Thursday 31 January 2013

Pulp City Supreme Edition goes Live!!!!


Just a quick post today as my computer has died.

The Pulp City Supreme Edition open beta has gone live!!!!!!!!
Check out the new rules at www.pulp-city.com

They have also shown 2 of the Supremes from the new starter sets.
Above on the middle is Nuke 2 and to the right is Aurelius.

Check out Supreme Edition and let me know what you think.

More coverage when I have a computer sorted.

Hendybager awaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Review: Dystopian Legions Federated States of America Starter Set

Its here at last. My final Dystopian Legions Starter set review. (Just in time to start looking at Wave 3!)
Make sure you check out the captions on the painted mini pics as some have mixtures of models in. Couldn't find separate pics for each Section I'm afraid.

Federated States of America Starter Set
Lets start off by taking a look at the box it all comes in .
On the front you have a full colour render of the Federated States of America (FSA) Federal Infantry Sergeant and a contents list. The back of the box gives you a little bit of info about the force and renders of each model included.
You may know by now that I LOVE the fact Spartan Games use renders taken straight from the models. It means you can see exactly what the models look like without having your eye drawn to certain parts by the paint job.

In the box is a LOT of stuff once again.

- 80 Page Full Colour Dystopian Legions (DL) Quickstart Rulebook. Not your usual 'Quickstart' rules either. This includes everything you need to play a full game

- Red, Blue and Black Dice. 24 in total

- Laser Cut DL 'Range Band' Ruler

- FSA Stat Sheet. For all the models included.

- DL Tokens sheet. Needs cutting

- FSA Game Card Deck. Force specific game cards plus a couple of special cards for the Character and Veterans.

- FSA Blank Activation Cards

- 14 High Detail Metal models plus bases.

So much stuff in 1 box! This is also EVERYTHING you need to play the game. No need to find extra dice, cards, rulers or print more stats. You just need a table and an opponent.
For more info on the rules including the Game Cards, Activation Cards and dice colours you can check out my post on the Rulebook >HERE<

Doctor Orglington and FSA Lieutenant
Doc Orlington on large base in the middle. Infantry Sergeant to the left.
Doc Orlington is a freelancer also known as 'Scatergun Sam'. Personally field testing new weapons on the front line he favours his twin wrist-mounted snub Gatling guns. Loaded with his own 'special reserve' ammunition he is the perfect troubleshooter.
The Lieutenants of the FSA are a tough breed, capable of inspiring their hardy troops to great feats of valour.
Carefully versed in all of the FSA tactics they lead the Sections while picking out enemies with a Model 4 Revolver and blade.

Left- Doc Orlington Right- FSA Lieutenant
The model for Doc Orlington is by far one of my favourites in the entire range. He comes in 2 parts with the main body and an additional Gatling barrel. Simple to assemble. Doc is very highly detailed and packed full of character from the cigar gripping grin to the steampunk style goggles on his hat.
The FSA Lieutenant is a one piece model. Although he is similar to the Infantry Sergeant you can tell them apart by the fact the Lieutenant has a moustache. This is obviously a symbol of rank in the FSA forces!
These 2 metal models are fantastic quality. A couple of tiny vents (where the air escapes the mould) in easy to remove places and some barely visible mould lines that can be taken off in seconds.
Very impressed with the both of them

Buffalo Hunters and Scouts
2 Buffalo Hunters and a Scout stalking around the treeline
The Buffalo Hunters and Scout in the FSA forces are freelancers and mercenaries. Hardy mountain men and natives from the Great Plains can become deadly snipers or assassins that lay bear traps in the paths of oncoming opponents.

Above are the 2 Buffalo Hunters. Armed with Hunting Rifles and Revolvers they are lethal close up and far away.
Both are single piece metal models jam packed full of high quality detail. The Hunter on the left has a large support from the base to the gun that needs to be clipped off and filed flat but apart from that they are extremely clean models. One or two vents and then they are ready to go!

These 2 are the Scouts. Along with the Rifles and Revolvers they also carry Bear Traps and Tomahawks. Not the sort of person you want to meet in the woods on your own.
These come with a main body each and then two or three smaller parts. This means there are a few more vents and tabs to remove and file, but they still go together well.
Another pair of very detailed and characterful models.

Federal Infantry and LMG Specialist
Federal Infatry with LMG in front rank and FSA Lieutenant in the rear
The Federal Infanty , or FIs, use Doctorines unlike the European forces. They fight in loose highly mobile units and excel in small unit tactics.
Closing on their targets they take them down with rapid-firing Winchester Carbines and Orlington Light Machineguns before falling back before the enemy can retaliate.

Left- FI Sergeant Right- LMG Specialist
As mention above, the FI Sergeant is very similar to the FSA Lieutenant. Just minus the facial hair!
A one piece model armed with a revolver and blade. The detail is again fantastic and the cast is very high quality. A couple of tiny vents and that's it. Base and go!
The FI Specialist with a LMG comes in 2 parts. Body and weapon. The body is another clean piece but the weapon does have a few vents that will need removing. Slightly less detailed than the Sergeant but still much more than your usual troops in other games.


Federal Infantry Section
The Federal Infantry (FIs) are single part models. The sport impressive looking Winchester Repeating Carbines than use an ammo tube that runs to the backpack. I love the look of these weapons as they are so different to any others in the game.
You will also notice that all 8 (inc Serg and Spec) models in the Section are different sculpts. You can also get an add-on that adds another 2 sculpts as well. This is an awesome things for a game that uses units. In most other game like that you will have at least 2 of each sculpt in each unit. Not in DL! Spartan Games have made these Sections look awesome! (Can you tell I like it?)
The model need a little bit of a clean up as there are a few vents on them but all are in places without lots of detail so they are easy to clip and file down.

Price
This FSA box set comes in at £36 from The Troll Trader. Yes, £36 for all the stuff in that box! You cant go wrong at that price! I would have happily payed more and not complained.
There are £35 sets out there for some games with less than half the amount in.

Overall
If you have read this far you might have noticed that I like the FSA Starter set. To begin with, the FSA was my least favourite style. But after seeing the models up close and having a look over them I am becoming a big fan.
The casting and amazing detail are such high quality. Along with the historical / steampunk mix it gives an impressive look force.
For me there is a tiny something missing. I just cant put my finger on what it is though. Maybe the fact that the Vets in the other forces are more outlandish? I don't know.

9 out of 10 Badger Points!

Head over to the Spartan Games Site and take a look at what else they have on offer for Dystopian Legions.
Also, keep an eye on here for the next wave of releases coming soon!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!


Tuesday 29 January 2013

Pulp City Supreme Edition - A Look at the Cards


The team at Pulp City have posted up their next article in the build up to PC Supreme Edition.
This time is a look at the new card designs.
You find find the Editorial Eye #3 post >HERE< and I have also copied it below.

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Time to look at the Supreme Cards (details may still vary after the open beta):


Looks familiar? Good!
This is the side you will be seeing when buying a blister. It tells you pretty much everything that you need to recruit the model.
By looking at the card, you know Howler’s Level, faction and subfaction. The new things: base size, Minion+(how many Minion levels the Supreme brings to the team – yes, Resources you knew are gone) and AP+ (how many AP does the Supreme generate for team – gone is the old mechanic of level based AP generation).

Now, let’s turn the card to its gaming side.
The beauty of the new PC cards is that all info is one side of it. You will waste no time flipping the cards.


Let’s look at the top bar (the dark grey). Each model has its type clearly stated: Howler is Living, but you will also find Non-Living, Mechanical, E.T. and Outsider or any combination of them. This allows you quickly to assess what models get affected by certain Actions. The new icon represents movement – now Supremes and Minions will have different movement values – previous Blitzer bonuses are incorporated in one stat. Howler can Sprint – which is a default movement type – but other Supremes will be able to Fly, Blink, Bound or Wallcrawl.

Each Supreme comes with a selection of Powers. The first one is always a Role Power, so Howler will share his Blaster Power with Ace of Wraiths, Tangent and other Blasters. Then each Supreme gets one Power per level. One for Howler, sorry amigo. As you see in his case, he may still do what he used to do (and much more as you will soon find out) but there is much less text on the card to go through.

The light grey area might be something of a surprise to all Pulp City players. Gone are skills and team powers, welcome Powers section that combines both and puts all of the needed information on the card and not inside the book.

But first, Actions. Each Supreme has access to 3 Actions. There are no universal Actions anymore. But the way Actions work now (see next Editorial Eye), you actually end up having more choices then before. Howler can blast his guns with two Projectile Actions and surprise his enemies with a Reaction when Targeted by enemy (Reaction is a new type of Action that may be triggered when models are charged, shot at etc.).

Catch the next Editorial Eye to get familiar with the Action Roll – probably the biggest change to the game mechanics.

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What do you think of these changes to Pulp City so far then?

Pulp have also continued to post more background stories. This week it is the turn of the little guy, Le Murtiple of ARC (link) 
 

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
 

Monday 28 January 2013

Dystopian Legions - Empire of the Blazing Sun Starter Set


I know it has been a while since the last Dystopian Legion Starter reviews, but its finally time for the Empire of the Blazing Sun!

Empire of the Blazing Sun Starter Set
(Click any pics to view larger)
The packaging for the Empire of the Blazing Sun (EBS) Starter is very impressive.
On the front you have a colour render of the EBS Lieutenant and a contents list. The back gives you a little bit of info about the force and some renders of each model included. These renders are taken directly from the models so show you the exact detail. I think this is a great thing as many companies use 'pro' paint jobs to make model look better. Spartan don't need to do that, the models speak for themselves.


Inside the box is a TON of stuff!
- Full Colour 80 page Quickstart Rulebook. I'm not sure why it is called a 'Quickstart' as it contain ALL the rules you need to play the game with anything released so far.

- EBS Stat Sheet. All the stats you will need to cover whats in the box.

- Dystopian Legions tokens sheet (needs cutting)

- Laser Cut Dystopian Legions 'Range Band' ruler

- Black, Blue and Red dice.

- EBS Faction specific Card Deck.

- EBS Blank Activation Cards

- 13 High Quality metal miniatures. These come to 100 points. Exactly the right amount for the smallest sized game in the rules

To find out more about the rules, dice, deck and activation cards you can read my post on the DL rules >HERE<
With everything in the box, all you need to play is a table and an opponent. No need to pick up ANYTHING else!
Lets have a closer look at the models.

Master Okinawa + EBS Lieutenant
Master Kozo Okinawa (left)
EBS Lieutenant (right)
These 2 models are the leaders of your force.
Master Okinawa is a highly skilled commander and a master of warfare. As one of the greatest swordsmen of the Empire of the Blazing Sun he becomes a storm of steel, slicing down enemy warriors like reeds
EBS Lieutenants are often Samurai or direct descendants of. They watch over their soldiers closely but are always ready for honourable single combat

Lieutenant is on the left and Okinawa is on the right.
The lieutenant is a single piece model with a lot of detail. Armed with a sword, which is a little thin but has detail all the way down the blade, and a Kappon Pistol he is a force to be feared.
There are a couple of small tabs (extra bits of metal) on the model but these clip off and aren't in a place where there is any detail so nothing gets damaged.
Master Okinawa comes with a main body and 2 arms. He charges into battle with 2 blades and a Type 31 Pistol. You do not what to get your enemy infantry anywhere near him!
The swords on this model are a little thin again but still very detailed. The model has a couple of tabs on the arms but they are placed at the joints.

The Lieutenant has a slight mould line running around the edge of the model but this comes off with a quick run over with a file.
Both of the commander models are stunningly detailed and capture the feels of ancient Eastern forces perfectly. Really looking forward to getting these up and running.

Shinobi Assassins
The Shinobi, also know as ninjas, are skilled operatives that can throw down smoke clouds to mask other Sections or swiftly decapitate enemy forces, infiltrate positions and cut down opponent officers.

The Shinobi come in a Section of 3 models, each armed with twin blades, shurikens and smoke pellets.
Close combat masters that can devastate entire enemy sections in one hit!
They have a wonderful cross over look between ancient Eastern and Steampunk. It might sound odd but it works!
The main bodies of the models have some small vents (where the air escapes the mould) but these come straight off leaving no marks at all. The blades need to be cut off the sprures and filed down on the sword handles. Be careful with these pieces as they are extremely thin and fragile. As you can see above, the bottom sprue is going to need a little bending to straighten the blade out.

A great looking, high detailed Section that is going to need minimal work to have them ready to go.
I have a feeling they will be amazing in the game as well.

Ashigaru Infantry and Rocket Specialist
Basic Ashigaru Infantry
Ashigaru Specialist with Rocket Projector
The Ashigaru wield short ranged automatic shotguns called 'Dragons Breath', Combined with gas grenades and heavy layered armour it makes the basic Infantry fearsome opponents.
They are backed up by Specialist armed with large Rocket Projectors which make the unit just as dangerous to Ironclads as they are to Infantry

Specialist - Top row, far left
The Ashigaru section comes with 7 basic Infantry and 1 Specialist. Each Infantry member has a single piece main body and an additional banner to goes onto their backs. The Specialist has a separate rocket launcher and ammo harness.
All of these models are in different poses which is really nice to see in a full unit. You don't get that in many games. They are also just as highly detailed as the character models. No corners were cut just because they are core troops.
There are a couple of tabs and vents but nothing major. The entire section can be cleaned up in minutes.

One of the best looking core Sections of the game so far?

Price
This set can be picked up from The Troll Trader for just £36! For all the stuff you get in the box, that is an amazing price! I know of game that have less than half the models and bits in a box for the same price!

Overall
I really like this set. The quality and detail are fantastic, the design is really appealing and the price for what you get is almost unbeatable!
I was never really keen on the Eastern style until I got my hands on these models but now that are becoming my favourite force in Dystopian Legions.
I highly recommend picking up this set and giving them a go.
On a side not, I would have liked the swords to be a little less fragile but if they were thicker they would have the 'master crafted' look they have already.

9 out of 10 Badger Points!

What do you think of the Empire of the Blazing Sun?

Check back in a couple of days for my look at the final Starter Set (for now). The Federated States of America!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Sunday 27 January 2013

Pulp City - Preview, New Releases and PAW Update


The Pulp City Facebook Page has had some very interesting news on it today.
First up is the above picture. Guerilla 2!
This resculpt of one of the earliest Pulp City models (below) is stunning and in my opinion, a massive improvement!
It has been mentioned that Guerilla 2 might be available for a couple of people taking part in the Pulp City Supreme Edition Open Beta starting next week!


They have also announced the start of a new wave of releases. These will be coming out in individual blisters, EVERY MONTH, starting in Feb.
The releases for the entire year are already set and the models for the November wave are being cast up this week!

February - Green Emperor and the Terror Cotta Warrios for Jade Cult






March - V.H (no picture yet) and Blacksmith for Blood Watch


April - Red Bella and the 3 Primates of Power for ARC





May - Papa Zombie and Comte Vendredi for the Coven



June onwards - who knows?
Some goodies will be available early at Salute 2013 and they may even be on sale over that weekend online for those that aren't going. Yay!

A little bit of info found on Facebook today also says there will be 'Build Our Own Supreme' rules coming in 2014 for Supreme Edition!

As for the update mentioned, The Hairy Painter has been had at work with the Supreme for PAW 2013!






They are looking amazing!
Cant wait for PAW!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

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