'Infected' Zombies & Survivor SUV

    Infected zombies from Kraken 3D Studios swarm around a 3-D printed Land Rover

When I had ordered my 3-D printed zombies from John at JS Wargamer Printing, he'd given me a choice of standard modern zombies or "infected" ones from The Last of Us series. Of course, I had said, "Both!" This is my first batch of 10 zombies of the infected variety, with the Cordyceps fungus projects growing out of them. They are from the Apocalypse Dawn range designed by Kraken 3D Studios.

    Bloated or 'Nasty Zombies' painted up as infected "good old boys" in bib overalls and ball caps

Since many zombie games differentiate types of zombies, I decided to use this batch to create "runner" zombies and bloated or "Nasty Zombies" (as the Zombie RV rules call them). In this batch of 10, there was one pose each of a zombie that I thought could work for a runner and another pose that could be a bloated one. So, I tossed three of each into the batch, along with four more standard infected zombies -- if there is such a thing! What's more, I decided to make it even easier for me or my players to identify the runners and nasties as such and did a slightly different basing on these zombies. If you look closely, you will see the bloated zombies have a brick look to their basing and the runners have a smoother cobbled surface as opposed to the asphalt-looking ballast.

    These views do a good job of showing the Cordyceps fungal infections sprouting from the zombies

The most notable thing about this batch is they all have fungus growths projecting from their skin or clothes. In some cases, it is very marked and easy to see. On others, it is a little more subtle. One of the first questions I had was what color I should paint these growths. I did lots of Google Image searches and reading up on fan pages for the show for suggestions. I wasn't overwhelmed by the detail. I remember most of the scenes from the series that contain the infected being rather dark. I ended up settling on a light terra cotta base coat with a dull yellow highlight. A black wash over it would give it more depth and darken it up a bit. All in all, I'm happy with how the "infection" on my infected turned out.

    My 'runner' type zombies with their different bases to hopefully aid in telling them apart

The bloated ones are probably the most characterful of the designs. They are wearing bib overalls that are falling down along with a ball cap. I wanted to make each of the three look different even those the poses are identical. So, one got standard jeans look to their overalls, while another got a very faded, light blue tone. The third one had a brown Carhatt look to them. For the hats, I couldn't resist. I gave one a red and white MAGA cap, though making lettering small enough was probably beyond my skill -- even with the micron pens. Another is supposed to be a John Deere cap, while the third is a Cleveland Browns cap (if you can even tell!). I like how they turned out, in general, though I wish I was better at tiny details.

    I like how Kraken designed the ripped and tattered clothing of the zombies in this line

The runners were a bit easier, since all I had to do was use different colors of clothes, hair, and shoes. I like how the sculpts (can you call them that if they are designed and printed electronically?) have their shoes worn away and toes showing in places. For the runners' unique bases, I found some patterned styrene with a cobbled design. I did it in a lighter gray than the standard zombies, but kept it in gray and black so they wouldn't be confused with the nasty zombies' brick pattern. I really like the running pose and it is probably one of my favorite ones of the zombies I got from John.

    I really liked the other four poses, too -- especially the female crouching in green pants

There was a lot of variety in the four remaining zombies in this batch. Most notable is the female one wearing the bright green pants. Her crouched pose shows off her more female physique than some of the other female zombies from the previous two batches. She looks horrifying and like she's ready to spring on some poor survivor. I also like the one on the far right in the above photo. His dense Cordyceps infection sprouting out of his shoulder looks painful in a very cool, deformed sort of way. I also like the classic pose on the far left holding his hand up. You can almost hear him moaning for brains...ha, ha!

    The vehicle is a 3D printed Land Rover from Diabolical Terrain "dirtied up" a bit for the apocalypse

Finally, the 3D printed land rover was from Ron Weaver of Diabolical Terrain. He had a batch on sale at DayCon 2024 and this is the second of those I bought from him there that I have painted up. They are actually fairly easy and quick to paint up. I spray paint them black, then follow that up with a 50/50 mix of water and acrylic black paint to make sure it seeps into all of the crevices. I like the metallic green craft paint I used for it -- the shade seems like something you see on the streets fairly commonly. I gave it some dents with accompanying rust and a black wash overall. If it has a bit of a "dusty" look, that was unintentional. After four days of waiting to spray coat these zombies and land rover, dissuaded each day by the incredibly high humidity in Columbus, I decided to risk it. I think there IS a little frosting that happened to it. It's much more noticeable on the metallic green car than the zombie skin or clothes. However, wouldn't an automobile in the apocalypse typically have a layer of ash over it? So, in the end, between the dark blasck wash and the maybe humidity frosting, it works!

 So, what's next on my tabletop? A slight change of pace. I had a batch of five Sci-Fi type personalities on my desk that I have begun. More on what I will use them for in another post...

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 90

First Game of Xenos Rampant - Bronze Legion Fends Off Invasion!

 

    A unit of Tyrannid Lesser Xenomorphs is suppressed by fire from Bronze Legion heavy infantry

Months after I thought I'd be hosting my first game of Xenos Rampant Sci-Fi battle rules, it finally happened. Six of us gathered for our regular Sunday night gaming session to game out a scenario that I had adapted from the rules. A number of things got in the way, including my own travel and dragging my feet getting the last couple things done. I had four of my own detachments painted and ready, and I'd borrowed two from my friend Keith (of Orcafinn's Basement). We would do a three detachments per side big battle.

    Defenders of the planet are on the right (Mike W, Allen, Mike S) and invaders on the left

Although, Xenos Rampant bills itself as a "skirmish" game, I tend to think of it more of as a battle game. Players control more than just a handful of figures. The smallest 24-point detachment in figure number last night was the Terminators, who had 15 mechanoid figures and one crab bot walker. Although that one may be "skirmish" size, the others were not. The largest was Keith's Tyrannid force (that I commanded) of 50 figures. I consider that many a battle game rather than a skirmish. I had the terrain set out and the forces set out along their board edges when my players arrived. I let them pick their seats, choosing their detachment in the process. 

    A detachment of Terminators advances through the parkland to take out the city power station

The scenario featured an off-world invasion by the "bad guys," with the planet being defended by a coalition of forces. The mercenary Bronze Legion had been entrusted to spearhead the defense, aided by a detachment of blue-skinned Anadorans, and an allied contingent of intelligent apes (my Planet of the Apes figures). Mike W commanded the simians, Allen the Bronze Legion, and Mike S the Anadorans. 

    The Tyrannid assault force enters the bombarded city and swarms towards the shield generator

The invaders -- Keith, Joel, and myself -- had an objective building that we had to end the game within 3" of, which would earn us 3 points per building. I rationalized we were trying to knock out the planet's defenses on the ground so our space bombardment could them pound them into submission. Meanwhile, the defenders got their points by destroying or routing our units (one point each). I was in the center with the Tyrannid swarm of xenomorphs (think of the movie Alien). Keith controlled his "Space Dorks," as he called them. These figs were likely old Warhammer Space Ork figures that his sister had seen and kindly picked up for him in a garage sale. On my right was Joel, commanding my Terminator detachment -- two units of Mechanoid Terminators and one of Battle Droids. They were supported by a Crab Bot Walker. 

    On our left, Keith's 'Space Dorks' begin their advance upon the city's fuel depot guarded by the apes

Each player had one of my own Quick Reference Sheets that I had created for the game. I walked them through the rules, taking little more than 20 minutes to do so. Keith had played the game once at Cincycon 2024 and Mike S had (like me) read the rules. I think the players did a great job picking up the concepts and mechanics. Any questions we had were along the line of "Do you need line of sight if using Support Fire for your Support Infantry (artillery) unit?" There were very few questions about movement, shooting, or testing morale. One thing that confused the players, as I expected, was Xenos Rampant's decision to use a generic word like "Attack" for melee combat. I may on future QRS and unit cards simply change it to Melee. When you hear the word attack, you don't necessarily translate that to charging and entering melee with a unit. I wish they'd used the word 'Melee' instead in the rules!

    Two units of Anadoran heavy infantry are supported by a Crab Bot as they guard the power station

The table was fairly dense with troops. I had three, 24-point detachments opposing an equal sized force on an 8'x4' battlefield. The rules recommend a one-on-one match up between two 24-point detachments be fought on a 4'x4' table. I was adding only 2' per extra opposed forces. However, my gaming table is only 8' wide, so what are you going to do? I wanted to test it out and see if this is a good sized force for players to command. I think 24 points works really well for one player. All of us were essentially new to the game and had little trouble keeping track of and commanding their forces. 

Tyrannids learned to advance through heavy cover to lessen the defending fire of the Bronze legion

One feature of the "Rampant" series of rules is that if you fail a unit activation, your turn ends. The other units you did not get to yet stay in place and do not move or fire. However, Xenos Rampant also has "free actions" for virtually every unit type. For example, Heavy Infantry Shoot for free, meaning they do not need to roll 2d6 and equal or exceed their Shoot activation number. They simply declare their shooting and roll their attack. Light Infantry, on the other hand, move for free. However, when they get into position and want to shoot on subsequent turns, they will have to roll their Shoot activation to do so. Everyone quickly got into the hang of doing all their free activations first before risking any rolls. There were very few players who lost their turn because of an early failure in their turn.

    Space Dork militia and jetpack infantry seize a block of buildings as the first stage of their attack

We found the Xenos Rampant to be a game where you grind down your enemy's units. This does not seem to be one of quick charges and destruction of enemy units type of games. You wear away at them instead, turn after turn. My opponents, the Bronze Legion, had one Heavy Infantry unit that withstood at least three or four Tyrannid charges of Lesser Xenomorphs before they were finally wiped out by the Queen's unit of Greater Xenomorphs. To my right, Mike S and Joel were engaged in a long, steady battle of attrition. Each of them had lost at least two units, as far as I could tell. It was only when the Terminator's Walker was driven off that it because obvious the Anadorans had repelled the Mechanoid assault.

    Our first charge against the Robot Support Gun put damage on it, but we could never knock it out

In the center, I launched wave after wave of "Wild Charges" at the heavy and elite infantry of the Bronze Legion. I also sent in more than one assault against their Robot Support Gun vehicle. The problem was that their infantry held firm against just about every charge. We would be driven back, and then they would shoot us on their turn. So, we were taking incremental losses on both our turn and their turn, while they were losing figures only on my turn. I don't think Allen's Bronze Legion ever failed a Courage Test, either. What's worse, there was one disastrous turn when two of my Lesser Xenomorphs failed theirs and had to recover from suppressed on my turn instead of charging. This gave the enemy an extra turn of fire, which in the end, I feel is what broke the back of the Tyrannid assault.

    Meanwhile, the Terminator force closes in on the Anadorans as both sides exchange gunfire

Partway through, I did shift my forces away from where the bulk of his where once I'd seen the handwriting on the wall. He had four of his units deployed to the left of my objective building, the city's shield generator. However, there was only one unit of Heavy Infantry to the right of it. I moved my Queen's Greater Xenomorphs up and they were able to charge in and wipe out the heavy infantry. It was Allen's only lost unit, and just about his only lost figures, too! After our success, the Bronze Leigon's two units of elite infantry simply moved out far enough to target my queen's unit. Of course, since the Greater Xenomorphs have the "Wild Charge" trait, they had to charge in against one of the elite units. It WAS the one containing his commander, though. So, if I could wipe them out and kill his commander, maybe morale checks would swing the tide? No, it was not to be! All of the queen's bodyguards were killed, and on the next turn, she was gunned down by the elite troopers.

    The Space Dorks make progress on the flank, but it is still too far from their objective

On my left, Keith's battle with the apes was going much better. However, they apes were defending stubbornly, or perhaps Keith wasn't being aggressive enough? He did charge...sorry, "Attack" several times that I saw, though. So, I think it was a case of the gorillas, chimpanzees, and gibbons giving ground grudgingly. When we finally called the game, Keith's push still had momentum, but he was too far away from the objective building to get us any points. The alliance that the Bronze Legion had cobbled together had triumphed. Our plan to drop in three detachments planet side and blow up their shield generators had failed. The invading forces were pushed out of the city, and the space bombardment stopped by their intact shields. The planet was saved!

    Tyrannids "shift right," preparing to overwhelm the lone heavy infantry guarding that side

I think everyone felt comfortable with the rules and learned them quickly. Everyone seemed to enjoy the game, though Mike W is not the biggest miniatures fan and seemed the least enthusiastic. I will definitely run more games of Xenos Rampant, though I may wait for smaller numbers. Every once in awhile we have only 4-5 players instead of six or seven. That way, there could be more maneuver and less of a frontal assault that our table space and scenario dictated. There are 10 different scenario in the rulebook, so I'd like to try some of them out the next time we have a slightly smaller crowd. 

   Queen's Greater Xenomorphs melee the Bronze Legion commander's personal guard of elite infantry

That may mean there is a bit of a time gap between playing games of XR. However, the rules are easy enough to pick up, as my players proved. So, all of the painting and getting ready to try XR finally came to fruition. Although it was a tabletop defeat for my force, it was a personal victory for me that my players had fun and the figures and terrain looked great on the table.  I look forward to the next game!

    After being driven off in their assault, the Queen is then shot down mercilessly by the Bronze Legion

    Pivotal moment as opposing Crab Bots duel it out, with the Anadoran's blue walker winning

    Stung by flanking fire, the Space Dork jetpack infantry charge the Bronze Legion, only be driven off

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 80

Blast Markers...Finally!

So, I've been wanting to do these for a LONG time. I've used flickering tea candles before to make a log cabin on fire, cannibal cook pot, and such. Most recently, I used one at the core of my downed helicopter piece of terrain. However, I'd been wanting explosion markers that I can use on the tabletop to either mark burning areas in a scenarios or whatever. What finally got me going in creating these was the idea of using them as Suppression markers in Xenos Rampant Sci-Fi miniatures rules. A suppression marker denotes a unit that failed a Courage test on the previous turn and must attempt to Rally. How to make sure you don't forget to do that? Tiny cardboard counter saying, "Suppressed"...? Heck no! 

    My flickering tea candles with the bases spray painted black (after masking the plastic "flame")

Those who know me have realized by now that any markers I create for a game must ADD to the look of the game -- not detract from it. For example, for Wiley Games you need a number of marker types. You need something to show that figure has acted already this turn (well, at least you should in case your friends might conveniently "forget"!). I use a flocked and textured round base from a pack I bought from Michigan Toy Soldier Company. It looks good on the tabletop and is unobtrusive. You will also might need "Shock" markers. I have tiny brown smoke markers (bullets kicking up dust around the figure?). For a figure that is stealthy, we use a tiny flocked piece of vegetation. Long ago, they earned the nickname "hunker bushes" to mark figures that had "hunkered down" to gain better defense.

    The "batting" material used to stuff pillows or teddy bears before spraying black

So, it should be no surprise that, once I'd decided to create these, I bought a pack of small, flickering tea lights from Hobby Lobby. I immediately went out and watched a bunch of YouTube videos on how to create explosion markers from them. In the end, this is what I decided to do, step by step.

1. Put masking tape or painters tape around the plastic "flame" part of the candle. Then spray paint them with matte black paint or primer.
2. Use wire cutters to cut off the flame at about the halfway point. You need a wide enough area to insert three fiber optic cables.
3. Cut three different lengths of 2mm fiber optic material. I had to buy it off Amazon because I couldn't find any store locally that sold it. Insert those into the open area of the plastic flame and press them down against the tiny little LED light at the bottom. Add Tacky Glue where the fiber optic material touches the edge of the plastic flame you cut off to affix it in place.
4. Once dry, take pliers to flatten out and deform the ends of the fiber optic material so it looks like slag or molten fragments being flung into the air.
   
5. Cut a section of "batting material" -- the stuffing you put in pillows or teddy bears. Cut it so it falls just short of the height of your shortest of the three pieces of fiber optic. Make it long enough to wrap around the base of the tea candle.
6. Place the batting material on a box or something and spray paint the material black, darker at the bottom (to cover up the tea candle once you affix it), but more irregularly nearer the top. There should be a mix of white, gray, and black in your plume of material.
7. Coat the outer cylinder of the tea candle with Tacky Glue, then wrap the batting around it. Don't press it in too hard or the glue will bleed through and make shiny clear spots. The material just needs to NOT unwind.
8. Ka-BOOM -- you're done! 

The tea candle with three lengths of 2mm fiber optic cable inserted into the plastic "flame"

My explosion markers are shorter in height than some you may see on some YouTube videos. That's because I want them to be markers to remember which units are suppressed and have to check morale. And with one of these things flickering in front of the unit, there's no way you'll forget!

    Outer edge of the tea candle painted with Tacky Glue and the batting material that will go around it

Here's a link to the "One Man and his Brushes" blog entry that inspired me, just to let you know that I didn't think of all this myself! What's next on my painting table. More zombies! These the the infected style zombies from the show, "The Last of Us." I currently have the flesh and base coat on the clothes competed. So, expect these early next week!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 80

 

Post-apocalyptic Survivor Van & Characters

 

    Five 28mm survivors from Battle Valor Games leave their 3-D printed van to explore some ruins

I was perusing the Lead Adventure Forum before Origins, and saw a post about a zombie apocalypse rules set called Zombie RV, by Grey Area Games. Released this March by David Bezio, it is a fast-play, tongue-in-cheek survivors vs. zombies miniatures game. The introduction and rules are only six pages, with four extra pages of scenarios. I was intrigued by the simple mechanics, and also by the fact it seemed something that would scale up easily for my larger Sunday evening gaming group. What's more, it also seemed something that you could easily add in character advancement and turn into an ongoing campaign. 

    Many zombie games feature characters without firearms, so I figured that I needed to paint some up!

Yes, I realize that is exactly what I am planning on doing with County Road Z! However, there are a LOT more rules in that book, and it is the campaign rules in County Road Z that attract me than the combat system. The actual combat system for both sets is very simple. So, while I wait on the actual hardcover rulebook to be shipped to me, what's the harm in trying a couple games with these rules?

    I like how these figures came out - their clothes looks worn and scruffy...suitably post-apocalyptic

One thing that both rules sets feature is survivors armed with melee weapons -- not just firearms. Nearly all of my post-apoc figures are armed with some type of gun. So, I figured it was time to dig into the unpainted lead pile and paint up some with just melee weapons. I have a number of these type from Battle Valor Games (which picked up many lines from the defunct Sgt. Major Miniatures). I dug through the packs and picked out five likely ones. I needed to add a weapon to one (who appeared to be just throwing a rock), so drilled out his hand and gave him an axe. An axe is a very thematic anti-zombie weapon, right?/

    I like having my survivor figures wearing stuff like hoodies, leather jackets, tennis shoes, etc.

Two of the figures had leather jackets, so I painted one black and the other brown leather for variety. These fiver are not meant to be a gang, as such. Instead, I painted them relatively generically so that they could be part of any player's group of survivors. I did decide to get a bit fancy with their clothes and gave them logos on their clothes. The leather jackets had biker gang logos on the back, while the others had Under Armor, Adidas, etc. The one in the red hoodie I couldn't resist giving a Woody Hayes style Ohio State University hat. It harkens back to the my Bucknuts survivor gang, one of my favorites that I've painted.

    I used my tiny brush and micron pens to do biker gang logos on the backs of the leather jackets

I also immediately put to use one of my most recent purchases -- the pack of 3-D printed bottles I picked up at Origins from Elrik's Hobbies. Most of the tiny bottles appear to be groupings of 3 or more, but there are some individual ones, too. I was able to snip them off easily and add one to each base after the flocking was done. I painted a couple of the bottles "beer bottle green," two others brown, and a final one a gray/white that I was hoping to get a clear bottle effect from. Not sure it worked out so well (look at the OSU survivor and judge for yourself). I like how the green ones turned out best.

    A 3-D printed van from Diabolical Terrain was painted up alongside this batch of survivors

At the same time I finished these five survivors, I also completed a 3-D printed van that I'd purchased from Diabolical Terrain at DayCon 2024. I spray painted it black, then added a 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water to get it into all of the crevices. Next, I painted the body of the van metallic blue. Of the handful of metallic craft paints that I have purchased, the dark blue is one of my favorites. There are a lot of metallic blue vehicles on the road, so it looks like it fits. The van is modeled with some dents and bangs (from running over zombies?), which I like. I did some rust effect where the metal would have bent and the paint may have come off. The windows are molded solid, so I painted them black and added in white and light blue cracks to show more damage.

    

    The van looks a little beat up, but it will be the "ride" for a group of survivors in my zombie games

I went back and forth whether to base the model like I have done for my other post-apocalyptic vehicles or not. I decided that vehicles that would be the survivors' "rides" would be un-based, while those that are wrecks would be based. This will allow us to move it wherever needed on the tabletop, whether on streets, sidewalks, or through fields, and have it not look out of place. I painted the bumpers a dark gray and the chrome Pewter. At the top of each window, I added in a two-tone blue "sky reflection" off the glass window. Maybe I need to go back in and add tiny diagonal white lines on the black part of the glass so it is obvious what effect I was modeling? What do you think?

So, what's next on my tabletop? I am finally finishing up my suppression markers for Xenos Rampant, using flickering tea candles. I've also begun a batch of 10 "Infected-style" zombies to use for Zombie RV's "fast zombies" and "mean zombies." So, look for those soon, as well! And here's my 2024 to-date tally of painted figures vs. new ones acquired:

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 80

Purchases from Origins 2024

Exhibit Hall at Origins 2024 -- picture taken by another attendee's FB post (thanks Scott Brady!)

I didn't have high expectations for the Exhibit Hall at Origins. It is a multi-genre convention, and to be honest, the role players and board gamers probably outnumber the miniatures folk handily. So, I wasn't expecting a lot of miniatures or terrain that I would want to buy. I do play a decent number of board games, though. There was one I was looking to pick up, and who knows? I might find another one that looked interesting.

    I was looking for this but couldn't find it in the Exhibit Hall

To start with, I couldn't find the one game I was looking for (Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps). It is four years old, but that's not exactly Ancient. So, I was surprised none of the board game companies in the Exhibit Hall carried. it. As for another board game that might catch my eye, most of the big board game companies were not in attendance at Origins. Instead, there were a lot of smaller or mid-size companies in the Exhibit Hall. I glanced at their games, but it was really sensory overload. Dozens and dozens of brightly-colored boards with brightly-colored pieces or counters. Lots of "cutesy" style games, with cartoonish boxes. Nothing really jumped out at me, and other slightly older board games I'd been considering picking up simply weren't on the shelves.

    I liked these 3-D printed "Gatorfolk" miniatures from Beldolor Studies & eventually bought some

I did find one 3-D printed miniature booth that always had a crowd around its table. It was Beldolor Studios. Their figures are anthropomorphic gators, frogs, fish, and other such things. They also had some bizarre, creepy monsters like their Xenocats. Prices were a bit steep at $8 for a 28mm figures, but they also had a bin of misprints. I went back to their booth several times, pondering what to buy. I eventually settled on five of their Gatorfolk -- three misprints that I will change the weapons out on and two Gatorfolk "Thagomizers." Yes, that is Thagomizer, as in a spiky tail from the Far Side cartoon! I will probably use them as aliens for Sci-Fi skirmishes.

 

    I picked up these two bags of 3-D printed bottles to use as debris on the bases of my post-apoc figs

I also stopped by Elrik's Hobbies a number of times, too, deciding what to buy. In the end, I picked up two small packs of 3-D printed bottles to use on bases for my post-apocalyptic and zombie games. I already am tossing 28mm scale bricks onto the bases, as well as rubble, broken pieces of wood, etc. I thought small bottles would be perfect scatter for the bases, too. In fact, I've already snipped off a number of the bottles and put them on the bases of some post-apocalyptic survivors. I also picked up a cavern bridge -- just because it was a very cool model and only $11! Think of the chase scene under the Misty Mountains in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and you'll get an idea what it looks like. 

    I also picked up this Cavern Bridge Set, which at $11 I felt was a steal (it's more than a foot long)

And that's it! Despite being given a $100 Visa gift card recently by a friend, and despite having money from rules sales, I didn't buy anything else. I suppose I will not be so restrained on my purchases next month when Historicon 2024 rolls around. Still, if you look at my tally below, I am still in the green! I've painted more miniatures in 2024 than I've purchased. We will see if that trend keeps up...!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 74

Downtown at Origins, the Streets were Mean!

    The Santanas face off against their rivals, the martial arts gang the Daos, at Origins Game Fair

Many years ago, miniatures were a major part of Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH. Then came a period when the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) focused instead on the big box companies, and the individual GMs running cool miniatures events were shunted to the side. If you didn't want to buy space, they didn't have a use for you -- or at least that's how it felt to us. Time changes all things, though. We began to hear rumors that the new management at GAMA was much more friendly to the humble miniatures game master. That Origins wanted us back, and were seeking us out. 

    The Eastmoor Kings arrive in the turf of hostile gangs, hoping to fight their way through to home

As a member of the Great Lakes chapter of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS-GL), this was intriguing. Origins used to be one of our most fertile recruiting grounds. The people who attended this multi-genre convention were already gamers, and may of them miniatures gamers. We would run dozens and dozens of events, and people from all over the country would see and play in our games, and sign up to be members. The Great Lakes board discussed going back, and agreed it could be worth the effort. Last year, we "dipped our toe" in the water and a handful of us ran games. We learned the system, how things had changed since we were there before, and felt it was worth the effort to try again.

    I filled up 32 of the 36 slots in my six games over the course of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!

This year, we signed up as a "club" to have our own space at Origins. We would recruit game masters, schedule our events, and act as a liaison between the convention organizers and our members running games. That's how GAMA likes to do it, these days, and it worked well. It worked for us because GL member Jenny Torbett stepped forward and volunteered to be the organizer and made our effort possible!We had 47 events scheduled prior for the convention. I decided to go "all in" and run Mean Streets in the morning and evening on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. After last year, I felt it was my best fit for the Origins crowd of the rules sets I have written. The vibe at the convention is more fantasy and Sci-Fi and less historical than most of the shows I attend. Of course, we were taking our first steps to change that, and quite a few historical miniatures events were run both in our area and in other club areas.

    Quiet before the storm -- downtown Columbus set up & tense, waiting for gang warfare to break out

I decided to go with my most recent scenario which casts my Eastmoor Kings gang into the role of the Warriors from the movie of that name (and my inspiration for the rules). I was gratified that nearly every person who came up to my table and spent some moments eyeing it was familiar with the 1979 cult movie classic, The Warriors. I had definitely picked right when trying to fit a game and scenario to what would be popular with the attendees. The scenario has six player slots and I filled 32 of the 36 positions over the course of my six games. I was ecstatic with the player turnout. I honestly couldn't have expected much better than that.

    Five members of the Eastmoor Kings seeking a way through the Mean Streets of Columbus

In the scenario, the Eastmoor Kings have been lured to a gang parley. When no one else shows up, they know they've been duped. Now, they have to try to make it back home to the East side of Columbus through the turf of hostile gangs. Two players take on the role of the Kings, each with a Gang Boss, Warchief, and three Punks under my Mean Streets rules. The other four players each control a different gang of the same composition, with its own secret objectives and hatreds of other gangs. None of them want the Kings passing through their turf, but they dislike their neighbors just as much.

    Before they get home, the Kings have to pass through the turf of the Daos - black, martial arts gang

I ran this scenario earlier this year at both Cincycon and Drums at the Rapids. It went over very well at both shows, and I was hoping it'd be a hit here, too. As it turned out, the players were some of the most enthusiastic I've had yet with my game. I saw so many different possible scenario outcomes over the course of the six games. In the two games where I had only four players, I actually removed the invading Kings from the game and instead hosted a free-for-all among the other four "local" gangs. I think the enthusiasm of my players made me enjoy it as much as them. Even on my last game, Saturday night, it was a riot watching the Santanas carjack vehicles and use them to try to run over opposing players. It may not have been a wildly successful tactic, but it was hilarious for both those at the wheel and those they were attempting to run down.

    'Halt, police!' The police show up in the middle of the board near the end of Saturday night's game

There were games when none of the Kings made it to the bridge and its bus stop on the opposite board edge (their destination was to catch the bus home to their turf). And there was also a game where eight of the 10 Kings made it to the bridge -- the most ever in all my times running this game. There were games when the police arrived early and others when they didn't show up at all. I had police officers (controlled by the player whose gang has nearly been eliminated) shoot opposing gang members and other times when the cops were knocked out by the gang members. Years ago, I had come up with the game mechanic that, when a player is down to one or two gang members left, I give them control of a police car which can arrive on any street board edge. It gives them a chance to get some revenge or even affect the outcome of the game. What's more, it takes a player who may be disappointed with what is going on and turns them into someone eagerly looking forward to mess with his opponents! Win-win for the player and me as GM!!

   'Student Body Right' - all 10 of the Kings quickly move towards the right side of the board to escape

One of the most cinematic moments was on Friday night when the two Kings players decided to run a "Student Body Right" maneuver. Both gangs crossed to one side of the board, attempting to overwhelm and blow by the Franklinton Flippos. After initially holing up in an alley in their turf, the Flippos player grew bold and formed a line at the playground behind their two apartment buildings and the board edge. It was the narrowest point and the 10 Eastmoor Kings could get at the five of them only three wide. Marvin, the Flippos Gang Boss (and would-be Leonidas at Thermopylae), stood up the Kings and began knocking them down. In line beside him were his Warchief and his punk who had the "Scrapper" ability. Great and brave tactics!

    The Franklinton Flippos take a page from the Spartans and hold off the Kings at the narrowest point

Soon, the rival Indianola Mohawks from across the street were inspired and launched themselves into the back of the Kings, diverting their attention and weakening their push. Although the Kings outfought the Mohawks and began knocking one punk rocker after another out, this ended up having an effect they didn't expect. When Kings punk Cy -- the only player in the game armed with a pistol -- fired off some shots early, the police arrived soon after. Since the Mohawks had lost the most gang members at that point, they were given control of the cops. The police car contains two officers, one with a billy club the other a pistol. Both are "Warchiefs", which makes them difficult opponents. Now, the Kings had to face not only the determined and resolute clown-faced Flippos and the punk rock Mohawks, they had the police on their backs, too (cue The Clash song...).

    Racing to the aid of their bitter rivals, the punk rocker Indianola Mohawks crash into the Kings rear

Fortunately for the father and adult son playing the Kings, the other two local gangs, the Santanas and Daos, did some serious dawdling on their way to join the fight. Ostensibly, all four gangs claimed they'd show solidarity and fight off the outsiders. In practice, the effect of these two gangs was to cut off any straggling Kings who tried to escape from ever reaching the bridge. It was fun seeing those two gangs role play their gangs, though. I think we all knew they were simply waiting for the other four players to wear themselves out and then they'd come in and sweep the streets! They talked tough, but were short on action. It was hilarious to watch them justifying their foot dragging.

    Even the police got in on the act in trying to squash the Kings and their attempt to reach home!

The Kings lost that scenario, but the next morning the opposite happened. The Flippos, who had stood like a stone wall in the face of invasion the previous night, absconded immediately. They dashed into Santana territory and concentrated on their secret mission -- stealing snacks for tonight's party. While they stuffed twinkies into their clown pockets, the poor Hilltop Highlanders (who I had swapped out for the Mohawks that game) were beaten down almost to a man. They stood no chance against the combined force of the Kings. It was still a very interesting game, but in the end, the Eastmoor Kings won with 19.5. It was very close, though. The twinkie-eating clowns came in third with 15, edged out of second by the Santanas at 16, who showed no shyness to rumble.

    A 3-gang rumble in the middle of the streets between the Daos, Kings, and Mohawks

The final game on Saturday night was the closest of them all. A father and middle school aged daughter played the Kings. They got a respectable four Kings on the bridge by the end of the game. However, the car-jacking, vehicular homicide attempting Santanas edged them out by a HALF POINT. That was, without a doubt, the closest of the finishes I've had in this scenario. There was every chance I could have been tired and burnt out by my sixth time running the game, but the players were simply too fun to let that happen. We laughed throughout the game and everyone had a good sense of humor. 

    The Daos try to fight off an invasion by the Hilltop Highlanders, who seem intent on stealing beer

All in all, Mean Streets at Origins was a success. I ended up selling all six copies of the rules that I had brought, which is the most I have ever sold at any convention (not counting wholesale to exhibitors). There was a constant stream of people stopping by my table and praising how it looked, which is always gratifying. Running a game can be stressful, tiring, and hard work, at times. However, there is a dynamic that when players are obviously having blast, it seems to GIVES you energy. I fed off of my excellent players' energy for three days.

    I subbed in & moved the starting spot for the Hilltop Highlanders around to change up the scenario

Not only was my own personal experience a success at Origins, our chapter's venture there was a huge positive, as well. Dozens and dozens of folks came by and found out about our chapter. We gave away lots of flyers for our flagship convention, Advance the Colors, Oct. 11-12, Springfield, OH. We gave out a stack of handouts with information about our chapter and what historical miniature is to people who stopped by. The editor of our bimonthly magazine, The Herald, gave us a couple dozen previous issues as promotional materials. We handed all of them out. And guess what? New memberships to HMGS Great Lakes are already starting to roll in!

    The Flippos watch other gangs invading their turf from their apartment, contemplating their move

So, just like many years ago, I think our chapter can sit back and call our venture at Origins a success. I know my own games were a success, and I am already thinking of how I can one-up my scenario next year! If you are a historical miniatures gamer -- or any minis gamer at all -- I encourage you to make plans to attend next year's Origins Game Fair. It was a great time, and lots of people had lots of fun this year. I'm glad that we decided to go!

    Despite the threat from the Kings, rivals the Daos and Santanas rumbled in more than one game!

    The choices made by the Franklinton Flippos, on the edge where the Kings invaded, were crucial

    All across the 5'x3' battlefield, rumbles broke out and gangs traded punches, knife thrusts & more

    As a reward for her organizational work for our Great Lakes effort, Jenny played in my game twice!

    Julio, Gang Boss of the Santanas, hops atop a car and taunts the other gangs in an early game

    Saturday morning's game saw Liam and Brian, at the table end, score the most success for the Kings

    Gang members from the Flippos, Santanas, & Daos square off - oblivious to the police sirens!

    My players were wonderful and had a great attitude in all six of my games

    'Stop! All of you! I mean it...!' Columbus Police try unsuccessfully to corral a gang fight

    Twice I had just four players, in which case I would simply do a 4-on-4 gang free-for-all

    The spacious, airy gaming hall at Origins is the perfect place to host a miniatures event!