Vampifans Views 118 - Monthly Musings 88

This is another illustration painted by Manuel Sanjulian. Vampirella initially appeared in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Vampirella #1 (September 1969), running to issue #112 (March 1983). The title was a sister magazine of Warren's horror anthologies Creepy and Eerie. Like those magazines' respective mascots, Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie, Vampirella hosted horror stories, though unlike them, she would also star in her own story, which would headline each issue. This illustration shows Vampirella flanked by Cousin Eerie to her right and Uncle Creepy to her left.

As is usual for me I have had another busy month. On the painting front I have finished painting 24 zombies from the Resident Evil 2 board game and I'll be showing them here very soon. Currently I'm painting 3 Judoon from Warlord Games' range of Doctor Who range. These were amongst the first figures I bought for this game but never get round to painting until now. I recently bought 4 Ambot models from Games Workshop's Necromunda range of figures. Necromunda is the only GW game I'm currently interested in. I have made all four of them and am busy painting them now. I plan on using them as Heavy Metal Kids to use in the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD supplement, The Robot Wars. It is always nice to have figures that can be used in multiple games. Next on my list of figures to paint will be the figures that came with Battle Systems' Core Space sci-fi skirmish game. I have started making the scenery items for this game and I'm busy painting the edges of both the scenery items and the walls. This is something I do with all of my card models and scenery. It is incredibly tedious and time-consuming but the effort is more than worth it as it transforms them from looking like cardboard models with their distracting white edges to much more realistic looking scenery.

I am continuing to lay the groundwork for my upcoming Judge Dredd RPG campaign. Those of you who followed my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign in which my team of Judges were based on some of my blog followers (Med Judge Nash, Street Judges Burnett, Moore, Stone and Webb as well as myself, Street Judge Scott) may be pleased to know that you are all returning to my new campaign and that all of you have been upgraded to experienced Judges (rank:7) or in the case of Judge Stone, a Senior Judge (rank:10). My own Judges, Scott and Nicki Huntsman will start off as rank:5 Judges on their first tour of duty as Street Judges. Psi Judge Justine Devereux returns as a rank:7 Psi Judge. To put these rank numbers into perspective, most starting characters begin at rank:5 with a 5d6 dice pool; rank:6 and7 characters have a 6d6 dice pool and rank:8 to10 characters have a 7d6 dice pool. The bigger your dice pool the greater your chance of succeeding in a task and the higher your chance of scoring a critical success. I have created character record sheets for about 20 Judges and the perps who will appear in the first scenario, State of the Empire which appears in the Judge Dredd and the World of 2000 AD rulebook. The campaign begins in the year 2099 which is when Judge Dredd first appeared in the 2000 AD comic. I have created my own character record sheet for him and at this point he is only a rank:7 Judge.

This campaign will be posted on my WOIN blog. Speaking of which, I made a promise that my The Ace of Spades Campaign would return soon but too much time has passed since I made that promise. I have two more posts to show on my WOIN blog and then chapter 3 of The Ace of Spades Campaign will continue. I really want to post this before I start my Judge Dredd campaign. I am incredibly excited about returning to this campaign. I have missed my ongoing adventures of Kimberley and co.

Assorted Dominatrices 01

I do like to mix things up on my blog and here's a post I'm sure no one will have been expecting! I'm taking a look at my collection of dominatrix figures from assorted companies. I do have a reason for showing these, which will be revealed below.

The figure at the far right was made by SLAP Miniatures but is no longer available from them as they have stopped making 28mm scale figures to concentrate on making 15mm scale figures. Bleurgh! 😠There is no question at all that she is a dominatrix with her black leather costume and whip. Someone is about to get a right thrashing from her.
Next up is Dominatrix Libby sculpted by Kevin White for Hasslefree Miniatures and available here - https://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=dominatrix-libby~hfa048&category=modern-%26%0D%0Apost%252dapoc~%2Anew-moderns%2A
She is the reason for this post. As I am preparing for my new Judge Dredd campaign I realised I needed a figure of a Pleasure Robot, who had to look human. Dominatrix Libby was my number one choice and because she is going to be a robot I renamed her £1BBY. You'll be seeing more of her soon if you follow my WOIN blog. The question is - will she be a help or a hindrance to the Judges?

The next three figures are very old miniatures. The woman wearing the red robes was a wizard for a very early version of Warhammer made by Citadel Miniatures. I believe she was supposed to be based on glamour model Samantha Fox (who remembers her?) but if so, it's a poor likeness. She is the only one not to be armed with a whip: instead she has a dagger or short sword by her left side.
The manufacturer of the Dominatrix in the black Basque and holding a cat-of-nine-tails sadly eludes me. All I know is that I bought her in the mid to late 1980's. Her head appears to be too oversized for her body but otherwise she's not a bad sculpt.
Finally is a Dominatrix produced by Denizen Miniatures and still available from their webstore as FA49 Dungeon Mistress priced at £1.45. She is 25mm scale but I don't mind that as females are generally smaller than males and people do come in all shapes and sizes. The sculpting on her is exquisite.

MC1 Assorted Perps 01

I am currently working on preparations for the start of my new Judge Dredd campaign, using the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD RPG rules by EN Publishing. I already have most of the figures I need for the start of my campaign but I'm working on adding more. A lot of my time has been taken up in creating character record sheets for my Judges, citizens and perps. In a Judge Dredd campaign, if you're playing Judges (which I'll be doing) you'll need a constant supply of perps. So in this post I present four new perps. None of them are named yet but that'll change soon.

At the far left is a tough-looking female armed with a pair of Spit Pistols. Her left arm has been replaced with a cybernetic arm, no doubt because of a serious injury. I see her as a gang leader or high ranking perp. The figure was produced by Warlord Games as a limited edition figure, along with a Judge armed with a Lawrod who were only available if you bought the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game rulebook and its supplement, Blood on the Streets. I already had both books and did not want to fork out for extra copies just to get two rare figures. However, I later found both figures for sale without the rulebooks on eBay and luckily the seller had a "buy now" option. I think I paid about £10 for the pair, which I considered a bargain.

The next two figures are a pair of Juve twin sisters, both wearing respirators and armed with a Spit Pistol each. These cost me absolutely nothing! My brother printed them out for me on his 3D printer after he downloaded them for free from the Thingyverse website. They are not perfect by any means and whilst on the small side do remember you can scale 3D prints up or down. At this size, they fit in perfectly as Juves. The one at the left is the original sculpt, whilst the one on the right has had her right arm cut off and repositioned by me. I like them.
Finally is a mutant Punk or Wrecker armed with a big hammer. He is in fact an Orc Coach from Mantic Games Dreadball game, available here http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/mantic-points/dreadball/product/15-mantic-points-coach-orcy.html I decided to paint him as a human mutant, hence his flesh skin tones and make his pointed ears and large teeth his mutation.
You can never have too many Perps when playing Judge Dredd and these are all useful additions to my collection.

Starfinder Iconic Heroes 01

Not long after I had bought the N.E.W. sci-fi RPG rulebook by EN Publishing I bought the Starfinder sci-fi RPG rulebook by Paizo. There were more things that I didn't like about Starfinder but there was also a lot I did like about it, in particular the myriad races and character classes. These I thought could fit in well with my The Ace of Spades Campaign for N.E.W. Just last week I bought the two sets of Starfinder Iconic Heroes from North Star Military Figures. See here for a link to them - http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=276&page=1
In Starfinder there are seven basic races you can choose from (Android, Human, Kasatha, Lashunta, Shirren, Vesk and Ysoki) and these can be one of seven classes (Envoy, Mechanic, Mystic, Operative, Solarian, Soldier and Technomancer). All seven races and seven classes are represented here.

We start with Navasi, a human envoy. Humans are an extremely and adaptable race that is constantly expanding and exploring. An envoy is a charismatic people person good at a wide range of skills who inspires others to accomplish great heroic feats. There are more pictures of Navasi in the Starfinder rulebook than any other character, which pleases me as she is my favourite Starfinder PC. The fact that her character was included in this set was the main reason for buying it.
Next to her is Iseph, an Android Operative. Androids are artificial people with mechanical components, formerly built as servants but now recognised as citizens. An operative is a stealthy combatant with wide-ranging know-how who is adept at taking advantage of unprepared foes.

Third in line is Keskodai a Shirren mystic. Shirren are an insect-like race that broke away from a locust-like hive. They are community-minded but addicted to individual choice. A mystic is a magic user whose mysterious connection to a powerful force grants abilities that break the laws of the universe.
Last in line is a hover drone, a robot with artificial intelligence. This is Scout who is the property of Quig the Ysoki mechanic. As Quig advances in experience so too does Scout.

Moving on, is Quig the Ysoki mechanic. Ysoki are also called "rat-folk" and these short furry scavengers make up for their short size with big personalties. A mechanic is a master of machines and technology whose tinkering produces a drone companion or a powerful brain implant.
Next to him is Raia, a Lashunta technomancer. Lashunta are a charismatic and telepathic race of scholars with two sub-species; one tall and lean, the other short and muscular. A technomancer is a magic user who is preternaturally attuned to technology and can use it to unlock powerful effects.

Second from the right is Altronius a Kasatha solarian. Kasatha are a four-armed race from a distant desert world with a highly traditional culture. A solarian is disciplined warrior whose mastery of the stars grants either a weapon or armour made of stellar power.
Finally is Obozaya a Vesk soldier. Vesk are a warlike reptilian race that recently declared truce with the other six races... for now. A soldier is an expert with a wide range of armour, guns and melee weapons who specialise in certain fighting styles.
Set 1 contains Navasi, Iseph, Keskodai and a miniature starship, the Sunrise Maiden, not shown here. Set 2 contains the remaining five characters. Both sets costs £34.99. If you think that's a bit steep for four or five miniatures do bear in mind that they come fully painted. I have to admit that their paint jobs are far better than I could have achieved. All I have done to them is to add sand and gravel to their bases. They are all made of hard plastic.
If you are playing a sci-fi game that features multiple races you could surely find a use for these miniatures. I certainly plan on using them in my The Ace of Spades Campaign. They would also fit in well as a Trader crew in Core Space. One thing is for sure, I'll get a lot of use out of these two sets.

Wargames Foundry Victorian Ladies

I recently bought a blister pack of five 28mm scale Victorian Ladies from Wargames Foundry for two reasons. First the Victorian period coincides with the height of the Wild West period (1870-1885) so I can use them as townsfolk. Secondly, there was one figure that I wanted to use as the half-ghost, Emeline Holt, from Ghostbreakers:Spirits of Manhattan. You'll be able to see her on my WOIN blog very soon.

I have yet to name any of these figures. At the far left is a lady in green who is holding a rolled up poster or news sheet in her left hand. The lady in the lemon dress is one of two holding a fan.

The lady in the pink dress is the second lady holding a fan. Finally is the lady in the dark red dress.
These are really well sculpted and I'm pleased to add them to my Wild West collection as female figures are vastly outnumbered by male figures.

Core Space - a Review

At the start of this month I received my Kickstarter package from Battle Systems Ltd. for the sci-fi skirmish game, Core Space. As you should know I am a massive fan of the Battle Systems scenery sets. This is their first venture into producing a game using unique 28mm scale figures and their own scenery. I knew that I wanted this as soon as it was first announced. Suffice to say, I am most impressed by everything about this game.
Core Space is a deluxe fully modular three dimensional board game for 1 to 6 players. The game can be played as single missions or campaigns with each player in charge of a team of Traders, their sole objective, to survive in a dangerous galaxy!
Each of your characters can be levelled up with new skills and equipment to help them in their mission, but it will not be easy. The rival teams, gangs and the Galactic Corporation will hinder your every step... but the real threat is the ever expanding plague of synthetic life forms that are slowly purging the galaxy of all life. They are known as the Purge.
Play using a unique 'real search' system and advance your characters between games. It's fast to set up, fast to play, and fully compatible with all the Battle Systems terrain products. To win you will need to follow the Trader credo: salvage, trade, adapt and survive...

Here is a stock photo showing the components of the boxed starter set, which includes a hardback deluxe rulebook, a 2' square neoprene gaming mat, scenery sheets of walls and assorted scatter terrain, PC boards for the Traders and their spaceships, special dice, rulers, counters, pegs, a tie-string bag (for keeping equipment and weapon counters in), event cards and of course, the miniatures, which are colour coded grey for the traders, blue for civilians and beige for the robotic Purge. The quality of all of these components is of a very high standard.

The Deluxe Rulebook runs to over 170 pages and is extremely well written. As well as the game rules are a set of scenarios which may be run in order as a campaign, rules for creating your own characters, scenarios, equipment and weapons, background information on the Core Space universe, the Purge, Civilians, Gangster, Security Guards, Galactic Corporation and the Traders (these are who your players will be playing). Six different crews are detailed, the crews of the Black Maria, the Ion Hope, the Skylark, the Poseidon, the Yamato and the Cygnus. Each Trader team consists of four crew members of various races. The book is full colour throughout and it looks gorgeous.

To the right of here are the dashboards made of plastic, in which you can place your trader profile, weapons and equipment tokens they collect, a list of their special abilities and spaces for pegs to track their hit points, skill points and ammo expenditure. You get eight of these, which is enough for two full Trader crews. The profile and skills boards are laminated so you can record your advancements with a dry eraser pen (not included in the game).
I have been patiently waiting for this game for a long time and I can't wait to finish reading the rulebook, painting the figures and making the scenery. I can see me using the figures and scenery in other sci-fi games like my N.E.W. The Ace of Spades Campaign and my upcoming Judge Dredd campaign. Because the Purge are all robotic in appearance, I'll be using a lot of their figures in The Robot Wars supplement for Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD. Rather than pledge for the Standard set I pledged for the Titan set which netted me £281 worth of product for £120. That's a great deal! I leave you with a set of photos taken from the Battle Systems website that show just how cool this game looks.

Chaaaaarrrrgggeee!!!!!!

The crew of the Ion Hope - Roykirk, Arianna and Gak

The crew of the Black Maria - Renton, Jace and Lars

Get to the shuttle!

Shootout at Zed's

The Purge advance

My 7TV Apocalypse Collection

Yesterday was Salute 2019 and I'm sure lots of people will be posting their purchases online. Once again, I did not attend. I'm not bothered as I do not like crowds. Anyway, in my last Monthly Musings I mentioned that I'd received my 7TV2e: Apocalypse Kickstarter package. I did say I'd received a lot of figures and vehicles but failed to mention what I'd got. So, here's my loot collection, showing all the extra stuff I bought for this Crooked Dice Games package.

Starting at the top left are my mutant giant ants in three sizes. These are great critters to use in any post-apocalypse game. I will certainly get some more of these. Moving down are four Wasteland Heroes - Mad Max, Mean Machine (not Mean Machine Angel from Judge Dredd), the Gyro Captain and his kid. To the left of them is the 7TV Mcguffin scenery piece, and finally post-apocalypse versions of Dick Dastardly and Muttley from The Wacky Races. The next two rows of figures show assorted Wasteland Villains, some of whom will be recognisable from the Mad Max series of films (Humongous, Wez, Master Blaster and the Feral Kid). In the bottom row are 8 Wasteland Cultists.
Moving to the right side I have two Interceptor cars. The top one will be Mad Max's car and the lower one a Police Interceptor from the first Mad Max film. I definitely want at least two more of these cars. They are so versatile with loads of options. Below them are three Wasteland bikers. To the right of them are rear stowage options for the Interceptor cars. Finally, at the bottom are post-apocalypse versions of Penelope Pitstop and the Ant Hill Mob from The Wacky Races.
As you can see, I have primarily concentrated on figures and vehicles from the Mad Max films. I love these films. I have long wanted to use this setting to play on my gaming table using 28mm scale figures. I am sure these will be an absolute joy to paint but I'm not sure when I'll get round to painting as I have two other big projects I'm concentrating on - Core Space and Judge Dredd. Once I do get round to painting them I know I'll be buying a lot more vehicles to use in this game. This game has most definitely captured my enthusiasm.

Resident Evil 2 Giant Alligator & Giant Spiders

The biggest and most impressive looking model that I got with my Resident Evil 2 Kickstarter set was the Giant Alligator. It is huge! Suffice to say, I wanted to get it painted asap, even though it takes no part in the basic core game. Also, at the same time, I painted the pair of Giant Spiders, which are also an optional expansion set. I have included my figure of Vampifan in these photos to give you a sense of scale of the monsters.

The Giant Alligator is a Boss level creature, meaning it acts differently to normal monsters in the game. It has three special abilities. First up is Relentless. Before drawing a card from the behaviour deck, the Giant Alligator performs a move towards the active character. Second is Scaly Hide. The Giant alligator cannot be damaged by attacks and does not use a health dial. Thirdly is Driven Back. If the Giant Alligator is hit by an attack, reduce its movement from 2 to 1 for the remainder of the activation.

Instead of performing actions, each Boss has a unique behaviour deck which dictates how it moves and attacks. When a character is on the same tile as a Boss, instead of drawing a card from the tension deck, in their Tension Phase, they draw a card from the boss's behaviour deck and resolve the sequence on the card from top to bottom.

The Giant Spiders have a movement rate of 1 and 3 wounds. They have two special abilities. First is Burn It! Damage caused by flames or fire against a Giant Spider is doubled. Second is Poisonous Charge. During Arachnid Charge movement, the Giant spider moves through any square occupied by another character. Any character contacted suffers the Pushed and Poisoned effects.

An Arachnid Charge allows the Giant Spider to move 3 squares towards the active character. They are fast and deadly!
For painting the Alligator I referenced photos of real life alligators on Google Images. On my first visit to Florida, USA, my family and I visited a place called Gator World, which was full of these beasts, I thought they were cool, but my parents were glad to leave the place! To them it was too hot (being outdoors there was no air conditioning), too smelly (yes, they did smell) and they found the alligators too repulsive, whereas I thought they were fascinating. The colour scheme for the two spiders came from their character record cards that came with them. It is very striking! These creatures could appear in many a post apocalypse game, including Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog. I could just imagine the Giant Alligator residing in the Undercity of Mega City One and the spiders living out in the Cursed Earth.