Epic War - Midnight Campaign Part XV: Forest Fracas



Commander Ori knows that the war will likely be won or lost at Ushgarak base but the pressure is on him to reclaim the Campaign Objective he previously controlled in the the Forest of Dregrim.  
With the Ork Kommander Wee Killaz having taken control of the Objective, he can also turn the defences Ori’s army constructed against the filthy stunties!   
Both forces have 2,000 point armies in action. 35VPs are required for victory. The ruleset is Net Epic Evolution.
Here we see an overview of the battlefield.  The Squats are at the top of the picture while the Orks are at the bottom.  The Orks start the game with three sets of defences which consist of two sets of entrenchments and one of razorwire,   They also have Initiative in Turn 1 and can deploy a further 15cm forward of the standard deployment zone.


A look along the frontilines…


Satellite overview from the other side of the battlefield reveals that Ironshield Tanks carry Squat Thunderers while a unit of Rhinos contain a highly motivated detachment of Berserkers!



A closer look along the Squat line…



Once again Plasmablast tanks proxy for Retributor Tanks (foreground) and Ironshield Tanks.




The entire Evil Sunz clan makes good use of protection behind entrenchment walls.



As do a number of Ork vehicles at the other end of the battlefield.



If the Squats take the entrenchments head on, they will find their progress hampered by razorwire (as they can only advance through the barricades)!




Everything seems to be set up in the Orks favour…can the Squats possibly defeat the Orks?


A Warrior Detachment claims an objective in a quiet start to proceedings as both sides manoeuvre themselves into position.


The vehicles and Nobz find themselves frustrated as the Squats do not move into their firing zones…




…as is the case on the other flank, the Evil Sunz have no targets to attack!




Nobz bikes prove to be as deadly as ever as they strike on the Squat back line and practically wipe out a squadron of Trikes, claiming another objective in the process!



Most of Turn 1’s most serious exchanges take place in close combat!




Squat Bikes make short work of Ork Warbuggies!





Berserkers pour out from Rhinos and launch close quarter assaults…



With great success…but the Rhinos are broken!




Ork Coptas slam into Thunderers and Ironshield Tanks alike!


With deadly consequences for the Squats - the Ironshields are wiped out!



More bikes prepare to launch another assault in Turn 2!






After Close Combat has been resolved, the Orks look to be in a strong position with their forces in entrenchments looking untouchable at the moment! 




Wee Killaz Orks have also made significant inroads into Squat territory and hold six objectives!  The Squats only hold one objective with one unclaimed.  Have they lost the battle in Turn 1?




End of Turn One:
Orks: 34VPs
Squats: 5VPs




The Coptas finish off the Ironshields but leave themselves exposed to retaliation from the Thunderers!  Wipe out for the Coptas!  The Retributor tanks surge forward to snatch an objective.




Warriors retreat to lay down heavy fire against the Nobz bikes, almost wiping out the whole squadron!



Nobz, Braincrushas and Spleenrippas break cover but they still have no targets to fire upon!



The Evil Sunz find themselves in a similar situation…




…and more close combat ensues, Squat Bikes against more Warbuggies!



The Warbuggies are torn apart by the Squat Bikers and they capture an objective into the bargain…and break the Kult of Speed!



Even the Warboss’ retinue are attacked by yet more bikes!




The result is good enough to break the Warboss!



The Bonebreakas slam into a Rhino…




No contest! The Rhino is reduced to scrap under the great deathrollas!




The Orks still look very strong but they’ve lost a number of objectives; they only hold three while the Squats have five!


It still looks like there is more fighting to be done but there is a result at the end of turn 2!



End of Turn 2
Orks: 19VPs
Squats: 37VPs


Wee Killaz still had plenty of forces in play but the Squats somehow sneaked victory from Ork hands - and not for the first time in this war!


Ori has overcome the odds but although he has played his part, he is uneasy. The whole war now comes down to the final battle for the Ork base at Ushgarak!  Dwalin has to defeat the Orks on their own turf to win the war!




















Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Middenface McNulty

Middenface McNulty


Lump-Heided Middenface loves nothing mair than a
wee dram an' a sing song.  Art by Carlos Ezquerra.
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd 
Also known as the "Tartan Terror", Middenface is my favourite character from the whole Strontium Dog series, this in no little part due to the fact that he's Scottish (as I am) and uses a lot of the local vernacular; think of a lump-headed, heavy-drinking, tightfisted, fist-fighting, grown-up version of Oor Wullie... If Strontium Dog wasn't written by Greenockian John Wagner, he would be viewed as an offensive Scottish stereotype. Instead, he is a very, very funny character who always gets the best lines in the series.  For that reason, this was the character I was most keen to field in my games! In tribute to the big yin, the next sections follow in my finest Glaswegian.

Stats

Efter Wulf, Middenface is Johnny Alpha's closest pal and ally, the two havin' claimed mair than a few norms together in ra mutant uprisings. It's nae surprise then that he is another wan ae the maist powerful characters in the game. No one other than Wulf could take Middenface in a square go which means he kens how tae hand oot the lumps! He's puir solid and kin take a bit of fair o' a doin'. Middenface is a bit mair gallus wi' a gun than Wulf but his weapon is puir mince at long range which is a bit o' a scunner. 

Skills & Special Abilities

Brawler: Middenface loves a guid rammy and has the chance of counter-attacking any malky comin' his way. Any bampot acting like a wide-o an' tryin' tae have a square go wi' him may get a guid skelpin' first!

Heid-Butt (aka "Glesga kiss"): A puir brilliant thematic ability, this allows Middenface tae stick the heid oan his opponents, his bony-heided lumps dishin' oot extra injuries or stuns as desired!

Berserker: Just like Wulf, when hit, Middenface goes heavy radge an' kin ignore the first wound taken.

Tactics for playing Middenface

Play Middenface in a similar way that you would Wulf, up
close and personal is where he is best; if he is in short range you are probably as well charging him into close combat as it makes it harder for opponents to target him. If he is already in cover, shooting at enemies is a perfectly reasonable way to play Middenface as he uses his gun as much as his fists in the strip. Nothing short of Aimed Shots will do if you're firing him at long range!

Overall

Middenface is powerful but plays in a similar fashion to Wulf, both in stats and in special rules; you may want to consider using one or the other in your scenarios. That said, Middenface with Johnny and Wulf make a potent team for 50 Notoriety; Middenface and Wulf would be able to spearhead any attacks while Johnny backs them up with his firepower. Be wary of blast weapons if you have them fighting as a pack. Those T-weapons could take all three down in one attack! 

Optional Homebrew Rules

'Mon Then!: Even when he is caught in a corner, Middenface doesn't know how to shut his geggie, routinely challenging opponents in a dialect that confuses friends and foes alike! Every time Middenface activates (even if he is Pinned), make a Cool test. If a special result comes up, Middenface launches into some "Glesgae banter" or "a wee sing-song"; roll a single die again to see if anyone is so distracted and bemused that they effectively become pinned, consulting the following table.

Hit: No effect.
Armour: Ya wee dancer! The closest enemy is Pinned
Middenface, Johnny & Wulf: The dream team?
Art by Carlos Ezquerra. Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd  
Special: Oh ya fud ye! The closest ally is Pinned

Fancy A Wee Bevvy?: Middenface is partial to the odd "wee dram". To reflect this in the game, when Middenface is on your team, one of your Armoury cards will be a "Bottle of Mac-Mac". Deal this to the player first, shuffle the pack and deal out the remaining cards as usual but the Mac-Mac card must be one of your picks from what is available. Note that if any other characters have this ability, it is not cumulative (meaning you can only be dealt one Bottle of Mac-Mac card in the Set Up).


The Strontium Dog Miniatures Game is available from Warlord Games, click here noo ye scunner!





Middenface in Berserker mode!
Art by Carlos Ezquerra.  Copyright Rebellion 2000AD




Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Wulf and the Gronk

Wulf Sternhammer

Never far from Johnny Alpha's side is a Viking warrior called Wulf Sternhammer. Wulf is a close combat specialist who is deadly with "Der Happy Stick". When he isn't cracking skulls, Wulf is usually keeping a close eye on his reward meter, dreaming of ever-greater riches. So how does Johnny's right hand man play in the Strontium Dog Miniatures Game?

Johnny and Wulf under fire in an early Strontium Dog strip.  Art by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd

Stats

Wulf isn't a particularly great marksman but, that aside, he has some of the best stats in the game. He can take a lot of punishment with strong Resist and Cool, but it is his powerful fighting skill and the bonus of Der Happy stick that really make him such a deadly opponent!

Skills and Special Abilities

Berserker: Wulf ignores any stat loss for the first wound he takes in the game. This is important because the stat loss inflicted by wounds massively reduces the effectiveness of characters in the game and hastens their demise at an ever-increasing pace. 

Brawler: This is the hand-to-hand version of the Gunfighter skill that Johnny has. Provided Wulf isn't pinned when engaged in close combat, there is a good chance he will provide his attacker an opportunity to inspect Der Happy Stick up close - with deadly consequences!

Look Out Johnny!: This is a nice thematic ability which illustrates Wulf's loyalty to Johnny, allowing him to take the hit for his friend if he is close enough to do so.  As Wulf has a higher Resist than Johnny, this is a handy skill to have, especially since Wulf has that Berserker ability! 

Tactics for playing Wulf

As mentioned above, Wulf's Berserker and Look Out Johnny! abilities compliment one another so it is wise to keep Wulf close by Johnny to soak up incoming fire for him. But Wulf isn't just there as a meat shield! Any chance you get to instigate close combat, you should do so. As per the errata post, you can use the Charge action even if you are already engaged in close combat, so if at first you don't put an enemy down you can keep charging! If you land a hit, a Charge action and an attack with Der Happy Stick rewards you with a whopping 6 damage dice! Ja! Is no small cucumbers!  Two attacks with 5 combat dice is my personal preference, 10 combat dice damage to 6 is always the best option! As another character that has a Star Chip, he can be just as devastating to enemies with Der Happy Stick as Johnny is with a Westinghouse - provided you keep your Cool and fortune smiles upon you!    

Overall

By Odin's beard! Wulf is exactly what he should be; a great foil and partner to have by Johnny's side! Get ready to drop the hammer on your enemies!

Wulf in action with Der Happy Stick!  Art by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd


The Gronk

I love Carlos Ezquerra's design of the alien creature known as "The Gronk" and he is well realised in miniature form!
The Gronk by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright 2000AD Ltd

For those unfamiliar with the Strontium Dog strip, the Gronk is a very frail creature whose species suffer heart attacks at the slightest fright. Obviously this makes him useless in a firefight (Johnny and Wulf regularly instruct the Gronk to stay out of sight when trouble is brewing). What the Gronk is good at is healing and eating metals, the latter of which isn't exactly ideal in a combat miniatures game.

Stats

Slow and fairly useless. He can Evade but that's about it. As per the errata thread, game designer Andy Chambers has confirmed that the Gronk's stated Cool of 5 is a misprint, it should be 1.

Skills and Special Abilities

Oh My Poor Heartses!: Yes, the Gronk is as frail in the game as he is in the strip. He can be revived for a single action but do you want your squad using precious actions to constantly revive him?

Portable: This amusing ability allows other characters to carry the Gronk around the battlefield, presumably by the tuft of fur at the top of his head. This would be a way to compensate for his slow movement but I don't see Johnny or Wulf treating their friend like that.

I Has The Best Medicines: This is the one thing that the Gronk will come in handy for as he can heal all wounds on a model.  As per the errata thread, when rolling to heal, you roll against the wounded model's unmodified Resist.

Tactics for playing the Gronk

There really isn't much you can do with the Gronk other than to play him thematically which means keeping him out of the way as much as possible. If you're the protagonist, I don't recommend bringing him to the fight at all. He is too slow to keep up with your squad and unlikely therefore to be able to use his I Has The Best Medicines. If you're defending there is more scope to make use of him; taking cover in a building nearby to his friends and/or allies would be my recommendation.  That way if the wounds start mounting up against your team, the wounded models can retreat inside to get patched up. It's worth mentioning that putting a retreating model on Hunker Down means that when they run to the Gronk, they can attempt to heal some of their own wounds first, then activating the Gronk gives them another chance, this time to fully heal!

Overall   

Suitably harmless!  Feel like a method actor, crying "oh my poor heartses" every time he is pinned, stunned or wounded!

Johnny encourages the Gronk to eat their way out of a prison cell!
Art by Carolos Ezquerra.  Copyright 2000AD Ltd

Optional Homebrew Rules 

Metal Mouth: At the cost of a double action, the Gronk can eat through metal surfaces such as spacecraft walls, creating a 1" hole wide enough for larger models can pass through.  However, as they have to duck, this counts as difficult terrain. He can also use this ability, again at the cost of a double action, to render a mechanical vehicle useless.

The Gronk would be better suited to being part of the mission objectives rather than a team member.  I plan on designing a few scenarios around him which I'll share here soon!


The Strontium Dog Miniatures Game is available from Warlord Games which you can find here.



Epic War - Midnight Campaign Part XIV: War Journal

Turn 9 (End Phase):
Dwalin's victory means that he can continue his journey on towards the Ork Base in the city of Ushgarak - but the Orks have finally claimed the Tower of the Moon objective!

Squats: 331 CVPs
Orks: 363 CVPs

Target: 400

CVPs calculated thus:

Break Points each battle
Battle 1: Squats 0, Orks 8
Battle 2: Squats 21, Orks 17
Battle 3: Squats 32, Orks 27
Battle 4: Squats 42, Orks 15
Battle 5: Squats 26, Orks 38
Battle 6: Squats 28, Orks 25
Battle 7: Squats 20, Orks 31
Battle 8: Squats 42, Orks 34
Running Total: Squats 211, Orks 195

Plus:
8VP and 12VP bonuses for win/overwhelming victory. 4VPs each for a draw.
Results Bonuses:
Battle 1 Orks 12
Battle 2 Squats 12
Battle 3 Orks 12
Battle 4 Squats 8
Battle 5 Orks 12
Battle 6 Squats 8
Battle 7 Orks 12
Battle 8 Squats 12
Running Total: Squats 40, Orks 48

Plus Campaign Objectives:
Squats: 80 points (2x20VP objectives + Home Base Objective 40VPs)
Orks: 120 points (4x20VP objectives + Home Base Objective 40VPs)




Turn 10 (End Phase):

Dwalin continues his slow journey north...

Squats: 331 CVPs
Orks: 363 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 11 (End Phase):

The Ork armies move to respond to the threat from Dwalin...

Squats: 331 CVPs
Orks: 363 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 12 (End Phase):

Commander Ori moves out from the Campaign Objective he has camped upon and Kommander Zanga moves to block the threat.
Meanwhile Kommander Krugger blocks the path of Dwalin's army just as he closes in on the base!

Squats: 331 CVPs
Orks: 363 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 13 (End Phase):

Ori moves north and Zanga returns to defend the Campaign Objective on the Plains of Blood. Meanwhile, Kommander Wee Killaz has a fast moving force which outwits Ori and heads to take his Campaign Objective! A standoff is developing outside the Ork base...who will move first?

Squats: 331 CVPs
Orks: 363 CVPs

Target: 400





Turn 14 (End Phase):

Wee Killaz secure the Campaign Objective in Dregrim Forest! Ori heads toward the City of Ithrorn but is outmanouvered by the Orks who now shore up their defences! Things are looking bad for the Squats! One more victory for the Orks should win the war for them!

Squats: 311 CVPs
Orks: 383 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 15 (End Phase):

Dwalin edges closer to the City of Ushgarak but a stalemate seems to be developing...

Squats: 311 CVPs
Orks: 383 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 16 (End Phase):

Ori heads south back towards the objective he long held. Dwalin receives communications from base about the unfolding situation. He decides to hold position until Ori is ready to strike...

Squats: 311 CVPs
Orks: 383 CVPs

Target: 400




Turn 17 (Post-Movement):

This is it! All or nothing! Ori (2K) and Dwalin (6K) attack and must do well or the war is lost! With two Campaign Objectives being contested - including the Ork base - they have a chance of winning the war if they fight well...but they face balanced opponents in Wee Killaz (2K) and Krugger (6K) with the Orks having bonuses from being on First Fire campaign orders and, perhaps vitally, they have three sets of fortifications at their disposal in both locations! Who will triumph?

Squats: 311 CVPs
Orks: 383 CVPs

Target: 400























Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Johnny Alpha

Johnny Alpha


Johnny Alpha in action by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd
If you're any kind of Strontium Dog fan, when you sit down to play the miniatures game, your first pick will be to take the strip's central character, Johnny Alpha. In the strip, Johnny is a gunslinger with a heart and is probably 2000AD's greatest out and out hero (Dredd is better known but is famously both hero and villain). With all this going for him and a wide arsenal of weapons at his disposal, it's natural to want to see how Johnny Alpha plays in Warlord's new Strontium Dog Miniatures Game tabletop game. So does he live up to expectations?


Stats 

It goes without saying that, as is befitting the star of the show, Johnny Alpha has the best overall stats in the game. He is the fastest character (in terms of Move and Evade stats), is an expert gunfighter (great Shoot, has Gunfighter skill), is strong in close combat (Fight) and can soak up damage pretty well too (Resist). Perhaps most importantly, he can keep up the good fight far longer than most (with the game's highest Cool stat).  From a stats point of view, this is as good as it gets - and rightly so!


Skills & Special Abilities

Johnny Alpha has four fantastic abilities:


Gunfighter: This ability isn't unique to Johnny so it is one that is good to learn to remember to use as it will serve you well for a few other characters. Provided you aren't Pinned, a 2000AD result when making your Evade or Resist rolls will activate Gunfighter and enable you to return a snap shot at your opponent! Try not to forget about this!

In My Head!: This is an ability which Johnny doesn't perform very often in the strip, namely to implant a thought in an enemy model's head. The obvious use for this in the game is to have one enemy attack the other which is fine as a game ability, but doesn't seem like the kind of thing that the Johnny Alpha we know would do.


Johnny Weird Eyes: This reflects Johnny's ability to see through most objects, allowing him to target opponents who are trying to hide behind cover out of his usual his line of sight! This single ability is what I feel makes Johnny unique and incredibly powerful in the game. Shooting at enemies through walls is great fun - and be sure to use that variable blaster to reduce the effectiveness of the hard cover bonus the enemy has!

Well Equipped: You get an extra Armoury card when Johnny is in your team which is a powerful bonus. The Armoury cards represent most of the wide range of weaponry (no lifewire!) that Johnny employs on a regular basis, such as Number 3 and 4 cartridges, electronux, time traps and time bombs! Remember that because the Westinghouse is a variable cartridge blaster, you can use the cartridge Armoury cards! No other pre-generated characters can make use of those!

Footnote on abilities: I found it odd that there wasn't a specific skill that would grant Johnny some advantage if he is fielded as a leader. Other than in the very early days of the mutant resistance, Johnny has always been a leader, whether that being inspiring mutants to rise up against the Norms, or taking the lead in the partnerships that he has made throughout his many adventures, notably with Wulf Sternhammer, Middenface McNulty and Durham Red. I would even argue that making Johnny leader in the game is undesirable; in certain scenarios the leader is having a face-off against the other leader which tends to leave him in a vulnerable position. Better that your most valuable character is not the most exposed one in such scenarios! Personally I would have preferred some kind of leadership bonus in place of the In My Head! skill but that comes from my love for the source material rather than with a game designer hat on!

Tactics for playing Johnny

My feeling is that the best strategy is to put Johnny in a remote corner of the board, preferably hidden from view behind a building or the like. Stay out of harm's way and use the In My Head! ability to suggest to enemies to shoot their allies. When the enemy starts to close in you can use the Johnny Weird Eyes ability to shoot them! If things are getting too tight, Johnny can move incredibly quickly; get a Sprint on and you can get out of there, moving up to 20" in one go! In a game where there are often enemies who cannot Evade at all, Johnny has a reasonable chance of dodging incoming attacks but I wouldn't rely on making those 2000AD results too often.

Do all of the above and you'll see the victories rack up. However, none of that feels true to the character. You may not care about that and happily play Johnny this way, making the most of his strengths. There is nothing wrong about doing this if that's what you enjoy.

However, as a huge fan of the series, I try to play Johnny the way I think John Wagner might write him... Johnny would hardly ever use In My Head! and wouldn't be using it to control enemies to shoot their allies in the back. More likely he would probably just put the idea in their head to walk away from danger. Once per game would be my personal limit - if it was used at all. The Johnny Weird Eyes ability is incredibly powerful but I try not to rely upon it too often either; typically Johnny seems to use it once per major action sequence in the comic. Neither though would I like to impose any limits to its use in the game. It becomes increasingly justified to use the ability the more Johnny is outnumbered in the battle or if he faces enemies who are trying to hide from him behind cover. He isn't a coward, but neither is he stupid, so some caution doesn't seem unthematic. That said, Johnny routinely engages in face to face gunfights in the strip, not to mention occasional close quarters combat so I try to play him as heroically as possible, taking on enemies head on where it seems feasible! While he is uninjured he is extremely powerful; keep using your Star Chips on him and keep Going For Broke! With Cool 5 you have a very decent chance of getting the 2000AD result to put that Star Chip back in the bag! That does run the risk of you Pinning yourself and effectively losing the use of his Gunfighter ability so there is a potential downside...but when it goes your way with the Star Chips, you can really cause a massive amount of damage with Johnny. I would always Go For Broke with Johnny and it's cool from a thematic point of view as you see Johnny getting the drop on enemies by living on his reflexes just as he does in the series!  Once you receive two or more wounds, you may want to think carefully about whether you still want to Go For Broke. Remaining unpinned and able to use Gunfighter may be the better option. Keeping Wulf close will also greatly benefit you by increasing Johnny's longevity through the Look Out Johnny! ability - see the Wulf tactics guide for more on this.

There is an optional rule that game designer Andy Chambers offered on The Dog House - Unofficial Strontium Dog Miniatures Game Group on Facebook for Johnny Alpha. The optional rule is as follows:-

You can field Johnny for 19 Notoriety or 190,000 Bounty if you don't bring Johnny's second blaster - the Webley - to the battle.

The Webley doesn't offer much in the way of advantages as its only use is to increase Johnny's chances of hitting an enemy by wielding two guns. Given that Johnny has a high Shoot, you don't really need this additional weapon and therefore it isn't really desirable to dual-wield guns, particularly because doing so comes at the expense of providing the target with a bonus to their Resist. If you like the flavour of having the Webley blaster as I do, please check out my Hero Mode home-brew rules below which allow you to keep the spare blaster at the same reduced cost.

Overall

Johnny costs a lot of points to bring to the table but does have strong stats as well as some very powerful and unique abilities. Unfortunately those abilities can encourage unthematic play. Playing heroically can go spectacularly well if you are fortunate enough to keep sending your Star Chip back into the bag; Johnny really shines with multiple activations! The flip side of that coin though is that there is a fairly high chance that playing heroically will result in Johnny playing into your opponent's hands and, ultimately, that this can easily lead to failure. There is a very thin line between heroism and stupidity and it can be frustrating when fortune deserts you!

Optional Homebrew Rules 

Honourable: If a player agrees at the start of a scenario that they will only use In My Head! to make enemies move away from danger, they can reduce Johnny's cost by 1 Notoriety / 10,000 credits bounty.

Leadership: Johnny is a renowned and inspirational leader for the mutant cause.  To reflect this, when playing a scenario where there are Mutant Allies fighting with him, or if the scenario involves Johnny fighting as part of the mutant rebellion, the following optional rule applies:-

In Set Up, when Armoury cards are dealt, the player fielding Johnny may opt to only take 3 Armoury cards rather than 4. In return for sacrificing one of his Armoury cards, he is immediately dealt the Leadership Chicanery card. Johnny can still choose which 3 cards of the 6 Armoury cards dealt he wishes to use in the game. Note that the player using Johnny must declare his intention to do this during the deal Armoury cards step in Set Up.  He cannot opt to do so once Chicanery cards are dealt. To clarify, this would mean Johnny would start the game with 3 Armoury Cards and 4 Chicanery Cards, and one of those Chicanery Cards would be Leadership.

Hero Mode:

Players can field Johnny Alpha for 19 Notoriety / 190,000 credit bounty, subject to the following restrictions:

1) Use of the "Johnny Weird Eyes"* and "In My Head" abilities are restricted to only being used once each per scenario (in line with the strip).
2) You play Johnny in a heroic manner.**

*If an enemy is deliberately hiding from Johnny to force him into a trap, multiple uses of Johnny Weird Eyes is permitted. Johnny has foiled traps like this and neutralised the lurking enemy without hesitation several times int the strip.
**This is clearly a grey area but in practice Johnny should be heavily involved in the action and not indulging in camping strategies unless defending something in a scenario or if he is grossly outnumbered. If it looks as though he is behaving in a cowardly manner, he shouldn't be doing that if you are playing him in Hero Mode. On the flip side, that doesn't mean he is stupid and that you are obliged to play him as though he has a death wish. If he's under pressure, there is nothing wrong with him claiming hard cover behind crates and the like to exchange fire. Equally, if he's wounded, don't be shy in using Hunker Down and keeping him out of sight until he is ready to rejoin the fight!

The Strontium Dog Miniatures Game is available from Warlord Games here.

Johnny Alpha leads a mutant revolt by Carlos Ezquerra
Copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd












Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Rules Errata

Since the release of Warlord Games' Strontium Dog Miniatures Game, those of us who are members of The Dog House: Unofficial Strontium Dog Miniatures Game Group on Facebook have been fortunate enough to be able to field rules questions to the game's designers, Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe. Most of the answers we got were simply clarifying or reiterating points about the rules but there is some errata as well. 
As not all SD players will have Facebook accounts or be group members, I thought it might be handy to make a public post here covering everything discussed. I will endeavour to keep updating this post if there are further questions and clarifications. Enjoy!

Image Copyright Warlord Games

Star Chips: Players may attempt to "Go For Broke" but are not obliged to do so.  It is always a player's choice to attempt to return Star Chips to the bag as there is the potential penalty of being Pinned which can cause fresh issues when activating the following turn (especially for models using heavy weapons which can only be activated with a double action).

Spare Chips In The Bag: You may find that in the course of a turn that you have several characters either subdued or incapacitated whose chips are still in the bag. If you draw a chip, you cannot opt to discard it unless you have already activated all of your models this turn (you cannot allocate a chip to a model who already has used a chip this turn). For clarity, this means that if you still have a mix of standard and Star chips in the bag, if you draw a standard chip, you must assign it to one of your models available, even if all of the models in play are characters who have Cool of 4+.

Evade: You do not make an Evade roll if the model targeting you lands no Hit results (and therefore cannot move an extra 3" if you were to succeed in evading). If you are engaged in Close Combat and you make an Evade roll, you can opt to move the 3" away as usual, but this removes you from Close Combat but the usual rules about Escaping Close Combat do not apply (no free attack against you if you leave CC through Evading). This that this rule applies whether you Evade a Close Combat attack or a Ranged Attack from a third party.

No Hits: If an attack rolls zero Hits on the Combat Dice, this means the result is currently 0 which would inflict a Stun; this means that a Resist roll should still be made by the defending model and a Stun applied if no Armour results are rolled.
Sprint Markers and their effects remain in place until the model is next activated.
You can move through friendly models without penalty.
Firing Multiple Weapons: +1 to Shoot per additional weapon fired, defender receives a total +1 to Resist regardless of how many guns are firing upon them, not +1 to Resist per additional weapon fired.
You suffer a -1 to Shoot when firing weapons at models which are engaged in Close Combat. If you hit, you hit the intended target, while a miss is a miss. Missed shots do not hit other units engaged in the Close Combat.
Injuries: the -1 to stats applies to Move as well as other stats. i.e. if you take two wounds, all of your stats will be at -2 meaning your Move is also reduced by 2".
Charge Actions can be still be used even if you are already engaged in close combat.
Aimed Shots and Armoury cards: The rules on the armoury card replace the normal aimed shot rules and benefits - you have to declare the aimed shot action simply to use the card.
Throwing Grenades: Remember to use Fight to roll to hit for Grenades. If you are more than 3" away from the target, it counts as long range and Fight at -1. If you miss when throwing a grenade, roll for scatter just as you would for any blast weapon missing the target.

Burst Weapons & Intervening Blocking Terrain: When area effect weapons destroy cover which shields a model from its effects (such as a wall), if they are also within the burst area of the weapon, they may take damage (Evade rolls made as normal). If the intervening blocking terrain stands up to the damage, it protects other models from the hit, even if they are within the burst area of the weapon.

Mutations which award a +1 to Fight are applied both to the roll to hit and the damage (provided the attack makes use of the mutation).
Unless the scenario states otherwise, picking up items/weapons is free (such as "Der Happy Stick" after it has been Thrown) and do not cost an action to perform.
Special Abilities: Unless it states otherwise in the description, these can be used for models which are Pinned. 
Johnny Weird Eyes: When Johnny uses his eyes to target enemies behind walls and other cover, they are treated as being in Hard Cover. This is usually provides the target with +2 to Resist but because of Johnny's variable blasters, this only provides a cover benefit of +1 Resist.
Johnny's "In My Head" ability can be used to take control of an enemy model. If the target model fails a Cool test, Johnny can compel the target model perform a single action, including using the model to attack its own allies. It cannot be used to compel the victim to throw away their weapons (as no such action exists). It can be used, only if Scenario rules allow it, to move models off the board.
Option: do not bring the Webley blaster with Johnny to reduce his Notoriety to 19 and his Bounty to 190,000. Or try out my home-brew hero mode for the same cost reduction!
The Gronk has Cool of 1, not Cool of 5. As a result, he does not receive a Star Chip.
Gronk's "I has the best medicines": roll the target model's unmodified Resist.

Low-Down O'Phee & Skull errata: Their Stormers fire 24", not 16" (note that Brute and Impetigo range is still 16" due to the splitter modification on their Stormers.)
Low-Down's +1 to Resist when attached to cover is cumulative with any built in cover bonuses; i.e. he gets +3 Resist when in Hard Cover, compared to when he has no cover.

Chicanery Cards are usually played in between chips being drawn. If both players try to play Chicanery cards in between the same draw, the player who first announced their intent to play a card does so first. Players may only play 1 Chicanery card each between activations.

Anti-Grav Shot: You can still roll for Evade when you are suffering the effects of this weapon. Assuming he had an Evade stat at all, Vicious Malicious would have failed his Evade test when the Osmongs had their "bird-shoot" in The Killing.
Named Characters: Those shown in the books have had all costings built into them for weapons and also stats already amended to reflect any special rules such as High Power on weapons and mutations which affect stats (such as Impetigo Jones whose Move has been reduced by 1 and Resist increased by 1). 
Skull Markers: Reminder that these are only used in Campaigns and denote a character carrying a wound throughout the game. Note that characters with Berserker skill cannot ignore this and stats are reduced by 1 from the outset of the scenario. When they take their first wound during the scenario, Berserker skill then activates.
Hold Up Scenario: At the start of deployment the players place 5 cache markers, starting with the defending player and then take turns in placing each remaining marker. Each marker must be within 6” of the table centre and at least 3” from another marker.
These markers can be picked up by a model in contact with the marker by spending a single action.
Whilst carrying a cache marker a model may not Sprint or Charge unless they drop the cache at the start of their movement (free action). If a model is Pinned, Stunned or Wounded by an attack it drops the cache on the spot. A protagonist model captures a cache by picking it up (but they can drop it again as described); a defender model stashes a cache by moving off the table with it (or loading it onto a shuttle – see the box out).
Raiders Scenario: After deployment, the protagonist models get a free single movement action after deployment.
Page 92 Corral rules: The word "encounter" is missing from the end of the text.
Pack Models: if one model is Pinned, all of the pack are also Pinned. 
Time Bombs in Campaigns: Time Bombs are preset to deliver the criminal to a time and a place for incarceration. In effect, time bombs do not kill enemy models so affected characters are not removed from the campaign roster. It is up to players whether they have somehow escaped or if they perhaps wish to run a scenario where they attempt to break out their comrade(s) from their prison.
In Campaigns, you still receive the Collateral as set out in the Jobs and Encounters descriptions, but the players also can spend additional Collateral for the scenario provided they have set aside funds to do so.
Scenario 1: When S/D agents get control of an outlaw, they can only make it do a Move action, and may not do anything else (i.e.shoot at fellow outlaws).
Dervish Dogs: it costs 6 for both, making them effectively worth 3 each.
The Armoury and Chicanery cards that come with model packs should be added to the decks that came with the starter set. If you have more than one starter set, you can add the additional decks together if you wish but it isn't mandatory either.

Mounted Models: Notoriety or Bounties are not increased if models are mounted. The relevant Collateral does though require to be spent to bring them to the table.

Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Introduction


For the uninitiated, Strontium Dog is a comic strip whose home is in the UK's 2000AD comic. Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra (also the creators of Judge Dredd), the series follows the adventures of Johnny Alpha, a mutant who is forced into the life of bounty hunting. Along with his loyal partner Wulf Sternhammer, they search the galaxy in pursuit of the worst and weirdest criminal scum the universe has to offer. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, Strontium Dog is always action packed and entertaining. The series is a fantastic read which is collected in a series of graphic novels available at the 2000AD store here.

Now a great new miniatures game from Warlord Games based on the 2000AD series of the same name has just been released.  The system is designed by Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe and is available from their store here.

As a long time fan of the strip, I have bought into this game in a big way. Not only have I bought two starter sets, but I've also invested in most of the expansion packs and have even enjoyed painting at times (which is something of a rarity for me)! This is in no little part due to the fantastic miniatures which realise in beautiful detail the late, great Carlos' wonderful characters. What I love best though about wargaming as a hobby is playing the games, so you can expect the coming Strontium Dog posts to focus on tactics and battle reports.

Strontium Dog Starter Set Box Art - copyright Rebellion 2000AD Ltd and Warlord Games

All opinions expressed here are mine alone and shouldn't be taken too seriously; this is a miniatures game after all and fun is what it's all about! Note that because of my longterm love for the series, I will be looking at the game with both my gamer and fan hats on. I've become an instant fan of the game and I expect to play on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

I hope you enjoy the blog, more on Strontium Dog coming soon, starting with rules clarifications and errata which has been compiled from responses to questions put to game designers Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe!

...and Epic fans rest assured that the Midnight campaign will continue weekly instalments until its conclusion!

Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Mutant Army Generals

Mutant Army Generals Strontium Dog Mutant Generals Image (c) Warlord Games Along with the Kreelers, one of the last sets that was released f...