Space Pirates: In Zero G You Must Remember to Buckle Your Swash

Not long ago Hydra Miniatures, makers of War Rocket, released their newest faction: Space Pirates.
I thought the Class I was dead sexy, and when they had a sale and released the Class II, of course I had to get some, making it my third fleet... then FRP had a sale and I couldn't resist getting the starter fleets for the Galacteers & Valkeeri, so now I have more to paint... I'm such a sucker for spaceships!

This month Hydra had a contest, to create your own pirate clan, with a bit of background, common equipment for the pirate rockets and to paint one up in the group's colors & design. I've been so busy I almost missed the deadline before I had a chance to start, though I'd already given it some thought beforehand.

First to decide is the look of them.  The Hydra studio paint job is already amazing. Black with a triangle of red.  Sinister power colors that are classic.  Actually, speaking of Gary Numan from a couple updates ago, the ship as they painted it would fit in great with 'Telekon':

 

Gary Numan: Space Pirate Captain. 

As fun as that would be, the color scheme is already theirs, so I had to think of something new. 

I decided I'd like to stick to a classic pirate look: Black & White and use the good old Jolly Roger, emblazoned across the nose of the rocket.  I decided to paint one of my Class II rockets for the test piece. 

The only color would be blue, for the windows and energy weapons, and the red engine fire.

Here's how it came out:

The Pirate Clan's name is the Void Hawks, and their pirate lord is Dirk Black. Here's their background:

The Void Hawks

The Void Hawks, and their pirate lord, Dirk Black, are some of the most infamous pirates in the galaxy. Rumor is that Black served as a Galacteer until he left in disgrace, but since his exact identity is unknown, the Galacteers can neither confirm nor deny this.

Dirk Black has a reputation for being cunning in battle, but not without mercy. Those who have surrendered have lived to tell the tale, being set adrift in life pods or within hailing distance of space stations. The location of the Void Hawks' base is unknown, but their hunting grounds range across Human space and even to the stars of the Valkeeri.

Black is a master of surprise. The Void Hawks often use captured rockets, sending out distress signals and then preying upon the would-be rescuers.

The rockets of the Void Hawks are painted black, with white accents and bear the historic emblem of the Jolly Roger. Void Hawks are often equipped with asteroid talons, allowing them to attach to asteroids, undetected until freighter vessels stray near. A favored weapon is the Tangle Web, which can debilitate a rocket making it unable to remain in formation or convoys, and thus easier to board and capture. They also favor disruptor beams, and ultra atomic engines for added speed.

Pirate Upgrades:

Pirate Crew (+3 points per model):

+20% to board a rocket

+10% to special action rolls during boarding as described by scenario

Savy Captain (+5 points per model):

When a ship with a savy captain has the same activation value as an opponent ship he may decide to go before or after the enemy ships.

Asteroid Talons (+5 points per model):

Ships with Asteroid Talons may attach themselves to asteroids. At the start of the game these ships may be placed hidden in any asteroids on the table. Mark the location secretly on paper. At any time the controlling player wishes, the ship may reveal itself and act on its appropriate activation point.

Tangle Web (+3 points per model):

A tangle web is a discharge of electric energy. The weapon may be used instead of the ship's normal prow weapon, but with a range of 6. The weapon has a +1 to hit compared to the normal to hit value, however it will not stun or damage a ship. Instead, if the value (with the +1) would be enough to score a stun or better, then the enemy ship is entangled. Any maneuver or weapons fire the affected ship attempts must be declared, then roll a d10 and it may do the action if a 6+ is rolled. If it rolls 1-5, the ship may not fire the weapon, or if it failed to make a turn or rotation, it instead moves the minimum distance that is required before another rotation could be made, in the direction it was pointed. The Tangle Web remains until the ship rolls an 8+ when making an action attempt.

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I'll do a proper review and tutorial for the Space Pirates like I did for the Zenithians & Imperials, but I didn't have time yet if I was going to make the contest deadline.  Spoiler: they are very nice. 

But now I'm stuck with Telekon in my head, so here's a song that has a bit of a pirate-threat that would be appropriate.  Enjoy!