Perhaps I do have a problem

...and it's called Dead Games

After joining the Fans of Dead Games Society on facebook I have realised that there are gaping holes in my collections of Games Workshop bookcase format board games.

Some of the best games from my childhood are contained in these small boxes of fun which fit neatly onto your standard bookcase (unlike todays monstrosities).  It was a popular form factor for many games publishers back in the 80s and popularized by the likes of Avalon Hill and the mark of a serious game.

These were heavily advertised in the pages of White Dwarf, The Space Gamer and Imagine magazine

It was natural for Games Workshop to follow suit and begin publishing their own bookcase format games.

Games Workshop Bookcase Games

Apocalypse
Buy it on eBay

Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation (1980)

This is a cut down 4 player version of Mike Hayes Classic Warlord which focuses on the Western Europe part of the map.  It has a strong 6.8 score on BoardGameGeek and a bit of a cult following.

I've never played or owned this game but always lusted after it, purely on the basis that the cover illustrations is from 70s Space Artist Jim Burns.

If you like this artwork I strongly recommend that you buy his art book Lightship, you will not be disappointed.

Availability is limited but you will still find copies at reasonable prices if you search for Apocalypse on eBay.  


Battlecars (1983)

Battlecars
Buy it on eBay

Following in the footsteps of the very popular Steve Jackson Games Car Wars, Battlecars is a very simplistic vehicular combat boardgame with an innovative diamond grid board rather than the more typical square grid.  The games scale (10mm?) is compatible with Car Wars being and Citadel Miniatures even produced a range of metal vehicle minis as accessories and more pictures of the C42 Battlecars minis range can be found at The Stuff of Legends.

I played a lot of Battlecars and really enjoyed the fast gameplay.  I even scaled the game up to 1/64th hotwheels scale for participation play at a SELWG Open Day one year.  We had a lot of fun with this game and if you're like me and a fan of post apocalyptic auto duelling it's one that you should consider including in your games collection.

Citadel C42 Battlecars - Buy them on eBay

Battlebikes (1984)

Battlebikes
Buy it on eBay

A year after the success of Battlecars, GW released an expansion to include rules for motorcycles and lots more pedestrians and scenery counters.  This is not a standalone game and you will need a copy of Battlecars to play it.

Citadel expanded their battlecars C42 range to include motorcycles to accompany the game but it was not long after this release that the game was ultimately shelved.  The highlight of this range has to be the Sinclair C5 battletrike. 

Games Workshop returned to the post apocalyptic auto duelling genre 4 years later with the much more accessible 1/64th scale Dark Future game which I covered in my A-Z of UK RPGs in the 80s: L is for Large Box Games post.


Block Mania (1987) - OWNED

Block Mania
Buy it on eBay

A product of the licensing deal with 2000AD publisher IPC Magazines.  Games Workshop released a slew of 2000AD related products also featured in this list.

A 2 player game in which the residents of Sammy Fox and Buddy Holly blocks have gone to war with each other and are determined to destroy as much of each others blocks as possible using whatever items they can lay their hands on.  A very vibrant looking game and one which features the work of seminal Judge Dredd illustrator Brett Ewins.

Block Mania and it's expansion, Mega Mania, are games which slipped under the wire for me despite them being Judge Dredd related.  Needess to say they are on the wanted list and still pretty affordable if you search for Block Mania Boardgame on eBay.

UPDATE: This was re-released by Rebellion Unplugged in 2021 along with the Mega-Mania expansion.

Blood Bowl (1986)

Blood Bowl
Buy it on eBay

This game of Fantasy Football by Jervis Johnson has been a mainstay of the GW IP for many years and has spawned numerous editions, computer games and spin-offs like my favourite Blood Bowl Team Manager.

The first edition was released in the bookcase format and there are some significant rule differences which make it a less fatal version of the game.  Consequently, the board is a 4 piece jigsaw puzzle affair (something GW experimented with on a number of games at the time) and the miniatures are cardstock standees with plastic bases which kept the production costs low.

I own the 2nd Edition Large Box version with the Expanded Poly-Styrene foam field.  I consider this to be the definitive edition which came fully supported with a huge range of extra star player and add-on team boxed sets from Citadel Miniatures.  However, it all started here with this Bookcase version.

If I ever get this version it will be a curiosity filled spur of the moment purchase.  There are plenty of copies available if you search for Vintage Blood Bowl on eBay, but be prepared to wade through hundreds of listings for later versions.

Blood Royale (1987)

Blood Royale
Buy it on eBay

I've always thought of this as a cut down version of Warrior Knights but it is infact a completely different 3 to 5 player game of European political conquest in the Middle Ages.

A gorgeous looking board stretches from England in the North to Spain and Portugal in the South and as far East as Germany and Italy.  Unlike Warrior Knights, where forming banner armies, laying siege and raising cities to the ground, is the core of the game, Blood Royale focuses on the political machinations of the individual family members and the quest for wealth.  

BoardGameGeek recommends that this is best played with 5 players so I imagine it takes some time to complete a game.

Prices remain a bit on the high side when you search for Blood Royale on eBay.  But with the right wind and a lack of interest from other snipers I just might be able to get a bargain.  Fingers crossed. 

Calamity: The International High-Risk Insurance Game (1983) - OWNED

Calamity
Buy it on eBay if you must

This was early days for Games Workshop and they would still release these odd "traditional" boardgames.  GW originally started out making chess boards and one of their first boardgame releases was the wine trading game Grapevine (1980) in partnership with Colman's of Norwich, a well established winetrader.

Calamity is another such game and proudly advertises the name of its designer musical empresario Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Yes Games Workshop made a game designed by the man behind some of the most popular musicals of the 80s like Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, Chess and Cats.  Who woulda thunk it.

This is a fairly dry affair compared to their other games and modern satirical games like Crunch or the glorious The War on Terror boardgame by Terrorbull Games (if you haven't played them you should).  I own a copy but purely out of curiosity.  It has hit the table once in only 10 years and to be honest is only here for those who want to complete their bookcase games collection.

Chainsaw Warrior (1987) - OWNED

Chainsaw Warrior
Buy it on eBay

A weird one this.  Chainsaw Warrior is a rare, exclusively solo game with a 1 hour fixed time limit.

It sounds a bit like a boardgame version of The Raid before that movie was even a glint in the milkman's eye.  You take on the role of a Special Forces veteran who has to come out of retirement to face the ultimate evil known as The Darkness (not the noughties rock band)  who has taken over Manhattan.  GW published a set of extra cards in White Dwarf #88 and the Chainsaw Warrior proved popular enough to be integrated into the Talisman game with a range of miniatures from Citadel.

Artwork by the sorely missed master illustrator of big combat boots, Brett Ewins, this game just screams 80s action movie horror and reminds me so much of the comic strip Bad Company which he drew in the 80s.  This could be the perfect game for me, especially if Coronavirus Lockdown continues for another month.

Fortunately prices are reasonable when you search for Chainsaw Warrior on eBay so there is every chance that this could be gracing my bookcase in the coming weeks.

UPDATE: I managed to pick up an incomplete copy (missing just a handful of cards) which I intend to complete.  If anyone reading this has the stats for the blaster, please comment below.

Chaos Marauders (1997)

Chaos Marauders
Buy it on eBay

I must confess that this is a bookcase game which has never really taken my fancy which is strange because I field an orc army in Warhammer.  I have always loved the unpredictability of Orcs and my favourite unit are the ball and chain chucking goblin fanatics who are frankly more of a danger to their friends than their foes.

Designed by Stephen Hand of Fury of Dracula fame, Chaos Marauders got a small form factor reprint from Fantasy Flight Games as part of their budget silverline range.

It is a reasonably available and affordable game if you search for Chaos Marauders on eBay.  I suppose I will bite the bullet and get a copy some day...

Cosmic Encounter (1986) - OWNED

Cosmic Encounters
Buy it on eBay

Another licensed version of a West End Games classic although Cosmic Encounters has passed through many hands over the years and is the basis for Avalon Hill's Dune boardgame.

This is a fairly abstract and esoteric Player v Player game of stellar conflict in which each player tries to eliminate the others using their combat cards and their special power.  The beauty of this game lies in the variety of powers available and something which has been expanded upon over the years with each edition.  Games Workshop used the pages of White Dwarf #78 to publish their own expansions whilst they owned the license. Ibelieve cover art is early John Blanche.

I own this and whilst I enjoy it, there is never any love for it among my group so it never makes it to the table.  It's still a solid game and this bookcase version is considered to be one of the classics.  They are readily available if you search for Games Workshop Cosmic Encounter on eBay.  

Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1988) - OWNED

Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
Buy it on eBay

This is the game that started my own personal journey down the rabbit hole of bookcase game collecting.

A 1 to 4 player game where you take on the role of explorers investigating the interior of the pyramid of  Khonsu, trying to find the ultimate treasure, the mythical Elixir of Life.  The thing that really makes this game stand out is the 3 tiered pyramid which adds a third dimension to the gameplay like some sort of Games Workshop vesion of Vulcan Chess (Kal-Toh).  Sadly the rather flimsy construction and the lack of distance between levels causes more aggravation than I am comfortable with.  Perhaps I will design a 3D printed, upgraded and sturdier pyramid.

The game came with 5 28mm metal pawns (a feature of GW games of this era) representing the four player characters Marlow Hammet, Rev Luther Kirkegard, Professor Nayland Cushing, Lt-Gen The Earl of Carmarthen and the titular Mummy.  Sadly mine have become Player Characters and gone missing somewhere.  I will track them down because I have an urge to play this game especially as the game has a rare solo play option thanks to the drawn movement mechanic.

Secondhand versions are readily available but good, unmolested and complete versions command reasonable prices because a lot of people have fond memories of this game.  You can find rare bargains if you search for Curse of the Mummy's Tomb on eBay.

UPDATE: I Pimped my copy with a 3D Printed Pyramid of Konshu and new minis.

Doctor Who (1980)

Doctor Who
Buy it on eBay

I can't believe that I don't own this game, especially as #MyDoctor (Tom Baker) graces the cover.

However, a quick unboxing reveals a particularly uninspiring timey-wimey looking experience.  The game gets a dissapointingly average 5.4 on BoardGameGeek and it's rather unfortunate that for such a great franchise it seems to get terrible boardgames.

What this game could do with is a customisation with 20mm pawns to replace the cardstock counters.  That would look awesome but probably push the cost of owning this game several orders of magnitude into the stratosphere.

Availability is good and prices reasonable when you search for Games Workshop Doctor Who on eBay. The completist in me is interested but the Doctor Who fan less so.

DungeonQuest (1987) - OWNED

Dungeonquest
Buy it on eBay

I played this once a long time ago and the person who owned it didn't know the rules so we played it all wrong.  But I loved it.

Basically a GW licensed version of the game Drakborgen (Dragon's Keep) it has the four players starting at different corners of the board revealling tiles as they go and trying to uncover a route which leads to the center of the board and their goal, the Dragon's hoard.  To win the game you have to get out alive.

I love a good push your luck dungeon crawl.  I am a fan of modern equivalents such as Cave Troll, Drakkon and Dungeon Roll (despite it's irritating box shape) so this is right up my alley.

When you search for Dungeonquest on eBay you can see some quite eyewatering prices.  I guess this is a testament to how good the game is, I don't know but I will bide my time and if I can grab a bargain, I guess I will find out...

Fury of Dracula (1987) - OWNED

The Fury of Dracula
Buy it on eBay

An amazing hidden movement game where you play one of 4 period correct heroes trying to track down and vanquish the evil Dracula.   You travel around a wonderful map of Europe visiting towns and searching for clues to Dracula's location and fighting the minions he has left there.  But be careful when you finally track him down and fight him as he is more powerful in the night and will probably kill you.

As with many of the bookcase games of this period it came with a set of 5 metal character miniatures.  Strangely for GW/Citadel, these are not 28mm but 20mm sculpts and not really useable in RPGs.  This is probably the reason I still have mine in the box.  

This game has spawned a number of re-release versionsand is always a mark of quality and a large fanbase.  If you are going to collect Bookcase games, this is a great starting place.  The game was very popular and original editions are easily found when you search for Fury of Dracula on eBay. 

Judge Dredd the Boardgame (1982) - OWNED

Judge Dredd the Boardgame
Buy it on eBay

This is a peculiar first use of the Judge Dredd license.  A simple game where upto 6 players play Judges patrolling Mega City One trying to arrest random perps committing random crimes who pop up in random locations.  Each perp has a Combat Factor which is added to the crimes seriousness to give you a number which you have to beat on a roll of 1d6 plus your Judges Combat Factor.  Any player can use Action Cards to increase or decrease either sides Combat Factor and their chance of making the arrest.  The player with the highest scoring perp count wins.

The triple random draw function leads to some bizarre and impossible combinations such as Judge Death (10) caught Littering (1) having the same basic Combat Factor as Filmore Fargo (7) caught Blackmailing (4).  As an introduction to the often bizarre world of Judge Dredd it is a strange but fun game and the Player v Player element can get a bit heated.  To top it all off it has a cover by the greatest Dredd cover artist ever, Brian Bolland.  This game is serious zarjazz fun, it must be, as Tharg the Mighty himself is credited as a playtester.

There's a lot of love for this on the collector market but you can still grab a bargain if you search for Judge Dredd boardgame on eBay. 

UPDATE: Rebellion Unplugged re-released this classic in 2022

Kings and Things* (1986) - OWNED

Kings and Things*
Buy it on eBay

A West End Games licensed edition of the Tom Wham classic 2 to 4 player area conquest game.  Each player must explore the shattered Kingdom of Kadab (randomly generated from a stock of 48 hexagonal terrain tiles) and conquer, construct and recruit whatever they find in a bid to become the most powerful (and benevolent) King.

For some strange reason, this was one of the games I lusted after when scouring the pages of White Dwarf but I never had the funds to acuire it at the time.  I own a copy of Tom Wham's The Great Khan Game released by TSR under their Forgotten Realms setting banner.  It's a blast and I hope that Kings and Things lives up to the hype. 

Thanks to a search for Games Workshop Kings and Things eBay, I finally own a copy at a reasonable price.  Just got to get through the Coronavirus Lockdown and get it on the table

Mega Mania (1987) - OWNED

Mega Mania
Buy it on eBay

Not a standalone game, rather a 3 & 4 player expansion for Block Mania which adds two new blocks; Sly Stalone and Millhouse Nixon and all the necessary extra counters. I find it rather prophetic that a game released in 1987 would use Sylvester Stalone's name who would later play Joseph Dredd in the movie Judge Dredd (1995).

GW also published an expansion in White Dwarf #94 called Happy hour. 

The movie took a lot of flack back in the day for the cheesy portrayal of Dredd but, as I have said on many occasions, what the film gets right is its portrayal of Mega City One.

One of the best scenes is that of the residents of Heavenly Havens and the neighbouring block, Elysian Heights?, engaging in a full scale Block War.  It really sets the scene of a city on the edge of social collapse, the normal state of affairs in Mega City One. 

This is harder to acquire than the base game Block Mania but can still be found at reasonable prices if you search for Games Workshop Mega Mania on eBay.

UPDATE: Mega Mania was re-released by Rebellion along with the base game in 2021.

Quirks the game of un-natural selection (1980) - OWNED

Quirks
Buy it on eBay

This is another bizarre early boardgame for which Games Workshop was the UK license holder and publisher.

Designed by Peter Olotka (among others) who is most famous for Cosmic Encounter, Dune and the enticingly entitled Isaac Asimov's Robots VCR Mystery Game.

Quirks is an evolution game where you must create 3 creatures by putting 3 cards together, in a sort of Darwinian Identikit, in order to become the dominate species for the current environment.  Each successive turn the environments evolve from Ocean thru Forest, Plains, Desert to Jungle.  If your creatures don't evolve they risk becoming extinct.  Lose 3 creatures and you lose the game.

This is an incredibly rare game and rarely comes up when you search for Quirks on eBay.  However, despite this rareity, it does not command particularly high prices.  I'm very much intrigued by this game and so I am on the hunt myself...

UPDATE: I managed to snag a mint never played copy from ebay for a very reasonable price.  The rules are decidedly 80s and did not go down well with my friends when we tried to play it.  I'm convinced that there is a game in there somewhere so will have to try to decipher the rules or come up with something better myself which uses just the metric ton of cards.

Rogue Trooper (1987) - OWNED

Rogue Trooper
Buy it on eBay

I was fortunate to pick up a pretty mint copy of this 2000AD licensed game at the Dragonmeet 2019 bring-and-buy for the princely sum of £15.  Conventions are a great source of bargain vintage games as the seller is usually on a mission to clear shelf space and desperate to not take the game home unsold.  I'm not really a fan of Rogue Trooper but the double pleasure from adding both a 2000AD related and a boolcase game to my collection was a "Double Whammy" I could not resist.

The board is another jigsaw puzzle hex map affair but this time it's a whopping 6 boards worth and features many of the iconic locations from the comic alongside helpful game reminders.  There are plenty of components including pawns, impressive sculpts of the eponymous Genetic Infantryman, for each of the six players.   

Whilst GW had the license Citadel pumped out a range of Rogue Trooper miniatures but they weren't intended as upgrades to this game even though they were advertised in the rulebook.

Unfortunately I have no experience with this game so can't tell you how it plays or wether or not it is fun.  I have to get it to the table with the right set of 2000AD loving friends.

Availability is high and prices very reasonable when you search for Rogue Trooper on eBay.      

Super Power: The Game of Global Exploitation (1986) - OWNED

Super Power
Buy it on eBay

This game looks like it should have been released 3  or 4 years earlier than it was and features an esoteric flower shaped layout of the disputed territories of Africa, Asia, Latin America and The Middle East.  These are the "Third World" regions in which Russia and the USA historically played out their detente foreign policies during the cold war.

I'm not much of a historical boardgamer to be honest and this has alway been one of those games that has left me feeling pretty meh.  There are a couple of history buffs in my regular Friday night games group so it could be an interesting experiment to get it out on the table to see how it plays.  I guess if I were to see a real bargain I might just pick it up out of curiosity.

Availability is high and it goes for a song when you search for Super Power on eBay.

UPDATE: Another game which now thanks to ebay is now in my collection. 

Talisman: The Magical Quest Game (1983)

Talisman
Buy it on eBay

There is a lot of love for this game but in my experience and opinion it's misplaced thanks to the poor game play.  Essentially a role-and-move game where you land on various spaces on your journey to the centre of the board where you chance your arm at acquiring the crown of power and must complete encounters gaining magical items or defeating monsters along the way.  It's a fantasy version of monopoly meets snakes and ladders as there are plenty of ways you can be kicked back into an outer ring by an unlucky dice roll.

It has had numerous reissues and expansions over the years but I just don't understand why this game is so popular.  

Prices for the more plentiful 2nd Edition are much better than the 1st when you search for Talisman on eBay.  It's not something that really interests even the comlpletist in me so I will only pick this up if I find a real bargain.

Valley of the Four Winds (1980)

Valley of the Four Winds
Buy it on eBay

The cover of this game just screams buy me. I remember it being heavily plugged in adverts on the pages of early White Dwarf.  Created by Lewis Pulsipher, the well respected designer of the highly rated Britannia and the founder of Pulsipher Games, this is an epic old school wargame.

I'm not a square counter pushing Grognard so I'm not sure if this is the kind of game I would enjoy.  The components look excellent (for the period) but it has an average score on BoardGameGeek.

Availability is good when you search for Valley of the Four Winds on eBay,  but with prices between £30 and £50 it's too rich for my blood.  This is probably a mistake on my part and I will have to pay much more in 10 years time.  LOL.   

Warlock: The Game of Duelling Wizards (1980)

Warlock
Buy it on eBay

Another early game from GW this magical take that card game is one I've always been aware of but never pulled the trigger on.

Something about this game suggests that the mechanics will be pretty old school and uninspiring particularly when this sub-genre is full of much better and more exciting modern games like Steve Jacksons Munchkin.  Yes I said it, Munchkin.  Every gamer household should have at least one copy of Munchkin.

There are copies out there when you search for Warlock on eBay which, for a 40 year old game is suprising.  You will need to wade through a lot of listings for the next game on the list. 

Prices are pretty steady in the upper ranges of reasonable.  My problem is how badly do I want it?

Warlock of Firetop Mountain (1986)

Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Buy it on eBay

Hot off the popularity of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook came the bookcase boardgame of the same name.

This is another big name game that I have never played and it looks like a rip-off of TSR's Dungeon but I have no idea if it continues along with the same gameplay.  There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding this game and I suspect it has some quite dated mechanics.  It is a very heavy player v player game and one of the rules encourages deal making between players.  However, it is a drawn out race to the finish which includes the frowned upon player elimination mechanic so I suspect that its not a game with much fun factor.  

Availiability is good when you search for Warlock of Firetop mountain on eBay.  However, having that secondary Fighting Fantasy collector base means that prices for this game are much higher than I am prepared to pay.

Warrior Knights (1985) - OWNED

Warrior Knights
Buy it on eBay

Finally we get to the end of this monstrous list and I have saved the best till last.  Frankly this is the best bookcase game I own, period.  It has huge amounts of gameplay, counters galore, variety in strategy and lots for you to think about as you wait to take your next turn.  In fact this game is so good I bought it twice as a spares backup for the many, many components.

You play one of four Barons vying for total dominance over the kingdom and you must build and maintain your banner armies under your allied nobles, moving around the board laying siege to cities and building your strongholds as you go.  The acquisition of wealth through siege and foreign exploration is an important and necessary part of the game as you must always pay the upkeep on your troops or they will leave in a huff.

This tends to be a long but very rewarding light wargame and very accessible to non Grognards like myself.  It has had a series of re-releases but I consider this version to be the definitive one and there are a few mechanics in the newer ones that don't sit well with me.    

Availability and prices are very good but there are a lot of incomplete copies when you search for Warrior Knights on eBay.  This is a gem of a game and should be on everyones shelf.

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Thank you for getting to the bottom of this monster post and putting up with the amount of affiliate links I added.  They are there as much for my benefit as yours as I am actively searching for many of the games on this list.

I have tried my best to create search phrases which will put you in touch with the most relevant listings on eBay and weed out all the crap you get when you search for old Games Workshop games.

If you are a fellow collector, please consider following those links as they cost you nothing extra but help to fund this blog.  You will also have my eternal thanks and appreciation. 

Reaper Bones #18 - Furniture

I bet that there aren't that many people who have painted their Bones furniture.

Crypt of the Vampiress (Bob Ridolfi SKU:02990)

Crypt of the Vampiress - Buy your own

This is a neat little Gothic Horror set which also comes with a female vampire and the treasure chest which I painted alongside the mimic in episode of this series.  You can buy the pieces individually:

• Sarcophagus - SKU: 77137
• Treasure Pile and Candelabra - SKU: 77138

The Well of Chaos (Bob Ridolfi SKU: 77136)

This is a pretty foreboding miniature and with a name like The Well of Chaos I had to fill it with blood.  I did have visions of lighting this with an LED from below (which I still might do) so I filled the well with a mix of 5 minute epoxy (Araldite) and a tiny bit of red paint.

The stream of blood is simply a strand of fibre optic which is fixed into two holes one in the well and one in the spout.  this is then coated with the red epoxy.

The Altar of Evil (Bob Olley SKU: 77139)

For such a scary sounding mini this is pretty uninspiring but it has a big enough cavity that I can run fibre optics from the skull eyes to a green LED.  Should liven things up a bit.

The Dias (Me SKU: free to download from Thingiverse)

In order to light up these minis I'm going to need a battery compartment and to be honest these two items need to be elevated for dramatic effect.  I designed a 3x4 inch dias to accomodate both miniatures as seen in the crypt photo above.

Bones Progress

Reaper Bones: 245 - Painted: 63

Related Posts

• Reaper Bones #1: The Marathon Begins - Where I paint a dozen Giant Rats.
• Reaper Bones #2: Kobolds, Are They Dogs or Dragons? - Where I paint a dozen kobolds.
• Reaper Bones #3: A Carcase of Skeletons - Where I paint a half dozen skeletons.
• Reaper Bones #4: A Shuffle of Zombies - Where I paint five zombies.
• Reaper Bones #5: Introducing Shaina Coppervein, Dwarven Orc Hunter - First PC mini.
• Reaper Bones #6: Mimic, Treasure Chest and How I re-base my Bones - Where I paint furniture.
• Reaper Bones #7: Fire Elemental Meets Novelty Lamp - Where I hack a mini with LEDs.
• Reaper Bones #8: Flaming Sphere LED Tealight Hack - Another mini LED lighting project.
• Reaper Bones #9: Elliwyn Heatherlark, Gnome Bard - Another PC mini.
• Reaper Bones #10: Horace "Action" Jackson - A Baddass disco dancing Motherfucker.
• Reaper Bones #11: Pirate Captain Thorin Stoneheart - A Swashbuckling Philanthropist. 
• Reaper Bones #12: Monstrous Menagerie - Clay Golem, Eye Beast, Griffon, Owlbear, Marsh Troll
• Reaper Bones #13: Giants - Male Storm Giant and Female Cloud Giant
• Reaper Bones #14: More Monsters! -Ape-X, Female Demon, Two Golems, Oxidation Beast
• Reaper Bones #15 - The Road Warrior - Mad Max
• Reaper Bones #16: A Patrol of Orcs - 5 orcs out to get you. 
• Reaper Bones #17: Some Personalities Some Characters, NPCs or maybe a villain or two

A to Z of UK RPG in the 80s - T is for Tunnels and Trolls

T is for Tunnels and Trolls and Flying Buffalo

My first exposure to Roleplaying was actually Tunnels & Trolls. My Dad came back from one of his working trips with a photocopy of the Weirdworld solo module and I voraciously lapped it up. This was back in the day when Flying Buffalo (the company formed in 1970 by Rick Loomis) released their T&T solo modules as spiral bound A4 booklets making game piracy a fairly simple task.  Perhaps that was the point, what's good enough for Microsoft is good enough for Flying Buffalo.

The pages were full of great images like the entrance to the dungeon itself and new and strange words words like myriad.  As you can imagine it made quite an impression on my tiny growning brain.

The entrance to the Madhouse which was solo adventure #6 Weirdworld

I had no rules and I had no idea how to play it, I just treated it as choose your own adventure book before I even knew what one of those was.  Later on I would experience my first group session of the game at a games club in my home town of Bradford.  The DM using the a very early boxed set version of the rules with the little yellow booklet.

Our relocation down to London in the mid 80s coincided with the release of the Corgi edition paperbacks and I picked one up in a local Virgin Games store (remember them).

Core Rulebook	The Amulet of the Salkti Arena of Khazan	Catif D'Yvoire Beyond the Silvered Pane
The City of Terrors	Gamesmen of Kasar Misty Wood	Naked Doom Deathtrap Equalizer
Sword for Hire Blue Frog Tavern

The Corgi editions are really memorable.  They had amazing cover art by Josh Kirby and were published in a standard paperback formfactor at pocket money prices.  The main competition at the time were the Puffin Fighting Fantasy books written by the Ian Livingston and Steve Jackson of Games Workshop.  I preferred T&T because there was a bit more meat on the bones and I remembered the fun I had playing in that group game back in Bradford.

They are very collectible and hold their prices but they are very available when you search for Tunnels Trolls on eBay.

Flying Buffalo have of course continued to publish games and still exist today.  Their products were always on the fringe of the hobby never taking themselves too seriously but they were always popular.


My Collection Includes:

Corgi Edition Core Rules	5th Edition Core Rules	Grimtooths Traps Too
The Hole Delver's Catalogue	Maps Cities Book 1	Sword for Hire Blue Frog Tavern
The Amulet of the Salkti Catalogue

Availability of Flying Buffalo is good and they tend to be on the cheaper side of RPG collectables. I aim to reacquire all the Corgi adventure books in the very near future. Search for Flying Buffalo Products on eBay.

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The AtoZ of UK RPG in the 80s

1. is for Adventurer Magazine
2. is for Beast Enterprises
3. is for Citadel
4. is for Dungeon Floors
5. is for Elric of Melnibone
6. is for Fighting Fantasy
7. is for Games Designers Workshop
8. is for Heavy Metal
9. is for Indiana Jones
10. is for Judge Dredd
11. is for Knightmare
12. is for Large Box Games
13. is for Mayfair Games
14. is for Northern Militaire
15. is for O
16. is for Pondsmith (where's my flying car Mike?)
17. is for Qadim
18. is for Robots
19. is for Steve Jackson
20. is for Tunnels & Trolls
21. is for UK Series of AD&D Modules
22. is for V
23. is for White Dwarf
24. is for X
25. is for Y
26. is for Z

Miniatures Monday Goes Old School Saturday

I normally leave my mini posts until Mondays to show off the latest update on my Reaper Bones Painting Marathon progress. 

Well, I thought I'd spice it up and share a few of my other projects which have recently been completed (thanks to a spot of spring cleaning during lockdown).  Normal service will resume next week.

Vintage Citadel "Fiend Factory" Balrog - FF5 C31

An iconic miniature from the Fiend Factory range, this imposing winged demon has been one of those bucket list minis that I've been holding onto for some time.  Finally he has a paintjob worthy of the sculpt and this just makes me want to find more of these vintage "pre slotta" base Citadel minis to paint.

Citadel Fiend Factory Balrog (FF5 C31) - Buy your own

Thrud The Barbarian (LE12)

Readers of vintage White Dwarf will recognise this pin headed barbarian.  Created by illustrator Carl Critchlow he was White Dwarf's long running comic strip from issue #45 to issue #105.

An obvious pastiche of Conan the Barbarian, Thrud was entirely played for laughs and Carl has continued to draw him outside of the pages of White Dwarf in his own Thrud The Barbarian comic.

This is my Thrud's 3rd paintjob only possible due to the chunkiness of the detail (I never bothered to strip him of his previous paintjobs).  I am half tempted to track down the other 4 Special Edition Thrud miniatures Citadel have made over the years.

Citadel Thrud The Barbarian (LE12) - Buy your own

More 15mm Madness for Judge Dredd

Whilst I was tracking down the origins of my Mega City One Citizens, I came across some quite stunning minis from a range of manufacturers which are frankly fuelling my obsession with small scale skirmishes.

HOF Media Team - What good is a Block War without good media coverage?  This 10 pack is perfect for that front-line news media team.  Lets hope they don't stand too close to that fuel truck.  Whoops too late...

HOF69 Draccian Lord and Warriors - Tell me that these aren't Kleggs!

If you are going to have Kleggs then you need to have Klegg Hounds

Splintered Light Komodo Dragons

Passable Klegg Hounds

Khurasan Miniatures - A veritable smorgasbord of different and very useable sci-fi miniatures I have fallen in love with their Marauders who make for a perfect Mega City One juve gang.

Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Sci-Fi Marauders (END100)

Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Sci-Fi Marauders (END101)

Khurasan Miniatures Planet 15 (Cinematic Range)

Cursed Earth Muties or residents of Jed Clampett Block (Redneck1)

I aint fraid of no Ghosts! - (Spirit Punters)

Anyway that's more than enough to be getting on with for now.

The Empire Strikes Back is 40 Today

My Star Wars relationship began with The Empire Strikes Back.



Whilst I am assured that I was taken to see Starwars at the tender age of 4, I don't really have any recollection of the actual trip to the movie.  However, I spent days watching and rewatching a VHS copy of the movie which had been taped from a Yorkshire Television broadcast one christmas, complete with The Two Ronnies advertising the Atari 2600.

The summer holiday highlight that year was going to the cinema in Filey to see the movie.  I had already been primed as a few days earlier I had begged for a copy of the comicbook novel.  I won't go into detail about what a mind blowing experience that was.  Later that year I got a couple of action figures (the only ones I ever owned).

Comic Paperback

Han Solo Hoth

IG-88

2000AD Fan Films - Judge Minty, Strontium Dog and Rogue Trooper

Looks like we are going to have to wait a while for the new Mega City TV Show and the Duncan Jones Rogue Trooper movie.

In the meantime we can sit back, relax and watch the following fan made films:

Judge Minty



Search & Destroy - A Strontium Dog Story



Rogue Trooper: The Quartz Massacre

Jessie's Prints - Episode 7 - A Gloom Card Box and a 3 x 4 Dias

This week, I are mostly been printing...

Gloom Card Box -https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4377287

If you haven't heard of Gloom it's a very fun little story telling card game with a neat gimmick.  The cards are made of transparent plastic.  The idea is that you stack these cards on top of each other to increase your bonuses and create a winning tableau of cards.  The only issue I have is that it comes in one of those god awful-side-by-side boxes which are no good to man nor beast.  Fortunately there are a few designers on thingiverse who think as I do and have uploaded some alternative boxes.

Domestic 3D printing is still in its infancy and not quite at the Star Trek replicator phase of development.  Sometimes you download a model and ahave to do a bit of work to get it to print satisfactorily.  This was the case when I downloaded MVB01s Gloom Card Box.

If it doesn't fit... don't just quit!!

The model had been designed for a larger print bed than I own, the two parts were aligned on the long axis.  Firing up Sketchup I imported the STL file, exploded the model and reoriented the parts along the short axis.  Export the STL, slice it in Cura and load it into the printer.

It printed fine but was a smidge too small to fit the actual cards and there was no tolerance built in to accommodate the lid and the box sliding together.  They were far too tight to be useable.

I guess you could say that this was my own stupid fault for not checking the dimensions of the print before I commited to 3 hours and a few gramms of plastic.  However, I look upon this failure as an opportunity to upskill and so I went back to the model into Sketchup and redimensioned it to both fit the cards and to have a 1mm tolerance factor.  Second time's a charm as they say.

Now they fit - Download from Thingiverse

I've uploaded this to Thingiverse as a remix of MVB01s original model.


3"x4" Dias - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4376794

I am currently painting tiny plastic furniture as part of my Reaper Bones Marathon and one of those pieces is getting the full LED treatment but I need something to hide the battery.  When you have a 3d printer this is no problem, you just knock something together and hey presto a dias, the underside of which has a cavity just big enough to hide a CR2032 coin battery.

3" x 4" Dias - Download from Thingiverse

I've uploaded this to thingiverse so you can print one of yourself.  Just remember to like share and tip the designer a few beans if you like the model.

Co-VID-55 The Latest Reality TV Show in Mega City One

There's a hot new vid show sweeping the sectors of Mega City One.  

Celebrities on Video (CoVID) is a new idea dreamed up by those crazy folk at Spunko-Pop.  The idea is simple it's a reality Vid show where celebrities are the stars but they don't even know it.

The producers fit every room with a secret hidden camera and you tune into your favourite celebrity and watch the action with hilarious consequences.

It's got everything...

Crime

Watch as your favourite celebs commit crimes all from the comfort of their own home.  How does Starlet O'Hara stay so young looking she's 85!  Well she's got a stookie hidden in a room behind a secret wall and she's glanding that poor alien like tomorrow was yesterday. 

Sex

On screen heartthrob Oscar Weiner is a huge hit with the ladies but behind closed doors he's a pansexual mutie from the Cursed Earth.  This guy can't get enough of it and his particular kink is getting it on with innanimate objects.  You'll be amazed and disgusted with what he gets upto with his partner in adventure Talkie the Talking Toaster.

Murder

It's gonna happen sooner or later.  Your favourite celeb gets offed live on camera.  We don't see the killer but there's plenty to watch in the aftershow spin off show Portrait of a Murderer.  Watch as we follow the Justice Department attempts to track down and get their man (or woman (or robot)).  Think your neighbour did it then call in and rat them out.  Take part in our "shot for shot" crime scene re-enactments. (Disclaimer: participation is done at your own risk and Spunko-Pop do not accept liability for any injuries or death).

Catch it Live

With this much going on its only a matter of time before it gets shutdown by Johnny Law.  Subscribe today for the low low price of 99.95.

Reaper Bones #17 - Some Personalities

The great thing about the Bones Kickstarter was the sheer variety of minis.  The first wave included monsters, sci-fi, modern, undead and of course quite a few player character minis.  This week we have three personalities who could quite easily represent PCs,NPCs or villains.

Autumn Bronzeleaf (Jeff Grace SKU: 77069)

I really like this sculpt and the first Jeff Grace creation I have painted.  The costume is interesting and the pose fierce but regal.  Nice work Jeff.

Damien, Hellborn Wizard (Derek Schubert SKU: 77149)

Okay so my mini got a bit of customization.  I needed a special character mini for a special D&D 5e campaign (only The Tomb of Annihilation).  My character was a bit special as well, Wizards of The Coast had just released the Magic The Gathering setting Ravnica for 5e and I opted to play a Vedalkan sucked into Faerûn by some magical contraption.  Vedalkan's don't have tails so Damien lost his and he got a blue paint job.  His Transformation into Kaori the Vedalkan Apprentice Wizard was complete.

Kaori died quite a few times along the way but fortunately was plucked from the clutches of the Soul Monger at the last minute, discovered interesting uses for Mold Earth, worked out that a Transmutation specialist is a bit useless if the dungeon has transmutation anti-magic zones and ultimately survived to reach 9th level.

Ezren, Iconic Wizard (Todd Harris SKU: 89013)

One of the Pathfinder range, Ezren is a pretty cool looking warrior wizard who will just as soon smack you round the chops with his crooked staff than turn you into a toad.

Bones Progress

Reaper Bones: 245 - Painted: 58

Related Posts

• Reaper Bones #1: The Marathon Begins - Where I paint a dozen Giant Rats.
• Reaper Bones #2: Kobolds, Are They Dogs or Dragons? - Where I paint a dozen kobolds.
• Reaper Bones #3: A Carcase of Skeletons - Where I paint a half dozen skeletons.
• Reaper Bones #4: A Shuffle of Zombies - Where I paint five zombies.
• Reaper Bones #5: Introducing Shaina Coppervein, Dwarven Orc Hunter - First PC mini.
• Reaper Bones #6: Mimic, Treasure Chest and How I re-base my Bones - Where I paint furniture.
• Reaper Bones #7: Fire Elemental Meets Novelty Lamp - Where I hack a mini with LEDs.
• Reaper Bones #8: Flaming Sphere LED Tealight Hack - Another mini LED lighting project.
• Reaper Bones #9: Elliwyn Heatherlark, Gnome Bard - Another PC mini.
• Reaper Bones #10: Horace "Action" Jackson - A Baddass disco dancing Motherfucker.
• Reaper Bones #11: Pirate Captain Thorin Stoneheart - A Swashbuckling Philanthropist. 
• Reaper Bones #12: Monstrous Menagerie - Clay Golem, Eye Beast, Griffon, Owlbear, Marsh Troll
• Reaper Bones #13: Giants - Male Storm Giant and Female Cloud Giant
• Reaper Bones #14: More Monsters! -Ape-X, Female Demon, Two Golems, Oxidation Beast
• Reaper Bones #15: The Road Warrior - Mad Max - 50 bones painted at last.
• Reaper Bones #16: A Patrol of Orcs - 5 orcs out to get you.

Prog 11 - Showdown on the Lido

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules. 

The Judges take up defensive positions in the corridor with a commanding view of the elevator doors.  A few moments later a soothing bong indicates that the lift has arrived.  A waiter emerges pushing a trolley followed by an imposing man mountain dressed in bermuda shorts.  The henchman grabs the waiter with one arm as his other transforms into a stub gun.

Wallaces fires off a Rubber Ricochet round which bounces off the henchman's head and into Hiro's right arm.  Steele selects Armour Piercing ammo and fires a 3 round burst hitting his target square in the forehead.  He crumples to the ground dead leaving the waiter a quivering wreck.  Que attends to the overwhelmed hotel worker.

Hiro steps into the lift and examines the body of the cyborg and determines that he has had extensive work done including cyber-ears.  He surmises that the henchmen are all networked together sharing seamless collective communication.

Wallace runs back to the suite and can see that Faraway is huddled in conversation with the other henchborg.  Holmes stays to give overwatch via the CCTV whilst everyone else bundles into the elevator and heads for the Lido Dec.  The soothing tones of the "Girl from Ipanema" waft from the elevator speakers as everyone chambers AP rounds in their trusty Lawgivers.

Hotel Chupacabra Lido Deck

As they exit the elevator the only person in sight is Iona Skye reclining on a deckchair.  Wallace heads for right hand stairs which lead to the upper Lido Deck.  Steele's egress is blocked by three terrified guests who run straight towards him screaming "Save us Judge Steele" and knock him over.  Que similarly swamped smashes one in the face with her nightstick nocking him out.  Hiro runs over to Iona Skye and attempts to talk to her.  Iona is completely oblivious to everything around her as she is listening to some music on a pair of earbuds and reading a Jackie Collins novel.

Henchborg #2 reveals his position and unloads a full clip at Hiro from the upper lido balcony.  Hero dives under the overhang.  Holmes spots Faraway on the CCTV on the upper deck and radios his location through to the assault team.  Wallace fires a Stumm gas grenade onto the upper deck.  Steele shoots one of the citizens holding him figuring that AP rounds leave easily treated wounds when fired at pointblank range.  Que struggles to reach the other citizens on top of Steels she flails at them with her nightstick.  Hiro shoots a 3 round burst of AP at Henchborg #2 but only hits with one.

Henchborg #2 leaps down from the balcony simultaneously firing another burst at Hiro hitting him in the helmet, the most heavily armoured part of a Judges uniform.  Wallace shoots 3 AP rounds into the cyborgs leg.  Steele fires another AP round at another citizen whose body goes limp.  Que calls Sector Control for an H-Wagon backup and throws a Stumm gas grenade at the observation deck which is slowly filling up with gas.  Shaking of the headshot, Hiro fires a 3 shot burst of AP into Henchborg #2.  Holmes spies two more henchborgs emerging from the shadows and immediately abandons his CCTV station running as fast as she can to the elevator.

Henchborg #3 fires at Hiro and Henchborg #3 fires at Wallace, both miss.  Avoiding the gunfight and the billowing cloud of gas, a group of 4 lemming like citizens leap off the balcony landing in a bone crunching heap below.   Emerging from the pile of bodies, Steele pulls down his respirator and heads for the stairs.  Que gets a bead on Faraway and fires a 3 shot burst of Grenade rounds.  He locks her in a stare as a round hits him in the leg blowing off his foot and ankle.  Hiro tossess a grenade through the balcony glass showering the two Henchborgs in shrapnel and knocking them down.

The unmistakeable drone of a hover vehicle pierces the chaos and a bright yellow hover-taxi floats  into the hotel over the pool.  Whoever's driving that vehicle has just earned an immediate ban and a charge of Dangerous Driving (Code 201: 5 to 15 Years).

Holmes frantically presses the lift buttons to the Lido Deck.  Wallace fires 3 rounds of AP at the oncoming taxi but misses.  Steele gets to the top of the stairs and shoots 3 Grenade rounds at Faraway who is crouching by the edge of the balcony.  The grenades explode showering Faraway's other leg with shrapnel.  Que fires 3 Grenade rounds into the taxi as it slews alonside the balcony with its door open.

Faraway crawls desperately from the balcony into the taxi leaving a trail of blood, and one foot, behind him.  The taxi door swooshes closed and it begins to accelerate away from the scene.

With a bong the elevator doors open and Holmes has a clear shot at the soft mechanical parts of the taxi.  She calmly selects High Explosive rounds and fires a salvo of perfectly timed shots.  The first punches a hole in the floor of the cab, the second passes through the hole and explodes inside the cab, the third blows apart the fuel lines causing the engines to splutter and a fireball erupts from the underside of the cab.

The taxi leaves a firey trail as it coughs and splutters to its death sliding along the perfectly manicured lawn before finally tipping into the pool.  A dull thud shakes the entire block as the cab explodes.

Back at the Sector House

The Judges spend a few hours in the rejuve tanks before reporting to Sector Chief Belloch for debrief.

"Iona Skye has been safely returned to her apartment and compensated for the damage to her property and the distress caused by the perps.  The bodies of Nigel Faraway and the Taxi Cab driver were recovered from the scene of the crime along with the four hired henchborgs.  Tek Squad are doing a full autopsy on their brains to find out who they were, who performed the surgery and who they worked for.  The hotel guests injured in the shoot-out are all making excellent recoveries thanks to your swift actions.  The BREXIT Campaign HQ was raided last night and arrests made, we're submitting them all to lie detector testing to find out who knew what and when.  Tom Vampire is on his way to Luna City so he's Witness Protection's problem now.

The Tek Squad matched the idol to the hood ornament of a Class 1 Mega Hauler.  These behemoths were used to move Pre-Atomic blocks from the edges of the Radzone to their current location and foundations built around them.  Iona Skye is one of the last citizens alive with first hand knowledge of how to operate these machines.

Several explosions have occured on pedways and zoomways connecting Thatcher Towers to the rest of the blocks in the Eurozone.  Arrests have been made and the remaining Nitro-9 recovered.  Citi-Def units in Thatcher Towers have been disbanded and a period of Martial Law has been enacted until such time as new Citi-Def units can be established.  

An alien invasion from the Pokemon dimension is currently being dealt with.  Tek Judges have developed containment field generators (CFGs) which are being issued as we speak.  If you spot any of these cute looking furry spugs then make sure you use your CFGs.  Until we know the scale of the threat, their capabilities and just what they're doing in Mega City One, the policy is Catch 'em All!.

Well, what are you waiting for a medal? Get out there and dispense some Justice!"

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209 
• Prog 6 -Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maison
• Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower
• Prog 9 - Beneath Thatcher Towers
• Prog 10 - Confronting Nigel Faraway

Prog 10 - Confronting Nigel Faraway

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules.

The Tech Judges performing the crime scene investigation of the basement temple in Thatcher Towers have identified the bodies of the dead cultists.  All 13 are residents of Thatcher Towers and are wearing clothing displaying their respective Citi-Def Chapter insignia.

They have taken a 3D scan of the idol statue and are preparing to run through BARNEY and MAC when computer time becomes available.

BREXIT Campaign Headquarters

The Judges contact Nigel Faraways campaign office and arrange an appointment.  They take the lift from level 10 to level 300.  The office is located in a converted shop in one of the blocks gentrified retail parks.  They are met by Philomena Plune (PA) and Doug Sucka (Campaign Manager).

The Judges request a full report on Nigel Faraway's Campaign Finances from BARNEY.

Philomena Plune supplies the Judges with a copy of the BREXIT Manifesto from the recent campaign which states the 3 Guiding Principles of BREXIT which are:

1. Only a vote for BREXIT guarantees a positive move away from the Eurozone
2. BREXIT will begin with the breaking of all physical ties to blocks in the Eurozone
   
   
3. Residents must prepare themself for the impact of BREXIT
   

Doug Sucka tells the Judges that following the successful election. Mr Faraway has gone on a two week holiday for some much needed rest and relaxation.  Nigel does not want to be disturbed and so he has kept the location of his holiday retreat a secret known only to his closest assistant Tom Vampire.

Interview with a Vampire

The Judges continue their investigation at the Sector House holding cubes.  Judge Steele proceeds to interrogate Tom Vampire and offers him some encouragement in the form of a reduced sentence.  Vampire is visibly nervous and intimidated by the imposing Steele but begins recounting the first time he met Faraway by chance when they shared an elevator together.  Faraway was impressed with the sartorial elegance of Tom Vampire and said that he could use someone who projected the right impression.  He had no prior experience of politics but he surmised that his previous job as a sewage worker demolishing fatbergs in and around the Eurozone meant he could put up with a lot of shit.

L to R: Nigel Faraway and Tom Vampire

Their relationship grew stronger as they worked closely together.  Faraway confided in Vampire.  He revealed to him that BREXIT quite literally could not happen without Nitro-9.  Tom procured the Nitro-9 from Pepe Le Peu.  Nigel had given him the briefcase to deliver to Le Peu which he assumed contained the payment for the Nitro-9.  Tom did not know when the whereabouts but he knew that it had been delivered.

Hiro calls Sector Chief Belloch to discuss the possibility of entering Tom Vampire into the winess protection programme on Luna City.  Belloch agrees to the transfer and assures Tom Vampire that he will be on a Lunar Shuttle in another 48 hours.

Tom reveals the location of Nigel Faraways holiday retreat.  He has booked a two week vacation at El Chupacabra, a luxury spa hotel which occupies the top 100 floors of Jessica Alba block.

Hotel Chupacabra takes up the top 100 floors of Jessica Alba Block

Welcome to The Hotel Chupacabra

Two hours later Deputy Assistant Under Concierge Hector Ramirez tells the Judges that Mr. Faraway is currently booked into Suite 666.  He tells them that he and his elderley mother gave strict instructions that he was to be left alone, no media or fans were to be allowed to see him and any deviation from that order would result in a very public review on Trip Advisor.  Ramirez also tells them that Mr Faraway was accompanied by his two sons who were exceptionally big and strong and bore no familial resemblance to Mr Faraway.

He also explained that the hotel's reputation was built on it's strict observation of client confidentiality.

Suite 666 is located on the 66th floor of the hotel at the end of a wide corridor behind a pair of synthi-oak doors emblazoned with a brass plaque on which is etched a picture of tri-vid movie actor Ricardo Montalban and the words "The Khan Noonien Singh Suite"

Hiro attemps the number 5 breaching protocal but the door resists his shoulder barge.  An eyebot emerges from the wall next to the door and demands to see a warrant.  Hiro bombards the eyebode with legal arguments, citing chapter and verse from the only book that really matters in Mega City One... The Law.  The eyebot concedes in the face of overwhelming precedence and opens the door.  It informds the Judges that Mr Faraway and his ebntourage are currently relacing on the Lido deck.

Investigating the rooms, the Judges notice that one room contains a few signs that it has been recently occupied by Iona Skye, namely the pungent odourand the collection of hotel toiletry bottels that are now filled with urine.

Judge Wallace contacts the Hotel Lobby and tells Ramirez to invent a reason to call Mr Faraway to the hotel reception.  They enact Judicial Security Override protocols and patch the hotle's CCTV feed into the suite's huge Tri-D vid screen.  They watch as Faraway orders one of the two burly henchmen to deal with it.  The henchman makes his way to reception and then is met by a waiter with a trolley.  They enter the lift and the waiter dials in floor 66. The Judges get ready to receive visitors.

NEXT PROG -> Showdown on the Lido

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209 
• Prog 6 -Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maison
• Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower
• Prog 9 - Beneath Thatcher Towers

Mega City One - Citizens on Parade

Thanks to Lockdown, I am currently going through a phase of creativity.  Mostly this involves catching up on a lot of long overdue painting projects.  

One such project has been my Mega City One citizens.

These minis were painted in two batches the best part of 2 years apart and come from the always affordable Ground Zero Games (GZG) Star Grunt range.  Specifically these were:

• SG15-V07 - Armed Civilians/Colonists pack A (8 figs)
• SG15-V08 - Armed Civilians/Colonists pack B (8 figs)
• SG15-V09 - Armed Civilians/Colonists pack C (8 figs)

Unit 1: Colourful Crazies

These were painted almost two years ago, just in time for my Judge Dredd game using the Starblazer Adventures Rules, Tales from Mega City One.  They are just everyday citizens that have had enough of the dog eat mutie existence of Mega City One and have taken up their stub gun for one last hurrah.

Colourful Crazies

Unit 2: Purple Punks

This was the first of the most recent batch where I began colour coordinating the figures.  This makes batch painting a lot easier and allows easy in-game gang association.  If its purple then they are members of the purple punks or the Paisley Park Citi-Def (see the Prince reference there?)

Purple Punks

Unit 3: The Orange Crew

This unit are mostly wearing coveralls and caps and the high-viz orange makes them easily double for a work team from Resyk or some other municipal facility.  I have two easily distinguishable units to make running a small scale Block War that much easier.

Resyk workers or Block Warriors?  You decide.

Unit 4: The Yellow Jackets

Continuing with the colour coordination I went with a Yellow and Blue combo for the last unit.  This gives me another distinct and identifiable team of citizens (or IKEA workers) to pit against my player's Judges.

Yellow Jackets are fierce and tenacious defenders of flatpack swedish furniture

I fully intend to broaden my range of Mega City One citizens once I find some appropriate minis.  In the old thinking box I have dreams of Kleggs (and Klegg hounds), Fatties, Protesters, Street Punks, Droids, Apes...

I am not a number I am a free man!

If you are wondering what is going on with the bases, that is a secret weapon in target acquisition and wound attribution.  I could easily have painted numbers on the bases, but that's boring and so 1999.  I feel it's much more in keeping with the Urban Jungle theme to have road markings and slogans differentiating each figure.

You are number 6... No I'm not I'm Slurm!