My 7TV Apocalypse Collection

Yesterday was Salute 2019 and I'm sure lots of people will be posting their purchases online. Once again, I did not attend. I'm not bothered as I do not like crowds. Anyway, in my last Monthly Musings I mentioned that I'd received my 7TV2e: Apocalypse Kickstarter package. I did say I'd received a lot of figures and vehicles but failed to mention what I'd got. So, here's my loot collection, showing all the extra stuff I bought for this Crooked Dice Games package.

Starting at the top left are my mutant giant ants in three sizes. These are great critters to use in any post-apocalypse game. I will certainly get some more of these. Moving down are four Wasteland Heroes - Mad Max, Mean Machine (not Mean Machine Angel from Judge Dredd), the Gyro Captain and his kid. To the left of them is the 7TV Mcguffin scenery piece, and finally post-apocalypse versions of Dick Dastardly and Muttley from The Wacky Races. The next two rows of figures show assorted Wasteland Villains, some of whom will be recognisable from the Mad Max series of films (Humongous, Wez, Master Blaster and the Feral Kid). In the bottom row are 8 Wasteland Cultists.
Moving to the right side I have two Interceptor cars. The top one will be Mad Max's car and the lower one a Police Interceptor from the first Mad Max film. I definitely want at least two more of these cars. They are so versatile with loads of options. Below them are three Wasteland bikers. To the right of them are rear stowage options for the Interceptor cars. Finally, at the bottom are post-apocalypse versions of Penelope Pitstop and the Ant Hill Mob from The Wacky Races.
As you can see, I have primarily concentrated on figures and vehicles from the Mad Max films. I love these films. I have long wanted to use this setting to play on my gaming table using 28mm scale figures. I am sure these will be an absolute joy to paint but I'm not sure when I'll get round to painting as I have two other big projects I'm concentrating on - Core Space and Judge Dredd. Once I do get round to painting them I know I'll be buying a lot more vehicles to use in this game. This game has most definitely captured my enthusiasm.

Vampifans Views 117 - Monthly Musings 87

I start my latest Monthly Musings with another gorgeous painting of Vampirella by Manuel Sanjulian. I really love this portrait as she just exudes sex appeal.

As usual, this past month was been very busy for me. On the painting front I have been painting a bunch of Paranormal Investigators and their vehicle, ECTO-1, all by Crooked Dice Games. These were bought for use with the Ghostbreakers: Spirits of Manhattan supplement for the N.O.W. role-playing game by EN Publishing. See my review here https://vampifanwoin.blogspot.com/2019/03/ghostbreakers-spirits-of-manhattan.html
I'll be reviewing these figures on my WOIN blog soon.

I have also been painting a lot of figures from the Resident Evil 2 board-game by Steam Forged Games. Currently on my painting desk are 24 Zombies from this game. I hope to have these finished in the next week or so.

I am also painting a small bunch of female civilians to use in my Wild West games. These came from Wargames Foundry.

Two weeks ago I received my 7TV:Apocalypse Kickstarter package from Crooked Dice Games. The boxed set contains three rulebooks, including one dedicated to vehicular combat. I also ordered a whole load of figures and a few vehicles as well. This is a game I am very much looking forward to playing. For a long time I have been waiting for a good set of contemporary or post apocalypse vehicle rules that uses 28mm scale vehicles. I'm hoping these will be the rules I've been looking for. The opportunity to recreate some games from the world of Mad Max greatly appeals to me. I strongly suspect I'll be buying a lot more vehicles from CDG in the near future.

I'd like to say that I'll be concentrating on this game in the next few weeks but the truth is my attention is focussed elsewhere. My current passion is preparing for a new Judge Dredd campaign based on the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD rulebook by EN Publishing. I have been busy creating a small force of Judges to use in my campaign, many of whom are based on my player characters from my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign. I liked the JDMG rules a lot but they were primarily a set of small scale skirmish rules with very little opportunity for any role-playing. It is for this reason that I much prefer the new Judge Dredd rulebook. Because this rulebook is based on the WOIN rules sets, my campaign will appear on my WOIN blog. My first scenario will most likely be the State of the Empire scenario from the core rulebook as it is very much geared for starting characters.

7TV2e Foundry Film Crew

The last time I posted anything about 7TV2e was to review the Crooked Dice cameraman and television (see here - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/7tv2e-cameraman-and-tv.html ). Both myself and a few others suggested it would be nice to see figures of other TV crew members. When I saw that Wargames Foundry had the following Film Crew set for sale on their website, I knew I had to buy them.

These are just perfect to use with the 7TV2e game. At the far left is the director. In such a male dominated profession, it is very unusual to see a female director. She is a nicely posed figure.
I deliberately painted the T-shirt of the guy standing next to the director with an orange and white colour scheme featuring the 7TV logo. He could fill numerous roles - a composer, director of photography, gofer, lighting director, producer, sound engineer, special effects guy, stunt co-ordinator, etc. It's a long list and he is so generic he could fill almost any role in the film and TV industry.

The next three figures are all wearing flak vests, suggesting they are filming in a war zone or somewhere where danger is present. In the centre of the group is the attractive female reporter, making sure her hair isn't out of place.
Second from the right is the cameraman and he's operating a hand-held camera, so he can get right in close to the action and track it whilst on the move.
Finally, is the sound engineer, holding his large boom microphone above his head. It is no surprise that his arms are so muscular.
These are delightfully sculpted figures. It would be interesting to see stats for them to use in 7TV2e in much the same way as Crooked Dice Games did for their cameraman.
You can find this set on the Foundry webstore as part of their Casting Room Miniatures Street Violence range. They cost £12.00 for the set of five figures and here's the link to them - https://www.castingroomminiatures.com/collections/street-fighters/products/street-fighters-tv-crew
I'm going to be reviewing some more of my contemporary figures over the next couple of weeks, but my JDMG campaign has not been forgotten and I am prepping the next scenario right now.

7TV2e Cameraman and TV

A slight change of pace here. I wanted to show you a couple of 7TV2e figures that go together very well - the TV set and the TV cameraman.

The television set comes with the boxed starter set for 7TV2e by Crooked Dice Games. Its purpose is to represent a Maguffin, an objective of some considerable value that may be found during the course of a game. Full rules for using the Maguffin can be found on page 18 of the Producer's Guide. The Maguffin counts as a normal objective token apart from the following -

1. The player whose side gains it can add one random gadget from the unused cards to their gadget pool.
2. The Maguffin is worth 1d6 Victory Points at the end of the game.

For those who like narrative play a list of items that the Maguffin could be are listed by genre in this section of the Producer's Guide. Of course, the TV set also makes a nice furniture item to add to a building's interior.

The TV Cameraman is a Neutral Extra usable in any genre and with a Rating of just 1. Among his abilities, he cannot be the subject of any strikes for any reason and he cannot gain any statuses and counts as passing any Spirit tests. In addition, his owner may select one friendly model within 6" of the cameraman and activate him for free providing he has not already activated this turn. He's a useful character to have although he is very slow with a Move of 2". The figure comes in three parts - separate arms and body, whilst the camera is a two-piece casting - camera and stand. The figure is supplied with a 40mm diameter base, which I discarded and replaced with a 25mm by 50mm rounded corners cavalry base made of MDF. This is a much better base, in my opinion. For the figures. I simply copied the colour schemes of the camera and cameraman from the Crooked Dice games website. For an interesting alternative colour scheme do check out this version by Colgar 6 - http://colgar6.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/7tv-cameraman.html
He went for more muted, natural colours, which I really like. The cameraman is a great figure and I hope that Crooked Dice games produce more TV crew members to use. There is a quite a list they could choose from.

The TV Cameraman with his Camera costs £5.00 from the CDG webstore (you can find the link for him  here)and you can get the TV set Maguffin for £10.00 if you order the 7TV2e plastic counters set. It is not available separately.

Crossover Miniatures TMNT Foot Clan Ninjas

When I first saw a sampling of these figures on Andy's blog da Gobbo's Grotto, see here  I praised them and Andy said, "the Foot Clan I thought would tickle your fancy and I knew you would want to be putting your wallet into service once more... :-)" He wasn't wrong! These 15 figures from the Crossover Miniatures Ninja range are just perfect stand ins for the Foot Clan ninjas, arch-enemies of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What makes them so good is that they all come with a choice of three heads - bug eyed masked heads, cowl masked heads and unmasked Asian heads. The bug eyed heads are ideal for the Foot Clan. The Foot Clan ninjas have a long history dating back centuries and originating from feudal Japan, although their backstory changes depending upon which version you believe - comics, film or TV. Nowadays they are primarily a terrorist organisation based in New York and led by Shredder. Also, most Foot Clan ninjas are now robots created by Shredder and his alien partner, Krang, but some are still human.

I have bought all of the 28mm scale Ninjas made by Crossover Miniatures and have divided them up into three groups of five. The first group comprises the swordsmen. All are armed with the ninjato, a slightly shorter and straighter version of the Japanese long sword known as the katana, which was the primary weapon of the samurai. At the far left is the group's leader who appears as Ninja Guard on the Crossover Miniatures webstore. He stands in a simple pose and is the least animated figure out of the group. He costs £3.25 and comes with a choice of heads and a separate ninjato in scabbard to glue to his back.

The remaining four figures come as a set and are posed ready for action. You must specify which head type you want including when you place your order. They all come with separate ninjato scabbards. This group of four costs £9.95.

My second group comprises the exotic weapons specialists. They are led by a Ninja Boss who is armed with a pair of ninjatos on his back and is posed dynamically pointing to a target. The figure comes supplied with all three head options and he costs £3.75.

Once again, the other figures can be purchased as a set of four and you must choose which head option you want for them. From left to right they are armed with a pair of kamas (a type of hand axe), a pair of sais (three-pronged daggers), a pair of tiger claws which fit to the back of the hands, and a short bow with a separate quiver of arrows. Price is £9.95 for all four.

The third group comes much more up to date and are armed with ninjatos and sub-machine guns. The leader is simply known as Ninja Boss with Gun on the Crossover Miniatures webstore. He comes with separate heads and a ninjato in its scabbard. He is in a similar dynamic pointing pose directing the action as the boss with the twin ninjatos shown above. He costs £3.75.

That just leaves the last four figures who must be bought as a group of four. They are also armed with sub-machine guns, ready to go all out. In addition to their separate heads, they also come with separate ninjatos in scabbards. This quartet also costs £9.95.
My plan to use these figures is to include them as part of Shredder's villainous gang in 7TV2e. There are stats for ninjas in 7TV2e, but I agree with Andy when he was creating stats for his TMNT figures that these should actually be classed as Minions. They are not that good in combat and tend to get mown down in vast numbers without doing much damage to the vastly superior Turtles.
Crossover Miniatures are sold by Minibits and here's a link to their webstore - http://www.minibits.net/Crossover-Miniatures-c25/Ninjas-sc89/
I have a lot of ninja figures in my collection, bought when I was playing FGU's version of Bushido. I also have a few Hand Clan ninjas from the Marvel Heroclix range. I could have used some of these older figures for my Foot Clan ninjas but these guys fit the bill far better. They look very similar to their comic book counterparts and because they're all made by the same company, they tie in well together.

Next time, yet more superhero goodness as I show the first of my entries for the Forgotten Heroes challenge. For more information see here - https://forgottenheroessite.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/forgotten-heroes-the-rules/

Greebo Games TMNT Allies and Enemies 01

Earlier this year I renewed my interest in the superheroes series of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thanks to an inspiring series of posts shown on my good friend Andy's blog, da Gobbo's Grotto Blog. I ended up buying most of the figures he had bought for this project with just a couple of exceptions, most notably, April O'Neil and Splinter. Today I'm going to review another ally of the Turtles and the first of their major opponents. All of these figures were made by Italian firm, Greebo Games. Delivery took a couple of weeks but they were a good company to deal with.

At the far left is a tiny figure called Mr. TM. I know hardly anything about him. I did not order him, but Greebo Games kindly sent him out as a thank you for my order. Hey, I'm not going to turn down a free figure and he seems to fit in with this selection of figures. I think the TM stands for Tournament Miniature as he is one of the Greebo Games Fantasy Football Tournament Miniatures special edition figures. But for me, he is Mister Tiny Mouse. I don't even know what species he is - he could be almost any furry animal. My thoughts are to use him as a kind of criminal overlord, not so much as a Mr. Big but more a Mr. Tiny, but still with the same kind of clout and influence. If he stays behind the scene out of sight whilst masterminding a crime-wave, the heroes will get quite a surprise when they finally reveal who is behind it all. "What! You're the mastermind?"

The next two characters are both from the TMNT series. In the centre is Casey Jones. A vigilante who wears a hockey mask to protect his identity, Casey has become one of the Turtles' closest allies, as well as a love interest to April O'Neil. Casey first encountered the Turtles after having a fight with Raphael. He fights crime with an assortment of sporting goods he carries in a golf bag, such as baseball bats, golf clubs, and hockey sticks. On the Greebo Games website he is known as Hoky Jo - Referee. He is a two piece casting with his left hand and hockey stick being a separate component. He is also very tall. He stands 35mm tall. This will put a lot of you off him but not me.
The main enemy of the Turtles is Shredder. He is a villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki who is the leader of the Foot Clan group of ninja assassins. In every incarnation of the TMNT franchise, he has been the arch-enemy of Splinter and the Turtles. Shredder prefers to use his armour instead of weapons in some versions. This terrific figure is as tall as Casey and he is known as Shiju the Blade Master on the Greebo Games webstore. He is a one-piece casting and I think in his case, his oversized height works to his advantage.

These three villains are known from left to right as Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady. Krang is an alien from Dimension X and he uses the torso of a muscular robot as his cockpit to move around whilst on Earth. His personal goal is to rule all dimensions. Upon his arrival on Earth he soon allied himself with Shredder and the two have worked together ever since. The figure stands 40mm tall but because he is essentially a robot construct, I don't mind that he is clearly oversized. He comes in three parts with his arms being separate from the body and legs. Greebo Games list him as Mind Golem on their webstore.

Bebop and Rocksteady are a team who were originally humans in a New York street gang controlled by Shredder. When they lost a battle with the Turtles, Shredder offered to make them more powerful by transforming them into a mutated warthog and rhinoceros respectively with neither of them fully knowing the exact details of the transformation. The transformation worked, making them bigger, stronger and tougher but added nothing to their lowly intelligence. They are simple musclemen who come back time and time again to battle the Turtles and always without success. Again they are vastly oversized figures but that doesn't bother me simply because they are mutants. Bebop came in six parts, body, arms and legs, two hands, head and two tusks. He was not easy to put together. Those tusks caused me considerable grief! Rocksteady came in four parts - body and legs, head and two arms. I did a lot of drilling and pinning on these models to ensure a clean bond. You will find them on the Greebo Games webstore as Razorbog and Rynock respectively.
Mr. TM costs 4.99 Euros. Casey Jones, Bebop and Rocksteady cost 6.99 Euros each and Shredder and Krang cost 7.99 Euros each. You will find most of them as part of the Tartalar Fantasy Football team, where they can be purchased individually if you click on the Single Player tab of the Greebo Games webstore. Mr. TM can be found in the Tournament Miniatures section.
For more information on Casey and Shredder please check out Andy's blog here.
And for more information on Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady check out Andy's blog here.
He knows far more about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than I do. The main reason for doing this project was so I could use the figures in a game and the game I most want to use them in is 7TV2e. However, there are no official stats for any of the TMNT characters. Fortunately, my good friend Andy, came to the rescue and created stats for them all. You can see his 7TV2e stats for the Turtles and their allies here  and the stats for their enemies here.
Andy, I salute you!

7TV2e Batrep 01 - Burger Bar Bust-Up

I have been promising this batrep for quite a while and at last, here it is. Using the 7TV2e tabletop skirmish rules, this scenario is set in the early 1980's starring the main cast from the BBC TV series, Ashes to Ashes. 
The Cast - Heroes.

VEHICLE. Flash Motor (used to transport the four detectives). Rating = 4
STAR. DCI Gene Hunt (Tough Detective). No changes to stats. Rating = 10
CO-STAR. DI Alex Drake (Investigative Academic). Adjust Mind from 4 to 5, Replace Torch Dazzle +9 with Pistol +8. Rating = 6
CO-STAR. DS Ray Carling (Strongarm). Lose Lucky effect. Add Pistol +6. Rating = 5
CO-STAR. DC Chris Skelton (Plucky Assistant). Lose Screamer effect. Rating = 4 

VEHICLE. Police Car (used to transport the four policemen). Rating = 3
EXTRA. Sgt. Tony Sykes (Police Sergeant). No changes to stats. Rating = 3
3 x EXTRAS. PCs Anderson, Barnes and Campbell (Police Constables). No changes to stats. Rating - 3 models for 5
Total Rating of Heroes = 40

The Cast - Villains

VEHICLE. Van (used to transport seven villains. I know the stat card says it has a capacity of 6 but mine has a capacity of 8.) Rating = 4
STAR. Charlie Slater (Underworld Boss). No changes to stats. Rating = 10
CO-STAR. Micky Neville (Faithful Lackey). Swap SMG  +7 for Sawn-Off Shotgun +8. Rating = 6

EXTRA. George Houseman (Thug Bruiser). No changes to stats. Rating = 4
EXTRA. Tom Kilgour (Thug Bruiser). Swap Pistol +7 for Sawn-Off Shotgun +8. Rating = 4
EXTRA. Dougie Wetherall (Thug Bruiser). Swap Pistol +7 for Sawn-Off Shotgun +8. Rating = 4
EXTRA. Colin Briggs (Thug Bruiser). Swap Brawl +8 for Club +9. Rating = 4
EXTRA. Paddy McDee (Thug Bruiser), Swap Pistol +7 for Shotgun +8. Rating = 4
Total Rating of Villains = 40

The Cast - Neutrals

EXTRA. Mr. S. M. Quinton (Administrator). No changes to stats. Rating = 2
3 x EXTRAS. Gerald, Beryl and Jimmy (Bystanders). No changes to stats. Rating - 3 models for 2
Total Rating of Neutrals = 4

Rules Changes. No Gadgets were used. No Maguffin was used. Both teams set up within 8" of the two longest sides of the board. The Neutrals would always act last and so never rolled for initiative, nor did they use any cards from the Countdown Deck. The Heroes were the attackers and so automatically won initiative. Due to the restrictions of this particular scenario the defenders could not use Leader or Unit Leader special effects during their first turn. Because of the small size of my board (2' by 2.5') I ignored the rules for the placement of the five objective tokens and simply dotted them around the restaurant interior as I saw fit. The small board size also meant I would be using the smallest Countdown Deck size, i.e. five each of Act One, Act Two and Finale cards for 15 in total.

The Synopsis. DCI Gene Hunt of the London Metropolitan Police has received a tip-off that the notorious Slater Gang, led by the vicious Charlie Slater, were planning a robbery at a newly opened fast food restaurant, Brummie's Burgers, when the owner, Mr. S. Quinton, arrived to collect the week's takings. Hunt led a team of plain clothes detectives and uniformed policemen as they lay in wait to ambush the villains. This scenario is based on The Ambush feature found on p.24 of the 7TV2e Producer's Guide.

Set Up. The Heroes set up at the left (west) side of the board with Gene, Ray and Chris just inside the restaurant making use of the tables and chairs for hard cover. Alex, who has the Spy effect, set up last after everyone else and she stood guard outside the storeroom, where the four staff members were hiding (out of sight in this photo). The four policeman stayed in the police car. They were needed elsewhere once the action kicked off. Six of the villains were placed just inside the restaurant at the right (east) side of the board. One (McDee) remained outside, keeping an eye on their van. He was their designated getaway driver.

TURN 1

HEROES' COUNTDOWN PHASE

Advance the Countdown. I drew the Hogging the Limelight card for the Heroes. This allowed one model to make an additional fight or shoot action this turn. I simply had to give this to Gene Hunt. Because a pistol can fire twice per shoot action, this meant that he could fire four times this turn.

HEROES' ACTION PHASE

Gain Plot Points. The Heroes gained 12 Plot Points. They got 2 for having a Star, 3 for having 3 Co-Stars, 2 for having 4 Extras and 5 for the use of Gene's Homework effect. This effect allowed him to roll 2d6 before the first initiative roll, gaining Plot Points equal to the highest single die roll. I rolled a 5 and a 2, so the Heroes gained an extra 5 Plot Points. Cool!

DCI Gene Hunt. "Drop your weapons or suffer the consequences!" Gene shouted menacingly. He spent 1 Plot Point to activate (11 left). His first Action was to shoot twice, using 1 Plot Point for each shot (9 left). His targets were George Houseman and Colin Briggs, both with Defence 9 and behind hard cover for a total Defence of 11 each. Gene had a Pistol Strike score of 8. He rolled a 6 and a 1 for his first shot (the 1 was ignored) to give him a total Attack of 14. Houseman dropped down, severely wounded. For Gene's second shot he rolled a 5 and a 3 for a total of 13. (The 3 was once again ignored). Briggs took a bullet to his right shoulder and was also out of the fight.
Gene used his free shoot action for Hogging the Limelight to fire at two more targets - Dougie Wetherall and Tom Kilgour. They also had Defence totals of 11 each. Gene was determined to put these scum down and so spent two more Plot Points, one on each of them (7 left). Against Wetherall he rolled 4 and 3 for an Attack total of 12. Wetherall was hit in the centre chest, requiring urgent medical attention. Three down, one more to go. Could Gene score four out four? You bet he could! He rolled a double 5 which gave him an Attack total of 14 (5 for the first roll and +1 for the second roll, because it was a 4 or higher). Kilgour crumpled to the ground screaming that his ear has been shot off!

"I thought I said drop the weapons, you morons!" Gene said angrily. "Are you bloody deaf as well as stupid?" For his final action he moved 4" forward to take cover behind a waste disposal unit.

DI Alex Drake. Alex spent 1 Plot Point to activate (6 left). For her first Action, she moved into the kitchen to stand next to the objective token. Next, she used a Special Action to take the objective token. That would come in handy at the end of the game. Note that you can just see the owner, Mr. Quinton, in the top right corner of this photo.

DS Ray Carling. Ray made use of Gene's Leader 1 effect to activate for free. He moved 4" to take cover behind a table next to Micky Neville. For his second action he shot twice at Neville and used 1 Plot Point on each shot (4 left). Neville had a defence of 9 which was increased to 11 for being behind hard cover. Ray only had a Pistol Strike score of 6, which was not so good. However, he rolled very well with a 5 and a 3 for his first shot, giving him an Attack total of 11. Tied results always go in favour of the attacker. Neville had two wounds, so he lost one. For Ray's second shot he rolled a 5 and a 4 for an Attack total of 12. The 4 added a +1 to the 5. No problem! Neville took another wound and was incapacitated.
"Bloody scum!" Ray scowled, feeling no sympathy for the man he'd just shot.

DC Chris Skelton. "Slater! Don't move! You're under arrest!" the young detective shouted as he moved a full 6" forward after spending 1 Plot Point to activate (3 left). Slater snarled back at him derisively, and said, "Come on, copper. Do you really think you can take me?"

Chris used his second action to charge at Slater, thus giving him a free fight attack. Slater had a Defence of 10. Chris had a Brawl Strike of 6. He didn't fancy his odds so he spent 2 Plot Points to boost his chances of hitting (1 left). He rolled 3d6 scoring 5, 4 and 1, to give him an Attack total of 12 (the 1 was ignored and the 4 added +1 to the 5 he rolled). The punch did no damage but it did give Slater the Weakened status (he may only take one action when activated instead of two).

Sgt. Tony Sykes. He spent the Heroes' final Plot Point to activate and used two move actions to drive the police car in front of the villains' van to block their escape. The other three policemen remained in the police car and did not activate.

HEROES' END PHASE

None of their cast were axed, no one was on fire and they couldn't steal the scene so this concluded the first Turn for the Heroes. 

VILLAINS' COUNTDOWN PHASE

Advance the Countdown. I drew the Out of Frame card for the Villains. This allowed them to move up to three models up to 3" each if these moves ended with them in base contact with hard or soft cover or an obstacle. So, Paddy McDee moved indoors to take cover behind a table and chairs just inside the restaurant near to where Charlie Slater was standing.

VILLAINS' ACTION PHASE

Gain Plot Points. The Slater Gang gained a measly 3 Plot Points. That was 2 for having one Star, and a half, rounded up to one, for having one Extra. Oh dear!

Charlie Slater. He spent 1 Plot Point to activate and another Plot Point to remove his Weakened status (1 left). He could have used his first action to fight back against Chris but being a vicious bastard he decided to shoot him twice instead. Chris had a Defence score of 9. Slater had a Pistol Strike of 7. He rolled a 4 and then a 3, giving him two hits with results of 11 and 10 respectively. Being a Co-Star, Chris had two wounds but that was not enough to save him. He fell to the ground, very badly wounded and clearly out of the fight.
Slater used his second action to beat a hasty retreat out of the restaurant. He knew he had lost this fight and the only sensible option left was to retreat.

Paddy McDee. He used the last of the Villains' Plot Points to activate. He fired his Shotgun at Gene Hunt but totally missed thanks to Gene having the Hide special effect. This states that if this model is in hard or soft cover or behind an obstacle, any model making a shoot attack against them automatically misses if the distance to the target is more than half the attack's range. A Shotgun has a range of 8" and Gene was 5" away from McDee. This was good news for Gene but bad news for McDee! McDee used his second action to follow his boss out of the restaurant.

VILLAIN'S END PHASE

Axed Cast. If a cast is reduced to less than half their starting total they are considered to be axed. The Slater Gang had lost 5 of its 7 cast in this Turn so were clearly axed. In game terms this meant that any remaining Star or Co-Star had to make a successful Spirit test for his side to carry on. Failure would result in the remaining cast losing 1d6 more models immediately. Charlie Slater had a Spirit score of 4, which meant he had to roll 4+ on 1d6 to succeed. Sadly for him, he rolled a 3 and it was game over as he was forced to roll 1d6 to see how many more men he lost. He rolled a 4 which was more than the 2 he had left. It was defeat for the Villains. They were all arrested.

NEUTRALS' ACTION PHASE

Brummie's Burgers Staff. They had 2 Plot Points to spend but decided to play it safe by remaining hidden in the storeroom. After all, why risk their lives unnecessarily? Being unable to see outside of their little room, they had no idea how the conflict had gone and had no inclination to find out until the police told them it was safe to come out.

VICTORY POINTS

It was quite obvious that the Heroes had won but how decisive was their victory?
The Heroes gained the following Victory Points.
If the enemy has no models in play. +2
For each objective token held. +1
For each enemy Star or Co-Star removed (per Health of model). +5
Total = 8
The Villains gained the following Victory Points.
For each enemy Star or Co-Star removed (per Health of model). +2
Total = 2
So the Heroes won by 8 to 2. A 6 point margin resulted in a Crushing Victory.

FINAL THOUGHTS

First up, I thoroughly enjoyed playing this scenario. I thought the rules worked well and certainly captured the cinematic feel of the genre. Be assured, more games will certainly follow. In any ambush type scenario the advantage always lies with the ambushers, so it was no surprise that the Heroes won. What was surprising was just how easy it was for them. The game was effectively won and lost on the draw of the first Countdown card. With Gene Hunt Hogging the Limelight, getting to shoot four times in a Turn and hitting with every shot, the Villains never stood a chance. The Heroes also had another ace up their sleeve. Gene's Homework effect allowed the Heroes to rack up a huge amount of Plot Points, which they used very effectively. It was great fun to play but it most definitely did not go the way I thought it would. It was all over before the first advert break! I'm sure if I was to replay it things would go a lot differently. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed playing it.

Killer B Games Civilians 02

As promised here is part 2 of my posts reviewing some of the 1970's style civilians from Killer B Games. This time I'm looking at three young males and three females, only one of whom has been named.

First in line is KB038 Geezer in Bobble Hat. You don't see many bobble hats these days, do you? If you wanted a more contemporary version of him, simply cut the bobble off and you have a beanie hat. Simple! He is a very average looking young male, useful for filling in a crowd. On a more sinister level he'd make a useful lookout for a criminal gang.
In the centre of this trio of males is KB035 Young Geezer, either a teenager or someone in his early twenties. I used this figure to convert into an alternative version of DC Chris Skelton from Life on Mars (see here ). Once again, I don't have much to say about this rather plain looking figure.

Moving down in age, I come to KB055 Schoolboy with Catapult. Do school kids today still use catapults? I thought they were more into knives. Anyway, this lad is from the 1970's, so a very different world to today. You can tell he's a troublemaker with his long hair and shirt not tucked in and tie undone. Plus, of course, the catapult. He is certainly the most characterful figure of the three.

Far more interesting, however, are these three adult females. At the far left is KB064 Sporty Bird. Note that women are called "birds" and men are called "geezers." On the Killer B Games website she was painted with dark brown hair but I changed her to a blonde. She is dressed in her football strip, hence the "sporty" connection. She has beautiful eyes and a very pretty face. She is definitely one of my better paint jobs.
Next up is KB056 Lively Bird, possibly a resident of Carnaby Street, London or at least a fashion shopper there. I think it's a safe bet to say she'll be a keen dancer at her local discotheque. I'd like her a lot more if she ditched that ridiculous hat, although it is very 1970's.

I bring to an end my review with the only named character from this batch, KB059 Brenda Bristols. No, that is not the name I gave her. It is the name given to her by Killer B Games. To me, she sounds like a character from a Carry On film. She is very striking with her good looks, spectacular cleavage, long legs, micro-skirt and turquoise jewellery. Once again, I do like her eyes. I'd guess her most likely profession to be a barmaid.
All of these figures fit the bill as Neutral Bystander Extras if used in 7TV2e or as ordinary civilians in other games. In my opinion, they are amongst the better sculpted civilians on the market. Each one costs a lowly £2.00 from the Killer B Games webstore. As I always say, civilians are like zombies - you can never have too many of them!

Killer B Games Civilians 01

This is the first of two posts looking at most of the civilian figures produced by Killer B Games, which I plan on using in my games of 7TV2e. In this post I'm reviewing four adult male civilians. In my next post I'll be taking a look at three young males and three adult females. Once again, I have not got round to naming any of these 28mm scale figures.

The gentleman at the far left is rather cheekily referred to as KB034 Bearded Git on the Killer B Games website. He does look like a shifty-looking, untrustworthy character. He will be making an appearance in my first 7TV2e batrep as a Neutral Bystander Extra.
The Elvis Presley fan smoking a cigarette is KB057 Pub Landlord. Killer B Games had him painted with blond hair on their website but I decided to give him black hair as he reminded me of Elvis. Although described as a pub landlord you could use him in a number of roles. I see him as some sort of Derek Trotter "wide-boy".

The guy who is second from the right is KB054 Slob Scratching his 'Arris. He could well be Rab C. Nesbitt's twin brother with his string vest, surly expression and rolled up newspaper. The fact that he is scratching his backside adds loads of character to him, although probably not in a complimentary manner!
Finally, is KB039 Clever Geezer with Bag. He does look like a scholarly type, possible a university lecturer or a headmaster or perhaps a corporate manager. He will also be making an appearance in my upcoming 7TV2e batrep as the wealthy owner of a chain of fast food restaurants and hence, the target of a vicious gang of criminals. He'll be a Neutral Administrator Extra.
Each one of these civilian characters cost £2.00 from the Killer B Games webstore. I like them a lot!

Assorted Security Personnel

In my recent posts for my 7TV2e campaign I have looked at 1970's and 1980's style cops and criminals. There is one more group I wish to show you before my big finale - the much anticipated batrep, and they are the civilians. These are all classed as Neutral Extras in 7TV2e. Generally useless in a fight and frequently getting in the way at the most inopportune moment. I'll start with a trio of security personnel - a night watchman and two security guards. I have not named any of them yet.

At the far left is a lowly night watchman, who used to be sold by Hasslefree Miniatures, but sadly is now out of production. He was not sculpted by Kevin White and I can't remember who sculpted him. He has something of a cartoon quality to him and would not be out of place in a Scooby Doo mystery. From his surprised expression he has clearly seen something that has alarmed him. He carries a hefty torch in one hand and a truncheon in the other hand.

The other two figures are both made by Killer B Games and are KB030 Security Guard Standing and KB029 Security Guard Walking with Cash Box. I am not sure why I have a security guard carrying two cash boxes! Did I buy two of them by mistake? I must have. The cash box in the guy's left hand has been added but it is not a conversion I remember doing. But this begs the question, what happened to the rest of the figure? Hmm, very mysterious. Bear in mind I did buy these many years ago. They are obvious targets for a gang of robbers and although they will probably fare slightly better than an ordinary civilian in a fight, I still don't rate their chances very much. They are very nice sculpts and they cost £2.00 each if ordered from the Killer B Games webstore.

Killer B Games Low Life Criminals

After a short break I return to my reviews of 1970's style figures to use with the 7TV2e tabletop skirmish game. Sticking with my recent theme of criminals I present to you a small gang of low life villains, all made by Killer B Games.

In 7TV2e terms, the figure at the far left of this group would be the Villainous Extra, Criminal Boss. The description in the rulebook sums him up perfectly. "Specialising in low level robbery and violence, the Criminal Boss menaces their manor, looking for the next big score for their motley crew of career villains". I have not given him a name yet. On the Killer B Games webstore he is KB007 Geezer in Sheepskin with Trilby.
Standing next to him is his right hand man and leg-breaking enforcer, KB036 Hard-Faced Geezer. He is handy with his fists and likes to stick the boot in to anyone who disrespects him or his boss.

Yet another bruiser is the third figure in line, KB051 Bald Geezer. He is a thug and a bully and will never amount to much. He will never rise from the gutter.
Finally, is KB025 Geezer in Shades and Sports Jacket. Note the wide-lapelled shirt and flash tie. He is the archetypal 1970's male fashion victim. He is armed with a six shot Revolver but he is probably a lousy shot.
Not all of your villains need be armed to the teeth. At times you need some low level scum and these four fit the bill perfectly. Other than the Criminal Boss, you could use the others as Villainous Extra Criminals or Thugs. As usual, all four figures cost a mere £2.00 each on the Killer B Games webstore.

Killer B Games Criminals with Shotguns

I have more wonderful 1970's style 28mm scale villains made by Killer B Games to show you. This time, the one thing they all have in common is that all six are armed with Shotguns. I have given them all names to help identify them better.

So, starting at the far left is Marc Jessup, a gang leader, who could be either a Villainous Star or Co-Star in 7TV2e. He is carrying a 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun and is aiming a .38 Revolver. With his sunglasses, porn-star moustache and huge sideburns he could only be a 1970's character. You'll find him on Killer B Games webstore in the "Geezers! Shut It!" range as KB023 Blagger with Shotgun and Pistol.

In the centre of this group is balding Roger Longhurst, who is armed with a Double-Barrelled Sawn-Off Shotgun. He is KB015 Bald Geezer with Sawn-Off Shotgun. Finally, is hippie criminal, Jeremy Campbell. He is definitely not all about "peace and love!" He is armed with a Sawn-Off Pump-Action Shotgun and he is KB019 Funky Geezer on the Killer B Games webstore.

At the far left of my second trio of ne'er-do-wells is "Mad Mike" Turrell, a psychopathic thug, very much in the same mould as Gang Boss, Charlie Slater. On the Killer B Games webstore he has been painted as having white hair and beard. I almost went with that paint scheme myself but in the end I decided to make him a much younger version. Not surprisingly he is known as KB017 Bearded Geezer with Pump-Action Shotgun.
In the centre of this trio is Davey Lowe, who is armed with a Double-Barrelled Sawn-Off Shotgun. He is unshaven and unkempt and a low level criminal. You'll find him on Killer B Games' webstore as KB004 Geezer with Sawn-Off Shotgun.

Last of all, is a figure that some of you may recognise - he is a dead ringer for Jack Carter (played by Michael Caine), the eponymous villain of the 1971 film, Get Carter. Forget the awful remake with Sylvester Stallone! I could have named him Jack Carter but seeing as how the film ended I decided to slightly change his name to Michael Carter, mixing up the character and actor's names. He is, rather unusually, armed with a Pump-Action Shotgun (in the film, Carter used a Double-Barrelled Shotgun. See photo below) and he wears his trademark black trench coat. He is a terrific figure and such an iconic villain. Killer B Games sell him as KB009 Hitman with Shotgun. I'd most likely use him as a Hitman Criminal Extra in 7TV2e.
As always, each of these figures costs a mere £2.00 each. Let's get tooled up!

Michael Caine as Jack Carter in an opening scene of the film, Get Carter.