Me be Reta! He be Poog!

Well, things have been a little quiet around here, at least on the blog anyway.  I've been working on a few different projects lately including the We Be Goblins game that I mentioned last week.  So for painting for that is coming along very well.  Why here are two of the little knee biters now!

Reta the fighter and Poog the cleric

For the We Be Goblins characters I wanted to try to stay as true to the characters as possible without having to do a lot of modding so I decided to focus on different paint schemes instead.  Reta for example is supposed to be wearing a wedding veil and a halfling ladies' corset.  To keep it simple I picked out one of the goblins wearing a headpiece (complete with feathers even!) and armor that almost looked a little like a dress then I painted it white-ish.  Poog on the other hand is the only goblin wearing a chain mail shirt and carries a javelin so I used on of the spear wielding goblins for him and painted his chest armor like it was made of metal.  I've still got more to do but so far I'm really happy with how they are turning out so far.

In addition to painting up these little suckers, I've also been prepping a special Halloween game of Call of C'thulhu!  No one in my group is very familiar with this game so I decided to go with the pre-gen character route.  This will let us sit down and get right into the game plus it gives me a chance to get creative with the scenario prep work.  In addition to making some handouts for the game I'm also making up some character files for the different pre-gen characters and I've also managed to get my hands on some minis for the game as well!  Of course all of this isn't necessary but I happen to love Halloween and if I'm going to do a one-shot for it I want to make sure I do it right.

But wait, that's not all!  If you call now you can also get... oh wait... sorry.  Got carried away with myself though there actually is more.  I'm also putting together a Halloween Fear and Faith battle report plus there is still more to come for the Mutants and Death Ray Guns mini campaign.  Lots of stuff in the works so I'm off to do more work.  Until next time...

We Be Here!

Earlier this year Paizo released the We Be Goblins module for Free RPG Day.  I loved the look of it so I made sure to download a copy as soon as it went live on their webstore and unfortunately there it has sat since then.  I've skimmed through the adventure and I really want to run it but the timing has just never seemed to line up with my group.  We went into a strictly boardgame phase for a while plus  there were scheduling issues for part of the time...  Ah, the joys of herding cats!  (Actually our group isn't anywhere near that bad but its fun to say...)

Recently we started to swing back around to getting RPGs back to the table so I've been looking around for quick things as additional options.  SpacerGal and I both has Pathfinder campaigns in the works and I've got a good portion of the arc for my Gamma World game plotted out and ready to go.  Even so I wanted to have a few things that we could throw on the table for one shots so I dug into my hard drive and pulled out We Be Goblins again.

For those of you that might not have heard about it this is a first level goblin adventure.  That's right, to heck with being paragons of virtue, the characters in this game are a bunch of vicious little green bastards... well, except the one in the wedding dress.  And no I'm not kidding.  For this adventure I decided to pull out all the stops so it was off to the Warstore I went looking for minis.  Here's a quick look at what I picked up....

Two packs of Pathfinder goblins and a pack of wolves by Reaper Miniatures (also in the pic are a couple of adventurers for SpacerGal's Pathfinder game).  Add to this a spider from Descent and a really old horse miniature from Games Workshop and you've got yourself an adventure!  Now I just need to get them primed and painted but that will have to wait until next time...

Arrrr Matey!

As Above So Below

Welcome to London Below

I recently had a chance to watch a BBC television series called Neverwhere. Released in 1996 the story was created by Neil Gaimen and has also been released as a comic series and a novel as all under the same name. The story in the television series opens with Richard Mayhew heading to dinner with his fiancee Jessica when they come across a young woman who lying on the ground and bleeding. Richard feels that he must help her and much to Jessica's annoyance he picks the girl up to take her to the hospital. The girl regains consciousness long enough to ask Richard not to take take her to the hospital so he takes her to his house instead and thus begins his fall from London Above to London Below.

Personally I really enjoy these kinds of alternate reality shows and movies so I really enjoyed Neverwhere. I can really see either pulling the whole setting or even just parts of it into some kind of modern horror setting like World of Darkness though there already is a Neverwhere RPG out there and you can't beat the price; free. Just head on over to RPGNow.com and you can find both the original version of the game and also the third edition as well. I haven't had a chance to take a look at either edition so I'm not sure how good they are but I definitely plan on checking both of them out.

As for the television series, I really enjoyed it but it is an English series and some people might have a hard time getting into it.  Must admit that I don't know why it is but there's just something about English shows that some people just don't enjoy.  Kind of like anime, ya know?  Even so I definitely recommend at least giving it a shot as it is an interesting story.  Until next time...

Seeking Shelter In The Wastes

In the last MDRG battle report, the Enforcer Leader Gabriel was able to grab the artifact and left the Survivor's camp with Rebecca in tow.  The rest of the Purists did not fare so well, including the vaunted Saint Mark who was cut down by Darius, a former member of the Purists.

As the two of them traveled across the wastes, they stopped at a nearby settlement where they meet up with a couple of Enforcers that were scouting the area.  Realizing that they are seriously lacking in their ranged capability, Gabriel also enlisted the service of two human mercenaries; one who calls herself Kali and carries a massive chain gun (mechanically its an assault rifle though I don't think that even begins to cover it...) and the other is Celina.  Having left the settlement earlier in the day, the group decided to take shelter in some ruins for the night.  Little did they realize just how little shelter that had actually found...

For this scenario, the board is laid out as you can see below.

The Purists are taking refuge inside one of the ruins in the center of the board while the rippler bugs are coming on from the two long edges of the board.  I also decided to use the twilight rules from Fear and Faith just to add a little something different into the mix.

The ripplers with the first turn as they are surprising the Purists.

The two from the southern side of the board swept forward to engage the Purists while the two bugs on the northern side remained at a distance, watching their new found prey.

On the Purists turn, Kali attempted to disengage from the rippler that is next to her but she slipped on some rubble in the ruin and fell to the ground where the rippler was able to make short work of her.  Rebecca and Gabriel both charge forward seeking retribution and together they are able to dispatch the flying insect.  Meanwhile Lucius moved out of the ruin towards one of the bugs still hovering in the distance and Sarah is able to stun the bug that is threatening her.

For their second turn the two ripplers from the north both swept in, one attacking Lucius while the other attacked Celina.  Both of the humans were driven back by the giant insects but neither one was wounded.  The other rippler was able to stagger to its feet and eyed Sarah warily.

Celina opened fire on one of the ripplers but the bullets bounced harmlessly off its thick chitinous shell.  Lucius moved back into the ruin to try to block either of the bugs from charging Celina as she prepared to take another shot.  The rest of the Purists held their positions as the last few rays of sunlight disappeared and night started to settle in.

After watching the bugs skitter about for a minute (yep, two failures on the first activation for the bugs!) the Purists decided to launch themselves against these abominations.

Rebecca and Gabriel both let loose their battle cries and charged the lone bug to the south.  Still its thick shell proved too strong but they were able to stun it and drive it to the ground again.

The two bugs to the north dashed forward to engage Lucius but he was easily able to hold off their blows.  Meanwhile, the other bug again clambered to its feet and tried to decide which of its opponents was the biggest threat.

 

Sarah attempted to swipe at the bug and had to dance backward from its slashing claws.  This left it open for Rebecca to return the favor as she tried to pierce its shell.  Lucius was also able to force back one of the two ripplers facing him which Celina then tried to shoot but again to no avail.

Trying to single out their prey (and because I forgot that one of the bugs was actually locked in combat with Lucius...  ah the joy of oversize bases...) two of the ripplers pounced on Sarah but she was able to easily avoid their blows for now.

As the rest of the Purists gathered round to keep one of the insects distracted, Gabriel was able to leap onto one of the ruined walls and bring down a fatal blow on the insect!

With their opponents distracted, the two remaining ripplers pounced on the humans.  Sarah was able to drive one of them back but the other swooped in behind Gabriel and knocked him down off the wall!

Enraged by the giant bug, Gabriel leaped to his feet and smashed the bug that had knocked him down.  With only one bug left, the rest of the group surged forward at least keep it pinned down.

The rippler lashed out and was able to knock Rebecca to the ground but Sarah was able to rush to her aid and destroyed the last bug with one mighty blow.  With their ambushers destroyed the Purists returned to their camp and passed the rest of the night uneventfully.  At least until next time...

"One more thing..."

While sifting through the myriad of options that are available on Netflix streaming I happened to stumble on a cartoon from 2000 that is definitely worth checking out.

I remember watching some episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures years ago but never the full series. I've recently been able to remedy that (well, I've seen most of the series now...) and I'm glad I did.

The story revolves around Jackie Chan (go figure) but in the series he is your average archeologist who finds himself pulled into a race to prevent a ancient demon from being released from his prison.  And that's just the first season!  The supernatural twists continue in the second season as the demon tries to release his brothers and sisters from the extra-dimensional prison.  Even though this is definitely done as a kids cartoon series, I can see a lot of potential for ripping ideas into your own game... plus its fun to watch which is always a good thing.  Until next time...

Ya gotta admit it is kind of awesome

The Battle For The Future Begins Now

With my Purist and Survivor warbands made up it was time to get them to the table!  The question is what kind of a battle should I have them fight....  The rule book for Mutants and Death Ray Guns (or MDRG for short) comes with suggestions for six different scenarios for campaign play.  While I like the look of all these scenarios I decided to just make up my own after looking over my terrain.  For this scenario, the Ranks of the Pure are raiding the Survivors base camp.

While scrounging through a nearby ruin, the Survivors uncovered some bits of Ancient technology.  They haven't been able to figure out exactly what they do but they are keeping the for now until Darius and KROM-89 can figure them out.  Meanwhile the Purists have heard about this discovery and Saint Mark has some suspicions about what they might be.  Knowing that such artifacts should not be left to the mutant scum that roam the wastes, he quickly gathers a small group and launches a lightning quick raid so they can "liberate" the artifacts.

The camp consists of a couple of shanty style buildings (think random bits of steel and wood attached to posts), a couple of scrap piles, a couple of small woods, and a couple of old craters.  To keep things simple all of these terrain pieces count as rough terrain while the woods use the normal rules from the book.  The shanties are handled a little differently though.  They are treated as woods as far as models shooting out of them but unlike normal woods these models can be shot at though they do have cover.  For movement purposes they are treated as rough terrain but models can freely move through the walls as they are too flimsy to slow anyone down much.

Next the Survivors are placed inside their buildings and then three markers are placed in the shanties to represent the artifacts the Purists are looking for.  These are represented by the neon green flags on the board.  These represent the possible places the artifact are located.  To actually find it a Purist must spend an action to search.  If all three markers are on the board it is the right one on a one in three, if there are two markers then it is on a one in two, and obviously if only one is left it must be the one.

For their first turn, the Purists charge forward.  Saint Mark charges into the shanty and opens fire on Mordac.  Catching the mutant completely by surprise, the Saint is able to quickly burn him down with his laser gun.  Acolyte Rebecca swings around the southern end of the shanty to explore one of markers while Enforcer Jacob smashes through the wall to search the other marker.  Finally, Enforcer Delilah charges forward to engage Jorchak.

The Survivors are stunned by this sudden attack and are momentarily stunned, missing any opportunity to act (ah, the joys of failing on the first activation...).

The Purists continue to press their advantage as Saint Mark and Delilah are able to force Jorchak to the ground.  Jacob tore through the pile of junk and couldn't find the artifact so he headed off toward the other shanty along with Gabriel.  Meanwhile, Rebecca moved up to the pile she was supposed to search and apparently saw something she didn't like the look of as she just stopped and stared.

Darius and KROM-89 both manage to finally shake off the shock of the attack and move themselves into position to attack the Purist intruders.

Darius doesn't have the range with his flamethrower but KROM opens fire with his pistol, driving Jacob back into the other shanty in search of cover.

The Purists opened turn three with Enforcer Delilah slaying Jorchak while Rebecca finally dug through her pile of junk only to find... nothing.

 

With only one possible spot left, the rest of the Purists quickly turn their attention to the remaining shanty and the Survivors therein.

With the Purists rushing their position, Darius and KROM opened fire on Saint Mark and are able to drive him to the ground while El-lea bursts through the wall of the shanty to engage Enforcer Jacob.

Enraged by the insolence of the mutant scum, Saint Mark rises up and opens fire on Darius.  Only by a stroke of sheer luck was Darius able to dive back into the relative safety of the shanty and avoid being burned down like Mordac.  Delilah and Rebecca both rush forward to help their Saint while Jacob and Gabriel are both overcome by El-lea alluring pheromones and are unable to do anything.

Knowing that Saint Mark will stop at nothing short of slaughtering them all, Darius moves forward and lets loose a blast of fire from his flamethrower.  Again his luck holds out and Saint Mark drops to the ground dead.  Meanwhile El-lea tries to take advantage of the confused state of Enforcer Jacob but he is able to shake it off long enough to block the killing blow.

Jacob again succumbs to El-lea's allure but Gabriel is able to shake off the effect.  Running forward, he grabs the artifact and makes a break for it.  Rebecca stalks forward toward Darius and KROM while Delilah charges El-lea and forces her back.

Confused by Gabriel running away from the battlefield, the Survivors were again stunned into inactivity.

Jacob is able to shake off El-lea's allure long enough to rush forward to attack her but only manages to drive her further back into the shanty.  Meanwhile the rest of the warband begins falling back to meet up with Gabriel.

Realizing what the Purists were after, the Survivors quickly recover and lash back out at the Purists.  KROM tries to shoot at Rebecca but isn't able to get a clear shot off.  Darius decides to take the bull by the horns and runs forward to blast Delilah with his flamethrower, burning her down on the spot.  Finally, El-lea moves forward to lock Jacob in combat again.

This renewed ferocity catches the Purists by surprise and leaves them momentarily stunned.  (Yep, it was their turn to fail on the first roll.)

Trying to press home their advantage, KROM opens fire on Rebecca and strikes true but her force field cuts in and saves her.  El-lea continues to trade blows with Jacob while Darius tries to see where Gabriel went to with the artifact.

The Purists continue their retreat with both Rebecca and Gabriel managing to make it to safety.

 
Jacob is not so lucky as KROM and Darius both move in to help El-lea finish off the Enforcer.  Surrounded it was only a matter of time until he finally fell under El-lea rain of blows.  Even so, it is a hollow victory.  The Ranks of the Pure managed to escape with the artifact and two of their companions had been seriously injured in the raid.  The only thing left for the Survivors would be to exact their revenge.  Until next time...

But Only The Strong Shall Prevail

Now that we have the Purist party it is time to create someone for them to cleanse.  While the previous party was all based around one faction, this party is going to be a mishmash group of survivors who have banded together for mutual protection.

The nominal leader of this motley little group is Mordac the mind manipulator.

Mordac (re-based Star Wars CMG mini)

Mordac is a human mutant with telepathy and light projection, and is equipped with a force field.  With this telepathy to potentially stun targets while he blasts others with his light projection, Mordac is actually a pretty potent all-round fighter.

Next in the group is Darius.

Darius (Dark Age Forsaken Weaponsmith mini)

Darius is a pure human who used to be a member of the Ranks of the Pure until he realized the true evil they were willing to perform in pursuit of their goals.  Equipped with a flamethrower and trained as a gunsmith, he provides the human technical support for the group.

Next is the maintenance robot KROM-89.

KROM-89 (Mongoose Publishing Paranoia RPG mini)

A useless husk when they first found him, KROM has become a pet project for Darius.  So far Darius has been able to reactivate this old robot and trained it to assist him with maintenance.  Just like Darius, KROM also is trained as a gunsmith and has a pistol built into its arm.  Between him and Darius this will let the Survivors ignore the first two malfunctions with their ranged weapons which could come in handy.

Jorchak the reptilian bounty hunter is next.

Jorchak (re-based Star Wars CMG mini)

Jorchak is a mutant human who is trained as a sharpshooter and equipped with both an assault rifle and flak jacket.  His scaly skin also makes him more durable than your typical human as represented by the tough mutation.  This combination makes him one of the most potent in the party as he can not only dish out a lot of damage, he can take quite a bit as well.

Last but not least is El-lea .

El-lea (Rackham Confrontation mini)

El-lea is also a mutant human but her specialty is close combat.  In addition to her massive sword, she is skilled as a hand to hand specialist and her mutations let her move faster than normal and also exude a pheromone that intoxicates those who get too close to her.

In their explorations this group has also managed to scrounge together nine food points and six energy cells that are shared amongst them all and rounds them out at 284 points for the warband.  This won't hold them for long but its definitely better than nothing.

Unlike the Purist group, this ragged little band has a little bit of everything but definitely has an emphasis on ranged combat.  This will make them a potent adversary for the Purists at least until they are able to get into close combat.  When that happens we'll just have to see how things play out, starting of course with a battle between the two groups...  but that we'll get into that next time.  Until then...