Terra Incognita: The NAGS Society Website

Terra Incognita is a roleplaying games of exploration, intrigue, and mystery, featuring adventurer-scholars whose exploits span the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. Armed with extensive training, unpredictable technology, and unimpeachable discretion, NAGS Society Members travel to the Four Corners of the globe — exploring unknown lands, investigating mysteries, and uncovering ancient knowledge.

Terra Incognita features a customized version of Steffan O’Sullivan’s innovative Fudge system from Grey Ghost Press. You can learn more about Fudge and even download the system for free.

Sometimes a body just has to model a tremendously large swath of terra incognita and yet make it fit on a reasonably sized gaming table. If you recognize yourself as one of these intrepid souls, then you are no doubt in need of some tiny trappings. While the size/scale of the follow items varies (1:1200, 2mm, &c., &c.), bits and bobs can often be successfully combined according to the “It’s all so small— who’s going to notice?” rule.

Peter Pig’s American Civil War Range 7 - “Hammerin Iron” includes a bit of 1:900 scale terrain (a fort, farm, city buildings, &c.).

Rod Langton offers a large range of 1:1200 scale buildings to accompany his line of Napoleonic ships. The site, unfortunately, provides drawings of said terrain rather than photos.

Here’s a thread from the Miniature Page in which some folks share their insights, especially regarding Monopoly buildings, cunningy employed.

The Sea of Claws Yahoo group for Games Workshop’s Man-o-War has an extensive archive which includes many useful suggestions for constructing small scale terrain.

If you’re after a nautical setting, the Shifting Lands website is inspirational for its lovely Pirates of the Spanish Main table and accompanying islands.

When you’ve “zoomed out” to an incredibly small scale, Games Workshop’s newish Mighty Empires tile sets can be of use. Here’s an article about constructing your own hexes, useful for techniques on making your own small scale terrain.

Origins — Ever-intrepid NAGS Society Member Dirk Collins will host a game of Terra Incognita at the Origins Game Fair this weekend. You’ll no doubt want to make your way to Columbus, OH this weekend and join Dirk in the following adventure:

Larklight — I’ve Dispatched this book before, but this time I’ve actually read it: Phillip Reeve’s young adult novel Larklight. It’s of the Space:1889 / Aeronef / ”Brits in Space” school of VSF, but I liked the adventurous plotting and I consider it a ripping yarn, well told. There is apparently a sequel — Starcross — and a third book in the series due out this year. A movie version of Larklight is also due this year.

A Utile Blog — This Dispatch concerns lack of news, but it it clear that, unfortunately, the ever-excellent VSF blog Yours in a White Wine Sauce has not been updated since April. The Boy’s Own Adventure blog which was going like gangbusters for awhile is quite gone. However, the VSF and 15mm Sci Fi Wargaming blog presses onward with numerous updates, most concerning VSF or Steampunk in a general sense, utile for gamers of all sorts.

Firearms: Great Britain — For those interested in the more martial aspects of historical gaming, here is a collection of period articles concerning firearms in Great Britain. I was inspired by having seen this weekend two workhorses of the empire — a Snider-Enfield and Martini-Henry rifles.

Beaufort, NC — I recently spent a day in Beaufort, North Carolina, which is one of those lovely, old port towns in the middle south, and perhaps best known as the home port of the dread pirate Blackbeard. I’ve found guidebooks to the North Carolina Crystal Coast to have more (and better told) information than online sources, but here’s a tidbit on the Hammock House (the town’s oldest abode, apparently a boarding house in the 1700s frequented by Blackbeard, and replete with associated ghosts). And I strolled about the Burying Ground in a thunder storm, which was worth the visit to Beaufort in itself. Here’s a website advertising a Ghost Walk which seems suitably atmospheric.

As a side note, it’s probably quite obvious, but bears repeating, that travel books make wonderful resources for researching historical gaming adventures. They contain wonderful potted histories of a locale, generally including all the Good Stuff in order to attract one to visit. Probably those of the "off the beaten track" variety are more useful than those which focus on restaurants and shopping.

If you would like to discuss Terra Incognita (or any other Fudge-related issues) try:

Fudge Retailers

Try the Fudge Retailers page to uncover where you can purchase your copy.

Adventures in Jimland

Adventures in Jimland, Jim Wright’s exciting game of adventure and exploration in darkest Jimland, is again available. Have a look at this fun miniatures game and read the Reports for scores of adventure ideas. The NAGS Society even gets a nod.