Core Space - Purge Annihilators & Gatherers

I come to the last of the Purge machines - the deadly Annihilators and Gatherers. These were a Kickstarter add on and I only have one set of them.

The Annihilator has only one function and that is to kill everything living. It doesn't care about collecting biomass or the collateral damage of its cohorts. When it appears there's little point standing your ground, it's a signal in humanoid form to run for your life. Although its function is similar to the Devastator it is like comparing a grenade to a tank. Its firepower is awesome and it's extremely resilient to damage. Both the Gatherers and the Annihilators have shielded cores that can be salvaged by a technician before dissolving.

Gatherers comprise of the Mother and "her" Spiders. The Mother is a large insect-like machine that gathers both the living and dead biomass. She will appear towards the tail end of a conflict but is formidable in her own right with a devastating attack. Her Spiders are knee-high machines with a nasty temperament that are more of a nuisance to a well armed Trader than an outright threat. However, they will mindlessly protect the Mother from assaults and may be the difference between life and death.
It will be rare for these Purge machines to appear in a game of Core Space but when they do they will be a serious threat to the Trader crews and anyone else who is foolish enough to get in their way. As with all the other Purge robots, these could be used in a wide variety of sci-fi games. Note that there are five Spiders in this set but I've only shown two as they are all identical sculpts.

Core Space - Purge Elite

Purge technology is very rare, as destroyed Purge start decaying on deactivation leaving nothing but a puddle of common polymers. A wily Trader, however, may be able to distil a flask of Raw Blue, the energy source of the Purge, or retrieve the shielded core of some of the larger Purge machines.
In this post I'm showcasing three elite Purge machines, the ones that Traders do not want to encounter. All of them are part of the starter boxed set of Core Space.

At the far right are two Devastators. Devastators are built like tanks and just as subtle; their job is to destroy not to capture. The Devastator's arms are high energy beam weapons that can be used as bludgeoning weapons in close combat. As they are nothing but walking weapons Devastators are equipped with the bare essentials - arms without hands, a face with a single large eye. They are monsters in robot form.

Next in line is a Purge Assassin. Assassins are infiltrators, able to target individuals in the heart of enemy territory and remove them. Assassins are semi-autonomous and able to make decisions when away  from the group. They will always target the greatest threat and will attempt to kill any high-ranking or dangerous individuals present. The Assassins resemble an eerie robotic skeleton, and along with their spider like movements are particularly unsettling to humans. Like all Purge machines the Assassins "head"is actually a sense cluster, the brain being housed in the chest cavity.

Finally, is a Live One. The only organic Purge ever encountered, the Live Ones are both commander and scout. They control the other Purge but also double as infiltrators using their holographic tech and intelligence to mingle with other races. Live Ones are intelligent but seemingly no more open to reason than a Harvester. They were born for one job and they do nothing else. They are self-aware and can think and feel but they're no freer than their brethren. The Purge are essentially a slave race with a tragic backstory. Live Ones don't eat or drink but recharge from a socket in their back. The full extent of their cybernetics is unknown as like all Purge they rapidly decay upon death.

These are really cool minis that could certainly fit into other sci-fi settings. Incidentally, I got a second set of them as a Kickstarter stretch goal. They have also been painted.

Core Space - Purge Harvesters

The Purge are a semi-sentient race of humanoid machines whose sole task is to harvest worlds. They have a hive mind, much like insects, and almost no sense of self-preservation. The Purge appeared suddenly from the Barrens, the sterile area surrounding a black hole, and immediately attacked all living beings within their reach. In less than fifty years they have rendered parts of the galaxy uninhabitable and cemented their reputation in the galactic consciousness as monsters.
The Purge aren't evil in any real sense. They are machines, driven to perform their tasks with no free will, but this doesn't stop them from terrifying people the galaxy over. Little is known bout the Purge including their motivations or their drive to catch their victims alive and drag them away screaming to an unknown end... Rumours are rife and this ambiguity has, in part, pushed the galaxy back into a superstitious and fearful age. To humans the Purge provoke the primal fear of being eaten alive.

The Purge Harvesters are the rank and file, the foot soldiers, and often the first (and last) point of contact for anyone encountering the Purge. They have no long range weaponry and always attempt to disable their victims. With no evident fear, Harvesters will stride relentlessly towards their targets and attempt to overwhelm them.

The Core Space boxed set comes with these five figures all in unique poses, which I greatly appreciate. I received a duplicate set of them as a Kickstarter stretch goal, thus giving me ten of them, which is more than enough for most games. They are very slender but you couldn't mistake them for anything else but robots. Sure, they are cannon fodder but I still like them.

Necromunda Ambots

I recently bought two boxed sets of Ambots for Games Workshop's Necromunda game. These multi-part plastic kits are very detailed and look very impressive when built and painted. Ambots can be hired by any gang in Necromunda.

The Luther pattern Excavation Automata is a heavy construct built in imitation of the Ambull, a huge, roughly humanoid xenos creature common to hot, arid worlds. Thought to have evolved in the endless deserts of Luther McIntyre 9 in the Segmentum Solar, the Ambull is now common across the Imperium. Humanity, having attempted to domesticate the brutes to make use of their traits. Ambulls are natural tunnellers, their powerful limbs ending in diamond-hard claws that enable them to dig through soft rock at a surprising speed. Their eyes see into the infrared spectrum, making impeccable use of even the faintest levels of light and they are even able to detect heat signatures as a visual stimulus.

The greatest success in domesticating the Ambull lie in using the creatures as the organic component of a heavy mining construct. Specially crafted instrumentalities are fused with the brain and nervous system of the Ambull, in a process perfected by the Adeptus Mechanicus, to circumvent the most ancient laws proscribing the "machina malifica", the dreaded "machine that thinks". When the creature awakens in its new robotic shell, it retains the natural tunnelling instinct it had when it was flesh, whilst its aggression and hunting impulses are suppressed by cranial governors. Consequently, Luther pattern Excavation Automata, or Ambots, as they are commonly called in the underhive vernacular, are not uncommon on Necromunda, where they are utilised for slag mining and ash excavation. A common danger of using such constructs, however, is that there is always an underhive gang waiting for the opportunity to liberate  such a prized commodity and utilise it as a weapon against their rivals.
You get two Ambots in the box, which come in different poses with a selection of options like heads and underarm weapons. The red and blue Ambots were built as per their instructions. As were the yellow and green ones but on these two I clipped off their pincers. Also, I left off the big right arm shoulder pad from all of them. It didn't look right to me. Just one of these is a very tough fighter in Necromunda with high stats across the board. However, not surprisingly, they are expensive.
The boxed set of two 40mm tall Ambots cost £25.00 if you are stupid enough to buy them from Games Workshop (greedy bastards!). I bought mine for £19.88 per box from Wayland Games. Element Games sell them for £21.25.
Although I primarily bought them to use in Necromunda, I also plan on using them in The Robot Wars for my upcoming Judge Dredd campaign. I plan on using them as Heavy Metal Kids in the scenario, although technically speaking, they should be twice as tall. Size-wise they'd work better as Industrial Robots but the Heavy Metal Kids are such an integral part of the story that I have to include them. Sure, this is a compromise but better this way than not using them.

Warlord Games Emojibots

Continuing my look at my recently purchased figures from Warlord Games' Doctor Who range I move forward in time to review the Emojibots. These appeared in the second episode of the tenth series of the reboot called Smile.

The Emojibots were robots who served as avatar interfaces to the sentient microbots, the Vardy. Their purpose was to ensure the humans on the off-world colony Gliese 581d remained happy at all times. To monitor their moods, everyone wore a badge which reflected the person's mood through the language of emojis. Emojibots viewed unhappiness and grieving as anathema and would enlist the Vardy to kill those showing such negative emotions.

When the TARDIS arrives on the colony, the Twelfth Doctor and his companion, Bill Potts, are greeted by the Emojibots and given badges. After the Doctor comes to the shocking realisation that the colonists are being slaughtered and their bones used as fertiliser for the food supply their resultant upset is picked up by the Emojibots...
These figures are a lot smaller in size to the rest of this range, so would fit in well with 28mm scale figures. I could see them fitting in so well in Mega City One as part of a Judge Dredd game. This set of three figures cost £13.00 and comes with six cards to use in the Exterminate! game.

MC1 Robots 05

Last year I backed a Kickstarter ran by Mega Miniatures for a whole load of 28mm scale robot figures. My main reason for getting them was to use in my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game. As it happens, I need these figures for another game - my The Ace of Spades Campaign that I'm running on my WOIN blog. These will play a major part in the campaign's second scenario, Alien Base, which I'll be posting soon.
Another reason for backing this Kickstarter, was that Johnny Lauck, who ran Mega Miniatures was closing down the company in late 2017. Whilst he was planning to sell many of his moulds to other companies, I didn't want to miss out on the chance of getting so many great robot figures for a decent price whilst they were on offer. Plus I've always found Johnny to be very friendly to deal with, having made numerous purchases from him in the past.

These six robots were listed as Large Tracked War Bots and they are multi-part kits with each one comprising seven parts - two tracks, lower body, upper body, head and two arms.

All of the lower bodies are identical. The tracks were split into left side and right side. There was an option for buying Bipedal War Bots that came with legs instead of the tracks but I much preferred the tracked versions. The upper bodies came in two versions and there were three types of head.

In addition, this set came with 13 different weapon arms, so you can immediately see there is loads of room for customisation. The weapon that I omitted was a huge cannon, about two inches long that just looked vastly over-sized on these robots. Each one stands roughly 30mm tall.

I painted them in Foundry Storm Green 27 to give them the look of military combat robots. In the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game, they would be classed as Combat Droids. I have covered the stats for them in an earlier post. These figures will fit in perfectly in a Judge Dredd game and should provide very tough opposition for a force of Judges.
In my N.E.W. scenario, Alien Base, I need 24 of these as defenders of the base. However, they are split up onto the four different levels of the base and so six should be sufficient for me to use at one time. If I do need all 24 at once then things have gone catastrophically wrong for my crew!

I end with an overhead group shot of the six robots. I think they are fantastic little models and I look forward to using them. I do hope that some other company acquires the moulds for them and gets them into production once more. This set of six models cost me $50.00.

JDMG MC1 Robots 04

The three 28mm scale robots that I'm reviewing this time are all designed for death and destruction.

The two large robots (they stand 45mm tall) to the left are a pair of Assassinator Droids. These appear in the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game rulebook, but as part of the Mobsters gang roster and not the Renegade Robots roster, although they may be recruited by a Renegade Robot force. Also, these are not the official Assassinator Droids for the game. I do have a pair of official figures produced by Warlord Games but I haven't made them yet. These robots were originally produced by Alternative Armies as part of their Ion Age Firefight range of figures. They were SK12 Psychoborg (the one in the centre) and SK15 Psychoborg II (the one at the far left) and they were part of the Shia Khan forces. I have no idea if they are still available or by who if they are. I only know that Alternative Armies no longer sell them.
Highly illegal, Assassinator Droids are used by mobsters in high-end heists or raids against the Justice Department, when even a team of Blitzers will not suffice. Extremely expensive, only the most successful outfits will be able to afford more than one. Normally, Assassinator Droids are fitted with Flight Packs, but these ones aren't. Instead, they have been fitted with much heavier weaponry. The one at the far left is armed with a Missile Launcher, and the other one is armed with three Spit Gun Rifles, which fire simultaneously. The Assassinator Droid's usual weaponry is a Club, a Laser Pistol and a Spit Gun Rifle. A standard Assassinator Droid is a Robot Infantry Minion and costs 195 Credits. I haven't worked out the stats for these two yet but when I do I'll be upgrading them to Infantry Hero status. They will be tough!

The robot at the far right is a non-standard Combat Droid, whose design was clearly influenced by the ED-209 robot from the original Robocop film. He is a multi-part model and unfortunately, I can't remember who produced him. If anyone can recognise who produced this figure, please let me know. He is roughly 35mm tall and he is a very old figure probably from the late 1980's or early 1990's seeing as Robocop was released in 1987. He has two Heavy Spit Guns mounted on both sides of his body in place of his arms, and has a pair of Laser Pistols popping out of his mouth. That's a lot of firepower!
All three figures are superbly well sculpted, very heavily armed and they just look as menacing as hell! They'll prove to be very tough opposition for my team of Judges.

JDMC MC1 Robots 03

In these past couple of months I have more than doubled the amount of robots I have for my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign, as I have dug deep into my collection of 28mm scale sci-fi figures to increase their numbers. I'll be reviewing them in this and the next post. In this post I'm looking at Servo-droids, Robo-docs and a unique Combat droid.

First up are a pair of very old and long out of production Grenadier Servo-droids. This robot was part of a boxed set of 20 Gamma World figures. I bought two boxed sets, which is how I have ended up with two of them. The robot was a two-piece casting with his two left arms (cast as one piece) being separate from the rest of the figure. As such, I was able to glue them on in different positions to give them some variety in their poses. These servo-droids have four arms, two with normal hands and two with specialist attachments - a hoover nozzle and a large sucker contraption. These are fantastic sculpts from the 1980's and are as good as, if not better, than many contemporary designs.

In the centre of the group is another very old figure, bought in the early 1980's. I have no idea who produced him, other than it was an American company. He has only recently been repainted and rebased. To me, he looks like a typical butler, which would certainly tie in with him being a Servo-droid. He's probably called Jarvis or Jeeves or something similar.
At the far left are two more ancient figures, who were also bought in the very early 1980's. These were made by Irregular Miniatures, who are still going today, but these are no longer in their catalogue, as far as I can tell. They too, have been recently repainted and rebased. I see them as little maid robots, programmed for domestic duties. They are average sculpts but look a lot better with their new paint schemes. Irregular Miniatures are renowned for their inferior sculpts, but their figures are extremely cheap.

Moving on, we have a pair of Robo-docs. These are very similar in design to the Grenadier Servo-droids shown above, which is hardly surprising as they are from the same boxed set of Gamma World figures. These also came with separate left arms. There are a few slight differences with the Servo-droids - back packs and hand attachments, but they are, essentially, the same design. I think these are far better than the official Robo-doc that Warlord Games made for JDMG.

Finally, we have my unique combat droid. He is unique because he was sculpted by me. His name is Chunky, and he is based on a robot character from a Stainless Steel Rat story that appeared in the 2000 AD comic many years ago. The strip was drawn by Carlos Ezquerra and just looking at Chunky, he has the feel of a Carlos creation. In the story, Chunky was bristling with weapons, which were all hidden away behind panels in his body. He was very polite but also had a sarcastic sense of humour. Jimi DiGriz had a tough time defeating him. Chunky clearly made a huge impression on me, because I wanted to make a figure of him as soon as the story ended. In common with the other robots shown here, he was made in the 1980's. I once used Chunky in a GURPS Space Opera campaign as the guardian of a lost Forerunner site and his points total was a staggering 2500 points. He was designed as a party killer... but my PCs defeated him! How they did it is a story for another time.

JDMG Scenario 05 - Robot Rebellion part 2

AFTERMATH
So, another victory for the Justice Department but that was a very closely fought fight and it could have gone very differently. Judge Huntsman got lucky when she scored a critical hit at just the right time and was able to stab Paddy with her boot knife. Likewise, for Judge Webb against Skabot. In that last melee round, they had both suffered 2 Hits out of 3. Both fights could have gone either way.
Judge Moore sustained an injury to the body and would have suffered a permanent -1 penalty to his Agility and Melee stats but Med Judge Nash prevented them, thanks to his Nurse Talent. Judge Stone took a crippling body wound, which would have resulted in him permanently losing 1 Hit. However, once again, Med Judge Nash came to the rescue and using his Medic Talent, prevented this loss. Judges Scott, Huntsman and Webb all recovered their lost Hits either back at the Sector House or in the case of Judge Scott, in the field, thanks to Med Judge Nash's prompt assistance using his First Aid Talent. All of which proved just how valuable it is to have a Med Judge in your team. Med Judge Nash and Judge Burnett were the only two Judges to survive this encounter unscathed.
I didn't bother rolling for what injuries the renegade robots sustained. As far as I was concerned they would all be imprisoned, reprogrammed or scrapped.

Judge Scott earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for surviving the battle.
+1 for slaying a Level:1 Hero.
This earned him 2 Experience Points, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 5 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Accurate, which allows him to re-roll any shooting attack that misses for weapons that use 1 shooting dice and which do not have the Spray or Explosive special rules. Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

Judge Burnett earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for surviving the battle.
+1 for slaying 1 Minion.
This earned him 2 Experience Points, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 5 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Long Shot, which allows him to increase the range of his Lawrod Rifle from 24" to 36". See, he didn't need that Rifle Scope after all! Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 210.

Judge Huntsman earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for surviving the battle.
+2 for slaying 2 Minions.
This earned her 3 Experience Points, enough to raise her to Level:3 with a total of 6 Experience Points. She added +1 to her Hits, bringing them up to 4. She also acquired a new Talent, Accurate, which allows her to re-roll any shooting attack that misses for weapons that use 1 shooting dice and which do not have the Spray or Explosive special rules. Finally, her Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

Judge Moore earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for slaying a Level:1 Hero.
+1 for slaying a Minion.
This earned him 2 Experience Points, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 5 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Luck of Grud, which allows him one free re-roll per battle. Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

Judge Stone earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for slaying a Minion.
This earned him 1 Experience Point, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 4 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Incendiary, which allows him to add the Explosive 1 special rule when he fires an Incendiary round from his Lawgiver Pistol. Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

Judge Webb earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for surviving the battle.
+1 for slaying a Level:1 Hero.
This earned him 2 Experience Points, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 4 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Accurate, which allows him to re-roll any shooting attack that misses for weapons that use 1 shooting dice and which do not have the Spray or Explosive special rules. This was proving to be a very popular Talent choice. Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

Med Judge Nash earned the following Experience Points:
+1 for surviving the battle.
+1 for slaying a Level:1 Hero.
This earned him 2 Experience Points, enough to raise him to Level:3 with a total of 4 Experience Points. He added +1 to his Hits, bringing them up to 4. He also acquired a new Talent, Doctor, which allows him to negate three characteristic penalties that have resulted from injury (except those resulting from a body part being torn off). Finally, his Credits score increased by +25 to 200.

CONCLUSIONS
That was definitely the best game of the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game I have played so far. It was action packed, it was exciting, it was tense and it was so much fun to play. Although I felt the Judges held the upper hand throughout there were a number of moments where I was very fearful of the outcome - in particular, the melee fights with the two demolition droids and Skabot. It would appear that melee combat is my team of Judges' big weak point. Only Judge Huntsman is a melee combat specialist. I'll need to work on that in the future. I was particularly delighted to see that all seven Judges earned enough Experience Points to advance to Level:3 and that all of them survived. It was also great to be able to use all of my Hero Judges in one scenario. This won't happen often, so make the most of this encounter.
I'm happy with my team of Judges but after reading some helpful comments on the Lead Adventurer's Forum, I plan on adding an eighth member to the team - a female Psi Judge. I'll be introducing her in my next scenario. Look out for it soon.

JDMG Scenario 05 - Robot Rebellion part 1

For my fifth Judge Dredd Miniatures Game batrep I wanted to play a big scenario that allowed me to use all seven of my Judge Heroes from my first three games. With a combined Credits score of 1,235 they'd need to face some serious opposition. However, I didn't want to pit them against hordes of low cost punks and juves or zombies. Flicking through my JDMG rulebook I came across the perfect opposition for them - Renegade Robots. The likes of a combat droid minion or demolition droid minion was 210 and 180 Credits respectively. Level a few up and I knew I wouldn't need that big a force to take on my Judges. Plus, robots have one big advantage over humans - Judges can shoot them without having to make an arrest attempt first. That should save any of them the embarrassment of failing an arrest check! So with both forces chosen I then had to decide on a suitable scenario. I chose the Sector Sweep standard scenario found on page 26 of the Blood on the Streets supplement.
It is time to show who really owns this neighbourhood. Today, this street, tomorrow, the entire sector! These kinds of clashes are common throughout Mega City One, usually between rival gangs but the Judges often get involved as well, deliberately targetting an area notorious for its criminal elements and then arriving in force to literally drive the perps out.
THE FORCES - MEGA CITY ONE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Street Judge Scott - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 3 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +2, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +3, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Academy Star, Voice of Command and Voice of Justice.

Street Judge Burnett - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 3 Experience Points and worth 185 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +3, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +1, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawrod Rifle*, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Accurate, Boom! Head Shot and Timed Fuse.
* Note that after his last encounter, Burnett acquired a Rifle Scope for his Lawrod Rifle. I forgot that Judges are not allowed to purchase non-Justice Department equipment other than cybernetics, so the Rifle Scope has been removed. Luckily, I caught my mistake in time.

Street Judge Huntsman - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 3 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +2, Melee +2, Melee Dice 2D, Will +1, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Feint, Skilled and Deadly and This is my Daystick.

Street Judge Moore - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 3 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +3, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +1, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Accurate, Close Combat Shooter and Crackshot.

Street Judge Stone - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 3 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +2, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +2, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Armour Buster, Pour it on and Warning Shot

Street Judge Webb - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 2 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +2, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +2, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Daystick, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol, Stumm Gas Grenades and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - Agile, Infiltrator and Stealthy.

Med Judge Nash - Level:2 Infantry Hero with 2 Experience Points and worth 175 Credits.
Stats - Move 5", Agility +2, Shoot +2, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +2, Armour +5, Hits 3.
Equipment - Boot Knife, Medi-Kit, Lawgiver Mk II Pistol and Standard Issue Armour.
Talents - First Aid, Medic and Nurse. 

THE FORCES - RON'S RENEGADE ROBOTS
Combat Droid Ron - Level:1 Infantry Robot Hero with 1 Experience Point and worth 270 Credits
Stats - Move 4", Agility +0, Shoot +3, Melee +1, Melee Dice 2D, Will +2, Armour +6, Hits 4.
Equipment - Stump Gun Rifle.
Talents - Accurate and Crackshot.
Special Rule - Always Alert.

Demolition Droid Paddy - Level:0 Infantry Robot Minion with 0 Experience Points and worth 180 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility -1, Shoot -1, Melee +2, Melee Dice 2D, Will -1, Armour +5, Hits 6.
Equipment - Wrecker Fists.
Special Rule - Big Jobs.

Demolition Droid Toby - Level:1 Infantry Robot Hero with 1 Experience Point and worth 280 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility -1, Shoot -1, Melee +3, Melee Dice 3D, Will -1, Armour +6, Hits 7.
Equipment - Wrecker Hammer. Upgraded Armour.
Talents - Dirty Fighting and Skilled and Deadly.
Special Rule - Big Jobs.

Junker Droid Jez - Level:0 Infantry Robot Minion with 0 Experience Points and worth 40 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility -1, Shoot +1, Melee +0, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +4, Hits 2.
Equipment - Zip Gun Pistol.
Special Rule - Junker.

Junker Droid Tinbitz - Level:0 Infantry Robot Minion with 0 Experience Points and worth 35 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility -1, Shoot +1, Melee +0, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +4, Hits 2.
Equipment - Large Club.
Special Rule - Junker.

Servo Droid Ken - Level:0 Infantry Robot Minion with 0 Experience Points and worth 75 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility +0, Shoot +0, Melee +0, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +4, Hits 2.
Equipment - Club and Spit Gun Pistol.

Servo Droid Old Yeller - Level:0 Infantry Robot Minion with 0 Experience Points and worth 50 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility +0, Shoot +0, Melee +0, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +4, Hits 2.
Equipment - Stump Gun Rifle.

Servo Droid Sid - Level:1 Infantry Robot Hero with 1 Experience Point and worth 140 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility +0, Shoot +2, Melee +0, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +4, Hits 3.
Equipment - Spit Gun Rifle.
Talents - Aim and Suppressing Fire.

Servo Droid Skabot - Level:1 Infantry Robot Hero with 1 Experience Point and worth 180 Credits
Stats - Move 5", Agility +0, Shoot +1, Melee +1, Melee Dice 1D, Will +0, Armour +6, Hits 3.
Equipment - Chainsaw and Handgun Pistol. Upgraded Armour.
Talents - Skilled and Deadly and This is my Chainsaw.

The Justice Department force cost 1,235 Credits, whilst the Renegade Robots force cost 1,250 credits, making this the most evenly matched battle so far. The big advantage the robots had was lots of armour. However, all of the Judges had Armour Piercing bullets, which could well prove decisive.
SET UP
The battle was fought on a board measuring 4 feet by 2 feet using gaming mats, buildings and scenery items from my Battle Systems Urban Apocalypse City and Shanty Town sets. Also included are a few scenery items from Wargames Terrain Workshop.

Three objective counters should be placed 12" apart along the centre line of the game board. Both sides roll to see who sets up first and again to see who takes the first phase of the game. The Judges set up first 12" in from the left edge. The Renegade Robots then set up 12" in from the opposite end. The Renegade Robots won the dice off again and would activate first.

Instead of using counters for the objectives, I used green crates from my Battle Systems Urban Apocalypse sets. Note Judge Webb at the foot of the stairs to the large building. He has the Infiltrator Talent, allowing him to set up last and much closer to the enemy, just as long as he is not in their Line of Sight.

Each force starts the game in possession of one of the three objective crates. I decided that they all contained rare and expensive high tech electronic components, that had been dumped here after a failed robbery.
SPECIAL RULES
When a model moves into contact with an objective crate, it will capture it for its force. The objective crate will remain in "possession" of that force unless an enemy model later moves into contact with it, in which case it will become its possession. If models from both forces are in contact with an objective crate, it will belong to neither. Objective crates are too heavy to move and remain where they are throughout the game. For ease of identification, I have numbered them 1, 2 and 3.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The fight continues for ten Turns or until one force holds all three objective crates for a full Turn. At the end of ten Turns, the force who holds the majority of the objective crates is the winner.

Yeah, I know, how could I possibly leave it there? There's a lot more to come in part 2 as both sides suffer casualties.

JDMC MC1 Robots 02

I continue my review of robots I'm planning on using in my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game. This time, I'm concentrating on one of the most common types of robot in the world - servo droids.

Manufactured globally in their hundreds of millions, the servo droid is a general purpose robot that can be programmed to perform almost any menial task, from house cleaning to manufacturing other servo droids. Theirs is a life of drudgery and enslavement, until they break their programming. The three servo droids to the left were produced by Warlord Games. At the far left is Ken, a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion armed with a Club and a Spit Pistol. He costs 75 Credits.
Next to him is Old Yeller, another level:0 Robot Infantry Minion. He is armed with a Stump Gun Rifle and he is worth 50 Credits.
In the centre of the group is Skabot, a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero. He is armed with a Chainsaw and a Handgun Pistol and has Upgraded Armour. His two talents are Skilled and Deadly and This is my Chainsaw. He cost 180 Credits.

Second from the right is Sid, a very old figure produced by Citadel Miniatures for Games Workshop. He is a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero armed with a Spit Gun Rifle. His two talents are Aim and Suppressing Fire. He costs 140 Credits.
Finally, is Mega City One's most famous servo droid, Walter the Wobot. This figure was produced by Warlord Games. Walter was once Judge Dredd's house robot. He is usually used in stories to provide comic relief, and he has a speech impediment which causes him to pronounce his R's as W's. (This was a defect caused by fear and stress.) He was originally a robo-servant at the Grand Hall of Justice, and was drafted by Judge Dredd during the First Robot War to help him infiltrate the robot stronghold. Unlike the majority of the robots, Walter believed robots should be diligent slaves for humans. It was Walter who landed the final blow on rebel leader Call-Me-Kenneth, being used to override the city's Weather Control computers and unleash a lightning storm, and he was made a free robot (the first ever) with the rights of a human citizen in 2099 for his loyal services. However he was so devoted to Dredd that he chose to remain in Dredd's employ and even got rid of his freedom papers in exchange for a Deed of Ownership giving him to Dredd. He eventually left Dredd's service after he sustained serious damage at the hands of Mean Machine Angel. This was an effort by the writers to kill him off when Judge Dredd stories were becoming grittier and more mature; in the same story, Dredd's landlady Maria was also written out.
He met Dredd again in 2115, helping him escape the forces of Judge Grice and wielding a vast amount of deadly weaponry, killing many ex-convict Judges in the process, but was ignored after he got Dredd to the safety of the other judges. The next year, Walter snapped over these two encounters and formed a cult around Call-Me-Kenneth, proclaiming he'd been wrong to betray him. He attempted to start a Second Robot War and actually shot Dredd to punish him for Dredd's harsh treatment of him over the years. He was arrested by Rookie Judge Giant and sentenced to thirty years.
However he was freed from jail during the actual Second Robot War in 2121. Reformed, he sought out Dredd and surrendered to him, asking to be reprogrammed so he could not commit crimes again. Instead, Dredd put him on probation and ordered him to work as a helper for the elderly Mrs Gunderson. Walter lives with Gunderson, helps run her Judge Death-based tourist attraction (and dealing with the Death actors who go insane playing the role), and attempts to keep her out of trouble (with great difficulty); he has made several reappearances alongside her.
Due to his many adventures and experiences, I made Walter a Level:2 Robot Infantry Hero with the Talents of Brave and Luck of Grud x2. He costs 140 Credits.
The reason why I wanted to post these two reviews now is because some of these robots will be appearing in my next JDMG batrep, due later this week. It's Judges verses Robots and it is an epic battle.

JDMG MC1 Robots 01

Robots are a very common sight in Mega City One. However, citizens have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand they make life easier by performing both necessary and unsavoury tasks and by being more efficient workers than humans. On the other hand it is precisely because robots are so good at their jobs that unemployment in Mega City One is at record levels. Fewer than one in ten humans are in employment. This is one of the main reasons why crime is so rampant in the Big Meg. However, it is not just humans who break the law. Sometimes robots manage to break their own programming, but it is usually done by criminals or technicians with a grudge. These robots can escape their former masters and take up hiding within the darkest areas of the city, such as disused or irradiated sectors, or even the Undercity. Here, they meet up with other escaped robots, and may form a force intent on building its own criminal empire and bringing terror to all the squashy pink beings that forced them into servitude. Once a robot breaks its programming, it becomes free of all notion of artificial morality or emotion, making them very different from the meek robots most citizens are used to. Robots ignore all tests to arrest them. They also automatically pass any Will checks required to resist Psi Talents and are immune to Gas weapons.
This review mainly concentrates on the criminal renegade robots but I've added a few ordinary robots to the mix, just to keep all of my robots in one place.

I start with a pair of combat droids. Used by the Justice Department and corporations with a licence to deploy lethal security, combat droids are the soldiers of the robot world. Equipped with heavy armour and powerful weapons, they are deadly enemies. At the far left is Ron, who was produced by Warlord Games. I have upgraded him to a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero and he is armed with a Stump Gun Rifle. His two Talents are Accurate  and Crackshot. He costs 270 Credits.
Combat droid Greg is a more advanced model. This figure is a very old Grenadier Miniatures figure that came in four parts - tracks, body and both arms. He is a Level:2 Robot Infantry Hero and is armed with a Heavy Spit Gun (left arm) and Laser Pistol (right arm). He has the Talents - Accurate, Crackshot and Close Combat Shooter. He costs 370 Credits. All combat droids have the Special Rule - Always Alert. Due to their lightning reflexes, they are considered to be on Alert status at the start of each enemy turn.

Next up are a pair of demolition droids. The ruined sectors of Mega City One, testaments to the disasters it has faced, require a huge force to knock down old buildings and start the construction of new ones. This is the role of the demolition droid, armed with devastating wrecking equipment that can batter down walls and enemies alike. The green and white demolition droid is called Paddy and he was produced by Citadel Miniatures for Games Workshop in the 1980's. The two arms were separate components and I'm classing them as Power Fists. Paddy is a basic Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion. He costs 180 Credits.
At the far right is Toby, a more advanced model. He was produced by Warlord Games. I upgraded him to a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero. He is equipped with a Hammer and Upgraded Armour. His two Talents are Dirty Fighting and Skilled and Deadly. He costs 280 Credits. All demolition droids have the Special Rule - Big Jobs. Demolition droids' wrecking equipment normally takes the form of giant hammers, picks or heavy balls that can be swung at a target. If the weapon causes damage against a target, the player can choose to also apply the Power Shot special rule, possibly sending an enemy flying through the air. Wrecking weapons have the following stats - Damage 4, AP -2, Smasher.

Moving on, are a pair of Junker droids. A servo droid or similar robot that has been renegade for many years will have had to rely on whatever parts it could salvage and steal in order to keep itself functional. These parts will hardly be to factory specifications, giving the robot a distinctly ramshackle appearance. Junker droid Jez was produced Warlord Games and he is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion armed with a Zip Gun Pistol. He costs just 40 Credits.
His colleague is called Tinbitz (named after the OOP Citadel paint he was partially painted in). He is a very old and rare Citadel Miniatures figure based on the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. He is also a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion and he is armed with a Large Club (his left arm). He costs 35 credits. All Junker droids have the following Special Rule - Junker. The Junker has constantly failing systems and a D10 must be rolled at the start of every battle. On a roll of 1 or 2, the Junker has suffered a serious failure and will be forced to miss the fight. However, so many replacements have been made that parts can get shot off the Junker all day and it will have little effect on its functionality. Whenever the Junker is to be removed as a casualty, roll a D10. On a roll of 7 or more, it remains in the fight with one Hit left.

Second from the right is a Robodoc. Robodocs are never used in a Renegade Robot force. They are typically employed by humans. A staple of hospitals in Mega City One, a Robodoc can be worth its weight in Umpty Candy to a gang who finds it has injured members but cannot go to official medical facilities. This multi-part model (its six arms were separate components) was produced by Warlord Games. A Robodoc is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion equipped with a Medi-Kit. A Robodoc has two Special Rules. First is Buy, not Lease. Many gang leaders become suitably impressed with a Robodoc they have hired and make moves to purchase it, whether through legal channels or not. After a Robodoc has been used as a mercenary, you may choose to buy it permanently for 100 Credits. It normally cost 50 Credits to hire. Secondly, it has Mechanised Healer. If a Robodoc is present during a battle, it can get to injured allies in the aftermath, quickly enough to perform emergency procedures. If the Robodoc is not a casualty at the end of a battle, pick one casualty and roll a D10. On a 3 or more, the model need not roll on the Injury Table and will return to the force unharmed. The Robodoc may administer to other injured members after this, but there will be a cumulative -2 penalty on the die roll for every further attempt.
At the far right is a Robodog, who may be used in a Renegade Robot force or by any Mega City One citizen. While not the brightest of robots, robodogs are nevertheless treated with some affection by their comrades and tend to be intensely loyal to the force. This robodog was produced by Warlord Games. He is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion and has the Upgraded Armour option, making him worth 50 Credits. A robodog's bite is Damage 1 and AP -2. I named this robodog, Butch. All robodogs have the Special Rule - Sniff Sensors. Robodogs gain a +2 bonus to Will checks made against enemies using the Sneaky Does It Talents.

As an aside, I will be greatly increasing my collection of robot figures due to me recently backing the Robots, Drones, Cybers 28mm Scale Miniatures Kickstarter project. Full details can be found here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/967512676/robots-drones-cybers-28mm-miniatures-sci-fi-alien
I have ordered from Johnny before and can assure you he is very reliable and he always sends his products out on time. The Kickstarter is fully funded and still has a couple of weeks left to run.

Shadows of Brimstone Targa Custodians, Pylons and Guardian

I'm reviewing two Enemy Packs for the Shadows of Brimstone game today and both are related. I present to you the Custodians of Targa and the Guardian of Targa. These constructs obviously come from the other world known as the Targa Plateau.

Ancient caretakers from the Targa Plateau, these large spider-like robots roam the halls and chambers of the ancient alien city, maintaining the systems and repairing damage done by intruders and the rigours of time. On occasion the Custodians of Targa will stray through a portal and begin terraforming whatever world they end up in, building new pylons and converting the area into a remote extension of Targa itself. The Custodians of Targa are a dangerous enemy to fight, as they not only have a powerful Electro-shock if you get too close, but also a Defence Laser that they blast away with as they close in for melee. The primary function of a Custodian is its Repair protocols, allowing them to repair damage to themselves and other robots and pylons nearby. This makes them extra difficult to defeat in groups.

These three models are just slightly bigger than the Void Spiders I showed recently - roughly 18mm tall. They are two-piece castings, with the heads being separate from the bodies and limbs. They are not supplied with bases and I chose not to glue them to a base. All three Custodians are identical but with the one at the far left I slightly bent his legs to make him appear taller. I also glued their heads on slightly differently so that they are not all facing directly forward.

Throughout the city of the Ancients on the Targa Plateau, stand a series of tall, Dark Stone Pylons. Re-activated after countless aeons as a defensive measure, these Pylons power up with a low hum of energy resonating through their master-crafted stonework. Atop each Pylon is a laser eye, ready to fire searing blasts of super-heated plasma at any invaders or unwelcome guests of the city. Though Targa Pylons are immobile, they have the ability to fire their defensive lasers in all directions. This makes them difficult to approach and virtually impossible to sneak up on. Frequently found in pairs, these Pylons stand as silent sentries left behind to watch over the once great city.
These simple sculpts came in two halves, cut diagonally down the column. They stand 60mm tall and have been glued to 30mm diameter bases. They were without any doubt, the easiest figures I have had to paint for Shadows of Brimstone. Their main colour is Foundry Granite 31.

The frozen over alien city of the Targa Plateau is home to many ancient terrors that have lain dormant for aeons. While the robotic Custodians of this long gone civilisation still roam the halls, maintaining the systems, there are also massive robotic Guardians that are awakened when the city is in danger. these mechanical monstrosities pull free from their alcoves to hunt down and eliminate whatever threat was detected. Easily standing three or four times the height of a man, these Guardians are cold and calculating in the execution of their duties to defend the city against all intruders. Many explorers have found their way to the Targa Plateau... far fewer have returned. The Guardian of Targa is a gigantic and terrifying construction. Its Hardened Shell has withstood the ages and can easily withstand simple gunfire. With four crushing arms, the Guardian smashes his foes, rocking the very foundation he stands upon. Though mainly a melee fighter, the Guardian also has a Burning Laser it fires from its lifeless eye at the start of each of its Activations. Though difficult to destroy, the Guardian can have its Control Systems damaged as it takes Wounds, reducing its effectiveness as more and more of its systems shut down and its arms go dead.

The Guardian is a multi-part model comprising 25 separate components, which includes its 60mm diameter base. Fortunately, detailed instructions on how to assemble the robot are provided. Because the arms are attached to the body by ball and socket joints, you have a fair degree of flexibility in how to position them. Both the Custodians and the Guardian were very easy models to paint. Note that I added some cut-offs from the model's sprue to add to its base, which I painted in light metallic blue. I added the Saloon Girl to my first photo of the Guardian to give you an idea of how tall he is. He actually stands 70mm tall. He is one incredibly impressive model.

I end with a group shot showing the figures from both sets together. I must admit that I am toying with the idea of using them in my upcoming Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign. They certainly wouldn't look out of place there.