Space Station Zero
Recommendations: 330
About the Project
Sparked from a pdf purchase of Uncle Adam's latest gaming offering (of ex-Beasts of War fame) Space Station Zero. The gameplay looked fun in some videos and a copy of "Imperium" GW magazine with a sprue of Sisters of Battle minis got me to buy the rules and get painting.
Related Game: Space Station Zero
Related Company: Snarling Badger Studios
Related Genre: Science Fiction
This Project is Active
Golden button!
This cheered me up no end. Thanks for highlighting my recycling chops in the scratch building game.Growth Jim, but not as we know it...
Attempts to grow an alien crop on Space Station Zero. Abandoned some time ago, the Star Nutrition unit has seized up. Weeds now grow so the ground must have been good at one stage. Or is there some shallowly buried fresh nutrients that sparked the growth?
The dome is half of a kinder egg toy pot. The "Star" sign and the other two signs are the sprue from a resin kit from NorthStar. The base is the cover to a forgotten device filled with plaster filler and coated with flock before priming. There are bits of sprue to suggest an irrigation system of some kind. I can't recall where I got the top of the unit from, but the unrelated central piece with the threading is another tool type toy I think. Utility vehicle... Seen better days
More sci-fi terrain. Vehicle made from Tamiya 1/35 scale WW2 sprue parts, 1/72 scale German tank tracks, a plastic bracket of unknown origin for the chassis and other bits and bobs. 
The repair station is made from a dvd case, nasal cannula tubing, choc block and other electrical cast offs and an old StarWars figure's weapon.
One careful owner, low milage, no MOT, needs some work Tracked sentry terrain
Long broken down tracked sentry gun terrain piece. Gun from a Starlink toy. Hull is from a St John's Ambulance plasters holder. Wheels are insulin injector needle covers. The track was the inspiration for the piece and came from a flowers box (sent in the mail flowers.) The base is a CD case. The mechanical looking thing is a plastic toy screwdriver of some kind. The choc block and the other circular component is from the bottom of an IT recycling bin.
Alien Engine - scratch build
Made from a toy stunt car frame. The frame is the three parts pushed together and in conjunction with a the stunt cars would be propelled off the frame to whizz around a track. 
I used Necron heads with the some sprue to make K-9 style cute robots.
The metal ovals are medicine pill blisters packed with bits of sprue and glued down. The pipe work is a plastic straw. The cables between frames and the across the floor are heat stretched plastic sprue. There's also a shower curtain rail hook.
The debris is urban black flock and some tiny multicoloured glitter balls .Challenge 1 - The aftermath.
The end came swiftly, but if the whole station was a derelict mess they may need to find some hazmat gear. Lennoxi and Galadrix were soon brought around but sadly...
Corraxi... Had died.They all got 1 XP for surviving, but no bonus XP with the first mission. I will continue without Corraxi and we rolled off to find ourselves in Challenge 3 next time.
I like the mechanics, I will play the game honestly, but I am really uncertain how a horde crew would cope with a mission like that. I guess that is the point. The horde crew will be whittled down fast and sacrifice staying power for number of shots per round? Looking forward to the next mission.
Battle report. Challenge 1.
The challenge had 6 sentries and three gas leaks to tackle.
I chucked in some more StarSaga aliens to make up the numbers.
Commander Karenina flew over a wall and took out a sentry on the first time of asking though the gas immediately began to get to her.
Even with the gas effecting most of the crew Corraxi and Lennoxi began to rain down fire on the sentries beginning to swarm around Mercuria... . 
...who had used the full speed of her wings to launch out towards the central gas leak.
And by the time the first clips were emptied (end of turn 1) there was only one sentry left swinging wildly at Mercuria.
Sadly at the start of turn two the gas levels appeared to intensify and Corraxi and Lennoxi collapsed. Mercuria couldn't help them with the last sentry lashing his claws at her. 
Commander Karenina managed to stop one of the leaks...
And as P8E blasted the last sentry Mercuria was freed up to begin closing the central leak with the help of the commander
P8E and Rosalindi managed to close the last leak and finally they could address what had happened and tend to their aching lungs.Corraxi and Galadrix
Corraxi on the left and Galadrix on the right. Built as the magazine prescribed. 
I am fairly confident I will tell them apart on the battlefield but will add something to the base if I really need to differentiate between them..P8E the Pilot
I saw an Instagram post of some Mechanicus minis and realised that they would be great for a kitbash. I had used some in a Stargrave crew so I had some to choose from. The force this far had no energy weapons and no melee weapons, so I plumped for energy as I still had a plasma weapon of some distinction on the sprue.
Rather than use a Mechanicus backpack I snipped off the already painted pack from Lennoxi and used that as Lonnoxi was being bulked up to her Primarus backpack. I think the pack gels her with the unit quite well. The head is from the Stargrave Crew II sprue same as Rosalindi.Scientist Rosalindi
This was a really fun kitbash. The scanner / macehead and the three pouches are from a Maelstrom's Edge sprue given out free at Salute years ago. The skirt / legs are from the cowgirls Wargames Atlantic box. The torso and arms are from the Genestealer sprue from KillTeam. The head is from the Stargrave Crew II box.
Veteran Soldier Lennoxi
I needed to find a way of making Lennoxi different to her fellow soldiers. I chose to give her an Ablative Shield in game so I figured that a Primarus backpack would be a big enough visual difference without having to repaint and bolt on extra kit to establish her as a veteran some other way.
The blue glow in the vents are meant to suggest a shield generator of some kind, painted with some white and Nightgloom blue.Combat Medic Mercuria
I chose to make my medic faster. With a middle ground crew size of 6 I imagine that my models may take damage quicker than an elite team.
The medic bag on her back and the Regenerator device on her hip came from the Stargrave Crew II sprues.Commander Karenina
Last minute addition of a Gates of Antares Boromite drone as I finished up the rules for my leader and gave her a Targeting Drone.
I enjoyed the basing of a broken Break Glass Unit release key and a piece from a broken hole punch. The narrative.
The crew of the Aglaope were moments ago jumping into hyper-speed to answer a distress call of an allied warship and now they find themselves in silence in the shadow of Space Station Zero. As they try to make sense of their sensors and the reality of their cataclysmic change of coordinates dawn’s heavily upon them, the hail to dock with Space Station Zero echoes out across the bridge and then again across the whole ship.
Commander Karenina ordered that the pilot bring them in to dock with the station. Through the viewing portal they see the immense scale of the station and then the dozens and dozens of ships also docked there come into focus. None of the classes of ship look familiar to the crew and the ships computer is drawing a blank also as their, more machine than sister, pilot P8E brings the warship into position to dock…
Veteran Soldier Lennoxi fires up her Ablative Shield to test it; expecting trouble as she and the away team gathers at the docking point.
Soldiers Corraxi and Galadrix look at Lennoxi in awe and envy. They look at the battle honour scrolls trailing from their armour and look at the lack of them on Lennoxi and secretly dream of the day that they would become veteran class. Once you reach Lennoxi’s level of veterancy battle honours become meaningless because the very mention of your name conjures stories of valor that anyone in the crew or even on their home world can easily recount.
Mercuria and Rosalindi approach the docking point engaged in a heated exchange about how pointless everything was now that they were so far from home. Rosalindi the firey ship’s scientist swings her mace-like detection scanner around threateningly towards the hardened combat medic Mercuria to defend her point of view… when suddenly Commander Karenina boldly clanks onto the scene and thrusts herself between the two.
“Do you not think I have the same sinking feeling of futility in my bossom? Do you not think that I worry about what we will do next? But that is my burden and my duty and I WILL decide what is best for us. I’ll do my duty, now you do yours by piping down when I tell you to and get prepared for out next challenge.”
Lennoxi tested the safety catch on her trusty bolter and the sound snapped everyone to attention.
“You heard the Commander, bitches. Settle down. Wherever we are… We’ll need to watch eachother’s backs and bickering won’t solve… hang on?! What the witches crutch are you doing here Patty?”
The Pilot P8E (Patty to her friends) bowls onto the scene with a huge energy carbine in her strong robotic arms and smiles at the swear words being thrown around by Lennoxi.
“What does it look like? You’ll need my razor sharp reactions rather than your blunt vicious tongue if there’s anything nasty through that door…”
Lennoxi glanced a protest with her eyes towards the Commander, it not being in regulations to have your best pilot on an away mission. But the Commander shot her a glance back that told Lennoxi that this decision had already been made and that any protest was a waste of breath. Lennoxi just shrugged and tested her safety catch again instead.
The sensors said that the air beyond the door was breathable, but sensors were hampered by interference and it wasn’t clear what threats might be out there beyond just a few feet.
Commander Karenina walked to the docking point and the crew respectfully fell out of her way one by one as she reached the sealed hatch.
She looked around at her crew and saw the stress and concern in their eyes drift away and their honed military training began to rise to the fore. Their eyes coming into strict focus on the job at hand. She was proud of them. The hatch wheel span as the computer took over and the door prepared to open.
What the crew didn’t know… And probably only P8E could possibly have known, being linked into the computer at the helm… Was that the ship’s engineer Evelynora hadn’t been left on board to defend the ship as the Commander had intimated, but was missing as soon as the ship fell out of hyper-speed. Missing and thought to somehow have been vanished from her post in engineering to an unknown location, hopefully still in one piece, on the outwardly inviting sanctuary of Space Station Zero.
Their geography and the physics of the situation were soundly set against them, but the Commander liked the chemistry and tenacity shown by her crew these last 10 war-littered years and history would smile on them what ever tests they were about to face….
The team strode on to face their fate…
Terrain
Built some more granny grating and sprue walls to add the stock I had begun for Quarantine 37.
The battle area in the rules follows the Killteam and Warcry sizes. I have a Killteam board so I dug out some 40K terrain and painted it up. 
The hatches will end up being used as valves to close when they have gas leak type challenges.List Build - Hitting the book
I had already built the two flying ladies and checking the rules the "jump boots" rule I feel suits them needed some list building effort. The stands seemed unwelcome as solution so I had foot on damaged bulkhead and foot on damaged sci-fi machinery.The List
Ship Type: War
Edge: Smugglers *special equipment x3
Secondary Agenda: Rescue (Evelynora the ship’s engineer vanished as soon as they dropped out of hyper-speed and only the Commander and the pilot are aware that he’s even missing as they enter their first challenge.)
Commander – Karenina
Jump boots (wings), standard ranged weapon, standard armour, Drone (Targeting)*, scanner
Veteran Soldier – Lennoxi
Heavy kinetic ranged weapon, Ablative Shield*, Standard armour
Soldier – Corraxi
Heavy kinetic ranged weapon, Standard Armour
Soldier – Galadrix
Heavy kinetic ranged weapon, Standard Armour
Medic – Mercuria
Jump boots (wings)*, standard ranged weapon, medic kit, Standard Armour
Pilot – P8E
Heavy energy ranged weapon, Standard Armour, Scanner
Scientist – Rosalindi
Standard ranged weapon, standard armour, Scanner
Before the book.
The Sisters sprue had an Arco-flagellant or two but I felt if I painted them in a more grim way they could easily be cyborg melee bad guys.
I had a spare Arco-flagellant head and decided to make my own kitbashed effort of a tortured soul of a cyborg.My kitbash bad guy cyborg came out well. Built from a GW Arco-flagellant head and a host of Mantic Games fantasy bits.
An undead trumpet for the right arm.
Ghoul claw hand on a Dwarf arm.
Ghoul claw fingers cut off and added to his back.
Zombie spine pieces set together on the leg as some odd cybernetic addition.
Dwarf crossbow strings to attach the face mask to the shoulder.
Another bits box cyborg bad guy. Mantic Games ghoul body and claw and Mantic Zombie "hand gripped head" , with GW Necron flail for an arm.
I started with a paint scheme for my sister. I had never painted Sisters before, wasn't concerned that they would ever be part of a larger Sisters force so just went my own way colours wise. I hadn't bought the game at that stage so decided to buy and hit the rules before making minis that wouldn't crew together well for the game.The beginning
In the videos I looked up on the game, they said that there were most likely to be 3 to 6 ranged or close combat aliens and or 3 to 6 ranged or close combat robots / cyborgs per game. That gave me an excuse to start looking for options in my collection.
I found these StarSaga ranged aliens. They were left behind when I started painting the majority of this set for games of Stargrave Quarantine 37. There was no call for ranged aliens in the game at the time.
I wasn't trying for a non metallic metal look and didn't want to go for a standard leadbelcher approach. To make them more interesting I gave them an off white dry brush and used a different shade with each model of the three to tint it.
