Then I glue them down.

Tonight, I clip cards.

Ladders.

Photosynthesis is really great.

Balancing act

More texture on these interiors.

Adding some details my wife described as "as if something happened there."

First game of Stargrave. It was great!

Texture completed on one building. Three more to go!

Texturizing

Terrain project

 These buildings were originally made by an old gaming friend Grimlock (I think, his real name is Todd).  

They have good bones, foam-core glued together and reinforced with hat-pins.  They’ve withstood some abuse.  I rescued them from a donation made to a local game store, he had plenty more of these but I got four sections.  One of them is a cathedral-type that with a little cajoling might be good for the tower scenario.  

I will try to post updates as I go.  But first things first is to remove the “sandbags” on the base.  I hope to lay down some faux-cobblestone and bricks in an attempt to match my 4x4 game mat.  

Water Guild Infestation Report

 Buddy J came over and we started what will be my (possibly limited) foray into the Hardware Store Campaign.

To see the draft of the scenario, please visit Water Guild Infestation for the rules.  

The basic idea is that both gangs are trying to make money by helping kill a Sump Beast hatching in the Water Guild settling ponds.  There are tentacles, taken straight from the old-floppy rulebook "Beast's Lair," and one Sump Larvae which acts pretty much exactly like the Khimerix from the Khimerix hunt in the House of Blades book.

My gang started at a max of 1500 credits (per the rules of the campaign) and I struggled to keep them below 1450 (which is what they ended up at).  The gang consisted of Queen Vivian, Deathmaiden Veill, Matriarch Gelena Ustvolkaya, Matriarch Jessica, Specialist Sister Pinto, Wyld Runner Piotrowski (with Phelynx Cat-friend BitBite), Sister Demmi, Sister Braidyn, Sister Vleiss, Sister Kanta Pasta, and last but not least, the Juve "Wardancer Twelve."

We started by setting up a battlefield that featured a zig-zag of gantries running across the 4x4 area.  Large structures included the ball-bearing factory:

My opponent played Orlocks, a good team of about 11 hard-edge fighters armed to the teeth.  They set up first on the blue gantry seen in the picture above to the far-left.  The heavy-bolter that was set up there was a persistent threat to my gang.  Knowing I was a "glass-cannon" kind of army, I avoided his firing lanes like the plague.  

The Heavy Bolter Gantry.  A constant threat to the Escher Gang.

Opening moves:  Sister Demmi dashes across the gantry to the ball-bearing factory.

The tentacles sense movement:  Orlock gangers open up on the tentacles and find they are surprisingly resilient.

Here's the thing about these tentacles.  I just grabbed the rules from Ye Olde Necromunda Rulebook, the one that came with the big-box set.  There was only one "Beast's Lair."  It is -2 to hit, T4, and three wounds.  It was amazing how hard these were to take down.  We talked about how our gangers were drilling bullets into the water-logged turf, like shooting at the beast in the trash compactor (but without the ricochet).  The tentacles were surprisingly deadly as well.  If you were in range, you were most certainly dead unless you came up lucky.  Look up those rules.  They're brutal.

The models I used for tentacles and the Sump Larvae.  The tentacles are from Shadows of Brimstone, and the larvae-octopus thing is from that-miniature-company-on-the-bottom-row-of-the-game-store.  


When the larvae finally showed up, it charged right into my Queen, Vivian.  She was brought down to T1 with 1 Wound left before she extracted herself from this situation.  However, she brought the creature's eyeballs home with her as a trophy and a victory condition for the scenario.

Orlocks help each other back to their feet, still showering their backfield with shot and shell to suppress the tentacles.

Orlocks make it into the ball-bearing factory and take up more superior firing positions.

Kraknow charges Galena Ustvolkaya on the gantry, screaming down with his jet-packs.  He laid in a flurry of attacks, but Galena rolled some amazing saves (a 5,6,6) and returned with a Stilletto Knife attack that took Kraknow out of action.  It was a brutal turn of events for the Orlocks who really needed the grenade launcher to stop lobbing choke-gas grenades at Angelica (the Orlock leader).

Orlocks on the gantry lay out rapid-fire suppression.

After action report

The game ended with the Eschers grabbing three of the loot caskets and the prize of slaying the larvae, and the Orlocks grabbing two loot caskets.  The Eschers sold the crates for 70 credits,  and received 40 credits for their territory (home base).  With this influx of money the Eschers hired and Apprentice Clan Chemist (Hanger-On) and then used her ability to buy some Chem Alchemy (hyper, liftin', blackout, and expansive).  The Eschers gained 4 reputation, and have 40 credits left in the bank.

Out-of-Action fighters included Demmi, 12 the Juve, and Vleiss.

Demmi:  Hand Injury, recovery, -1WS (oh good, she's got a stiletto sword, that'll help)

12 the Juve: Recovery, lesson learned, +1xp

Vleiss: Enfeebled, -1 toughness, in recovery.

My gang is up to 4 reputation.  Galena Ustvolkaya gained 2xp, Juve 12 gained 2 xp, and Queen Vivian gained 3xp.  All other gangers gained 1 xp.

Want to read more?  Probably pretty soon there will be a battle report from my worthy opponent in this battle.  See his gang and what he's got to offer here!

Apostles of Contagion

Queen takes on the Larvae

Water Guild Infestation Scenario

 Here's a little scenario, some stolen ideas, but hopefully will be fresh.

  

The Water Guild is one of the most important guilds in the hive, as it supplies water (and profits from its distribution).  The settling ponds of the guild’s territories are vast areas of neglected, damp ruins, the grounds soaked with runoff from all sources.  This water is left to sit in these ponds for years as the sediments, particulates, and solids of a more sinister kind precipitate to the bottom of the pond, while noxious volatile compounds evaporate off the surface and are whisked away through the rotating intake fans a hundred feet overhead.

When these settling ponds collect heavy amounts of organic material, the Master the Nautical Syphoning Delegation will call upon a Subnautican to procure a Sump Beast to consume the offending material before it anaerobically decays into an intolerable level of methane.  The intake fans above frequently create electrostatic surges that shower sparks onto the ponds below, and a concentrated layer of methane could create a chain reaction of explosions.

The Sump Beasts do a good job of scrubbing the water clean of excess organic contaminants, however there always is a chance of a “hatching,” where a Sump Beast reproduces and the conditions are right for an infestation of horrid, wiggling beasts squirming and tunneling beneath the sediment.   This is where local gangs come in and play the role of pest management, tasked with eliminating the beasts for easy (for the most part) credits.  The Water Guild is also interested in buying back (at a discounted rate) any sensitive equipment on site.  Since they’re letting gangers sweep the area, there should be an incentive to not have the place fleeced.

BATTLEFIELD: This scenario uses a standard battlefield set-up, and should include a good amount of 2nd level terrain, gantries, and bridges.  Players will take turns placing six loot counters on the board.  Two loot counters must be placed on the ground, and at least two must be placed on an upper floor or gantry.

ATTACKER AND DEFENDER:  In this scenario, neither gang is the attacker or defender.  Players will roll-off to choose a preferred table edge and deployment zone.  

CREWS: This scenario uses the standard rules for choosing a crew as described in the Battlefield Set-up & Scenarios section of the Necromunda Rulebook.  Both players may deploy any or all of their gang, but may hold any number of their gang in reserve.

GANG TACTICS: Each player may choose two gang tactics from those available to their gang.  If, during the pre-battle sequence, the total credits value of fighters in one player’s starting crew is less than their opponent’s, the may randomly determine one additional gang tactic for each full 100 credits difference.

ENDING THE BATTLE:  The battle ends when only one gang has fighters remaining on the battlefield, or all loot caskets are opened, or on the roll of a  4+ at the end of any turn when the Sump Larvae has been taken out of action.

VICTORY:  The side that took the Sump Larvae out of action is considered the “Slayer of the Larvae,” and will be awarded as such, and gain favor from the Water Guild (TBD).  The side that took the most loot caskets will be considered the “Looters of the Pond,” and will gain extra reputation.

REWARDS:  

Credits:  The gang that took the Sump Larvae out of action will add 2d6x10 credits to their stash.  

Loot Caskets:  Loot caskets held by a gang can be sold back to the water guild after the battle for 1d3x10 credits each.  Loot caskets that have been smashed open cannot be sold at the end of the scenario.

Experience:  Each figure who took part in the battle earns 1XP.  The fighter who takes the Sump Larvae out of action earns D3 XP.

Reputation: The gang that takes the Sump Larvae out of action gains D3 Reputation.  If either gang bottles out, they will lose one reputation.

Settlement:  Gangs will receive bonuses from their Settlements (and other territories if applicable) at the end of this scenario (the money is wired into the accounts).

SPECIAL RULES for THIS SCENARIO

Sump Infestation:  There will be six Sump Tentacle markers that will start the game off board.  When players roll for priority, they will each be given one Sump Tentacle marker.  Players will place their marker onto the board, but it must be on the ground level, and not within 6” of any model, and not on top of a loot crate.  These markers act exactly as the Beast’s Lair marker does found on page 65 in the Old Necromunda Rulebook.  The Sump Tentacles attack d6” range, AP -2 Damage 3, Knockback.  Players can attack the tentacle, subtracting 2 from the result of any hit rolls, it is treated as T4 and 3 wounds.  If its wounds is reduced to 0, the marker is removed, and returned to the player who took it out of action.

Sump Larvae: Whenever a fighter in either player’s gang suffers a flesh wound, takes a serious injury or is taken out of action, after resolving the effects of the injury dice the player whose figure was injured rolls a D6.  If the result is a 5+ the Sump Larvae appears.

Each additional time the roll is made in the same round, add 1 to the dice result.  Once the Sump Larvae has appeared, do not roll for it again to appear this round.

The Larvae Arrives! The Sump Larvae is placed on the table by the player who rolled to see if it arrived, in base contact with the injured fighter, or on the point where the fighter was located if they had been taken out of action.  It then immediately takes an action as follows, going down the list of triggers until on applies to the condition.

Trigger	Action
Fighter in base contact	Fight (basic action)
Closest fighter within 9”	Charge (Double) Action
Closest fighter within 12”	Move (simple) action, then move again.
Sump Larvae Wounded	Regeneration (simple) action

If none of these conditions are met, or the Larvae is subject to the blaze condition, the Sump Larvae will burrow into the damp substrate and disappear (remove from the battlefield).

The Sump Larvae will move every turn during the priority phase (essentially it wins priority every turn).  The Sump Larvae will never climb onto a second level or structure, but will ignore low-lying terrain such as pipes, piles of bricks, etc.   Multiple opponents will have the attacks from the larvae randomly distributed.

The Sump Larvae attacks with four attacks, each WS4, S4, AP-2, Toxin, Disarm.  

Disarm:  If the hit roll for an attack is a natural 6, any reaction attacks from that model must be unarmed attacks. (Gangs, p140)

The Larvae can regenerate one wound per action.  

Dragged into the Sump: If the Larvae is in base contact with a Seriously Injured fighter in the End phase and there are not other fighters within 6” of it, it will drag its prey down into the sump, removing itself and the fighter from the table (the removed fighter counts as going out of action).  

Bigger Problems:  While the Sump Larvae is within 12” of a fighter, they can only choose it as a target for their attacks.

Battlefield Special Rule

Soft Ground: The settling pond is mushy, and relatively soft compared to the steel platforms and walkways of the surrounding hive.  When rolling damage dice for falling onto the ground level, a player may re-roll the damage dice.