Pulp City Preview - V.H Leader of Blood Watch

Pulp City have posted a new preview in their Heroes and Villains section on the website.

V.H aka Victoria van Helsing is the new Level 3 leader of the mystical Blood Watch sub-faction.
You can find her background info >HERE<

As with the other recent previews you can see that the model is almost spot on to the artwork.
Below she is shown with her Level 2 assistant Blacksmith.
I'm sure we will see more on him soon as well as this pair are due out as one of the monthly releases over the next 4 months.

What do you think of the deadly V.H?
Will she be leading Blood Watch for you?

Henybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Steampunk! by AlienAmbassador

The City of Lost Children, © 1995

Hi there. My name is Christopher Sheets. I’ve been a journalist for more than 15 years and a gamer for twice that. I’ve hung around all the various Internet watering holes for mini gamers at one time or another. Now I tend to frequent the Lead Adventure Forum (where I’m Eisenfaust) and the Miniature Addicts Anonymous group on Facebook (where I’m me.) Anywhere else, I’m usually AlienAmbassador.

I’ve been writing a gaming blog called Dispatches from the Rim since July 2012. Hendybadger and I cover similar ground, in that we both love 28mm skirmish gaming. I focus on steampunk, sci fi and modern zombie gaming. When Ian put out a call for articles to replace some that he lost in his recent technological meltdown, I offered to write him a piece explaining the attraction of the genre that has most captivated my interest of late.

Why do I love steampunk?

I love the trappings. Cog-driven creations, devious devices, wonderful weapons, drawing rooms bedecked in gleaming brass and polished wood.

I love the vehicles. Dauntless dirigibles, resolute railroads, landships labouring across the landscape.

I love the characters. Elegant intellectuals, gamines in goggles smudged with boiler smoke, venomous villains encircled by shadows.

I also love alliteration.

I love that steampunk penetrates so many different forms of expression. Fiction, cinema, music, fashion and, of course, gaming.

Most of all, I love that it fires my imagination as few other genres of fiction do. It is the ultimate hybrid, allowing, even inviting, the admixture of Gothic horror, high fantasy, alternate history -- whatever suits one’s taste.

Just within my particular favorite flavor of gaming (28mm skirmish), three games spring to mind that fit those recipes. West Wind’s “Empire of the Dead” blends steampunk and Gothic horror; Warmachine from Privateer Press stretches high fantasy across a steampunk framework; and the upcoming “In Her Majesty’s Name” from Osprey (with figures from North Star) posits an era with a technological revolution and a clandestine war for power resources among empires of the Victorian era.

It is an embarrassment of riches for the steampunk skirmish gamer. Truly we live in a golden age.

Even beyond the many extant rulesets, figures abound for use in these games. Here are but a few. This list is meant to be expansive but not all-inclusive:

• Armorcast: Known for their range of steampunk terrain, including the awesome Steam Mushroom. Also makes a line of effects pieces for conversions, invaluable for that smoke from a coal-fired boiler.
• Brigade Games: Lon at Brigade carries many lines of miniatures but also produces his own, including a recent line of new VSF/Steampunk minis. I am particularly fond of the British Character Pack (although it is not yet in my collection.)
• Eureka (Australia or USA): Eureka has an entire line, Pax Limpopo, based on an alternate Victorian world where, after the death of Albert, Victoria married Shaka Zulu. Of particular interest to steampunk enthusiasts may be the professors in the “personalities” section, each bearing a particular artificial enhancement: Heironymous Pratt and his Audio Hat, Professor McHoots and his Circular Boots and Professor Niagra and his Ocular Viagra. The entire line is worth a look, especially if you like your games to show a sense of humor.

• Freebooter: Werner Klocke’s company is perhaps best known for its line of pirate miniatures for its Freebooter’s Fate game, but there are several selections here that are relevant to our interests. The steampunk section of the site includes the multi-limbed Doc Taranto, the Time Witch with her Clockwork Familiar, and the beautiful alchemist Sarah. All Werner’s minis are multipart kits, but the quality, I’ve found, has always been beyond reproach. Note that these links are to the English-language version of the site; its parent site is in German.
• Ironclad: Fans of my blog know I love Ironclad and acquired the minis that will become the heart of my Ladies Auxiliary warband for Empire of the Dead from them. They have a full range of VSF minis, but I stick to the “Characters” section. Mina Harker, Irene Adler and Constance have made their way into my grubby mitts, but I want more, especially Ironclad Man. Note that they have the entire cast of “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” at hand. The Alan Moore/Kevin O’Neill comic, not the abysmal movie. Which I own. Don’t judge me.
• Lead Adventure: Its line called 1881 includes a steampunk version of Tin Tin; a man, woman and dog all covered in armor and gas masks; and a beautiful version of Bonnie and Clyde as VSF ne’er-do-wells. They also produce a couple of nice sets of heads for conversions.

• Micro Art Studios: The Wolsung “steampulp fantasy” miniatures game melds fantasy and steampunk and, I only recently found out, has an already popular RPG behind it. It’s also where you want to go for unusual props and extraordinary weapons. A butler wielding an umbrella; a female tinker with a giant wrench; a woman with a ladder-like weapon called a Sun Spear, whose beam is reflected by mirror-bearing goblins; an inventor with a Hellboy-like power glove. The Asian-influenced Orc faction is also very nice, but some of the clothing is too modern in era to fit easily into a steampunk setting.
• North Star: The aforementioned “In Her Majesty’s Name” is currently the subject of a “Nickstarter” pre-order program. All the factions for the game -- Lord Curr’s Company, the Society of Thule, the Black Dragon Tong and the Servants of Ra -- seem delightful to me and, while I’m not participating in the program due to other commitments, I certainly see myself buying one or several of these upon general release.
• Privateer: Warmachine. Do I need to say more? How bout big stompy coal-powered robots? How about, they keep getting bigger, going from the Warjacks to the Battle Engines and now the Colossals!
• Reaper: Much steampunky goodness in the Chronoscope line and in the Savage Worlds releases for the Deadlands setting. Some of the Chronoscope entries capture what might be called the “archetypal” steampunk look -- gears, clockwork, goggles, top hats. The Deadlands figures show steampunk at work in the Weird Wild West, freeing mad science among an alternate history that includes magic and the undead.

• Steve Jackson Games: There’s a boxed set to go with the GURPS: Steampunk book (available as a pdf) that includes a big robot, a mad inventor, a clockwork cat, and five more.
• West Wind Productions: The Empire of the Dead boxed sets -- Lycaons (werewolves), Gentleman’s Club (humans), Vampires and The Brotherhood (a religious warband) -- and character minis are out, and much of their Gothic Horror and Vampire Wars ranges mix right in. There’s a Kickstarter currently for the 80-or-so miniatures in the EOTD: Requiem expansion, so there’s plenty to get in on for this Gothic Horror-meets-Steampunk universe.
• Wyrd: Malifaux occupies a lot of the same psychological space Deadlands once held. Wild West-meets-Far East meets steampunk meets magic and demons and elder gods, oh my! But because it is set in another plane, it’s not married to its own version of America’s Civil War and Wild West. The narrative woven through the books is some of the best game fiction I’ve read. Some of the more steampunk-themed minis I like in their line are the Peacekeeper construct, Hoffman with his exoskeleton, the Executioner-class Steamborg and the winged Kaeris.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. As I said, we steampunk 28mm skirmish players are spoiled for choice in today’s market. There’s plenty more out there, and your google fu will reveal it all for you in short order. In the meantime, come visit me at Dispatches from the Rim as I explore this topic, as well as modern zombie, pulp and sci fi gaming.

Christopher Sheets
@AlienAmbassador

Batman Miniature Game - Points and Team Building

A couple of people have recently asked if I knew the stats of the models for the Batman Miniatures game from Knight Models. I still haven't managed to get my hands on any of the models yet (hopefully soon) so not a clue at the moment.
Helpful? No! But I know a man that is!

My friend Dr Warlock from the Arkham City - Protocol 10 Blog and Arkham City Limits Facebook Group has put together a list of all the models released so far with their points and who they work for/with.

From the good Dr himself
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Ok - here is the up-to-date list, including all the BMG models released so far.

As usual it's "formatted" in the usual way - "Name" - "RP Cost"/"Type"/"Affiliation" (or any restrictions specific to the character) - plus I've added the spending allowance (in Dollars) for each character. Don't forget, when planning a "Penguin Crew" Chesterfield Cobblepot is a “Lord of Business” and that Gang led by Penguin has $500 more to spend to create the Gang.

Batman Allied

Batman - 130 RP/Leader/"Batman" - $0.00
Nightwing - 85 RP/Sidekick/"Batman" - $0.00
Robin - 68 RP/Free Agent/"Batman" Only - $200.00
Green Arrow - 117 RP/Sidekick/"Batman" - $300.00
Gotham Policeman - 16 RP/Henchman/"Batman" - $0.00
Agent Ron - 25 RP/Hencheman/"Batman" - $300.00

Free Agents

Catwoman - 66 RP/Free Agent/Hates Joker - $0.00
Killer-Croc - 95 RP/Free Agent/Hates Batman, Hates Bane - $0.00
Mr. Freeze - 75 RP/Free Agent - $500.00
Deathstroke - 122 RP/Free Agent/All Except Batman - $500.00
Scarecrow - 57 RP/Free Agent/Hates Batman - $200.00

Arkham City Gangs

Talia Al Ghul - 71 RP/Sidekick/Ra's Al Ghul, Affinity Batman - $0.00

Bane - 150 RP/Leader/"Bane", Affinity Batman - $0.00

The Penguin - 75 RP/Leader/"Penguin" - $0.00
Royal-Penguin - 24 RP/Henchman/"Penguin" - $600.00
Blue-Penguin I (Shield) - 13 RP/Henchman/"Penguin" - $0.00
Emperor-Penguin - 31 RP/Henchman/"Penguin" - $0.00
Blue-Penguin II (Machette) - 13 RP/Henchman/"Penguin" - $0.00
Blue-Penguin III (Automatic Pistol) - 13 RP/Henchman/"Penguin" - $300.00

The Joker - 90 RP/Leader/"Joker" - $0.00
Harley Quinn - 61 RP/Sidekick/"Joker" - $0.00
The Ringmaster - 32 RP/Henchman/"Joker" - $0.00
Contra-Augeste - 21 RP/Henchman/"Joker" - $0.00
The Clown - 15 RP/Henchman/"Joker" - $0.00
August - 25 RP/Henchman/"Joker" - $0.00
Triston - 26 RP/Henchman/"Joker" - $300.00

Movie Characters

Batman - 120 RP/Leader/"Batman" - $0.00
Bane - 96 RP/Sidekick/Ra's Al Ghul - $0.00

As before the two seperate blister pack Penguin Thugs are both designated "Blue-Penguins" so they have been numbered following on from the Blue Penguin in the Penguin Crew set, and added a description (in parenthesis) to futher clarify which model is which 

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Hope this helps some people out.

Head over to Dr Warlocks Batman blog and Facebook group and say thanks if it does!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Malifaux from Mars - Meet the Guild

Malifaux from Mars: The Guild

Hi! Welcome back to another Malifaux from Mars post and today we will talk about the first faction available in the world of Malifaux and all the Masters available. The Guild is, in my humble opinion, the most straight forward faction out of all the other factions in Malifaux. They are packed with hard hitting models that prefer a direct confrontation and physical damage. The Guild is probably the easiest faction for new players to start learning Malifaux. Hit the jump when you are ready to learn a bit more about the Guild.

In Malifaux, there is no law above Guild Law. Although these laws do bring some protection to the citizens, order is prized above mercy; because ultimately it is order that keeps the gears of the soulstone trade turning. A world without order is a world without profit, and The Guild always turn a profit. Hit the jump to learn more

Tactics Documents for the new Dystopian Legions Releases

Spartan Games have recently posted some downloadable Tactic Documents for the latest Dystopian Legions releases in their blog.
You can find the original post >HERE< and I have reposted the article below.

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Know Your Tactics: February

Written by Spartan Games | Tags: Dystopian Legions
Now available for download are a selection of tactical articles, each detailing how to make the most out of our recently released models for Dystopian Legions.
These describe the strengths and potential weaknesses of each model, along with the battlefield role they are best suited to, and how they can compliment your existing force.
They also give a guide on how to make successful use of the a model’s special abilities, unusual weapons and unique Game Cards.

Empire of the Blazing Sun HMG

Note: If you are using Google Chrome, you will need to Right Click > Save Link As to save the file locally for viewing.

Kingdom of Britannia Sky Hussar Section [PDF, 2MB]
  Kingdom of Britannia HMG [PDF, 2MB]
  Prussian Empire Teutonic Knight Section [PDF, 2MB]
  Prussian Empire HMG [PDF, 2MB]
  Federated States of America Wilderness Section [PDF, 2MB]
  Federated States of America HMG Section [PDF, 2MB]
  Empire of the Blazing Sun Shinobi Section [PDF, 2MB]
  Empire of the Blazing Sun HMG [PDF, 2MB]

Enjoy the articles! The next ‘Know Your Tactics’ blog will be coming in March and will detail the mighty Armoured Personnel Carriers.

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Some awesome stuff in there.
What do you think of them?

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Dystopian Legions Battlefield Objectives

Whilst some battles may be fought simply to inflict as many casualties as possible, many more are struggles over vital Objectives. Each of these Objectives are stunningly detailed markers, adding great feel and flavour to a battle. With these markers, a narrative theme to a game will naturally emerge. Now your Britannian Line Infantry can clash with Blazing Sun Ashigaru over Sturginium Cannisters and Ammo Crates, or your Teutonic Knights can defend Fuel Caches and Fallen Flags from fast moving Treadbikes.

The final release in this wave of Dystopian Legions goodies from Spartan Game is something a bit different.
Not tied to any Nation, but usable by all.

Battlefield Objectives

Even though this isn't a Nation release, the packaging is just as good. The from has a lovely colour render of one of the Objectives and lets you know what is in the box. The back has high quality renders direct from the models that show off all the little details and even tells you a little more about them.

Inside the box you will find EIGHT extremely highly details resin Objectives and a DL Collectors card.
I will split them into two sets, the larger and smaller ones, for a closer look but first there is something that really surprised me when I opened the box.

They are HUGE! When I first spotted the official picture of them I thought they were on 30mm bases. But no. All of them are 50MM bases!
Behind is 30mm, 40mm and bike bases to show how big the Objectives really are.

Back - Element 270 canisters and Fuel dump

Front - Electric generators and 'crazy' steampunk contraption?

The detail on these marker is fantastic. The cogs on the generators have several layers of detail inside them and every single thing is very sharp and crisp. They are a painters dream that will bring any game or battlefield to life. Around the edges of the items on them is a sort of blasted ground good that could tie into and gameboard quite easily
The edges of the bases might need a quick file to clean them up but the bottoms are perfectly flat.

Back - Ammo dump and Underground access

Front - Fallen flag and Officers briefcase

These four might be smaller but that doesn't mean they aren't as good as the first four. The detail is still very good and sharp and the sculpting and design is wonderful.

The one that really stood out for me in the whole box was the Officers Briefcase. On the top is an unfolded map but tucked away under that is a revolver and a small compass that even has tiny direction markings on it.

Price - These are in the Spartan Games store and several local and online stores like Troll Trader and Wayland Games (links on the right>)
At TT the box will set you back £16.20. That works out to just over £2 a base. I think its a reasonable price.

Not a 'good' price and not a 'bad' price. Reasonable. 

Overall - I do like these Objectives. The sculpts and details are very impressive and they are something you will use in almost every game. Not only Dystopian Legions either, they would fit well in several games.

8 out of 10 Badger Points!

Do you like them?

Well, that's everything from this wave of Dystopian Legions. Which are your favourites of the lot?

Keep an eye on here and the Spartan Games site for more on Dystopian Legions including the soon to be release APCS!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!