Volume 3, Issue 3

Autumn, 1887

The thergraph

In Her Majestys Name

S P E C I A L
P O I N T S O F
I N T E R E S T :

MERCENARIES!
Lord Ronan Curr
The Gun Buggy
New Mystic Powers

INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Clives Register

Vernes Quarterly

Extraterrestrial Adventure

Armoured Naval Landing Party

Mercenaries for IHMN

Regiments of Renown

11

Saurian Tribesmen

15

Her Majesty, Victoria

by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender
of the Faith, Empress of India.

Page

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t h e r g r a p h

News of the Worlds

By J Womack

Earth

Mars

Tokyo-- The Imperial Japanese Navy announces the

completion of their first aetherial warship, IJAN Mushashi.
The Musashi carries armament equivalent to a dreadnoughts
main guns (though fewer of them), and is armoured like a
typical cruiser in order to retain a higher acceleration. The
new type is provisionally (and rather dramatically) classified
as a dread-cruiser, though some in the Admiralty appear to
prefer the term battlecruiser or merely heavy cruiser.

Victoria Landing A new fire engine has arrived from

Earth aboard RMAS Elephantine. Engineers of the landship
forces assembled the vehicle onsite. Volunteers for a fire
service are sought.

Austin The Republic of Texas entered into negotiations with Her Majestys Foreign Office for the purchase of
a large quantity of export rifles, intended to upgrade the
Texican infantrys primary weapon.
London The Metropolitan Police report the dispersal
of a large gathering of Fenians on Sunday, the 13th.

Galfor Crown Prince Fash Garuda was found murdered in his bed. Official reports indict one of his many
concubines in the murder, which is believed to have been
prompted by personal disagreement between the prince and
his concubine. Reports suggest that investigators do not
suspect an underlying political motivation. The concubine,
name unknown, committed suicide by poison before the
Princes Guard could enter the room and apprehend her.
Verenal Canal A major fissure has caused severe loss
of waterflow in the Verenal Canal. British engineers and a
host of native Johnnies have been dispatched to attempt
repairs.

Editors Corner

J Womack

Kaor!
China The Yellow Rivers annual flood was particularly devastating this year. Thousands of lives were lost as
the raging waters tore through the countryside.
London Issues of Beetons Christmas Annual are flying
off the newsstand, thanks to a popular detective feature
written by Mr. Arthur Conan Doyle.

Venus
Venusstaadt Eminent German scientist Heinrich
Hertz discovers new properties of galvanic magnetism,
naming it the photoelectric effect.
Orbit Venus Highport recorded a record number of
private citizens passing through in November. A total of 36
private individuals landed on Venus through the port, carried upon three merchant craft.
Albertville The Right Hon. Joseph Blyhte-Manor took
possession of his newly-purchased plantation acreage.
Squire Blyhte-Manor intends to put in tobacco and coffee.

This issue, as you can see, has been dedicated to the excellent In Her Majestys Name rules, written by Craig Cartmell and Charles Murton, and published by Osprey
Wargames.
There is a lot of contributed material in this issue, and I
want to say thanks to everyone who has submitted items
for The Aethergraph. Id never get three issues out in a year if
I had to do it all myself, and, honestly well, I couldnt
have done it without you guys.
A special thanks to Craig Cartmell and Charles Murton
for sending me their officially optional rules for adding
mercenaries into Adventuring Companies. Im very excited
to be able to present those rules here first.
Anyway, there are a lot of great articles, new rules, new
settings, new Adventuring Companies, and all sorts of
VSF-y goodness waiting for you in this issue. Enjoy!
-J Womack

Volume 3, Issue 3

C l i v e s

Page

R e g i s t e r
L o r d

o f

E d w a r d

B y

C r a i g

P r o m i n e n t
R o n a n

C a r t m e l l

C u r r

P e r s o n s

Edward Ronan Curr was born on the first of April

1845 to Lord Albert and Lady Marguerite Curr on
his family's estate in Donegal, Ireland. He was the
second of seven sons and from the very beginning
the strongest, quickest and most hot-headed. His
elder brother Absalom said that Ronan would do
anything for a dare, which included jumping down
onto moving trains from the local station foot
bridge, riding two horses at once, poaching, and
even getting into fistfights with Tinkers. As often as
not he was caught with his half-brother Gerald and
the two rogues were inseparable.
He was seventeen when his parents and younger
brother were killed in an altercation with a group of
Fenians. The local brotherhood resented the fact
that that the Currs, who were Catholic, hadn't done
more to curb the excesses of local Protestant land
agents.
Curr inherited his father's title as his elder brother
Absalom had renounced his rights to it in order to
serve the Church in Rome.
Two days later, Curr was found sitting in a barn
near Belfast. Five men were hanging from the rafters
and all bore the marks of a terrible beating. He had
avenged his parents and brother, but at an awful
cost. The authorities sought to cover this incident up
and Curr was sent to England to attend Sandhurst,
where he passed out with honours three years later.
He then bought a commission with the 17th Lancers, who were shipping out for Egypt. Ever loyal
Gerald followed him by enlisting as a Trooper.
It was in Africa that he found his vocation. Despite his military duties he spent more time exploring the Nile with other rogues such as the young
Alan Quatermain and the Belgian Doctor Alberte
Hugo. Quatermain managed to get Curr seconded
from the Lancers to the newly raised Queens Own
African Rifles and the two of them spent a very
happy couple of years banging around the interior,
sorting out the tribes, and exploring (some would
say plundering) many ancient sites.
Now a brevet Captain, Curr was on patrol with his
Colonel when they were ambushed deep in the
equatorial jungle. The Colonel was mortally injured
and Curr took command. Having escaped the ambush, Curr sent the Colonel back to camp with the

Lord Edward Ronan Curr

bearers and then set off in pursuit with his native
troops, which was against standing orders. Quatermain disagreed with his decision, so Curr sent him
back to consult the Colonel, knowing full well that
even Quatermain could not catch up with them before he cornered and engaged the enemy.
Curr managed to catch the tribe who had attacked
them and quickly found that his company were outnumbered at least twenty to one. The men fought a
gallant last stand and when Curr led a breakout only
three men were still able to accompany him. None
of the others survived the retreat.
He stumbled out of the jungle three weeks later,
alone, delirious with malaria, and wrapped in his
company's standard. Based solely on Quatermain's
testimony Curr was court-martialled in short order
and cashiered from the regiment. The two men
never spoke again.
The next ten years are a bit of a mystery. Curr surfaced from time to time apparently working as a
Hunter or a Guide across Africa. He appeared on

Page

T h e

(Continued from page 3)

the North-west Frontier where he made friends with

Lt. Dravot and his subaltern Carnehan, and he rescued a wounded Sikh warrior called Mohan Singh
from a raging Hindu mob. Curr was the last white
man to escape Khartoum after it was sacked by the
Mahdi in 1885. To this day he is said to have nightmares about the death of his friend and mentor, Sir
Charles Gordon. He was even recorded as leading the
Royal Bodyguard of the Caliph of Zanzibar having
apparently converted to Islam and using that office to
provoke a slave revolt. Then in 1888, he returned to
London at the request of Mycroft Holmes and the
Foreign Office.
Holmes was gathering a company together to fight
against the rise of an organisation called The Society
of Thule. Curr brought Mohan Singh and Gerald
with him and recruited what Holmes called a brigade
of brigands, who would later become known as the
Incorrigibles. Holmes justified his choice to the then
Foreign Secretary by saying he needed a man who
only considered the ends and never worried about the
means.
Over the coming years Curr and his Incorrigibles
thwarted the Society at least a dozen times in Cairo,
Rome, Jerusalem, Seville, Berlin (twice), the arctic
island of Svalbard, Tehran, London (thrice), and most
famously, in Istanbul. For reasons not recorded, but
believed to have been involving a woman, Curr finally met up with Otto von Stroheim, the Grand
Master of the Society of Thule. The meeting ended
with Curr blasting von Stroheim's left arm off with a
hunting rifle and then having to swim the Bosporus
to escape von Stroheim's enraged followers.

an engineer whom Scotland Yard would love to have a

chat with regarding several unsolved arson attacks and
bombings, both in England and on the Continent.
Curr is currently wanted in a dozen countries on
various charges of murder, sedition, robbery, treason,
espionage and mayhem, and a hero in a dozen more.
He is the epitome of a British gentleman-adventurer,
the like of which has not been seen since Drake and

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14

London and Victorias Landing

Vernes Quarterly
Matons Gun Buggy

Although officially he still does work for the Foreign Office they are getting increasingly frustrated
with him going off script, and believe that he may be
using his men and his contacts to pursue his own
agenda. They are also unhappy regarding his sometime partnership with the privateer Lady Helen Quatermain (niece of Sir Allan and a cousin of the
Queen) whose activities are cause of considerable
consternation.
During his many adventures he has picked up a
band of loyal henchmen. These include Mohan Singh
- the formidable Sikh warrior, Lady Felicity - a
woman of dubious virtue but deadly aim, Gerald FitzCurr - his half-brother, and 'Mad' Mick Macfarlane -

t h e r g r a p h

This rapid response

vehicle fulfills the niche
for cavalry quite nicely.
Virtually unarmoured,
the operator is at least
well-armed, with a
Vickers Machinegun.
Speed is his best defense.

Gun
Buggy

Base
Speed

Diffiicult
Terrain?

Considerations

Cost

12

No

Unarmoured but swift.

Armed with a machinegun.

20

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page

Extr aterrestrial Adventures in IHMN

Off to Barsoom!
By J Womack

One of the more popular themes in Victorian Science Fiction is the exploration of other worlds, generally within our own solar system. From the Barsoom
of Burroughs to the Venus of Chadwick to the Luna
of Verne, several extraterrestrial locales have been
described in a variety of ways. Each author has
treated the other planets differently, but all within a
Victorian setting. I myself make use of these thematic
elements in the creation of the universe in which I set
my own VSF games. In Her Majestys Name has not,
to date, directly addressed this theme,. However, it is
a simple enough exercise to set your games on other
planets populated by fantastic non-human races.

Luna? And the architecture of the new planet? Are

alien structures similar to Earthly ones? The Martians
of my VSF universe build structures remarkably similar to those found in the Mediterranean region of
Earth, especially the North African desert. This is
due, naturally, to a similarity in climate driving a similar functionality in housing. The old Martian cities,
however, hold towering spires and the homes show a
more Italian or Spanish influence along the margins
of the dead sea basins. Naturally, Europeans have
built European structures, similar to those found in
African or Asian colonies, adapted somewhat to the
appropriate climatic conditions.

In essence, you have two primary tasks facing you

when choosing to move your IHMN adventures out
into the solar system (or even beyond). First, you
need to consider the settings themselves. Second, the
aliens that occupy these strange new worlds have to
be created. Each of these tasks has a few items which
require at least consideration, if not necessarily any
action.

A new setting requires little or no actual changes

to the rules. You may want to introduce new Weird
Science gadgets, as previously mentioned. New Mystical Powers which carry some of the flavor of the
new setting might also be appropriate. For example, a
Parrotfolk shaman might have the Power Summon
Avian Swarm, described elsewhere in this issue. Another option would be to re-name already existing
Powers to fit thematically within the new setting.
Calling Zone of Shadows something akin to Rain of
Leaves helps it fit a tropical rainforest environment
without changing the game effects.

The Setting
Consider the landscape of the extraterrestrial adventure. Is it essentially terrestrial in nature, like my
version of Venus (essentially a jungle planet, like
Chadwicks in Space 1889)? Is it hostile in nature
(airless, like Luna), and thus needing special equipment? Or does, for example, the airlessness modify
the landscapeadventuring within a dome which
Must Not Be Breached? You may need to create new
Weird Science gadgets like the Everton Aetherial
Rebreathing Helmet to act as a precautionary measure against oxygen depletion. Perhaps weaker gravity
means increased movement rates, or increased ranges
for projectiles?
Will you need a different playing surface to simulate the red sands of Mars or the lifeless rock of

Alien Creatures
Aliens typically come in three broad varieties: humanoid, anthropomorphic, and utterly alien. Humanoids exhibit only minor variations from terrestrial
humans. Red Martians, for example, appear very similar to men except for the color of their skin, the number of digits on hands and feet, and the shape of the
ears. Anthropomorphic aliens are distinctly nonhuman, but have a basically human shape: two arms,
two legs, head and torso. Lizardmen and parrotfolk
are good examples of anthropomorphic aliens. An
(Continued on page 14)

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Armoured Naval Landing Party

An Adventuring Company for IHMN
By Paul OGrady

The landing parties of the Royal Navy are well armoured to withstand fire while closing with the enemy to take defended
ships and locations. Supported by ship launched support dirigibles or light steam contraptions, these sailors give Naval Commanders many options to take the fight to the enemy both at sea and ashore. Landing parties can also be deploying via wardirigibles of the Royal Naval Air Service, extending their utility significantly. The exploits of RN landing teams in recent history
are an inspiration to many. British newspapers were abuzz with the feats of Commander Everton in the Orient, for which for
was knighted upon his return. More recently,young Midshipman Hornblower (the latest personality of that reputable naval family) and the grizzly but ever loyal Petty Officer Bowlin, have built a reputation in action on the Nile and the rivers of the Dark
Continent.
Pluck

FV

SV

SP

Cost Talents

Basic Equipment

Commander

3+

+4

+4

66

Leadership +2, Inspirational

Sword, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Boarding Officer

3+

+4

+4

53

Leadership +1 (May take one

extra Talent at additional cost)

Sword, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Chief Bosuns Mate

4+

+3

+3

39

(May take one Talent at additional cost)

Cutlass, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Landing Party Sailor

5+

+2

+2

29

Medical Sailor

5+

+2

30

Medic

Pistol, SRC Breastplate

Cmdr. Sir Hugh Everton,

KCB, DSO, RN

3+

+4

+4

72

Inspirational, Tough

Sword, pistol, SRC Breastplate,

monocular targeting array

Mr. Midshipman
Hornblower, RN

4+

+3

+3

44

Erudite Wit

Sword, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Petty Officer Bowlin

4+

+4

+2

43

Berserker

Cutlass, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Cutlass, pistol, SRC Breastplate

Support Dirigible

20

As an Ornithopter (IHMN, p. 28)

Fearnought-class Steam Contraption

45

Three-wheeled armoured (Armour

11) carriage with Machinegun.

Options
Any figure may be equipped with explosive grenades (+6 points) or breath preserver (+2 points).
Any sailor so equipped may exchange his cutlass and pistol for a military rifle (+2 points) or shotgun (-2 points).
Any figure may exchange an SRC Breastplate for Patent Kelly Armour (+33 points).
One Landing Party Sailor may exchange his pistol and cutlass for a Flamethrower (+4 points). This may be done in conjunction with the Patent Kelly Armour upgrade.
Two Landing Party Sailors may be re-equipped as a Gatling Gun or Nordenfelt team, one as gunner and one as loader. Remove their cutlasses and add one MG (total cost + 18 points). They retain their pistols as backup weapons.
Design Notes: This Company represents a heavily armed but likely small landing or boarding party embarked in a warship. The
troop choices are relatively expensive due to their standard issue of SRC breastplates. Initially, I designed the force to all be in
Patent Kelly Armour but this proved too high a cost. Instead, the Kelly Armour has been made optional. Accordingly, a Naval
landing force is likely to be outnumbered by the foe, potentially significantly,. However, their armour and support weapon options should give them staying power to close the enemy decisively.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page

Armoured Naval Landing Party, Serving in the Jungles of Southeast Asia

for any reason until its next Movement activation.

Pluck roll? No.
Cost: 12

Smells Like Bait

New Mystic Powers

By J Womack

Summon Avian Swarm

Range: 12
Duration: 1 phase
Phase: Shooting or Fighting
Effect: At the Mystics call, a swarm of small birds attacks all figures in a 3 radius at a bonus of +4. Additionally, the dense swarm blocks line of sight for the
phase.
Pluck roll? Yes, as normal for an attack.
Cost: 23

Miring Muck
Range: 12
Duration: 1 turn
Phase: Movement
Effect: The earth beneath the feet of any targeted creature turns to a clinging muck. The figure may not move

Range: Line of sight

Duration: 1 turn
Phase: Movement
Effect: The unfortunate victim of this Power emits a
strong smell of whatever food would be most appetizing to any animals within 6. All animals within that
area will move towards and attack the victim in the
Fighting phase, regardless of the animals handlers desire.
Pluck roll? No.
Cost: 29

Mystic Gaslight
Range: Line of sight
Duration: Until another Mystic Power is used
Phase: Shooting or Fighting
Effect: A glowing ball of cold light hovers above the
Mystic, illuminating everything within line of sight as if
it were daylight, negating penalties for nighttime, darkness, etc., in that area. This light does not penetrate
Mystical darkness, only natural.
Pluck roll? N/A
Cost: 8

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Mercenaries In Her Ma jestys Name

Being An Optional Rule
By Craig Cartmell and Charles Murton

Introduction
This is an optional rule that allows companies to buy individual figures for single missions. No Company can
have more than one mercenary on their roster at any one time. Hiring a mercenary costs 10 points plus the cost of
the figure itself.
Most mercenaries have restrictions on who they will let hire them. For example, Sir Allan Quatermain will only
work for British Companies.
Mercenaries can include some individual members of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (see the IHMN
blog for full details) and also the others listed below.
LXG member

Restrictions

Sir Allan Quatermain

Will only work for British or British Imperial/Colonial companies.

Mrs Mina Harker

Will work for anyone.

Dorian Gray

Will work for anyone.

The Invisible Man

Will work for anyone.

Dr Jekyll

Will only work for British or British Imperial/Colonial companies.

Mr Hyde

Will work for anyone.

Tom Sawyer

Will only work for the US Secret Service.

Captain Nemo has his own agenda and does not work for anyone else.
Other potential mercenaries are listed below.
Note: If by some chance more than one Company tries to hire the same mercenary for the same game then that
mercenary withdraws and the points spent by the hiring companies are wasted.
Sidney Reilly
Sigmund Georgievich Rosenblum was born on March 24, 1874 in Odessa, Ukraine. He became a British Agent
and took on the cover name Sidney Reilly. By 1895, though just 21 years old, Reilly had already proven himself as
a masterful con artist. His later exploits included the infiltration of the German General Staff and the near overthrow of the Bolsheviks.
Any Old World company, and the US Secret Service, can buy his services for single missions.
Figure
Sidney Reilly

Pluck

FV

SV

Speed

Cost

3+

+2

+2

+1

60

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

Master of Disguise,
Meticulous Planning,
Mesmerism.

Lined Coat, Pistol, Fighting Knife

Brendan O'Rourke
This rebellious Irishman is a deserter from La Legion Etrangere. He has a terrible weakness for treasure-hunting
which often leaves him short of money. ORourke mistrusts mystical powers and has a long running feud with
Akhenaton and his cultists; he will work for any other company that doesn't employ mystical powers.
(Continued on page 9)

Volume 3, Issue 3

Figure
Brendan
O'Rourke

Page

Pluck

FV

SV

Speed

Cost

3+

+3

+3

+0

65

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

Marksman, Tough,
Fearless, Gunslinger

Chainmail Shirt,
Shotgun, Pistols x2,
Fighting Knife

Jimmy Canaan
A former member of the High Sierra Gang, Jimmy left to sell his services to the various revolutionary factions
down Mexico way. Since then he has been hawking his demolition skills all over the New and Old Worlds, and
will work for anyone - except the High Sierra Gang, who now want him dead. The Preacher has already carved
him a headstone.
If you want something blown sky-high, then Jimmy's your man.
Figure
Jimmy Canaan

Pluck

FV

SV

Speed

Cost

4+

+2

+3

+0

44

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

Engineer

Lined Coat, Pistol, Gre-

Dr Ivan Robotnik
This Hungarian genius is on the run from the Society of Thule. He was the chap who designed their Kriegwalker and then fled when he realised for what purpose they wanted to use it. To stay one step ahead of von
Strheim's hounds, he has had to sell his services and inventions to the highest bidder. Thus, he will work for
anyone except the Society of Thule.
Currently, Dr. Robotnik has up to four of his Auto-Soldaten with him. These are automatons that are controlled using his Wireless Control Harness (+10 points). This has a range of 12". Despite being steam-powered,
the Auto-Soldaten must remain within 12" of an Arc Generator or their electric control relays cease to function.
Figure

Pluck

FV

SV

Speed

Cost

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

Dr Ivan Robotnik

5+

+0

+0

+0

46

Engineer

Magneto-static Waistcoat,
Arc Pistol, Arc Generator,
Control Harness

Mk VII AutoSoldaten

3+

+2

+2

+0

47

Antivenom, Fearless, Impervious

Armour 9, Axe (large), Arc

Pistol

Pere Camillo
Camillo is a rogue Catholic Priest who was excommunicated for dabbling with powers not meant for man. He
is a bit of a rabble-rouser who loves nothing better than to cause trouble, especially for what he calls
'Warlocks' (i.e. anyone else with mystical powers). He is on the Cognoscentis shoot-on-sight list.
He will work for any company that does not already have anyone with mystical powers.
Figure
Pere Camillo

Pluck

FV

SV

Speed

Cost

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

3+

+3

+0

+0

33+

Leadership +2, Inspirational, Martial

Artist (Boxer)
Up to 20 points of
mystical powers.

Lined Coat

Page

10

T h e

t h e r g r a p h

Aethership Schedule
NovemberDecember

Line

Vessel

Flag/Tons

Route

Earth (Luna)

Mars

Venus

Cunard

Hermes

UK/25,000

E(L)-M-V-E

11/3 (11/5); 12/31

11/17

12/18

Cunard

Mercury

UK/25,000

V-E(L)-M-V

11/16 (11/18)

12/1

11/1; 12/31

Fr./22,000

E-M-E

11/1 (11/3); 12/1 (12/3)

11/15; 12/15

E-V-E

11/10; 12/11

11/25; 12/26

E-V-M-E

11/6; 12/31

12/19

11/18

Ger./29,000

E-M-E

11/7; 12/3; 12/28

11/19; 12/15

AetherFrance Gloire dAether

Lufthansa

Frederick

Ger./31,000

Union Star

Washington

US/30,000

Hapag-Lloyd Bremen
Hokkaido

Royal Edo

Jap./17,000

E-M-E

11/13; 12/10

11/1; 11/26; 12/23

Republic

Brazos Star

Tex./17,000

V-E-M-E-V

11/21; 12/19

12/7

11/8

Diary of a Texican on Venus

By Gny. Sgt. Seamus Cox, RTMC (ret.)

25 December
Sergeant Thibodeaux and his expanded crew
worked miracles today with Grillag, greens and potatoes as we dined on our Christmas Feast. Father Flannigan gave an inspiring homily at the Mass and we all
enjoyed the meal.
Chief OMalley introduced me to Seaman 1st
Class (equivalent to a Lance Corporal) David Johansson. He was assigned to us as a pilot for the motor
whaleboat-based dirigible. He has been in the Republic Navy for five years and is already a very efficient
coxswain with both air and nautical vessels. Since he is
in the Navy, he will be under Mr. Griggs' command
and not the Army's. He is therefore mine, so I will
have to see skills he has besides piloting so I can assign him to one of the work crews. I have a feeling he
will be put on Corporal Jones saw mill crew. They are
a man short due to a bad injury one of the privates
suffered last week. The doctors think they've managed
to keep the cut from going bad, but in this Venusian
mist, who can tell for sure?
Lady Venus was treated with a Grillag hip bone
today that was smoked by Private Mistrot. We received mail and a few presents from loved ones. The
men always enjoy mail call and it is nice to get letters
from the missus.

My wife sent me some drawings our younger boys

made, and our oldest, Ian James, has gotten word
back that he has been accepted into Gannon Military
College. I would have preferred the Naval Academy,
but they are a bit more snobbishthe Academy does
not like to admit the sons of enlisted men unless they
have won the Lone Star Cross. Ian wants to join the
military, and always has, but I told him if he joins hell
be mustering in with a bar on his collar tabs instead of
a stripe on his sleeve. At Gannon he will be able to
become a staff officer with either the engineering, signal or artillery corps; the Naval Academy is the only
way one can become a Navy line officer. If Ian
chooses civil engineering (which I highly doubt, as the
boy is most destructive) he will be in a position like
Mr. Griggs; however, I have a feeling he will become
an artillery officer. He truly does like to see things go
boom.
Well, enough rambling on, fatherly pride or not. I
should take Lady V for a walk, as Chief OMalley is
waiting for us so he may tag along.

Gunnery Sergeant Seamus Cox, of the Republic of Texas Marine Corps,

kept a diary of his adventures in the new colony on Venus. It was printed
in 1882 as Diary of a Texican on Venus.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page

11

Reginalds Regiments of Renown:

Otto Matons Minions
By J Womack

Unit History

Maton recruited the first minions when he worked in Germany.

He began with a disaffected captain of the Polish infantry, one
Stanislaw Slovotsky, formerly of
Kalisz. Slovotsky searched the beer
halls and universities of Europe for
the destitute and the radical, building a small company of desperate losses. Maton is rumored to have
men. When Maton seized an aeth- decimated the survivors, including
ership to escape Earth, Slovotsky Slovotsky himself, for their failure.
and his men led the way.
Uniforms

Since his appearance on the

world stage as the pre-eminent expert on the arts of mechanickal
engineering and automatons, Herr
Doktor Professor Otto Maton, the
Mad Belgian, has turned his energies to the subjugation of the solar
system. In pursuing that goal, Maton relies heavily on his mechanickal creations, but they lack imagination and initiative, and so are
unsuitable for tasks requiring menCombat History
tal flexibility. For these occasions,
Since then, the minons have
Maton has hired a corps of desperbeen a battlefield presence in most
ate men to do his nefarious bidof Matons battles with the Great
ding: his so-called minions.
Powers and native princes. Their
The rank and file minions of accurate rifle fire turned the tide
Doctor Maton come from the for Maton when Her Majestys
dregs of societyan argument for forces assaulted one of his bunkers
the improvement of the lower in the Martian badlands (the Battle
classes if ever there was one. His of Dead Canal Height, May 1885).
officers are the sort of neer-do- Their determined assault against
wells that even the best families the walls of the Martian town of
sometimes produce. They serve Hriska carried the gate. Normally,
willingly, even eagerly, in Matons such an assault would be assigned
schemes to overthrow the estab- the automatons, but the existence
lished order and replace it with a of a very rare wet moat around the
New Order. Matons men are quite towns walls (it is really built on an
dedicated to his cause, thanks to artificial island in a canal) made the
their outcast nature. In the mean- use of mechanickals problematic.
time, the minions slave under a Once the gate was open and the
harsh discipline that shocks even bridge down, the automatons adthe most demanding of Prussian vanced into the town. The minions
Junkers. Flogging is common, and also took part in the ambush of a
the penalty for failure in battle is handwavium convoy in Simla Valley (June 1882). In this instance,
decimation.
they were repulsed with heavy

Thanks to Matons predilection

for toxic chemicals, each minion
has a breath preserver attached to
their helmet. They also wear long
coats of a material tough enough
to act as a sort of armor. In A hidden manufactory provides the
minions with a supply of modern
military rifles, machine guns, pistols and carbines. Some are trained
as artillerists to crew the Mad Belgians diabolical engines. He has an
entire platoon armed with arc rifles, and minions crew his vehicles
as well.
Matons mania for classification is evident in his minions uniform markings. Each of the several
branches is marked with a simple
color code on the cuffs of their
long coats:
Blue for infantry
Red for artillerists
Yellow for arc rifles.
Orange for flame sprayers.

Page

12

T h e

t h e r g r a p h

The Joker and the Thief

Two Characters for IHMN
By Mark Geo Galinas

JOKER

THIEF

Jacob Oliver Kane was born in New York City on

April 1st, 1855. His father, Joshua OKane, emigrated
from Ireland in 1850 in order to survive the Potato
Famine. When he arrived in America, Joshua dropped
the O from his name like many of his fellow countrymen and became simply Kane. Joshua married Maria
Douglas, another Irish immigrant whom he met in
New York.

Hannah Winters was born to Robert and Janet Wentworth of Baltimore, Maryland on December 13th, 1857.
Her father had married late in life, but her mother was
barely 18 when they wed.

Although he was too young to serve in the American Civil War, Jake joined the army and served with the
cavalry in the Dakota territories. By the 1870s the Indian Wars were largely over; however, a band of renegades and outlaws known as Red Snakes Band attacked Jakes troop while they were on patrol. When
the fighting was over, Red Snake and most of his band
were dead, along with most of Jakes troop. Jake was
wounded in the action, but quickly recovered. He was
given Red Snakes medicine bag (which he would later
give to Hannah). The medicine bag proved to be a
powerful amulet granting the wearer the power of
shadow.
In the army, a sergeant tagged him with the nickname Joker because his initials (JOK) looked like joke.
Jake found army life rather tedious, so he left after his
enlistment expired and took up studies. In 1881, he was
recruited by the fledgling U.S. Secret Service. He had
his first big case in 1883 while he was a junior partner
to Robert Hickam. They were sent to San Francisco to
investigate a conspiracy to rob the mint. It was there
that Jake first met Hannah.
In the years since their meeting, Jake and Hannah
have kept in contact and he has occasionally called
upon her and her friend Jeremiah Carver for their talents when working on a particularly tough case, such
as when they prevented the Order of the Irish Rose
from kidnapping the presidents wife.
In 1885, Robert Hickam retired and Jake became a
senior agent. His current partner is Phillip Jones, who
is junior to Jake, but not a rookie. (Treat Phillip as a
Senior Special Agent from HVF, Page 35.)

Two years later, Hannahs mother died giving birth to

her sister, whom her father named after his wife. With
the specter of war looming, Robert sold what they had
and moved his family to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her father
died when Hannah was 16 and she took to a life of crime
rather than other alternatives. She became an accomplished burglar, but after four years her luck ran out. She
was arrested, tried, convicted, and sent to the Indiana
Womens Prison.1
After her release from prison, Hannah started using
the last name of Winters and headed west to San Francisco to be near her sister and get a new start. Under the
assumed name, Hannah worked for her sister as a governess.
While in San Francisco, she befriended Jeremiah
Carver, a cousin of the more famous George Washington
Carver. Jeremiah seemed to share his cousins genius, but
for machines rather than agriculture. With Hannahs
sponsorship, he was able to patent some household devices. Her share of the resulting income has allowed
Hannah to leave the employ of her sister and live comfortably.
However, Hannah could not escape her past and was
blackmailed into helping the Ben Wilson Gang in an attempt to rob the San Francisco Mint. The plot was foiled
by the Secret Service and Hannah was released in exchange for her testimony. One of the agents was Jacob
Kane, who saw potential in Hannahs abilities.
1

The Indiana Womens Prison opened in 1873 and was the first of its
kind in the country.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page

13

The Patent Cure for All Ailments of the Liver, Heart, Bowels, Throat, Eyes, and Spleen!
Cures spots, reduces fevers, freshens breath!
Also, a valuable additive to detergents for stubborn stains.

Jacob Oliver Kane, Special Agent, U.S. Secret Service

Pluck

FV

SV

3+

+3

+4

Armor Speed
9

+2

Talents/Powers
Leadership +2, Tough, Martial
Artist

Basic Equipment

Cost

Magneto-Static Waistcoat, Knife,

Short Shotgun

50

Options:
Jake can add a horse for 5 points or a cavalry horse for 9 points.
If Jake has a horse, he can take the Cavalryman Talent for 3 points.
If Jake is using Secret Service issue equipment, replace the waistcoat and short shotgun with a lined coat and
arc pistol for 0 points.

Hannah Winters, Specialist

Pluck

FV

SV

4+

+3

+3

Armor Speed
9

Talents/Powers

Basic Equipment

Stealthy, Iron Will, Duelist (Arc Magneto-Static Corset, Throwing

Pistol), Lightning Draw (Blades) Knife, Arc Pistol, Monocle Target-

Cost
50

Options:
Hannah occasionally carries a medicine bag given to her by Jake for 9 points. (Treat as a Reliquary with the
Path of Shadows Power.)
If not accompanied by Jeremiah Carver, Hannah may carry a normal pistol and a second throwing knife instead of her ARC pistol for 0 points.
If in a populated area, Hannah may take the Part of the Crowd Talent for 5 points.

Page

14

(Continued from page 5)

utterly alien creature has an obviously non-human

shape and frequently different abilities associated
with their weird biology. The four-armed tharks of
Barsoom, for example, or the insectoid Selenites, are
utterly alien.
From a rules standpoint, humanoids are no different than humans. Perhaps they have a Talent like
Coldproof, based on racial characteristics, but not
much needs to be done for them.
Anthropomorphs are more likely than humanoids
to have special rules. Lizardmen may have a naturally
higher Armour value because of bony plates on their
scaly flesh. The claws of Tigrids are natural weapons
similar to a knife. Just make a note of it, account for
the points, and move on.

T h e

t h e r g r a p h

Utterly alien creatures will probably need special

rules. Like before, this can generally be handled with
the use of Talents. In the case of the tharks, for example (or the white ape, for that matter), a Talent like
Additional Arms would handle the issue. More bizarre aliens would require other Talents or rules. The
xenomorph from the Alien film series would need a
rule for its acid blood. You might need a rule that
penalizes each sides Fighting Value and Shooting
Value bonuses, because the utterly alien creatures
vitals are located differently. Or perhaps the aliens
have been studying humans for ages, and have the
anatomical advantage (something handled most easily
by increasing their Armour).

Some Talents will be racially basedall members

of the race in question should have these Talents. A
chameleon-like ability to blend in could be represented by the Stealthy Talent, for example. You may
need to create a new Talent or two for more exotic
anthropomorphic aliens like the High Martians ability to fly.

Taking into consideration these two factors, setting and creatures, a GM can easily tailor a game of In
Her Majestys Name to a wider scope. A little bit of
pseudo-scientific storytelling to describe the reasons
for the rules changes helps, too.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page

15

Saurian Tribesmen of Venus

An Adventuring Company for In Her Majestys Name

By James Womack

The tropical rainforests of Venus are home to many strange species. Perhaps none is more dangerous than
the lizardmen. Primitive tribesmen, what they lack in technology they make up for in cunning. Using their intimate knowledge of the planets great jungles, the lizardmen raid human settlements and constantly war on each
other and their ancient racial foe, the parrotfolk. Some tribes even ride into battle on the backs of dinosaurs!
The most famed of all lizardmen war chiefs is the ancient Kroq-Gar, rumored to be over a thousand years old.

Pluck FV
Kroq-Gar
Old Blood

3+
3+

+4
+4

SV

SP

+0

+1

+0

Cost Talents
92

Basic Equipment

Leadership +2, Terrifying, Fearless,

Cavalryman, Immortal

Lance, sword, bone armour (as plate

armour), shield

Leadership +1, Terrifying, Fearless

Large sword, bone armour (as plate

armour)

72
Leadership +1, Swimming, Stealthy,
Up to 30 points of Mystical Powers

Staff

Skink Shaman

5+

+0

+1

+1

19+

Temple Guard

3+

+3

+0

44

Terrifying, Fearless

Halberd, shield, scaly hide (as chain

shirt)

Saurus Warrior

4+

+2

+0

23

Fearless

Sword, shield, scaly hide (as brigandine)

Skink Archer

6+

+0

+1

+1

20

Swimming, Skirmisher

Bow, poisoned arrows

Skink Javelineer

6+

+0

+1

21

Swimming, Skirmisher

Spear (poisoned), shield

Carnosaur

4+

+4

+0

+0

Pterosaur

5+

+0

+0

+0

Flying

Stegadon Howdah

3+

+4

+0

+0

Berserker, Fearless

Arbalest, howdah (Armour 9)

Options:
Kroq-Gar and any other Old Blood may ride a carnosaur (+49 points).
Up to three skinks may be mounted on pterosaurs at an additional cost of +24 points each.
Two to four skinks can ride a stegadon howdah. Two skinks trade in their bows to operate the arbalest and
guide the stegadon. (+35 points) Up to two more skinks, either archers or javelineers, can also ride in the
howdah at normal cost.

The thergraph
XCIV Publishing
J Womack, Editor
Email:
aethergraph@gmail.com

REVIEWED:

Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun

Mr Amazon delivered this goody to my door last week
and I've been immersed in its pages ever since. Its very
similar in style to the first supplement Heroes, Villains and
Fiends, and is jam packed with new companies, descriptive
texts, a few new weapons and even a gunboat design.
I particularly like the Royal Navy Landing Party which is
a very different take to my own Armoured Naval Landing
Parties (which one may find at this blog). [Ed.: and in this
issue of the Aethergraph] Mine were designed to be heavily
armed parties landed from capital ships, while these ones
are more ad-hoc gunboats crews at the ready to storm
ashore.
On the down side, I think the addition of some colour
artwork and pics of new figs would help fire the imagination but this was clearly a deliberate decision to maximise
the written content (as seen at http://
inhermajestysname.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/and-so-itgoes/). However, you certainly can't complain about the
amount of great written content that was packed in instead.
Author Craig Cartmell has subsequently advised me that
they didn't have any choice about the artwork, so I think
they made the best of it by adding more written content
instead.
Overall, if you are into IHMN this is a must get addition
to your collection.

[Note: This review originally appeared on Pauls blog, Yours in a

White Wine Sauce, and is used here with permission.]

NEXT ISSUE
An issue without a theme!
Our Regular features!
Fiction!
All this and more, coming this spring in Vol. 4, Issue #1!

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
For Sale: Artifact of Martian Origin, discovered while traversing the
Syrtis Desert with Merchant Caravan. Appears to be ceramic; design is
unusual, a green glazed image on black pottery. The image is mythical
demonic creature, with an octopus for a head and great batlike wings.
Proceeds to assist with expenses of care for owner. Inquiries at New
Bethlehem Hospital, London.
Wanted: Litter of pups. I desire the entire litter of at least four pups.
Large breed only. Contact Dr. Vardu, Venusstaadt, Venus.
Salvage Employment: Owner of crashed liftwood vessel requires
assistance in recovery of property. Approximate location of downed
small craft provided on hire. Mr. D. Ungenus-Crabbe, 4 Upper Crust
Way, Glabonshire.
Missing, Reward: One large spool of copper wire for telegraphy. Last
seen in warehouse yard, New Glasgow Downport. MCC H&T Co.

Submission Guidelines
1.

2.

3.

4.

XCIV Publishing

All text submissions should be typed. MS Word 2003 format is best.

Artwork would be best in either .BMP or .JPG file formats. Original
artwork only, please! Submit your work to the editor (me, J Womack)
by email at aethergraph@gmail.com.
Submissions will be selected for publication based on quality, style
and length. The editor will contact you if your submission has been
selected prior to publication to be sure there is no conflicting publication or other issues.
All original submissions selected for publication become the sole
property of The thergraph and XCIV Publishing unless used under
license or arrangements have been made in writing prior to receipt of
publication consent.
At this time, XCIV Publishing can not pay for submissions. We do
this for love, not money.

Disclaimer: All material not original to this publication remains the sole property of the author, sculptor or photographer unless such copyright has been transferred to the
editor. Care has been taken to establish permission to use items from the internet, and no challenge to ownership is intended in cases where no response has been received.
If you own any of the images used in this publication and wish to have your image removed from it, please contact J. Womack at aethergraph@gmail.com. All original
material copyrights are claimed.