Pulpy! - Home Brew Play Test

I've decided to host a game down in Jacksonville at Skirmish Game Con the weekend of March 1st. I've been wanting to host a light pulp-style game for a few years now and of course there were many struggles to cope with. Struggles such as which rules, formulating an enjoyable scenario, creating interesting characters and motivations... that sort of thing.

So, since last Fall's con up in Raleigh, I've started checking boxes and I think I have a working solution. I have a good scenario for six players, characters and a game! The hard part was crafting a game mechanic suitable for a convention. One of my convention game pet peeves is the rules-heavy game that the players don't understand completely. Only the GM has a book and he has to constantly refer to it. It sucks and detracts from the experience. My design goal was simple - the game had to be able to be explainable, in its totality, within five minutes. Move, shoot, melee, other things. No books to rifle through, no rules situations to look up. I've hit my goal and dadgummit, it's a fine game. My wife gifted me with a few hours of her time on Saturday evening for a thorough play test and we put Pulpy! through its paces.

My other goals for the play test were to work out terrain, setup areas, play balance, travel distances, etc. I got my answers well enough to not be embarrassed come March.

I took many pictures of the layout so I can refer back to them later. A lovely beach with some jungles and a hillside secret laboratory.

Automata and Drones out to greet the infiltrators!

Some action in the sand and around a ruined building.

Heroes ascending the hillside.

A showdown in the hideout!

The play test was very successful. It revealed some weaknesses that were easily addressed. I tweaked force composition and will re-arrange the start positions of some of the forces so they're able to get into some action more quickly. So nice to get the Steampunk minis out for some Steampulp. I'm slotted for 9am Saturday morning, March 2nd. Very exciting.  https://skirmishgamecon.com

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

Twelve goblins spearing...

Eight mechs a' meching...

Painting progress is already pretty decent in the new year. I received plenty of minis for Christmas, many of which have already been committed to the "completed" side of the ledger.

Six lighter mechs for my Steel Viper clan forces. This is a mix of older metal sculpts and the contents of the Clan Striker Star box set from Catalyst Labs.  Left to right those are a Piranha, Vapor Eagle, Incubus, Eyrie, Nova and a Dasher. The Steel Viper collection was skewing heavy and these tip  the scales towards the center.

Two mechs from the Striker Star box were allocated to the Fire Mandrills, a Horned Owl and a Conjurer.

Also just completed are twelve goblin fighters from a box of Oathmark plastic 28mm goblins that were also under the Christmas tree. Many more where these came from.

Certainly a different tribe than the others I've painted recently but very close size-wise to Wargames Atlantic plastic goblins. 

I have a battle recap I need to post. I'll get to that in the next few days. Be well!

Last Game of 2023

 Ziggy and I threw dice on December 30th for our last gaming of 2023. I brought out the Blood and Plunder toys for a battle between the French and English in the woods of New England. More than anything, it was an excuse to use as many soldiers as I could field and we each had around 30. 

We played a "Capture the Objective" scenario - the rectangular crate in the midst of the barrels in the picture above is the objective in this case. I commanded the English militia and Iroquois while Zig used the French and their Abenaki allies.

We both worked the flanks since going right up the gut was going to be dangerous.

Blast em!

Well, the musket-fire was pretty ineffective and the Indians smashed into my militia on the right flank taking out four.

Over on the left, it was a similar story but in my favor, with the Iroquois proving to be quite efficient.

A wider shot from the left side of the table. Those Canadian militia on the hill are quite a target, but how to get to them? It didn't help at all that the weather degraded twice during the game and it was now Sweltering Heat! That meant units moving more than once per turn would receive a fatigue point. No "run and smash" for either of us now.

I did push some militia forward right up the gut to contest the objective. They actually hung in there really nicely for a while, dice gods smiling on them for much of the battle.

At the end of the evening though, my troops in the middle had fallen and although I'd gotten two unit around the left flank, they weren't able to capitalize on their situation. My casualties continued to mount and by the end of the fifth turn, the English were done.

Blood and Plunder always delivers an entertaining game and this was no exception. The game handled the higher unit count nicely and it really makes me consider adding to the collections. Maybe after I paint all the Halflings, Goblins and Mechs!

Urban Renewal

 Merry Christmas Eve!

After last weekend's "no terrain" mishap for the Alpha Strike game, these are welcome addition to the collection. I actually ordered them a couple of weeks ago from gcmini.com but of course there was no way I'd have been able to get them ready in time. A couple of early mornings this weekend got them sorted though.

These are 6mm "grayboard" buildings from their sci-fi collection. Assembly was easy with white glue. They're all mounted to 1/8 inch plywood.

I used aluminum foil inside the these brick red buildings to make the windows pop a bit. 

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and that Santa brings you good health and lots of nice goodies.

Battleships and Battletech

 The Space Cadets had our last big gathering of the year on Saturday. We played a couple games and overall had a fine time. I set up the first game - Victory at Sea Age of Deadnoughts... the WW1 variant. The encounter was an Italian convoy being intercepted by an Austro-Hungarian task force. Although the two fleets never really got into it during the war, they make for a nice pair for this kind of gaming.

The large Italian group in the center commanded by me, Mike and Ziggy. Mark and Wayne helmed the AH ships. The AH ships arrived from both sides. They had many targets to choose from. I barely took any pictures.

The scrum later in the game. Mark made a mistake by having his best battleship get behind our convoy instead of plunging it right into the middle where it could use its plentiful armaments to their fullest.

At the end, the Kriegsmarine sank five transports and crippled two others but lost four of their five warships.  Not a good rate of exchange.

I think the scenario is presented improperly in the Mongoose VaS rulebook; the convoy has too many warships and the raiders not enough. Live and learn!

Next up we played a six-person game of Battletech Alpha Strike. Wayne put together the scenario and provided the minis. Scenery / terrain was a whole 'nuther thing but we cobbled together enough to make a game of it.

Kurita and Eridani Light Horse forces advance towards the downed dropship. 

We did have some cool Samurai-inspired mechs on the Kurita side.

I got "last licks" on the enemy Warhammer.

And then finished off the Marauder.

Due to some scenario victory conditions that were the subject of much debate, the Kurita side lost with very little chance of winning. It was a darn entertaining game though, so victory conditions notwithstanding, we all had a fine time. 

The Halfling Ladies Auxiliary

Another unit joins the Halfling ranks. This is a group of twelve halfling women with a mix of melee weapons. Minis are from TT Combat - 28mm resin. I used 25mm mdf bases like the rest of the collection. These minis were an absolute pleasure to work on and a welcome addition to the collection. 

A Spot of Battletech

 Ziggy and I got together Saturday for a straightforward 1 v 1 200 point game of Battletech Alpha Strike. We've played some group games but with Wayne or another GM present, it's tough to really LEARN the game as opposed to playing. With no really experienced players handy, Ziggy and I were forced to figure it all out on our own. It's not a complex system, so the game went smoothly and we each now have a better understanding of things, particularly combat.

We played on a 4' x 4' table. Plenty for a 200-point game. I had 6 mechs in my Kurita group including a Copperhead, Wolfhound, Rifleman, Shadow Hawk, Catapult and Shogun. Ziggy had a heavier group with five mechs.

A nice eye-candy shot of my right flank forces starring the two lights and the Catapult.

My Copperhead disappeared as soon as it made itself a target. It did do a masterful job of drawing fire! The Shogun steps in to help out a bit though.

Ziggy's stupid Locust did a fine job of nickel-and-diming my Rifleman down to a thin veneer of hit points. Here it dares a Cyclops to engage. The Shadow Hawk at the lower left had just finished off the Locust.

But before long, my Kurita force was on hard times. My Wolfhound and Shadow Hawk were proving to be quite annoying for the Eridani Light Horse, but the balance of my force had been wrecked. We called the game. 

And there they go! Run, Forrest, run!

An entertaining game for sure, but boy oh boy did we roll some garbage dice. It was a feast of 3's and 4's on 2d6. At least it kept things hanging in the balance and neither one of us simply ran away with it.

Halflings and Goats!

 More additions to the Halfling army here. They've been in-process for weeks, I've just had precious little time for painting recently. Models are 28mm from TT Combat.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We're off the Charlotte, NC for a few days.

Tanksgiving 2023

 It's been a while since I attended a Tanksgiving event, but made the trek on Saturday for an afternoon of gaming with a group. I didn't actively play anything, I just GM'ed a game of my Stardust: Ground sci-fi battle game. I set up a four-player game, in teams of two. The setup...

Investigation at Spiritreach

Or

The Spiritreach Standoff

a Stardust: Ground scenario

Miners at Spiritreach outpost have recently uncovered ancient tablets containing Contaminant markings. The people of Spiritreach have slowly succumbed to the dangerous whispers released by the unearthed tablets. Not only have civilians in the mining community been turned by the powers of Contaminant, but the Red Guard posted nearby have been twisted and see nothing wrong with what’s going on. Outsiders of course have sensed the change and know it cannot be allowed to continue.

Dawgs of course are naturally quite sensitive to the Contaminant and after a few weeks of being released, Khanate forces were aware of what was happening at Spiritreach. Likewise, Brother-Chaplian Tobias of the Imperial Space Marines also sensed the disturbance. Both forces dispatched troops to investigate and end the threat. The erstwhile foes encountered each other en route. The leaders met and it wasn’t long before BigDawg Moonrunner and Space Marine Lieutenant Secundus entered into an agreement to enter the outpost and eliminate the threat.

It’s dusk so expect it to get dark soon.

Defenders’ Orders and Situation

Why can’t those nosy troublemakers leave us alone? We’re doing our own thing and they’re still getting their shipments of unobtanium. Well, it looks like they want a fight so we aim to give ‘em one!

Your forces are deployed around the mining outpost. You might be able to play a bit of cat-and mouse hiding among the buildings for the early parts of the battle. The Red Guard have two VTOLs that each carry a squad of infantry. Those enter the game as reinforcements and should catch your opponents by surprise. The VTOLs are transports, not fighter-bombers, so be careful with them!

The Cultist Demolishers and Red Guard Lancers are both very capable heavy tanks. The Harrier is more of a specialist and the Catapult tanks are rocket artillery vehicles more useful against infantry than vehicles. The Python Walker is quite strong, particularly in close combat and targeting the flanks of enemy vehicles. Its Elite status can allow it to activate twice in a turn, a very rare capability. Keep it hidden so you don’t lose it quickly to lucky shot.

Yadin played the Red Guard and David commanded the Cultists.

Attackers’ Orders and Situation

These rubes never learn… you play around with ancient writings, you get mutated and lose your eternal soul. What’s so hard to remember about that?

Aside from neutralizing any resistance, there are three locations within the outpost that are likely to house the unholy tablets. Finding those tablets is a high priority. The GM will let you know those locations that should be searched.

Your forces include Space Marine Terminators. They can deploy onto the battlefield via Teleporter. When you’re ready to deploy them, give them an Order and place the Terminators anywhere on the battlefield in base contact with one another and not within 5” of any friendly or enemy unit.. Yeah, it’s just that easy. They may immediately take their action. This sudden appearance should be a nasty surprise for the defenders! The Captain must remain with the squad; unfortunately this means his Elite ability won’t be available.

The Dawg’s Brawler tanks are very powerful heavy tanks, but your force, overall, is quite outnumbered in the tank department. Terminators are good for anti-tank work in close combat as are the Dreadnoughts. Keeping the Dreadnoughts healthy during their transit could be difficult.

Disembark the Space Marines from the Rhinos once they’ve made some good progress onto the battlefield. Marines are quite difficult to kill while on foot due to their Veteran status.

 Wayne B was the Dawg Commander while Ziggy ran the Marines.

 

Our battlefiled. The Cultists and Red Guard occupied the big hill and buildings while the Marines and Dawgs joined the battle from the far end of the table.

I didn't take many pictures, especially early into the game as I was GMing and helping my players understand the process.

Ziggy's Terminators teleported in atop the hill and assaulted a squad of cultists in the large building. The terminators were in-turn assaulted by a second group of cultists. Terminators, being the most powerful infantry unit in Stardust, were able to handle the challenge without much trouble. They entered the gray building a turn later and searched for the tablets they were hunting. Of course, they found them sitting right there on the coffee table being used as coasters!

The battle continued to rage all over the tabletop. Batteries must've been weak and gunpowder wet because for all the shooting, there were remarkably few casualties. 

But melee was a different story. The Python walker vehicle was manhandled by a unit of Space Marines!

In the attacker's backfield, the Red Guard sent two airborne infantry units. One of the VTOLs was hit by AAA and crash-landed, but only one of the infantry stands was taken out. Not pictured... moments later, the Dawgs called in artillery on the downed VTOL, wiping out the squad except for the medic! 

Darkness fell and of course visibility was now a major issue. True to form, weapons fire was still almost completely ineffective.

Dawgs and Cult Fanatics mix it up!

It was a bad day for fliers! The Red Guard airborne troops assault and destroy the immobilized Marine Dreadnought. They'll take all the kills the can find.

The last shots of the game. The Guard's tanks fire another barrage of plasma at another immobilized Dreadnought. More misses. More failures to cause meaningful damage! Yadin had spent 3/4 of the game shooting at that thing all all he could muster was a mobility kill. It truly was amazing.

We decided to call the game. The attackers, Wayne B and Ziggy won handily but all the players enjoyed themselves. The two who'd never played before (Yadin and Wayne B) both were quite happy with their choice of a day's entertainment so that makes me feel good as a game designer and scenario maker. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Steampulp? Sure, I Suppose

 I finished up the Malifaux models I included in the previous post. They painted up more quickly than I was expecting. I didn't go gangbusters with the highlighting and all that. Just colors and inks. Rough and ready, looking for some table time.

And a reverse of the lot

I can't explain the blue base edges; it just sort of happened. 

I did test out a new set of skirmish rules I've been working on Saturday evening with my wife. The intention of the rules is "group friendly" and "very little explanation needed." The test went well. We used my 15mm toys - it was an X-Files episode again.