Friday 29 October 2021

Batman

I played a few three-player games of Batman: Gotham City Chronicles recently.

Experiments in the Madhouse

Somehow, Professor Pyg and Hugo Strange have taken control of Arkham Asylum. Batman and Catwoman have limited time to get four parts of the formula hidden in the building...

Batman punches and ignores the crates

He gets bogged down but defeats Pyg with his electro Bat-gauntlets

Pure intimidation

Catwoman, meanwhile, flips and evades her way to getting three crates

But not the fourth


Golden Opportunity

Somehow, the mercenary Deathstroke is hacking computers to get synthetic kryptonite. Nightwing and Huntress must counter-hack (and punch) him into submission.

Nightwing breaches a wall with C4 but Deathstroke intervenes
and stops him from counter-hacking

Biological Scourge

Somehow, Ra's Al Ghul and the Ratcatcher have teamed up to release place rats into Gotham's subway. Can Batman and Azrael team up and stop them?

Azrael beats some thugs but then cops a few close-range shotgun blasts

Weakened, he cannot stand up to the Demon's Head

But he clears a path for Batman to neutralise Ratcatcher and save Gotham.

Party Crashers

Somehow, the Riddler suspects Wayne Manor holds the clue to the location of the Batcave. Can Alfred Pennyworth and his daughter Julia hold him and his goons off?

Alfred uses weapons pulled off the walls to hold the entrance hall

But the Riddler deduces the location of the Batcave!


We had a fun time. Each scenario is about 45-60 minutes, and were all quite close. The heroes are quite varied and the villain has more to do than just be a punching bag. We were greatly aided by Universal Head's excellent player aids, and sharp eyes will spot computers, crates, and doors from other games.

My opponent Amnese has put up a video about his thoughts on the game:



Friday 22 October 2021

Necromunda: Orlocks

Five Parsecs from Home and Stargrave have both inspired me to paint up some Necromundan gangs. I was never a big Orlock fan, but these new sculpts are really characterful. Even the hairstyles grew on me. I'm grateful for Contrast paints, and looking forward to trying the Army Painter Speedpaints.











The Iron Hounds

Skull-o-meter™: 12

And here's an old photo of my '95 plastics:



Friday 15 October 2021

Five Parsecs: Campaign Game 4. Holding out for a hero.

After the shootout in the Ash Wastes, Gallius has a rumour to follow up. His crew are assigned various tasks around the hive, but are spotted by an informer. Julio’s old gang, the Iron Hounds, sends eight fighters to kill him! The crew are caught unprepared and separated. They’ll have to hold off the Iron Hounds until the rest of the crew races back to the sound of the guns…

Four against eight in the underhive...


The crew have a range advantage, but it does not make a big difference.

Julio is the focus of most attacks

The Iron Hounds have a heavy stubber

A huge brute emerges from the door behind them!

He blazes away!

But he is on the crew's side!

The Iron Hounds falter under withering fire

Those that don't run are picked off.

Julio was very lucky- he suffered several hits but wasn't wounded. In the last turn, he found a useful toolkit that he sold for cash. The Iron Hounds decide against continuing their vendetta. Holding the field of battle after the firefight, the crew finds a crate of armour and lots of credits. Gallius thinks that it is time to leave Necromunda for more dangerous worlds…

The crew has a new recruit! At the end of the last mission, they liberated a slave from the mysterious miners. I rolled a Hulker, and was really keen to slap paint on an Ogryn. Meet Chugger:


He’s not very bright but he can lift heavy stuff.

Friday 8 October 2021

Five Parsecs: Campaign game 3. The Ash Wastes

Gallius has heard rumours of increased Mining Guild activities out in the Ash Wastes. He wants to see if there’s any profit in it for him. To encourage the crew, he pays for better medical care for Roma, and she will be able to come on the mission.

The ash is hard going as they approach an old pumping station. Konrad the Outrunner has spent years out in the wastelands and spots a fast-approaching vehicle…

A Ridgerunner approaches

I have gained enough Rumours to undertake a Quest mission. I rolled ‘Defend’ against ‘Nomads’, and decided it was time for the Guiding Hands cult Mining Guild to come into play… We’re on difficult ground, and all movement is -1”. Again, I rolled nine enemy (!) along with a ‘Hulker Brawler’, so the crew is in for a tough fight. I rolled a deployment variation for the cultists innocent miners using the Trailblazers Toolkit expansion, and got a flanking detachment coming from my left. The Ridgerunner has no effect on the game; it just looks cool.

"Quickly! Into the rocks!" barks Konrad.

"Throne, they've got some abhuman brute!"

Deployment. 3'x3' marked by the dead trees.
Rocks from Gale Force 9 (recommended). Cigar Box battlemat

The Underhivers are more at home with this close-in fighting,
but unnerved at being outside.

Konrad frags the abhuman! The flanking force is destroyed.

"This is EF-733, there are more of them in th-"

"Lady Hel! No!"

The crew are lucky to destroy the flanking force, but are starting to take hits and decide to withdraw. However, the mining guild are also reconsidering and adopt a more cautious approach.

"I'll cover you! Get out of here!" shouts Roma.


Luck or skill? Roma snipes the enemy leader.
Maybe the crew have a chance after all!

She takes a hit, but Gallius takes down another with his plasma pistol...

... and Konrad guns down the last.

"What was going on here?" he wonders.

What a game! Konrad was the man of the match. I spent a few Story Points during this game. I initially rolled a Necron-like enemy, but thought that was inappropriate and spent a point to reroll. I only needed a 3+ to wound the cultists, but failed on multiple attempts so burnt a few more Story Points on rerolls there as well- not always successfully…

I did get lucky with Konrad rolling a 6 and taking down the Aberrant on his first shot, but then took two casualties and was going to get swamped. I decided to withdraw, but in her covering fire Roma took out the enemy leader, and I felt I was in with a chance.

In the post-game, I spent more Story Points on injury rolls. Roma made a full recovery, but Lady Heldycryn will spend next game recovering. EF-733, however, died. Human medicae just weren't able to comprehend his augmetics. I had looked forward to him journeying among the stars for science, but now I wonder if the AdMech will come seeking revenge...

Vale EF-733, aspiring TechPriest

On the Campaign Event roll, I amazingly rolled that a new crew member is recruited! The crew find a captive slave and free him- watch this space!

What a game, indeed! The story is emerging before me.

To be continued...

Friday 1 October 2021

Necromunda: Escher

Here are my newly painted Escher gang, the Neon Widows, showing plenty of T&M*. Like my Goliaths, I picked up this gang assembled and they have been languishing for a few years. I pulled my finger out with a 'quick' paint scheme, going for a synthwave/ Outrun vibe. These aren't the riot of colour you often see with Escher, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The cool tones contrast nicely with the Goliaths.













Skull-o-meter™: 7

Necromunda

  • Population: 10 billion in Hive Primus alone.
  • Exports: rust.
  • Imports: hair product.

*Teal & Magenta