MC1 Citizens 05

Here are another five male citizens of Mega City One. From left to right the first and fourth figure were produced by Grenadier Miniatures as part of their  Traveller range. The second figure is from Citadel Miniatures Spacefarers range. The fifth figure is from Moonraker Miniature's Spacelords range. I have no idea who produced the third figure. As with the others he is a very old figure bought in the 1980's.
At the far left is an ambassador according to Grenadier Miniatures. I will use him as one of the Social Elite in Mega City One.
Next to him is another member of Mega City One's Social Elite. He is the only figure out of this batch that I have name. He is called Cyrano Curtiz.
Third in line is yet another Social Elite citizen. He is obviously dressed as an ancient Roman Senator. His mirror-shades look out of place but places him in a much later time period. The reason I bought him was to use him in my old The Ace of Spades Campaign using the GURPS rules. Many citizens of the Mercantile League dress up in ancient Roman costumes. Also, much of their architecture is inspired by the ancient Roman Empire. Given the wacky and weird costumes worn by many MC1 citizens, I figured he'd fit in well in this sprawling metropolis.

Second from the right is some kind of scientist. The best career option for him is the Boffin, who are skilled scientists and some of the most sought after citizens in the city.
Finally is a doctor. Sadly there is no career option for a doctor in Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD, so I'll use the Medic career option from the N.E.W. rulebook for him. The beauty of the WOIN rulebooks is that they can all be used for cross overs.

Ral Partha Lakota Sioux

The Sioux are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The term can refer to any group within the Great Sioux Nation or to any of the nation's many language dialects. The Sioux comprise three major divisions based on language divisions - the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota. The Dakota reside in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa. The Nakota are considered to be the middle Sioux and they mainly reside in Minnesota, Montana as well as Western Canada. The Lakota, also known as the Teton Sioux, are the westernmost tribe, and are known for their hunting and warrior culture. In any of the three main dialects, Lakota or Dakota translates to mean "friend" or "ally", referring to the alliance that once bound the Great Sioux Nation.
The Lakota Sioux took part in numerous wars including Red Cloud's War (1866-68), the Great Sioux War of 1876, which included amongst others, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.
I have slowly been building up a collection of Plains Indians from numerous companies but the four 28mm scale figures I'm showcasing here were bought many years ago in the 1990's and were actually created for the near future Shadowrun game. That said, they are sculpted in such a way that they fit in perfectly in an Old West setting of the late 19th century.

At the far left is White Eagle, a Lakota tribal chief, who is wearing a buffalo skin head dress and cloak. He is armed with a coup stick and a knife. He is Jackson Ryder's adoptive father. He is a quiet, thoughtful man with a stoic exterior, although in recent years he has become more relaxed. He became leader early in his life, and now, not even 50, he has led the band for more than 15 years. Although a fine warrior and hunter, he is anticipating the toll that age will take on him and has been looking for a worthy successor. Against all the odds, he believes he has found one in his adoptive son, Splits Arrow. He worries that because he is white, the tribe will not accept Jackson as chief.

Next up, is Jackson Ryder, aka Splits Arrow, a white man who was raised by White Eagle when Jackson was orphaned as a child. Ryder is a character from GURPS Robin Hood, who is a reincarnation of Robin. In this supplement you can play Robin Hood in one of five alternative settings - 17th century Scotland, the Old West, a contemporary setting with superheroes, a cyberpunk world and a far future sci-fi setting, as well as the traditional Sherwood Forest setting. Jackson is now fully integrated into his adoptive tribe and regards them as his family. His skill at bow and arrow is legendary. He is also armed with a knife and a tomahawk. His efforts on the part of the Lakota have earned him a great reputation among the Sioux, whilst his reputation among whites as a renegade has grown; there is talk of hanging him as soon as he is captured.

Jackson's closest friend in the tribe is Lone Tree on the Plains. In the supplement, he was a male ally but I decided to change his sex, to match that of the figure. She is the daughter of White Eagle and is glad that her father is grooming Splits Arrow to take over the leadership of the tribe. She views Jackson as a brother and the two work well together. She is armed with a bow, arrows, knife and tomahawk.
Finally is Looks at Fire, the tribe's medicine man and shaman. He is respected and honoured for his wisdom and experience, and is consulted on every important matter undertaken by the band or a member. His love of children extended to the young Jackson, whose interest in tribal lore and ceremony Looks at Fire encouraged. Note that his figure was produced by Grenadier Miniatures, as part of their own Shadowrun range.
These are four superb sculpts and they fit in so perfectly with the GURPS Robin Hood characters that I had to use them as such. I do have plans for using them in a Six Gun Sound setting, so that is something to look out for.

Vampifan's Superheroes and Supervillains 09

Deathwish is a GURPS Supers scenario book that features a heavy metal band called Deathwish, who are all super-villains. I played this scenario with Vampirella, Wolverine and Gothique as the heroes. You can check out this old post to see who the three heroes are - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2016/07/vampifans-superheroes-and-supervillains_8.html
This was one of the best scenarios I ran when I was playing my GURPS Supers campaign in the 1990's with my gaming buddies, Dave (Wolverine) and Rob (Gothique). They were triumphant in the scenario but the final battle was a tough one as I considerably beefed up the stats of Deathwish to make them more of a challenge against three very powerful superheroes.

At the far left is Sorceress, aka Morwena the lead singer of Deathwish. Her real name is Amanda Carazone. She is the daughter of a wealthy politician from New England. She spent her childhood in the lap of luxury - anything she wanted, she got. Amanda was 21 years old, attending a small girls' college, when her father skipped the country with his secretary and every dollar the family owned. For the first time in her life, Amanda found herself penniless. Wandering the streets,stunned and confused, she was taken in by the Black Moon Society. The leader of this group recognised the magical potential that lay just below her conscious. She spent the next year learning to use her powers, but eventually left the society. She wanted her good life back.
She travelled to Los Angeles and took a singing job in the nightclub of a ritzy hotel - it afforded her the perfect opportunity to meet wealthy men who could be set up and taken for every penny they had. It was at this hotel that she met Necrovore who recognised a good voice when he heard one. Much to her surprise, she found herself attracted to him and the two began working as a team. On his advice she changed her name to Morwena.
They linked up with a crazy young man, Bobby Anderson (aka Demolition Man) and law student Harry Johnson (aka Psytron). Bobby played bass guitar and Harry played drums. Together they formed the nucleus of the heavy metal rockers known as Deathwish. They auditioned for a lead guitarist and accepted a teenager called Arvyn Runeweaver. That was three years ago. They burst onto the music scene with the sizzling Wish upon a Star album. This was followed by the controversial but phenomenally popular Wishcraft album, which was banned in many stores because of its cover. Disaster struck when Arvyn Runeweaver tragically died of spontaneous combustion. He was replaced by Eddie Traynor (aka Whirlwind) who proved to be a more talented guitarist.
The group released their third album, Wishing Hell earlier this year and are planning on recording a live double album, Blow out the Napalm and Make a Wish. Their fans, predominantly young (under 25) have a well earned reputation for causing violence and mayhem. The official Deathwish fan club has over 100,000 members known as "Death-heads" who are obsessed with the band's music. Deathwish themselves recently used their superpowers in the pursuit of crime, particularly museum robberies. For the past year they have successfully raided nearly a dozen museums throughout the USA, amassing a small fortune in artefacts and treasures.
Morwena has been described as "sex incarnate" by Rolling Rock magazine. It went on to add, "Watching her move is more erotic than most porno movies. She does not just sing to the crowd - she makes love to it with her voice. She wrenches emotion out of every syllable she croons."
Her figure is a Grenadier superhero who was not converted. She was a perfect match for Sorceress. For my GURPS campaign I increased her points value from 500 to 900. her superpowers include Control Weather, Insubstantiality, Magical Aptitude level:3, Shockwave level:10 and Surge level:5.

Next in line is Eddie Traynor the lead guitarist of Deathwish and a supervillain known as Whirlwind. He is a native Californian - he surfed, skated, grew his hair waist-length, bleached it blond and did everything a "typical" California boy should do. His consuming passion since he was seven years old has been his guitar. He practised for at least two hours every day, rain or shine, until he could make the instrument do anything he wanted. When puberty hit, Eddie found he had several other talents - flight, for instance, and the ability to control winds. At first he only used this power to provide good windsurfing weather - but when he found he could turn invisible the temptation to do some crimes became overwhelming. About this time Eddie got the chance to try out for Deathwish. Much to his surprise, but not to anyone who heard him play, he got the job. As far as Eddie is concerned, he has died and gone to heaven. Not only is he playing with one of the hottest bands in the world, but he is working with an accomplished group of meta-villains that can teach him the ropes on how to most effectively use his abilities.
His figure is also an old Grenadier superhero. I re-sculpted his hair and added his long ponytail out of Milliput. I increased his GURPS points value of 650 points to 750 points. His superpowers include Control Winds level:5, Damage Resistance +20, Flight, Invisibility (Switchable), Invisibility to Machines, Super Flight, Whirlwind level:16, Wind Blast level:10 and Wind Jet level:10. 

In the centre of the pictures is Harry Johnson aka Psytron. Harry knew he was cut out for a career in law and diplomacy from an early age. When he turned 13 he gained the ability to sense what others were thinking. He also had another passion in life - the drums. These two forces held him in a mental tug of war throughout his teenage years, resulting in an internal compromise when the time came to choose a good college. He could go to a good school, but it would be a good school near Los Angeles, the musical Mecca. So Harry ended up at U-Cal Berkeley, studying by day and drumming by night. He had never considered adding crime to his list of hobbies until he met Demolition Man. Something about Bobby's hedonistic passion for life rubbed off on Harry. He began using drugs and collaborating with Bobby on jobs. Finally they met up with Morwena and Frank, and a partnership was formed. Harry (who adopted the name H.I. Jynx at Frank's behest) had developed a serious cocaine problem at this point, and had also become convinced that he didn't have to fool with the existing political structure. With the help of his team-mates he could take over the world!
The figure of Psytron is yet another old Grenadier superhero. I added his Uzi sub-machine gun to him. He cost 500 points and his superpowers included Telepathy level:10 and Teleportation level:22

Next up is Frank Birmingham aka Necrovore, the band's keyboard player and only non-superpowered member. Frank had always been the best at anything he tried. He was smarter, stronger, faster and quicker than any of his friends at high school, and he excelled in sports in college, where he lettered in track, baseball and basketball. Instead of a career as a professional athlete, however, he was drawn to music. He loved the creativity involved in starting with a blank piece of paper and a melody in his head ending up with a song or sonata. Although he worked extensively with various symphonic groups, his true love was rock and roll. After graduation, Frank headed for the best recruiting spot in the world for musicians - Los Angeles. It was here that he met Amanda and convinced her that Morwena was a much more commercial name. The pair met Harry and Bobby shortly thereafter and the nucleus of Deathwish was formed. Frank is slightly uncomfortable as the only non-super in the group, but makes up for it by being the organiser and planner. He is still more interested in being in a good band than in committing crimes, but is willing to go along with it if it keeps everyone else happy.
The figure of Necrovore comes from the Citadel Golden Heroes range of superheroes. I added his Uzi from my spare parts box. Despite being a non-super, he still cost 500 points, which is very high for a "normal" GURPS character.

Finally, is Bobby Anderson, bass guitarist of Deathwish and supervillain known as Demolition Man. Bobby grew up on a farm in rural Kansas. He would have undoubtedly ended up working at the local cement plant, just like all his friends, except for a life-changing incident when he was 16. His mother got sick and he was sent to Los Angeles to stay with his aunt whilst his father cared for his mom. L.A. opened his eyes to a whole new world - he returned home six months later with an earring, a skateboard, a bass guitar and an attitude problem. Upon his 17th birthday he left home and wandered around for several weeks before stumbling across a commune called Avalon. It was run by the infamous Society for Creative Anarchy. Armed with a confused notion of what anarchy meant (he was expecting wild parties, uninhibited sex and no work) he joined. He began to notice some strange goings-on in the commune. Visitors, some obviously superhuman, were flying in and out, and there seemed to be a lot of action centred around the storage building in particular. One night he slipped the lock to the building and began exploring. A huge grin appeared on is face - he had found some sort of weapons locker. The walls were line with suits of armour ranging from medieval plate mail to high-tech battle armour. But one suit in particular caught his attention - it was silver and red and had a huge morning star attached to it. He tried it on and found that a small display inside had a menu explaining the suit's various powers. Demolition Man was born. He left that night and headed back to Los Angeles where he began playing with different bands and robbing banks. He met Psytron in a bar - the drummer was intrigued by someone whose mind he couldn't penetrate. The two of them became friends and then partners in crime before linking up with Sorceress and Necrovore to form Deathwish.
I couldn't find a suitable figure to use as Demolition Man and so I sculpted him myself. His morning star came from my spare parts box. He calls it Dorothy! I increased his points value from 750 to 800. His superpowers all come from his battlesuit which grants him Damage Resistance +30, Dark Vision, Enhanced Strength 120, Insubstantiality, Invisibility, Invisibility to Machines, Move through Earth and Penetrating Vision. The morning star could do a whopping 16 dice of damage!
I had wanted to highlight this group when I was doing my posts about my own superhero and supervillain figures but I couldn't find the figures. Then quite by accident last month, I found them in a box that I never thought they'd be in. It was a lucky find. I rebased them and photographed them so that I could type in this post.

Here are the portraits of Deathwish that I used for their GURPS character record sheets. The illustrations of them in the scenario book were very poorly drawn, so I drew the portraits of Sorceress, Whirlwind, Psytron and Necrovore based on the poses of the figures. The portrait of Demolition Man was taken from the cover of the scenario book and you can see it below.

Grenadier Old West Heroes

Way back in the early 1990's I bought a boxed set of ten 32mm scale Western Gunfighters produced by Grenadier Miniatures. They were beautifully sculpted by Andy Chernak but at the time were over-scaled as most Wild West figures back then were either 25mm or 28mm scale. Now, however, they are a perfect fit with the majority of my collection of Wild West figures. I have shown one of them - the Gambler - in a previous post (see here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2017/06/assorted-wild-west-gamblers-01.html ). Two of the figures - the Gunfighter and the Rifleman - never got painted and have gone missing. I have no idea where they went. So that leaves just seven to show you and here they are.

First up is the easily identifiable Man With No Name as played by Clint Eastwood in the Dollar trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns. I do love this figure but I must admit I was conflicted when I bought the Shadows of Brimstone male Drifter, who was a superb sculpt of The Man With No Name (see here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.com/2017/10/shadows-of-brimstone-heroes-03.html ) as to which one is the best. On reflection, I do think the Shadows of Brimstone version only just edges this Grenadier version. The boxed set lists him as a Range Rider and not a Bounty Hunter. It also shows him in an alternate colour scheme, which I may use if I decide to repaint him. It is a distinct possibility because I don't want two versions of the same character.

In the centre is the U.S. Marshal whom I have named as "the Duke" due to his uncanny resemblance to John Wayne. Note the way he is cocking the lever of his Winchester Rifle - a nice touch.
At the far right is the Cowpoke, whom I named Johnny West. When I was a young lad growing up in the 1960's my parents bought me a 12" action figure of a cowboy called Johnny West as a Christmas present (see below). This figure reminded me of him so much and so I had to name him Johnny West. Johnny will be a recurring character in my Six Gun Sound campaign, although not as a Cowboy. Most likely, he'll be a Bounty Hunter or a Gunfighter. Johnny is armed with a Winchester .44 Rifle, Colt .45 Peacemaker Revolver, .41 Derringer Pistol and Bowie Knife, just as his taller version is.

Moving on is Saloon Girl Madeleine DuBois, who is described as being "vivacious" by Grenadier Miniatures. Yep, that's a good description of her.
She works for Bartender Guthrie Fullwright, who is an expert gambler. He is armed with a 12 Gauge Scattergun, which he keeps behind the bar to deal with troublemakers.

Last up are the two outlaws. Second from the right is Mexican bandida, "Hole in Juan" Gomez, who is armed with a pair of Colt .44 Army Revolvers and a Knife. He is a crackshot pistolero.
Finally, is young Bank Robber Gil Hardy, who goes by the nickname of "The Cheyenne Kid". He is left-handed and is armed with a Colt .45 Peacemaker Revolver.
Sadly, this set is long out of production. I think it would sell very well if it was re-released today as all of the figures are superbly sculpted and because of their size will fit in so well with so many other ranges.

To the left of here is this wonderful picture of 12" action figure, Johnny West, showing him and all of his accessories that came with him. This figure was produced in 1965. I still have mine but some of his accessories have gone missing. In the same year as I received this figure, my brother got the 12" action figure of Chief Cherokee and a horse to go with him as his Christmas present. I also got a horse who was named Thunderbolt and my brother's horse was named Comanche. Note that unlike the humans, the horses were not pose-able. These figures were made by the Louis Marx company. The Johnny West range of figures were very popular. In later years, Johnny gained a family, wife Jane, daughters Janice and Josie, and sons Jay and Jamie. Chief Cherokee also gained a family - his wife was Princess Wildflower. Other figures like Sheriff Garrett and Outlaw Sam Cobra were added to the range but my brother and I never got any of the others. Below is the complete range of figures. If they were sold now I'd definitely want them all but whether I could afford them is another matter entirely.

Necromunda: House Cawdor Gangers 01

In my last two posts I showcased my favourite Necromunda gang - House Escher. In this post I'm going to review my least favourite gang - House Cawdor. They fared very badly in my old campaign from the 1990's. They were used twice in my campaign. One of my old gaming buddies, Ken, used them at the start of the campaign and took such beating that he was forced to disband them and take a new gang. He then chose the Redemptionists, who were even more religiously fanatical than the Cawdors. Halfway through the campaign, when most of my players were taking second gangs to start with because their first choices had became so powerful, I decided to have a go with House Cawdor to see if I could do better than Ken. I lost nine out of my ten fights. Oh dear! Basically, I think that House Cawdor are crap! This is my House Cawdor gang that I'm showing and they were laughably called the Punishers. The Punished would have been a more appropriate name!

At the far left is Brother Coromell, a gang leader figure, who was used as an ordinary ganger because I much preferred the other gang leader figure. What was I thinking?! Coromell is armed with a Bolt Gun and a Power Sword.
Standing next to him is Father Paraden, the gang's first leader. He was such a disaster that another ganger challenged him for the leadership of the gang, and unsurprisingly, beat him. He would often get wounded and miss the next fight, which did not endear him to the other men in his gang. Paraden slunk off into the wastelands and was never heard of again. As shown, he is armed with a Bolt Gun, an Autopistol and a Chainsword.

Next up are three heavies. In the centre of this quintet of figures is Big Brother Dupaynil, who is armed with a Heavy Stubber, an Autopistol and a Knife. He was not used in my campaign. Note that all of my heavies were called Big Brother instead of Brother.
Second from the right is Big Brother Argray, who ended up being captured by House Escher. No rescue mission was made to recover him, so who knows what his fate was? It doesn't bear thinking about! He was armed with a Heavy Bolter, an Autopistol and a Knife.
At the far right is Big Brother Gerstan, who is armed with a Grenade Launcher, an Autopistol and a Knife. His Grenade Launcher could fire Frag, Krak or Hallucinogenic Grenades. He ended the campaign with a serious leg wound.

Moving on, we have the rank and file gangers. At the far left is Brother Quinada, who is armed with a Lasgun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife.
Next to him is Brother Sanborn, armed with an Autogun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife. He was not used in my campaign.
Nor too was the next ganger in line, Brother Garley, who was armed identically to Brother Sanborn.

Second from the right is Brother Ingrich, who is armed with a Lasgun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife. He was another figure who did not appear in my campaign.
At the far right is Brother Currald, who is armed with an Autogun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife. The sharp-eyed amongst you will recognise him as an old Grenadier Scavenger figure, who is now available from EM4 Miniatures as Scavenger with Assault Rifle. You have to admit, he does look just like a Cawdor ganger.

Continuing with the gangers, here we have Brother Dallish at the far left. He was armed with a Shotgun, an Autopistol and a Knife. Note the deliberate use of the past tense for describing his weapons. In a fight against a Van Saar gang, he was ambushed by an unseen monster and devoured! That was a most unusual way to die!
Second from the left is Brother Klepsin, who is armed with a Lasgun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife. He was not used in my campaign.

Second from the right is Brother Tollwin, who is armed with a Lasgun Rifle, an Autopistol and a Knife. He suffered a head wound and at the start of each fight he had to roll 1d6. On a roll of 1-3 he acted Stupid and on a 4-6 he would Frenzy.
Last in line is Father Follard, formerly known as Brother Follard. He was the ganger who challenged Paraden to the leadership contest. In the Punishers' eighth gang fight, Paraden was once again absent, recovering from a wound. Follard, as the most experienced ganger, took command against the House Orlock gang, Murder Inc. and achieved the Punishers' one and only victory of my campaign. He is shown armed with a Shotgun, an Autopistol and a Knife. When he became gang leader he bought a Chainsword as well as Frag and Krak Grenades to add to his personal arsenal.

Finally are the gang's juves. At the far left is Little Brother Varian (yes, the juves were called Little Brothers). He is armed with an Autopistol and a Knife.
Next to him, Little Brother Tailler is also armed with an Autopistol and a Knife. He was not used in my campaign.
At  second from the right is Little Brother Billis, who, once again is armed with an Autopistol and a Knife. He was not used either.
Last up, is Brother Paskutti, who managed to attain ganger status and thus dropped the "Little" from his title. He is armed with a Plasma Pistol and a Sword. Note that he is a converted figure. He was originally armed with a Slug Pistol, which I cut off and replaced once he became a ganger.
Despite my antipathy towards this gang, these are all nicely sculpted figures. As I said at the start, the two Cawdor gangs that took part in my campaign suffered an unbelievable amount of defeats. Ken's gang was so badly battered, with so many wounded gangers missing from action, that he sensibly disbanded it to begin afresh with a new gang. I thought I could do better. After all, my Escher and Goliath gangs finished in first and second place in my campaign, so I was a good player, but I just couldn't get a break with this gang. Not only did they lose nine of their ten fights but three of their five territories were taken from them by other gangs. That was just so pathetic! Clearly, my experience of this House has clouded my judgement of them. But quite frankly, I'd rather play any other gang than a House Cawdor gang. That said, I am curious to see how they fare in the new Necromunda rules. It's hard to imagine how much worse they could be!

Assorted Androids 01

Let me start this post with a question - what is the difference between an android and a robot? It is the issue of free will. An android is self-aware and has rights - a robot does not. In RPG games such as N.E.W. and Starfinder, androids can be player characters. This is another one of my posts that could have appeared on this blog or on my WOIN blog. I'm posting it here simply because it has crossover potential for other systems and isn't limited to just N.E.W.

These five 28mm scale figures come from a variety of companies. At the far left is a very old figure produced by Grenadier Miniatures for Cyberpunk 2020 and/or Shadowrun. He is a cyborg cop, heavily influenced by Robo-cop from the films of the same name. In the few games where I have used him, I've always referred to him as "Robo-cop". I have no idea if this figure is still available for sale or not. I know a lot of old Grenadier figures are still available but I'm uncertain about this particular one.
Next in line is a figure I bought very recently. She is Maria the female android produced by Reaper Miniatures as part of their Chronoscope range. She looks like a female version of C-3PO from Star Wars. However, her name is a dead giveaway on who she is really based on - Maria the Maschinenmensch (German for machine-person) or robot in Fritz Lang's 1927 film of Metropolis. The figure is a very good likeness of her and the sculpting of her is quite exquisite. You'll find her in the Reaper Chronoscope webstore as 50246: Maria - She-Bot where she is priced at £5.22.

In the centre of this group is Narindan, who is an android produced by Space Vixens From Mars. I have been buying quite a few figures from them this year to use in my The Ace of Spades Campaign. I only recently became aware of this company and I have been very impressed by their friendly and swift service... and reasonable prices. This figure is listed as SV36 and costs a very cheap £2.00.
Finally are two androids produced by Alternative Armies for their Ganesha Games sci-fi range. They bear a slight similarity to the B1 Battledroids seen in some of the Star Wars films but they are different. However, it is fair to say that my colour scheme for them was directly influenced by the B1 Battledroid. They are listed as PSY04 Combots and they cost £2.00 each.
Anyone who is following my The Ace of Spades Campaign on my WOIN blog will know that one of the crew of The Ace of Spades is an android. Celeste is the most mysterious of all of my player characters and could well be the most powerful if she really is a Forerunner survivor. That should tell you that I like androids. My main use for these figures will be for N.E.W. but don't be too surprised if some of them appear in my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign.

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.

Assorted Wild West Gamblers 01

I like to mix things up on my blog so I'm returning to my Wild West figures for a few posts. The theme this time is gamblers. Here are four 28mm scale gamblers from assorted manufacturers.

At the far left is Jacques Villard, who is a Dixon Miniatures 25mm scale Old West civilian. He is listed as WG12 Gambler Standing with Cigar and he costs £1.40. I'm not that bothered that he's smaller than the other figures on display here. People come in all shapes and sizes in real life, so why not in miniatures?
Next up, is Commodore James Duvall, who was made by Grenadier Miniatures as one of 10 figures in a boxed set called "Western Gunfighters". He is loosely based on the character, Commodore Duvall played by James Coburn in the 1994 film of Maverick. He is, in my opinion, the best sculpted figure of this quartet. Note the card sticking out of his sleeve on his left arm in the photo below. Probably his ace up his sleeve! That is such a cool touch.

The figure second from the right is as yet unnamed. I can tell you that he is a very old figure made by Hinchliffe Models, who have been out of business for many years now. I bought him in the very early 1980's. His right arm was originally hanging by his side but I bent it to give him a less static pose. Hinchliffe figures were usually tall and slim, but I think he stands the test of time very well.
Finally, is "Hoodoo" Brown, a figure sculpted by me. He is an exact copy of a 54mm scale figure I made for my long running Wild West campaign that I ran in the 1980's. Back then, all of my Wild West games were played with 1/32nd scale figures, buildings and scenery. It might not be immediately clear from the front view, but he is smoking a cigar. Also, note that he is left-handed.
These figures are mainly intended for use with Six Gun Sound, my go to Wild West rules, but could also appear in Shadows of Brimstone.

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.

JDMG MC1 Perps - Scabies Street Gang

I have another Mega City One street gang to show you that is mainly based on 28mm scale Citadel figures from the old Games Workshop sci-fi skirmish game, Confrontation, the forerunner for Necromunda. The Scabies street gang hide in the shadows and hang out in the slums and the Undercity. Essentially, they are scavengers, preying on the weak and unwary.

At the far left of the photos directly above and below is the leader of the Scabies gang, Scab Scabie. He was originally produced by Grenadier Miniatures but is now being sold by EM4 as part of their Future Skirmish Scavengers range. He and all of the Scabies wear Respirators. He is also equipped with Leather Armour, a Double-Barrelled Stump Gun Rifle and a Sword. The Scabies gang favour Stump Guns but Scab excels in close combat and is deadly with his sword, which is slung across his back. He is a Level:2 Punk Infantry Hero with three Talents - Luck of Grud (gives him one free re-roll per game), Voice of Command (all allies within 12" of him gain +1 to all Will rolls) and Skilled and Deadly (he can re-roll one of his Melee Dice in close combat). His straw hat makes him instantly identifiable.
The gang's heavy weapons specialist, Squama, is next in line. Squama also wears Leather Armour. He is armed with a Grenade Launcher. JDMG does not have stats for a Grenade Launcher so I used the stats for a Hand Bomb but doubled the range to 20" and doubled the price to 60 credits. He is a Level:1 Punk Infantry Hero with two Talents taken from the Blood on the Streets supplement - On Their Knees (every Infantry model hit by his Grenade Launcher must pass a Will test or suffer Knockdown) and Maximum Firepower (Add 1" to the Explosive distance, i.e. Grenades now have Explosive:3). His Grenade Launcher came from the Wargames Foundry Street Violence range. For him and the following five gang members, I sculpted their arms out of Milliput.

Moving on, are Scurf and Scatty. Each one is armed with two Sawed-Off Stump Guns and both are unarmoured. I made them both Level:1 Punk Infantry Heroes with identical Talents, namely, Brave (allows them to re-roll any failed Will to Fight test) and appropriately enough, Dual Shooter (they add +1 to damage when firing both guns, but no critical hits are allowed and they only roll for 1 gun). Their Sawed-Off Stump Guns came from the weapon sprues you got with the Confrontation figures.
The last three Scabies are from left to right, Flaky, Crusty and Branny. All three are armed with Stump Gun Rifles and are unarmoured. They are all Level:0 Punk Infantry Minions. They are nothing more than cannon fodder but they help bolster the gang's numbers. Their Stump Guns were made by Hero Miniatures who went out of business many years ago.
The Scabies gang has a Credits rating of 700, making them quite a powerful gang. In my JDMG campaign I'll be pitting Street Judges Crowe, Moore and Webb along with Med Judge Nash against them for their debut adventure. They have a combined Credits rating of 600. Look out for this batrep in early 2017.

Vampifan's Superheroes and Supervillains 04

Continuing with my recent theme of showing you some of my old 28mm scale figures of superheroes and supervillains that I made and converted I present to you the Psi-Prime team of supervillains. These seven miscreants appeared in the Villains and Vigilantes scenario, The Secret in the Swamp, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1986. I did not play this scenario with the V&V rules but I did convert it for GURPS Supers and ran it with two other players using our team of Gothique, Vampirella and Wolverine.

At the far left of the two photos above and below is Psi-Prime, the megalomaniacal leader of this group of supervillains. Born Karl Wagner in Munich, Germany, he developed an unhealthy fascination with genocide during his teens. He would often visit Dachau concentration camp. This coincided with the development of his psionic super powers. He majored in chemistry and discovered a chemical that could instantly evaporate water. His plans for genocide by contaminating the water supplies in Germany were thwarted and he fled to the Everglades in Florida. With a stockpile of chemicals he plans to evaporate all the oceans of the world. In GURPS Supers I gave him the following super powers - Dehydrate level:10, Increased Speed level:2, Psychokinesis level:26 (with Instantaneous enhancement) and Telepathy level:12. He wears High Tech Body armour. He cost 1,000 points. He always carries a bag of coins, which he can use as ammo for a telekinetic attack, propelling them as fast as a bullet. My figure of Psi-Prime was sculpted by me and made of Milliput. He is meant to be tall but I think I've made him a bit too tall.
Standing next to Psi-prime is his girlfriend, White Heron. Whilst studying anthropology at university, Karen Moran was given the opportunity to study a tribe of Seminole Indians in the Everglades, She was even more delighted when she was asked to take part in a secret ceremony of the Indians' gods. However, it was all a ruse by Shaman (see below) and Karen was transformed into White Heron, the totem creature of Shaman's tribe. Shaman was working for Psi-prime and when Karen met Karl for the first time they fell in love. She soon came to accept his vision of his master plan to change the world. Karen can transform into a white heron, as well as spouting wings and talons whilst remaining human. She has one unusual disadvantage and that is an addiction for eating raw frogs, which she must do on a daily basis. She was designed for an average 500 points. Her figure is based on an old Grenadier Miniatures Supers figure and was so perfect for her that I didn't need to convert her at all. Sometimes you get lucky and find the ideal figure for your needs.

Third in line is Antioch, known as Shaman. As an aspiring man since his youth, Antioch became frustrated with the continued maltreatment of the Indians by the Whites. He decided revenge was in order. With the aid of the Five Ancients, supernatural spirits he summoned, he forged two magical devices - an Amulet of Life and a Mind Control device. His actions brought him to the attention of Coot (see below) who was working for Psi-Prime. Coot urged Psi-Prime to recruit Shaman. The old man readily accepted Psi-Prime's offer and has never regretted it. Shaman possesses no super powers but he does know a smattering of magic spells. He has Magical Aptitude level:2 and Spirit Empathy as two of his GURPS advantages. He cost 300 points, making him the weakest member of the Psi-Prime team. Shaman is another one of my unique sculpts and was made out of Milliput.
At the far right is Coot, a being from a limbo-like dimension, who ruled there until he grew bored and sought out a new challenge. Psi-Prime made contact with him and offered him a portion of the Earth to rule and a decent portion of the water that would remain after he put his genocidal plan in place. Coot, hoping that this would be a true test of his power, agreed. Coot's super powers that I gave him for GURPS Supers were Enhanced Strength 23, Extra Hit Points +20, Gadget (a fishing rod with Bind power level:15), Increased Speed level:2, Laser Eyes and Longevity. He cost 1,000 points, making him a formidable opponent. He was made by me, using Milliput. His fishing rod was the shaft of a spear I converted. I like him because he looks so innocuous.

For this trio of villains I changed their bases to reflect the fact that they spend all of their time in the swamps of the Everglades and would never appear in an urban environment. At the far left is Alligator, a villain similar in many respects to the Lizard from Marvel Comics' Spiderman series. Roger Engle, was once a biologist studying alligators in the Florida Everglades. This was a dream job for him but he became appalled at the slaughter of so many alligators both legally and illegally that he decided to champion their freedom and dignity. He developed a formula to give him the powers of an alligator. It worked only too well but it also gave him the intelligence of an alligator. When Psi-Prime found him, he manipulated the confused scientist into aiding in his fiendish plan. Alligator has the following powers for GURPS Supers - Amphibious, Breath Holding level:4, Damage Resistance 20, Enhanced Strength 30, Increased Speed level:2, Passive Defence 3, Speak with Animals (reptiles only), Striker (claws, teeth and tail) and Super Swimming. He cost 750 points. I sculpted him out of Milliput. An easier option would have been to simply use a Heroclix figure of the Lizard but I didn't.
Next up is Sludge, one of the Five Ancients who responded to the summoning by Shaman. His form has changed and he is considerably weaker in this dimension. As one of the Ancients (who all desire the downfall of Man) "Sludge" saw that the powers that Psi-Prime had allied with might succeed so he risked entering this dimension. Due to a freak mystical backlash caused by such power entering this dimension, Sludge was transformed physically and mentally. Shaman's two magic items (the Amulet of Life and the Mind Control device) allow him to remain in this dimension. If either were to be destroyed he would return to his original home dimension totally intact as one of the Five Ancients. Despite being considerably weakened he is still a very powerful entity. He possesses the following super powers - Amphibious, Body of Mud, Damage Resistance 5, Doesn't Breathe, Drink, Eat or Sleep, Enhanced Strength 150, Extra Hit Points +35, Immortality and Passive Defence 2. Note that Body of Mud is a combination of the powers Body of Earth and Body of Water. Sludge can alter the state of his body at will - from a liquid mud form to a wet clay-like form. He cost 1,000 points. For the figure of Sludge I simply used an old Grenadier Shambling Mound from a boxed set of AD&D monsters.

Last of all is Swamp Rat, who has no super powers whatsoever but who is a highly skilled and deadly survivalist. Jacob Archer is a U.S. Army veteran with mental problems. He thinks he is still at war and he went to ground in the Everglades where he adopted the name, Swamp Rat. He now believes the entire world is one vast swamp and if he were ever removed from this environment he would become catatonic. One day, he was approached by a man who he naturally shot. Incredibly, the bullet stopped inches from the man's heart. The stranger called himself Psi-Prime and offered Swamp Rat to help win his war if he helped him. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. Psi-Prime then put Swamp Rat in charge of Sludge, who "Rat" immediately liked (mainly because of his brutal killing strength) and within months had achieved near total control over Sludge. He cost 400 points in my GURPS Supers campaign. Swamp Rat is a converted Games Workshop plastic Catachan Jungle Fighter. I added the rolled up sleeves of his coat as his arms were originally bare. I also modelled his hair to match his illustration. His 7.62mm H&K G3 Assault Rifle came from my spare parts box.
The illustrations below were scanned in to my computer from the scenario book and in some cases modified by me. For example, Shaman was only shown from the waist up in the book, so I had to add his legs to the illustration. For Sludge, I added the long nose that appears on the figure so he more closely resembled it. They were all digitally coloured by me.

Psi-Prime and White Heron

Shaman, Coot and Alligator

Sludge and Swamp Rat