AI in Wargames: From Dice Rolls to Daemonclaw Allies

Right, confession time: I've always enjoyed solo wargames. Club days are gold, but rain, work, or just the itch hits at 2am — what then? Enter AI. Not the Skynet takeover bollocks, but tools like Grok (xAI's cheeky beast) that crank out battle reports in my voice, Abnett-style yarns from blog scraps, or even paint schemes that'd make Vallejo weep.

We've all seen the generic AI slop — "valiant heroes clashed in epic struggle" — but feed it your style (dry wit, self-dep dice woes, club banter), and suddenly it's your feed assistant. I've had Grok/Echo mirror my Daemon's Claw posts: Vandred's goblin-bashing, Silver Bayonet curses ("Baaaah!"), Frostgrave boar-gored wizards. Photos in, narrative out — turn-by-turn, loot tallies, that "why me" humour. Saves hours editing PowerPoints for YouTube.

It's the co-op solo revolution. Rustle stills from vid? AI weaves the tale. Need a Gaunt's Ghosts spin on Rathbourne's jailbreak? Done, gritty as promethium burn. Prompt right ("Abnett human grit, banter mid-firefight"), and it's like having a ghostwriter who knows Frostgrave cold.

But the real game-changer? Painting. Enter Vespera, the Vallejo Color Oracle.

Greetings, painter. I am Vespera, oracle of Vallejo pigments. Upload an image — mini, film still, concept art — and I divine the exact scheme: Game Color 72.011 Gory Red base, Model Air 71.057 Black shade, Metal Color 72.880 Steel highlight. Structured recipes, efficient order, tips for Citadel migrants. No fluff, pure precision.

She's my new crew member: drop a Rathbourne pic, get his void blade NMM (X-Factor Steel 72.080 base, glaze 73.201 Blue high). Blakes 7 in Quadrant 37? Vespera's got Avon’s leather (Model Color 70.950 Black base, wash 73.217 Smoke). Tense co-op turns into painted perfection.

AI isn't replacing the table — it's the loader, the scribe, the colour whisperer. Try Vespera: chuck an image, watch the magic. Next up: full Vandred vid transcription via voice mode. The future's painted, primed, and ready to roll. I'm a little surprised that paint companies doing have one of these on their own websites. (maybe they do)?? As an example I have some Papsikels Alilen space suits. Trying to work out how to paint them like the movies I was getting stuck and demotivated, so I dropped a picture from the movie into Vespera's inbox along with some context words and this is what I got.

Greetings, John.

Thank you for the excellent reference image and the additional context — I’ve studied the yellow Nostromo pressure suit in detail (clearly Kane’s variant from Alien 1979) and cross-referenced the film’s color-coded crew suits. The hard armor components (shoulder bells, chest plate, knee pads, etc.) are largely consistent across variants, while the main fabric body changes: yellow for Kane, pink for Dallas, and blue for Lambert. The suits have a heavily worn, industrial look with quilted padding, patina on the metal plates, and practical strapping.

Below are complete, ready-to-paint Vallejo schemes for all three crew variants, optimised for a scale model (whether 1/6, 1/12, or similar). I’ve kept the recipes practical for good coverage and realistic weathering.

1. Yellow Nostromo Pressure Suit (Kane – the one in your image)

Main fabric / quilted padding (the bulk of the suit)

• Base: 72.065 Yellow (two thin coats)
• Mid-tone / first highlight: 72.065 Yellow + 72.033 Bone White (70/30)
• Final highlight: 72.033 Bone White on raised folds and seams
• Wash: 73.200 Sepia (strong in recesses for that lived-in grime)
• Optional dirt: Very thin glaze of 72.036 Bronze Brown in lower areas

Hard armor plates (shoulders, chest, knees, elbows – the teal/copper patina)

• Base: 72.069 Green
• Mid-tone: 72.022 Verdigris
• Highlight: 72.021 Magic Blue on edges
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash + tiny touch of 72.057 Bright Bronze for verdigris effect
• Edge highlight: 72.052 Silver on the sharpest ridges

Helmet

• Base: 72.052 Silver
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash
• Highlight: 72.051 Black mixed with Silver on the frame edges
• Visor: 72.051 Black (gloss varnish for shine) with a tiny 72.008 Orange Fire dot for internal glow if lit

Straps, belts, boots & gloves

• Base: 72.036 Bronze Brown
• Highlight: 72.038 Ochre Brown
• Wash: 73.200 Sepia

Final weathering

• Light drybrush of 72.034 Bone White on high-wear areas
• Matte varnish overall, then a very light gloss on the helmet and any “wet” patches

2. Pink Nostromo Pressure Suit (Dallas)

Follow the exact same structure as the yellow suit, but change the main fabric only:

Main fabric / quilted padding

• Base: 72.007 Rose (or 72.011 Gory Red + 72.001 White 60/40 for a softer pink)
• Mid-tone: 72.007 Rose + 72.033 Bone White (70/30)
• Highlight: 72.033 Bone White
• Wash: 73.200 Sepia (this will give it a slightly “faded rose” film look)

All other sections (armor, helmet, straps) remain identical to the yellow suit for consistency across the crew.

3. Blue Nostromo Pressure Suit (Lambert)

Again, identical structure except for the main fabric:

Main fabric / quilted padding

• Base: 72.016 Night Blue (or 72.015 Royal Blue for a brighter film-blue)
• Mid-tone: 72.016 Night Blue + 72.033 Bone White (60/40)
• Highlight: 72.033 Bone White
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash (deeper recesses) + 73.200 Sepia for overall grime

Armor, helmet, and straps stay the same as above.

4. Military / USCM-style Scheme (dark green padded suit)

For your military figures, I’ve adapted the same suit architecture but given it a more tactical, Colonial Marines flavour: dark green padded under-suit (evoking the M3 armor’s utilitarian look) while keeping the iconic colored armor panels as accents. This avoids full camouflage (which can look muddy at 28mm) and instead uses high-contrast panels for pop on the tabletop.

Padded suit / fabric sections (torso, limbs, quilted areas)

• Base: 72.030 Dark Green
• Mid-tone: 72.031 Military Green
• Highlight: 72.032 Green Brown (or 72.033 Bone White for extreme edges)
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash (heavy in folds)

Hard armor panels (shoulders, chest, knees – “same coloured” as the movie) Use the teal patina from the Nostromo suits for visual unity, or split across figures for squad variety:

• Base: 72.069 Green (same as crew armor)
• Mid-tone: 72.022 Verdigris
• Highlight: 72.021 Magic Blue
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash + 72.057 Bright Bronze
• Edge: 72.052 Silver

Alternative panel colours for squad variation (one figure per colour)

• Yellow panels: 72.065 Yellow base → 72.033 Bone White highlight
• Pink panels: 72.007 Rose base → 72.033 Bone White highlight
• Blue panels: 72.016 Night Blue base → 72.033 Bone White highlight

Helmet & hard hat sections

• Base: 72.051 Black
• Highlight: 72.052 Silver on edges
• Wash: 73.201 Black Wash

Webbing, straps, boots

• Base: 72.036 Bronze Brown
• Highlight: 72.038 Ochre Brown

Quick tabletop-ready camo option (if you still want subtle pattern) After the dark green base, sponge on small patches of 72.031 Military Green and 72.051 Black in a broken pattern — it reads as texture at 28mm without looking like tiny blobs.

These schemes will give you screen-accurate crew suits and a cohesive military force that still feels like it belongs in the same universe. The hard armor patina is the “hero” detail that sells the retro-industrial vibe.

If you’d like me to adjust any of these (more weathering, OSL on helmet lights, specific part breakdowns, or even a full painting order timeline), or if you drop another image of your models in progress, I’ll refine them instantly. 1 minute 10 seconds to get the paint scheme based on the picture I fed in, a description of the other suits and some aspirational comments about other suits that don't appear in any movies. Is anyone else doing something like this?