I have a selection of cards for science fiction wargames that I will soon be offering for sale. I will be posting my random events cards to give you an idea of what I have to offer, there after, my ideas will cost you £5 for the card sets and a free set of my Overkill science fiction rules to give you an idea what I was thinking of when I created my cards. The sets are produced in two formats: inoffensive and 18+. You will have to let me know which set you want when you place your order.
Parental warning - the 18+ card sets are exactly that, so don't complain to me if you don't like them. You have been warned!
Either way, the card sets are written in PDF format so that I will be able to email them to you. But, you will have to print them yourself.
Happy 2017.
Mark
£1 Wargames Rules
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Monday, 12 December 2016
Mantic Battlezones - A Guide
Actually,
this should be Battlezones by Mantic, a life, the universe and
everything guide, but there wasn't room in the title space. So, to
start, this is my personal opinion, if you don't like it, write your
own! I bought Mantic's Industrial and Urban sectors (so far I've
only been allowed to open the industrial sector though!) and the
first thing I did when I opened the box was search for a guide as to
what is what and what the possibilities were with the set. I then
panicked as there is no guide and very little in the box makes any
sense at first glance.
I closed
the box and put it to the rear of my self, then resorted to Google.
Every post I found said the same thing, namely, why isn't there any
sort of guide provided with Battlezones? On their site, Mantic
states that one is on the way, but as that was written in 2012, I
wouldn't hold your breath! Fortunately Mr Anthony Bragg, check him
out on Google+, has been a huge help and put me onto The Terrain
Tutor on You Tube. Mr T's videos are brilliant and he covers almost
everything you will ever need to know about terrain, but he doesn't
tell you what is what with Battlezones. Hence this guide.
I've tried
to do a bit of a comparison to give you some idea of what Battlezones
is like in the wargaming field. The boss of Mantic compares it to
Lego in their videos, but personally I would compare it to Games
Workshop.
Lego was
brilliant when I was even younger than I am now:) It is versatile to
the point that if you don't like what you build you can take it apart
and start again and back in the day, it offered value for money.
However, it is hardly suitable for use in the majority of wargames.
I love GW,
to my mind it is the bench mark that all other wargame's businesses
have to follow and as an extra bonus, it is English and therefore
deserving of our support. Their terrain, like their figures, is of
brilliant quality and fits perfectly with the background of their
scifi games. Another personal plus is that what you see on the box
is what you get. But, to add a more personal touch to the terrain,
you need to be experienced and able to add intricate bases to make
your customisations look good.
Despite
Mantic's claims to the contrary, you cannot reuse the pieces in their
sets like you can with Lego. The connectors simply are not strong
enough and you do not get enough of them. Neither is the quality of
the pieces up to that of Games Workshop, although that is largely
down to the fact that whoever takes them off their frames obviously
doesn't love what they are doing.
Where
Battlezones comes into its own is its versatility. You could buy ten
of the same kit and not build the same building twice. It is
brilliant. Better still, it is perfectly suited to wargaming as long
as you have your background story right. What do I mean? If you are
fighting your battles on a planet with millions of years of history,
you are probably better off buying Games Workshop terrain. But if
your battles are set in an environment like the TV show Defiance,
Battlezones is just what you need. It looks functional, rather than
artistic, perfectly suited to colonists who want easy to assemble
buildings that will provide them with shelter, safety and protection.
It also fits in perfectly with what I had in mind when I wrote my
wargames rules.
So, onto
my review of the Battlezones industrial sector. Yes, I can hear your
sighs of 'At last.'
What You Get:
90º
and straight connectors
Walls
and extras
Roofs
and extras
Extras
1
Extras
2
Urban
sprues
You
will need; cutters; long-nosed pliers; a file; Stanley knife and lots
of super glue. You will also need something to use as a base for
your buildings as they are too flimsy for gaming use otherwise. I
used some cork place mats.
You
do not get enough connectors and the 90º
ones are enough to make a sane person wish to commit seppuko. My
first effort, I ended up with more pieces super glued to my fingers
than to each other. For my second attempt, I either left them out,
or cut one of the pegs down to a triangle, then super glued them.
They are a particular pain when trying to fix roofs to walls as
A
– they leave the roof section sitting proud of the wall
B
– you are likely to wreck the wall and everything else attached to
it when you try to push the roof onto the connector.
The
'risers' are brilliant though and are an excellent way of joining
walls together. But whatever connectors you use, you are better off
gluing everything to give it some stability.
The
connectors work by pushing/forcing their pegs into the holes in the
walls, etc. It is a good idea to use long-nosed pliers to squeeze
them into place after putting glue on the pegs. BUT ensure that you
have planned what you want to build first, as you will only get one
attempt.
My
first attempt after judicial use of filler. By this stage I was not
a happy chappie and wished I had gone for GW terrain instead.
Luckily
my second attempt turned out better because I had come to terms with
the limitations on the connectors. If you want to use the conveyor
belts though, I suggest you cut the supports in half as otherwise the
conveyors are virtually at the top of the doorways.
If
you want to do corners with the railings or walkways, you are going
to have to do some cutting, as they won't sit together properly
otherwise. Not a big deal, but worth bearing in mind.
I
haven't finished painting my buildings yet, but I will post a picture
of the finished factory once I have. If you want to see some decent
paint jobs, see Anthony Bragg on Google+.
Unfortunately
I don't have a spray gun any more, nor anywhere to spray without my
wife divorcing me, so my efforts are totally with a brush and I think
spraying would look a lot better.
I
hope you have found this useful and I wish you all happy wargaming.
Mark
Sunday, 24 July 2016
War Plan Red part 3 - Heroes and Villains
The
George's
(Named after
St George)
Archibald Giggles was
born in Hong Kong in 1889 and like his birth sign the Ox, is a born
leader with something of a temper. His parents drowned when the ship
they were sailing in was caught in a typhoon off Kowloon Bay and sank
with all hands. Giggles thus moved to England to live with his great
aunt, Lady Temperance Chatterley.
He joined No. 5 Royal
Flying Corps as a pilot when it was formed in 1913 and is fond of
reminiscing about his training: 'training went something like this,
'This is an aeroplane, this is the throttle, this is the bit that
makes it go and turn left or right. If you're really lucky, this bit
brings you safely back to earth.'
At first, Giggles
flew the Avro 504 but he grew bored of doing nothing more than
spotting for artillery and transferred to 3 Squadron, then 45
Squadron. In all, Giggles accounted for 36 confirmed enemy kills,
most of them while he was flying his Sopwith Camel.
With the end of the
war in 1918, Giggles became something of an adventurer, travelling
extensively in China, where he was recruited by MI6 to provide
information on the budding communist party. He was recalled to the
UK in 1935 amid growing concerns about War Plan Red.
With the onset of the
American attacks, Giggles was quoted in The Free World Press as
stating: “Those damned Yankees won't know what hit 'em. They'll
be running home to hide behind their mother's aprons in no time!”
Archibald
Giggles – 100 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
Leader
of The George's
May
add 1 point to 2 stats. EG you could give him an extra attack and a
R of 10
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol.
May
also have grenades
Has
the following skills:
Born Leader – 5 points
Gains
+1 R
Dodge – 20 points
Has
a 4+ Invulnerable Save
Note – The
derogatory use of the word Yankee is attributed to British General
James Wolfe. “I can afford to lose all of those damned Yankees,
because they have no worth for work nor vigilance!”
Charlie Challenge is
the inventor of the rocket powered jet pack that can be worn on a
figure's back. Charlie also test piloted his creation, which led to
his making several visits to the local hospital. However, by model
13, Charlie had perfected his creation, more or less anyway and has
handed over the blueprints to MI6.
Charlie
Challenge – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
Rocket Pack -
Move - May fly 12” in
any direction.
Laser Pistol – 1 point
range – 9”
strength – 3
Ms Caroline Sheppard
is something of a sleuth who has assisted the police and MI6 on
numerous occasions. She was born in the quaint village of
Ashton-Under-Hill in 1901 and attributes her success to her gypsy
mother. Caroline became something of a celebrity when tabloids
linked her to solving the notorious Slipper Murders, that had the
East End of London living in a state of terror from 1929 – 1931,
when she personally apprehended Lord Travis Tee.
Ms
Caroline Sheppard– 250 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a pistol
May
use psychic powers from the Fallen Angels rules and the psychic
powers cards
Caroline
has the following skill - Lucky – 10 points
May
re-roll one set of dice once per game, or make the enemy re-roll a
set.
Pitbull Mc Dubhgall
is the son of a Scottish laird whose family hails from the Isle of
Skye. Like his father before him, Pitbull served in the 1st Regiment
of the Skye Highland Infantry, gaining the DSC and MC for his service
fighting the Hun in the Great War. He put the skills he learnt on
his family's grouse moors to good use during his time in the
trenches, where he became renowned for his stealth and marksmanship.
After the war,
Pitbull felt at something of a loss and travelled far and wide in
search of adventure. He became an accomplished martial artist
during a prolonged stay in Hunan, China and learnt the skills of the
majhong tables during a visit to the Portuguese colony of Macau,
where he also became acquainted with Giggles.
Although Pitbull has
become a top agent in MI6 and his patriotism is considered beyond
question, his handler is still concerned that he may suffer from the
little understood condition of post traumatic stress, due to his
experiences during the war. His file thus bears the note that he is
something of a loose cannon.
Pitbull
Mc Dubhgall – 30 points + any equipment and extra weapons.
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Has
a sniper rifle and a telescopic sight (included in points cost)
May
have a close combat weapon and grenades
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
He
may not have a shield.
Pitbull
ignores SS penalties for being at over ½
range
If
he can see any part of a target, he may fire at it without any cover
saves applying.
Pitbull
has the following skills:
Close Combat Expert
– 5 points
+1 FS
Sneak – 5 points
As long as he
doesn't come within 3” of any enemy, Pitbull may move through any
type of cover without being seen. If he hides, enemy cannot see him
unless they come within 3”.
Kara Loft is more formally known as the Lady Bikley, although she has little interest in her title, or the responsibilities it carries. Kara's mother died during her birth in 1906 and her father went missing ten years later, during an expedition to China to find Shangri-la.
Kara claims she
learnt more from her gamekeeper, than the expensive school she
attended. Since coming into her inheritance, Kara has undertaken
several expeditions to the Chinese Himalayas, where she was recruited
by MI6.
Kara is described by
virtually every man (and quite a few women) who meet her as being
'drop dead gorgeous.' Anyone attacking her suffers -1 FS and -1 SS.
Kara always fights first if in base contact with a male enemy.
Kara
Loft – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket
May
not have a shield.
May
have a pistol and a shotgun
Kara has the sneak skill -
As
long as she doesn't come within 3” of any enemy, Kara may move
through any type of cover without being seen. If she hides, enemy
cannot see her unless they come within 3”.
Sergeant Blake of 42 Commando (that's said 4 2) came top of his intake at Lympstone when he joined prior to the outbreak of WW1. He took part in several amphibious assaults, most notably at Zeebrugge in 1918.
Sergeant Blake – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have a Save of 6, eg a flak jacket
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol
May
have a automatic rifle.
May
also have grenades
Blake
has the following skills:
Born Leader – 5 points
Gains
+1 R
Close Combat Expert
– 5 points
+1 FS
Royal Marines
Special Rule – Pain Is Only Weakness Leaving The Body – Because
of their training, marines count as being stubborn. This means they
have a R of 10 for morale tests
Marine Smith, 42 Commando. Smith joined as a gunner in the RMA but was transferred to RMLI when they were amalgamated in 1923. As he can no longer 'play' with artillery, Smith likes to use a machine gun, 'Because it still makes a loud noise.'
Marine
Smith – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have a Save of 6, eg a flak jacket
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol
May
have a LMG.
May
also have grenades
Smith
has the following skills:
Close Combat Expert – 5 points
+1 FS
Marksman – 5
points
+1 SS
Marine Jones, 42
Commando. Jones is something of a loner and one of the best snipers
the Royal Marines has ever produced. He was on secondment to MI6
when the Americans invaded Canada.
Marine Jones – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Has
a sniper rifle and a telescopic sight (included in points cost)
May
have a close combat weapon and grenades
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
He
may not have a shield.
Smith
ignores SS penalties for being at over ½
range
If
he can see any part of a target, he may fire at it without any cover
saves applying.
Smith
has the following skills:
Close Combat Expert
– 5 points
+1 FS
Sneak – 5 points
As long as he
doesn't come within 3” of any enemy, Pitbull may move through any
type of cover without being seen. If he hides, enemy cannot see him
unless they come within 3”.
The
Villains (Hiss! Boo!)
General Elmer.
Nicknamed Elmer Fudd by the Brits, the General is exactly what you
would expect an American hero to be. To quote Pitbull Mc Dubhgall
'He's all wind wrapped up in a fancy leotard.' The Americans
consider him to be their secret weapon and he certainly does have a
very definite “effect” on his opponents.
To his fellow
Americans, Elmer is the epitome of everything that makes America
great. To everyone else... he looks quite different. His red, white
and blue costume has the stars and stripes picked out in sequins
which the designers think makes him look very dashing.
Enemy trying to fire at
Elmer or engage him in close combat suffer a -1 FS and -1 SS penalty
because they are laughing so much.
General
Elmer – 100 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
Leader
of the Americans
May
add 1 point to 2 stats. EG you could give him an extra attack and a
R of 10
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol.
May
also have grenades
Has
the following skills:
Born Leader – 5 points
Gains
+1 R
Dodge – 20 points
Has
a 4+ Invulnerable Save
Boomerang shield – this
offers a +2 save and has a range of 6”.
Chuck Bodgers. Bodgers began his career with CIC
in 1920 and was quickly recognised for his skills with technology.
He really came into his own when a special agent managed to steal a
working model of a rocket pack. Unfortunately for Bodgers, it was an
early model 9 and he spent eight months in hospital before he managed
to work around the design flaws.
Chuck
Bodgers – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
Rocket Pack -
Move - May fly 12” in
any direction.
Laser Pistol – 1 point
range – 9”
strength – 3
Puppy Bountiful.
Puppy was christened Helen Patrice. She learnt at an early age that
sex appeal can get her almost anything she wants, but that a Colt .45
is a handy backup. She began working for American Intelligence (☺)
in 1931 and was posted to London early in 1933 after a scandal with
her section chief.
Puppy
Bountiful – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket
May
not have a shield.
May
have an automatic handgun
Puppy
has the Femme Fatale - Any man attacking her
suffers a -1 FS
The Mask. Tony Q is
an ex cop that was blinded during a raid on an illegal chemical works
in New Orleans. The loss of his sight and the fumes he inhaled
during the raid, have left him with unusual abilities.
The
Mask – 250 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
May
only wear a Flak jacket or equivalent, maximum Save of 6
May
have a pistol
May
use psychic powers from the Fallen Angels rules and the psychic
powers cards
May
have a pistol
Tony
has the following skill - Dodge – 20 points
The
figure has a 4+ Invulnerable Save
Payback. Richard
Hedd is a master of disguise who seeks vengeance against anyone he
perceives as being a threat to the great American way of life.
Payback – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol.
May
have a SMG
May
have grenades
May
have the following skills:
Marksman – 5
points
+1 SS
Infiltrate – 10 points
Payback may deploy
anywhere on the battlefield as long as it is in cover. But he
doesn't have to be positioned on the battlefield. Write on a piece
of paper where he is, then he can be positioned at the start of any
of his turns, or when the enemy gets within 6” of him.
The Spectre. Nothing is known of the early life of the Spectre and few would dare to ask him about it. He is a skilled martial artist and rumours claim that he has been trained in the ways of Japanese ninjitsu.
The Spectre – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol.
May
have shurikens (throwing stars) Treat them as thrown knives.
May
have grenades
May
have the following skills:
Close Combat Expert
– 5 points
+1 FS
Sneak – 5 points
As long as he
doesn't come within 3” of any enemy, he may move through any type
of cover without being seen. If he hides, enemy cannot see him
unless they come within 3”.
Special agent 'Quick Draw' McGraw. Dan McGraw gained his nickname because of his passion for westerns. He spends hours everyday in front of a mirror practising drawing his Colt .45. He is a crack shot with any handgun.
Dan
McGraw – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and an automatic handgun.
May have a Laser Pistol –
1 point range – 9” strength
– 3
May
have a SMG
May
have grenades
May
have the following skills:
Marksman – 5
points
+1 SS
Agent William 'The Kid' Ford. The Kid joined CIC as soon as he was able to and has been on active service in Europe for the last eighteen months.
William Ford – 10 points + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May
swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the
SS 5 and the R 8
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and a pistol.
May
have a SMG
May
have grenades
May have the following
skills:
Fast – 5 points
May move an extra 3”
each turn. The normal terrain penalties apply though.
Lock Smith – 5
points
Can soundlessly pick
any lock.
Agent Jean Mortenson. Jean has only recently been assigned to London, but has already been able to gather useful information for Operation Killjoy. Her colleagues are all jealous of her as they are certain she is set to be a rising star in CIC.
Jean Mortensen – 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
May
have a single handed close combat weapon and an automatic handgun.
May
have a SMG
May
have grenades
May have the following
skills:
Lucky – 10 points
May re-roll one set of
dice once per game, or make the enemy re-roll a set.
Born Leader – 5 points
Gains +1 R
All of my rules and scenarios are available from www.1poundrules.website Each set of rules only costs £1
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