On The Painting Desk: "It's (Not) a GUNDAM!" - Space Mecha

 On my, "Purchase" goals was some mecha from Dream Pod 9's range.  They were upsized mecha from the Jovian Chronicles universe to be used with their With the Lightnings rules.  I had built my own Space Mecha game called; Glittering Void that I wanted to use them with these rules.  

However, instead I found a set of ugly "Not-Gundam" plastic robots on Amazon.  I got 144 for about $14 USD.  These were only 10 cents a model as opposed to $10 a model.  I had plenty of them to chop up and they were cheap, so I had no regrets deciding to cut them into pieces and to start making space mecha out of them.  This would not be my first time using toys in my wargames.    

  This is what I started with.  Each one is about the size of a 28mm model but is made of hard plastic like a Green Army Man.  Still you can cut them with a knife or plastic cutter easily enough, and trim them with an exacto blade. You can see on the side how they can be cut up at the joints pretty easily.  

Looking at my previous battle reports, it was clear I needed some suits for the Earth Alliance and the New Olympians.  After I had those done, I could think about other factions.  I wanted a good selection of weaponry and suits for both sides of the battle.  Later, I could also make some Defense satellites, Fighters, and other craft from Sculpey as well.  I have some experience with scuplting Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft, so that seemed like an easy addition for later. 

I chose the top two designs to be the bulk of my troops.  The "Not Gundam" would be the Earth Alliance Hoplite suits while the "Not Gelgoog" in red next to it would be the bulk of the New Olympian forces.  I also decided to use the "Not Gyan" suit in the lower left corner in blue to be the basis for the Earth Alliance other suit types.  These Earth Alliance suits were intended to be more advanced than the front line Hoplite suits.  

The first thing I did, was cut the models up into various pieces so I could reposition them into more dynamic poses.  These guys would eventually go onto flying stands, so some more "flight" oriented positions seemed like a good way to go.  I was able to clip them behind the knees to bend and reposition their legs, cut them at the shoulder joints to reposition the arms, and do other various cuts and chops to put them in better positions.  I then used Green Stuff from Gale Force 9 to "tack" into place.  

After that, I had to think about weapons load outs.  The Earth Alliance used MAS Rifles which are essentially mass driver cannons, or "space age" slug throwers.  For those I dug in my bitz box and found some old first edition Warhammer 40K bolt guns.  I glued those straight on as the Earth Alliance used rifle type weaponry.  For the New Olympians I had some Eldar Guardian plastic weapons from the original metal/plastic Rogue Trader Guardian box.  I decided to actually mount these into the wrists of the New Olympians to represent their Beam Rifles.  These were suppose to be more hi-tech looking than a MAS Rifle. 

I also had some specialty weapons I wanted to add.  New Olympians had Heavy Beam Rifles that I used Eldar Melta-Guns for and mounted in the wrists as well.  The Earth Alliance had a Rocket Tube, which I used a Ork Plasma Gun for.  I also had an Earth Alliance Spartan mecha with a Combat Shield and Laser Axe, I decided to use a High Elf shield and a Ork Chainsword from 1st edition as well.  Lastly, I wanted some Swarm Missiles/Missile Pods which I just made out of Green Stuff.  

Finally, I wanted the Earth Alliance command suit to look similar but different to the Hoplite suits.  Therefore, I merged the Spartan style body of the "Not Gyan" with the arms of the "Not Gundam".  These gave them a distinct and more advanced looked, without disconnecting them from the Hoplite frontline suits.  

When all was said and done, I had two distinct forces of suits.  I had 9 for the Earth Alliance and 8 for the New Olympians.  This is what they looked like when I was done modelling.   

New Olympians: 

Earth Alliance: 

Combined: 

I now had all the suits I needed modeled up.  The next step was going to paint them all up.  I am interested to see how these paint up as they are not made of the normal plastic that I typically paint.  I also forgot to give them a wash of warm water before I started working on them, and now I have a feeling it is too late.  The wash is suppose to make it easier for paint to stick to the minis, as they maybe covered with industrial solvents and chemicals that impede painting.  What a comforting thought after I have handled them!   

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Only the Strong Survive: Battle Report- Allosaurus vs. Stegosaurus Pod

 

Big Al and his nest mate Alfonso were prowling the dusty plains.  Their stomachs growled as they gazed across the plains.  Sporadic trees dotted the savannah.  As they sniffed the air, they could smell water nearby.  That was a positive sign, as water meant that food could be nearby.

Big Al stretched his thick neck just high enough to peer over the tops of the tall grass.  In the distance, the grass swayed in the light breeze.  However, a something was not right.  As he strained his vision, there was movement counter to the movement of the grass.  It looked like armored plates, so that meant Stegosaurus were nearby.  

Alfonso's nostrils flared as he also caught their sent.  The two Allosaurus glanced at each other.  Their mouths began to water, and the grumbling of their stomachs subsided for a moment.  

The hunt was on.....

We are returning to the Pre-historic past as we expand to more Dinosaurs into our games.  Instead of 1-on-1 battle, we are getting a small hunting duo of Carnivores versus  a small pod of Stegosaurus near a watering hole.  

Set-up:

Today, we are using a 36in square board.  We have some trees scattered around, some large rocks, and a watering hole surrounded by shrubs in the center of the board.  

The Steggies are going to be deployed at the center of the board at the watering hole.  The Allosaurus can come in on any edge, but they choose to come in together on the South board edge.

   

Mission: 

Kill or be Killed!          

Forces: 

Carnivores

2 Allosaurus- 10 Instinct Dice each

- Big Al

- Alfonso

Herbivores

2 Stegosaurus- 9 Instinct Dice each

- Mario

- Luigi

Turn 1: 

Both sides grab their instinct dice and put them on their Dinosaur sheets.  Big Al bids 0 Instinct Dice, Alfonso bids 3, Mario bids 1 and Luigi bids 0.  

Alfonso goes first!  He uses a dice to move forward, but Mario tries to react.  Alfonso does not respond, but Big Al does.  Big Al gets 2 success to Mario's 1. So, Big Al also moves towards  big rock.  

Luigi tires to react and Big Al counters, bot rolling 1 Dice.  Luigi wins. Luigi moves away and by a tree, his tail towards his foes.  Big Al tries to react, as does Mario; both with 2 dice.  Big Al wins. 

Big Al uses 1 dice to charge Mario, and 3 to launch a Body block.  Mario resists with three, and manages to roll with the attack.  Both Big Al and Mario are out of Instinct Dice. 

Luigi sees his pal in trouble and reacts with 2 dice, to Alfonso's 1.  He wins.  Luigi decides to Roar at Big Al, which causes the Allosaurus to get "confused" as he has no dice to react.  However, this does not do too much since he all ready has no dice to react!  

This time, Alfonso reacts and gets the win.  He charges across and gets in close with Mario and attacks.  He chomps at the Steggie, but only gets a mouthful of back plate for his trouble.  That said, Mario is in trouble with two Allosaurus attacking him next turn.  

Luigi uses his last Instinct Dice to move back towards his friend, his slashing tail at the ready. 

Turn 2:

All the Dinos get their Instinct Dice pools back, and the players are ready to bid.  

Luigi knows he needs to get in there and help Mario, so he bids 3 dice.  Alfonso, bids 3 as well. Since the Carnivores had initiative last turn, they keep it.  

Alfonso starts by putting 6 Dice into a Hatchet attack, and Mario puts in Max dice to defend.  Mario manages to step aside by scoring more defensive successes.  Alfonso spends 2 to react, to Luigi's 1.  Alfonso wins.  

He decides to Roar at Mario with 2 dice, who chooses to react with 1.  The tactic confuses Mario, and successfully reduces him to 1 react dice.  Luigi uses 2 to react to Big Al's 1, and decides to go next.  

Luigi chares Alfonso and tries to Body Block with all the dice they have left.  However, Alfonso dodges using 2 Defense dice.  

Big Al reacts with 1, and no one can oppose him.  He attacks Mario with all the dice he has left.  Again, the armored plates on Mario's back are enough to protect him.  Alfonso uses the last dice he has left to try and Tail whip Luigi.  He hits the Steg in the face and knocks his head to the side for 1 damage. 

Turn 3:

The Dinos all get their Instinct Dice back up to normal.  The Steggies are tar pitted next tot he watering hole by the Allosuarus.  They need to break free, or the better Instinct Dice of the Carnivores will eventually wear them down.  

Big Al Bids 2, and Mario bids 4.  Mario uses 1 dice to turn and try to run.  Big Al reacts with 2 dice, and Luigi counters with 3.  Big Al wins and attacks Luigi as Mario lumber by.  Big Al throws a 6 dice Body Block, and he is resisted by 4 Defense Dice by Luigi.  Again, the Steggie manages to stand tall and absorb the shot.  

Luigi tries to react, but Alfonso is faster this time.  Alfonso's savage bit attack gets past Luigi's defense and takes off 2 more hits!  Mario steps back into the fight and swings his tail at Big Al!  He gouges a chunk of flesh off Big Al.  

Turn 4: 

All Instinct Dice are returned.  Luigi bids while Big Al bids 2.  

Big Al starts by launching a 6 dice hatchet attack on Luigi, who resists with 5 dice.  It is all for nothing as neither side gets a success! 

Mario manages to react with 1 success, and attacks Big Al with a Tail swipe.  Mario uses a max attack against a winded Big Al.  Ouch!  The Steggie gets 4 successes, but 3 of them are sixes.  His piercing tail mauls Big Al, who takes 6 hits!  That moves Big Al to the top of Medium damage, and reduces his armor 1 and Max React to 3!  

Alfonso hasn't attacked yet, and successfully does so.  He follows up Big Al's attack on Luigi with a Max Hatchet attack as well!  Luigi only has 2 dice to resist.  However, Alfonso is unable to make his attack stick!  No one tries to react, so Alfonso attacks again, and Luigi trusts in his plates, which is wise.  

Both Allosaurus have used all their instinct dice.  Luigi uses their last dice to move away!  Mario does the same, despite injuring Big Al badly with her tail! 

At the end of the turn, Big Al does not have any dice for a Survival Check!  He needs to rally right away or will try to flee. 

Turn 5:

All dinosaurs replenish their Instinct Pools.  Luigi bids 3, and Alfonso bids 2. Luigi wins and uses the chance to run away further.  

Big Al Reacts with 1, and no one opposes him.  He uses 4 Instinct dice for a Survival check. He needs two success to avoid fleeing, and gets them.  However, it ate into his Instinct Pool.  

Luigi tries to react, and Alfonso opposes.  No side gets a success, so Big Al keeps the initiative.  He runs forward and tries to Body Block Mario with 4 dice, and Mario resists with 4.  Mario absorbs the hit.

Mario tries to react, but Alfonso beats him.  Alfonso also charges forward and tries to Body Block Mario with 4 dice.  Mario trusts in his armor.  It doesn't work this time, as the Dinosaur is knocked down.  However, the Carnivores are out of Instinct Dice again.   

The cagey Mario kept 1 Instinct Dice, so gets up quickly from the attack. Luigi uses her last dice to drop back and swing her tail at Big Al.  Again, it is a devastating strike and the injured and tired Allosaurus.  This time, the tail spikes sink deep into the side of Big Al's head and knock him to the ground.  He is dead!  

Conclusion

With his brother down, Alfonso watches backs off and let's the Stegosaurus wander back to their herd. Alfonse snaps at the smaller dinosaurs that quickly rush to his brother's fresh corpse.  His body still twitching spasmodically.  Big Al and Alfonso had needed a meal, and now at least Alfonso had one.....

Well, that escalated quickly!  Once Big Al went down, that took the fight out of my opponent and they were willing to call it a game.  Theoretically, Alfonso may have been able to deal some more damage, but things looked rough after Big Al took a head shot full of spikes!  In multi-dino games, when a creature runs out of Instinct Dice it is in serious trouble.  Having to use Instinct Dice for survival checks drains that pool very quickly!  That leaves you vulnerable for attacks!  

The Piercing on the Steggie's tails paid big dividends in this game.  The Allosaurus hatchet attacks failed miserably due to some very poor rolling.  The Carnivores rarely got anything to stick this game.  However, the Carnivores were playing very aggressively.... too aggressively as they were burning their Instinct Dice too fast!  Plus, they consistently got stuck in the Steggie's rear arc, which is not someplace you really want to be!

A good game.  More terrain gave some more options for maneuver, but the aggressive play of the Carnivores made that a bit of a moot point.  More dinosaurs also adds more dimensions to the game play as you try to chain your reactions/attacks together in a way that synergizes.  Very fun!

I look forward to adding more Dinosaur types next time around!                          

Wargame Design: High Noon- Cowboys vs. Aliens

I came across some plastic toys from the old Star Patrol line of plastic army men.  There were various manufacturers and from various countries of origin for this line.  The most common and well-known maker was probably Tim Mee Toys. 

They were popular in the late seventies and early 80's as they had a Star Wars "rip-off" vibe to the models.  There was a low rent Buck Rogers/Luke Skywalker model, a knock-off Darth Vader, wanna-be Wookie, a female "Princess" or crewmember at a control panel, and a squared off droid looking suspiciously like a low-rent R2-D2.  Plus, there was F-16/X-wing lovechild.  To top off the line, there were also a couple of random, normal looking astronaut figures.  I am sure many of you had these as a kid or have at least seen them someplace.  

Of course, I naturally wanted to turn them into a Dexterity Game, but ultimately there were not enough "useful" models in the range for me to really make a good, stand-alone Dexterity Game like Total CARnage, Green Army Men, or High Noon.  The models in the packaging just did not lend themselves to this idea.  Plus, I only had one package to work with, and did not really want to order more as the trash to useful ratio was pretty low.  

Over Thanksgiving I shared this problem with my younger relatives.  They had spent a lot of time playing High Noon over the Holiday.  They had plenty of ideas on how to add these Space Patrol figures into a Cowboys vs. Aliens scenario for High Noon.   I have to hand it to the kids, they had ingenious ideas!  

For those of you that have High Noon all ready, I guess you could call this a "supplement" to the game!  If you don't have the rules, you should head over to my Wargame Vault page to get them, and then add these new add-ons for your own Cowboys vs. Aliens battles.  

Our first model is the Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon/Luke Skywalker wanna-be.  I guess he is supposed to look like a 1950's ray gun wielding space cadet.  That ill-fitting helmet makes him look SO heroic! We decided that he would have the following weapons: 

• Ray Pistol - Direct, Hand-to-Hand, Rapid Fire                Coin: 2 Nickels

He couldn't shoot as fast as a Cowboy fanning his revolver, BUT he had bigger coins when he did shoot so it would be easier to hit his target!  

If you so desired, you could also choose to give them the "shield/armor" trait to represent a Force Field or power of mystical, cosmic energy, or just advanced armor compared to Cowboy weapons too. 

Next up is our Female Controller and Robots.  I guess this could be a crew member type figure or something similar.  However, it is clear that she is using a computer to do "something" and here is where the kids got pretty creative.  They gave her two different potential ways to use her "computer"

Option #1

• Orbital Strike- Indirect, Blast                                        Coin: 1 Quarter

In this option, she is calling down fire from an off-board resource like a space ship or flying drone.  This would give her the ability to use "indirect" fire.  The only way to stop the rain of destruction was to take her out!  

Option #2

• Bomb-Bots- Blast                                                        Coin: Robot Model

In this scenario, the Female Officer was using her console to move about and detonate the square little Bomb-Bots.  They could move like ordinary figure in their turn.  However, in the Female Officer's turn, should could use her action to "detonate" them as a normal Blast weapon.  If she was taken out-of-action, the Robots would also become inactive.  

We also discussed various ways to use the Robots on their own, without the Female Controller.  After all, R2-D2 and Battle-Droids do not need a controller!  Here are some options to make them fun! 

Square Bots Option #1

• Square Bot- Hand-to-Hand                                        Coin: None

In this case, they are considered to have small shockers/tazers like R2 uses in Return of the Jedi.  They can use these like a Knife or hand-to-Hand weapon in normal High Noon.   

Square Bots Option #2

• Square-Bot- Protective, Blast OR Area                    Coin: None 

In this Option, the robots are not offensive, but Defensive.  They can choose to project a force field to act as the shield/armor as either a Blast radius around themselves OR as a Shotgun spread in front of themselves.  This gives any model under the effect the "Shield/Armor" keyword for the rest of the turn.                                      

Our next figure is the dreaded Space Knight who totally isn't a Darth Vadar wanna be!  Honest!  This guy could either be a "Big Bad" individual, or a bunch of faceless thugs to an evil warlord!  Depends on how many you have!  Either way, here is what we came up with for these guys: 

Evil Space Knight #1

• Evil Space Knight: Hand-to-hand                                            Coin: None

Like the Space Cadet, you could also give him the "Shield/armor" ability to represent his magic, space powers, better armor, or just carrying around a force shield.  

You could also say that his "Beat Saber" could send out an electrical pulse similar to many video games.  This would give him the following profile:  

Evil Space Knight #2

• Evil Space Knight: Hand-to-hand, Area                                      Coin: None

Now that makes them a bit tougher and scarier.  As the Big Bad, you could also give them multiple "hit" that they could get up from where ever they ended up.  Therefore, he might have 5 hits before being taken out!  So, a penny hits him and he flies back two inches.  In his turn, he gets up where he fell and has 4 hits left!  Scary for those Cowboys to face off against him then! 

Our next set of models is the Nottawookie Alien with Rifle.  These guys seem pretty straight forward to us.  They are dudes with rifles!  Not much else to say, and if you have multiples would probably make up the bulk of your "alien" force.  Here was some quick thoughts on them! 

Nottawookie #1

• Nottawookie: Direct, Rapid Fire                            Coin: 3 Quarters

With Rapid-Fire, if they move they can fire 1 Quarter.  However, if they stay still they can fire three Quarters!  That is some big firepower compared to Nickel and Penny throwing Cowboys! 

To make them extra tough, you could add Hand-to-hand, Shield/Armor, and replace Rapid Fire with Area to make their guns more like Shotguns.  To make them extra tough you could also give them more than 1 Hit too.  You can flavor them to taste depending on the difficulty of the scenario or how many Cowboys and Indians you bring to the table.    

The next batch of models from the Star Patrol set is a weird looking clawed alien with an inverted shell.  I have no idea what to make of these guys.  They are some odd looking creatures, and I am unsure if they are suppose to be sentient aliens, or more like alien animals.  Either way, here is a shot at how to play them.

Clawed Alien #1

• Clawed Alien: Hand-to-hand, Shield/Armor                        Coin: None

In this scenario, they are more like simple shock troopers that run towards the enemy and attack them up close.  Not much of a threat on their own, but they could be used to mask more dangerous enemies or charge an objective.  

Alternatively, look at those crazy alien eyes!  Clearly, they can shoot death rays!  

Clawed Alien #2

• Clawed Alien: hand-to-Hand, Shield/Armor, Direct            Coin: Penny

Again, if you want them to seem extra tough against Cowboy weapons, you could give them 1-3 hits for that alien durability.  They will seem almost immune to primitive Indian/Cowboy weapons then!    

Finally, we have the astronauts from an Apollo mission.  I honestly have no idea what to do with these guys.  They look very unthreatening.  Perhaps their suits give them protection and strength?  At a stretch the guy with the portable oxygen tank could be wielding some sort of Area weapon?  Maybe..... The other guy just looks like he should be planting a US Flag into the moon.  We didn't have much for these guys.  We thought maybe they could be objectives for the aliens to try to capture while the Cowboys/Indians tried to protect them.   

So, here is some half-hearted attempts to do something with them.

Astronaut #1    

• Astronaut: hand-to-Hand, Shield/Armor                                Coin: None

Astronaut #2

• Astronaut with Tube: Hand-to-hand, Shield/Armor, Area        Coin: None

If you have something better for these guys, feel free to post it below in comments or on the Messageboards.

Final Thoughts

I didn't think these Star Patrol models would be enough for a new Dexterity game, but it sure could be fun to add them to a game of High Noon in some Cowboys vs. Aliens type scenarios.  Give these rules a go and let me know what worked for you! 

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Battle Report: High Noon- Turkey Shoot-out

 

Long time readers of the blog may recall that Thanksgiving is a time where I get to play Dexterity Games with my family!  Normally, we play Total CARnage but this year I came prepared for something different. I brought my plastic Cowboys and Indians for some games of High Noon.  Perhaps it wasn't the most appropriate game for the season, but we had tons of fun! 

This won't be a battle report per se, as we played about 5+ hours of High Noon of the course of a couple days.  I wasn't even involved with all the games that were played as once my relatives had the basic rules, they went on about it on their own.  I only got involved in a handful of games myself.  Do not worry, we all were wearing masks and socially distanced, a 6 foot table makes that much easier.    

However, I will add a few phots and some comments that I can.  The lighting isn't always the best because we were in a sun room (with cracked windows for air flow), but it is better than nothing!  We played a variety of scenarios from the book, including an Indian Raid on the town, a shoot-out, guarding the Jail, Rootin' Tootin' and more!  There were multi-player games and one-on-one match-ups through out the day.  

 

Mean Joe Greene and his Outlaw Band roll into town for a bit of a hijinks.  However, Sheriff "Cool Hand" Luke and his Posse are there to to rain on their outlaw parade!  

 Here, the Dakota lay siege to the town of New Ulm in the Minnesota River Valley.  The citizens bravely defend the town.  Despite having the edge in technology, the Dakota swarm into the town and past the initial line of defenses.  The residents are forced to fall back.  

Here a Dakota Warrior brought a knife to a gun fight!  He evaded a haul of bullets to get up close and personal with this New Ulm resident.  The knife worked as his shield protected him up close, and he landed a killing blow! 

 A Dakota with a Long Rifle manages to snipe a resident of New Ulm from a pretty good distance while they were in cover!  Not bad shooting/flicking! 

The battle comes to a climax as Dakota warriors get through the initial defenses and head into the lower part of town.  The defenders put up a good fight, but ultimately had to pull back.  The Dakota laid siege to the town of New Ulm three times during the Dakota War of 1862, but each time eventually had to withdraw.  The town was defended mostly by armed residents and a few law men.  

These games gave me a chance to teach a bit of local history in the guise of playing games.  That is always a bonus!  

Here the "Red Hat" Gang tries to break one of their own out of the town jail.  Sheriff Luke has stationed his deputies around to protect the building.  He knows the gang's leader Erik the Red will stop at nothing to try and free the prisoner and skee-daddle out of town.

It was a brutal fire fight, but Sheriff Luke and his men manage to hold firm and drive off the Red Hat gang once and for all.  They won't be coming back to these parts anytime soon!  

Half the fun was getting everyone to name a few figures and do some RPG-lite with outrageous cowboy drawls, and terrible slang from old westerns.  You know, saying things like, " Sheriff Luke is shooting like a polecat left out in the hot sun too long!"  What does that even mean.... no one was really sure!  But it was good fun at the time!  There was also a lot of shouting "Yee-haw" and "Yee-Howdy".  I recall Mean Joe Greene taking out a deputy from range, and the deputy player saying, "That's a fine how-do-you-do!"  Good times!  

Like I said, the Thanksgiving Dexterity Game is a bit of a tradition.  This year was no exception and it was a big hit.  The kids always break the ice, and then later in the evening the adults start getting in on the fun too!  High Noon even managed to compete well against various video games and VR for play time!  Hawt Dawg!   

Early the next morning, the kids were playing before I even woke up!  The first thing I heard Black Friday morning was, "Stick'em up, Pardner!"  That was a fine way to wake up.  

Overall, another successful Thanksgiving of gaming.  I hope you all had as much fun as we had!       

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Battle Report: Only the Strong Survive- Big Al vs. Steggie

 

This book has been on a slow boil since late 2018.  Like most of my projects, the initial core rules come pretty quick.  However there is much more to a game than just "Core Rules".  Therefore, once I get a set of rules up on the WIP section of the blog, they tend to marinate for a bit until I rotate back to them.  I tend to keep 2-4 games in various states of work.  It keeps me and you on your toes!  

I finally took the time to hash out the final few Dinosaur types and scenarios.  You may recall a past post about Playtesting these rules.  Well, that is all done with now.  

Only The Strong Survive is a model-vs-model dinosaur skirmish game.  It is designed to be playable between single Dinosaurs and small groups.  There is always a bit of a challenge in trying to make single model-vs-Model games interesting.  

Big Al the Allosaurus had been roaming across the savanna for a few days.  It's stomach rumbled ominously.  It was hot.  Big Al had managed to scare some smaller scavengers away form a carcass a few days ago, but that had only been a few nips of food.   He needed something a bit more substantial.  

Most of the other Dinosaurs saw he coming, and re-grouped into their herds and stayed away.  It was going to be a tough hunt.  It was too hot for a long, slow approach.    

As he crested a small rise, a pair of trees broke up the plain in front of him.  A herd of Stegosaurus were in the distance.  However, what caught his eye was one that had broken away from the pack and was closing in on the trees, unaware of the Carnivore's approach.  

In an instant, their eyes met and the hunt was on.  All thoughts of the heat were forgotten as this was the moment Big Al had been hoping for.   

Forces:

Allosaurus with 10 Instinct Dice- Big Al

vs

Stegosaurus with 9 Instinct Dice- Steggie

Mission:

This will be a straight up kill or be killed type of scenario.  Steggie has wandered away from his herd towards some choice bits of foliage, when they are set upon by a roving carnivore; Big Al.  Steggie is trying to drive Big Al off, while Big Al is trying to kill Steggie for a meal.  

Set-up:

We are playing on the floor in a two by two space marked off with notepads.  It was a bit makeshift with what I had brought, which was not very much.  I had two plastic trees and a plastic rock, that we put near the middle of the area.  Not much to work with this time.      

Turn 1: 

Our Allosaurus, Big Al; bids 2 while Steggie bids 0 Instinct Dice for initiative.  

Big Al uses three Instinct Dice to move towards his prey and launches his attack!  He tries to Body Block Steggie, but only has a few dice to do so.  Steggie defends so it is 2 vs 3 dice.  Steggie avoids the attack.  

Steggie then reacts with 3 dice vs. 1 and wins.  Not enough for a special reaction, so he just takes over and starts playing.  He uses his last 2 Instinct Dice to get by a tree to fend off the Carnivore.  Big Al tries to react with 2 dice, but fails. 

Since neither Dino has Instinct Dice left, the turn is over.

Turn 2:

Big Al bids 2 vs. Steggie's 3 Instinct Dice.  After winning Initiative, Steggie starts trundling along behind Big Al.  Big Al reacts with 3 vs. 1 dice and wins. 

Big Al pivots and uses two dice of movement to catch up to his fleeing prey.  He then attacks with 4 dice using a standard bite attack.  Steggie defends with 3 dice.  Big Al wins with 1 hit, but it is not enough to get past Steggie's armor.  

All Instinct Dice are used, so the turn ends. 

Turn 3:

Big Al bids 2 dice to 0 again and wins.  

The carnivore puts max dice into a Hatchet Attack, but has a terrible roll.  Steggie uses Max Defense and easily avoids the attack.  

Not to be deterred, Big Al uses his last Instinct Dice on a quick bite attack, that Steggie also avoids with 2 defense dice.  

All Instinct Dice are used again, so the turn ends. 

Turn 4:

This time, Steggis bids 3 vs. Big Al's 2 for initiative.  

Steggie aggressively attacks using max attack on a piercing tail swipe.  However, Big Al uses his max defense dice to dodge the attack.  

He responds with a 5 dice counter-attack, and Steggie can not defend.  This time, Big Al tears a chunk out of Steggie and causes 1 light wound.  Only 8 more for a kill! 

Turn 5: 

Big Al bids 2 again and Steggie gives 0 for initiative.  Steggie is ready to battle it out with his tail.  

Big Al launches a Max Attack Hatchet Attack, which Steggie tries to avoid with Max Defense again.  The higher target number for the Hatchet Attack does not help, and Steggie avoids the attack.  Big Al uses his final dice to move away and try to get around to Steggie's less defended front.  

Steggie uses his last two moves to get by a tree to reduce Big Al's attack vectors.  

Turn 6: 

Big Al bid 2 and so did Steggie.  Big Al upped his bid 1 to get the Initiative.  

Big Al moved towards Steggie, but then Steggie tried to React with 3 dice vs. 3 from Big Al.  Big Al won when Steggie whiffed his React roll.  

Big Al spent another Instinct Dice to move into Combat Range, and then attacked with a Body Block.  3 vs. 3 defense.  Big Al's attack worked, and Steggie is pushed back Slow distance and knocked down!  

Steggie is in trouble, but both Dinos have used all their Instinct Dice.

Turn 7: 

Steggie is Knocked Down and will need to spend Instinct Dice to get up again, however Big Al wants to attack before that can happen.  Steggie bids 3, keeping enough for a Max defense.  Big Al bids 4.  

Big Al immediately jumps in to attack!  He uses all his remaining attack dice for a bite attack!  7 dice vs. Steggie's 5.  Big Al manages to take two quick snaps out of the Knocked Down dino.  When you are knocked down your reaction and defense target numbers are increased to 6+.  

Steggie needs to get up, but both Dinos are out of Instinct Dice.  

Turn 8: 

Desperate to stand, Steggie bids 3 dice, to Big Al's three.  Again he increases it 1 to win.  

Big Al launches a Hatchet Attack against his downed foe.  This time, Steggie rolls away from the attack as Big Al got 0 successes for his attack.  

Steggie kept 1 dice, so he can stand again.  

Turn 9:  

Big Al bids 2 to Steggies 0.  

Big Al tries to bite again with all 8 dice, to Steggie's max defense.  Big Al manages to get through 1 more time, and cause another wound.  Steggie goes up to Medium wounds, and their armor is reduced from 1 to 0.  Oh no! 

Steggie Reacts with 2 dice, looking for two success so they can push back.  However, they get 0.  Big Al used their last Instinct Dice on the reaction as well.  

All Instinct is used up. 

Turn 10: 

We see the same pattern with Big Al bidding 2 to Steggie's 0.  

This time, Big Al uses 5 dice to try to body block Steggie again.  Steggie resists with 4. The two animals collide, but neither gives an inch.  Steggie tires to react again, but Big Al counters and the two stay stalemated.  

Then Big Al tries to take a quick nip and causes another wound.  Normally, Steggie's armor could have handle it, but not in their battered state. 

Oh no!  Steggie did not keep any Instinct Dice for a survival test.  Their Survival factor is coming into play.  They make an immediate move to the edge of the board and escape.   

Turn 11: 

This time, Steggie's player bids 7 dice for Initiative, while Big Al only bid 2.  

Steggie uses their last dice to move and they successfully escape off the board.  

Conclusion:

"Big Al didn't bring down his meal, but he managed to get a few mouthfuls of meat.  If he was lucky, his prey would weaken and lay down.  If he stalked it close enough he would be there to finish the job.  As long as his prey did not make it back to its herd, Big Al still had a chance to fill his belly full."

The battle itself was relatively quick, but having more Instinct Points to start with helped out a lot.  Big Al managed 5 hits, while Steggie landed none.  Big Al was on the attack the entire time, and Steggie had a hard time dealing with it. 

For both Dinosaurs, there never seemed to be enough Instinct Dice to go around.  Steggie ran out before making their Survival Test and that ultimately caused them to flee.  In addition, any changes you can force to your  opponent's target number is a big impact.  

I really needed to add more jungle and swamp terrain to the board.  That would have added immensely to the game as their would have been places to hide, flanks to block, and movement to hinder.  That would have added more tactical depth to this battle.  

Finally, I have a feeling the game will play pretty different with more animal, and Dinosaurs ganging up on each other.  You would have to be more careful with how you use your Instinct Dice pools, because a Dino without an Instinct Dice pool is in a tough place and easily injured.

Thanks to this battle, I went back and added more "Combat Maneuvers" that Dinosaurs can do.  This adds even more options with most Dinosaurs being able to launch between 5 to 7 different attack types depending on the Dinosaur.  I think this will add more decision making to the attackers and the defenders.  That is good.  

You can find the game on the Blood and Spectacles Wargame Vault page.  Try it for yourself and let me know what you think on the message board.    

 

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Battle Report: High Noon- Attack at Fort Ridgely

With the launch of High Noon it seemed appropriate to share a large game we played loosely based on the battle of Fort Ridgely in the Dakota War of 1862. I have long wanted to build and play a wargame campaign for this conflict, and have even loosely based my All Quiet on the MartianFront games on the campaign. However, I have not really had a chance to put it high enough on my Hobby to do list to actually get it on the table. I have a few sketched out drafts for core rules, and a basic idea of the campaign flow, but that is about it. If I can't play a full fledged campaign, I can at least play a game loosely based on the events.

In the history, after a flare up of hostilities between the Dakota and white settlers in Minnesota; a local war broke out. There were the typical massacres, some battles between local militia and Indian tribes, that eventually culminated in the Dakota attacking Fort Ridgely. Fort Ridgely was a wall-less fort similar to many forts on the prairie frontier and during the Indian wars in America. It was composed of only a few buildings, and had a relatively small garrison. The Dakota were attempting to drive the white settlers out, and by attacking the fort they hoped to force better terms from the Europeans.

High Noon is part of my series on Dexterity Combat along with Green Army Men: Plastic Men, Steel Resolve and Total CARnage. Therefore, there are no dice rolls, rulers, templates, etc. Everything is resolved as WYSIWYG, coin flips, coin flicks, or hand based templates. This is a very family and non-wargamer friendly game.

Forces

Forces were selected by taking every Indian figure I had and giving it to the Dakota. I then took all the Cowboys with Rifles standing up that I had and put them on the opposite side. I added a couple of pistol packing dudes as Officers.

Fort Ridgely Defenders:

2 Dual Pistols

3 Pistols

10 Lever-Action Rifles

Dakota Tribe:

5 Long Rifles

2 Shotguns

2 Knives and Shields

10 with Spears

The actual defense of Fort Ridgely feature the use of some artillery pieces, but I don't have any of those so I skipped them for this.

Set Up

The table is a 6 x4 table covered with a brown desert mat. I placed four boxes in a rough square in the center which corresponds roughly with the lay-out of the fort. I then placed some rocky outcroppings near the edges for some cover. Fort Ridgely is actually in a clearing of woods and has a small gully beside it and tall grass in the “dead zones”. Not too much like what I set-up here, but that's why it is “based” on that battle and not that battle.

Mission

We discussed playing a specific mission, but my players really wanted to just do a Last Man Standing type of scenario. The Indians had the advantage in numbers, but the defenders had the advantage in firepower and move OR shoot weapons. Therefore, the battle was roughly balanced.

The Dakota were scattered around the edges of the board in groups of 3-5 figures. Each group had at least 1 rifleman for cover, and a spearmen or two. The defenders were mostly concerned about the template firing shotgunners, but they started in cover to help protect them from long range fire.

The Defenders were placed along the insides of the boxes, facing the center of the board. This was to represent them leaving the shelter of the buildings at the surprise Dakota attack.

The Game

I did not take detailed notes during game play on a figure by figure basis. Therefore, the below is a high level overview of the battle. The defenders won the Coin Flip to activate a figure first. All actions are alternate activations.

The Defenders got to go first, and opted to try and stay within the fort, and move to the edges and try to use long range shooting on their foes. The Dakota pressed towards the edges, moving and shooting whenever possible. The Dakota rifleman tried to clear the way with a barrage of fire, before the Dakota spearmen moved up to mop up exposed defenders. The initial Dakota sally towards the North side of the building was repulsed by the defenders with firepower. The Dakota attacking from the open took particularly heavy casualties on the North East corner.

Never bring a knife to a gunfight....

Despite the success in the North, the Southwest corner was left vulnerable, and the Dakota moved in. Their numbers advantage allowed them to move forward with relatively light resistance. Only a pair of officers tried to hold them back with pistol fire.

The Dakota advantage in numbers became clear once the spearmen were able to get in cover behind the forts buildings. The close range firefight that broke out forced the defenders to move to get firing positions, which limited their firepower. 

.... the Knife worked! 

In addition, one of the Indian shotgunners was able to move up and blast the officers defending the Southwestern edge of the fort. This left a large breach for the defenders to try to plug.

This is my boomstick!

Ultimately, once the Dakota managed to get to the perimeter of the fort, their numbers were able to turn the tide and the last of the defenders were killed by spears. It was a costly victory as the Dakota were reduced to only a handful of warriors.

Oh the humanity!

Conclusion

That did not go anything like the battle of Fort Ridgely. However, it was a close fought and exciting game with some cinematic moments and amazing flicks, both good and bad. One defender as killed by a misfire, as I flicked it so poorly that he took himself out! One of the Shotgun Dakota was killed by his own allies due to a bad flick. An Officer with a pistol took out two Dakota warriors with a single shot. All good times.

The game took about 1 hour to play, including set-up, and brief rundown of the rules. This was a rather large engagement. Most have fewer figures to start with. Plus, we had 4 players instead of 2. However, none of these factors bogged the game down and it went at a brisk pace. There were no rules disputes and after the initial rules brief very few follow up questions. We were focused on playing the game, hootin' and hollerin', and having a good ol' time.