Gaming Universes

The aim of this page is to cross-reference the "gaming universes" I have built up, the figures available for them, the rules sets I like to use for them and, if relevant, any ongoing future notes / plot ideas for campaigns.

This has been updated in August 2025.

 

1. Jungle Deep

I play in this universe either with the RoSD supplements, or the 5LFTB procedural campaign system

Type : Fantasy

Figures : 28mm Anthropomorphics; 28mm Fantasy, Ancients and Medievals

Rules sets :  Five Leagues from the Borderland; Rangers of Shadow Deep; Burrows & Badgers

Where I am at :

The aim is for Drake's Seven to reduce both The Ruin Within and the Curse of War to zero.  These two Threats are well worked into the storyline.

The storyline is developping as follows :

-  The Death Cult of Sisyn came to the fore in The Vale, as a way of protecting its inhabitants against some evil.  They did this by using the Pull to draw the dead back into the world (Partho has not thought of this interpretation...).  Their source were the sites where Tarans had died in ancient battles.

-  The Tarans took obvious exception to this, and tried to brutally stamp out the Sisyn cult, which they managed quite effectively

-  The Priestess of Sisyn not only had Queen Tara assassinated, but eliminated the entire court in Tara's Tower, and massacred thousands of her people.

-  The Tarans, who once fought the Deep, have, like indeed many other ancient Hu-Man civilisations, become its servants (The Curse of War).

-  The cult of Sisyn has long been dormant, but is rising again.  Its objectives have somewhat changed - use the Taran burial mounds to raise undead warriors to protect the cult against future aggressions.  The necromancer at The Shroud was actually their Priest; it is his death that "activated" the present Priestess.

-  Although the cult is not a servant of the Deep, they can hardly be allowed to prosper.  They therefore become the Threat that is the "Whispers from Beyond"

 

Drake's Seven cannot be involved in reducing this Threat, because of their links to Sisyn and their deception.  I will leave another band (who do not have to start at level 0) to deal with the Whispers from Beyond.

In the meantime, I will move on to another part of the RoJD world, this time using Badgers & Burrows, after buying the latest supplement of 5LFTB.

 

 

2. The Hyborian Age

These are ongoing campaigns of my own invention, but generally using the official or semi-official scenarios, with or without modifications.

To bring to the campaign world the "existential threat" which is not present enough, I will play the next campaign based on Strabon's attempts to revive the Acheron Empire...and play the Undead he raises as the Heros; and then perhaps a second campaign in which the true heroes fight back.

This will allow me to paint some lovely new undead stuff, wights, vampires, ghosts,..

That said, the Pillar of the North has taken quite an epic turn, with Ardon in real danger from the Hyperboreans...if it falls, then both the Watch and the Aifreweia will lose their lynchpin and become far easier prey for all the dark forces of the hostile North...

Type : Fantasy

Figures : 28mm Fantasy, Ancients and Medievals

Rules sets :  Conan

Where I am at :

 

i. Play the sixth scenario of Pillar of the North 

I have chosen the scenarios that seem ideal to adapt to this campaign, as follows : 

Au Nom d'Ibis (Chimenes allies attempt to kill the necromancer, in a last ditch attempt to save Ardon; if the heroes fail, the campaign is over)

For the Blood of a Barbarian (the necromancer or one of his acolytes attempts a major summoning)

  

The current political situation in Ardon has been summed up in the introduction to Au Nom d'Ibis.

 

ii. Write the seventh and ultimate scenario of the Veiled One, which will see the heroes on the battlefield of the Shamla Pass (deploying my "Battlelore Mythology" units for an epic feel), trying to reach Natohk so as to use on him the Mitra artefacts they found under his temple.

3. Of Gods and Men -3000 to -0

This project is structured around three notions :

-  The universe, in a fashion akin to Zoroastrian beliefs, is made up of four principles : Chaos (ie. demons), that fills the void between worlds; a Neutral principle known as the Fey, which drive the act of Creation; active principles on each world known as Arch-Divinities, whose competing purpose is to guide humankind towards what each considers to be the ideal outcome; and Men themselves.

-   The history of Men is foretold at the creation of each world they inhabit, but can be changed quite dramatically at certain flexion points

-  An Arch-divinity will manifest under a different name, in a different form, with different rituals in each human society, but the link between them is obvious (the principle of religious syncretism in ancient cultures). 

   

Each "faction" is an Arch-Divinity Divine principle attempting to change destiny by intervention at these flexion points.  Its members can therefore be drawn from diverse human cultures at varying points in their timelines.  As an example, the Faction of Light might be made up of an Egyptien Priest of Râ from -1300, a Greek Hoplite from -500 dedicated at birth to Helios, and so forth.

The members of each "faction" might be an Avatar of the Arch-Divinity (ie. the manifestation of a particular god, Râ for example); a Hero of Legend or a Demi-God (one of the Boreals, for instance, or any hero that echos through time).  They will be completed by Mortals from the same period of time as the actual flexion point. 

Type : Fantasy-Historical

Figures : 28mm Fantasy and Ancients

Rules sets :  Labors of the Gods ? Conan ?

Where I am at :

Not yet started, painting stuff for the moment

 

4. Carnevale 1795

I would like to play the Carnevale rules, after some minor background tweaks.  I was mainly looking for a game that mixes history and fantasy, and also black powder weapons with reloading rules and hand to hand combat.

Type : Fantasy-Historical

Figures : 18th Century

Rules sets :  Carnevale

Where I am at :

Not yet started, and painted has not yet begun

 

5. The 1809 Campaign

Not necessarily a campaign per se, but perhaps the breaking down of one or more major battles of the campaign, into divisional level battlefields.

Type : Historical

Figures : 15mm Napoleonics (French, Rhine Confederation, Austrians)

Rules sets :  Soldiers of Napoleon

Where I am at :

Not yet started, painting is underway

 

6. The Tungan Uprising 1865-1878

The historical uprising in Central Asia, but with extended involvement of external powers.

Type : Historical

Figures : 15mm Colonial (Kashgari, Chinese, Russians)

Rules sets :  Principles of War

Where I am at :

Not yet started

 

 

7. War of Sinkiang 1921-

An alternative history campaign, which presumes that the unlikely "Army of God" was launched by the Bolchevik regime into Central Asia, shortly after the end of WWI.

Type : Historical

Figures : 28mm Back of Beyond

Rules sets :  Setting the East Ablaze

Where I am at :

Yang Zengxin having opened up the way to Turfan, and reinforced it, the second phase has come to an end.

The Armée de Dieu will therefore be convinced by Yang Zengxin to head along the north road.  Update all the leaders objectives (libellé "Armées") to take into account these recent events.

Write the next scenario (which will be obvious once the different objectives are laid out).

8. Red Barricades 1942

The epic ASL campaign...

Type : Historical

Figures : -

Rules sets :  ASL

Where I am at :

Prepare Day 3

9. Five Parsecs from Home

A campaign using the procedural system of 5PFH as a campaign motor, played with other rules sets.  

After three attempts to create a universe I want to actually play in, I have finally come up with an idea that I think combines the ingredients I am looking for : plentiful background material, historical research, an epic feel, but with familiar and recurring settings.

Inspiration came from the TV series "Kaos".  I am going to build a solar system, in a parallel universe, that is the futuristic reflection of ancient Greek myth.

The ideas I have so far :

-  Each planet is named after a major city of Greek mythology (Thebes, Athens, Sparta, Knossos, Troy...), ruled over by a dynasty that is identical to its mythological counterpart.  The head of each household can move back or forward through mind-maps (so might, at one point, be Aegea in Athens, or his son Theseus,...). 

-  The places of Greek mythology all have their counterparts : the Elysian Fields is a luxury complex that only the most worthy heroes can buy a ticket to; the Styx is an asteroid belt with unusual properties, and so on. 

-  On planet Olympus live alien entities that, for reasons of their own, can exert far-reaching power throughout the solar system.  The entity known as Zeus can manipulate electromagnetic fields, Poseidon the tides, and so forth.  They take sides in conflicts between dynastic Houses, interfere in individual destinies, and provoke quests and challenges.  Some humans (oracles,...) are attuned to their thoughts and logic and can provide some insight into what they seek.

-  An alien race, the Titans, inhabits the solar system.  They are scattered, but always dangerous, seeking to destroy the technology that keeps Chaos at bay.  Others seek less direct ways to discredit the Olympians, such as Prometheus, who is serving an eternal jail sentence for sharing technology. 

-  The different components of the Greek mythological universe all have their counterparts.  The Furies, for example, are avenging bounty hunters; the Centaurs have spliced DNA; Harpies are blood-crazed lunatics aboard constantly migrating spaceships, and so on.  The Argo is a spaceship, the Calydonian Boar some sort of DNA mutation,...At the edge of the solar system, kept at bay by some technology created by the Olympians (and justifying their reign) is Chaos, which sometimes breaks in.

-  Whilst rivalry between the Houses will provide the basic adventuring of the 5PFH generator, a Greek myth will provide the elements of the Story Clock.

-  The characters are ostracised individuals.  The solar system has a fair number of these, who band together and form a useful reserve of mercenaries (somewhat akin to Ronin...).  Their aim goes from simple survival by banding together, to attempting to gain citizenship, or even pleasing the Olympians which can be a road to personal glory.  They also attract other individuals who live outside the polis system, such as young Spartans in their rite of passage; Titans; wandering actors,...

-  Depending on the myth being played, they may be following a great hero (for example, they would be part of Odysseus' fleet, or Herakles companions,...) 

    I may extend into the domain of starship battles.  There is a vaguer chance of also extending into surface battles, using 6mm vehicles and paper infantry

Type : Science Fiction

Figures : 28mm Sci-Fi; 2mm Starships; 6mm Sci-Fi

Rules sets :  Flying Lead; A Billion Suns; Gruntz

Where I am at :

 

The idea now needs developing.  Step One is to see if it gets me painting some sci-fi figures, after which I should develop, to start with, a single world, and then gradually develop it as I delve into Greek mythology.

 

 

10. Club Games

Different rules sets that I use for club games, either short campaigns or one-offs

Type : Various

Figures : 15mm Biblical (Hittites, Syrians); 15mm Classical (Syracusan Greek, Carthaginian); 15mm Medieval (Nikephorian Byzantine, Khazars, Sicilian Arab, Fatimid Egyptian, Normans in Sicily); 15mm Renaissance (Dutch East India Company); 15mm Napoleonics (French, Austrians); 15mm Colonial (Ottoman Turks, Arab Revolt); 2mm Starships; 28mm Fantasy

Rules sets :  Briskars; Battlelore Mythologie; Fantastic Battles Historical; Banner War; Command and Colors Ancients; DBA; Irregular Wars; Tactique; Fistful of Lead; Black Ops; A Billion Suns

 

11. Non-Universe Solo Games

Different rules sets that I use for solo games without any particular connection between them, just pitting different armies head to head.  There is a possibility of adding a new historical campaign centred on 10th century Byzance.

Type : Various

Figures : 15mm Classical (Syracusan Greek, Carthaginian); 15mm Medieval (Nikephorian Byzantine, Khazars, Sicilian Arab, Fatimid Egyptian, Normans in Sicily); 6mm Micro-tanks

Rules sets :  Banner War; Battlegroup Northag

Where I am at :

I need to flesh out my Nikephorian Byzantines, paint the missing half of the Arab armies, and paint a Norman army.  I could also add to my 6mm micro-tank forces.

I am seriously thinking about resurrecting DSC, especially for the Byzance campaign, as I really loved that ruleset...better make sure beforehand of the make-up of each army !