Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Darkus and the Howlers

Darkus and the Howlers

Somewhat similar in appearance to Bubo and the Bad Boys - and just as evil! - are Darkus and his Howlers. These vicious aliens are bounty hunters who relish murdering anyone who has the misfortune to cross their path. Unlike Bubo and his Bad Boys, Darkus and the Howlers prefer to operate on foot. This crew made memorable and highly murderous foes in 2000AD's Strontium Dog strip. This article looks at how they fare in Warlord Games' Strontium Dog Miniatures Game.

Darkus and the Howlers by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Limited

Stats 

Although they are technically bounty hunters, Darkus and his team fall into the category of Outlaws. This is due to their greed and murderous ways which result in regular conflict with fellow bounty hunters, including Strontium Dogs. They enjoy decent stats with the same benefits from fur and fangs that Bubo and his Bad Boys have. This boosts their ability to inflict and soak up damage in close combat. They have a better proficiency with guns than Bubo and the Bad Boys, and Darkus himself is particularly skilful with his favoured Long Barrel Hand Blaster. Darkus and his Howlers are therefore good all-rounders and highly adaptable in various situations.

Skills and Special Abilities:

Dead Better, Less Trouble: A nice thematic ability which forbids Darkus and his Howlers from using stun weapons or attempting to subdue enemies; they are purely out for the kill. In practice, it doesn't particularly effect gameplay, but it is pleasing that it Darkus' modus operandi in the strip is replicated on the tabletop.

Expert Tracker: Again, a nice thematic ability which illustrates Darkus' ability to always get the drop on his opponents - he caught the trio of Johnny Alpha, Wulf Sternhammer and Middenface McNulty unawares after all! This means that when Darkus is the leader of your gang, you are guaranteed to be the protagonist in the scenario, but as the scenarios are designed to be fairly balanced, I don't feel this hugely favours one side or the other. Indeed, this may be undesirable if you are playing a campaign (always being protagonist limits gameplay options and variation).

Gunfighter: Without a doubt, this is Darkus' most useful ability. As with Johnny Alpha, Durham Red and Max Bubba, it allows him to get the chance to shoot back at anyone opening fire on him!

Tactics for playing Darkus and the Howlers:

Darkus and the Howlers are slightly more effective in close combat than they are with ranged combat but there isn't much in it; this means that they are more flexible than the likes of Bubo and his Bad Boys, able to adapt tactics to a gunfight if they find themselves up against seasoned close quarters opponents such as Wulf Sternhammer and Middenface McNulty.

Overall:

If you are a player who likes to set out with a solid battle-plan and follow it through to the bitter end, Bubo and the Bad Boys are easier to field, but if you want to be able to react to enemy threats, Darkus and the Howlers are a solid choice.

Optional Homebrew Rules:

Schemer: Darkus is a cunning adversary. If he is your leader then, at the cost of an additional 1 Notoriety, Darkus' cunning is reflected in the game by drawing one additional Chicanery card at the start of the scenario.