Train Tuesday Part 92: Lean Into It

It’s Tuesday, so that can only mean we have more Hovertrain goodness rollin’ into the station. Today’s entry might be moving at a bit of a slower speed, is all.

As you know, our beloved Hovertrains don’t run on hope. They need precious Corederite fuel derived from a mineral dubbed C-glass. And even though The Forgotten Rails has emergency hovering Fuel Tankers that can ultimately reach a stranded Hovertrain if it runs out of gas, each train keeps a manual Hand Cart on a flat car for dire, stranded circumstances.

Thankfully, Aether Studios has just such a vehicle for us to add to our stable of Hovertrain cars. Their Ziltek High Quality Hand Carts set includes an easy-to-3D-print STL that evokes some juicy nostalgia and harkens back to the original railroad days. No problems running this one off in FDM, and we’ll probably make a couple for some comical “chase” one-shots.

DM Ben picked up a paintbrush for this joyous 3D-printed scatter terrain. Nothing to it as this heart-thumping manual Hovertrain car followed our usual choo-choo paint scheme. However, he did add a couple of classic Army Painter Metallic Speedpaint colors. He used Enchanted Steel for the pump mechanism and some Brazen Copper for the tubes.

From a size perspective, your Hovertrain Hand Cart covers a 3×3 d20 square area and holds two miniatures with ease. Also, you could certainly slip a couple more on there for a heck of a grapple-fest.

In terms of speed, The Forgotten Rails will have their Hovertrains running between 15 to 20 mph. This is the dawn of a new transportation era in Waterdeep, so we felt it only natural that we mimic the original steam locomotives of the 1820s and 1830s.  For these Hover Hand Trucks, we envision a top speed of 10 mph, contingent upon the Athletics check rolls being solid (as well as who is at the lever).

We can certainly envision certain classes and races getting more speed out of our new Hover Hand Carts than others. A skinny wizard and a small halfling rogue won’t generate nearly the speed of other adventurers, monsters, or constructs. Those sorts of skill challenges will be a hoot at the table, though!

Until next time!