Strange Aeons as presented by Anatoli's Game Room and Middling Wars

Strange Aeons is a miniature skirmish game of Eldritch Horror that has  a dedicated line of figures, markers, rules, and some terrain. Apparently, I missed a Kickstarter for the second edition. Production of the figures is on a short hiatus but due to resume shortly with the rule book due out. It also seems that there is a comic book that shares the name but they are unaffiliated (I believe). Here's a shot of the Comic with a link...but this is really a post about the game.

The Comic 

The Game

Clipped from the pages of Strange Aeons...

The Story
The history you know is only a fraction of the truth. A truth so black and frightening it was decided that for reasons of national security it should be forever hidden from the public…until now. September 1920: President Woodrow Wilson, in failing health following a failed assassination attempt by members of the nefarious Cult of the Black Goat, forms an elite governmental taskforce to address the threat. Its codename is Threshold. Among the first recruits are law enforcement officers, military personnel, scientists, archaeologists, doctors, librarians and regular civilians. All applicants have been thoroughly screened: mentally, physically and spiritually. Agents are given Double Black security clearance and rigorous training in self-defense, firearms, arrest theory and the occult. Within months, newly trained Threshold Agents are placed into society and given assignments, protecting an unknowing humanity from forces so dark, ancient and alien that to comprehend them would surely mean madness…and to fail, absolute destruction…What happens next is uncertain…

Threshold Agents from The First Edition Gallery

Lurkers from the First Edition Gallery

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Anatoli's Game Room has a fifty-five posts on the system including some figure images and AARs. Even specializing it into a subset of five posts about 18th Century Cthulu including a downloadable modification to the system.

18th Century modification

Pictures from a Demo Game AAR

Middling Wars BLOG is currently running a multi-part campaign. Check out the first three episodes:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

The Details:

Strange Aeons is a skirmish level game for two players. One player takes control of Threshold Agents operatives and the other player are the Lurkers. The system is set up such that Lurkers harken from the works of H.P. Lovecraft but can easily be added to include other monsters, aliens and baddies. Each game is approximately an hour with forces being three to six models per player. The recommended play area is small at 2' x 3' but like any system can be increased. There is a simple campaign system included that allows you to play linked battles with Threshold agents progressing in skills, acquiring equipment or even sinking into the depths of insanity. Lurker forces also evolve. Be warned.

“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” 

― H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

Anatoli's Game Room reports on "By Fire & Sword" -- Gaming Eastern Europe in the 17th Century

Anatoli's Game Room  has been a player of the rules by Historical Wargame called By Fire & Sword. This from their site:

"By Fire and Sword – a historical wargame...to create a realistic, playable and dynamic wargame which recreates the 17^th century wars fought by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against Turkey, Muscovy, Sweden, Crimean Khanate and Cossacks. The period between 1640 and 1676, on which the game focuses, is a time of almost constant warfare waged by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on all fronts, in many cases with several enemies at the same time."

An expansion book is due out any day focusing on the "The Deluge"which covers the period of 1655-1660 and includes Sweden as one of the combatants.

Another excerpt from the website:

"There were only a few years of peace for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the seventeenth century. Not only did the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth wage innumerous wars but all of its neighbors were also involved in various armed conflicts. And even during the years of peace, when no formal state of war existed, there were constant border clashes and Tatar raids. In a way the famous prayer of German landsknechts asking for a hundred years of war came true. Political and military struggles focused mainly in two regions – around the Baltic Sea (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden and Moscow) and in today’s Ukraine (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tatars, Cossacks, Turkey and Muscovittes).
The fighting for the Baltic coast saw the clash between Sweden, which wanted total control of the sea, and Moscow, that wanted to gain access to the Baltic Sea. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was also keenly interested in keeping its influence in the Baltic area. As far as Ukraine was concerned the rivalry here was even more complicated. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Cossacks, Moscow and the Crimean Khanate were all involved in the conflict. After the division of Ukraine in 1667 between The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Moscow, the Ottoman Empire took a more active role in the region by taking the Cossacks under their “protection”.

Here is Anatoli's Game Room multi-part Review of the rule book. Here's a listing on Boardgame Geek. The rules provide for battles to be played on four different levels. "The Foray" or basic game is a small, short skirmishes with the sytem expanding up to “The Field Army” for gaming battles. Collection of one's force is incremental allowing the new collector to build his forces in hiustorically representative units from the small skirmish sized units up to Regiments. Even if one does not want to play the rules, the information contained within the book is quite comprehensive. Historical Wargame produces an equally comprehensive line of miniatures and terrain.

Miniatures & Terrain

Anatoli's Game Room has been posting small medium and large AARs on the system for quite some time. Here's a sampling:

Battle in Lithuania AAR

Cossack Attack on a Village AAR

Large Battle set in Poland AAR

I have selected a number of pictures from the various AAR's and posts.

Cossacks

Dragoons & Artillery

Reiter Regiment

Winged Hussars

Here is the summary page for Anatoli's Game Room of By Fire & Sword...and by the way set aside some time as he has 135 posts related to the miniatures, terrain and games. Take a Look.

And is 17th Century Eastern Euope is not your "thing" please go over and check out Anatoli's Game Room anyway as he has all sorts of painting, modeling, game reviews and at least 185 different battle reports. he covers Blood Bowl, By Fire & Sword, Chain of Command, Empire of the Dead, Malifaux Saga, and Strange Aeons including many others. It's a good BLOG to add to your following.