric Antiquarian who has started to form his own pagan revival religion and have considered another featuring the crew from the Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! which I have been rewatching recently as it has some Steampunk aspects. Honestly, there are so many different things you could base a Company’s lore upon, it’s great. So much more freedom than Necromunda for example, where you can only choose one of the 6 houses or, in the more recent edition, Genestealer Cults, Chaos Cults and Bounty Hunter gangs. I encourage you all to have a look into it and see what you think, especially @Lord-Marcus because of some of the things you’ve been delving into lately (most notably Napoleonic soldiers with Skitarii weapons and lasgun-armed nuns).

Here’s a link to the website if you’re interested:
https://inhermajestysname.wordpress.com

 

[pendrake]

I like VSF. My only real venture into it is a game called Sky Galleons of Mars.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

I like VSF. My only real venture into it is a game called Sky Galleons of Mars.

I've just looked it up and found that it was set in the world of the game Space: 1889. Looks a good game and similar in places to IHMN, although IHMN is a skirmish wargame rather than an RPG. Also IHMN could be seen as being set a bit before Space: 1889 as no spaceships have been invented yet and it is still set on Earth, although that wouldn't stop you porting the Martians and Venusian Lizardmen from Space: 1889 into IHMN as Companies representing alien invaders (now that I think of it, you could use Saurus Warrior models to represent a company of Venusian Lizardmen in IHMN, which would be great). Interesting to see the Selenites from First Men in the Moon as being the inhabitants of Luna, yet the Martians are more like Renaissance Vulcans than the H.G. Wells Martians.

 

[Warden]

Nice review, have you made up any companies yet? If so... pics??? I would be curious to see the tabletop terrain used in this setting.

I was looking into this game too at one point. I liked the idea of the ancient Egyptian force, but I was thinking of doing something more Mayan themed instead. Never figured out how I was going to do it.

This game is of course set in the Victorian era, so even though there isn't much crossover I could totally add some pulp elements as well (pulp being more 1930s to 40s, think Indiana Jones era). I tend to prefer that setting a bit more, which is why I was looking into Savage Core.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Nice review, have you made up any companies yet? If so... pics??? I would be curious to see the tabletop terrain used in this setting.

Alas, no, I haven’t made up any miniatures for this game yet as I’ve only just started becoming interested in it, but I’ve started devising lore and rules for my first company - you can see them below (warning: Huge fluff section incoming):

The Neo-Celtics of Old Southampton - A Company for In Her Majesty’s Name

“No man can escape the judgement of the True Gods. It is normally against my faith to harm another, even if they are as uncivilised as you are, but those who harm the birds and beasts of this Earth and those that prevent me from preserving the relics of our ancestors will surely feel the wrath of the Old Ways! Prepare to meet the Death God, and may he introduce you personally to his cauldron!” - Lord Tobias Renwick

Lady Adelaide had had no idea of what adventures would befall her when she first met the solitary antiquarian Tobias Renwick.

Her first marriage to a country squire in Oxfordshire had been rapidly going downhill, due to a combination of her husband’s infatuation with a childhood flame and a lack of children. The people of the rural communities there were friendly enough (sometimes too friendly in the case of a pair of fashion-obsessed dressmakers), but Adelaide was too preoccupied with witnessing her husband’s slow betrayal to acknowledge or reciprocate their open arms. All she wanted was to know that someone truly and deeply cared for her, and that no other woman stood in her place. While her husband outwardly showed her compassion and care, she knew that his heart belonged to another, a mere postmistress no less, and there was nothing she could ever do to change that. With this resignation, she cut herself off from him, and everyone else who surrounded her. Things improved a little when her husband suggested they return to London, the bustling, vibrant city where Adelaide had grown up, but she still had doubts in her mind about whether her marriage could be recovered.

It was during this time that she and some distant acquaintances of hers she could never remember the names of were attending a talk at the British Museum on the origins of British civilisation. She hadn’t really wanted to go, but as her acquaintances had invited her she didn’t wish to offend them by refusing. However, she became a lot more interested when the talk began, as the antiquarian presenting it started to intrigue her. The amount of passion and enthusiasm he showed towards the discussion was truly commendable, yet the eloquence he displayed truly befitted his status as a gentleman. So it was that she went to speak with him after the talk, and found him to be every bit as refined and dutiful as her husband.

Tobias had been quite surprised by the inquisitive nature of the Lady Adelaide. A solitary man, he had been the only child of the Lord and Lady of Southampton, and as a result had largely grown up without knowing or speaking to other people his age. Spending more time on his own reading and discovering the world around him led to a passion for history and a love of wildlife so unusual for a gentleman of his stature. These interests were so strong even that they took him down a path very different from those of most young nobles of his age. Whereas most young bucks would have gone to parties and balls to woo ladies, Tobias mostly either stayed at home and examined and wrote about his collections of various artefacts or would go out into the woodlands of his country home and observe the animals and birds living there. In fact he had rarely conversed with a female of his own class more than “Good morning, fair lady”, and had always previously interacted with only the neighbours in Southampton town and the inhabitants of several villages that lay within his family’s jurisdiction, so to suddenly be approached by Lady Adelaide by her own accord put him quite out of his comfort zone.

However, that first meeting was far from short. As they got to know each other, each recognised traits of the other they wanted to coax out of hiding - Tobias saw how sweet and caring Adelaide could be through her exterior made cold through years of rejection, while Adelaide discovered in Tobias a truly noble and passionate man, after seeing through his shy side that desired solitude above all else. Indeed, it led to many further arranged meetings, until the two began to develop a nurturing, caring love for each other.

Of course, Lady Adelaide knew that this secret affair was going behind her husband’s back, and that if she didn’t stop this madness, she would be no better than he was with his beloved postmistress, so she confronted Tobias and begged him to stop arranging meetings with her. Tobias, feeling that he couldn’t leave Adelaide due to her being the only woman who had truly showed romantic affection for him, instead resorted to visit Adelaide’s husband and request a divorce. During this discussion, Tobias reminded him of the fact that if he did divorce Adelaide, he would be free to marry his postmistress if he chose to, and that Adelaide would be free to marry the man she truly loved. This struck a chord with the country squire, for even though he had tried to show affection towards Adelaide, he didn’t have true feelings for her. Indeed his marriage to her had been arranged by his father, and he himself had never wanted to marry her, so he agreed to the Lord’s offer. He then later did return to his country mansion and controversially marry his childhood sweetheart, and to this day they seem happy and comfortable.

Similarly, Tobias and Adelaide were finally able to marry, and although Tobias had been reluctant to spend more time away from his country estate than he desired, he took Adelaide to his family’s town house in Southampton itself, so that she would feel less homesick for London. This then had a positive effect on Adelaide - she no longer felt the urge to buy expensive things all the time, and felt a greater need to treasure what she already had, now that she was with the man of her dreams. Similarly Tobias became more confident, more sociable and stronger-willed now that he had “the fairest lady in all England”, as he had referred to her many times, to back him up.

However, old habits die hard, and Tobias’ stay-at-home nature can all-too-often be suppressed by his desire to search and recover ancient relics, especially those from Britain’s Celtic past, heightened by his joint operations with his colleagues, the Conservators, from the British Museum. If even the most vague mention of a two-thousand year old artefact happens to pass his ear or manifest in the newspaper, nothing will stop him from embarking upon a journey to sniff the relic out, for his profession is also his hobby, and his life. Of course Adelaide, as his loving wife, has to come along too to pick up the pieces, but she doesn’t mind this one bit, now that her married life is on the up. Indeed she has become quite the expert with an antiquated pistol that Tobias had inherited from his father (although guns were seen by the Lord as not being ‘quite his style’ of self-defence), and has saved her husband’s life on several occasions. The Lord himself has become fascinated with the image of himself as a Celtic Chieftain leading his warriors into battle, and goes so far as to wield replicas of an Ancient British sword and shield he had discovered himself, along with wearing a suit of the finest chainmail. Being paranoid for his wife’s safety above all else, he had a steel bodice and a marvellous mechanical umbrella made for her as gifts for their tenth wedding anniversary last year, and has become much more at peace of mind ever since.

In all their adventures, the couple have been accompanied by a group of individuals whom Tobias calls his ‘Men-at-Arms’ - menfolk from the villages surrounding his country estate whom he has hired and trained to protect wildlife in the local area from those that would dare defile it. Being both superstitious and extremely loyal to their generous master, they and their families were quick to join his neo-Celtic religion, and as a result have become as Pagan as their Ancient British ancestors many years before them. Possibly the most honourable and trustworthy of these men is “Strongarm” Welby, the blacksmith from the small Hampshire village of Titchfield. Although a non-religious man, Strongarm pledged himself to forever be his lord’s protector and bodyguard ever since Tobias paid an ironworks company that considered constructing its premises in Titchfield to establish themselves somewhere else, thereby reducing the risk of competition and saving the blacksmith’s livelihood. The irony of it all is that Strongarm previously worked in the forge of the Oxfordshire town near the estate of Adelaide’s first husband, and she had once snubbed him by refusing to accept a pair of gates the blacksmith had made, mostly to get at her husband in retaliation to his neglect of her, but luckily Strongarm is always prepared to forgive. A formidable bull of a man, he is undoubtedly the muscle of the group, and wields both a shotgun and also a double-handed sword he forged himself.

Figure: Lord Tobias Renwick
Pluck: 3+
FV: +3
SV: +1
Speed: +0
Cost: 60
Talents/Powers: Duellist (Sword), Fanatic, Fortitude, Leadership +2, Inspirational, Swimming
Equipment: Sword, Wooden Shield, Chain Shirt

Figure: Lady Adelaide Renwick
Pluck: 4+
FV: +0
SV: +3
Speed: +1
Cost: 35
Talents/Powers: Erudite Wit, Leadership +1, Lightning Draw, Marksman
Equipment: Pistol, Magneto-static Umbrella, Lined Coat

Figure: “Strongarm” Welby
Pluck: 3+
FV: +4
SV: +0
Speed: +0
Cost: 44
Talents/Powers: Fortitude, Strongman, Tough
Equipment: Shotgun, Double-handed Sword

Figure: Man-at-Arms
Pluck: 5+
FV: +2
SV: +1
Speed: +1
Cost: 19
Talents/Powers: Fanatic, Skirmisher
Equipment: Sword, Wooden Shield

Figure: Druid
Pluck: 4+
FV: +2
SV: +1
Speed: +1
Cost: 35 + powers
Talents/Powers: Fanatic, Fortitude, Inspirational, Up to 15 points of Mystic powers
Equipment: Druid Staff (Quarterstaff), Sickle (fighting knife)

Upgrades:
Lord Tobias can have a Bow (+4 points)
Lady Adelaide can swap her lined coat for her Steel Bodice (Steel Breastplate): +8 points
Any Man-at-Arms or Druid may have a Chain Shirt (+4 points) or Vulcan Coat (+2 points)
Any Man-at-Arms may swap their Sword for a Spear: +5 points
Any Man-at-Arms may have a Bow (+4 points) and can also take the Marksman talent (+5 points)
Up to two Men-At-Arms may swap their sword and shield for a double-handed Sword (+3 points) or a great Axe (+2 points)
Any Man-at-Arms or Druid may have the Swimming talent (+2 points)
One Druid may have the Medic talent (+5 points)
One Man-at-Arms may take a neo-Celtic Carnyx: +5 points
Neo-Celtic Carnyx: Gives the Man-at-Arms the Inspirational talent.

I was looking into this game too at one point. I liked the idea of the ancient Egyptian force, but I was thinking of doing something more Mayan themed instead. Never figured out how I was going to do it.

Certainly a Mayan-themed Company would be possible. One of the companies on the website is a company of Scottish Highlanders looking to bring the latest descendant to the Stuart monarchy to the British throne after centuries of ‘German takeover’. Maybe a Mayan-themed company would feature descendants of the original Mayans working to try to bring Central America back into the rule of its ancient ancestors (as a large proportion of Central Americans are descended from the ancient tribes despite the best efforts of the Spanish to wipe them out).

This game is of course set in the Victorian era, so even though there isn't much crossover I could totally add some pulp elements as well (pulp being more 1930s to 40s, think Indiana Jones era). I tend to prefer that setting a bit more, which is why I was looking into Savage Core.

If you were looking to add some Indiana Jones-type characters to IHMN, you could always base a company around the adventures of Henry Jones Senior (played excellently by Sean Connery in the Last Crusade), who would have been around the same age in the Victorian era as Indy junior was in the 30s and 40s. There’s certainly rules for using a bullwhip in the game, so why not? Maybe Indy’s dad was once as adventurous and daring in the Steampunk era as his son was in the pulp era? There are just so many possibilities in this game.

I did look into Savage Core but in comparison to IHMN it doesn’t seem to give you, the player, nearly as much freedom when designing your force - you can only choose from a certain few gangs. I didn’t realise that it was supposed to be pulp era, so at least that explains the Gestapo Officer...

 

[Killer Angel]

Wow, that's an intriguing game.
I will never be able to play it, but tnx for sharing.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

I will never be able to play it, but tnx for sharing.

Why not? You don’t need that many minis for a company and games appear to be quite short, especially as your characters don’t have a wounds characteristic - the first time they fail a pluck roll, they die and are taken out of the game.

 

[Killer Angel]

Why not? You don’t need that many minis for a company and games appear to be quite short, especially as your characters don’t have a wounds characteristic - the first time they fail a pluck roll, they die and are taken out of the game.

I fear it will not meet my gaming group tastes.

oh well, i can always share the link with them and see if someone is interested.
In case, I'll keep you informed.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

oh well, i can always share the link with them and see if someone is interested.
In case, I'll keep you informed.

You don’t know until you try - even if your gaming group aren’t Victorian Sci-Fi fans, they may still appreciate the custom gang rules that perhaps could be adapted for other games like Necromunda. Also on the website the creators have started to include expansions called ‘Genre packs’ which apply the rules for IHMN towards other time periods. At the moment they’ve done one for 17th Century Sci-Fi/Fantasy for topics like the English Civil War, but I imagine there will be more on the way.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Nice review, have you made up any companies yet? If so... pics???

You’ve really got me thinking about how I can convert the Neo-Celtics now!

I was thinking of somehow obtaining the bits for Elucia Vhane from Rogue Trader to make Lady Adelaide - the pistol arm and torso would be great for her, although the skirt is a bit short and the legs with high heels are of course a bit too futuristic (will have to look to see where I can find a right arm and a long dress lower section, and I’ll have to look for a different head too).

For the Men-at-Arms, I was thinking of using models from the existing Brick Lane Commune company for IHMN but give them Celtic weapons from the Hail Caesar range to represent their allegiance to their Celtic antiquarian Lord.

Of course the Druids will be much easier and will require little to no conversion - the three decently-dressed Hail Caesar Druids will fit the bill for these.

As for scenery, I’m considering using a considerable amount of the Necromunda scenery I’m making for IHMN too to create an industrial landscape (although of course some of it will be too futuristic). I was thinking it would be great to recreate the smelters’ yards from Thomas the Tank Engine as a good IHMN battlefield (strange inspiration I know but TTE was a big part of my childhood and the smelters’ yard I just feel would look great in a Victorian Sci-Fi game):
http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/File:StepneyGetsLost59.png
http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/File:StepneyGetsLost62.png

 

[Warden]

One of the heritor models from Frostgrave Archipelago looks vaguely "celt"ish but I don't know of any manufacturers out there.

I like the idea of making some good steampunk scenery. Most of the terrain stuff I have seen for this game has not inspired me much yet, I will need to search some more for ideas. Gotta have some zeppelins!

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

One of the heritor models from Frostgrave Archipelago looks vaguely "celt"ish but I don't know of any manufacturers out there.

I've just been looking into this and although I didn't find anything from Frostgrave that really matched, I did find the Oathmark human infantry. Although these chaps have more medieval armour, most of the heads, weapons and shields look extremely Celtic, an new and unusual route for the mainstream human faction to take:

There's even a Druid in this second pic, who would save me from having to hunt around for Hail Caesar ones:

He comes in a command set along with a king and a musician:

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Some of the inspiration I used when devising the characters of my Company, in Victorian black-and-white no less:
Lady Adelaide Renwick, “The Fairest Lady in all of England”


‘Strongarm’ Welby, the blacksmith of Titchfield, at his former employment in Oxfordshire

 

[Warden]

I like pictures... always great inspiration

Here are some things I have been thinking about for Her Majesty's Name while I have been working on my samurai.

The gangs (COMPANIES) from IHMN are interesting looking:

Generic English Steampunk company:



Scotland Yard/Sherlock Holmes Company:



German Forces of the Kaiser with Zombies company:



I do like this version of germans of this era with masks, looks even more steampunk-y:



Servants of Ra, dedicated to rebuilding the glories of Egypt. Would not be out of place in an Indiana Jones style adventure:



Black Tong, the Chinese faction. Would also work in the boxer era, except for that yeti... kinda wish they had replaced it with more Chinamen:



Some more VSF dudes with crazy equipment:



Gotta love the top hats.

Also an Industrial Walker?? Wish there was more than just one:



Found these guys, and I love them! Steampunk Dwarves!



Found them on this link. Much more "Victorian" than the current GW steampunk dwarves (Khadaradon Overlords), and look really cool! A batch of these guys would be fun to paint up.

And lastly for the miniatures, no Victorian Science Fiction game named In Her Majesty's Name would be complete without the inclusion of HER MAJESTY HERSELF!

I present Cyborg Victoria, as shown blasting aliens and the enemies of the Empire on her Diamond Jubilee:

 

[Warden]

Moar pics: Victorian Sci-Fi- Air Vehicles

Some great pics.



Helo-car:






Gotta love zeppelins!









If I were to make terrain for a steampunk-era, I would need to include something like this:



From the book Fitzpatrick's War, loved that book.

 

[Warden]

Missed one awesome model zeppelin:









Next set of Victoria Sci Fi stuff: TRAINS!

Starting with a cathedral on wheels. Might even be good for WH40K:







Awesome train station. I really like the Crystal Palace vibes in a lot of this terrain:

 

[Warden]

And now for some SUBMERSIBLES!



More of just a big boat:



Nautilus:



A fish:





Dinotopia!

 

[Warden]

Moar pics, of some actual terrain this time!

Spoiler: More "steampunk" tabletop terrain pics

 

[Warden]

And artwork!




'
'

Spoiler: Steampunk artwork cityscapes and buildings

 

[Warden]

I like a lot of the vistas from the older game Syberia, very steampunk-ish.

Spoiler: Syberia

Last pic, from warmachine.



That giant gun looks awesome