Untitled - Mega Miniatures

RPG Adventure2 Sidewinder: Comanche Trouble, Part 1Miniature Reviews14 Excelsior Entertainmentwww.excelsiorentertainment.com15 Privateer Presswww.privateerpress.com16 Hasslefree Miniatureswww.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk20 Corvus Belli: Infinitywww.infinitythegame.com23 Aberrant Games: Rezolutionwww.rezolutiondt.com29 Alpha Forgewww.alphaforge.com30 Reaper Miniatureswww.reapermini.com39 Wessex Miniatureswww.blease.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/WG.homepage.html40 Olleys Armieswww.olleysarmies.co.uk41 Magnificent Egoswww.magnificentegos.comGame Reviews44 Rezolutionwww.rezolutiondt.com46 YMG: Battlefield Reinforcement Deckswww.yourmovegames.com47 Warlord: Crusaderswww.reapermini.com48 Asmodee: Dungeon Twisterwww.asmodee-us.com51 B5 A Call to Arms: Earth/Minbari Warwww.mongoosepublishing.com53 The Black Library: Fell Cargowww.blacklibrary.com55 Rattrap Productions: Dragon Boneswww.pulp-heroes.comBattle Report56 Infinity: PanOceania vs AriadnaTerrain Workshop65 Sci-Fi BuildingsGame Preview71 Dark Age: GenesisPainting Workshop73 Hordes: MadrakThis issue’s cover artwork provided by the nice folks atCyclopes Forgewww.cyclopesforge.comADVERTISER INDEXGreat Canadian Miniatures IFC, 64Blue Table Painting 3, 17, 30, 45Alpha Forge 7White Wash City 12Privateer Press 13Hasslefree Miniatures 17, 18, 41, 54Corvus Belli 21Aberrant Games 24Dark Basement Miniatures 25, 60, 67Thunderbolt Mountain 28Reaper Miniatures 33, 38Magnificent Egos 42Brigade Games 47Mongoose Publishing 49Your Move Games 52Fantization 62Discount Hobby 68Dark Age 70Coat of Arms 74Columbia Games 76Olleys Armies 781

Figure 1 - Ft Griffin and The FlatCompanies of the 6th Cavalry established the post thatbecame Fort Griffin in the summer of 1867. The originalsite was in the bottoms of the Clear Fork of the BrazosRiver, a few miles downstream from the 1850s site ofCamp Cooper. It was originally named Camp Wilson,for a recently deceased 6th Cavalry lieutenant, HenryWilson. In 1868, it was renamed Fort Griffin, in honorof Colonel Charles Griffin, the departmental commandantwho had himself recently died. More than just aname change was involved, however, as the post wasmoved away from the unhealthful bottoms to an adjacentplateau.In later years, some local residents would call the location“Government Hill”. To the west, Collins Creekflowed around the base of the hill into the Clear Fork,and the creek served as the fort's water source for a time.A stronger stream east of the plateau furnished a locationfor a sawmill, and would be named "Mill Creek."The FlatGiven how little of Fort Griffin remains, even less remainsof the town below the hill, known primarily as"The Flat," but also as "Buffalo Town, "Fort Griffin,"and, simply, "Griffin." The town site is on private property,but is accessible by county roads. Its sole survivingbuilding is its first all-stone structure, the Masonic lodgeand school house, built in 1878 and restored by the currentowner. Foundations of other buildings are visible,and a number of them flank the current county road runningfrom the base of Government Hill to the placewhere the old Fort Richardson road crossed the ClearFork. This road was "Griffin Avenue," the main street ofthe town, in the late 1870s.3

Main Non-PlayerCharactersThe following is a short description of each of the mainNPC’s. The statistics and details of each character areincluded at the end of the adventure.Banks, Josiah WalterJosiah Walter “Parson” Banks is a circuit-ridingpreacher who delivers hell-fire and brimstone sermonsabout a "crusade" to Christianize the Indians. He's also agood shot and rider, have served in Hood's Texas Brigadein the Civil War. Josiah will enter town along withthe party and be introduced in Act 1, but will be the subjectof Act 3. Josiah is dresses in either a black suit (forpreaching) or a khaki duster over dungarees and a whitecotton shirt. His white hair is either combed back or unrulyunder a weather beaten cavalry hat.Collins, Claire ElizabethClaire Elizabeth “Liz” Collins of Fort Worth Texas, anEnglish teacher by trade, has a job in Abilene wherehere Aunt Lucy lives. Claire is 20 years old and hercrystal blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair make herthe prettiest thing in all of Ft. Griffin. Claire, though, isnot a shy and fainting girl. He father taught her to shootwhen she was six and ride when she was eight. Se cancertainly take care of herself.De Vega, Antonio Manuel HernandezAntonio Manuel Hernandez “Tony” De Vega is a merchantfrom Mexico City. Antonio De Vega specializesin selling spices, cloth, and guns. The later he enjoysselling (illegally, of course) to the Indians along withwatered down tequila. Antonio, Tony to his legal customers,is very circumspect about his operations. Whilehis gunrunning is his most lucrative trade, he makes sureto bargain sharply on his legal sales. Tony is a welldressedbut not flashy merchant. He always appears neatand well groomed, even after riding into town in hisbuckboard.Chief Fighting DeerChief Fighting Deer is the leader of a local Comanchetribe. Only 52 years old, Fighting Deer looks mucholder. He is blind in his right eye from a wound he receivedwhile fighting the US cavalry years ago. Hisname used to spread fear on the frontier but as he grewolder, he realized that the struggle against the white manwas doomed to failure.Now he sees that the only way for his tribe to survive isto befriend the white man and be assimilated. FightingDeer came to this conclusion after he was imprisoned inFt. Worth for a year. The tribe’s council of elders hasagreed with Fighting Deer, though it was not without alot of argument and soul searching. The tribe is nowpeaceful and helpful to the surrounding settlers.Fighting Deer is a hunched old man with thinning hairand a milky white right eye. He still has most of histeeth and he smiles often. He can understand a littleEnglish and Spanish though he rarely speaks in either.Note that Fighting Deer does not appear in the adventure,his character sketch is here as a reference for theJudge.Plant, Richard “Val” ValmontRichard Valmont Plant, commonly known as Val, is thesecond oldest son of Robert James Plant, a respectedfarmer near Ft Griffin. Unlike his older brother, Val is alazy boy who has a strong tendency for drinking andfighting. He killed a man in a bare-knuckle fight but wasfound innocent due to self-defense. Most folks think thatwas his father’s money talking.Val has taken up with Verne Wesley; they are birds of afeather. The two are planning on heading out of town forDel Rio once Val can get some money from his dad.Soaring EagleSoaring Eagle is a young warrior in the Comanche tribe.He is the tallest of the braves and is the best rider. He isthe leader of the young warriors. These young bucks donot agree with Fighting Deer's plan. They feel the Comanchewere once mighty and could be again - if onlythey would head west and leave the white man alone.Soaring Eagle has taken this to heart and can often beheard boasting about how things would be different if hewere chief.The elders either ignore the brash youth or tell him he'llgrow out of this phase. This doesn't set well with SoaringEagle and he's making plans to do something aboutit. He believes that if he can have a victory over thewhite man the tribe will cast out Fighting Deer and proclaimhim chief. Soaring Eagle is a tall man, over 6',with very broad shoulders. He appears as the ideal Indianwarrior.Wesley, VerneVerne “The Punk” Wesley is a 19-year-old criminal. Heis wanted in Ft. Worth for killing a man. He shot an unarmedCalhoun McGruder when Calhoun caught Verneforcing himself on Nancy McGruder, Calhoun's 18-yearolddaughter. Wesley is a pimply-faced orphan who ranaway from the Methodist home in Waco two years ago.He's a fair shot and a fair rider, and a coward. He backsdown from almost any challenge, unless he feels he's5

trapped - then he'll use deadly force. There's a $500 reward,dead or alive, on Wesley.Other Non-PlayerCharactersThe following is a list of other non-player characters inthis adventure. Most of these are described in detail inthe Frontier Town: Fort Griffin publications from DogHouse Rules. The reference works include other charactersthat are not part of this adventure, but can be includeas necessary for color, background, or red herrings.Stage Coach CrewChris Mitchum, DriverDavid McLintok, ShotgunPlanters Hotel StaffJack Swartz, OwnerEstelle Swartz, Wife of JackShannsey’s SaloonJohn Shannsey, Owner“Big” Mose McMain, BouncerBlacksmithJames Luther “JL” Thorpe, BlacksmithLivery StablePete Haverty, Livery Stable OwnerHenry Sixkiller, Livery Stable workerSheriff’s OfficeBilly Cruger, SheriffMaynard “Mangy” Mansfield, DeputyOther TownsfolkShelley Plant, Val’s sisterFt Griffin GarrisonSgt. Morgan O'RourkeCpl. Randolph AgarnCapt. Wilton ParmenterComanchesRunning FoalAct I – Wesley is a PunkThis act introduces the characters to each other and toParson Banks, Tony De Vega, Soaring Eagle, and VerneWesley. There are 14 scenes to this act, but not all ofthem may be played.Note: Both Scenes 1a and 1b are meant to introduce thecharacters to each other and to Ft. Griffin. There are twopossible entries – by stage for those who do not wish toride their own horses and on the trail for those who do.Each scene introduces one of the main NPC's to theparty. If either scene is not used, then there is an addendumto Scene two to introduce that character that wasmissed.Scene 1a – The Stage CoachLocationRiding on the Wells Fargo stagecoach in between Ft.Worth and Ft. Griffin.Dramatis PersonaeParson Banks, Chris Mitchum (Stage Coach Driver),David McLintok (Stage Coach Shotgun), and ClaireElizabeth CollinsDescriptionThis scene is meant to introduce the players and one ortwo of the main NPC’s. The scene should last longenough to get the introductions done and then move toScene 2.It’s the middle of the afternoon on a hot Texas day andthe Ft Worth to Abilene stage makes its dusty way westward.What little breeze that blows in from the road ismore dust than relief and gives everything a khaki tint.The rocking of the coach and the rumble of the horsesacts to lull the passengers to sleep. In a half-daze yourself,you take a moment to look around at your fellowtravelers.One is a pretty blonde young woman in a white cottondress and wearing a sensible hat. She holds a whitehandkerchief to here face to try and filter out the dust asshe stares out at the passing terrain.Another is an older gentleman with a cracked and suntanned face. His wild hair sticks out from under his oldand battered hat and his not-too-clean brown duster isopen to reveal a pair of stained dungarees.The party members who do not own a horse, or whowish to ride in style will be on board the Wells Fargo FtWorth to Abilene stage. This stage stops for the night inFt. Griffin on its way to Abilene. The stage can hold 66

people, of which one is Parson Banks and one is ClaireCollins.Claire is willing to have a conversation with anyonewho is civil, but will pointedly ignore anyone that isrude.The Parson is a quiet man and uncomfortable withstrangers in such close quarters. He will answer politelyand questions, but those answers will be short.A dust devil appears out of nowhere and hits the stageside-on. There’s no damage, but the tempest does rattlethe coach and whip through the cabin. In the fuss, thewoman’s handkerchief is blown from her hand andheads toward the open window.A player attempting to catch the handkerchief must passa DC10 Dexterity test. A character may take a Slight ofHand test instead; Combat Reflexes gives the charactera +2 bonus on this test.A player who rescues the handkerchief or makes a valianttry will win a smile from Claire; who will then startup a conversation.Scene 1b – On the RoadLocationRiding toward the Flat from the south.Dramatis PersonaeTony de VegaDescriptionThis scene is meant to introduce the players and one ofthe main NPC’s. The scene should last long enough toget the introductions done and then move to Scene 2.The players are assumed to have met on the trail. Aftertheir introductions, read the following section.Riding along the trail is a lonely thing, so often peoplewill join up for the journey. There’s safety in numbers,yes, but you also have to watch who you’re riding with.As your group crests a low hill, about a mile ahead yousee a man sitting in a buckboard wagon under a largecottonwood tree just off the trail. As you approach, yousee he is fanning himself with his bowler hat and lookingyour way.“Greetings, hombres,” he says when you’re near. “Whathas you fine fellows out on such hot day?”The man in the wagon is the merchant Tony de Vega.He is genuinely interested in the party, both as possiblecustomers and as traveling companions. In his wagon hehas bolts of cloth, some costume jewelry, and a few drygoods from Mexico as well as about ten half-gallon jugsof Mexican Vanilla.This cottonwood tree is about eight miles outside of theFlat; about 1½ hours of travel left.Tony is quite outgoing and will prattle on about almostanything. At some point, he will offer to sell the playerssome Corona beer he has, if they keep quiet about it. Hewill also get around to proposing that the party join himfor the rest of the trip into The Flat.If the players try to examine Tony’s buckboard, a successfulSpot check (DC 20) will reveal by the arrangementof the boxes and the lay of the tarp that there usedto be two long and thin boxes stored in the back. If Tonynotices the player’s looking at his buckboard, he will rearrangethe tarp making some comment about it beingruffled by the wind. Tony must beat the player’s Spotcheck score to notice.On the trip into town, Tony will tell the players the followingthings:• The Planters Hotel is the best in town and has thebest rates. Jack Swartz runs a tight business, but hetends to get moody. His wife, Estelle, is an angeland makes sure the guests are happy.• The area around the Flat has been quiet for a fewmonths. So quiet, in fact, that Tony has heard thecavalry is going to head out west on maneuvers for afew days.• There is an Indian settlement near by, but Tonydoesn’t know much about it. He doesn’t like redskins.• The party will ride into town just as the stage pullsup to the hotel.Scene 2 – The Stage ArrivesLocationPlanters Hotel, The Flat, TexasDramatis PersonaeChris Mitchum (Stage Coach Driver), Claire ElizabethCollins, Jack Swartz, and Estelle Swartz.DescriptionThe Flat, Texas, is a small town built near Ft Griffin.Originally a settlement of camp followers, it has growninto a small town with both stone and wooden buildings.Griffin Avenue is the main street of town and runsnorth/south and it is by this road that the stages comeand go. There are five or six other streets off of FortStreet, but they lead mostly to homes.8

The sun is low on the horizon as a dusty Wells Fargostage pulls turns off Griffin Avenue and stops in front ofthe Planters Hotel. Two men are waiting on the porch, abig, burly man who opens the stage door and a lankyman who starts unloading the baggage.“Folks, I’m Jack Swartz, the owner of this hotel. Y’allbe stayin’ here the night. Estelle at the front desk willcheck you in,” says the big burly man as he helps folksout of the coach. He pays particular interest to Claireand smiles a big smile.The Parson and Claire will make their way to the frontdesk with the lanky man following with their bags. Afterunloading the stage, the driver and shotgun will hopdown and start looking at the right rear wheel. After seeingeveryone into the hotel, Jack will join them.During unloading, a successful Spot check (DC 20) willreveal that the rear wheels appear to be out of alignment.The road has been hard on this coach and it’s starting towear out.Tony will park his buckboard around to the side and willfollow the stage riders into the hotel. It is up to his riderswhere they will go.Before this scene ends, the following will occur:• The Stage Coach Driver will come in and say thatthe stage has been damaged (the right rear wheel)and will need to be repaired. He thinks it might takea day or two to fix it. The coach will be moved overto the livery stable.• The Parson will check into his room and inquireabout dinner and where he could hire a horse. Hewill then head upstairs.• Claire will mention that a young outlaw molested afriend of hers in Ft Worth. The outlaw killed thegirl’s father and headed west, running from the law.• Estelle will give the players rooms in the hotel andAllen Baker will take any player’s horses across thestreet to Pete Haverty’s Livery Stable.By the time the players have unpacked, it will be dinnertime.After dinner it will have gotten dark. Tony deVega, Claire, and the party will join Estelle and Jack atdinner. The Parson will not be present.Conversation at dinner will be light and not plot related.Here’s a good chance to bring up some red herrings.From here, there are various directions the story can go;depending on what the players want to do. By the timethey have bedded down, it will be after• If the players want to follow up on the stage, want tocheck on their horses, or want to get a horse, theycan head over to the Livery Stable (Scene 3a).• If the players want to relax, there’s Shannsey’s Saloon(Scene 3b).• Or they could stay at the hotel after dinner (Scene3c).Scene 3a Haverty’s Livery StableLocationPete Haverty’s Livery Stable, The Flat, TexasDramatis PersonaePete Haverty, Henry SixkillerDescriptionAcross the street from the hotel is Pete Haverty’s Livery.The stage was left here, as it couldn’t be movedmuch farther. Thorpe, the blacksmith was sent for andhe removed the broken wheel and is took it back to hisshop for repairs.As you walk out of the hotel, you see the Stage parkedout in front of the Livery stable. Coming closer you seethat the right rear wheel is gone and the stage is up onsome railroad timbers. The stagecoach crew are nowhereto be seen. However, there is someone at the Livery stable,as you can see a light coming from the barn.Inside the stable, the party will find Pete Haverty andHenry Sixkiller brushing down the last of the stagecoachhorses. He will greet the party and be friendly. He’ll renthorses, of course, as well as stable them. His prices arefair.If asked about the stage, Pete will say that Thorp,Mitchum, and McLintok left for took the wheel to theblacksmith’s shop and then were going to Shannessy’sSaloon. They asked Pete to join them, but he needed tofinish up with the horses first. Apparently the stage has abent wheel rim as well as some cracked spokes.Pete rented a palomino to a man in a duster just beforesundown. His name was Josiah Banks and he road outsouth of town.A successful Listen check (DC 20) will allow the partyto hear someone moving in the hayloft. Pete will saythat Henry Sixkiller bunks down there – but Henry isnear by. If the party investigates, they will see the silhouetteof a man jump from the rear door. A successfulSpot check (DC 20) will reveal that it was a short manwearing a vest and a long sleeve shirt and a crushed hat.This is Verne Wesley who was looking for a place tobed down in quiet.If the party attempts to follow, a successful SurvivalSkill check (DC 15) will show footprints moving north,9

along Parson Avenue. If the party follows the trail, itwill eventually turn west along Third Street and thensouth along the creek, heading to Shannessy’s Saloon.(Scene 4).A Spot check (DC 20) will reveal a second set of footprintsthat cross the first set, heading east along Thirdstreet. A subsequent Spot check (DC 20) or Intelligencecheck (DC 20) will reveal that the second set of footprints are made by a soft-soled shoe where the first weremade by boots. If the party follows the second set offootprints, proceed to Scene 3b.Scene 3b – Dark End of the StreetLocationDark side streetDramatis PersonaeSoaring Eagle, Tony de VegaDescriptionA successful Spot check (DC 20) will show two figuresstanding under a mimosa tree behind a house a ways offof Parson Avenue. The two figures speak slowly andthen break up. The taller one heads east along ThirdStreet while the shorter stays in the shadows and makeshis way quietly southward.A subsequent Spot check (DC 25) will reveal that thetaller man is an Indian and he’s not wearing a shirt andhas a single feather draped down over his ear. SoaringEagle will make all haste to get out of town quietly. Heis unarmed and will fight fiercely to get away, but he isnot suicidal.If Soaring Eagle is captured, he will eventually be takento the Sheriff. The Sheriff knows Soaring Eagle, as dosome other folks in town – he’s a troublemaker who oftenspies on Sara Claymont, who lives in the house behindwhere this meeting took place. The Sheriff willtake Soaring Eagle out to the Comanche encampment.A subsequent Spot check (DC 25) will reveal that theshorter man is Tony de Vega. If questioned he will firstsay he was taking a stroll after dinner. A Sense Motivecheck (DC 15) will reveal he’s lying, If confronted, hewill say he was arranging to deliver some tequila tosome Indians. If Tony gets away, he will head back tothe hotel.Scene 3c – Planters HotelLocationParlor in the Planters HotelDramatis PersonaeClaire Collins, Estelle SwartzDescriptionAfter dinner, Estelle and Claire will share coffee in theparlor of the hotel. This is a most polite exchange wheremore red herrings can be sown. After a bit, Tony DeVega will enter and, after greeting the ladies and commentingon his evening stroll, he will turn in.Scene 4 – Shannsey’s SaloonLocationShannsey’s SaloonDramatis PersonaeChris Mitchum (Stage Coach Driver), David McLintok(Stage Coach Shotgun), John Shannsey, Pete Haverty,Henry Sixkiller, “Big” Mose McMain, Val Plant, andVerne WesleyDescriptionThe saloon is not a noisy place, with a few folks insideplaying cards and drinking. There is a smoky haze to theplace, more from the cigarettes and cigars than from thefireplace. Of the six tables in the room, only one oppositethe fireplace is open.At one table, are the stagecoach driver, his assistant, andthe blacksmith – the later is evident by his sooty armsand hands. The rest of the tables are filled with normalfolks, talking and playing.These days, the saloon is the center of attention for travelers– and Shannsey has done a wonderful job. He concentrateson liquor and gambling, leaving floor showsand soiled doves to other proprietors.Shannsey is behind the bar and Val Plant is in the chairnext to the back door; leaning two legs. He’s slowlydrinking beer from a large mug. Mose is sitting at the 2-person table next to the fireplace playing solitaire.This is a good time for those in the party who want togamble to take the chance. Listening and talking withthe locals will reveal the following facts and rumors.• The cavalry headed out yesterday, going westward.They are supposed to be heading out to put down anuprising near Goldwaithe, but what about the Indiansnear The Flat?• Someone saw a large man, looks like an Indian,sneaking around behind the hotel earlier this evening.• A man by the name of Verne Wesley was on the runafter killing a man in Ft. Worth. If he headed west,he should be around The Flat by now. He is thoughtto have hooked up with Cimarron, a half-breedMexican bandito.10

• Tony De Vega is back in town and rumor has it hehas a load of Tequila with him. However, its rumoredhe only sells that to the Indians.• A pretty woman from Ft Worth came in on the afternoonstage; she’s heading to Abilene to teach schoolthere.After a bit, Verne Wesley will enter. A successful Spot(DC 10) check is required to see him enter. He isslightly winded and will straighten his vest as he enters.He heads to the bar and orders a whiskey. Verne seesthat Val Plant is here as well and hopes to meet withhim.If anyone followed him, they will arrive just after hiswhiskey arrives. He will pull down his hat and try tolook inconspicuous. If no one was at the Livery stable,then Pete and Henry will come in looking for him.Continue directly to scene 4a.Scene 4a – Ruckus at the SaloonLocationShannsey’s SaloonDramatis PersonaeChris Mitchum (Stage Coach Driver), David McLintok(Stage Coach Shotgun), John Shannsey, Pete Haverty,Henry Sixkiller, “Big” Mose McMain, Sheriff BillyCruger, Maynard “Mangy” Mansfield, Valmont Plant,and Verne WesleyDescriptionIf the players didn’t follow the trail into the saloon, thenPete and Henry will head to Shannsey and talk for a moment,then Henry Sixkiller will announce in a loud voiceif anyone saw a short man in a vest come in just now.Verne will be trying to Move Silently (DC 15) towardthe door. Anyone watching him (Spot DC 10) will seehe’s trying to sneak out.A successful Spot check (DC 15) will show that ValPlant is showing great interest in what’s going on.One or another of the following will happen:• Someone in the room will point Verne out as theman who came it.• One of the player’s will spot Verne.In any event, once he’s spotting, Verne will bolt for thedoor. In the process he will trip over a customer at thebar, and throw a punch. When Verne throws the punch,Val will stand up and throw the mug at someone andrush to Verne’s defense. A general melee will ensue.Shannsey will try to yell for folks to calm down whilethe rest just join the melee. Named NPC’s other thanMose, Val, and Verne won’t engage the players, butthey will defend themselves. Val and Verne will try tomaneuver out the back door if they can.Eventually, about the time the fight is winding down,Shannsey will fire off his shotgun. This will stop thefight. Sheriff Cruger and Deputy Mansfield will arrivejust after the shot with their guns drawn.If either Verne or Val or both are still inside and mobile,they will break for the back of the saloon and run aroundto the front where their horses are tied and try to make aget away. If they do get out the back door, then someonein the room will yell that Verne is the man wanted forthe murder in Ft Worth.If Verne is captured, he’ll be recognized and taken tojail. Everyone else will be let go with a warning, asShannsey won’t press charges (can’t afford to have hiscustomers locked up). Verne has a $100 bounty on hishead that the Sheriff will give to whoever brings him in.If Verne gets away, he will saddle up and ride out southof town and eventually camp near the Cottonwood treefrom Scene 1b.If Val gets away, go to Scene 4b.Scene 4b – Red Herring – Val’s DramaticExitLocationOutside Shannsey’s SaloonDramatis PersonaeValmont PlantDescriptionIn the aftermath of the brawl, while the tables are beingrighted and folks are making their way out the door, aloud whoop is heard. Out of the darkness gallops a manbrandishing a six-gun. As he draws near the saloon, hefires two shots…Val is firing over the head of the crowd, just to distracteveryone so he can get away. Val has pulled a handkerchiefup over his face to hide his identity and he’s ridingout of town away from his home, planning to circlearound once he gets far enough away.Scene 5 – That’s Enough for TonightAfter the bar fight, the Sheriff will send everyone home– or to the hotel.The Sheriff steps out into the street and turns to the assembledcrowd. In a raspy voice he says, “There’s beenenough excitement for tonight. Y’all go on home and goto bed. I’ll give y’all 15 minutes before Maynard and Istart locking folks up. Now, good night!”11

The player’s will probably want to head on back to thehotel. This ends Act I.Loose EndsThe second act picks up the next morning after the fightat Shannsey’s Saloon. There may be a few loose endsthat need to be addressed:• If Val was not caught, he will reappear in Act 3.• If Verne was not caught, he will reappear in Act IIas a side plot.• If Soaring Eagle was caught, Maynard will take himto the Comanche village early the next morning. Ifnot, then Maynard will be out check on Val’s parentsat their farm. In either case, Maynard will beout of town for the first part of Act II.• If Tony de Vega was caught, he will be released andreturn to the hotel. Tony will be seen going to theHotel and going into his room.• Claire will remain at the hotel the entire evening, asa proper woman should.Experience AwardsExperience points are awarded for achieving certaingoals in the scenario. The following table lists the goals,the experience points awarded and any special notesGoal XP NotesSurviving the Adventure 2,000 Each survivor gets the XP award.Capturing or killing Verne 1,000 All PC involved split the XP award.WesleyCapture Valmont Plant 500 All PC involved in the capture split the XP award.Capture Soaring Eagle 500 All PC involved in the capture split the XP award.12

A couple issue's ago we got a look at the "greens" forExcelsior's Risen (skeleton) missile troops for Chronopia.Well, I have them in hand now and get to look atthem up close and personal. This review covers Assortment#1 of the figures. It contains one each of a RisenDwarf Crossbowman, a Risen Firstborn Archer, a RisenGoblin Archer and a Risen Sons of Kronos (barbarian)slinger for $12.00. You can also order individual risenseparately if you want to build a unit of all Risen FirstbornArchers, but you'll pay an extra $1.50 each to doso. I don't know what comes in assortment #2.Risen Dwarf CrossbowmanHe required the most cleaning of any model in thisgroup. There were no defects, but metal webbing alongthe mold line ran up both sides of the figure and requireda steady hand and a sharp knife to clean. I wasable to do so without damaging the figure, but it wasn'tan insignificant amount to clean up. He's wearing heavyarmor and matches up nicely with the Vulture ClanCrossbowman well, except for his big skeleton head ofcourse. I think he'll paint up pretty quickly as the modelis mostly armor.Risen Firstborn ArcherThese guys come complete with the axe, helmet andquiver just like their living counterparts and have lots ofvisible bones and not really any rotting flesh that I couldmake out. He was in the middle of the group in terms ofthe cleaning that was needed. Not too much, but not aninsignificant amount either. Just about what I'd expect.Part of his ribcage is visible and has bony arms and legs.Risen Goblin ArcherThis little bugger is easily my favorite of the set! Hestill has some rotten flesh hanging on his bones, but hasa nice skull that's been caved in and the hollow shell isvisible. It's a great detail that could have easily been leftoff, but I'm very glad that it was added. In fact, the skullis really the only visibly skeletal part of the model. Therest is either covered by clothes and armor or is still rottingaway. His breastplate is beaten and worn and hisquiver also looks a bit worse for wear. He also had theleast required cleaning. Mold lines were visible butfairly faint and were easily removed.Risen Sons of Kronos SlingerThis model needed almost as much cleaning as thedwarf above, but the metal webbing was not nearly asprominent. He did have a bit more bits of flash though.Overall, the cleaning needed here was less than on thedwarf and went a little more quickly. Reminiscent ofthe living SOK slingers he carries anaxe and sling and wears furs. He's alsomore skeletal in appearance than anyof the others primarily because he hasmore exposed areas, but part of hisscalp and long hair is still attached.His two arms could be bent a bit foralternate poses if you like, but be careful.I figure that Assortment #2 might containthe Firstborn Crossbowmen, ElvenArchers, Goblin Blowpipers andmaybe Stygian Spearmen but I can't say with anyamount of certainty. I liked the set and they have hugeuses in D&D and other fantasy rpg's even if you're not aChronopia player. Devout generals have been waitingfor these troops for many, many years and will be gladto finally be able to add them to their ranks.Unfortunately, as of this writing, Excelsior Entertainmenthas apparently lost the license to producefigures and game material for Chronopia so I’m notsure of the availability of these figures.Review by Mark TheurerPP31031 Cygnar Captain Darius $39.99 USDBoy, you sure do get a lot of bits in this box. CaptainDarius is a Warcaster dressed up in a large jack-like setof armor and ends up being somewhere between a Cygnarlight and heavy Warjack by the time he's put together.He's significantly bulkier than a light Warjack14

ut as big as a heavy one. Ten pieces make up his assemblyand most of the larger parts had a slightly visiblemold line, but it was pretty faint and was easy to dealwith. The smaller parts ranged from having no flash tovery small bits. The left leg fits on to the lower torsoperfectly but isn't really suited to rotate as it will end in astrange looking pose...with one leg pushing out in frontof the rest of the model. Maybe if you had another enemymodel for him to be stepping over or kicking itwould look ok. The two arms give you a little morefreedom of movement and the rest of the bits fit easily.For as many parts as he had there was really only minorcleaning needed and the model was ready to prime inshort order.Darius also comes with three small mini-jacks that eachcome with a body, two arms and two legs. Withoutsounding all girly (and that comment will probably leadme to getting my butt kicked by a female Warmachineplayer at the next GenCon I attend) these are really cutelittle buggers. Each body had a bit of flash that neededto be clipped away and each set of arms and legs wascast on a metal tab. If you wanted to, and I just mightfor comic effect, you could pose them all as if they werein a dance line. Ok, maybe I won't, but you can vary theposes of the arms and legs quite a bit and they are cutelittle buggers. There are also three buried versions ofthe mini-jacks when they prime themselves as mines.They are really more of counters than models, but Ithink it was a nice touch to do them as models and notjust toss in a set of counters for you to cut out. Theycertainly don't need bases and have some small rocksand gravel sculpted on them so you can match them toyour other bases or terrain. Darius might not have a lotof uses outside of Warmachine but it's a neat set withsome wicked in-game abilities.PIP31032 Major Markus Brisbane $9.99 USDBrisbane is another Cygnar Warcaster and he comes infive pieces (hammer, rocket cannon, two steam portsand the bulk of the model). He’s wearing massive platearmor with a tabard, but no helmet. ArchetypicalIK goggles are wrapped around hishead and there are many pouches strappedto his armor. His hammer is held across thefront of his body and is held with bothhands while his rocket cannon gets strappedto his back and is held in place by twoleather straps. The steam vents fit easilyonto his back. Each piece had a tiny bit offlash but the mold lines were pretty muchundetectable except on the hammer whichneeded a bit of attention. He went togetherrather easily and if you wanted to use himin a less technologically based fantasy campaignyou could leave off his rocket cannon,but you would also need to clip the leather strapsthat stick out from the back of the model. The armorand hammer were whatreally drew me into thismodel. Both are just massiveand he would make avery passable cleric, paladinor fighter in a non-IK campaignif you can get over themekanical apparatus on hisback. Of course, in astraight IK game he wouldbe a perfect PC model.PIP31035 Cygnar Thunderhead $44.95 USDDaruis’ plethora of pieces was party due to the box containingmultiple models, but the Thunderhead also has amass of parts and they all go together to make a singlebig-ass ‘jack. The eighteen parts range in size from a‘jack head to as large as a Trollkin. Three large piecesmake up the upper torso and each needed a bit of cleaningbut nothing drastic. When assembling the uppertorso it will be easier to put either the left or right sideon the center first and then the other. Also, fitting themwhile looking at the model from behind will makethings easier as there is no real socket for the to fit in.They slide up to each other and form a seam that ismuch more visible from the rear. The arms, each aboutthe size of a non-Privateer Press regular human miniature,fit into the upper torso sides just fine in a similarjoint as other Cygnar ‘jacks. The arm joint allows forsome rotation, but not a huge range of motion. The headand a cortex part also fit on to the upper torso. The bottomis made up of a smallish waist piece and two legs.The model is certainly top heavy but is stable enoughonce based. The remainder of the parts are pistons andhoses that add extra mechanical detail to the model.With all of these parts the Thunderhead may look intimidatingwhen you first bust him out of the box, buthis assembly is not bad at all if you tackle it in parts.15

fore she pulls the trigger and blasts your guts all over theplace. Her school uniform includes a very short skirt,which might put some people off but I did not find itoffensive. It’s perfectly in line with a schoolgirl assassin.Your eyes are initially drawn to the gun, but herface is really the focal point of the figure to me. Shewill fit in perfectly with my Rezolution APAC army asBishouju Senshi even though the gun on this model is abit larger than the pistols that they carry in that game.She would also fit in to any modern game (mundane orsupernatural) that you might be playing. Overall, it’s avery crisp and clean figure that I liked a lot.For some reason this model really struck me as being aperfect Shield Guardian in D&D, but then again youcould really say the same thing about any of the morehumanoid appearing ‘jacks from across all of the Warmachinefactions, but this one just really stood out in mymind as filling that role perfectly.Reviews by Mark TheurerHFA014 Suzi, Japanese Schoolgirl with Mac10 £3.00This single piece casting had two small bits of flash (onthe gun and on the metal tab that goes into the base) andonly the faintest of mold lines on one leg. It was easilyremoved. Much of her hair is tied back into a ponytailbut there are still long strands that hang down on thesides of herface, whichis quitechildlikeand innocentin appearance.Perfect forlulling youinto a falsesense ofsecurityright beHFA015 Dionne, Werewolf Hunter £3.00If Dionne isnot supposedto make youthink of KateBeckinsale inthe Underworldmoviesthen I’mreally off inmy assessmentof thisfigure becausethat’sthe first thing that I thought of. Like Suzi, this is a singlepiece model and there were a few more bits of flashon Dionne. They were mostly on her guns but her feetneeded a bit of cleaning too and there was a small bit onher chin that had to be carefully removed. The rest ofthe model was free of any cleaning and I could not findthe mold line. She is wearing a skin tight suit with smallbuckles and zippers all over it, but they are not largeenough to be out of proportion or silly looking. She carriestwo pistols down towards the ground and is in aconfident walking pose. There’s not a whole lot of animationto the figure but it’s a figure that would workwell as a player-character model in either a sci-fi ormodern game.HFA016 Singee, Alien Hunter £3.00In what must be an homage to Sigourney Weaver’scharacter, Ripley, in the various Alien movies we haveSingee. This model’s gun and parts of her arms aremolded as a separatepiece thatneeds to beclipped off andglued into place. Ilike the pulse riflea lot and it immediatelymade methink of the samerifles from Aliens.16

She’s in a pose that has her walking forward ready tofire her weapon. She also carries a holstered pistol andhas a couple of pouches for bits of gear. Her low cutpants and short shirt show off her midriff. Her waist andthe way her shirt hangs shows off a somewhat shapely,but very natural female figure. Her hair is fairly shortand wavy. It’s the only part that’s not quite spot on forme as a replica of Ripley on an otherwise very good femalesci-fi warrior.HFK001 Captain Freddy Bagshott andHFK002 Sergeant Stan Gammage £2.50 eachWhat’s not to like about Hasslefree expanding their lineof sci-fi figures to include halfling? Nothing, that’swhat! Ok, these guys don’t have anything that screamssci-fi like the Grymn do but unless you’re playing analternate history game where the Brits were halflings(which is ok I guess) they’ll count as sci-fi in my book.I can easily imagine them populating a world in a gameof Traveller 20 and even being used as player-charactermodels. They are about 20mm from foot to head andeach has tiny little pouches and gear. Captain Freddycarries a pistol and walking stick and has a rifle slungacross his back. Sergeant Stan has a Lewis Gun withan extra drum of ammo on his backside along with acanteen, bedroll and backpack. Cleanup was minimalon these miniature miniatures and they both packenough character for figures many times their size. Ofcourse, both of them are bare-footed, which is onlyproper for halflings. They are actually part of Hasslefree’sKindredlineand I lovethese littleguys. Assoon assome regulartrooperscome out toaugmentthese leadersyou’llbe set tomarch offto war!17

HFH028 Alyx £3.50This little multi-part hellioncomes with four separate arms;two right arms (one carrying apistol and the other with herhand extended in a post reminiscentof 80’s heavy metalbands like DIO) and two leftarms (one holding a baseball batand the other with a teddy bear).She’s nothing but attitude nomatter how you put her together.Even her head is cockedto her left side giving you attitude!She’s wearing a disheveledschool uniform includingan untucked shirt and untiedshoes. Flash was minimal, butwas present in a few places, but the mold line was not tobe found. I’m probably going to use her along sideSuzi as another Bishouju Senshi in my APAC army forRezolution since they start training these female killersat a very early age. She’s just a sweet little bundle ofviolence, sugar and spice and I like her very much.HFO005 Viktor £3.00This little guy is something you don’t see too often, agoblin wizard. He stands only about three quarters of aninch tall if you measure to the top of his head, but hisstaff adds another inch to his overall height. He comesin two pieces, the staff with the right arm attached to itfits into the torso in a very well done ball in socket jointat the shoulder, and the seam is masked by the goblin’sfur cloak. The facial detail is really outstanding and therest of the model is nearly just as good. Other details ofnote include a skull (complete with hair) tied to the topof the staff, and a miniature skull with other trinkets onhis belt. There is not a whole lot of metal on this guy,but there are no weak points, and he is well balanced.There was a few bits of flash here and there, but moldlines were slight at best and only really visible on hisarms. This dude will be a great centerpiece for a hordeof gibbering goblins.HFM005 Mjolnir £7.00This is another version of Hasslefree’s mercenary ogre,Mjolnir (HFM001). Although they call this another“version”, I would go even further and say that it couldbe considered another ogre completely. There are ofcourse similarities, but this is a complete rework and nota conversion so they look different enough to be considereddifferent models in my book, but that’s just me.This guy is a big model, standing over an inch and threequarters tall and he is all bulk. He comes in a total ofseven pieces. First you have the legs, and then the chest,two arms (one holding the sword), a fancy belt knife, agreat big steel shield, and finally the head. There is nopining on any of these, but there is enough surface areaon the mating surfaces to make for a relatively solidjoint, but if you plan on being rough with it, I would goahead and pin it yourself. The only troublesome part ofbutting this bad boy together is the trimming the metalsprues off that all the smaller pieces are attached to. Besidesthat, what little flash and mold lines there are onthe model come off easily and quickly. There is no lackof metal on this guy so your not going to easily damagehim (and may have a rough bending ANYTHING evenif you wanted to). This is a cool model and will make agreat wingmanfor theother Mjolnir.Reviews byMarkTheurer& ClayRichmond19

PanOceania Fusilier, Hacker €7.00Well, it didn’t take long forthe Infinity “Hackers” toget released. This was oneaspect of the game of Infinitythat we didn’t get to tryout in the battle report forthis issue. If you haven’tchecked out the rules yet,these are the guys that canactually hack into the electronicsof the enemies modelsthat depend heavily oncomputer assisted control(things like unmanned forces and heavy infantry wearingpower armor). Oh well, something to look forwardto next time. This model is the Hacker for the PanOceaniaforces and he comes in a total of six pieces notcounting the round plastic slotta base. The six piecesinclude two antennas, two arms, his riffle, and the maintorso. The antennas are that same standard issue partsthat I’ve seen with other PanOceania models and affix tothe back of the armor in small ball in sockets joints. TheRiffle, appears to be the standard issue Fusilier weapon,but there is no real obvious place to attach this to themodel, so I have to assume that it is an optional item (oryou could strap it across his back I suppose). The torsoand the arms are the impressive part of this model. Thedetail is simply intense. Both his arms are up as if operatingvirtual heads up displays, and because of the heavygoggles he is wearing, this is probably exactly what heis doing. On one hand, all five fingers are splayed,while on the other he is holding up two fingers togetherwith the thumb out at ninety degrees. No this may notseems like much to you, but trust me that creating andcasting a model of this scale with this many little fingersstanding up by themselves is no easy task, and all thiswith only the barest hint of flash on the tips of a coupleof the fingers. The arms attach to the torso in nice balland socket joints and fit well enough to be make theseam quite small and it should easily disappear completelywith paint. The detail on the torso is just as impressiveas the arms in quantity and sharpness, and howthey cast this guy without any flash is beyond me. Moldlines too are so minimal that I had to search for quite awhile before finding just the hint of one. This is an excellentmodel, and one that I’m anxious to use on thebattlefield just to see how Hackers might affect thegame if nothing else.Yu Jing Tiger Soldiers €12.00This blisterincludes notone but twomodels for theYu Jing army.The weaponsthat come inthe blister allowyou toarm one witha “Combi Rifle”,and theother with aheavy machine gun (HMG). Besides the main torso andthe detached weapon, each model comes with anotherthree other parts bringing the total piece count to fiveand a round plastic slotta base each. One of the additionalparts that comes with these guys, which is what Iam assuming gave them their name, is a fin like attachmentto the back of their armor. The other two smallpieces appear to be antenna that also attach to the backof their armor. The weapons are not interchangeable, soeven though there are two sets, you still only have oneconfiguration available. The antennas fit into very smallsockets (barely a dent) and the fin fits over the contourof the back with no pins or socket. The weapons (forboth models) fit very snugly onto the model attaching toboth arms with small ball and socket joints. Both modelsseem to be holding their weapon up while they aretaking aim, and one of the models is doing this on therun (and if you read the Infinity battle report in this issueyou will see that this happens a whole heck of a lot).Both models are chalk full of sharp distinctive detail andshow a decided lack of mold lines and only small spursof flash on some of the protrusions. These guys are wellbalanced and with the possible exception of their littleantennas on the back, they are quite sturdy. These aregreat models that should add a lot to the battlefield.Yu Jing Invincible €7.00Next up on the Yu Jing army list is this tough lookinglittle lady, and I have to say that this one was somethingof a challenge to put together. In total, there are eightpieces and a round plasticslotta base that go intobuilding this model, andfive of the pieces are reallysmall. Four of the fivesmall pieces are the antennasthat so many of themodels for Infinity have, soexcept for the quantity (herback gets a tad crowdedwith them) they are not tobad to handle. The difficult20

part comes with the final small part. She carries a large“Multi Rifle” in both hands, the weapon is one piece andit comes with her right arm and left hand attached to it.Her left elbow and forearm is the other small piece, andit was no fun getting the weapon, torso and forearm allglued together (and if you can do it without getting glueon your fingers you’re a better modeler than I). Theweapon and the small pieces all had more spurs of excessmetal that I’m used to seeing on Infinity pieces, andthese did nothing to help how the model fit together.She also comes with a sizable sword, but this appears tooptional as there is no real comfortable place to glue itonto her. The model itself, once all glued together, ispretty cool. She lacks nothing in detail and it is in a nicewell balance action stance. Some of the detail is unfortunatelycovered by her weapon but this I guess is unavoidable(it just makes it hard to tell if the model is a“him” or a “her” except for the tail of hair coming fromthe back of her helmet).Ariadna – Line Kazak with Missile Launcher €7.00Ah, some heavy support for my Line Kazaks. This femaletrooper comes in three pieces (body, right arm withmissile launcher and her left arm) and had a bit morecleaning needed than I had with the other Ariadna figureslast issue. The main figure had a few stray bits ofmetal that needed to be clipped but the mold line wasreally only visibleacross the top of herhat/head and it waseasily smoothed out.The arm with the missilelauncher had athin web of metal thatfollowed the moldline around the top ofthe weapon. It wasnot too thick but wassomething that I didn’treally encounterwith the other figs.Go ahead and do adry run before applying glue to the figure just so you getin your head the correct positioning of each arm sincethe left arm will come up to support the missile launcherthat’s being held in the right one. She is wearing thesame armor as the rest of the Line Kazaks and has thepistol, knife, backpack and bags that the rest of them do.The face is really well done and I also like the shape ofthe missile launcher. It’s big and bulky but not ridiculouslyhuge. She’s a good addition to my forces and onethat you could use in a similar role (heavy weapontrooper) in any other sci-fi game whether it’s an rpg ortabletop combat game.21

Ariadna – Uxia McNiell €7.00This female personalitymodel comes in two pieces(right hand with shotgunand the rest of the model)and had much less cleaningrequired than the heavyweapon trooper above. Thefirst thing I noticed aboutthe model was what Ithought was her thin waistline.She is not bulked upwith a backpack and extrastraps so has a normalwaistline. The belt that holds her pistol’s holster doesadd to the appearance of an even smaller waistline butafter examining the figure it looks in proper proportion.Her chest armor and belt are what makes it look thinner.While she fits in with the look of the rest of the Ariadnaarmy she also has some differences. The main ones beingthat she’s wearing what looks like a knit sweater andhat. Not like she’s off to deliver Christmas presents oranything, I just thought it was a neat difference. Her lefthand holds a set of binoculars and there is a knifestrapped to her left boot. Her backpack is smaller thanthe other Ariadna troops that have one and, in fact, hersis actually two smaller packs instead of one large one.Once glued into place the shotgun rests between one ofher small back bags and her hat, right across her backand the model is in a more relaxed pose than in the middleof a firefight. Her hair is in pigtails, like Pippy Longstockingand the face is up to par with the rest of themodels in this line.Yu Jing - Zhanshi €7.00Here is my (Brian’s) first review of miniatures forMark’s publication. He asked me to look at this modelbecause they are produced by Corvus Belli and I ownquite a few of Corvus Belli’s 15mm figures; Carthaginians,Numidians and Ancient Spanish. This figuremeasures up to what I have come to expect in terms ofCB’s quality of production. Zhanshi is the hacker forthe Yu Jing faction of the Infinity 28mm miniaturesgame. Bottom line: this is a very nice figure. I found nomold lines and the only flashwas a small amount on theleft thumb and pinkie. Themodel is molded in twopieces: a torso and a left arm.The arm and joint fit togetherquite cleanly. I had todo no work to get a good fitwhen attaching the arm tothe torso.sculpted. There is plenty of detail, but not so much as tomake an amateur painter nervous. The model is VERYfemale. She fits in quite well with the genre and the restof the Yu Jing figures. Being a hacker, the model hasplenty of high tech gizmos on her person to go alongwith the assault rifle that she carries. Zhanshi is lightlyarmored, but not defenseless. This figure also has potentialto work in any kind of game that is post-modernand/or militaristic in nature. So, if you like armed, scifi,female figures then this one is just for you.Yu-Jing - Guijia €25.00Guijia is a mecha-type robot for the Infinity 28mmminiatures game. When I pulled this big boy out of thebox I was suitably impressed with the work that CorvusBelli did in producing this model. I was momentarilyworried when I counted the number of parts for the figure:eight. But, once I started fitting the parts togethermy anxiety departed.The model is divided into the head, torso, legs, rightarm, left arm, and three spines. The quality of work onGuijia was truly outstanding. I had to do very littlework to clean the parts for assembly. The only realmold line I found was along the upper edge of the bigass gun that this thing carries. That line took less than aminute to remove. All of the joints fit together perfectly.This was very surprising. On models of this sizeI’m used to doing some carving on the concave parts ofjoints to get them to fit the male portion of the connection.But, I just applied the glue, held the parts togetherfor a few minutes and voila, a beautiful joint.You could pin the larger joint is you like, but I did notand I have had to do no re-gluing even though I havehad less-than-gentle moments with it. From opening theThe figure is very well22

ox until construction was completed probably tooktwenty minutes at most. Guijia stands around 54mm inheight and is built like a NFL linebacker. There are almostno flat surfaces on this model. The only ones arethe sword blade and the spines running down the back ofthe figure. The rest of Guijia is made up of gentlecurves and that flow from one section to another. Thisfeature will make for easy painting for the beginningpainter. The experienced painter will find plenty ofroom to do shading and blending to make this modelquite unique for it’s owner. This burly lad will make anice addition to any miniature’s collection.Reviewed by Clay Richmond,Mark Theurer and Brian AhrensCSO Marshal – ABG 2006 $6.99This is an interesting modelthat at first glace you willthing belongs in a RPGgame of the Wild West. Oncloser inspection however,you will see that his gun isa whole lot bigger and awhole lot more modern thana simple six shooter. Andthen there is the fact thatthere is a pair of modernday hand cuffs and a grenadehanging on an armylooking utility belt. This isa single piece solid castmodel complete with round plastic slotta base and a datacard. He is relatively free of mold lines, but has a bit offlash that needs to be cleaned up under one arm. Thereis a large amount of detail on the model and all of it isclean and distinct. There are no weak points on themodel and he is standing rather calmly so there is not abalance issue either. The only real odd thing about thisgut is that in his left hand he holds the highly modern“Hammerhead Assault Pistol” and there is no visibleholster for it. However he does sport a holster on hisright hip and his right hand is resting on the gun in theholster, a gun, although you cannot tell for certain, thatmay well be one of those antique six shooters of yore.CSO Marshal (female) – ABG 2006f $6.99This is a solid cast model of a bad ass, wild haired, guntoting lady marshal, the female version of ABG 2006.She comes in two pieces and has both a round plasticslotta base and a data card included. The right arm, andthe big ole’ handgunit holds, is the partthat comes detached.For the most part, themodel is free of flash,but there are a fewerrant slivers of metalthat need to betrimmed and the detachedarm is attachedto the base, soit needs to betrimmed and cleanedup as well. The goodnews is that thismodel has some really cool detail on it. In fact, to appreciatethe amount and quality of detail (at least beforeits painted) you need to look at this model under a magnifyingglass. This model is clean, precise and chalk fullof all kinds of details. I would even say that this is amodel that I might recommend to any miniature paintersthat are looking for a show piece model to paint. It’s thatgood. This is definite a model worth the money forplayers of Rezolution as well as collectors in general.Dravani Souless – ABG 4002 $8.99For those new to the game of Rezolution, the Dravaniare the aliens in this near future game. The twist is thatalthough they are aliens, they have been “among us” forquite some time. This particular blister is one of the firstwave of releases from Aberrant Games for Rezolution,and it contains two single piece, solid cast models, bothcoming with round plastic slotta bases. There is also adata card that comes with the blister. These particularDravani have been mutated due to a blunder of their ancestorsin centuries past and have past the mutationsdown to their progeny. I’m guessing that these twocreatures may well have a difficult time hiding “amongus”. One apparently has an extra tooth filled mouthwhere his (or her… who could tell) forehead should be.The other has a huge sloping forehead that wants towrap to the back side of it’s head, and seems to want tohide its deformedarms by hidingthem under bands ofcloth suspendedfrom it’s shoulders.Both models arevery detailed andhave only the baresthint of mold linesand excess metal.Neither took morethan a few momentsto prep. Both standbetween an inch and23

a quarter andan inch and ahalf (notcounting thebase) so as faras size is concerned,theyare comparableto humans.Their looks onthe other handis another matteraltogether.Dravani (Human form) – ABG 4006 $6.99Here we have the Dravani inwhat I would image to be theirmost common form while hidingamong the inhabitants ofEarth since in this form theyare essentially indistinguishablefrom humans. This modelis a single piece solid castmodel of scantily clad femalewearing fashions that must bethe thing in the year 2175. Sheis in a relaxed stance leaningon a sword that has its tip buriedin the ground. The blisteralso comes with a data card anda round plastic slotta base. Bing a single piece, with noreally frail sections, the model is sturdy and balanced.There were some mold lines on the arms and legs, butonly the smallest amount of flash. The model is mostlyskin and clothes, but even so, the detail is really good.The body proportions and highlights, the futuristic fashions,and the facial features are all excellent. As thebackground stories go, it’s ladies like this that got thelegends of the succubus and the vampire going, andlooking at this model (and knowing something about thepowers of the Dravani) it’s easy to see just how thathappened.Dravani Baggers Leader Pack – ABG 4007 $9.99This blister contains two models, one of which looks tobe like the baggers in ABG 4008, while the other has amore human appearance and has her weapons attachedto her wrists rather than her hands actually being theweapons themselves. The first model comes in twopieces, while the one that is presumably the leadercomes in three pieces. There is a data card in the blisterand both models come with a round plastic slotta base.The first model, is kneeling looking up, with its mechanicalhands together as if in offering holding whatlooks to be a brain. The arms, hands, an offering are allone piece, and the rest of the model is the second piece.The arms attach tothe shoulders withflat face to facejoints. The pieceshave a little flash,though not verymuch, and there isa metal sprue onthe arms thatneeds to betrimmed away.This guy is probablythe least fragile of the baggers since the one pieceyou need to glue on attaches at two points. The secondmodel, the one I’m thinking is the leader, could actuallypass for human except for the wicked weapons attachedto her wrists. For her, it’s her hands that come detachedand mounted on a sprue. One of these is pretty small, soit’s a bit tricky to get in trimmed and glued on correctly.The other hand includes the lower arm and the elaborateweapon on the wrist, plus it mounts with a small ball insocket joint, so it’s a bit easier. The worst part aboutprepping this lady for assembly is cleaning the sprue offthe hands. The main torso had very little flash and onlytraces of mold lines. These are both a couple of goodlooking models and the detail is very distinct and finelydone.Dravani Baggers – ABG 4008 $9.99There are two solid cast models in this blister, the firstcomes in three pieces, and the second has only twopieces. The blister comes with a data card and bothmodelsa l s ocomewithroundplasticslottabases.F o rbothmodels25

it’s the arms that are detached, the only difference beingthat for one of them, one of the arms comes already attached.The hands on these uglies are mechanical withelongated fingers (or should I call them claws?). Thesecond model’s arm ends in a long curved blade ratherthan a hand. I’m taking it that these two are not intofinger foods. The detail on these model’s faces and bodiesis very intricate and extensive. So extensive in factthat beginning painters might be a bit overwhelmed withit. There is a moderate amount of flash due to the manypoints and individual fingers, and there is also a metalsprue that has to be removed. Mold lines, on the otherhand, are very minute when they are even noticeable atall. The arms are not pinned and look to be moderatelyfragile even after assembly, but the rest of the modelappears to be sturdy enough. These guys are sure tomake someone’s eye bug out when they see them showup on the battle field.Dravani Volkoda – ABG 4009 $11.99The Volkoda is one nasty looking pooch. This modelcomes in five separate pieces plus a rectangular plasticcavalry base. There is also the standard data card suppliedin the blister as well. This thing is apparently aboutthe size of a large Great Dane and has a whole bunch ofspikes, claws, teeth and horns covering it legs and head.In fact, its hind legs end in long spikes rather than feet.Its front two legs do have feet that are comprised of fourclawed toes. Its front legs even have an extra little armthat ends in yet another long spike. Three of the legsand the head come detached from the main torso. All fittogether nicely with small molded pins (except for thehead which uses the neck as a pin). Due to all the spikessticking out (some of them fairly fine), and the multiplejoints, players will have to be a tad more careful handlingand storing this guy (for your sake as much as forthe model) that than with other pieces. Also, due to themyriad of sharp points there is a lot of flash and excessmetal that needs tobe removed, butnone of it was difficultto take offcleanly. This is awicked lookingmodel that youwill want to fieldjust for the modelif for no other reason.ABG3006 - Numb Sisters (2) $8.99This blister contains two close combat fighters and canmake up a complete unit because the unit size is 2-4models. These ladies are part of the APAC faction andhave a very distinct Asian look to them. They are armedwith razor fans and are wearing very light robes. Eachmodel is unique, but is alsoarmed and clothed in the samefashion as the other. Theirpose, facial features and hairare different, but their"uniforms" match nicely andyou could paint them up in thesame colors or in dramaticallydifferent colors and theywould still be recognizable asbeing in the same unit. Eachneeded some cleaning, mostlyaround the fans and head andwhile the mold lines were visblethey were also quite faintand easily taken care of. One of the models has her rightfan as a seperate piece that is molded down by the tabthat fits into the base. They models are nicely proportionedand well done. There is nothing on the modelsthat screams out that they are from a sci-fi game so theycould also easily be used in any setting where you wantsome Asian-influenced female assassins armed with razorfans. For me, they'll be a nice addition to my APACcrew.ABG3007 - APAC Arashi $10.99Straight out of the artwork from the Rezolution rulebook(page 165) comes the female Arashi model. The maleversion (as can be seen in the previous issue of FictionalReality) comes in two pieces, but this model is in fourand requires a little bit more effort when it comes to assembly.Three of the model's pieces are long sections offlowing cloth that extend off of the Arashi herself. Beforedoing any kind of assembly take each of the piecesand make sure you clean them of mold lines and flash.There's a little of each on all of the pieces and you'llwant to make sure you take care of it early on. One attachesto the base and into a small void in the small ofher back, right above her butt cheeks. Do a dry fit firstand see if you want to carefully bend the fabric into anotherposition. You can fit the fabric to the void in herback and also have her feet resting on part of it for extrastability if you like or youcould, with some carefulwork, pin and glue the fabricto the body of the model.After that is done you'll havetwo sections of fabric that fitonto her torso and extenddownwards, but do nottouch the base. The model isdressed in a corset and verylight clothes. She sports avery blunt haircut that coversher eyes and leaves justher lips and part of her ears26

visible. Since the finished model rests in a pretty straightup position, and the center of gravity of the model is abit higher than normal, you'll want to be a bit more carefulwhen using it during a game so you don't knock itover and damage it. It's a nicely styled model that, likethe Numb Sisters, could easily find itself in a number ofother genres.ABG 5003 - Ronin Fist $6.99This single-piece figure is of athin, but very muscular malehand-to-hand fighter that standsbare-chested with fists clenchedready to fight. He wears a long"skirt" or kilt-like piece of clothingbut other than that has noweapons or armor. There was amold line that went all around thefigure and there were also twometal tabs that connected hishands to his "skirt". He did requiremore cleaning time than alot of other Rezolution figuresthat I've looked at, but I would not call it excessive.He's bald and the muscle detail is raelly well done, butnot cartoonish at all. When considering how to paintthis guy there are really only two things to think about .Skin color and clothing color. I've seen some really nicepaint jobs online with this guy's "skirt" painted up like aflag and for the ambitious painter he's a very nice blankcanvas that you can go to town on. He also looks like arelatively easy figure for a not-so-experienced painter toget to a nice finish without too much trouble as there arenot a lot of fiddly bits and detail. Outside of Rezolutionthis figure could easily fit into a fantasy or modern gameas a martial arts expert and nobody would think twiceabout it.ABG5007f - Ronin Esper (female) $6.99This one-piece model is a great representation of thepicture on page 113 of the Rezolution rulebook. She'sprobably in her early teens and is wearing a mish-mashof clothes that ranges from what looks like a nightie ontop and a pair of jeans with huge bellbottoms fromthewaist down. Depending on how you paint her legs shecould be wearing shortsand just the bellbottoms orthe whole pair of pants.There's a lot of exposedflesh, especially if youpaint her bottoms as shorts,but nothing revealing.She's in a pose that depictsher using a Craft power.Flash was mainly presentaround her hands and hair,but the mold line was almost impossible to find so hercleanup took just a few seconds. The face was really welldone and the whole figure looks easy to paint to a good standard.A very well done figure that definitely has usesoutside of Rezolution, mainly in modern or sci-fi games,if you're looking to get double duty out of this model.Plastic Bases $4.99In this blister you geteight round plasticbases that you can useas alternates to regularflat slotta-bases. Inthe blister I foundfour different textureson the bases all ofwhich have a modernor tech appearance tothem. None of themhave so much detail that you need to be worried aboutspending as much time on the base as the figure unlessthat's what you want to do. A simple base coat and adrybrush will easily have these ready to go. I would recommendthese most if you are about to paint a new teamof figures or a whole new crew. You'll need to clip offthe tab at the bottom of each figure since there is no sloton these. If you want to add a bit more detail to yourfigures this is an easy and cheap way to do it.ABG 6002a Merc Emissary of the Empire $6.99ABG 6002b Merc Emissary of the Empire $6.99Each of these female figures represent the same type ofmercenary that can be employed by your Rezolutionteam as long as you don’t have any Dravani or Vatacinatroops present. They are in different poses and wearslightly different garb, but are essentially the same figurein game terms and you'll only need one, but having achoice in poses is never a bad thing.The first is in a running pose with her weapon, a longtech-looking polearm with some hoses, a blade am d alever or firing mechanism on it, while wearing very littlein the way of clothes or armor but has a long flowingcape fluttering behind her. The folds of the cape arenicely done and the detail on her face is also very cleanand well done. Therewas only one smallbit of flash but a visiblemold line did runaround most of thefigure that requiredcleaning. The hardestpart of the mold lineto clean was acrossher left cheek. Whatshe is wearing has a27

Egyptian feel to it and she (well, both of these models)do make me think a bit about some of the characters inthe movie Stargate.This version of the Emissary is in a standing pose firingher weapon (so it must serve as a ranged and close combatdevice) and the pose is a bit more static than thefirst, but the detail is comparable. Her clothing and verysimilar but is not an exact match so when you hire oneof the Emissary's to work on your team it's probably notthe same one all the time. This one had a bit less cleaningrequired than the first, but the mold line was stillmore prominent than any flash.Out of the two Emissaries I like the first, the runningone, the best just because of the animation of the pose.That may be because I plan to use her in my APACarmy that is already littered with wildly posed figuresand I think she'll fit in there better.ABG 6001 - Merc The Cardinaland Sister Carmine $12.99The good Sister comes in two pieces and is the moredynamically posed of the pair. She is in a leaning forwardpose with her right hand and axe coming as a separatepiece. The bulk of the model did have a faint moldline and a few bits of flash, but it cleaned up quickly.The axe had more cleaning than the rest of the figurewith more flash, but not really any mold line at all. Itattached easily to her right wrist and the resulting pose ispretty action-oriented as if she's ready to strike with herweapon. She's wearing a nun's habit, but not the kindyou saw if you went to Catholic school as the highheeled, thigh high leather boots and corset/bustier showoff a little (ok, a lot) more skin than the nun thatsmacked your knuckles with a ruler in class! Nothingobscene in my opinion but just not your typical nun. Ofcourse, Sister Carmine is probably not your typical nunherself. It's a well proportioned figure that doesn't sufferfrom "Pamela Anderson Disease" and one that wouldalso do well as a cleric in a fantasy rpg.The Cardinal is standing up straight and comes as a singlepiece model with no visible weapons. His hands areclasped in front of him and he has a contemplative orjudgmental look on his face. His head has been augmentedwith bits of cyberwear and he appears to bewearing leather buckles on his forearms to go along witha more traditional looking set of priest clothing. Therewas zero cleaning needed on the Cardinal and he wasready to glue to the base and prime right out of the blister.The glyphs on his clothes have been slightly raisedso this will ease their painting. He's definitely the lessaction-oriented of the two figures in this blister and healso has a bit less crossover usability as the cyberweargives him away as a sci-fi era character. Still, a good,cleanly sculpted figure that you'll use along with SisterCarmine in Rezolution.Reviews by Clay Richmond and Mark TheurerAM1 Asteroid miner with twin assault guns $6.90Alpha forge iscoming out withsome reallyunique stuff, andtheir line of Asteroidminerssurly fits the bill.These part men,part machineguys are quite thesite with theirrobotic grasshopperlike legs.The overall designis really cooland is probablyvery different than anything you are used to. This particularmodel comes in a total of seven pieces not countthe two inch round plastic base. The pieces are prettystraight forward, two mechanical legs, two gun totinghuman arms (well… mostly human anyway), an augmentedhuman head, and two parts that make up thetorso. All the parts fit together either with a ball insocket joint (the arms and head) or with pins (the mechanicalparts). In all case the fit is nice, but there issome filing that needs to be done here and there toknock of a few specks of unwanted metal. Although theparts are fairly small, with the exception of the head,they are all big enough that they go together easyenough even with fat fingers. As for the head, well, usetweezers or accept the sticky finger fate. There are severalbits of errant metal on the different pieces and somemold lines to smooth out, an since the pieces are fairly29

small, the prep work can take you a bit longer than forother models. But in the end, you get a pretty cool lookingfig.AM4 Asteroid miner foreman $6.90The fourth (and last ofthe currently availableline) of the Asteroidminer set is this sevenpiece model. They callhim a foreman, and hispose is obviously onewhere he is giving instruction,so I’mguessing this is theboss man of the squad.In one arm he is holdingup a riffle, whilehis other arm is out straight pointing as if issuing orders.Both these arms attached to the main torso in ball andsocket type joints so there is some leeway on which wayyou want the arms to be pointing. The head, this onelooks like he has been through a Darth Vader type accident,fits into the main torso with the same sort of joint.It turns out, there are five heads that go with the Asteroidminers, and the one you get with one particularmodel is random. Guess that way you can mix it upsome. The other four pieces (two legs and two parts tothe torso) are the same as in the other models of thisline, so there is no real need to repeat myself. I will saythat having all four of these guys in a squad will be verycool and I think they should be fun to field for theirlooks if nothing else.Human or Hydrissian Gun Platform $16.50In three baggies I got enough pieces to put together alarge gun emplacement and have it crewed by either ahuman or a hydrissian figure. The models each haveseparate entries on the website so I’m not 100% positiveif you get enough pieces for all variations or not. Thegunners each come in two pieces with the head beingseparate. The human appears to be wearing carapacetype armor and a helmet while the hydrissian is wearingmore of what looks like a thin space-suit instead ofsomething that will provide him with some protectionfrom incoming fire.Both gunners neededcleaning as therewere some bits offlash and a visiblemold line on each.Neither of the gunnershave a lot offiddly detail and theyshould be easy forinexperienced paintersto do well with. The gun platform comes in sixpieces before you add a gun to it. You can put it togetherwithout glue to see how it looks assembled.The three legs fit wellinto holes into a cradlepiece that serves as aplatform for the gunner'sseat and weaponmount. It goes togetherinto a stable tripod configurationand whileeach piece did needsome cleaning it waseasy to assemble. Thegunner's seat and gunplatform are put together using two pieces; the chair itselfand an array of buttons and computers that fits infront of the gunner. On my dry fit of the pieces I tried toswap out gunners and you can but I'm afraid that I'd bescuffing up the paint job if this is done much after it's allpainted. The hydrissian fits in and out more smoothlythan the human. I would suggest picking which one youwant in the seat and planting his butt there. You havetwo choices of guns; either a super minigun or a novabombard. They are both large double-barreled weaponsthat have a peg that fits into a void on the side of thegunner's chair. The peg had to be trimmed down just abit to fit smoothly into the void and if you wanted to youcould also swap these out like the gunners, but I reallythink that picking one would be best if you're concernedabout scratching your paint job once it's done. Rightnow, and this is before seeing the new game rules fromAlpha Forge, I think that the human gunner/gun hasmore usability and it could fit well into a VOID or UrbanWar game or even do very well as a gun platform inStarship Troopers.Reviews by Clay Richmond and Mark Theurer3009 Purple Worm $19.99You only get two pieces in this blister, but one of them30

sure is a big ‘un!A true terror tounderground adventurers,the purpleworm is a trueicon of Dungeonsand Dragons. Thesmaller of the twopieces is the tip ofthe worm’s spikedtail that is protrudingfrom theground. It doesnot attach to therest of the model.The bulk of thefigure is the maw and first several yards of the wormitself, also protruding from the ground and is surroundedby many rocks. Cleaning of the model consisted of levelingthe bottom of the base and removing the mold line.The mold line ranged from fairly faint on top to a bitmore prominent on the underside. The flesh of the wormlooks mottled and warty and its mouth has a centerthat’s full of teeth. Even though it’s rather tall whencompared to human-sized models and it ahs a bend it’spretty stable once you level the bottom of the basewhere there was a bit of excess metal. If you’re planningon basing the model on a plastic base, as I do with mostfigures, you might have less use for the tail/spike pieceas it does not attach to the rest of the model. This is asimple, but effective, model that will be easily recognizableby D&D players.3011 Musketeer Alfonso $3.993012 Musketeer Olivia $3.99These two pistol and sword wielding duelists are eachone-piece figures that come with an integrated base. Asyou can tell by their names one is male and the other isfemale. They wear very little in the way of armor andare reminiscent, as is proper, of the guys you see runningaround sword-fighting in the Three Musketeermovies. A wide brimmed, feathered hat, tabard and rapiercomplete the lookand these are simple,but very well done andeffective, sculpts. Sincethe sculptor, J. Winter,was the same for bothmodels they do look alot alike and wouldmake a good pair. Bothneeded a bit more cleaningthan I would havenormally expected withthe mold line being thechief offender. Eachmodel took a fewminutes to cleanup and since allof what they arewearing is clothyou’ll want to beextra careful notto mar the model.If you dig into apiece of armor orshield whencleaning a mold line it can be made into battle damage,but no so with cloth unless you want to make it look likea slash. Olivia’s rapier was bent in the blister and beingas thin as it is it was bit harder to straighten out than astandard, thicker, blade. If you need to mess with it doso just enough to get it straight and then hands off! Themore you bend it the weaker it will get and you couldeasily break it. Of course, you could really go off thedeep end and replace the blade with a straight pin. Yes,I’m sure someone will get stuck with it! They are closeenough in appearance to use in an Iron Kingdoms setting.They would also be good as two player charactersworking together as part of a larger party of adventurers.Also, I’ve played in games where you’re running morethan one character at a time and this would make a nice pairfor that too.301 3 Yera, Water Buffalo Minotaur $9.99Only two pieces make up this large figure, but they arebig ones. First is the weapon, which is a long polearmwith blades on both ends, grasped with both hands.Mine was bent in the package but the shaft is thickenough to get back into place without damaging the part.There was a visible mold line all the way around theweapon that took a minute or so to remove. It was notthick, but did go all the way around. The hands have twoknobs on them that fit into voids at the wrist on the armsof the model. The knobs were a tiny bit too long andneeded to be clipped to get the fit just right. You couldalso just cut the knobs off completely and pin the handsinto place if you like. As far as the body of the model isconcerned it’s pretty much a regular minotaur until youget to the head. He’s not wearing much armor at all andhas a lot of gear (bags, bedroll and even what looks tome like a skin of yakmilk) on his belt. Historso is and arms aremuscled and well definedbut not overly exaggerated.The face istypically bull-ish in appearanceand he has twolarge curved horns thatcome down off the topof his head and then31

curve upwards. His long hair is tied into a ponytail andreaches down to his belt. This is a very nice model as-isbut I could not help thinking of how I could modify it.I’ve been playing a good deal of World of Warcraftlately and you could easily clip the hands off of theweapon and replace one with a large axe or sword andthe other with a blunderbuss and turn him into a Taurenhunter. Of course, now I have the problem of trying tofind a blunderbuss big enough.3014 Nightstalker Assasin $3.99I guess the first thing I have to sayis that I spelled the name of themodel the way its shown on theblister, so it’s not a typo on ourpart. The model is a single piecesolid cast model, with a metal integratedbase. For an assassin, he iswearing one heck of a lot ofclothes, in fact, besides the one armsticking out that is holding a longknife, and a small speck of faceshowing under his cowl, there is noskin and very little body detail atall due to the large gown (that looks like it has a petticoatunder it) he is wearing. It’s very clean as far asflash and mold lines, and the model has no weak pointsor balance issues. In fact it’s above average in weightdue to the large robes the guy is wearing. The only realdetail on the model is a row of skulls that decorate thehem of his gown so this will be one of the easier piecesto paint.3016 Toreth, Male Dark Elf $3.99Toreth is a single piece model that stands on a small attachedmetal base. He is wearing heavier armor than thenormal run of the mill elf, and it doesn’t look all thatinherently evil so he could just as easy be used a goodguy or a bad guy elf. The longsword he holds as if hestanding at attention so it’s point straight up. The metalin sword is not very rigid, so in all likelihood you willhave to straighten it out and then becafeul during playnot to damage it. Also, hisbase is so small that it doesnot provide a whole lot ofstability, so it would be agood idea to mount him on alarger base, and this shouldnot elevate him too high becausethe attached base has avery slim profile. Therewere only a few minisculemold lines on one of his legs,and the only flash on himwas attached to the base sothis guy comes really clean.I also really like the detail on this model as everythingabout it is very sharp and distinct, and his facial featuresare just great. I don’t recall ever seeing any work fromthis sculptor before (John Winter) but this model is impressiveenough for me to remember to look for him inthe future.3017 Charnel Grub $6.99Obviously, the Charnel Grub is supposed to represent aCarrion Crawler and it does a great job! This modelcome sin seven pieces, but six of them are tentacles thatattach to the mouth area of the model. The tentacles areall cast on a single metal tab and are bendable but stillfairly thick so they should not break too easily. This isone big, ugly, squishy looking giant bug and it’s justwonderful! The I know that it makes me look like somekind of sick freak but this is just a cool figure. The bodyis well done and the mouth and pincers are very neatlysculpted. There was no flash to clean and the mold linewas virtually non-existent. Even with this being a venerableD&Dcreature it couldalso do perfectlywell as a menaceto your partymembers in apulp, modern oreven sci-fi game.It’s very versatileand highly recommended.3018 Hadrian, Mercenary Sergeant $3.99This is a solid cast model that comes in two piecesmounted on an attached metal base. His right handholds a really big sword that he is actually holding overhis head as if its made of paper (yes, he has really bigarms). The mold lines, at least what few I could find,are very mild and all in places making it very easy toremove. There was no flash to be found, but since thesword tip comes attached to the base of the model, thereis a nub of metal that needs to be removed from thesword. This model is not found wanting in metal, this isa pretty beefy guy, so thereare no weak points to befound. The joint betweenthe two pieces is at theright wrist, and the wristsits nicely into the cuffhiding the joint quite well.This guy is marketed as asergeant, but I think theway he carries himself andhis high class attire, I thinkhe would do just fine as aCaptain or even royalty.In fact, looking at him32

makes me think of the word “cavalier”, or possible a seafaring captain. He is obviously a model that could beused for a large variety of roles.3019 Lathula, Female Barbarian $3.99Lathula is a twopart solid castmodel and shecomes mountedon an integratedmetal base. Hertwo hands, andthe big twohandedsword thatthey grip, comesdetached and connectsto the rest ofthe model at theforearms. Thereis a small ball andsocket at each of the joints so the parts go together verynicely and make for a good strong piece. There are essentiallyno mold lines to be found on the model and theonly excess metal were a few errant strings here andthere. Now, I can’t say that Lathula is going to be winningany Miss Universe pageants, but then I suppose shewouldn’t be much of a barbarian if she could (regardlessof what you might see in the movies). She is wearing abit more armor that you normally see on a barbarian, butit hardly takes away from her appearance. As a matterof fact, she is one of the more barbaric female barbariansthat I’ve seen (though she does have a leather beltaround her neck for some reason). The detail is nice anddistinct, and there is enough of it to keep even detailoriented painters happy. This is a great model for a femalebarbarian in a RPG game.3020 Barak, Rhino Man $9.99Here is a bad boy you don’t bump into everyday, and I’dimagine that any general would love to have a front lineof troops like this in his army (assuming you could controlthem when not on the battlefield of course). Thisguy is a sizeable chuck of metal, not only does he toptwo inches in overall height, but he also nearly reachesthree inches in overall length. Although he is called aRhino man, there is nota whole lot of “Man” tohim. It would somethinglike calling theMutant Teenage NinjaTurtles “Turtle Boys”.This guys is hefting ahammer that probablyweights as much as Ido in his right arm, andattached to his leftwrist is a broad punching dagger. Needless to say, hedoesn’t have any real need of additional armor beyondhis natural plate. The model has plenty of metal, tothere are no weak points of any kind. He is a bit topheavy, but his base seems to be big enough to handle itnicely. There was no flash or mold lines to speak of, sohe preps for painting very quickly. I also, really like thesharp detail on this guys face, limps, skin and hammer.All is very well done with nice attention to detail. Thisis a good model, and one that makes me want a detachmentof these guys to be lead my army.3021 Velociraptors (2) $8.99In this blister youget two dinosaurs.Their bodiesare each a singlepiece andtheir arms comeon a separate taband must be clipped off to attach. If you've seen JurassicPark then you're very aware of what Velociraptorsare and these are very nice representations, includingthat big claw/toe that will rip open your belly like SamNeil talked about in the first movie. The tails of themodels are bendable, but not too thin. There was verylittle flash on the bodies themselves and the mold linewas only detectable on one of each of their legs and waspretty easy to remove. I say "pretty easy" because whileit was a thin mold line the flesh is quite nicely texturedand you'll need to be extra careful when removing themold line so you don't mar the model. The litle armshad more cleaning than the rest of the body and eachhad a visible mold line to clean up. The arms fit intoplace easily and these guys were ready for priming beforetoo long. You could find uses for these models injust about any genre of gaming. You could revisit theIsle of Dread in D&D, you could drop them into somemad scientists experiment in a pulp or modern game oreven into a cryogenic sleep chamber in a sci-fi game.They might not be at the top of anyone's list as a staplemonster, but they can be quite useful and I wish I hadthese about two years ago when I menaced my d20Modern party with this very monster.3022 Half Dragon [Bronze] $4.99This model is a two piece solid cast model of a humansized dragonman. He comes mounted on a metal basesculpted to look like uneven stony ground, like a cave ora mountainside or something else like that. The name onthe blister calls him a Half Dragon, so I’m guessing thatsince this is essentially a man wearing dragon skin, thatthe other half is human. This guy looks like a real adventurerexcept for the fact that he is covered in scales.He wears a backpack, is holding up a large sword andwears a couple of belt pouches. He even wears a breast34

plate over thetop of his ownnatural armor.The right arm,with the heftysword it wields,is the secondpiece of themodel. It has anice pin on it,but the hole it’ssupposed to fitit was mostlyfilled on myparticularmodel, so therewas a little drilling I had to do. Besides that, there wasvery little flash or excess metal on the model and nary amold line that you have to clean up. This is a coolmodel that I can’t wait to see painted.3023 Worm Corpse $4.99Eww, this guy is a horriblemess! I mean thatin a good way though!Even before doing aonce-over to look at allthe creepy crawlies onthis guy I was a bit surprisedby the bulk andweight of the modelafter taking it out of theblister. It’s large cloakmakes it quite a bitheavier than its look would suggest. The model reallycomes down to a few components (all one piecethough). Its cloak is large, flowing and riddled withholes, many of which have worms crawling or hangingout of them. What can be seen of the body looks rottedaway and very zombie-ish, but I’d characterize this guyas more of an undead manifestation than a zombie-likeautomaton. His flesh is covered with massive amountsof worms or varying lengths and thicknesses and hisopen mouth has several large ones jutting out. The moldline was only really visible across his shoulders andthere were two bits of flash that simply broke off whenbent so cleanup was simple and quick. This guy is disgustinglycool and will serve well as a minion or bodyguardto some necromancer boss with which you canpester a party of heroes. This is a simple model that hasan extremely effective presentation and I like it a lot.3024 Kobold Leader and Sorcerer $4.99A while back Reaper released a pack full of a bunch ofKobolds, a staple of Dungeons and Dragons, andthey’ve now added to the crew of little reptilian humanoidswith a leaderand spellcaster.Just from lookingat them you’llimmediately seethat they will fitin perfectly withthe others as theirfacial featuresmatch up perfectly.The leaderis wearing plate armor, with bare legs, and carries rectangularshield in his left hand. The shield is down in adefensive position and a mace is raised above his head.The shaft on the mace was slightly bent in the package,but it was easy to get back into proper position withoutany damage. The mold line was minimal (mostly on theleft arm and tail) and there were only a few tiny bits offlash to clean. The sorcerer carries a staff in his righthand and has a spell manifesting in the palm of his lefthand. He’s wearing a long cape, gloves, and a cloth shirtand also has bare legs. There is a dagger on his belt andhis staff looks like a roughly made piece of metal ratherthan having been made from wood. It’s topped with asmall pot that contains a fire similar to the one in hishand. An extra detail on the sorcerer is a pair of spectaclesthat sits on his face. Cleaning was similar to that ofthe leader. I’ll definitely be adding these to my smallkobold war party, but they would also do very well asplayer-character models in a game that allows monsterraces.3025 Pharess, Fire Sorceress $4.99For a two-part model this girl sure does have a lot goingon. Her staff and left arm are a separate piece and therewas a faint mold line, but it was no problem to clean up.The staff is topped with an ornamental brazier that containsa large flame. The rest of the model consists of thesorceress who looks like she is standing on the toes ofher right foot but on closer inspection you'll see thatshe's actually floating a few inches off of the ground.This is nicely pulled off by having her long flowing tabardreach the ground. She'swearing very little in theway of clothes and has severaltassels that flow off ofher arms and also reach theground. The bulk of moldline cleaning was on thesetassels. On her right handsite a nicely detailed littledragon. She has long flowinghair and facial featuresthat make me think she's anelf, but there are no pointyears poking out from under35

her hair so it may be just my interpretation of her face.Her features are well proportioned and athletic lookingwithout being muscular. Even though she is labeled as afire sorceress, and there are little flames sculpted on toher base I'm confident that she could be used as any sortof magic user and fill the role well.3026 Dub Bullock, Rogue $3.99This thief has a lot of character tohim, most of it coming from hispose. He’s leaning back just a bitand has a hand extended motioningfor someone to come and talkto him. In his other hand, hiddenbehind his back, he carries a largedagger that he plans to threaten,or worse, his intended victim.He’s even smiling to further anon-threatening appearance. Armorconsists of a leather chestpiece and bracers, but otherwisehe’s just wearing regular loose clothing. There’s plentyof stuff strapped to his belt. The mold line, thin as itwas, ran down part of his hair and right down the middleof his face. You’ll need a sharp blade in your hobbyknife and a steady hand to remove it unless your copydoesn’t bear the same line as mine. After a few carefulminutes it was removed and the figure was no worse formy efforts. There was also a tiny bit of flash on the handleof his dagger. Even though the cleaning of his facetook a bit longer than on some other models I like thepose of the model very much and you can almost imaginethe story behind that pose and what’s going on. Thefigure tells a story, or at least suggests one, all on itsown.3027 Spectre $3.99This single piece model is solid cast and mounted on anattached base. The model is completely free of flash(which with all the dilapidated cloths falling of this guywas no mean feat), and you will have to search long andhard before you find any mold lines. For all the delicatelooking rags and finelooking arms on this model, Iam rather surprised at howrigid he is. There are essentiallyno weak points or balanceproblems with themodel, which is not what youwould think when you firstlook at it. The one thing I dohave to comment on is thatthe full head of healthy, andwell groomed looking hair onthis otherwise falling apartundead monster looks a tadout of place. I guess even spectres can be vain abouttheir appearance. This model is super easy to prep, andbeing a spectre, it shouldn’t be overly cumbersome topaint, so here is a model that you can go from stat tofinish in record time.3028 Tristan the Loremistress $3.99This is a single piece, solid cast model. It comes with anintegrated metal base and stands a total of two inchestall though about three quarters of an inch of that heightis due only to the staff she is holding up in her righthand. She is a fairly simple and a nicely clean modelwith hardly even a scrap of flash and only dimly visiblemold lines. She wears a relatively plain dress, knee highboots and a well filled top. Thestaff in her right hand, and theextended wand in her left hand areboth fairly easy to bend and maytake some straightening on occasion.The piece is well balancedand not overdone with details,though she does have variousitems hanging from her waist band(I hesitate to call it a belt, thoughit serves the same purpose). Thispiece would function well as asorceress, or possibly even as adruid as well as her stated role ofa Lore Mistress.3029 Sasquatch $5.99This beast is a single piece, solid cast model that comeswith large attached metal base. This guy stands overtwo inches tall and looks to be bounding the living tarout of some poor sucker. He is relatively free of anymold lines and flash, in fact there is almost no clean upnecessary at all on this guy. But the model does havesomething of a balance problem. He stands uprightwithout a problem, but because of the amount of metalabove his waist and the fact that he is leaning forward, itonly takes a slight bump of the table to topple the bigguy. For detail, the best part about him has got to be hisface. Having a furious “Wolfman” looking face (ormaybe even Wolverine)the guy looks like hecan make his opponentswet themselves withlittle more than a growl.I can see this being agreat model to throw inas a surprise encounterin an RPG game (of avariety of different settings)or even the centerpieces of a quest. Inany case, this is a cool36

model.14247 Ammat, Neskofar Captain $8.99This large three-piecemodel comes with a40mm square plasticbase and depicts a giantfemale human-crocodilehybrid. The head andtail come molded on aseparate metal tab andare easily removed andfit into place on thebody nicely. I don’t seea need to pin either oneof them. These twosmaller pieces had verylittle needed in the wayof cleaning. Most of itwas right where theyconnected to the metaltab. There were a fewsmall bits of flash on thebody of the model andthere were a few mold lines to take care of, the mostdifficult was on an inner part of her left leg. The modelis very nicely detailed (with lots of raised details tomake painting them easy) but not so over the top as tomake painters who are less than experts, like me, shyaway from it. There’s a lot of bare flesh on the modeland it’s nicely done without being muscle-bound. It’spart of the Neskofar army for Warlord, but could easilybe dropped into any fantasy rpg if your party is headingoff for a bit of Egyptian-inspired adventuring. Youcould use it as a replacement where you might normallyuse an ogre or hill giant.14248 Anwar, Nefsokar Srgt $11.49Warlord is one of those games that I would play just tocollect the models. Ever since they started coming out, Ihave liked them, and this model is no different. Anwarcomes in a total of fourpieces. The first two piecesare his hands (and forearm)and the items they carry.His right hand carries acurved sword, while his lefthoists an interestinglyshaped shield. Both ofthese attach nicely to thetorso and are equipped withsmall pins to guide andsupport them. The thirdpiece in simply an extrasword that he carriesstrapped to his back, againthere is a small integrated pin on the sword and a matchingsocket on the back of the torso. The fourth piece isof course the rest of him which mean the rider and thehorse are all one piece. The model also comes with aplastic cavalry base and data card. This is another piecethat is clean of flash, but there are two support posts thatI cleaned off, one supporting a rear leg that is lifted offthe ground, and the other between the backwards flowingcape and the rump of the horse. The three smallerpieces also come mounted on sprues that need to betrimmed off. Like almost all Warlord models, this onehas very sharp and distinct detail, and plenty of it. I’venever really been a fan of model were the rider andmount need to be glued together, so these coming as asingle piece is another point in its favor as far as I’mconcerned. This is a great model to be leading yourNefsokar cavalry charge.14249 Atifa, Nefsokar Mage $11.49This is the first mountedNefsokar (possibly the firstWarlord model) that I’veseen where the rider andmount were not cast together.I was really startingto get spoiled. This modelis in two pieces, and as youmight guess from my openingstatement, one is therider and one is the mount.Atifa is a female mage,though you might be fooledinto thinking she was onlythe Sheik’s courtesan if itwasn’t for the staff/weaponshe holds over her head inher right hand. For some reason flash and mold linewere a little bit more prevalent on this model than otherWarlord models, but not enough to make a real issue(like I said, I was being spoiled). For the rider, there is alittle bit more work in prepping her because of a supportpost from her hip to the base of the staff, and a tab connectingher feet. The staff itself is rather delicate, so it iseasily bent, if fact you will probably have to straightensome right out of the blister. The detail is nice, though alarge portion is skin, and another large portion is simpledesert cloths. I have to say that the one odd thing I seeabout the model is that she has a fan in one hand evidentlyfanning herself, and that is one activity that justseems a bit out of place on the battlefield.14250 Ibrahim, Nefsokar Hero $11.99Ibrahim is another member of the Nefsokar elitemounted fighters and this one comes in only two pieces.He of course also comes with a cavalry base and a datacard detailing his statistics for the game of Warlord.37

The only part of himthat comes detached ishis right arm and thebig battle axe that thehand of that arm is gripping.It connects at theshoulder and has asmall pin on it that fitsinto the hole providedat the joint. This isanther great castingwith nary a mold line,flash or any other errantmetal bits. There aretwo support posts under the horse’s two lifted hooves,and the Battleaxe had the tab on its base. That was it.With all the detail, voids and interior side detail on thisguy, getting this guy out so cleanly must have been quitethe trick (it’s obvious that casting processes are gettingbetter and better every day). This guy is as sturdy asthey come, with the possible exception of the shoulderjoint of course, and is well balanced. The excellent detailall around him complete with his billowy cape flappingbehind him will make him an impressive model inyour army. This is one that you might want to take alittle extra time paining, I think you’ll find him worth it.14251 Ammat’s Devourers $11.99Their bodies and swords are covered with several cutsand scratches, which furthers their appearance as statuesthat have suffered the ravages of time. Each had a moldline on the sword, which was fairly thin, and a few bitsof flash. Obviously, their main purpose would be as partof a Neskofar army, but if you’re already using Ammat,above, as part of a rpg adventure you might as well tossthese guy in too.14252 Khamsin Raiders, Nef Adept $11.99The Nefsokar cavalry should really be a force to bereckoned with on the battlefield, and this model is anotherof the recent releases that adds to the versatileforce. This guy comes in three pieces, the two detachedpieces being the items he holds (and the two hands/forearms that are holding them). He is armed with acurved sword (not quite what I would call a scimitar, butthat’s just me) and a shield that is shaped especially forthe Raiders of the Nefsokar. Both of the detachedpieces have small pins that fit into the appropriate arms.Besides the joints, this model is unlikely to suffer casualdamage from storage or play as he is nice and rigid. Themodel comes with the requisite data card and cavalrybase, and is very clean and precise. The only real cleanup you will have to do is to remove the metal sprueholding the weapons,and to clean off thesupport posts beneathtwo of the horses upraisedlegs. I have tosay that I like theNefsokar cavalryenough that I maywell get the modelsto fill out the rest ofthe Nefsokar armyjust so that I can fieldit. This is anothercool model that getstwo thumbs up fromme.Reviews by Mark Theurer and Clay RichmondWell, we had a very large croc-chick above and here weget three smaller hybrid warriors. These three are allsingle piece models that are armed with long swords andwear very little in the way of armor. They are also lesshuman and more crocodile, in my opinion. Interestingly,the data card that is provided with the figures has thempainted to look like statues that have been animated tofight. I’ve not read their entry in the Neskofar army list,but painting them up in this way sure seems like the easierway to go and I really don’t have a problem with thatat all. Each fighter is in a unique pose, but all carry thesame sword and are obviously part of the same unit.These are the latest additions to the Panzerfauste, fantasyWW2 range from Wessex Games. Two differentpacks. PZ406 Orc Marine Command and PZ407 Orc39

or even a very different Ork Army for Warhammer 40K.Review by RobHMarines. 4 figure packs priced at £5 (GBP) availabledirect from the manufacturer .Scaled at 30mm these are big chunky figures, sculptedin an obvious “cartoon” style that is well suited to theFantasy nature of the game. Panzerfauste being theWW2 incarnation of “Flintloque” The casts are veryclean with no discernable flash or mould lines and showsome real character in the faces, each one of which iscompletely different. Details of uniform and weaponsare fairly rudimentary, but are still recognisable.The command pack features an officer with swaggerstick and monacle, 2 sergeants with Sten guns and aLewis gunner firing from the hip. The Marine pack has3 riflemen and 1 corporal. Later releases in the rangewill include heavy weapons and Marine Commando figuresin the “stocking” capI do not think anyone could look at these guys and notappreciate the sense of “fun” that has gone into the creationof them (and the other figures in this range for thatmatter). Although called “Marines” they could equallywell represent “Airborne” or “Paratroop” by painting thetunic as a camo smock and the Beret Red.Although designed for Panzerfauste, where they battleagainst the “Hun” Dwarfs and “French” Gnomes, thesefigures could make a fun force for any skirmish gamingFrom Olley’s Armies we havethree figures from their line ofundead to look at, specificallysome zombies. All three of themcome mounted on an integratedbase and are single piece models.None had any significantmold line and required very littlein the way of cleaning. These arenot your classic mindless shambling(well, maybe they shamblewhen they walk) zombies as theyall carry a weapon and have a bit more personality thanyour run of the mill zombies. All three of them havevery tattered clothes and rotted, mangled flesh hangingoff their bones. They are quite obviously zombified.Zombie with MaskNot sure who this guy is going tofool by holding a human mask upto his face, but it’s a nice try. Heholds a knife in his right handwith the mask on a stick that isheld in the right one. The maskis molded/attached to the front ofhis face, but only just barely andthis does not detract from thefigure. He’s wearing the remainsof what looks like a business suit so he could work finein a modern game. Other than the mask, what reallysticks out about this guy is his head/face. Man, is it evera mess! Not poorly sculpted or anything, but just a realhorror show of mangled flesh. He died very messily thefirst time around.Zombie UndertakerWearing a top hat and along overcoat the undertakersets off towork with a long handledaxe in hishands. He’s a bit lessremarkable than theprevious zombie, butstill very obviously azombie. His overcoat has really been torn up and in oneoutside pocket he’s carrying a teddy bear. Not only oddfor a zombie, but also odd for an undertaker. Like theone above, his face is a mess of torn up flesh. He couldwork in a modern or fantasy genre.40

Zombie with ChainsawThis guy is definitely myfavorite of the bunch. Achainsaw wielding zombie,how can you not likethat! He’s wearingboots, jeans and asleeveless shirt and haslots of exposed, torn upflesh to paint. His face isjust as messed up as theother two. Thinkingabout all the zombies that met their second, or third, endat the hands of some hero swinging around a chainsawit’s only appropriate that one of them got back up andgrabbed one himself. Obviously, he won’t work in afantasy game, but I like the model a lot.Reviews by Mark TheurerMEO1034 GiraThe first of two figures for us to take a look at this issuefrom Magnificent Egos is a different one indeed, evencoming from their range of unique character models.This two piece model is of a simian fighter that isperforming a one-handed handstand while holding asword in his right hand and carrying a staff in his feetand holding a bag with his tail. Truly a multi-taker ifI’ve ever seen one! He wears a robe not dissimilar toone you might see a friar wearing. He must have justperformed the handstand because the bottom of his robhas not had a chance to fall down towards the ground,but I’m also ok giving the sculptor some leeway herebecause having it drop down would probably be unseemlywith the little guy showing off his business toeveryone. The legs/staff are a separate piece that fitseasily into two small voids inside the robe. The moldline was almost impossible to detect and there were afew tiny bits of flash and one thin web of metal thatneeded to be cleaned. He’s a bit large for a familiar, but41

I’d be ok using him in thatrole or as a player-characteras an enlightened monkey.MEO1075NazchrystThe second figure comes infour pieces, but you’ll onlyend up using three ofthem. This elven fighterhas two separateheads. One has a flowinglength of hair, a guard overthe model’s mouth andwhat looks like a tiara or some other kind of ornamentation.The other has the hair tied in pig-tails and a moreornate headpiece, but nothing big or gaudy. The facereally has a Githyanki-type appearance, or at least looksthat way to me but does not have any other features thatwould indicate it’s of that race. The first head fits ontothe model a bit better as the pig-tails on the second getbent a bit when placing the head. The other separatepiece is a second sword in the model’s left hand. Thisends up putting the model in a very open combat stancewith both arms/swords out ready to strike. I like theresulting pose and it makes the width of the modellonger than its height. Both swords are long and somewhatthin but are not too bendable or fragile. They requiredthe bulk of cleaning as they had faint mold linesand some small bits of flash. The armor that is worn isvery ornate plate with lots of glyphs and decorationsadorning it. There is also a ling sash that hangs downfrom the waist. Something else that I really like aboutthis figure is the inclusion of several rocks under the leftfoot just to give it some extra detail. The resulting figureis one of a thin, but powerful looking fighter thatmight be a bit daunting for a novice painter to tackle dueto all of the glyphs and filigree on the armor, but onethat could end up looking awesome if enough time andattention to detail is done.In addition to the newMagnificent Egosfigures that we wereable to review, ChrisClark was goodenough to send ussome pics of upcomingfigures and wewanted to pass thosealong to you too.Enjoy!Reviews by Mark Theurer43

IntroRezolution is Aberrant games’entry into the sci-fi skirmishminiatures arena and it pitsgangs, or teams, of operativesfighting it out in a blasted andbleak future where corporationscontrol almost everything.It’s not an atypical cyberpunkstyle setting and anyonefamiliar with this type ofsetting should immediately fellat home. The rules are sold as a perfect-bound 216-pagebook with glossy pages with a 16-page full color centersection that shows off their miniatures. It has a retailprice of $24.99 USD. The book begins with an introductionto the year 2175, a short blurb about each faction/army,then a table of contents and then a timelinethat stretches from 2036 to 2175 highlighting majorevents that got us to the less than ideal future that is thegame setting. Very early on into reading the book I gotto thinking that this game would go very well withQueensryche’s album Operation Mindcrime playing inthe background.The RulesRezolution uses only d6’s to resolve all rolls, plus a directionaldie to determine scatter results. You may berequired to roll a d3 at some point, but that’s also donewith a standard d6. Each player is running a crew ofbetween five and ten models for most game and theseare made up of Independents, Teams and Named Characters.Independents are models that can roam aroundon their own or group up into teams of like individualsand go on a rampage together, in essence making upnew more powerful teams. Teams are your everydayuse troops that can be bolstered by heavy weapon troopersand other specialists. Named Characters are just thatand you can only have one of any named character onyour crew.Each model has a set of stats and most of them will feelfamiliar to gamers of previous skirmish games. Movement,ranged & close combat, nerve and reputation arepretty standard attributes to most of us. Rezolution adsSize & Agility (think of it as your bullet-dodging skill),Body (how hard it is to hurt you), Hack (your skill atmanipulating computers) and Craft (doing the voodoothat you do so well).At the beginning of each turn we roll to see who gets thechoice of activating first or second this turn. Once thatis determined play passes back and forth with eachplayer activating and using one Team or Independent ata time. Here’s where having a group of Independentscan become nasty or be a liability. Having a bunch ofbad-asses activating all at once can devastate whateverthey come into contact with, but it will also lessen yourtotal number of activations.CombatFighting, hand-to-hand or ranged, is handled with opposingrolls by those involved in the fight. For example,when you’re trying to shoot someone you roll 2d6 andadd your Ranged Combat Attack value to the roll andyour opponent rolls 2d6 and adds their Size and Agilityvalue to the roll. Whichever model rolls higher winsand ties go to the attacker. Hand-to-Hand is handled ina similar fashion, but with each combatant adding theirClose Combat Attack value to the roll, except on a drawhere nobody hits. As you would expect there are rules/modifiers for cover, template weapons, indirect fire,charging, multiple combatants and more. Damage isdealt by removing dice from the defender’s armor ratingby the penetration value of the attacker’s weapon. Then,you take a number of dice away from the attacker byhow many armor points the defender has left. This isthe number of dice that the attacker has to roll with andyou’re trying to match or exceed the target’s Body rating.If you are damaged you tick off a number of boxeson their data card equal to the hits and when you’vetaken enough hits you start to make Fatal Damagechecks. If you fail these you die and if you take a wholelot of hits you die without the roll. With every modelhaving multiple hits you do have a bit of bookkeeping tokeep up with but it’s really not too much if you’re playingwith around ten models.HackingThis ability allows certain models to use hardpoint (andsometimes via remote boards) terminals to fight in cyberspace,or as it’s termed in Rezolution, the Grid. Thiswill usually be done as part of a mission goal, to attackan enemy that has also hacked into the Grid.The CraftThis is the equivalent of psychic powers in Rezolutionand is, in the basic rulebook, reserved for the APAC andRonin. Use of offensive powers is handled in the samefashion as ranged combat, using your Craft stat insteadof Ranged Combat Attack, and each character that haspowers has them listed on their data card. Additionally,if two opposing users of the Craft are within 18” of eachother, no line-of-sight needed, they can start a mentalduel in an attempt to take the other out of the battle.44

MissionsThis is why we’re fighting in the first place. In a gamebased around corporate espionage and other nasty dealingsit only makes sense to have reasons for each battle.These range from the standard kill ‘em all typefight to missions where you need to locate a Grid terminaland download data to a special operation that isfleshed out in four separate assignments.The CSOOn the battlefield the Central Security Organization is afairly standard military organization that is mainly characterizedby their large number of troops that can reachout and touch you out to 22”. Generally, their linetroops are less capable than either the Dravani or theAPAC in hand-to-hand combat so keeping your enemyat range whenever possible is definitely the order of theday. Having a sniper (range of 42”) and a rather largewarbot add to the already impressive amount of firepowerthat the CSO has at their disposal. Penal Legiontroops round out the list and add a bit of flavor with theircranial bombs, yes a bomb in their brain, that you candetonate at will or have a chance for it to go off whenthe legionnaire is killed. No users of the Craft here anda reliance on ranged fire means that enemies will probablyhave a tough time closing with them, but when theydo things might go south quickly. I expect that they willlook good painted up in pretty much any military-typecolor scheme with blues, greens, and grays coming tomind first.RoninThese are a bit different than the other army lists becausethey can either be used as additions to an existingarmy or you could use just Ronin troops to build yourteam. If used as mercenaries a maximum of 25% ofyour total cost can come from Ronin and you’re furtherrestricted in the number of top-tier characters that youcan take from their ranks. The lists include ranged firespecialists, computer hackers, heavy weapon carryingindividuals, close combat experts (also individuals),Craft users and tech-type individuals. If your army islacking something you can probably make up some ofwhat you’re missing with Ronin, but probably not all ofit. Like the APAC, I see the Ronin as a very colorfularmy on the board with lots of wild colors.The DravaniThis alien race has been on Earth for centuries, mostlykeeping to the shadows and dealing with their own internalstrife and warring factions until recently. They controlcorporate interests to fund their operations and havea very dark and nasty S&M feel. Troops in human,alien and strangely altered forms make up theirtroops. Dravani in human form are nasty medium rangeand close combat threats, while humans that had previouslychosen to serve them willingly, and over time lostmost of their free will, are more suited to a mediumrange and close combat support role. More human-ishtroops are present in cyborgs and the Damned that areexperimented on and then eventually sent out tofight. The Souless and Baggers are Dravani that areclose combat monsters and there are still more monstertypes in the Shamblers and Volkoda. Medium range andclose combat is where the Dravani flourish, but they arelacking any users of the Craft.APACThe APAC, or Asia Pacific, army is quite heavily loadedwith close up and personal troops and users of theCraft. That’s not to say that they are without rangedcapabilities but only one grunt trooper type, a specialist,has a ranged weapon that can reach out and touch someonebeyond 18”. Their heavy close combat focus willmake them tough to deal with up close and the schoolgirlassassins (Bishouju Senshi) are my personal favoritesof the army. They remind me a lot of GoGo fromKill Bill. The Enforcers, a basic unit, is there to providefire support, but generally not long range support exceptfor the Heavy, and can also lend a hand in close combat.I see them as a very colorful army when painted upand one that will likely rush in to finish the job oncethey hit the table.MercenariesEven though the Ronin can be used as mercenaries thereis also an additional section for other individuals andcolorful personalities that can be picked up by yourteam, but these usually come with restrictions regardingwho they will work for. Most of them won’t work for aDravani crew. A Shadow Assassin is a close combatkilling machine that will definitely be at home in anAPAC crew, but can also be used by anyone other thanthe Dravani. The Cardinal and Sister Carmine comefrom the Vatacina and will work for anyone, but canonly be hired if you hire both of them. They both haveCraft powers and the good sister is no slouch in melee.The Emissary of the Empire has a low-tech feel andcan bolster your melee effectiveness but won’t workwith the Dravani or if Vatacina personnel are on yourroster. Captain Doyle, also not willing to work for theDravani, is a roguish character, mainly effective at mediumrange. Toxic Zombies are not able to be purchasedas part of your crew, but rather are there to screwup everyone’s day and I can’t wait to see some modelsfor them.45

The CDWhen you pick up a starter box of miniatures, not themain rulebook, you’ll also get a CD. The disk includesquick start rules (just the basic game mechanics and noarmy lists), counters and templates (so you don’t need tocut up your book), and multiple pages of terrain that youcan print out and assemble. Ideally, you’ll print out theterrain pages and glue them to foamcore for stabilitybecause if you go with just the plain paper versions I’mafraid that they won’t be around long at all. All of thefiles are in pdf format and I especially like the inclusionof the counters and templates. The quick start ruleswould be handy to pass out to an opponent that has notplayed before, but you’ll have to have both armies alreadywritten up. It Would be very handy for demogames though.ConclusionI like that Rezolution has an alternate activation systemand the opposed rolls keep both players active whentheir opponent is taking a turn. Each model having multiplewounds does require a bit more bookkeeping thatgame where everyone has just one wound, but using thedata cards, and plastic sleeves, makes this easy to keeptrack of. The near-future and depressed background ofthe game makes it a bit grittier than other sci-fi gamesand also gives it some unique flavor. It’s reminiscent ofNecromunda but I think that Rezolution offers playersmore options of what to do with their models becauseyou can react to your opponents’ moves during the turnand not after he’s done everything he wants and keepsboth players more “in” the game over the course of eachturn. I would like to see additional factions and an experienceor campaign system would also be welcome.Rezolution is easy to play and won’t break thebank since most games are being fought with only ahandful or two of miniatures. It’s definitely worthchecking out.Review by Mark TheurerLast issue we took a look at the base decks of the firstthree armies available for Battleground Fantasy Warfare.Now, I have the Reinforcements decks for thosearmies to crack open and see what they have to offer.Each pack comes with a rulebook and 50 additionalunit cards.The advanced rulebook itself is another small CCGsized48 page black and white book that really doesthree things. First, it introduces terrain rules to thegame. This takes up twelve pages and gives you everythingfrom roads to walls to swamps and just about everythingin between and how these different terrain typeseffect troops. Terrain can be depicted by player-madecards or purchased through Your Move Games as terrainpacks. [are they available yet?]The middle ten pages are filled with frequently askedquestions (also available on the your Move Games websiteat www.yourmovegames.com/BFW/faq) from players.The book ends with a glossary of terms (also availableon the website???, check to make sure) which takes upthe last ten pages. It’s a nice resource for players, but Ireally would have rather seen something like somemagic items, a magic system or other ways to tweak existingunits.The rest of each pack is comprised of new troops andduplicates of existing ones that you got in the basic armydecks. Here’s a breakdown of each race and what theyget:Men of Hawkshold: Everything from the starter deck gotreinforcements and the new units for the humans includedKnights (very heavy cavalry, you get four unitsof them) and Pikemen (six units of these guys).Undead: As with the humans, you get additional cards(between 3 and 6) for each unit in the starter deck. Theundead forces are also bolstered by artillery and a mobtypeunit. The Giant Catapult is not just a big catapult,but it’s one that is built from the upper torso of a reanimatedgiant that tosses boulders into the enemylines. The Swarm of Rats unit appears to be a speedbump type unit and can only be given the order to closewith the enemy.Orcs: As expected, you get additional cards for each ofyour troops in the starter deck and the orcs boost comesfrom more ranged combat troops in the form of OrcCrossbowmen and Goblin Bomb-Chuckers. Despitebeing ranged troops the crossbowmen wear very decentarmor and are quite capable in melee. The Bomb-Chucker has a very nice 21” range, but its number ofattack dice is variable from attack to attack and can evenresult in the unit itself taking damage.At $14.95 the expansion decks won’t set you back much(like the base army decks they only cost the equivalentof a small handful of miniatures) but I did expect a bitmore out of these decks. The new troop types are certainlynice to have and the terrain rules add a significantelement to the game, but you could make the argument46

that you’re paying another fifteen bucksto really round out the game and yourchosen army. This expansion is not assignificant of a release as the base decksand it was lacking a few things that I waslooking forward to seeing. Still, whenyou consider total cost you’re still wayahead of the curve choosing BattlegroundFantasy Warfare when you considerdollars spent to play the game. It’sstill a very good game, in fact better nowwith the addition of specific terrain rules,and one that I’m still looking forward toseeing more from. With the reinforcementdecks you can play much largergames and each army has also started todevelop a little more unique characterand flavor.Review by Mark TheurerBasicsCrusaders is asupplementalbook for use inthe game ofWarlord. It isone of the firstthree “Faction”books releasedby Reaper thatdescribes thevarious forcesin Warlord. As you might guess, thisone presents the army list for the Crusaders.Like the game itself, this book is putout and supported by Reaper Miniatures.The book is a full sized soft cover bookof sixty-one pages and has an excellentpiece of full color art adorning the cover,while the interior art is mostly pen andink drawings of varying quality. Included in the book isenough fluff to give you a taste of the Crusaders as afaction and their history. You will also get the descriptionsof the three different organizations that make upthe Crusaders. There are even some interesting surprisesincluded in the book for use in role-playinggames. Of course the most important part of the book isthat it presents all the new rules and all the forces availableto the Crusader army, their statistics (or data cards),description and pictures. The book is priced at $16.95USDBetween the CoversThe biggest disappointment about this book, to me, isthe fact that there are few things missing that wouldhave made it a whole lot more helpful. The first itemmissing is a Table of Contents. Yep, there is not even ahint of any sort of introduction or Table of Contents tobe found. Sometimes a good index can make up for alousy Table of Contents, but in this case, there is no indexeither. In fact there is nothing at all to tell what is inthe book and where you’ll find it beyond the bullets onthe back cover under the words “THIS BOOK IN-CLUDES”.The only saving grace, from what I consider to be anannoying oversight, and one bound to lead to a heck of alot of page flipping, is that the book is short and almostthe entire first half is only fluff, and that’s twenty sevenpages don’t need much of an index. But there are a few47

little surprises in the book that some readers may miss ifthey don’t scan the book cover to cover in detail, andeven then, if they do know its there, they will be doingsome searching should they want to reference it in thefuture.As I already mentioned, the first half of the book is fluff,and this fluff is a bit more “fluffy” than normal. Thefirst twenty seven pages are a collection of short excerptsfrom different chroniclers, memories, and quotesfrom famous Crusaders or notable historical figures.The style is hardly typical, and even the fonts changefrom entry to entry to emphasize that it is only a collectionof thoughts rather than cohesive story/history. Theindividual entries can range anywhere from a singleparagraph, to about a page and a half. Though the styleis interesting, and in some ways fun to read. I have tosay that most of it does not help to define the Crusadersas a faction.After the “Chronicles” for lack of a better term, you getinto the more traditional part of the book. You start witha description of the three organizations that make up thefaction of the Crusaders. These three organizations arethe Templars, the Knights of the Ivy Crown, and theDevoted of Gianovia (battle Nuns). With about a pageand a half devoted to each. The descriptions are evidentlygiven with role playing in mind. Then comes thefirst of a couple surprises. There are a dozen campaignhooks given for use in either a campaign game or inrole-playing games. Although this is a nice touch, thehooks are very brief will little or no meat in them, andthere are no maps to help out.Starting on page thirty-six is where the real meat of thebooks begins. This is the Army list for the Crusaders.Each entry has with it a black and white photo of theactual unpainted model that goes with the entry (this is aGREAT touch that I really like). The list is more than alittle impressive with a total of three dozen entries(compared to say the rather short list presented in themain rule book). For this section alone I would say thisbook is a must have for anyone fielding a Crusader armyin Warlord.After the army lists come a few pages of the army’s specialabilities, including some “new” ones not previouslycovered. Then come a couple more surprises, five newspells and four new magic items for the Crusaders.Nothing like spicing up the game heh?There is a quick reference sheet that is useful for thegame of Warlord, and its generic (i.e. nothing about theCrusaders or any other faction on it). Although I likethe reference sheet a lot, I would have liked to see anotherone pertaining to the Crusader force list (of coursea Table of contents might have filled his need as well).The final surprise comes at the end. There is what theycall a “Bonus Feature” that describes an actual scenariofor a game of Warlord with the Crusaders as one of theforces. There is even a black and white building cut-outin the back of the book for use in the scenario (they alsogive you the web site where you can go download thefull color version for free).ValueOverall, the book is limited in its coverage of the politicsand history surrounding the Crusaders faction. Itdoes make a small attempt to assist those who wish totake the setting into a role-playing game, however evenhere the help is limited. That being said, I still think thisbook is a must for anyone playing Crusaders in the gameof Warlord. I remember that one of my problems withWarlord when it first came out was that the depth of theforces available was very limited. Well folks, this fixesthat problem. Since I DO happen to be a Crusaderplayer, I think it’s time to start expanding my army.Review by Clay RichmondBasicsFor those who have not heard ofthem yet, Asmodee is a companythat originated and is currentlybased in France and has enjoyedenough success to move acrossthe pond and introduce theirproducts in the States(www.asmodee-us.com). Thisparticular game is the first that Ihave had the pleasure to take alook at, and it’s easy to see whythey have had the success that they have had. An InternationalGamers Awards nominee for the best twoplayer game of 2005, Dungeon Twister is a board game(and no, there is no floor mat with colored dots in thisgame) that takes the classic D&D dungeon crawl scenarioand makes a strategy game out of it. The boardcan be different every game and actually changes duringthe game as well (hence the “Twister” part of the name).Each player controls a team of eight adventurers and theobject of the game is to be the first to score enoughpoints to win the game. For a normal game, the time toplay is usually less than an hour. All the artwork, boarddesign, cards and markers are excellent and are reallyprofessional quality.Included in the game are eight square rooms, the fifteenpage rule book, and all the markers, cards, and playingpieces necessary for a two play game. For the characters,you have both marker representations and card fig-48

Stand by for the hottest action in 30mm science fiction gaming. Starship Troopersbrings the action of the novel, film and TV series straight to your tabletop in afast-to-learn wargame.Do you want to know more?Collect armies of Mobile Infantry, Arachnids and Skinnies (and that is just forstarters—there are far more aliens out there in the galaxy!) and compete for thevery survival of your species.With a game system designed by Andy Chambers, plastic miniatures sculpted byBob Naismith, and a background created by one of the most influential sciencefiction writers of the 20th Century, Starship Troopers has a pedigree that is hardto beat. Whatever army they choose, players will find they have a wide variety ofoptions that extends far beyond army list choices – each force has an astoundingarray of tactics and ploys with which to defeat opponents, from capsule drops andtunneling to the deployment of atomic weapons, air strikes and psychic BrainBugs!Pictured are just some of the fantastic models available for the two forces fromthe main boxed set – the heroic Mobile Infantry and the ravening Arachnids. Fordetails and images of even more great models, including the upcoming Skinniearmy, visit your local game store of www.mongoosepublishing.comAre you doing your part?Sign up today at all good game stores. Service guarantees citizenship!Starship Troopers Boxed Set $75Arachnid Army Book $20Mobile Infantry Army Book $20Klendathu Invasion Sourcebook $15Roughnecks Army Book $15Starship Troopers Rulebook $30Pathfinder Army Book $15Painting and Modelling Guide $10Mobile Infantry Cap Troopers $20Heroes of the Mobile Infantry $15CHAS Boxed Set $15‘Ape’ Marauder Suit $20‘Chickenhawk’ Marauder Suit $20Female Cap Troopers $25Reliant Gun Platforms $25Mobile Infantry WASP Troopers $25Support Missiles $25Pathfinder Boxed Set $25Pathfinder K9 Squad Boxed Set $30Light Armour Troopers $25Roughnecks Boxed Set $25Veteran Cap Troopers $25Arachnid Warrior Bugs $20Arachnid Tanker Bug $35Arachnid Hopper Bugs $25Arachnid Firefries $25Arachnid Brain Bug $30Arachnid Blister/Blaster Bugs $25Arachnid Plasma Bug $40Mantis Assassin/Hunter Bug $15Burrower Bug $25Control Bugs $10Guard Bugs $30Infiltrator Bugs $15A Call to Arms is the game of space combat in the universe of Babylon 5.Throughout the station’s turbulent history, armed fleets have enacted the harsherpolicies of their governments. Now you can play out these confrontations on thetabletop with entire fleets drawn from the Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation,Narn Regime, Centauri Republic or any one of the many other races that dwellin the galaxy.From skirmishes involving single cruisers hunting down raiders to the clashingof allied fleets against the forces of ancient beings aeons old, A Call to Arms isyour ticket to exciting battles that take place in the depths of space. From tinyforces of raiders to the massed battle of Corianna VI, involving the League ofNon-Aligned Worlds, Minbari, Vorlons and Shadows, anything is possible.Just some of the huge number of products available for A Call to Arms from your local games store or www.mongoosepublishing.comMGP 3343 A Call to Arms $50 MGP 3361 Minbari Fleet Box $100 MGP 336209 Dargan $9 MGP 336506 Sunhawk $9MGP 334306 Sky Full of Stars $35 MGP 336101 Sharlin $13 MGP 336214 Octurion $20 MGP 336510 Warbird $9MGP 334307 Earth/Minbari War $100 MGP 336102 Nial Fighters $3 MGP 3363 Narn Fleet Box $100 MGP 3366 Vorlon Fleet Box $100MGP 3360 Earth Fleet Box $100 MGP 336105 Tigara $9 MGP 336301 G’Quann $13 MGP 336601 Vorlon Destroyer $100MGP 336001 Hyperion $9 MGP 336107 Morshin $8 MGP 336304 Frazi Fighters $3 MGP 3367 Shadows Fleet Box $100MGP 336002 Omega $13 MGP 336108 Tinashi $9 MGP 336306 Bin’Tak $100 MGP 336701 Shadow Ship $13MGP 336010 Poseidon $25 MGP 3362 Centauri Fleet Box $100 MGP 336312 Var’Nic $9 MGP 3368 Civilian Fleet Box $100MGP 336012 Warlock $15 MGP 336202 Vorchan $9 MGP 3364 ISA Fleet Box $100 MGP 3369 Vree Fleet Box $100MGP 336015 Hermes $9 MGP 336204 Primus $13 MGP 336402 White Star $9 MGP 3370 Drazi Fleet Box $100MGP 336019 Apollo $15 MGP 336206 Maximus $6 MGP 3365 League Fleet Box $100 MGP 3371 Abbai Fleet Box $10049

number of points that marksvictory. Normally, thismeans five points, but playersmay vary this if theywant to. Points are scoredin only three ways, get yourguys to escape off the boardthrough the opposing playersstart line, kill membersof the other players team,and carry treasure off theboard (again though theopposing players start line).Five points can make for ashort game if you are not onyour toes, and even if youare, most likely not all charactersand/or devices willhave a chance to come intoplay.ures that stand up with plastic bases. You also havemarkers for the special items that you stock the dungeonwith, and then several different types of cards that theplayers will use during the coarse of the game. One ofthe more interesting parts of the game is that each playerstarts with exactly the same capabilities, pieces andcards, and there are no dice involved in the game at all.There is still a small bit of randomness in the game, primarilyin how the board is initially set up, but for themost part the game is pure strategy. The game is pricedat $29.99 USDSpecifics of the gameThe setup of the game board, as I mentioned already, isreally the only random part of the game, and I can honestlysay that how the board ends up is hardly insignificant.Some rooms are fairly easy to move through,where others can be a real hassle. All eight rooms areused, making a board that is two rooms by four rooms.The rooms are arranged randomly, start upside-downand are not revealed until during game play. Eachplayer picks out four of the eight characters to be the“starting” team. The other four characters, along withthe six special items, are placed concealed in the roomswhile the rooms are still concealed themselves. I havefound that the placement of these markers is more than alittle strategic, so this is a rather important phase of thegame. Each player gets their respective card decks thatthey will get to use during the game (there is no shufflingand all the players cards essentially start in theplayers hands, so there is no drawing either. After this,the two starting teams are revealed and the game begins.The object of the game is to be the first to score theWhen play begins, eachplayer then gets to use from two to five actions duringtheir turn to use their characters. This includes moving,revealing rooms, rotating rooms, fighting, using specialpowers, or using special items. To rotate rooms, charactershave to be at the specific room’s controls, but onceyour there, you actually can control two rooms, one ofthem being operated remotely. This can end up being aGREAT way to help your guys out and foul up an opponentsplan.There are of course other things in the dungeon to impedeyour progress. There are pit traps that you eitherhave to jump or find a special way over (you are allowedonly three jumps per game), and there are portcullis’sthat have to be either broken or opened in order topass through. The maze of walls is also something thatyou will have to work your way through to reach yourobjective while trying to stay alive.Combat is another interesting aspect of the game. Eachcharacter has a combat value, and in any fights its combatvalue vs. combat value. Loser gets hurt. Of coursethere are a couple special items that can modify yourcombat value, but the kicker is that each player startswith a set number of combat cards. During any combat,each player decides which of their cards they will use toadd to their character’s combat value. After both playershave decided, the cards are revealed and the combatresolved. The trick is that the cards are then discarded(unless you chose to add nothing), and there is only oneor two of each number in your hand. This means thatyou have to choose carefully when you want to hit thehardest. It also means that bluffing, and second guessingyour opponent comes to play. This is even MORE50

important if you play higher point games.ExpansionsSo far, it looks like there are fiveexpansions written for the game,but unfortunately only one is inEnglish so far. The one that isavailable is called Paladins &Dragons and it just about doublesall the possibilities in theoriginal game. The set sells at$21.99, and you get eight morerooms, (with various additionalrules), eight new characters, sixnew items, and addition markers (really the only thingyou don’t get more of is cards). Now players get tochoose which eight characters will make up their team,which items are to be found in the dungeon, and also getto choose four of the eight rooms to use for the mapboard. Suddenly you don’t know exactly what is outthere, who you might find yourself up against, and evenwhich rooms you might have to deal with. The long andshort of it is this, there is now a large element of unknownin the game. Again, here is another level ofstrategy added to the game. Now you have to pick out ateam of eight that compliments each other, rooms thatmight emphasize their skills while minimizing their deficiencies,and then pick out the items that you mightwant available to you (or possibly so that they are NOTavailable to your opponent).The rest of the expansions we will have to wait on for alittle longer as they have not yet been released in English.But I’m hoping the next one to be released is theexpansion that allows for up to two additional players. Iimagine things start to get REALLY hairy then. Otherexpansions that are only available in French so far include:Powers of Darkness, Mercenaries, and Water andFire.FiguresBesides the card figures provided in the box, you canadd a bit of “pizzazz” to the game by getting Resin figuresthat take the place of the card figures. These aremade of resin, and come in two colors (so you don’thave to paint them if you don’t want to). The resin figuresare highly detailed and are very nice quality (andthey look just like the pictures too!!), though there is abit of flash on them so a couple minutes of clean upwouldn’t hurt. All the pieces are single piece models, sothere is no assembly required. Each set sells for $25.00.So far the only figures available are for the eight charactersin the basic game.ValueThis is a game where the game designer, ChristopheBoelinger, has done an excellent job of thinking throughand play-testing this game before putting it out on thestreet. So often with games like this there are a lot ofsituations that are not accounted for in the rules. Well,if situations like that exist in this game, they are few andfar between in this game (so far I have found none in the halfdozen games I have played so far). The game is easy enoughand yet in depth enough that my nine year old son loves it,and my friends that are strategy game lovers are very challengedby it. The more I have played it the more I discoverthe different levels of strategy that the game touches on. Thegame can really turn into a chess match with two experiencedplayers (in fact if players start thinking TOO much the rulessuggest that you limit the time allowed for a turn). Anotherneat item in the rules is that there is actually a handicap systemfor the game. This to me is yet another way to demonstratehow well the game has been thought through. I givethis game two thumps way up, and I can’t wait to see the expansionset for three to four players come out in English.Review by Clay RichmondBasics: The Earth/Minbari War isa new supplement for MongoosePublishing’s space combat gameBabylon 5: A Call to Arms. Thisbook contains a complete accountof the Earth/Minbari War, includingall new rules, ships, fleet listsand scenarios needed to fight outthe momentous battles of this period.The Earth/Minbari War alsodocuments the lives and actions ofthe heroic and important personalities,from both sides of the war, from fighter squadronleaders to starship captains. I was pleased when askedto write this review, as I am a huge fan of the Babylon 5show. So, without further ado, let us dive right in.51

Presentation: The Earth/Minbari War consists of sixsections. The first is the history of the war; an in-depthexamination of the conflict from the first, disastrous encounterto the sudden and bewildering Minbari surrenderand the genesis of the Babylon Project.The second section is dedicated to the personalities ofthe war. Many legendary and notorious individualsfought on both sides during the war. This section providesa detailed overview of the warriors involved onboth sides, from the early career of Lieutenant CommanderJohn Sheridan to the mysterious members of theMinbari Grey Council.The third part describes the fleets of 2245-2247. TheEarth Alliance was still a relative newcomer to interstellartravel and their ships were comparatively primitiveduring the war, easily outclassed by the superior technologyof their Minbari foes. Nevertheless, both fleetswere equipped with their own unique vessels, includingthe notorious Black Star.Chapter four details the path of destruction followedduring this conflict. The war swept through the galaxy,the humans losing battle after battle to the mercilessMinbari. Described in this section are some 20 scenarios,allowing players to replay the tragic blunder that ledto the terrible conflict in the first place, to the final, desperatelast stand of humanity at the legendary Battle ofthe Line.Suddenly, it was all over. The near extermination of thehuman race had been averted, and against all odds, thehumans were somehow the victors – much to their confusion.This fifth section details the immediate aftermathof the conflict and explains how the war eventuallyled to greater unity in the galaxy.Last, but certainly not least is a painting guide. Both theEarth Alliance and the Minbari Federation were slightlydifferent during the war. This chapter details the differentcolor schemes and variants for the ships of bothfleets, allowing you to paint and convert your A Call toArms miniatures to match history.Value: Players of A Call to Arms can use this book as aseries of fun, stand-alone encounters or as the basis for acampaign recreating the Earth/Minbari War. The MSRPfor this tome is $14.95. That’s not a bad price by anystretch of the imagination for what the purchaser receives.The Earth/Minbari War comes in at only 64pages, but it is printed in full color and on glossy paper.This book will stand up to use. You get all kinds of newstuff, which can add flavor to your playing of A Call toArms. So, if you have ever wanted, while watching anepisode of the series, to recreate the Battle of the Linethen this book will tell you everything you need to knowto pull off such an endeavor.Going to camp with my 11-year oldson's 5th grade class gave me agreat opportunity for some extraFather/Son time, but the long busride there also gave me the opportunityto read the latest novel by DanAbnet, Fell Cargo. It is publishedby Black Library and has a retailprice of $7.99 USD. The book is setin the world of the WarhammerFantasy Battles (and rpg) game, butspecific knowledge of the world/games is really not needed to get immersed in the story.The cover says that Fell Cargo is about, "Zombies, piratesand dark fantasy adventure on the high seas!"Without giving too much of the story away I'll try to tellyou how well it matches that statement.The book starts with the return of a pirate lord that wasthought dead who is seeking to reclaim his crew andships from their new captain which turns out to be histraitorous brother. Things start off with a nicely detailedbar fight and our hero (well, as much of a hero as a piratelord can be) taking back his ships and crew. Wethen learn that his intentions are not merely to get backinto the business of piracy, but he was made an offerthat he literally could not refuse and has now gonestraight...as a privateer. It seems that a terrible vesselcalled the Butcher Ship has been stalking the waters andis decimating merchant and pirate alike and trade haspretty much ground to a halt. Luka, our protagonist, hada choice to either meet the fate of most captured pirates(not a pretty one) or accept the terms of becoming a privateerand hunting down the Butcher Ship in exchangefor pardoning of his past crimes. How does his crewreact to this news? I won't spoil specifics for you, butwe wouldn't have much more of a story if they tossedLuka overboard at this point now would we. Over thecourse of the book we get a look at crew members thatare not what they seem, red herrings and side adventuresthat make the story more than just a linear search for theButcher Ship, meeting up with old pirate friends, andseveral very nicely done sea battles with enemy shipsand even a sea monster.There were very few editing errors in the book, but theone that stuck out for me the most was one that was repeateda handful of times in the book. The charactersthrow around names of Warhammer deities as part ofexclamatory sentences and curses, but every once in awhile you'll read a sentence that starts off with "Name ofa god," and then the rest of the sentence. I may be53

wrong and this might be fully intended by the author butif they are casual enough to toss around their names atone point I don't see why not in others. Seems like thatphrase, "Name of a god" was more a holding place forthe author to fill in later and it was missed. It didn't detractfrom the story, but it was kind of odd.At just a bit over 250 pages, Fell Cargo is a pretty quickread and the story didn't bog down anywhere. The combatscenes were well done and I could envision them inmy head as I was reading. I read the book as if it was anrpg adventure or movie playing out that I was observingor watching and it kept my attention and was quite fun.From the cover's line, "Zombies, pirates and dark fantasyadventure on the high seas!" Fell Cargo does verywell with the pirates and dark fantasy adventure, but is abit skimpy on the zombies. It was a fun, quick read thatpassed the time on a bus ride to and from camp and onethat could form the nice basis of a game session as longas your players haven't read it too!Review by Mark TheurerDragon BonesAdventures in the GobiDesertBasics: What we have here isa supplement to Rattrap Productions’skirmish miniaturesgame, .45 Adventure. Thesetting for this tome is Mongoliaof the 1920s. At thistime warlords and banditsfight for control of the countryside.The opposing sides for these adventures are themuseum staff and the bandits with one or more playerscontrolling each side. The basic premise is that the teamof researchers and explorers must race against time torecover the fossils and get them out of the dangerouswarzone and back to the safety of the International Zonein Shanghai. That sounds pretty easy, right? Don’t betyour boots on that, cowboy!as decoys) and the results (the benefits of achieving thegoals of the scenario). The results of one adventure canhave an impact on how the following scenario plays out.After the adventures come a couple of chapters on newrules. Included are ways to use vehicles (and vehiclecombat), the riding of animals, new abilities (eight ofthem), and several new character archetypes (nine ofthem). My personal favorite is The Dragon Lady. Idon’t care who you are, but how can you not like someonecalled The Dragon Lady? Lastly, there is a chapterto describe all the characters that are involved in the scenariosin this book.Value: Dragon Bones: Adventures in the Gobi Desertmay not look like much when you first pick it up. It’snot very thick. The supplement weighs in at 44 pages.It also has a fairly light price tag on it. It’s hard to pickup a good gaming product these days for under $20, butRattrap brings this one in at $10.95. For that amount ofcoin don’t expect a lot of bells and whistles. The bookis in your basic black text on white paper layout. Thepictures and photographs are also black and white exceptfor the cover of the book. That is in full color.The scenarios in this book are designed for 2 to 6 players.These adventures are each capable of being playedin a single evening or several can be played in onelonger session.This supplement was another pleasant surprise fromRattrap Productions LLC. This company seems to havethe knack for making a quality gaming product withoutneeding a high amount of dollars in exchange for it. So,as the book says, “…put on your campaign hat, strap onyour .45 and get ready for Dragon Bones: Adventures inthe Gobi Desert!”Review by Brian AhrensPresentation: Dragon Bones: Adventures in the GobiDesert is made up of a series of four scenarios that canbe played singly or as part of a short campaign as theyall tie together. The titles of the adventures pretty muchtell a player what is going to go down. These chaptersare Hunt for the Dragon Bones, Escape with the Fossils,Flight to Safety, and lastly Escape!. Each chapter is brokenup into sections. These areas describe the lay-out ofthe board, the characters involved (both on the museumstaff side as well as the bandit side), the set-up (how themodels for each side are deployed), encounters(placement of markers that represent the fossils as well55

We got some very positive responses to our battle reportin the previous issue of Fictional Reality where wewalked through the mechanics of the Starship Troopersminiatures game while playing. Sort of a demo gamebattle report. We decided to do the same thing in thisissue, but with Corvus Belli’s new sci-fi skirmish gameInfinity. Currently a pdf set of rule is available fromCorvus Belli at www.infinitythegame.com and updateshave come out to expand the troops, rules and equipmentin the game. This was our first real game of Infinityand we’re hoping that we did everything right. Ifnot, we ask for your forgiveness and patience as we tryto perfect our knowledge of this new rule set. Additionally,you’ll be happy to notice that every single model inthe game is painted! Certainly not to the standards ofthe marvelous artists that have graced us with theirPainting Workshop articles, but painted! In this reportwe’ll try to highlight rule mechanics in a red box so youcan get a feel for what rolls are used in the game andhow they work.ForcesBefore sitting down to play we decided on a fairly smallgame. Of course, not having played before we’re notexactly sure what constitutes a “small” game of Infinity,but I’m sure that the contents of a starter set plus a fewmore figures is about right.Mark:I have a Ariadna starter set plus a few more figures andthat felt right for this game. Since our game new figuresfor all of the forces have come out and I’m sure that thetactical choices that they provide will help in giving youmore options as to what to drop on the table. My armyconsisted of:4 x Line Kazaks - 36 points2 x Veteran Kazaks - 90 points(one with a HMG and the other with an AP Rifle.Both also have Light Flamethrowers. The one withthe AP Rifle was designated as my Lieutenant.)2 x Tank Hunters - 67 points(one with an AP HMG and the other with anAdhesive Launcher)1 x Scout - 26 pointsI’ll be hitting the table with 9 models worth a total of219 points.The Ariadna are lacking in the area of mechanized units(for now, we’ll see what expansions to their army listlook like) but they can throw out a whole lot of lead.Hopefully this will be enough to contend with theArmoured Cavalry model that I know Clay is bringing.Clay:Well, I would like to go into great detail laying out myinventive approach to choosing the troops to fill out myarmy list, but truth be told I have only begun collectingInfinity models and so had a VERY limited force list tochoose from. Luckily, we wanted this to be a smallgame anyway, so the forces I could field were just aboutright. I played the PanOceania forces and the troops thatfilled out my ranks were:4 x Fusiliers (no hackers) - 40 Points1 x Croc Man – 33 Points1 x Orc Troop (w/ HMG) - 41 Points(I made this guy my Lieutenant…don’t tell Mark!)1 x Armoured Cavalry - 93 PointsFor a total of 7 models and 207 Points.Terrain SetupWe played the game on a 4’ x 4’ board with lots of urbanterrain. I have a nice selection of damaged buildingsfrom Armorcast (sadly, they do not manufacturethem any more) and we used these to create several city56

locks with firing lanes between buildings. There are afew plastic bits of terrain from Warhammer 40K, someresin bits from the Ultimate Warzone game and alsosome terrain pieces that Great Canadian Miniatures produces.All told, it was a pretty densely packed board,but I could not shake the feeling that we could still haveput more down. We left it as you see in the pictureabove.DeploymentBefore putting any troops on the board you and youropponent both roll d20 and add your Leiutenant’sWill Power (WIP). The winner is allowed to chosewhich side of the table to deploy on and they also getto decide which army will deploy first. Deploymentis done with the whole army, not back and forth.You can deploy troops up to 12” deep on the tableunless they have a special rule that allows them tostart the game farther into enemy territory.For the Deployment Roll, Mark rolled a 6, adding hisWIP of 13 for a total roll of 19. I rolled a big ‘ole 4, andwith my WIP of 12 he ends up with a 16 so Mark startsthe game by choosing which side of the table he wantsto start on and making me (Clay) deploy first. We didnotice one interesting point here, and that is the Lieutenantfor your army is supposed to be secret. Howeversince you need to use his WIP for rolls, it’s not to hardfor the enemy to narrow down, if not uniquely identify,who you’re using as a Lieutenant. I guess the lessonhere is that don’t count too much on the “secret” parthere unless there are multiple models in each army withthe same WIP or if equipment options come out thatallow you to modify your WIP score.The Game BeginsAfter I deployed, Mark laid his troops on the table andthe game began for real. We started with the initiativeroll.The roll is the same as with the deployment roll andthe winner decides who will act first in each round ofthe game. Once it is decided who will act first onturn one that player will go first on each successiveturn of the game.57

We both rolled a 6 (so far this is still the highest roll,might end up being a long game), but Marks WIP of 13wins the roll for him, and he decides to make be startthings off.Clay’s Turn 1First I figured out the number of orders I get countingmy models and adding one for the Lieutenant for a totalof eight orders to use on turn one.Orders are what allows your troops to act during aturn. You get one action per model plus one morefor the Lieutenant. You can give orders (one, multipleor even none) to any of your troops over thecourse of a turn with the only restriction being thatthe Lieutenant is the only one that can use the“extra” order. There is another restriction on theuse of orders, but that only comes up if your Lieutenantis killed. In the quickstart rules you can use ordersto:• Move and then move again., essentially running.• Move and fight in close combat (or can alsobe used to extricate yourself from close combat).• Move and shoot, with your shot coming atany point in your move.• Move and attempt to hack into the computersystem of a mechanized model• Move and dodge as you try to cover groundand try to make yourself harder to hit.My first order was to a Fusilier to Move/Move.He was not observed by any enemy models sothere was no reaction from Mark’s troops.The second order was to Move/Discover tryingto spot a scout sniper nearby. The guy he wastrying to discover was over 8” away, but lessthan 32” so there was no modifier for range, but thecamouflage worn by the sniper gives him a -3 modifier,giving the Fusiliers a roll of a 9 or less on a d20 to discoverhim. Mark decided he would chance it and thesniper kept his head down deciding not to react. (I couldhave used an ARO to take a shot at the Fusilier as hewas trying to pinpoint my location, but then everyonecould point their guns in my direction. I would stillhave the benefit of my camouflage, but I decided it wastoo early to start blazing away with my sniper. Mark)The gamble paid off as the Fusilier rolled an 18 not evencoming close to seeing the sniper.Automatic Reaction Orders (ARO) are your troopsreacting (usually either shooting at the enemy orducking and trying to stay alive) when they withnessenemy actions.58The third order was used to move up anotherFusilier with a Move/Move and again there is noreaction since he was not seen by the enemymodels.For the fourth order, I went back to the sameFusilier that was looking for that pesky sniperand did another Move/Discover edging evencloser, but not close enough to change range bands.Once again the sniper does not react and once again theFusilier blows his roll but with a 15 this time (you noticehow my rolls are now all very high? What is up withthis?).I spend the next two orders bringing up twomore troops, the first being a Fusilier which getsto a second story window in a blown out building,and the second is my Orc troop who getsinto a position where he can cover most of thecenter part of the field (this was then my Lieutenantsorder, though Mark did not know it at the time).Well, time to go back and check on that sniperagain (letting him pop out and ping away at meso close didn’t really thrill me). So, once againmy blind Fusilier tried to discover him, yet again rollingan 18 and failing miserably. I would think that theFusilier should at least be able to hear the sniper snickeringat this point.The final order was used to move my Croc manwould was still represented only by a markerdue to his TO Camouflage. He takes up positionon a corner of a building to try and cover my rightflank.And that ends my half of Turn one. So far no shotsfired, but one Fusilier has been classified as legallyblind. I’m still playing a bit conservative since I don’tknow hoe deadly return (reaction) fire can be. I havealso spread my guys out trying to make it difficult toflank me, while concentrating a lot of fire power on thecenter. I intentionally held my Armoured Cavalry backsince I intend to use him as my reserve and I didn’t wanthim to assume the role of “bullet magnet” just yet.Mark’s Turn 1Mark has a couple more models in his force so countinghis Lieutenant’s special order he gets a total of ten orders.Another strategy point for this game comes inconsidering that “orders” means getting to move andshoot and cause destruction to the enemy. The moremodels you have the more orders you get, so a forcewith lost of cheap dudes will be doing a whole lot moremaneuvering and pouring lead into the enemy than aforce with all elite expensive troops. Of course, that

Store information:Brokhurst Hobbies12188 Brookhurst St.,Garden Grove, CA 92840 USA(714) 636-3580Event (part 1):12:01 a.m. - 2:00 a.mMidnight sale of Hordes (available that day)12:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.Build and play tourney (prizes will be available)Event (part 2):10:00 a.m. - Hordes Demo11:00 a.m. - Hordes Tourney (prizes available)If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at714-401-1362. AdamTournament!04/22/06Tank Hunter, and he takes aim at a Fusilier who ofcourse returns fire. The Tank Hunter has an AP HMGwith a burst of 4, and the range is 15”. Both modelshave a BS of 12, both are in cover, and both weaponsget a +3 at this range making the target number a 12 foreach model. Mark rolls four dice getting a 20, 18, 13,and a 3. I rolled a single return shot getting a 10. Badluck for Mark, my single shot wins the exchange, butMark succeeds with both his armour roll, rolling an 18which when added to his armour of 3 easily beats thedamage of 13, and his guts roll rolling a 5. The TankHunter survives unscathed.Not having had enough, the same Tank Hunter get thefourth order to try again. This time Mark rolls a 17, 15,6 and a 1 verses my 18. Here was one point where wewere a little unsure about the rules. Since Mark beat myroll with two of his shots, do both hit? We assumed thatthis was the case and moved on. The damage to beatwas a 15, and since the Fusilier was in cover his armourwas a 4. the first roll was a 15 which beats the damage,but the second was an 8 which adds up to only 12, dothe Fusilier is taken out!army of poor troops will also hit less often, generally beless armored and will more likely be hit by opposingARO’s.Anyway, Mark’s first order was to a VeteranKazak to Move/Shoot. His target was my OrcTrooper which happened to be my Lieutenant.His weapon, an AP Rifle, has a burst of 3, and the rangewas 27”. The Orc Troop not liking being shot at decidedto return fire. The Veteran Kazak’s BS is 13 butgets a -6 for range and a -3 because the Orc Troop is incover, so he must roll a 4 or less. The Orc troop on theother hand has a BS of 14, gets a +3 for range and a -3for cover making his target a 14 or less (but of course heonly gets a burst of 1 since it’s a reaction shot). Markrolls a 1,4 & 6, one hit one crit. I rolled a 7 as a hit, butMark’s critical hit overrides my hit. And since it’s acritical hit, the Orc Troop takes a wound automatically.Luckily he has two, so he stays on his feet for now. Buthe still has to make a Guts check or else be forced todive for cover. He rolls a 2 which is well under his WIPso he stays put for the moment.Mark’s second order is to Move/Move one ofhis hidden models, and his third order is toMove/Shoot with another of his hidden modelsthus bringing him out into the open. It turns out to be a59Mark then uses his next two orders to Move/Move acouple of his Line Kazaks. The first one gets shot at bythe Orc Troop and a Fusilier the Orc troop needing a 14to hit (14[BS]+3[Range]-3[Cover] and the FusilierSince Clay has the opportunity to use an ARO and hehas decided to shoot back at me we will work outwho hits based on all of our die rolls. The Kazak hasthree dice to roll because the weapon has a Burst ratingof 3. Clay gets just one die, regardless of theBurst rating of his gun, since he’s using an ARO.There are some mechanized units that still get to usetheir full Burst on ARO’s. They sound quite nastyand I’m glad there are none on the table today.Our rolls would stack up like this…Mark 01 MISSMark 04 CRITICAL HITMark 06 MISSClay 07 NORMALLY A HITSince Clay rolled less than his needed to hit numberand bested all of my rolls he would normally score ahit against my model. Unfortunatley for him, Irolled a critical (rolling exactly my to hit score) andthat not only cancels out his hit but he also takes oneautomatic wound without the benefit of an armorroll. After being hit, if you’re not dead, you have tomake a Guts check or duck back for cover. This is asimple d20 roll where you are trying to roll underyour WIP.

needing a 6 (12[BS] -6[Range]) neither hit rolling an18 and an 11 respectively.The second Line Kazak was not quiteas lucky. The Croc Man comes out ofhiding to use his ARO on the enemymodel and the range is only 9”. HisBS is 12, and due to the range gets a+3. He hits with a roll of a 9, and theLine Kazak fails his armor by rollingan 11. Only having a single wound,the Line Kazak falls in his tracks.The armor roll you need to make to survive the shotis determined initially by the Damage rating of theweapon you were shot with. You will roll a d20 andadd the Armor rating of your figure, plus three moreif you are lucky enough to be under cover. If yourmodified roll is better than the Damage of theweapon then you have shrugged off the hit.Now that the Croc Man is out in the open, andappears to be the only guy preventing my forcefrom being flanked, Mark moves to take him outby giving his next order to another Line Kazak on thatside. This time the range is 15” and the Line Kazak andCroc man exchange fire, with the Kazak having a burstof 3. Both are in cover, so the Kazak needs an 11 to hit,and the Croc Man needs a 12. Mark rolls a 17, 16, and a13 missing all three shots cleanly. The Croc Man hitsagain with a roll of a 10. This time however the Kazakmakes his armor roll (with a roll of a 20!) and evenmakes his guts check with a roll of 12 (just barely).Not liking that result, the Kazak gets the nextorder to try it again. This time Mark rolls a 16,12, and 3 and I rolled an 8. Both the 3 and the 8are successful rolls, but the 8 is higher, so once again theCroc Man hits with his single shot. This time theKazak’s luck has run out and a roll of 1 doesn’t comeclose to making his armor roll, and he too falls.Mark has realized that the range in the center ofthe field hurts his Kazaks a whole lot more thanthey hurt my Orc Troop with his HMG. He decidesto try a Move/Dodge as he crosses some openground to close the distance. His ploy works against theOrc Troop, who misses with an 18, but the Fusilier nailshim by rolling a 4. The Kazak rolls a pitiful 2 as hisarmor save and falls mortally wounded.Anyone that has a line of sight to the order being carriedout can make an ARO against it. In this caseClay had two models that saw my guy trying to duckand weave across the battlefield and they bothopened up on him.Since I performed a Move/Dodge action their shots atme were countered by me rolling a d20 and themneeding to roll better than my roll, but still undertheir own to hit number. Had I not been dodgingthey would have unopposed rolls to hit me and onlyhave their own to hit number to worry about.As Mark’s last order, he ordered a VeteranKazak armed with an HMG to pop around a cornerand to see if he could pop a few rounds intothe Armoured Cavalry. Auto response system kicks inand the Multi HMG aims and returns fire. The Kazakhas a burst of 4 and needs only a 13 to hit (range andcover modifiers canceling each other out). The ArmouredCavalry needs only a 15 (modifiers again canceling).Mark rolls a 17, 11, 8, and a 7 . I roll a 2! TheKazak scores three hits. Lucky for me, these are not AProunds so the Cavalry’s armor of 8, plus 3 more forcover means that I only need to roll 5’s or better to beatthe damage of 15. As chance would have it, I roll two5’s and a 16. All three save! The Veteran Kazak thenused his “Move” portion of his order to dive behind thewall of a ruined building when the dust cleared and hesaw the Armoured Cavalry barely unscathed.End of Turn 1Clay:Well, that went better that anticipated. I’m thinking thatmy MVP is already looking to be my Croc Man. Threeshots to score two kills, and that was using ARO’s only!Not bad. Well, Mark outnumbered me in models at thestart. At least now things have evened up. Of course,that armor on the Armoured Cavalry suddenly looksreally good. This turn I need to put it to some good use.Mark:So much for having ten orders. Having guys drop fromreturn fire is something I’m going to have to get used to.Actually, I should get used to using the right troops atthe range that they are best suited for and being in asmuch cover as possible, regardless of what is going onaround them. I realized right as the game started thatmy Scout was is a terrible position and that I had made avery poor choice of table sides. I should have picked the60

side that Clay ended up with andput the Scout up in the third floor ofthe tallest building.Turn 2 BeginsClay’s Turn 2This time I only get 7 orders as Ilost one model on the opening turnof the game.The first order I give to myOrc Troop. He seems tohave the best gun to playwith and the most targets to shot at.Of course this also means he will betaking a couple of shots of returnfire as well. His first target is aLine Kazak in cover. The LineKazak, and a Veteran Kazak, shotback.This brought up a question for us.If model A is shooting at model B,and Model C uses an ARO toshoot at Model A, is this a head tohead roll or a normal roll? Wechose to count it as a normal rollsince it’s quite possible that modelA didn’t even know model C wasthere until it was too late.Anyway, the Orc Troop fired hisburst of four rolling an 18, 15, 5 &3 verses the Kazak’s shot of 4. Thisgave the Orc a single hit whichproved to be enough as the Kazakrolled a 4, added 3 for cover and 1for armor but still did not beat thedamage of 15. Another Line Kazakbites the dust. The surprise shotfrom the Veteran Kazak went wildsince due to range and cover heneeded a 4 to hit.Of course the second orderwas now for the Orc Troopto take out that VeteranKazak who dared to shoot at him.This time however, the Veteran gotsmart and used his ARO to dodgeprobably saving his life. His dodgeroll was a 14, and my shooting rollswere 12, 9, 4, and 2. Normally allthese would hit! But his dodgesaved the day.For the third order I revisitedmy inept Fusilier to seeif he could get an eyeball onthat darned sniper. Thistime I roll a 2 and discoverhim! Finally! Well, thenext order was of course to shootthe dude, so the Fusilier opened up.This time the Sniper seeing that hisgig was up returned fire. The sniperneeded a 14 top hit (his BS +3 forrange) and the Fusilier needed a 12(range and cover cancelled). Theburst of three was 16, 15 & 8. Thesniper’s return fire was a 7. Thesniper is hit! The sniper rolls a 2which even added with his armor of1 is not enough to beat the damageof 13. The Sniper falls from hisperch and the blind Fusilier has redeemedhimself.Okay, time to go for thekill. For the final three ordersI send in the TAG.First he does a Move/Moveto get into position. In doingthis he takes a couple ofARO shots. The first isfrom a Tank Hunter whohits rolling a 3 (he needed a12. The TAG makes his Armoursave though by rolling a 17 (the APround from the Tank Killer madehis armor only 4, but with cover anda roll of 17, it hardly mattered).The second ARO shot was from a61

Veteran Kazak. He also hits even though with coverand range he needed a 7 to hit (and rolled a 6). Thistime the AP round gets through. The damage is 13, andwith cover the modified armor is 7. A roll of 4 fails andthe TAG takes it’s first wound. Since the ArmouredCavalry is a remote presence model, not Guts roll isneeded. The next order is to open up on the TankHunter who of course returns fire. The cover and rangemodifiers cancel out all around so we are left with BSvs. BS or 15 vs. 12. I roll a 20/20/9/and 1 (talk aboutextremes). And Mark rolls a 6. Only one hit, but thedamage is more than enough to overcome the TankKazak when he rolls a 3 for his armor roll. The PeskyVeteran Kazak took another ARO shot at the TAG, butthis time missed with a roll of 17. The final order wasused to turn that big honkin’ HMG on the model thatpinged him. The eyes of the Veteran Kazak grew wideand he attempted doing his dodge trick again, but thistime it didn’t work. The dodge roll was a 5, but theTAG rolled a 19, 17, 17 & 12 hitting once. The Veteranrolled an 8 as an armor roll. Adding cover and his armor,this brought him up to a 15, which meets, but doesnot beat the damage of 15. The valiant Kazak, who itturns out was the Lieutenant of this force, staggers andfalls into the dust.Mark’s Turn 1Mark’s Turn 2 is spent nominating a new Lieutenant.This is an exception to the normal rule regarding orders.If your Lieutenant is killed then you mustspend two orders, if you have that many, nominatinga new Lieutenant. Among all of the blood and gutsand shooting and cussing that’s going on in the middleof the firefight someone has to take charge. Sincethis nomination took both of my orders for the turnit effectively ends my second turn of the game.Mark’s ThoughtsWe called the game at this point for a couple of reasons.First, I was getting pasted and we could have gonethrough the formalities of Clay’s troops shooting myguys to pieces, but we passed on that idea. Second, weaccomplished what we set out to do, which was learn thegame and also, hopefully, present some of the rules in away that was easy to follow for a new game.Even though I was on the receiving end of a rather brutalbeating I like Infinity a lot. During the game it becamevery clear that this is not a hand-to-hand gamedressed up to look like a futuristic army game. Yes, I’msure that the special close combat troops are quitedeadly, but this is a ranged combat came and one wherethere is a heck of a lot of lead flying around the field. Ireally like the ARO rules, but they do require that youare really paying attention to what your opponent is doing.We found that having a laser pointer, or maybeeven two, will help out a lot in determining exactly whocan see what.The shooting rules make so much more sense when youactually play with them and see the dice rolling on thetable and quickly determine which ones were successful.It took reading through the shooting rules 2-3 times beforeI thought I grasped it properly but after just onetime of rolling dice it was clear.I also need to be much more liberal in my use of Move/Dodge orders. Doing a Move/Move may sound like agood way to cross a lot of ground quickly, but unlessthere’s a building between you and your opponent youare going to get the crap shot out of you quickly.Clay’s ThoughtsWow, that was a bloody turn. Things turned south forMark in a hurry. I think the center really turned into akilling field for his guys where I had the upper handwith a HMG and several Fusiliers covering the center.My flanks really did well with the TAG and the CrocMan each taking out a pair of troopers without too muchtrouble. Mark never really used his sniper that I spent somuch time trying to discover, but since he was so deepinto my territory he probably would have got his headshot off if he tried.I found the game to be great fun, and VERY fast moving.We had a whole lot of terrain, and both of us agreethat we could have had even more. I think that using theDodge trick is something we need to do more next time,and you really have to limit “free” shots by the enemy(hey, bullets tend to hurt) when doing Move/Move actions.I think a bit more cautious movement, and makingMove/Dodge the standard way to move (unless youare VERY sure no one can see one on your ENTIREpath) will make your guys more survivable.The idea of a “secret” Lieutenant I’m not real fond ofjust because there are too many things he has to do thatkind of points him out to the attentive game player(using his WIP for rolls and the Lieutenant’s special order).So I think that part is really not necessary. When Ifirst read the rules, I thought that the ARO was going toreally be overpowering, but the unexpected thing thatevens it out is the limiting the burst to 1 for ARO’s (ofcourse if you’re lucky, like my Croc Man was, it’s stillpretty deadly). In the end, I think Infinity is well on theroad to becoming a great gaming system and I can’t waitto play some more.Battle Report by Clay Richmond & Mark Theurer63

Well, this issue’s unofficial theme is sci-fi battles, so itseemed only fitting to build up something appropriatefor the setting. I’ve had some plastic cases (or frames)sitting around for quite some time that were once usedfor holding electronic chips (there is a clue of what I doin my real life). These cases are made of nonconductivehard plastic and are very sturdy. They alsocome in a large variety of patterns (depending on thespecific chip it was designed to carry). I ended up pickingout three different patterns to use. One for the bottomstory walls, one for the upper story walls, and onefor the floors.These little babies seemed to be the perfect thing tosimulate the interior superstructure of a blown out building.scrap later). This done, I started playing with the piecesto see what might look good, and to determine how bigof a base I might want. It was here that a picture of theoverall structure started to form in my mind. After gettinga rough idea of the size I wanted, I once again wentback to the scroll saw to cut out the base from a piece ofhard board. I did the outline in a sort of random wayjust going for the rough dimensions that I wanted. Anothertrick I have been doing for years is that I set thetable on the scroll saw at forty five degrees so that theouter edge of the piece is beveled. This really is onlyfor ascetics as it makes for a nicer transition to the gameboard.Of course they are way too big as they are so I tookthem out to my handy scroll saw and sliced them up intosmaller more usable pieces. I only had a vague idea ofwhat pieces I wanted, and what size they had to be, so ofcourse I saved everything (always time to throw awayThe next step was to put up some ruined lower walls tooutline my building. For this I used bricks from moldsmade by Hirst Arts. I only used basic blocks that can befound in a variety of the molds he sells. For the bottomrow, I used ½” x ½” x 1” rectangular blocks. Then Iused ¼” x ¼” x ½” blocks to put a few random stacks ofremaining wall around the perimeter. The smallerblocks I put flush with the forward edge of the larger65

icks so I ended up with a quarter inch lip on the inside.Coincidently, the plastic cases I will use for the superstructure are about a quarter inch thick.Now I had the basic shape of the building so thingscould switch directions and I could start growing thestructure up. For the bottom story, I used the parts thathad large square sections as the basic shape and theywere about an inch and a half tall. Some of it was solidwall, and some of it was open areas (as in windows orsomething). I mounted these on the back quarter inch ofthe bottom layer of bricks so that the total height of thebottom story ended up being about two inches tall.kind of cumbersome, so I glued them together into twowall sections before putting them on the piece, and Imade them high enough to span two stories rather thanjust one. I also glued together a corner post to put betweenthe two walls. Not only did this center post addto the structural integrity of the building, but I thought italso added to the looks. Again, this is just my “not so”artistic opinion.Then came the floor between the first and second stories.For this I used a case for a smaller chip so that thegrid was much tighter. This time I measured the size ofthe floor to fit onto the walls. I also made sure that I cutthe floor in a random jagged line. I used two part epoxy(the five minute version) to glue all this together, and itmade for very stable joints.For the second story (and above) I used the plastic casesthat looked the best for use as super structure. Thistime, I thought gluing them on level by level would beAfter these dried, I glued the pieces onto the first floorof the ruin. The transition between the first floor and thesecond (along with the floor between them) was ratherunsightly, and really took away for the look of the building.So I used some long thin bands of plastic that I hadtrimmed off the plastic cases (see… I knew some of thescrap would come in handy) to glue on covering thetransition joint. This was really the end of the hardstuff, after this everything was touch up and finish-upwork.The next thing I added was an “eagle’s nest”, or ratherthe remains of the third floor. I simply used a small sectionof the same plastic casing that I had used for theremains of the second floor, only a lot smaller. It’s only66

ig enough to allow two models to stand on it, and theywould have to stand very close to each other at that.After that, I wanted to add a couple piles of refuse in theclear area within the interior of the structure. For this Iconsulted my rather extensive “spare parts” collectionthat I keep ready for just this sort of occasion. You cansee from the picture the kind of junk that I picked out touse, but really anything either round, square, has sharpangles or just about anything else works just fine. Iknow that this list covers just about everything, but Itried to pick out things that when clipped into smallerpieces would look like construction leftovers.sure there is still plenty of room for models to move inand around the pieces. Remember, this is supposed tobe a game board after all. I also glued down a few brokenbricks in front of the building as refuse as well.This added to the effect and gave models at ground levela small bit of cover to hind behind.Now it’s time to paint. I start by spray painting the entirepiece with a steel metal color (I used a BoltgunMetal primer put out by Games Workshop). For thebricks, I first painted them with a dark grey, and thendry brushed with a very light grey. For the rest of thestructure (and the piles of refuse), I dry brushed with abright silver. At this point we are almost finished, andreally only need to worry about the flocking, and basecover.I wanted a look of “war torn” terrain, so I wanted toavoid anything green or with any bright color. So ISo I cut them into various sized pieces, taking great careto make sure the cuts that were as messy looking as possible.I then threw in some of the leftover pieces I hadfrom cutting the plastic chip cases into the walls andfloors, and presto, I have construction refuse. After settingup a few piles to see what looked good and whatdidn’t, I glued the piles onto theboard piece by piece. The onlythings I recommend you keep inmind, is first, don’t overdo it,too much will only detract fromthe overall looks, and two make67

started with a fine gravel/grit to cover the interior and aband around the exterior. I painted the entire area that Iwanted to cover with white glue and then sprinkled mygrit and gravel over the glue. As a extra touch, I thendumped black sand on the whole thing. The sand endsup covering the ground not already occupied by graveland gives the whole thing a “burnt” look. After thewhole thing dried, I knocked off everything that didn’tstick, and separated the sand from the gravel by puttingthe mixture in an old salt shaker. The sand came outleaving only thegrit inside.once over on the entire structure, bricks included. I definitelydid not want anything to look “new” on this guy.The final touch was to cover that outer rim of the piecewith brown flocking. I even added some dead lookingfoliage, and a couple tumble weeds here and there foradded effect. Now it’s ready for the battle field. Bringit on!Built and Written by Clay RichmondMy gravel andgrit is white anda light granitecolor, so thecolor was lighterthan I wanted.This only meantthat I was goingto have to butsome watereddown blackpaint (wash)over it to darkenit up. In fact Iused the blackwash to do a69

Subject:Manufacturer:Painter:“Chief Madrak Ironhide” Trollblood WarlockPrivateer Press: Hordes Box setRobH “Coat of Arms”First Impressions:The figure comes in 3 parts, a very bulky torso legs andleft arm, second the right arm holding a massive axe andthird, the head and collar. If first impressions count thenthis is not going to be good. There was not much flashor evidence of mould lines (as you would expect from anew mould) but the metal quality was very poor, someparts of the figure (especially front around neck) showedsigns of oxidation/pitting and much of the torso castingwas a yellowish bronze colour apparently due to incorrecttemperature metal. Sadly, I think this is one whichslipped through the otherwise excellent PP quality control.This caused the surface detail to look “messy” butthe worst of the pitting would be covered by the strangecollar so not too much of a problem.Assembly, washing and priming:I drilled and pinned the right arm and repositioned itslightly to make the butt of the axe touch his leg. Thiswould give a second gluing point and make the figurestronger for gaming. The slight gap this created at thewrist was filled with zap a gap. I bent some of the collarpieces downwards to so that they would end touchingthe figures shoulders to avoid the collar looking like thepetals on a daisy. (Being old enough to remember seeingPeter Gabriel on stage in the “flower” outfit I have toadmit to suppressing a laugh whenever I looked at thisfigures head). The head did not need pinning, just glue.The worst of the pitting was smoothed with wire woolafter a coating of white enamel paint to fill the holes.Came up better than I had expected, under a secondenamel primer coat it was not visibleThe Base:The core of the base is made up of two 25mm roundslottabases glued on top of each other and fixed onto thecentre of the PP base. This is then surrounded with smallpieces of broken tree bark held in place with superglue.My intention was to create a slight rise leading to anoverhang. Gaps between the bark were filled with a mixtureof wood glue and fine sand.Having built the rock I positioned the figure and foundthat the very tip of his tartan cloak behind his left leglooked daft. It was sculpted to lay flat on the surface ofthe base as provided, on mine it was laying flat in midair, so I carefully bent it down with pliers to match thesurface of the rock, filed it smooth and re-primed it.The rock was painted Dark Grey (a 5 litre householdpaint I had mixed at my local hardware store for use inscenery/terrain) This was gently drybrushed with 3lighter shades to give the rock its final colour. Furtherdetails will be added later. The reason for doing this firstwas to prevent the possibility of damaging the finishedfigure by trying to do it later. The base edge was thenmarbled with mixes of grey and green citadel paints andgiven 3 coats of gloss polyurethane varnish.Starting the figure: Flesh tones.The flesh areas were undercoated with two very thinlayers of GW Camo Green to which a tiny drop of Yellowhad been added. I started the painting by preshadingthe areas where the flesh colour joined armour, clothingor straps with a very dilute mix of GW Flesh Wash andCamo Green. I also used this colour to fill the eye socketsand mouth.The flesh areas were highlighted in 3 coats addingslightly more white to the Green/Yellow mix for eachhighlight. I wanted to end with a pastel rather than yellowtoned green hence the use of white rather than moreyellow as the highlight colour. I painted the fingernails,skin warts and detail of the tiny eyes and even tinierteeth in White to which a tiny drop of the green fleshcolour was added. Using a tiny drop of the Scab Redadded to the final flesh highlight colour I painted in theprominent veins on Madrak’s arms.73

The reason for using tiny amounts of the green in all the shade/highlight colours was to visually tie them all together and ensurethat they have the same toneThe Armour.The Armour basecoat was a fairly thin mixture of 3 parts GW ShiningGold to 1 Part GW Scorched Brown and 1 Part Flesh Wash.When dry I applied a heavy wash of Brown Ink around all theedges of the detail and in the recesses of the armour plates.To get an old bronze look to the armour I highlighted it with thesame colour as for the basecoat with small amounts of HumbrolMatt Yellow acrylic mixed in. This is a pastel tone of yellow,unlike the GW one which is very Acidic. Highlights were applied tothe edges of the panels and theDaisy collar, the detail of therunes and the myriad of clips andbuckles which abound on themodel.The armour was left very darkrather than “golden” to show thesombre nature of the TrollBloodsand to match the Dark Brown Iwas planning to use for the baseof the Tartan.74

3. At each intersection of the verticaland horizontal lines youhave a tiny square. This squarewill need to be painted to matchthe mixture of threads in thecloth. Where 2 dark lines crossthere will be a much darkersquare and where 2 lighter linescross there will be a much palersquare. (due to the cloth beingall darker or lighter colouredthreads appropriately). For methe colour was a very pale mixof Vomit Brown and White (1to 2).The Fun Stuff: Painting a Dark Tartan.Painting Tartan is something that many painters finddaunting, and which is frequently done wrong. The coloursin true Tartan are the result of the mixing of differentcoloured threads during the weaving process. Theyare not merely printed on like Gingham. (The best guideto painting Tartan I have ever found is in the Bill Horan“Military Modelling Masterclass” book, an essentialread for painting and modelling techniques).In brief it goes something like this:1. Paint on base colour. Iin my case a Dark ChocolateBrown mixed from GW Scorched Brown, BloodRed and Black2. Paint on first grid ensuring that whatever angle thehorizontal lines have to adapt to fit the curve andfolds of the figure, the vertical lines ALWAYS meetthem at right angles. Curved or angled lines are notpossible in a Tartan. I chose a Tan colour made fromGW Vomit Brown and White (2 to 1). This grid colouris taken as being the mid tone colour where thelight and dark threads in the cloth weave are presentin equal numbers.4. Add a second (and third possibly for some tartan patterns)grid off set from the first. I used GW ShadowGrey. Again the same rules apply for “mixing thethreads” only now there are 2 sets of intersections,Grey with Tan and Grey with Grey, both beinglighter than my base colour I had to make the intersectionsquare a lighter mix (2 lighter lines crossingproduce an even lighter square)5. Very carefully blackline all edges of the grids with afine long bristle brush and a mixture of black paintand black ink. The ink will allow the mix to retaindepth of colour at the high level of dilution necessaryto draw clean straight lines.6. Wash the entire Tartan with a dark colour to tonedown all the colours and shade the creases and undercutsof the figure. I used an equal parts mix ofScorched Brown and Black, very dilute. The aimshould be to end up with the brightest intersectionsquare being the same colour as the original grid youdrew on.75

This technique is fairly time consuming but is the bestway to replicate a woven rather than printed pattern. ATartan rather than a Check. (Read Bill Horan…he explainsit far better than I do!).The technique for painting a bright tartan(Royal Stewart or MacLeod Blue) isslightly different as you have to finishthe shading stage with some colours remainingvery bright…..but that willhave to wait to a future Workbench Article.Red, Blood Red, Blazing Orange and a mix of equalparts Blazing Orange and White, over a black basecoat.A tiny drop of white at the upper left and a thin crescentat the lower right complete the gem. The red makes agood focus spot on the figure as it is much brighter thanthe surrounding Browns and a contrasting colour to theGreen flesh.Finishing Up.With the Flesh, Armour and Tartan donethe bulk of the figure is finished. The variousleather straps were basecoated in GWBestial Brown and highlighted with a mixof Vomit Brown and White to achieve aTan colour similar to that used on the Tartan,again trying to tie all the colours together.The Scroll case on the back (and the oneon the front before I changed my mindand repainted it Tan) were undercoated inGW Blood Red and highlighted very sparinglywith Blazing Orange, followed by 2coats of Red Ink to give a very subtle colourtransition. The gems on the Amuletand the Blade of the Axe were painted atthe same time using crescents of Scab77

I wanted the Axe and other metal parts(scroll case caps, buckles etc) to lookdull and dark, like a tarnished pewtercolour rather than appear too bright,again trying to keep the sombrescheme suited to Troll Bloods. I used abasecoat of equal parts GW Chainmailand Black, highlighted with increasingamounts of Chainmail. On the axehead I blended the colours while theywere still slightly wet to achieve asmother transition. Be aware, the axehead is huge, longer than the figuresTorso, and is a very large surface topaint. The axe was finished off with acoat of Tamiya Smoke paint to dull theoverall effect of the shine.2 coats of Matt Polyurethane varnishbrushed on completed the painting. Avery sparse application of static grassto the base and he is finished.Overall.Initially I was not sure about this figure(casting issues aside). It seemed very cluttered,too much surface detail and adornment, and Idislike the tiny head, which looks out of scalecompared to the bulk of the rest of the figure.However that is the way that TrollBloods areportrayed and this character is spot on to theartwork and concepts. (And apparently gamewise this guy is very powerful)However having said that, I actually enjoyedpainting him very much, Using a very limitedand dark palette of colours is quite challenging.I tried to keep the colours muted and dull andthe use of the pale green skin colour and thelight leather colour for the straps is importantto stop the figure being dull and uninteresting,despite the amount of sculpted and painted detail…….stillreminds me of Peter Gabrielthough!Rob HooperCoatOfArmswww.displacedminiatures.com/robh78