JDMG MC1 Citi-Def Soldiers 01

The typical view of the Citi-Def soldier is of a man who barely knows one end of a Spit Gun from the other and, pumped up on action vids on the Tri-D, attempts to live out his fantasies by joining the only military option open to citizens. In many cases this is remarkably accurate and the Citi-Def is a source of constant worry to the Justice Department, for allowing citizens legal access to weaponry surely courts disaster. A force of Citi-Def soldiers will not be the most competent in Mega City One, but they do have access to armour and heavy weapons that can make them very scary - as much to one another as any enemy!
In this post, I'm going to review the first of my numerous Citi-Def forces, a small unit containing just four figures but who are one of each of the four types available to a typical Citi-Def squad. Citi-Def soldiers always belong to one particular city block and are often fanatically loyal to that block. This squad that I'm showing here belong to the Danny Glover Block in Sector 13, the location of my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign.

At the far left is Shane Miller, a Citi-Def Officer. The Citi-Def Officer is different from the soldiers he commands. He is not a weekend warrior living out his action-hero dreams but a career soldier dedicated to the protection of the city. It is his responsibility, as a guardian of Mega City One, to ensure his fellow citizens do not suffer invasion as they have in the past. In all likelihood, it is the Citi-Def Officer who has organised the latest block war, simply to provide real world training for his men! This figure was produced by Mongoose Publishing, as were the Med-tech and the Soldier, but they were discontinued when Warlord Games took over production of the range. Warlord Games redesigned them and increased the range from three figures to eleven. Shane Miller is a Level:3 Infantry Hero armed with a Spit Pistol and Hand Bombs and wearing a Shell Jacket. He has two Talents (Agile and Quick Dodge) and two Special Rules. Rallying Cry - so long as he remains on the table and is still alive, all failed Will to Fight checks for all friendly models may be re-rolled. True Leader - any friendly model within 15" and in line of sight of him may use his Will score instead of their own for any Will check, including resist Arrest checks. He costs 175 Credits.
Standing next to Miller is Matt Kramon, a Citi-Def Soldier. Citi-Def Soldiers sign up for one of three reasons; either they are bored from their long days of unemployment, have a deep patriotic sense to defend Mega City One, or have watched far too many action-vids. They are all, however, crazy once a Spit Gun gets put in their hands. Kramon is a Level:1 Infantry Hero equipped with a Spit Gun Rifle and a Shell Jacket. He has two Talents - Aim and Suppressing Fire and one Special Rule - Trigger Happy. Whenever a Citi-Def Soldier takes a Shoot action, he must make a Will check. If this is failed, his next action must also be a Shoot action unless an enemy engages him in Close Combat before this action can be taken. If no enemy model is in sight, he will attack the closest target, be it friend, foe or innocent bystander. He costs 150 Credits.

Second from the right is Ramsey Van Horn, a Jaeger Squad Commando. Not all Citi-Def units have a Jaeger squad, but those who do include such men in their ranks are often considered to be elite forces (elite being a relative term...). Each member of the Jaeger squad is a full time Citi-Def Soldier who has dedicated himself to protecting his block against all enemies. Training hard in infiltration skills and the disruption of communications, the Jaeger squad is as close to a true commando unit as any Citi-Def is likely to get. This particular figure is made by Wargames Foundry as part of their 2000AD range. Van Horn is a Level:2 Infantry Hero armed with a Spit Gun Rifle and Knife and equipped with a Respirator, Shell Jacket and Sucker Gun. He has four Talents - Infiltrator, Silent Action, Silent Killer and Stealthy. He also has two Special Rules. First is Going Commando - using a combination of Sucker Guns, rappelling lines and para-gliders, the Jaeger Squad Commando can appear anywhere unexpected. The Commando gains a Sucker Gun, allowing him to drop down a sheer surface up to 12" with a single Special action. Secondly, is Silent but Violent, which grants him the Stealthy Talent for free. He costs 245 Credits.
Finally, is Dan Moxness, a Citi-Def Med-tech. Medical technicians who join Citi-Def units are never short of work, patching up patients and performing emergency surgery - usually on unintentionally self-inflicted wounds. They quickly learn to avoid the most trigger happy soldiers, but often take breathtaking risks when one of their unit goes down. Moxness is a Level:1 Infantry Hero armed with a Handgun Pistol and is equipped with Pad Armour and a Medi-Kit. His two talents are appropriately, First Aid and Medic. He has one Special Rule - Lifesaver. The Med-tech is always assumed to have taken one extra Special action on its last turn when using a Medi-Kit (so he will always count as having taken at least one). He costs 105 Credits.
By no means can these be considered a major threat, although they are all classed as Heroes, which does increase their survival odds. In future posts I'll showcase much larger Citi-Def forces who are much more likely to appear in a Block War scenario.