Saturday, 27 March 2021

Sector 55 Blues - Prog 7 - Into The Cursed Earth

Sector 55 Blues is a Judge Dredd Campaign using the Savage Dredd unnofficial Savage Worlds Expansion.  This is an online only game with members from Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.

Aftermath at The Two Ways Public House

Judge Teal calls it in.

"We've got a dead Judge and five dead perps at The Two Ways in Benny Hill Block.  I need a meat wagon stat."  

"Who's the dead Judge" replies control "Going to need to inform the Watch Commander".

"It is the Watch Commander... Judge Govan is dead"  

A full complement of forensic judges descend on the crime scene and start to pick apart the aftermath of the shootout.  The death of one of his senior officers brings a personal visit from Sector Chief Judge Ezquerra to the crime scene. 

He walks past Hammer who is hunched over one of the Bikes trying to get its computer to home in on his bleeper.  A flashing green dot can be seen entering a mixed use zone in city bottom about 5 miles away.  The spot stops moving at an intersection on Salmond and 110th street.

Ezquerra balls out the four Judges for the destruction of Justice Department property.

"If the department gave you a salary I'd be taking the cost of repairs to those bikes out of it.!!"

Walking into the foyer of The Two Ways he surveys the seen of destruction and the body of Judge Govan which lies underneath the heavy steel treads of The Crushinator. 

"Judge Govan was a fine officer, one of the old school, he'll be hard to replace but not impossible.  We are all replaceable.

I've brought you four new bikes now get out there and hunt down Rabies Nesbitt.  Nobody gets away with Judge Homicide on my watch and roams free.  What are you waiting for? Go!! 

Sector Chief Judge Ezquerra
Sector Chief Judge Ezquerra orders a manhunt

What the Bleep!

The Judges gun their lawmasters through the dimly lit streets of city bottom following the computers directions to the intersection.  This part of the sector is so close to Great Western Wall that its streets never see daylight and are continually bathed in its 500ft tall shadow.  

Illegally parked on the pavement at the intersection is the red hatchback.  Cully notices a loose manhole cover to the right of the vehicle and Hammer calls up CCTV of the area from MAC.  A jerky grainy feed is patched through to his bike showing an obviously wounded Rabies getting out of the ar and walking around the front towards the manhole and dissapearing from view..

Cully opens the manhole revealling a 10ft drop into the sewer below.  Blood spots trail down the ladder into the sewer below.  The others notice that there are two boxes which match the one that fell out of the vehicle as it made its getaway from The Two Ways.  It is likely packed to the brim with these wig creatures and present a threat to the inquisitive citizens of Sector 163.

Their brief debate about what to do is settled when Cully fires two incendiary rounds into the vehicle setting it ablaze

"Into the sewer boys, he's got a head start on us"

The blood trail leads West and about a hundred feet along, the left sewer wall is broken open leading to a short hand excavated cross tunnel which intersects a service shaft filled with electrical conduits and other essential services which feed the Great Western Wall.  The trail of blood continues to a circular metal grate in the wall, a hot dry breeze blows through the grate carrying with it the unmistakeable smell of death.  

Hammer fires an incendiary round down the shaft which explodes with Justice Department efficiency scorching the walls clean of anything which might have been alive.  They clamber into the 5 foot wide shaft and inch their way along for what seems like an age until they emerge from the wall and stare out onto the bleak and barren windswept irradiated dustbowl that is THE CURSED EARTH.

The Cursed Earth
The Cused Earth - A barren and desolate irradiated wasteland

 The blood trail leads over a small dune and stops by a set of huge vehicle tracks which head east.  This looks like a planned rendezvous.

Taking a ride on the Express Elevator to Hell  

They call for an H-Wagon to come pick them up from the other side of the wall and their conversation is cut off by Judge Ezquerra

"I've been in touch with Sector 55 and these hairy creatures are taking over.  Only Rabies has the answer to this infestation and I want him alive".

Ten minutes later a Strat-bat lands at their 20 and pilot Judge Maverick shouts at them "We are your ride, get in".  In the back of the long range cargo carrier are a four bikes and a few extra supplies.  Each judge is issued a Rad Kit including meters, medical supplies, rad suits, one man pop-up tents and 14 days rations.  Their bikes are fitted with extra large panniers and a set of emergency sat comms gear.

The Strat-bat dusts off an half an hour later they are following the vehicle tracks using nap of the earth navigation.  Teal orders the pilot to get some altitude as there's a high chance that the perps are armed.

As the H-Wagon climbs to 200 ft and crests a dune the pilots see a large wheeled vehicle in the distance belching black smoke.  Sirens blare as the Electronic Counter Measures computer warns them that it has detected a weapons lock.  Moments later the right engine explodes. and the H-Wagon crashes into a canyon.

Cannibal Canyon

As the dust settles the Judges survey their immediate surroundings.  The back half of the shuttle has been torn off.  The pilots have not been so lucky.  The cockpit is a crumpled mess of tangled metal and sparking wires.  Blood drips from the steel.

VTOL Crash Site Battlemap
VTOL Crash Site Battlemap - Get a free 140dpi version from Fragmaps

Their bikes were stowed tightly and it takes but a moment to release the loading straps and wheel them outside.

As they survey their new predicament at the bottom of a 50ft deep canyon, Hammer spots a human sillhouette on the east canyon wall and then another and another.  His years of training kick in and he dodges as a primitive spear made from one arm of a pair of gardening shears lands six inches from his foot.  

A gravelly voice shouts down from the rim of the canyon

"We're gonna come down there Judges, we're gonna come down there and catch you, we're gonna catch you and we're gonna EAT YOU!"

Their day just keeps getting better.  Cannibals!! 

Cully indirectly fires a grenade round which arcs over the rim and explodes with it's familiar crack.  A scream goes up from one of the perps above.

Hammer manoeuvres his bike onto one of the storage crates which has been tossed from the wreck.  He can't quite get the elevation and his Cyclops Laser cannon only succeeds in turning a portion of the canyon wall into molten glass.

A cloud of black smoke belches from the vehicle above the canyon rim as it lurches North.  

The Judges gun their bikes in the same direction.  Hopefully there is a way out and they can head these wasteland scavengers off at the pass. 

Next Prog ->

Back Issues

Prog 1 - Suits You Sir - Mosh 55 rob Zlooty Slute's Suits You and a body is discovered.

Prog 2 - Hair Today Gone Tomorrow - Rock Dwayneson's apartment and carnage at the Yes-A-Bout

Prog 3 - It's Ugly Out There - Fun and Games at the Ugly Pageant 

Prog 4 - Down, Down, Deeper and Down - Entering the sewers under RESYK

Prog 5 - The Big Wig - Confronting the beast below the city

Prog 6 - Last Orders at The Two Ways Pub - A shootout in Sector 163

Thursday, 25 March 2021

How Do I Start Playing Dungeons and Dragons

We've all had to begin somewhere and when I started playing nearly 40 years ago the internet didn't exist to help.

Find a Local Dungeons & Dragons Group

When you first start playing roleplaying games you need to learn from other players.  Critical Role and other streamed "Live" games are fine, but they are edited professional voice actors and that's going to give you an unrealistic expectation of what the game is like to play with normal people.  

Learn to play Dungeons and Dragons
Learning to play from experienced players is the best way

Joining a local group is the best way for you to learn the basics before you begin investing time and money into the hobby.  You will meet people who have been playing for years and can help you get up to speed straight away.

At my Friday night Tabletop Roleplay Group, Dragons Keep Roleplay Club, we are always welcoming to players new to the hobby and will help you to create a character and learn the basic rules.  We have experienced Games Masters who have been running Dungeons & Dragons for many years 

Google search terms like:

Roleplayers are everywhere and anyone

Even if you live in the back of beyond you will find that there are small groups of players in your town who have been quietly playing their games for years.  They will be from all walks of life and all kinds of people.  Roleplayers are some of the most diverse hobby groups I've ever come across.
 
They will advertise spaces on some of the many Roleplaying Forums like

Buy a starter set

Dungeons and Dragons has a long history of producing starter boxes which give you a simplified cut down version of the game, a starter adventure and even teach you how to play the game.  In fact they contain pretty much everything you need to get yourself up and running with the game.

Most game systems will have multiple starter set entry points.  Dungeons and Dragons has at least 3

For younger players there is even a boardgame version of D&D called Adventure Begins which will get you started.

 

Tuesday, 23 March 2021

Cosmic Sin or Cinematic Crime?

Cosmic Sin is a new straight to streaming release starring Frank Grillo & Bruce Willis written and Directed by Francis Drake (Breach, Broil).

Low budget does not automatically mean bad

Cosmic Sin
A Cosmic Mistake
If I only watched big budget blockbuster movies I would miss out on those true gems which defy the odds and punch like a champion.  Films like the The Brass Teapot, or my all time favourite The Adventures of  Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension would never have seen the sparring ring never mind being on the title card.

Sadly this movie is not a contender.  It begins as a zombie movie before turning into a sci-fi shooter and really doesn't know what it wants to be.  Is it a straight up guns blazing action movie or is it a polemic on the nature of war and genocide of hostile alien species?  Are humans the bad guys here or were the aliens irredeemable?

It doesn't matter because it never holds onto its train of thought long enough until it's onto the next scene.  Pacing is in fact diabloical.

One huge complaint that I have is the dialogue for CJ Perry's character.  I think she had some great punch lines, like a sassy Vasquez, but the audio was terrible when she delivered them and I'll never get the joke. 

High Points?  

It's not all bad and there are some moments where the movie shines.  The suits look fantastic and the nig bad alien costumes are pretty good.  This is a Saban production so you get Power Rangers quality costumery.  Stalwart TV actor Costas Mandylor uses his screen time to great effect making everyone look wooden by comparison.  


However, it's not enough to save this movie especially when it gets to the final act where it completely loses the plot quite literally.  It's almost like the final quarter of the movie is from an entirely different movie.

It's not like I didn't give it a fair shake of the stick.

I watched it twice so that you don't have to...

Monday, 22 March 2021

Reaper Bones #32 - Kord The Destroyer

Wow!, what an amazing pose for miniature monday.

Kord The Destroyer - Bobby Jackson (SKU 77061)

Kord The Destroyer
SKU 77061 - Kord The Destroyer

There's not really much to say that Bobby Jackson's sculpt doesn't already capture perfectly.  Muscles upon muscles, a skyrim inspired horned helmet, furs, a wolfs head, dual wielding a sword and a great axe.  

If he got in a fight with Conan, "By Crom!" I don't know who would come out on top?

Bones Progress

Sunday, 21 March 2021

Newsround 14th to 20th Mar 2021

This week's roundup of what caught my eye on the internet.

Justice League the Snyder Cut 

The long awaited (and hard fought for) directors cut of the panned Justice league movie was released on HBO Max on the 18th March.  This was definitely on my list of films to see although I'm wasn't sure I would be able to to manage the advertised 4 hour run time in one sitting.  Thank God for streaming services where you can resume watching from where you left off.

Justice League - The Snyder Cut
Justice League - The Snyder Cut

I won't spoil it for anyone, but if you saw the original movie and thought it were dissapointed then you are in for a real treat.  There's more bonus material in this than the original so really it is a completely different movie.
 
I have long argued that DC do their best work with their animated movies.  Don't agree with me, then you probably haven't seen Justice League: War (2014), Batman: Ninja (2018), Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) , either Justice League Dark (2017) or Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) and not forgetting Superman Red Son (2020).

I am also rarely impressed with Director's cuts.  I am a huge fan of the original theatrical release of Bladerunner (1982) as I thought Harrison Ford's Mikey Spillane voiceover added so much detail and really missed it in the Ridley Scott cut.  
 
That said I still I hold out hope for the 4 hour long cut of David Lynch's Dune (1984).
Comic Relief
Fresh from their two successful live stream games Comic Relief are giving you all the opportunity to enter a competition to win a seat at an epic two day Live D&D event at Warwick Castle.

The game will be hosted by Mark Hulmes (High Rollers D&D) plus other Renaissance Fayre style events like a jousting tournament, the chance to win a handcrafted sword, a falconry exhibition and learn how to fight like a hero from medieval experts.  
 
You can donate on the Comic Relief website and the competition closes on 4th April 2021.

Gaslands (mad max with matchbox cars) has been a bit quiet since the epic launch of Gaslands Refuelled.  
 
This week saw the release of TX4 - Wasteland Survival Handbook which is essentially a series of 6 scenarios which form a wasteland campaign.  This is not a huge update, there are no additional factions for example.  Instead it focuses on building a system for running a championship tournament.  
 
It's all about flavour and whilst fans have been stringing race series together since the game was published three years ago, TX4 brings a canonised version to your game.

 
Gaslands at Dragons Keep
Gaslands at Dragons Keep

I'm a big fan of Gaslands and it is by far my favourite set of post apocalyptic car combat rules (believe you me I've tried em all).  When my club Dragons Keep can host one of its famous Game Day events following the relaxation of lockdown, I will be dusting off my Gaslands Cars and enjoying some car carnage.

Dragons Keep now on YouTube

We now have a YouTube channel which we can use to show off how awesome our club and its members are.  Expect regular content updates once we are back in our venue and we can take some video footage of our fantastic facilities.  To whet your appetite here is a little video featuring some of the modelling prowess of our talented miniature painting members Sam & Tony.  (Ed: they paint miniatures they aren't miniature members!!)

 
I've never had a problem with people copying what we do at Dragons Keep, after all imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Especially when you are unimaginative and not very creative.  As they say "you've got to keep up with the Dragons Keep" isn't that right Mrs. Jones.