Mantic Games - Trident Realm of Neritica

I don't profess to be a tread setter, but hot on the heels of the recent Atlantis game comes The Trident Realm of Neritica from Mantic games.
Now there has to be some items in here worth transporting over to the Atlantis project.

• Water Elementals (mini waves that will crash against the enemy)
• the awesome Riverguard (which look a little like ninja frogs)
• Thuul (a bizarre mix of Halfing and octopus… )
• Gigas (large crustaceans with massive pincers)

The army sets for the  can now be pre-ordered from Mantic Games:
With a full release in February.

 

The New Year has not even started and I can see a new project appearing over the horizon.

 

Song of Blades and Heroes - AAR The Bridge to Ashburton.

I have been meaning to play through these rules for a while after reading several good reviews over the past 12 months, a rainy Saturday afternoon seemed to be the perfect opportunity to give them a run through with a new recruit to the gaming.

The core rules are fantasy based, but as the rules do not require specific weapon stats any figures will do, time to revisit England in 1563 and the Elizabethan Zombie Wars.

An extract from a earlier posting with the gaming back drop.

"No one truly knows how the black days started, some blamed Phillip II and Catholic Spain, claiming him to be a necromancer summing forth demons on Protestant England others such as the Flagellants, thought at it was gods wraith brought down on them for the barbarity of recent times. 

England and much of the known world had suffered with the Bubonic Plague or Black Death for many years. Victims of the Black Death would be sealed in their homes.

This outbreak seemed different The Watchmen paid to watch the ‘plague houses’ and to hoist food up to the victims noticed that only the meat would be eaten, they heard moaning from the houses and a continuous scratching at the doors and windows as if the devil himself was trying to escape. Plague Pits that had been reopened from earlier outbreaks began to stir as if the ground could no longer contain the dead."

So the scene is set, villager look to their own defence as the dead spill forth from their resting places.

One such place is the village of Ashburton, the plague pits outside of town break open and the cadavers lurch slowly towards the town, drawn to the living. The village milita rush to the bridge to stem the tide.

I have to be careful here not to genuinely scare my young opponent..... Or so the boss of the house tells me :-)

The Bridge at Ashburton with the militia deployed in the centre of the table, the plague pits can be seen at the top of the table.

Each side had 300 points, the militia had invested in a Leader and a mix of Calivers (Shooters Long) and Hand to Hand Weapons to keep the Undead at bay, the Undead just Zombies, 37 in total..... ouch.

With a number of 2 Actions moves the militia rush across the bridge to take the fight to the dead, before they can amass in the burial grounds.

With a quality score of 6, a short move and slow characteristics it takes several moves to get them moving, but slowly the Zed's move out from their resting places, just how many 6,s can you get from 37 rolls?

Samual Highton is the first to engage with the dead, but is knocked to the ground, my opponent looks a little crest fallen. A Combat Score of 4 for a Zombie vs a 3 for a militia man gives the risen a slight advantage.

The advantage swings to the living as they gang up on the slow moving cadavers, dispatching them once they are knocked to the ground, but still the dead keep on coming, forcing the militia back across the bridge.

The militia fire their muskets, but medium range and a minus for shooting at undead, results in few casualties on the dead. Slowly the decaying tide reaches the bridge.

With musket balls running out the militia stand there ground knowing if their lines are breached the village is at risk.

The walking dead.

In the final rounds the enless tide finally reaches the militia who hold as best they can, it's only when one of their number is dragged down by the foul tide that they break and run, thinking of their families a few miles behind them...

Considering this was the first outing the game ran really smoothly and the mechanics were easy to pick up even for a 10 year old general :-)

The varying sequence of play where you choose your activation for each figure looking to roll 1, 2 or 3 D6 dice, gives both cautious and rash generals something to think about, 1 action per figures allows you to play through all of your figures in a slow methodial manner, 3 actions and you can wizz round the table chopping and hacking, but fail on at least 2 of your rolls and the turn passes to the other player.

The back of the book, gives a large number of ready made characters to choose from, however as we found it's very easy to adapt these to your own collection, as an example our Zombies went from Q6, C4 to Q5 and C2 which had the effect of improving their activation but made them far weaker in combat, we also removed the short move characteristic which sped up game play.

Great to have another gamer in the house, but I am under pressure to paint Witches and Werewolves, just what have a done????

Mars Attacks Wargame Mantic Games....

Now this would just be silly......

But I am strangely drawn to it.... :-)

It looks like 2014 is to be the year of the Martian.

It's not clear from the press release what scale these will be, 15mm would give you the scale and all the Martian machines and saucers featured in the card deck, but I am not sure you would to be able to capture the Martian detail for the infantry, whereas 28mm would fit with other troops in my collection.

Anyway next post will be back to something more sensible I promise.

17 May 2013 17:31

We're pleased to be working with Topps on a new licensed Mars Attacks tabletop wargame, due for release in 2014! Here's the full story:

Set against the backdrop of the new and expanding MARS ATTACKS universe, the game will feature all of the fun and thrill of the classic series, plus new characters and factions that will see action in upcoming comic books and toys.  It will also tie-in closely with Topps' just-announced all-new trading card series, Mars Attacks: Invasion, releasing in October.

 "MARS ATTACKS is a world where giant robots, mutated insects and hordes of Martian soldiers face off against Earth's military and innocent civilians— how could you not want to see a game out of that?" says Topps' Adam Levine. "Mantic has quickly become one of the best in the business, and they're the perfect team to adapt our outrageous visuals into this exciting new form."
 
Mantic plans an early 2014 release.

Is your tabletop ready to be invaded?  The Topps Company and Mantic Games have joined forces to bring MARS ATTACKS to life as a miniature-based tabletop war-game!  Combining high quality sculpted figures with fast and fun tactical gameplay, Mantic will deliver an exciting new dimension to the resurgent sci-fi property.
 
Mantic Games, makers of the popular WARPATH and DREADBALL tabletop games, will make MARS ATTACKS their first license.  "MARS ATTACKS is a cult classic series that fans have been falling in love with generation after generation," says Ronnie Renton, Mantic CEO. "Its oddball blend of retro sci-fi visuals, dark humor and over-the-top violence will make for a unique tabletop experience… our team can't wait to bring the Martians to life in ways no one has ever seen before!"

World War Z - Elizabethan Style

Saturday Night saw the continuation the occasional campaign games set in  England during the Black Death, when the Dead rose from their Plague Pits and terrorised the land.

In previous events we have seen the Oakley Militia attempt to quell the village of Littleham. (Episode one).

Several miles away is the small town of Begley, surrounded by dense woods on one side and a fast flowing river on the other, they had been largely protected from the nightmare spreading across the land. However news reach them by a local Parson that an infestation had broken at at Gatford on the road to Begley and the walkers are edging ever closer to Begley.

Daniel Fanshaw the local land owner leads the Begley trained bands under Captain Henry Milton on an expedition to Gatford.

 

 

The Village of Gatford with the undead already in evidence as the Begley trained bands approach. A heavy wagon can be seen outside the stable this was to play a key role in the strategy of the living.

Daniel (played by Dave an occasional wargamer, I say occasional we last played 20 years ago when we were at sixth form... sorry mate.. I siad I would not mention it..) had a straight forward plan, use one unit to create a distraction whilst the second crossed the river and blocks the bridge preventing further incursions. 

 

 

 

The Begley Militia enter the table drums beating and flags unfurled, straight away attracting the attention of several walking corpses. The Militiamen prime their weapons and take aim.
The walkers prove difficult to put down taking several musket balls before they are dispatched. 

 

 

The noise from the constant discharge of  Calivers and Muskets causes more of the dead to rise from their burial mounds, the current of the river holds them at bay for now.

The second militia unit skirts the town house and heads for the bridge, the clink of helmet and brest plate disturbs a 3rd plague pit, this should but pressure on the living.

Danial Fanshaw draws his sword and after passing his courage test charges into the encroaching undead  (we were using an adaptation of the LOTR rules, so his 3 attacks and high strength score made him very effective). His efforts shields his raiding party as they rush over the bridge.

Meanwhile on the left flank the sheer mass of undead allows them to clamber over each other as they fall into the water edging ever closer to the defenders, their poor marksmanship only serves to  attract more of the foul creatures.

On the opposite bank the militia see the wagon parked outside the stable and rush towards it, knowing that if they can position it on the bridge they can stem the evil plague when the river rises in the coming weeks with the on set of winter and the anticipated rise in river levels.

Their rapid movement awakens a final burial mound which spills forth it's foul contents. Once again our hero throws himself into the fray.

 

The militia steady themselves for the advancing dead, one of the militia falls to retreat far enough and is pinned by one of the walkers, he is soon swamped and his colleagues are forced to stand and watch unable to assist him, they prime their weapons hoping to avenge him once the dead have finished lunch.

On the river bank the shotte continue to distract the main concentration of zombies, despite dispatching several they edge ever closer to the far bank.

 

Having secured their goal the militia drag the heavy wagon back towards the bridge, Daniel fights on carving his way through wave after wave of undead, but they just keep on coming.

View of the whole encounter with  fighting taking place across the table.

The Militia fall back from the river bank choosing to enter hand to hand to dispatch the first zombies to cross in the hope that the others will be drawn to the firing at the bridge as they themselves had ceased firing.

Sensing their numbers weakening the militia close with the advancing zombies hoping to clear the western river bank.before others arrive.

Well they had several of their number run out of ball due to a few rounds of poor dice rolls.

 

  

Disaster strikes the Begley militia, two of their number are struck down before the last of the zombies are dispatched. The lack of breast plates or helmets meant no saving throw.

With the western side of the river clear of the walking dead and the heavy wagon blocking the bridge, the militia pour fire into the zombies pinned in the river trapped between the musket fire and the current, a small victory in the on going war against the undead.

Nice to get a game in over the weekend for a change and a chance to blood new units, with maybe a player back from a 20 year hiatus......

Elizabethan Zombie Wars - Escape from Littleham

The Black Death had reached the village of Littleham, the Watchmen and Death Cart Labourers had done their best, but their were simply too many victims and then they began to rise from their shrouds and the village Plague Pits.

The militia from nearby Oakley resolved to torch the village to protect their own homes from the 'undone' who were now walking the streets, the plan was simple approach the village from the south and exit the village from the North, burning all infected homes they found marked with the Red Cross.

 

Things started badly for the militia as they entered the village, two corpses burst from the  barn where they had been feeding on the live stock and attacked the militia.

One of the trained band is struck down by the once living, whilst the other foul beast is killed by the captain leading the militia.

The early exchange only serves to attract move of the undead, this is made worse as the living players whose confidence is shaken by the first exchange decides that firearms would be a great way to slow the advancing zombies.

The boom of cavalier fire only serves to attract more of the shambling dead.

Surrounded on all sides the militia are forced to fight their way out, but forcing the undead from hand to hand proves to be difficult as the continuous fighting causes more of the dead to be drawn into the fight. The Oakley militia start to become fragmented as some break free of the melee whilst others are pinned by the growing horde.

One group of veteran's decides to break off from the melee and seek a way through the village leaving their colleagues to mop up :-) ????

Whilst the militia inflict untold casualties on the undead they begin to suffer casualties themselves with several of their party brought down in the street.

 

The militia split into several groups their morale shattered, each group seeking the Northern table edge via their own route.

  

Morris Eldecote is unable to shake off this initial attacker and is soon swamped by the undead's tearing hands, he is brought down, but his sacrifice provides breathing space for his comrades to become out of sight to many of the undead.

Splitter groups of the militia seek to pick their way through the village.

 

Meanwhile at the Northern end of the village the first group of militia reach the blockade, they have successfully avoided contact with the undead and now only have to  clear the barricade.

A solitary zombie shambles towards them, but is unable to breach the defences to get to the living.

The group successfully clear the barricade and engage in hand to hand with the zombies on the other side, they won't make the same mistake as their colleagues by engaging in a fire fight.

Big Red fails his agility roll and struggles to clear the barricade, his efforts attract the undead from a darkened alley who advance towards him.

 

After several rounds of hand to hand Red is finally able to clear the defences and flee the table, whilst the zombies are distracted feeding on one of the escapees.

  

Meanwhile the  survivors of the initial encounter scale the wall of the farm complex and seek a place to regroup before fleeing the village.

A cracking fun game played in under two hours, with players sticking together until the pressure was on them.... just what you want for an afternoon's gaming.