Crispy Critter Control in Downtown 'Chilly'

    Two members of 'Critter Control', my alien-hunting team in solo games of Majestic 13, on the roofs

Team leader Boone MacDonald, couldn't believe it when the call came through from Agricultural League HQ of Majestic 13. Critter Control was needed to respond to a nearby priority mission. Boone asked, "Can Waylon be released to respond with us? We're down one man!" Unlikely, his superior replied, but he'd see what he could do to get them some help. Shaking his head in disbelief, Boone hurried to collect Mabel, Buck, and Silas. While they drove at high speed towards downtown Chillicothe, OH, he shared what little he know about the alien they'd likely encounter on the way. "Mabel, what do you know about a Helion Beam Chaser, since your daddy told you so much...?" 

    The Helion Beam Chaser in the smouldering woods behind a VW bug that it torched earlier

She whistled and pulled off her sunglasses to catch Boone's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Y'all know what plasma is?" Some heads nodded yes, others shook no. "Think of the coals in your grill about 10 times hotter. Well, this nasty space polecat is made of that stuff. And he can shoot it towards you in twin jets with both arms!" She sat back in the seat as they bumped along rural Ohio's less-than-well-maintained roads. "Daddy had a scar all along his back that looked like his flesh was just melted like wax. He said it was from one of them Beam Chasers." She shook her head. "Boone, if you want to just pull this SUV over to the berm, the four of us can say we got a flat tire. Let a full-strength team handle this one..."

    Critter Control's deployment, mostly on the rooftops with good lines of sight, and the alien's location

Boone kept driving, relaying his instructions. They would infiltrate quietly and quickly. Go to the rooftops nearest the smoke -- that was where the Beam Chaser should be. "Take the elevator or stairs, then find positions along the parapets. Report back to me on comms when you're in position. We will open fire on it until it runs away or goes down." He met each of the other's eyes briefly, while driving. "It likes to do a Heat Wave attack when multiple enemies are close. Always keep a wall or something that absorbs heat between you and it." He sighed and took a breath. "Mabel, I know how you feel about the team being under strength. But we can't let our neighbors in town down. We signed up with Majestic 13 to defend the Earth from aliens. And though it may not always seems that way, Chillicothe is part of Earth...!" The others chuckled and nodded, then sat back, alone with their thoughts.

    Beam Chaser preparing to launch jets of plasma at Mable in the top left of the picture

It had been since February since I played my first game of Majestic 13. I've been busy in the intervening months with other projects. Reading about the exploits of my friend Bill's solo, Majestic 13 campaign on his Dice, Doubloons, and Random Musings site has kept me wanting to do a mission. I just never seemed to find the time. With Origins concluded last week, and Surviving 'Nam just about ready for print, I finally had a free evening. I'd previously rolled up Mission 02, knowing our foe would be a Helion Beam Chaser. I even picked up a 3-D printed fire elemental for $3 at Origins to paint up as it. I set up the terrain for the mission and rolled randomly to see which edge Critter Control deployed on. 

    Taking damage, the fiery (and newly painted!) Beam Chaser advances towards the team members 

Since Critter Control's defeat in the last game, I had done some thinking. With a five turn limit, and only five characters, you will get only a limited number of shots at the alien. You need to minimize turns spent moving around and not shooting. So, I placed Buck, Silas, and Mabel on the rooftops of the highest buildings on our side of the table. I left team leader Boone in cover near a flaming wreck of a car that the alien had doubtless torched before our arrival. He would be our quick reaction force, able to move to get line of sight if the alien momentarily moved out of the other's field of view.  With the Beam Chaser having 110 hit points, we needed to average 22 per round. Our weapons inflicted 2d6 or 3d6 per shot. Perhaps attainable on the first turn with four shooters on the table, it would become harder and harder if it took some of team members out.

    Long ago, her daddy was wounded by a Beam Chaser, now Mabel falls to its fiery attack

The other key aspect in Majestic 13 is cover. If the target is in cover, you have to roll 2d20 for your attack and take the worst roll. The goal would be to always be in cover and to use our height and various positions to make it so the Beam Chaser was not. Turn 1 opened with the Beam Chaser firing at Mabel in her rooftop sniper position twice, but missing both times. Figures activate in Acuity Order. The Beam Chaser would activate first and third, while Buck Smithers (our Iraqi War vet) would activate second. After that, it would go Boone, Mabel, and Silas. The Beam Chaser would get a bonus activation if anyone fired at it and missed. So, our shots had to count or this would be a very short game!

    Silas lines up a shot, but misses the alien as it scampers down the street towards Boone

After the Beam Chaser's miss, Buck let loose with a burst from his light machine gun, striking the alien in the upper part of its fiery torso. Rolling 3d6+1, he did only 9 damage. We had a long way to go if we kept rolling below average on damage! The Beam Chaser seemed strangely drawn to fire at Mabel, and shifted his position so he was out of Buck's line of sight and fired again at Mabel. Once again, she ducked behind the brick parapet in time. Still, the hot June evening got even hotter as the side of the wall began smoking. Team leader Boone shifted positions from one car wreck to the next and let loose a burst with his assault rifle. A better damage roll -- 11 points with 2d6+1! Mabel popped up and aimed with her sniper rifle. The heat from the seared building made her sunglasses fog up a bit and she missed. The Beam Chaser fired back with its special ability and Mabel screamed and went down, her clothes smoking.

    The creature proves it's clever & moves so that Boone no longer has cover behind the smoking wreck

Silas switched positions to have better line of sight. He fired his light machine gun and missed. Thankfully, this alien could activate a maximum of three times in a turn, so couldn't return fire on him. Turn one was over, and we were down from four to only three figures! With black smoke rising all over downtown Chillicothe, things were NOT looking good for Critter Control. The Beam Chaser shifted his focus to the team leader, moving to where Boone was no longer in cover of the flaming vehicle. Thankfully, he missed at least once on both his pair of d20 rolls. Buck squeezed off another long burst at it, but once again, a low roll, doing only 8 points damage on 3d6+1. Where did Critter Control get its ammo from? The local Walmart?? The Beam Chaser didn't seem to notice the hit and fired again at Boone. This time, the team leader wasn't so lucky and he was burned badly -- down to a single hit point! Boone returned fire and then darted for cover behind the closest apartment building. Luckily, he struck the alien, but once again the damage roll was below average.

Reeling from the pain of his burns, Boone returns fire & scurries for cover behind a building

Silas, knowing the alien would get cover from his vantage point, decided to call HQ for aid instead. He rolled well, and sooner than expected, the sound of an approaching chopper drew near. Silas looked up at it hovering over the neighboring building and blinked and shook his head in disbelief. The dust kicked up by the rotor blades must be making him see things. His ears confirmed it, though, as with a loud "Geronimooooo!" Waylon -- their missing team member -- leapt from the hovering chopper and landed on the roof next to Mabel. The craziest and bravest member of the team was back! In Majestic 13, one of the options on a successful call for aid is to receive a "robot"version of a team member. I thought it made more story line sense that Waylon convinced the Agricultural League that he was fit for duty and flew him out to be ready if the team requested assistance.  

    Help arrives as Waylon (top of photo) drops from a helicopter to assist his friends against the alien

Waylon immediately opened up with his assault rifle on the alien in the street below, inflicting 8 points of damage. "That one's for Mabel, you sonofabitch!" The alien moved towards the sound of Waylon's voice, positioning itself just below Waylon and Silas. It turned to face Silas, raised both its arms, and sent a massive jet of flame that engulfed the parapet where Silas was standing. There was a cry and he fell backwards and out of sight. Waylon called over, "Silas...you okay?" There was no reply. "DaYUM! Two of us down," he said, glancing over at the unmoving Mabel. He shouted the information out to Boone and Buck, since he did not have a communication device linked with the rest of the team. 

    Silas goes down as the alien accurately times his plasma jets, catching him lining up a shot

Buck had seen the chopper deposit Waylon and also saw Silas go down. The alien was clever and had moved in close to the buildings, cutting off his line of sight. He looked down at the roof of the Quickie Mart one story below him. "Aww, Hell! My knees are getting too old for this shee-yit!" With a running jump, he cleared the parapet, landed on the Quikie Mart roof, rolling forward to reduce the impact. He got up immediately and sprinted along the ledge eyeing the gaps between the buildings until he saw the Beam Chaser. "There you are...got you!" He fired again, the bullets impacting across it flaming body. Despite his heroics, the damage roll was -- yes again -- below average! The alien seemed confused where the shots came from, and looked up at Waylon, who was lining up another shot at him. He sent a wall of flame up at the moonshine distiller and made him fall to the ground, only 3 hit points left.

    Buck continues to fire at the alien from the rooftops, this shot passing over Boone's head in the alley

Boone, hearing the screams from Waylon, lowered his head. That pain was intense. He was clinging to consciousness, and knew the heat from a near miss might finish him off. He took a deep breath, and ran down the alley way towards the alien. He stopped at the corner of the building, poked his assault rifle around and fired, striking it solidly. The alien raised its fiery arms above its head and Boone ducked just in time to be missed by an almost-solid wall of heat billowing out from its body. Above him, he heard Waylon cursing, so he too must have avoided the Beam Chaser's attack. Boone heard the snap of Buck's rounds passing over his head as the veteran continued to hammer away at the alien. Their bullets seemed to be having little effect on it, though (yes, another way below average roll...sigh).  

    Despite being down to 1 hit point, Boone continues to pursue the alien and shoot it up

"Dammit!" he ducked back around the corner and emptied the clip into the creature. Waylon was also firing at it from above. For the first time in the battle, the creature made a crackling, roaring sound. "Extremis!" Boone thought. "We're finally getting through to the creature!" He didn't see the jets of plasma shooting from its arms in time, though. The world turned red, he heard someone screaming in what sounded like his voice, and then he felt himself falling and things going from red to black. 

    Boone watches in despair as his friend and team leader is engulfed in flame and goes down

"BOONE!" both Buck and Waylon yelled as one. They fired off a volley, and the creature turned and sprinted away, across the street, vaulting the park wall, and disappearing through the trees. It was gone, but they had failed to kill the alien. Again. And this time, three of their team lay senseless and possibly dead.

    Team Leader & heart and soul of Critter Control, Boone MacDonald goes down

On the final turn, I had an opportunity to kill the Beam Chaser, but once again, incredibly poor damage rolls kept me from achieving victory. Waylon rolled a "3" on 2d6, the alien suffered only 6 points from being in "Extremis", and Buck -- despite hitting every turn -- never rolled average or higher on his five damage rolls. Whew! Maybe this game wasn't meant for my bad die rolling...ha, ha! My Sunday evening gaming friends would NOT be surprised, that's for sure. With the game over, I consoled myself with a beer and rolled on the tables to see what happened to my fallen team members. Mabel got away "all clear." Silas suffered permanent damage, which intriguingly would give him Psionic powers. However, he would be out for the next mission. Boone also would be out, his wounds being "Questionable."

    Waylon curses as he looks around, seeing the alien disappear into the woods & 3 friends down

Am I really supposed to do a mission with three team members? I may just skip a mission for them. I had my doubts about how I could be successful with four characters, and my worries proved true. Three is just simply suicide! Continuing the post-game process, my characters received only 1 experience point apiece, since we did not complete either our primary objective (killing the Beam Chaser) or our secondary one (coming into contact with all the terrain pieces -- not likely, starting on the rooftops and with 11 separate pieces!). Still, +1 point each was enough for one of my characters to raise a stat, so that was good. I requested the same equipment as last time, a Medkit and Stimulus Kit. I was successful on the MedKit, so gave that to Silas. Even better, I got the Emergency Medical Facilities upgrade (are you seeing a trend here?). So, next time I will be able to re-roll an unfavorable result after a character is out of action.

    Another look at the 3'x3' tabletop for my latest Majestic 13 game

What's next for Critter Control? We are definitely skipping Mission 03! So, next game, we will be back to full strength. Maybe this time we'll get our elusive first "successful mission!"

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 134

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 26

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59

Big Alien Monsters for Majestic 13

    Four of the 'big alien monsters' I picked up at Cincycon for my Majestic 13 games

When I decided to give Snarling Badger Studios' rules Majestic 13 a try, the only thing holding me back was the lack of figures for the enemy. In this solo or coop game, you control a team of alien hunters (think a slightly less tongue-in-cheek version of the Men in Black movies). The foe for each game would be a different, large alien creature which I essentially had none of...ha, ha! That was quickly rectified at Cincycon a month or so ago, where I picked up a half dozen miniatures. These four are the first I've painted up.

    This is one of the old, old Star Wars pre-painteds that I touched up...nice flea market find!

Well, in the case of the first two, I should specify "touched up" rather than painted from scratch. These were picked up in the flea market and are from the Star Wars Miniatures plastic figures produced back in 2005 by Wizards of the Coast. The preying mantis looking creature is called an Acklay that appeared in episode II The Attack of the Clones. The other, more rhinocerous looking beast, is called a Reek and was in the same episode. If you remember, Obi-Wan and Anakin had to fight them in a gladiator type arena. 

    These were EXACTLY what I was hoping to find for alien monsters - this is a 'Reek,' apparently

Some of the paint was a little dull colored or needed highlighting, which is chiefly what I did on these creatures. Essentially, I tricked them out a big and brightened them up some. I also added a black wash to try to give them more depth. I briefly thought about adding putty or something to cover up the obvious joins where the various pieces of the Reek were glued together in China. However, I was afraid that might make it stand out even more if I didn't match the paint colors well. So, I decided to go with a quick touch up and chock these two alien creatures off as done.

    This was likely a fantasy monsters (stone giant? earth elemental?), but he will sub in as an alien

The next ogre or giant-looking figure I picked up from BV Traders in their clearance bin at Cincycon. It is made from a soft plastic, but I have no idea where it is from. I liked the rock-like protrusions on his back, arms, and legs. That certainly looked alien enough for me, though I could easily see using this figure as some kind of earth elemental or stone giant. I painted his skin a terra cotta color, while his bumps, lumps, and protrusions were in a medium brown. I added in a dark brown towards the tops, and then gave it a red brown dry brush. I wanted to stick with that orange-brown-red color scheme, so did his loin cloth in dun yellow and his long nails on hands and toes I painted tan. I gave him pale yellow eyes and teeth and did a brown wash (of course) over him. I like how he turned out, though I admit he is the most Fantasy and least Sci-Fi looking of the four.

    Headless, alien monstrosity to terrify and battle against my 'Critter Control' alien hunter team

The final one I also picked up from BV Traders. It was another soft plastic monster, but was obviously missing its head. Why somebody would try to sell a miniature missing its head, I don't know. But hey -- I bought it! I felt that the cavity where the head would be glued in looked like a perfect maw of some bizarre, headless creature. I added pieces of brass wire around the "mouth" to give it a kind of Venus Fly Trap look. Thing of them as feelers, sensing when something very unfortunate is being guided into the waiting maw. The pose of the figure adds to its hideous look, like it has actively sensed something and is getting ready to snatch and swallow it hole. I decided to go with a pale blue flesh with salmon and pink colored mouth. The inner maw showing was painted in a darker, pinkish red. I decided not to paint the bumps on its skin, hoping that the bluish-white dry brush and the dark wash at the end would be enough to make them stand out. He definitely looks like some alien critter for my team of hunters to "control!"

    Last look at this batch of 'new figures' -- all purchased at Cincycon at a nice discount

Speaking of Critter Control, it is past time for me to get another Majestic 13 game on the table! I would really like to get it done before I leave for vacation in a few days, but we shall see if that happens. Meanwhile, I am hurrying to get as much on my painting desk done as possible before my trip. If you're curious where I'm going, keep an eye on my travel blog, Worldwidemike for reports and pictures from abroad. Most Americans will have been completely unaware of this country or at least where it is! Now you have two blogs to "stay tuned" on...ha, ha!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 159
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 83

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 3
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 22

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 16
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 48

Critter Control's Shocking Encounter at the Trailer Park

    Hunting aliens in a trailer park - Critter Control's 1st mission in a solo game of Majestic 13

Boone MacDonald gathered his team together as they crept within sight of the trailer park, eying the thick black smoke hanging over it. "Okay, this is what we've been training for, Critter Control...our first mission." He paused to look in each team member's eyes. "We're here to protect our community, our country, and our planet. You're no good to them if you're dead, though. Stay in cover. Pour fire onto this bastard till he's dead." The other four nodded, with Waylon giving an "Oo-rah!" and grinning. 

    (--Redacted--) Trailer Part in southern Ohio where a Yvenian Shocker alien is on the loose!

Mabel spoke up, "A Yvenian Shocker is the fastest damned gator you'll ever see. Don't underestimate its speed! Just when you got a shot lined up, it's gone." Boone marveled at the woman -- she knew much more than she was letting on about Earth's struggles against alien invaders. As the team crept closer, Boone pointed out positions for each to take. They could hear the sound of the alien's weapon firing and a high-pitched crackling of energy from the far side of the trailer park. Buck climbed the first trailer and took position atop its roof. Waylon dashed past to the corner of the next trailer raising his weapon and steadying it against the wall. Mabel ducked next to a set of smoking ruins -- some small structure that the alien had already destroyed. Boone took shelter at the corner of another trailer that gave a good view of the lane between the two rows of trailers. Silas took off running down the right side, stopping inside a small grove of trees.

    Waylon Jenkins takes cover and peers around the corner for signs of the alien's approach

There was another blast from the far side and suddenly the Yvenian Shocker appeared between the rows of trailers. A huge, long weapon with energy arcing along its barrel grasped in its claws. Mabel was right -- the damned thing did look like a gator, though one with red skin that glistened as the sunlight peeked through the clouds of black smoke hanging over the trailer park. It spotted Waylon, who was closest of the team, and raised its weapon, firing twice. As the electricity coursed over his body, Waylon grabbed his face. "I'm blinded, y'all!" Mabel shouted over to him to focus -- the creature's weapon was scrambling the electrical signals his eyes were sending. She told him to picture something in his mind he could remember clearly. "Like my moonshine still?" his voice cracked with his laugh, though.

    After blasting another dwelling, the gator-like alien appears and scents the air...humans??

Meanwhile, the team opened up. Buck sighted his light machine gun and squeezed off a burst of fire that stitched along the alien's gator-like scales. Mabel moved up to the next building and sited along the barrel of her sniper rifle. She squeezed off a shot, which hit, but she immediately growled at herself for such a piss-poor hit. Daddy would have swatted her for that! Hearing the firefight going on, but out of his line of sight, Boone sprinted up the row of trailers, leaped, and pulled himself up onto the roof. He cursed as he still couldn't see the damned thing. Mabel called out that it was moving and Boone caught sight of it zipping forward smashing down the door of the snack shack. He watched it move into the shadowy interior and the barrel of its weapon protrude across the counter. An arc of energy zapped towards Waylon again, who yelled in pain. "Damn it! Someone shoot that son of a bitch!"

    The alien darts between buildings, lining up a shot on Waylon, who was closest to him

Meanwhile, Silas was completing the team's side mission. The Agricultural League had dropped two beacons in the trailer park to help coordinate a drone strike to help out its newest team of alien hunters. Silas followed his tracker in between two trailers and spotted one of the beacons. He raced forward and snatched it up. Meanwhile, the alien stayed inside the snack shop and fired at Waylon again, who went rigid and crumbled to the ground. Buck adjusted his aim at the alien through the window and fired. Pieces of the building went flying, but the veteran was fairly sure he'd missed. Mabel seeing where the fire was coming from climbed onto the roof of a nearby trailer, took a knee, and fired, also missing. Boone shook his head. It had too good of a firing position inside there! Screw it! He leapt down from the roof and ran up to the snack shack and blazed away at the creature from the other side of the counter, his assault rifle on full automatic. It swiveled to face Boone and fired. The lanky farmer ducked in time and the shots arced over his head, making his hair stand up but doing no damage. He heard the creature make an angry sound and its claws clattering on the floor as it exited the shop.

    Silas completes his 'end run' around the alien and locates the drone targeting beacon

"Critter 5 to Silo One, follow this transmitted location. Target in sight -- a red, scaly, gator-looking bastard. Can't miss him!" Silas chuckled as the drone operator on the other end of the transmission reprimanded him about radio protocol. Still, it was only seconds later that the whoosh of a rocket over the trailer park made everyone on the team duck. There was an explosion and more of the alien's angry noises. It had been hit, but not fatally. As if it knew who was responsible, the alien circled the trailer and peeked around the corner behind Silas, zapping off two shots. The first hit him and Silas also clutched his eyes, blinded by the electrical charge. Buck leapt down from his perch atop the trailer and sprinted towards the opposite corner of the trailer park, where the battle had moved. Mabel edged along the roof till she had line of sight and fired, but missed. Boone, who could saw it appear behind Silas, fired and hit it again. "Damn! That thing won't go down," he cursed. The Yvenian Shocker swiveled again and fired at Boone, who ducked behind the trailer quick enough that the electrical bolts missed him. 

    Agricultural League drone appears & launches a rocket attack, wounding but not killing the alien

Silas shook his head, blinked a few times, and as his vision cleared, darted into the woods for cover, firing his machine gun at the beast as he ran.  His shots missed, as well. The alien saw Silas on the run and fired at him twice, but the speedy hunter ducked behind the tree trunks. Everyone heard the sound of Buck's machine gun ring out, and those watching saw the impacts against its incredibly hard scales. The beast roared. Mabel ran along the edge of the roof and leapt across the gap between it and the trailer park's administrative building. She pumped her fist as she landed solidly on the roof. Whew -- she'd made it! Mabel knew she wasn't as young as she once was and wasn't really sure she could do that. She snapped her rifle up to her eye, sighted through the scope, and squeezed off a shot. Miss! Damn!!

    Constantly changing positions, the Yvenian Shocker frustrated the team's attempts to line up a shot

The team leader, Boone, knew his group was frustrated by the constant movements of the alien as it changed locations among the buildings to block line of sight from all but its target. "Two can play at that game, gator-breath!" he snarled and chased the alien until he had it in the open, again. He fired off another burst, striking it in the back. Angrily, it whirled and fired at Boone. With no cover, the farmer was hit and his vision went black. "Damn it -- blinded!" he shouted to his teammates. Silas broke from cover of the trees, spraying the area of the alien with his machine gun, but it was in movement again, and he missed. He followed it only to have it suddenly appear on his left between two buildings. Silas hit the dirt and most of the energy passed over him, and he received only a mild shock -- like touching a farmer's electric fence.

    Hungry for a snack? The alien ducks inside Swingle's Shawarma Shack for a shooting spot in cover

From behind the alien, Buck appeared in point blank range. He let off a long burst into the creature's back, amazed to see some rounds just ricochet off its scales. Some got through, though, and there was a new note of pain in its angry howls. Mabel moved into the open to his right, firing several times. She shouted, "It's in Extremis -- watch out, they get very dangerous in their last gasps!" Boone suddenly appeared, completing the box around the alien, aiming and firing bursts carefully to not hit his teammates. The gator-like creature howled in pain again, but ignored Boone to spin around and fire at Buck. The veteran ducked behind the corner of a building and watched the bolts of energy zap past him.

    Team leader Boone, frustrated with his team's misses, dashes up to point blank range, "Eat this!"

"Now!" Boone shouted, "all at once, let's finish it...what the Hell??" Suddenly, the alien was gone. Like a blur, it disappeared between Boone and Silas and behind a trailer. The team gave chase, but it must have kept running. Through the trees, they heard the sound of vegetation being slapped aside in its haste to escape from the humans. "Aw, Hell...we had it!" he muttered, then held his hand over the ear piece he was wearing. "We're being ordered out of here. Civilian fire and rescue are on the way -- we can't let them see us and be compromised. Let's go!" The team jogged back to where Waylon lay, each grabbed a limb, and ducked under the trees. When the sirens grew louder and the emergency vehicles arrived, the only signs of the battle were bullet holes and scorch marks on smoking buildings, shell casings, and lots of footprints. The police investigators would ponder what happened here and end up labeling it as criminal arson by heavily-armed hooligans.

    With phenomenal speed, the alien would circle around behind team members for unobstructed shots

And so ended my first game of Majestic 13, a solo alien hunting game from Snarling Badger Studios. Critter Control began its career with a big "L" -- a defeat (the goal being to kill the alien by the end of the 5th round). We had the Yvenian Shocker down from its starting hit point total of 130 to 29 remaining. We would have likely needed at least a sixth turn to take it out, but missions stop at the end of turn five. The alien hunter teams need to exfiltrate to not be seen by the public so they can continue with their secret mission. See? There IS a conspiracy to hide evidence of aliens from the public -- or at least the game's storyline says so.

    Boone finally figured out the proper tactics - chase it around and appear where IT had no cover!

Trying to figure out what the enemy will do each turn in a solo game is usually quite the challenge. Snarling Badger includes an "A.I." for each of the three types of aliens that players might encounter. It did a decent job of giving basic suggestions, "If this, then this...", but it was hard to translate that into the specifics of the tabletop. Perhaps I played the alien in too wily of a manner? When the A.I. said the alien would move up to its full movement into cover and fire at the closest target in range, I translated that to also mean it would actively attempt to ensure the other members of the team wouldn't have line of sight on it. The alien's move was phenomenal -- 23" on a 3'x3' board. So, I had it circle around into new firing positions so that most of the hunters' view of it was blocked by the buildings. This meant we sometimes didn't have a shot. Boone caught on quickest and began to simply chase it, taking up a firing position where he had cover and it did not.

    Buck lights up the alien with his machine gun from behind! Startled, the angry alien turns to face

My rolls were also fairly bad for damage, seemingly just under average each time. They were even worse for my checks to avoid being blinded. Silas had to roll only a 4+ on d20 to avoid being blinded and failed twice. In fact, I think everyone who was hit ended up being blinded. They would get a chance to clear it at the start of their next turn, but it shows my rolls were likely subpar. I also deployed too far away and toward the edges of the battlefield. The Yvenian Shocker has no melee attacks. So, I should have started closer to the center instead of the edges.

    Everyone pours in fire, but it is still not enough to take down the alien with its armored scales

Still, it was my first game and Critter Control's first mission. So, it could have ended worse. When rolling for injury, Waylon survived but had "Questionable Wounds." I interpreted this as his vision still hasn't 100% recovered, so he will be held back next mission. We will be going in to the next fight one man short! All but Waylon received 3 experience points, with Waylon getting only two. This allows them to increase a stat by one. Certain levels give you an extra bonus, such as +1 on Damage or -1 to enemy damage on you. I decided to increase Buck, Silas, and Mabel's Combat stats (so they hit one better), and Boone's Acuity by one, which means he activates sooner in the turn. We requisitioned two pieces of equipment, another Med-Kit and a Stimulant Shot. Both requests were lost in the bureaucracy of the Agricultural League, apparently, as we received neither. We also requested improved medical facilities for Critter Control's base. Apparently, the Agricultural League has little faith in this newbie team's worth, as that was disapproved, as well.

Stay tuned for further (and hopefully more successful) missions of Critter Control and Majestic 13! 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 95
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 42

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 21

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 2
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 24

Critter Control! 'Good Old Boy' Alien Hunters for Majestic 13

    Alien hunting in rural, Southern Ohio with 'Critter Control' -- my team for Majestic 13

A week or so ago, I needed another batch of figures to paint. I was finished with the orcs and goblins of the Bonefish Band for Dragon Rampant, and was still waiting on the Warhost elves to arrive from Badger Games. So, I pulled out my "bonus pack" from the Crucible Crush order I made last year for my 28mm Vietnam miniatures. It is called Children of Hastur #2, and consists of five modern figures armed with various types of guns. Well, it was supposed to be five, but a mistake in packaging gave me two of the same pose and shorted me one of the five varieties. I didn't notice it till I pulled them out to paint. I sent a message to Bob Murch of Pulp Figures, but haven't heard back from him, yet.

    Investigating some suspicious burnt circles of undergrowth are my Children of Hastur figures

The plan is to use these as my "team" of alien hunters for solo/coop games of Majestic 13 from Snarling Badger Studios. Since I was short one, I had to sort through my various unpainted minis to find a replacement for the missing figure. I picked out one that looked like he belonged. In the game, there are 13 different factions working to defend Earth from alien invasion. The one I picked is called the Agricultural League. You know about crop circles and all that? The aliens have apparently been messing with the farmers of the world for decades! My team of five has nicknamed themselves "Critter Control," and hail from southern Ohio (why not?). I like basing my games in my area, if possible.

    Group leader & local farmer Boone MacDonald has gathered a team of alien hunters for Ohio

As I began painting them, I picked out the cleanest cut one as the leader of the group, naming him Boone MacDonald. His family has owned their farm in the Chillicothe, OH, area for generations. He has seen unexplainable lights in the skies above his farm himself, and had to deal with odd, unexplained damage to crops in isolated, roadless areas for decades. He was tempted to blame government agencies testing fancy new aircraft over less populous areas, but the more of his fellow farmers he talked to, the more he began to believe it was something even more sinister. It was Mabel Washington, the quiet, unassuming small farm owner who suggested that he reach out to the Agricultural League. She even gave him a contact name and number. How she had heard about them he has no idea -- the Majestic 13 pride themselves on remaining secret. The contact bore fruit, though, and MacDonald joined them. Later, he volunteered to form an Ohio team for the league. I painted the figure in jeans and decided to try a classic red and black flannel shirt. I did the base coat red brown and then dry brushed it with Howard Hues Middle East Flesh. The black stripes were done with a micron pen. I am pretty happy with how Boone turned out.

    Very cool Crucible Crush figure -- Waylon, in shorts, shirtless, but with a military style backpack

One of Boone's first recruits was Waylon Jenkins, or "Wildman Waylon" as some called him locally. A moonshine distiller, as well as a garden farmer who sells produce at roadside stands, Wildman is known for his very wild stories. His most famous, of course, is being abducted by aliens, which he swears by to this day. Most locals consider him whacked out, his mind too burnt out by consuming his own moonshine. However, Boone thought that if there was a chance some of Waylon's stories were true, his experience might prove invaluable. I love the Wildman miniature -- in shorts and shirtless with an army style backpack. The Children of Hastur figures from Crucible Crush figures are meant for their Weird War Vietnam "Black Sun" rules. If I remember right, in the game they are drugged out cultists worshiping a Cthulhu like alien being. I updated Wildman's backpack to a modern U.S. desert pattern, assuming he served his minimum time in the Army only to separate at the earliest possible moment. Conforming to what people expect of him is not in Wildman's nature!

    Taciturn army vet Buck is not as flamboyant as 'Wildman Waylon', but has "seen things" in his days

Another Army veteran, Buck Smithers, is one of the local area's resident gun enthusiasts. Of course, in rural southern Ohio, there are quite a few of those! Smithers is much more stoic and level headed than Wildman. However, when approached by Boone, who thought Buck's military experience would prove helpful, Smithers quietly stared at Boone for several minutes. Boone held his tongue, and the two taciturn men silently took each other's measure. Finally, Smithers lowered his gaze. "I've seen some shit you can't explain, Boone." He chuckled, looking up and catching the older man's eyes. "There's bad critters out there. I know it -- I've hunted them." He reached across the table where the two were sitting and shook Boone's hand. "I'll help with your critter control..." Of course, that was where Boone got his idea for the team's name. I gave Buck an olive drab, army "PT" t-shirt and jeans. The word "Army" was also written in with micron pen.

    Not sure where this fig comes from, but Silas Horton looked like he fit right in with Critter Control

I honestly don't know where the miniature for Silas Horton comes from. It was simply in my unpainted drawer of modern minis, so if anyone knows, please add it in the Comments. However, it seemed his hat and cigarette dangling from his lips made him fit right in. Another of the gun enthusiasts of rural southern Ohio, Silas is the oldest of the crew. Like Waylon, he is known for bending folks' ears with stories of aliens and strange creatures he's encountered while hunting in the woods. He even keeps a collection of skulls of bizarre creatures he claims to have shot while hunting. Some who have examined his collection claim they can tell they are cleverly created fakes. Silas doesn't take offense, though. He knew from the moment he came home one night to find his home broken into and some of his skulls missing, that he was on the right track. When Boone sat him down to pitch Critter Control to him, he just smiled. "Well, I was wondering what took you so long to find me and ask me to join your team,  Boone...!" After finishing their drinks, he took Boone to his skull collection and the pair had a long talk about aliens, hunting tactics, and what they might encounter as one of the Agricultural League's teams in the field. I painted Silas with Carhartt brown pants and an urban camo shirt. I love the cigarette dangling from his lips as he stalks forward!

    Buck may have seen things, but Mabel knows things -- more than a small time farmer should!

One evening, Boone was in his study racking his brain on who he should choose to be his fifth team member. The doorbell rang. He answered to find Mabel Washington on his porch staring at him with a sardonic look. "Y'all going to ask me to join your club, Mr. Boone? Or is that for white folks only...?" Boone gestured to the porch with several rockers and the two sat down. When asked how she first heard about the Agricultural League, the older black woman shook her head. "Now, y'all don't worry about that. My daddy gave us kids more of an education than the inside of any classroom." Boone knew Mabel's father had owned their tiny farm off Rt. 772 for decades -- probably almost as long as his family owned theirs. She promised to fill Boone in on what she knew about "critters" once he officially asked her to join his team. Here, she stopped and chuckled. Boone looked her over. She didn't look like much, physically. If she did farm work, though, she couldn't be too much of a burden. Her knowledge could add a whole new dimension. After all, she was the one who told him about the league in the first place! I painted Mabel in bright colors, probably more typical of what people might consider an "urban" black woman rather than rural one. However, the figure certainly has that look. I love the sunglasses and Afro hair style -- very iconic. However, her story works better with her being from a small family farm, so apparently Mabel just likes to get all gussied up when she goes off the farm! 

    Eye in the sky view of Critter Control investigating in the field...but whose eyes...and how many??

Speaking of miniatures, probably the most difficult thing about running solo games of Majestic 13 for me (or coop with Jenny?), will be figures for the aliens. I have a few alien-looking robot or droid types in my Sci-Fi collection. However, I have a shortage of big ugly alien monsters for Critter Control to fight. Luckily, one of my team's advantages of having a "Remote Intelligence Base" is that they get to roll twice to see what type of alien monster they encounter on missions, and then select which one to fight. So, that will let me skip ones that I have no miniatures for...ha, ha! Anyway, now that Boone has assembled his team, I am looking forward to playing my first game of Majestic 13 soon...! Stay tuned.

What else is on my painting desk? My very first batch of Warhost Elves has its flesh tone on them. Also crowding the desktop are two medieval town buildings that I purchased from Sword & Scabbard Games. I am thinking that I am going to alternate batches of elves with things for other projects rather than barreling through the Warhost figures like I did for the orcs. I'd like to start reducing the "Lead Mountain" in size a bit this year. So, I'm hoping early 2026 will see more variety of miniatures painted than I did last year. Stay tuned and see if I achieve that goal!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 95
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 34

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 17

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 2
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 24