Necromunda Campaign: Lower Wacker Hive, Session #2

The second round of our Necromunda campaign took place a couple weeks ago. Here's the account of the two encounters between the Panther Moderns and Fjord's Folly. 

Van Saar leader Fjord is not known for his success or his common sense, so it was no surprise that when his gang Fjord's Folly encountered the Delaque-affiliated Panther Moderns, they immediately instigated a showdown (we played the Shoot-Out Scenario). The Panther Moderns were outnumbered and drew first.

If Fjord's men thought the quick draw was a sign of weakness, they were in for a rude awakening, as the Moderns quickly outgunned them and took Van Saar ganger Iver captive. This was, of course, cause for the Folly to attempt a rescue mission scenario as our second game of the night. 

Things went smoothly at first. Fjord's Folly carefully advanced on the Moderns hideout where Iver was being displayed on a second story balcony.

However, the Folly were too quick to reveal themselves and began taking fire almost immediately.

Fjord himself went down, but quickly recovered. Soon thereafter, the Panther reinforcements began arriving. 

Concentrated fire drove off the first reinforcements, but it wasn't long before jammed weapons and casualties blunted Fjord's advance. Panther Antonio with his heavy stubber was particularly fearsome perched on atop the gang headquarters.

When the balcony guard was taken down and a weapons malfunction took Antonio's big gun out of commission, the Folly made one more attempt to take the balcony -- only to find another ganger holding the line with his shotgun and steely gaze.

Thus beaten back, the Folly bottled out. 

After the battles, the Panthers took pity on their captive Van Saar gangers and sold them back the Folly. However, Fjord's relief was short-lived, as ganger Erikki died that night from wounds sustained in the battle. 

The campaign is going well so far. The Panther Moderns are the clear frontrunners, but no gang seems to have sustained massive losses, and all continue to accrue experience and advances. I'm especially impressed with the scenarios. The original authors clearly put a lot of thought into them, and the author/editors of the Necromunda Community Edition seem to have made some nice subtle tweaks to balance them a bit. 

Despite a 1-2 record with my gang Fjord's Folly, I'm having a ton of fun and am looking forward to the next round of Necromunda. Here are a few shots of the layout and game that was going on next door to us. Mattias' "Madame Two Swords' Gang of Horrors" Eschers await the arrival of Jon's "Red Scare" Redemptionists at an abandoned transit node. 

You can see Jon expressing disbelief at the surprising ineffectiveness of his Redemptionist's many flame weapons. 

Until next time!

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

The Dogs & The Dust Sci-Fi Playtest

Last Month, the club gathered for another playtest of "The Dogs and the Dust," a new sci-fi ruleset under development by fellow club member Mattias. Unfortunately, I forgot to take enough pictures, but this report should give you an idea of what went down.

Game 1
On this field, Mike C. and I fought a battle between his space marines and my ragtag mercenaries (figures provided by Mattias). Three objectives were scattered across the center of the table. The mercs managed to get some of their forces to close in quickly on the objectives.

However, the space marines' slow and steady advance proved to be a wise decision.

Despite concentrated fire, the mercs failed to take down a single marine.

The mercs had some fearsome and powerful creatures on their side, but when it came to blows, the power-armored marines wiped the floors with the undisciplined upstarts.

The mercs were quickly routed and fled without being in serious contention for even one objective. Last time we played TD&TD, ranged combat was very deadly. This time Mattias had tweaked the rules in favor of armor and close combat. The result seemed to move a bit too far in that direction, but the core mechanics of activation and combat was still very solid.

Though the summer campaign might delay it, I think I can speak for most of us in saying that we're looking forward to seeing where Mattias takes the rules next.

Game 2 
On the second table, Michael S.' Rebel 69th Liberators fought a battle with Kevin's Inquisitorial warband. Kevin may have been the new guy at the table, but he showed up with an understanding of the rules that put us all to shame!

Michael opted to write up their battle report in a narrative style. As with my game I unfortunately fell down on the picture taking, but it was a dramatic game. Read on!

Svetlana's 69th Liberators
Colonel ‘Iron Bra’ Svetlana, leader of her unit Svetlana's 69th Liberators, sensed someone or something approaching her command post. She sent members of her traitor legion out to investigate. Her bodyguard Zork Dead Dog went along with other members of her Company Command Squad and one of her veteran troop squads to investigate.

Zork and some warriors went to the right, and Svetlana led the others to the left, holding back just a little as reinforcements. The squad with Zork was also given the objective of going to the top of a tall building a block down to see that was coming and have a good spot to shoot from. 

After going a short distance, they ran into what appeared to be an inquisitorial warband, and they engaged in an exchange of gun fire. 

Zork went into the street in front of the objective and fired some shots. He was than charged by one of the enemy who fought him hand to hand. Even though Zork’s opponent was smaller than him, he seemed to easily match Zork’s strength. Maybe he was a mutant? A couple of more warriors charged in to help, but couldn’t stop the enemy. 

A couple of Svetlana’s warriors gained the objective of the roof. As one kept an eye on the alley behind the building, another went to the front of the building and stated to shoot into the advancing enemy. One opponent was hit about four times, but another enemy went to his aid and seemed to cure the wounds. Possibly psychic powers were at work. 

Some of Svetlana’s veteran troop squad went to the left and engaged in a firefight. During this engagement, three of her warriors fell, including the beastman. After a while both forces disengaged, leaving Svetlana to review the condition of her warriors.

Hope you enjoyed these two battle reports. We're enjoying The Dogs & The Dust and are looking forward to our next opportunity to play it.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

Armor Reinforcements for Warpath and 40k

I finally brush-dipped and varnished the Leman Russ tanks I painted up for our mega-apocalypse Warpath game from last month. You can read all about it right here.

These vehicles are mostly stock with a couple of modifications, and they received a quick paint job of base colors, drybrush and brush-dip with Minwax Polyshades Tudor. One of these was a kit that I've had sitting around for about a decade and the other is a rescue of a very poorly painted (Testors gloss enamels, ugh) tank I got from Tim.

I lengthened barrel on the this cannon.

And I added a classic metal Imperial Guard tank commander figure -- something I've always wanted to paint one up. Here he is, with a small gas-mask bit from the Imperial Guard command sprue.

This one has a couple of metal plasma cannons from the old Demolisher kit. I'm not sure plasma cannons are an option for standard Leman Russ tanks at the moment, but I'm quite certain I don't care.

The head on the commander is from Pig Iron Productions. Every human figure in my Imperial Guard force has a gas mask.

The mud is Sheetrock brand paint texture mixed into brown paint.

All in all, these were a fun couple of tanks to build and paint.

I can't imagine anyone ponying up the $50 each that Leman Russ tanks cost nowadays, but I've got a soft spot for these ungainly sci-fi-meets-WWI behemoths and was glad to add them to my army.

I don't play 40k anymore, but Warpath is always an inspiration to paint up a unit or two. So, expect the army to continue to slowly grow...I've still got a Valkyrie VTOL, some Ogryns, a small platoon of infantry and a few Chimera transports waiting for the brush.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

It's My Birthday And I'll Play Warpath If I Want To

Taking a page from hardball Chicago politics, I used my influence as club organizer earlier this month (and my birthday!) to push for a big game of Warpath in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. We typically play skirmish games here at CSW, but plenty of members have entire legions of 40k figures carefully packed away in foam trays, and this was the perfect excuse to get them all onto the table! Here's how it all went down. (Skip to Parts II and III if you just want the battle.)

Part I. 40k Apocalypse via Warpath 1.0
For those unfamiliar with Warpath 1.0, it is the predecessor to the current Warpath rules, and is essentially the fantasy version of Kings of War with a few sci-fi bits bolted on. Even though they have been supplanted by the current iteration of Warpath, you can download the 1.0 rules for free on Warseer.

The current Warpath 2.0 rules have moved the game beyond simple "Kings of War in Spaaaace!" I still prefer the more streamlined and abstract 1.0 rules, though.

I like giant battles in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but I don't like the 40k rules. Games Workshop's well-known sci-fi battle game is, in my opinion, a serviceable platoon-level game, good for 25 to 35 figures and a vehicle per player, but over the years it has been unfortunately been scaled up to the company level, resulting in battles featuring 80+ figures and multiple vehicles and without the necessary streamlining of mechanics.

If that weren't enough, over the last three editions 40k has become bogged down with almost RPG-like levels of granularity and complexity, with the addition of layer upon layer of special rules. Even the 40k "Apocalypse" rules for battles at the battalion level don't actually reduce the complexity of the system -- they just pile on more special rules. The result is that a game of "Apocalypse" 40k can take -- no exaggeration here -- a day or more to play out.

Enter Warpath, which -- despite what it's creators will say -- is essentially just a skillfully executed and heavily streamlined version of Warhammer 40k. Most of the army lists for Warpath have direct unit-for-unit analogues in 40k, and even the points values and abilities of the comparable units are similar.

Warpath 1.0 is not supported any more, but the four army lists provide enough stat-lines to represent most 40k units with a little tweaking. Of course, that wasn't going to be quite enough, as we also decided we wanted to have titans and superheavy tanks in our battle.

Jon was brave enough to take this on! Check out his custom rules supplement below.

• Titan and Superheavy Tanks in Warpath 1.0

Part II. Game Setup
Each player was assigned a certain number of points and allowed one superheavy unit beyond that, resulting in about 6,000 points per side. Here is the order of battle (Warpath army list used in parentheses).

Forces of Evil

• Karl - 2,500 points of Rebel Imperial Guard (Corporation) and a Wolfhound Titan
• Jon - 2,500 points of Orks (Marauders) and a Stompa

Forces of the Imperium

• Mike - 1,750 Points of Imperial Guard (Corporation) and a Baneblade Superheavy Tank
• Tim - 1,750 Points of Imperial Guard (Corporation) and a Baneblade 
• Josh - 2,000 points of Dark Angel Space Marines (Forgefathers) 

We scored the battle based on a combination of enemies killed and objectives seized. Mike's beleaguered Imperial Guard defenders set up in the central complex (fortress, chapel and mining building) in the middle.

The attackers -- me and Jon -- set up on one side and the rescuers -- Josh and Tim -- setup on the other side. This pic shows Mike's Guardsmen in the middle with Tim's rescuing tank company on the way and Jon's rampaging Orks on the other side.

And here we see my traitor Guardsmen invading the city. Pay no attention to the lack of shading on nearest two tanks. I built and painted them for this game and hadn't quite finished them yet…

Josh brought a jaw-dropping 35 Dark Angels Terminators!

Part III. The Game

The first turns were largely uneventful, consisting mostly of movement with some long range firing to and from the Imperial Guard defenders in the center of the field. Like many games, Warpath is designed for a 4x8 foot table, and the ranges reflect this. Our table measured 6x10 feet, so it was some time before the majority of the forces came in range.

The game quickly seemed to separate into the Orks vs Imperial Guard and Traitor Guard vs Dark Angels.

The trio of Rebel Basilisks, however, used their long range and indirect fire to pour devastation into the troops on the tower and would continue to do so for most of the game. With three shots coming down per turn, it was reliably deadly.

By the second turn, Valkyrie gunships swept onto the field, doing some serious damage to the Ork rear guard.

 The Dark Angel Nephilim wreaked similar havoc on the Rebel Guardsmen.

By this time, the Imperial Guard armor had presented itself in force and was savaging the Ork line. Mike had wisely included a lot of armor in his Imperial Guard army.

In addition, he skipped most of his infantry options in order to include a Knight Titan. His prudent choices paid off as the combatants drew near.

In the city, the Knight Titan moved close enough to fire on the Dark Angels. Return fire immobilized its legs, but the weapons remained deadly and functional.

In the third turn, two Rebel tanks emerged from reserves. Per the rules in Warpath 1.0, I brought them in on the flank, 36 inches forward (one foot per turn).

By this time, Rebel armor, heavy weapons and walkers were close enough to deal some serious damage to the Dark Angels, destroying several units in a single turn.

On the opposite flank however, the Orks were suffering under the Imperial advance.

The Stompa's head was blown off, and though that didn't destroy the giant war machine, it drastically reduced its effectiveness as the crew struggled to control it.

Concentrated fire from the Imperial Guard armor caused further casualties across the Ork line and to the Traitor Guardsmen holding the center.

At this point we called the game. It was only turn 3, but we had started about an hour late and had run out of time. (Editor's note: It appears Warpath 1.0 gives a complete 40k experience, right down to being unable to finish the game!)

In the end, despite doing serious damage and holding three of the five objectives, the Orks and Traitor Guardsmen came up short to the forces of the Imperium.

Part IV. Observations

Reaction to this game was mixed. Two of us absolutely loved it, two of the players liked it with some reservations, and one player reported that we have other games in our stable capable of giving a better game experience.

Though we only made it to turn three, each player turn took less than 30 minutes, which is not bad for a game featuring three players who had never played before, and two players who had only played a couple of times over the last year.

With more games under our belt, I think we could eliminate most rulebook flipping and cut the playing time nearly in half. One major lesson we learned is the importance of making sure that all players have some anti-armor weapons in their force. Josh's force lacked a way to handle tanks and titans, and it proved to be a major disadvantage. I think this will be solved in the future by changing the heavy weapons selections for some of the vehicles and troops and making use of some of the anti-armor close combat and short-ranged weapons available to many units.

For my part, I really enjoyed the whole experience. It is not a complicated game, but for those times when you just want a massive, somewhat ridiculous battle, it fits the bill. Warpath certainly captures the spirit of 40k: cramming an insane number of troops and vehicles onto a comparatively small battlefield. I have no patience for the 40k rules anymore, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for the minis and the background, and this definitely scratches that itch.

Also, I've still got quite a number of 40k kits in storage, and a game like this is just the excuse I need to get them painted up. All of this is to say: I definitely hope we'll be playing this again. It fits my personal preferences for fun and streamlined rules that don't get in the way of my favorite part of wargaming: the spectacle of painted armies clashing on the tabletop, which drew me and so many others into the hobby years ago. That is something we certainly delivered in this game.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member
-- Photos by Josh, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

Thanks to Josh for providing the massive central fortress, Jon for providing the Stompa and Warhound, and Mike for bringing a metric ton of tanks to the game.

In Praise of Warhammer 40,000 and Games Workshop

And now, for something completely different...

A recent topic on Dakka Dakka encouraged members to defy the current negativity about Games Workshop and Warhammer 40,000 and share what's good about it.

This got me thinking. I'm someone who deliberately chose not to continue playing 40k with the advent of 7th edition, as I just couldn't see shelling out another $180 ($80 rulebook and two new $50 army books) to keep my hand in a game I don't really play anymore.

However, I have many fond memories of 40k. It was my first and only wargame for many years, and I would likely not be a wargamer today if not for it's early influence. I know for a fact that several other folks in my game club found their way to wargaming through a similar path blazed by 40k.

So, what are the good points of 40k? Does the "Games Workshop Hobby" have anything to recommend it? From the point of view of someone who has ditched 40k, I'd like to remind us of five broad ways in which 40k and Games Workshop are actually quite good.

1. The Universe
The background of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is very wide -- but not very deep. It is repeatedly presented in rulebooks and supplements as being to broad to even hope to describe. In various timelines, entire centuries of the 40k timeline are described with simple phrases or one-line notations. This vagueness and lack of definition is seen by some to be a bad thing, but it's actually one of the ways that 40k keeps being such a fun sandbox in which folks can do their own thing.

By contrast, the Battletech universe (my personal favorite gaming universe) is much more thoroughly and richly developed, with more detail and consistency, and a historical timeline that progresses. However, this richness leaves much less room for creating one's on niche. Technology and factions are fairly nailed down, aliens aren't part of the equation, and the borders of that universe are pretty well circumscribed.

The boundaries 40k universe, however, are much less defined, and there's room for the creative player to incorporate just about anything. A look at 40k fiction demonstrates this. The universe is so vast that it encompasses the gritty Gaunts Ghosts, the slapstick parody of Caiaphas Cain, and the latest offering of Space Marine bolter-porn.

2. The Models
It has never been true -- as the company so often states -- that Games Workshop is definitively "the best" maker of model soldiers. However, they have always been near the top. Like any company, they have some stinkers, and their style is definitely not to everyone's taste. However, it's hard to deny that they put out a lot of great models with a regularity that's hard to beat.

Just last week, Josh showed us a kit of wood elves on stags, which I had to admit were really gorgeous models! Also, their multipart kits offer more variety and customizability that almost any other product out there (with a notable few exceptions, none of which are made by companies that come anywhere near GW's output).

3. The Production Values
The presentation of Games Workshop products and printed materials has always been very slick and extremely pretty. Say what you will about White Dwarf magazine, but it has always one of the best looking hobby magazines you could have by the toilet. Those same production values have been present in GW gaming books, box art and promotional materials going back many years.

Folks will argue style versus substance, but there is something really nice about a really good-looking wargames book. GW has dominated in this field for years, and it's only in the last decade that other gaming companies have truly started to catch up. Starting with Privateer Press and continuing on into products like Tomorrow's War and Kings of War, we can finally say that rule publishers have realized that gamers appreciate superlative production values.

4. Long-Term Value
Games Workshop miniatures have a value that extends beyond the original purchase in a way that exceeds most other wargames miniatures. This makes it financially easier for GW players to switch armies -- they simply sell off their existing army at 30% or 40% of its original retail value and then re-invest in another force.

This innate value has created an enormous, thriving second-hand market where it is not difficult for the thrifty newbie to enter a GW game for a decent discount. To be clear, that lower price is often still more expensive than other games. However, it is still a good discount, and the decades-long history of GW means that older versions of models are often available at an even lower price point. I have funded quite a bit of my own gaming hobby by buying and reselling used GW miniatures over the years.

5. Ubiquity
This last facet is perhaps the most important. Games Workshop is still -- in many areas -- the "only game in town" insofar as miniatures wargaming is concerned. That means that each overpriced model kit has an extra surprise packaged inside: a built-in community of gamers. That's a feature that should not be underestimated. 

I have to admit that if I didn't have access to the great group of indie gamers, I'd probably still be shelling out GW bucks. As much as it would hurt my wallet, I know that it'd be easy to find someone to play against. For those for whom the experience of playing games with other people is a vital part of wargaming, the ubiquity and built-in community of Games Workshop games is a very tangible benefit and likely one worth paying for.

So there you have it, the 40k recipe has a lot going for it. It's not my favorite flavor anymore, but theres more than enough quality ingredients for me to completely understand why many do partake. As for why I'm not ordering from the GW menu anymore, just take a look at the mouthwatering buffet that is the rest of this this blog.

So what do you love about Games Workshop or 40k? Let me know in the comments below!

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member