Judge Dredd RPG: Order Out Of The Chaos Campaign Part II

Judge Dredd: Order Out Of The Chaos

Introduction: In this second post providing some detail of my Judge Dredd RPG campaign - which is available to play through my GM For Hire service - I'm setting out my Sector 1 map detailing a number of notable locations. Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive map as it does not include the countless Citi-Blocks in the Sector; instead, these locations will be added to the campaign map as the players explore the Sector. Updates to this post will be added to reflect a few notable Citi-Blocks and the newly discovered locations that are uncovered during the course of the campaign (keep scrolling to the "Updated Map" section to find out more on these additional locations).

First of all, here's the video trailer for the campaign!

And here's the video tour of the Sector!

Sector One, Central: Built upon the ruins of the old New York, Sector 1 is the beating heart of Mega-City One. With The Grand Hall of Justice, Statue of Justice and Academy of Law all situated within its boundaries, the sector is the hub for all Justice Department operations. This fact makes the state of lawlessness gripping the sector in the hours after Cal's death all the more shocking. 

Visual Guide: The following four images provide a visual guide to Sector 1, but for the full map (so far), please keep scrolling down for more!

Visual Guide Overview

Sector 1, North Quadrant

Sector 1, Central Quadrant

Sector 1, South Quadrant

Full Breakdown: The following map shows many of the key locations in the Sector. Note that the key numbers differ from those on the visual guide. A full breakdown of all locations can be found below.

Key: Note that I've included links on the text to the relevant Judge Dredd Wiki Page (where they exist)! Keep scrolling though as I've added fuller descriptions and images below!

1. Grand Hall Of Justice
2. Statue Of Judgement
3. Sector House 1
4. Academy of Law
5. Iso-Block 1
6. Weather Congress
7. City Hall
8. Resyk
9. Madison Square Garden
10. Power Tower
11. Speaker’s Square
12. Jean Genet Plaza
13. Aftermath Square
14. Fountain of Yooth
15. Movie Special Effects Museum
16. Mega-City Zoo
17. The Five Points Mega-Stadium
18. Mosgrove & Thung
19. Moonray Tower
20. Necropolis
21. Smokatorium (2 locations)
22. Church of Marvel
23. DC Cathedral
24. Empire State Building
25. Globeiron Building
26. Nu Face Clinic
27. Inflataface Clinic
28. Hottie House 7
29. Donnie Trump Towers
30. Tisch Hospital
31. Ash Hospital
32. Palais de Boing
33. Botanic Gardens
34. Central Mega-City Library
35. Mega-City Art Gallery
36. Mega-City Chamber of Horrors
37. Mega-City Museum
38. Mega-City One Exhibition Dome
39. Aggro Dome
40. Trans Atlantic Tunnel

1. Grand Hall of Justice: The hub of all Justice Department operations in Mega-City One and home to the newly-appointed Chief Judge Griffin. Sector One Judges rarely require to attend the Grand Hall of Justice, although as one of the city's finest lawmen, Judge Dredd operates from here more often than he does from Sector House 1. The Hall of Heroes and the Black Museum can be found here, as can the Justice Department's central computer, MAC.

2. Statue of Judgement: Built in 2099, this monument to the heroism of the Judges of the Justice Department, it dwarfs the smaller Statue of Liberty which stands in its shade. The annual Justice Day Parade is held in the square below. The insane Chief Judge Cal plunged to his death from the statue (hours before the campaign begins).

3. Sector House 1: See the previous post for full information on the Sector House.

4. Academy of Law: The place where all Judges receive their training - all fifteen years of it! After aiding Judge Dredd in the rebellion against Cal, Judge Tutors Griffin and Pepper moved from their positions in the Academy of Law to positions of Chief Judge and Deputy Chief Judge respectively.

5. Iso-Block 1: As big as a city block, this heavily fortified prison is where the Sector's perps usually end up spending long years of their lives. Each perp's windowless cell is referred to as an "Iso-Cube".

6. Weather Congress: Atmosphere Control is based high in the sky above, but Weather Congress deals with the admin side of things; they take requests from Judges to change the weather in extreme cases, but most of the time they apply the citizens' daily vote to pick the desired weather. This is almost always bright sunshine.

7. City Hall: The hub of civic administration for the city, the civic computer - known as "Barney" - which handles taxes and traffic (among many other things), can be found here as can the current Mayor, Jim Grubb. Grubb has only just been released from the Psycho-Cubes after Chief Judge Cal wrongfully imprisoned him.

8. Resyk: "We use everything but the soul!" Mega-City One's recycling facilities can be found in most Sectors, but Sector One is home to one of the largest operations. All waste - including bodies of the recently deceased - end up here where they are recycled to be reused in other products.

9. Madison Square Garden: An indoor arena which is a tiny venue when compared to the Five Points Mega-Stadium. 

10. Power Tower: Mega-City scientists bored deep into the earth to tap into the power at the core. At its essence, the Power Tower is a plug on a controlled volcano which generates vast amounts of energy to fuel the power-hungry Mega-City.

11. Speaker's Square: One of the few places in the city where a citizen can legally rant and rave about anything they please (including the Judges). Those who disagree must wait until the speaker has finished before they take their turn. Anyone becoming violent or argumentative may be arrested.

12. Jean Genet Plaza: A hangout place for Mega-City One's trendiest Juves. Also known as a hotspot for gang rumbles.

13. Aftermath Square: *Just announced for construction*, no current information available.

14. Fountain of Yooth: A large and elaborate fountain found in a plaza, ten straight sheets of rain fall in various cascading arrangements from an ornate roof. One of the Sector's most valued and beautiful civic areas.

15. Movie Special Effects Museum: After citizens tired of computer generated images, film producers built many large robotic creatures to bring a sense of realism back to their movies. Unfortunately, like most of Mega-City One's fads, it was short-lived, but unlike most, is remembered in this museum where many of the creatures are displayed as exhibits. It is a source of anger for the museum's patrons that it was turned down for inclusion in the Sector's "museum quarter", a sure sign that once again, film is regarded by snooty-nosed artists and critics as a lesser form of art.

16. Mega-City Zoo: One of earth's largest menageries of alien life, many of them cute, a notable contingent dangerous, and some are both! 

17. The Five Points Mega-Stadium: Home to the Manhattan Masters aeroball team, bitter rivals to Sector 3's Harlem Heroes, match days are often the scenes of mass-riots between rival fans - of whom there are over 200,000 when the stadium is at full capacity! Also used for concerts for the biggest megastar singers.

18. Mosgrove & Thung: "If we don't have it then you probably don't need it!" is the slogan of this, the biggest of Mega-City One's department stores. It has been known for patrons to become unable to find their way out of the confusing corridors of the store.

19. Moonray Tower: Cleared for construction, no current information available.

20. Necropolis: Where the city's mega-rich can avoid their fate in Resyk, their bodies instead chemically preserved and stored in ornate vaults for as long as their fortunes can finance their continued remaining there.

21. Smokatorium: The only places in Mega-City One where smoking is legal. There are two such facilities in Sector One.

22. Church of Marvel: A place of worship for followers of the Marvel religion. Attracts childish and often imbecilic followers who typically dress themselves in the colourful garb of their religion's icons.

23. DC Cathedral: A place of worship for the comparatively drab followers of the DC religion. Followers tend to be more serious minded and grim than those of the rival religion of Marvel.

24. Empire State Building: Relocated from city bottom, the Empire State is in a state: a crumbling haven for criminal scum such as the notorious Judge killer Whitey who operated there previous to his capture by Judge Dredd in 2099.

25. Globeiron Building: The iconic "Flatiron" building was destroyed during the Atomic Wars. The architect who built this tribute missed the whole point of the "iron" aspect of the original, opting to build a structure consisting of globes mounted upon globes, reminiscent in look but not in scale of the Grand Hall of Justice itself.

26. Inflatace Clinic: A face-changing clinic.

27. Nu-Face Clinic: Another face clinic, this one specialising in anti-ageing procedures.

28. Hottie House 7: One of the Sector's finest eateries, many Judges like to stop by to buy Eddie's signature Hotties!

29. Donnie Trump Towers: The central offices for the Trump Tri-News and the Trump Tribune, the city's most notoriously scandalous and factually unreliable holo-news and newspaper outlets. Justice Department has threatened to close down the whole operation countless times in the past, but they have towed the line in more recent times, most notably during Cal's reign.

30: Tisch Hospital: One of Sector One's largest hospitals, accessed from Verhoeven Mega-way.

31: Ash Hospital: The other of Sector One's largest hospitals, in direct competition with Tisch Hospital, it is also accessible from Verhoeven Mega-Way.

32. Palais de Boing: A building which enables those who use the miracle plastic "Boing" to let off steam. Encase in a sphere of Boing, users can make use of a number of games and facilities, including being fired around like a ball in a pinball machine!

33. Botanic Gardens: The city's greatest collection of earth and alien plant life. Some species are known to be dangerous and are closely controlled.

34. Central Mega-City Library: With a huge database of human history, this building is open to the public, but the contents of what is available are heavily-vetted by the Justice Department. It is situated beside City Hall as, through a network of underground cabling, the database is hooked up to Barney.

35. Mega-City Art Gallery: Home to some of the Mega-City's finest examples of modern art including Bellini's E=MC2. 

36: Mega-City Chamber of Horrors: Full of robotic attractions dedicated to history and fiction's most grisly criminals.

37. Mega-City Museum: One of the city's tallest structures, this houses the world's largest collection of pre-Atomic War records and exhibits. Justice Department closes monitors those who return for repeat visits to the sections which concern democratic governance.

38. Mega-City One Exhibition Dome: The place for all sorts of exhibitions, most notably for concerts, wedding shows, and Unemployment & Hobby Fares.

39. Aggro Dome: Under construction, no current information available.

40. Trans-Atlantic Tunnel: A tunnel which links Mega-City One to Brit Cit under the Black Atlantic (via the underwater town of Atlantis). A hotspot for smugglers, traffic flowing in and out is under constant observation by the Justice Department, but the sheer volume of traffic means that the constant flow of criminal activity utilising the tunnel cannot be entirely curbed.

Updated Map with additional locations:

41. Andy Warhol Block: The city's premier "Art Block", a Citi-Block full of the most successful and wealthy artist's residences and studios.

42. Vinnie Van Gogh Block: This Art Block is inhabited by the poorer and typically more troubled artists of Sector One. 

43. Tracey Emin Block: The last of the Art Blocks, this one is inhabited by those who consider themselves at the cutting edge of the avant-garde art scene. They are despised by the inhabitants of Warhol and Van Gogh who claim Emin Blockers routinely create pieces which they deem to be lacking in talent and not to be categorised as "proper art", which, in Mega-City circles, is saying something indeed.

44. Chrissy Pratt Block: Residence of gang leader Charlie Stone.

45. Morgan Freeman Block: Notable for having a well-drilled and highly efficient Citi-Def militia.

46. Bill Hicks Block: Residence of Judge Down.

47. Babs Windsor Block: Residence of Judge Hemlock.

48. Charlie McGee Block: Residence of Judge Bunsen.

49. Hughie Heffner Block: Residence of Judge Antioch.

50. Edward James Olmos Con Apts: Residence of Judge Smoke.

51. Rab Rinder Condos: A wealthy Block which enjoys low crime rates thanks to its close proximity to Sector House 1.

52. Upper Times Square: One of the city's busiest avenues (built directly above the original which is now in the Undercity), this partly open-air shoplex is a vibrantly-lit carnival of neon, an open cathedral celebrating consumerism. 

53. Dick Burton Block: Another wealthy block which benefits from a low crime rate due to its close proximity to Sector House 1. 

54. Bob Mortimer Block: A short, squat block which stands in the shades of its neighbour, the tall, thin Victor Reeves Block. Residence of Judge Benitez. Notable for its "Daft Kids" Juve gang who, due to splitting their operations between Reeves and Mortimer, serve as a rare example of a functional inter-Block gang.

55. Victor Reeves Block: A tower shaped Block more reminiscent in shape to the former New York's ancient skyscrapers, Reeves and Mortimer Blockers share a kinship, which is evidenced by the number of connecting Pedway and Mega-Ways between the two blocks.

56. Matthew Lucas Block: Lucas Blockers are notoriously fickle in their loyalties, often trying to ingratiate themselves to Reeves and Mortimer, but also enjoy flirting with nearby Davy Walliams and Noel Fielding Blocks. 

57. Davy Walliams Block: Notable for hosting "Mega-City One's Got Talent" shows. Because of the ritual exploitation and humiliation of participants, Justice Department have been trying to find methods of closing this production down, but the Block authorities have been resisting doing so as the show is a huge money-spinner for the Block.

58. Noel Fielding Block: Blockers are known for favouring black eyeliner and distinctive floral print fashion-wear, including knee-pads. 

Judge Dredd RPG: Order Out Of The Chaos Campaign Part I

 Judge Dredd RPG: Order Out Of The Chaos Campaign

Introduction: After embarking upon my recent foray into the world of professional GMing, I started work on writing my Judge Dredd Campaign. Intended to run for 7 sessions as my weekly group wants to run a campaign up to Christmas, I thought the time was right to share a few - spoiler light - details about my campaign which I'd be delighted to run for any interested parties! This post explains the era and setting as well as providing full details of the Sector House and key personnel. Part II will provide a map of the Sector and provide key information on some notable locations.

First of all, here's the video trailer!

Judge Dredd logo (c) Rebellion 2000AD

Campaign Setting: 

Location: Mega-City One, MegCentral, Sector One. Built upon the ruins of Manhattan, it is home to the Grand Hall of Justice, the infamous Statue of Judgement and the lesser-known Statue of Liberty.

Date: April 14th, 2101. 

Mega-City One by Ron Smith (c) Rebellion 2000AD

Specifics: Hours after the insane Judge Cal plunged to his death from the Statue of Judgement, in the dying embers of what had been decreed "Death Day" for all of Mega-City One, a team of Judges are redeployed to Sector One. 

Mission: To restore law and order in Sector One.

Background: Many of Sector One's finest Judges fell, quite literally in many cases, in Dredd's final push against Cal. With the Sector House understaffed and stretched far beyond capacity - and with furious citizens venting their wrath across the city streets - the new recruits quickly find themselves embroiled in the resulting fallout from Cal's Death Day. The mission may be to restore law and order, but the first order of the day will be survival! Tested to their absolute limits, can the Judges live long enough to make it to their Sector House - and if so, can they deliver order out of the chaos?  

Sector House One:

Although the Grand Hall of Justice itself is in Sector One, there is a separate Sector House which oversees Justice Department's operations in the area. All of the Sector's local Judges are based here.

Sector House by Carlos Ezquerra (c) Rebellion 2000AD

Sector House One Technical Data:

Floors: 300

Staff: 637 (just over half capacity of 11,700) 

Service Roads: 4. On levels 3, 59, 134 and 201. Service Roads on floors 59 and 201 carry most traffic as Medical Labs/Sick Bays and Briefing Rooms are in close proximity to these.

Hoverports: 2. On levels 150 and 230

Vehicle Parks: 4, on same levels as Service Roads

Repair Bays: 2. On levels 58 and 200 (one floor below main Vehicle Parks)

Entrance Hall: 1. On level 5

Elevators: 12 with access to all levels

Stairwells: 4 with access to all levels

Ramps: 1 with access to all levels

Anti-Grav Chutes: 2 with access to all levels

Promenade Areas: 3. On level 30, 150 and 230 (the latter two promenade areas are also linked to the hoverports)

Sleep Halls: 1. On level 149

Sleeping Dormitories: Levels 144-148.

Library/Data Banks: 2. On levels 100 and 200

Forensics Labs: 1. On level 166

Medical Labs/Sick Bays: 2. On levels 60 and 202 (one floor above two of the main Service Roads)

Holding Tanks/Interrogation Units: 1. On sub-level 5

The Vaults (Suspended Animation): Sublevel 3

Briefing Rooms: 2. Briefing Room B is on level 57 and Briefing Room A is on level 199 (two floors below two of the main Service Roads)

Quartermaster Stores: 2. On levels 56 and 198 (beneath the Briefing Rooms)

Control Centre: 1. On level 297

Armoury: 1. On level 298

Sector Chief Washington's Offices: Level 300

Divisional Head Offices: Level 299

Key Personnel:

Sector Chief Washington: With over 30 years experience - 24 on the streets and 6 as Sector Chief - she is one of Sector One's most highly decorated and respected Judges. Her request to take the long walk for her failure during Cal's reign was denied by the new Chief Judge, Griffin. Instead, she has been tasked with restoring order to Sector One as the Justice Department seeks to restore their reputation and grip on Mega-City One. It is her fervent desire to see it done.

Her no-nonsense attitude and intolerance to insubordination have largely won her overwhelming respect and admiration from her Judges, but there is a small but vocal minority who believe that she has been off the streets for too long and is increasingly losing touch with rank and file Street Judges.

She can be found on level 300, but Washington does not believe in hiding behind her desk. Her style is to attend Judge briefings as often as she can, and to make herself as visible and as accessible as possible to everyone under her command.

Sector Chief Washington

Deputy Sector Chief Butler: A Street Judge who served under Dredd for a few years, Butler was a highly competent Street Judge, but his aptitude for politics has seen him enjoy a meteoric rise to Deputy Sector Chief at a relatively young age (he is in his late thirties). It is rumoured that he and Dredd had a falling out over his desire to leave the streets to focus on administration - and the two are rarely seen, if ever, in the same room these days.

Having now served as Deputy Sector Chief for five years, his meteoric rise has come to an abrupt halt and the chatter in the dorms is that Butler was crushed when Griffin refused Washington's request to take the long walk. That said, Butler is known to be warm and approachable and has a sense of humour which Dredd no doubt believes is unbecoming for a Judge.

Deputy Sector Chief Butler

Senior Street Judge Dredd: Little needs to be said about Judge Dredd! Easily the city's most feared and famous lawman, he has cracked several cases in Sector One, notably capturing the notorious Judge killer Whitey who had been operating out of the Empire State Building and of course for turning the tide during the Robot Wars of 2099. Although he has spent a lot of time away from Sector One of late - notably acting as Marshall on Luna-1 and then navigating his way across the hell of the Cursed Earth to deliver the vaccine to the 2T(FRU)T virus that almost wiped out Mega-City Two - Dredd has made his return to the Sector in recent months. His rebellion against Cal was formed in the Undercity below Sector One and it culminated with Dredd defeating Cal on the Sector's most recognisable landmark, the Statue of Judgement.

Judge Dredd on patrol in Sector One by Mick McMahon (c) Rebellion 2000AD

Chief Medical Officer Johnson: As her profession would warrant, she is known to be one of the Sector House's most compassionate Judges. Though other Judges regard her as being "soft", she is no less organised for it. Her team of Med-Judges have a reputation as being some of the city's finest, with students from the nearby Academy of Law often being sent in to experience learn from them in a real environment. Indeed, the Academy of Law have felt her knack for nurturing raw talent would be better put to use there, but Johnson believes that it is more important to save lives rather than theorise on the subject.

Chief Forensic Scientist Durand: A highly gifted, but notoriously volatile character, Durand has ruffled feathers with just about everyone who has ever had the misfortune to have to deal with him. Anyone who tampers with equipment in his labs or questions his judgement tend to end up getting "the hairdryer treatment". The complaints file on him may be a mile long, but Sector Chief Washington has shown no appetite for having him replaced...yet.

Chief Technician Beaker: Often regarded as something of a joke figure due to having something of an accident-prone nature, Beaker is softly spoken and knowledgeable, but lacks the authority his position requires. It is said that he will only meet with Durand when circumstances demand it, and although the background to this remains unknown, it seems likely that Durand said something which Beaker took to heart.

Chief Psi-Judge Crothers: A protege of Judge Feyy, Crothers is an exceptional talent. He also also very friendly, but many Judges feel uneasy around him as he has a strange way of staring at them when he speaks. He is no doubt aware of the disparaging label of "Creepy Crothers" that some of the Sector's less respectful Judges call him.

Exorcism Division Chief Judge Rubinstein: Although she technically serves under Crothers in Psi Division, Rubinstein has autonomy over the growing Exorcism Division and their small team of Judge Exorcists. Most Judges regard the Exorcists as even more kooky than the Psi-Division and Rubinstein as the living embodiment of this, mostly because of her diminutive stature. For her part, Rubinstein is well-used to her fellow Judges underestimating her, and takes a quiet pride when she confounds their expectations.

Wally Squad Chief Kodolphin: A typical Wally Squad loon, Kodolphin and his squads have infiltrated criminal organisations across the Sector. His personality has been known to shift as he changes up his character and appearance on an infrequent basis. He claims there is "method" in his madness.

Interrogation Chief Noonan: An intimidating though far less verbal character than Durand, Noonan's domain is the Holding Tanks and Interrogation Cells in the sub-levels of the Sector House. He has a high success rate in extracting confessions from perps and is well-respected in the Sector House as a consequence. His gruff and no-nonsense attitude has left some Judges speculating that he may in some way be related to Dredd.

SJS Chief Scianetti: Crothers may be creepy, Noonan intimidating and Durand devastating, but the most feared person in the Sector House is also the oldest! Speaking with bared teeth and with a voice which has a light musicality to it, "Skullface Scianetti" has been the scourge of corrupt Judges for decades and is loathed for it. Despite having been a confidante of Fargo, and perhaps because of his record, Sector One's Judges are clamouring for Scianetti to be investigated for complicity in Cal's rise to power: given that Cal was the head of the SJS before he seized power, it seems almost inconceivable that Scianetti is an innocent by-stander. Nonetheless, he is a formidable and so far unmovable figure in the Sector House.

Chief Mechanic Theremin: Though she is a superb mechanic, she is overly attached to the Lawmasters, Pat and H-Wagons that enter her Repair Bay on Level 58. She tends to the vehicles with a care and intensity of attention that some Med Judges would aspire to when dealing with their patients.

Quartermaster Gunderson: A former Street Judge herself, Gunderson was an excellent detective, but was pulled from the streets for being deemed as too lenient in her application of the law - a dangerous trait for anyone teamed up with her. Left on her own most of the day, she is always happy and eager to see any Judges and notoriously enjoys gossiping about the Sector House's internal politics. 

B-Team One: The new team of Judges are assigned to B-Team One (named after the Briefing Room they attend on level 58). 

Senior Street Judge Moeki: The senior officer in charge of Briefing Room B, Moeki oversees all teams under his command, but still spends most of his time on the streets. Known to encourage coordinated teamwork between his squads, Moeki has received commendations for keeping his Judges motivated and for keeping them focussed on breaking major cases across the Sector. Before Cal's reign, Moeki had overseen major stings that resulted in the city's major crime syndicates drastically reducing their operations in the sector. 

Moeki has a friendly demeanour, but is just as capable at tearing strips off Judges who he feels are underperforming or insubordinate. His modus operandi is to encourage squads to work the streets and find narks to expose organised crime in the Sector. This has led to charges that Moeki is guilty of inconsistencies in the application of the law, that his teams tend to ignore minor misdemeanours in favour of dealing with far more serious crimes. Among many others, he is the senior officer in charge of Stone, Waters, and Hernandez's squads and, following the death of Turnbull's squad in the overthrowing of Cal, has just been put in charge of a new squad of Judges.

Street Judge Stone: One of Sector One's greatest veteran Street Judges, Stone has failed to climb through the ranks because he has little time for social niceties and no interest in politics. His home is in the saddle of his Lawmaster and when he returns from his shift, he often tells the mechanics in the Repair Bays what parts need repaired or replaced, and how the engine can be finely tuned to further improve it. Some of the rumour merchants believe he and Chief Mechanic Theremin have an overly close bond - probably born out of their love for their vehicles.

Street Judge Waters: Efficient, dependable, level-headed, Waters has an excellent reputation and is strongly tipped to climb up the ranks in Sector One. Few would begrudge her promotion as she is well-liked.

Street Judge Hernandez: Sector One's poster boy, often wheeled out when the Justice Department need some positive PR. Some believe he enjoys the celebrity it brings him.

And then there's the new team of Judges...are YOU one of them?

Watch this space for more details about my Sector One Campaign!

GM For Hire: Zero Session & Session 1

 GM For Hire: Zero Session and Session 1

Introduction: As previously mentioned on this blog, after over 30 years experience of running adventures, I've taken my first tentative steps into the world of professional GMing! I've only been offering the service for a few weeks and since then there's been some exciting developments, namely that I am running Judge Dredd games for two groups now! With things getting up and running, I thought it might be a good time to share a little more about how things have been progressing and what my plans are for running the Judge Dredd roleplaying game!

Judge Dredd: Illustrated by Brian Bolland (c) Rebellion 2000AD

Discord Server: I host my games on Roll20 and use Discord for voice chat. One of my new players suggested that a general server be set up on Discord for Judge Dredd gaming, but it quickly became apparent that a server for all 2000AD related RPGs and Tabletop Games would be more desirable...so I've set one up! In the space of a day, we have grown to a community of 28 members, including at least one of the writers on the recent EN Publishing Judge Dredd RPG! Please join us to connect and share your thoughts with fellow 2000AD RPG and Gaming enthusiasts by clicking on this text!

Zero Sessions: For anyone unfamiliar, before embarking on an adventure or campaign, I run a free Zero Session which allows the players a chance to get to know who I am and introduce themselves to their fellow players as well as running through character creation. What was really interesting was that we were all of a similar vintage, all with similar backstories, namely that we grew up with 2000AD in the 80's but fell away from the prog in the 90's, rediscovering our love for 2000AD/Dredd to varying degrees later in life! Most importantly, every one of the players have been lovely to deal with, all as thrilled to hit the streets of Mega-City One as I am to take them there! It probably was never in doubt, but my experience is that 2000AD attracts a passionate and fun-loving community of great people!

Both groups opted to play the Games Workshop version of the game, something which was very pleasing to me as the GW version was the game that introduced me to the world of RPGing (which later led into wargaming as well). I had a wave of nostalgia revisiting the old books and Citi-Block maps, and remembered a lot about my teenage years growing up in the late 80's and early 90's! 

One of the things that I really love about the system is that the stats and game mechanics are very clear: all stats are based on percentages which the players must equal or get less than when rolling a D100. Rolling up Judge characters is a pretty fast process, and this simple percentile system provides a clarity to players which few other systems I've ever played have. When running a game for a group of players who don't know me (or, for the most part, each other), this is a massive bonus as it means no one has to worry much about the system and can focus on the action and story, as well as interacting with the environment, nefarious NPCs - and each other!

Finally, it was in the first of these sessions that the time setting was decided (I was willing to set the game in any period covered in the 35 Case Files currently published). One of the players suggested that setting the game in a time post-Cal was a good idea because there were a few years of relative stability in Mega-City One during that time. It got me thinking and gave me a great idea - to start the game literally hours after Cal's demise! It isn't really explored in the comics at all (other than in the brief Cosmic Punks storyline), but there would have been absolute anarchy on MC-1's mean streets after the civilians narrowly escaped being wiped on Cal's "Death Day"! What better place to start? And so the "Order Out Of The Chaos" Campaign began to take shape in my mind...

Session One: The two groups are looking to play on different timescales, the first group on a monthly basis, while the second group has requested play on a weekly basis. I'm here to offer the service as often or infrequently as desired (scheduling permitting) so I'm delighted to be able to accommodate both groups in their preferred time slots! The group requesting weekly play have also indicated that they'd like me to deliver a campaign in the weeks running up to Christmas, something I'm incredibly excited about because it means that I can focus on delivering a more complex narrative. I'm certain that this will make it a deeper and more rewarding experience for all and I'm certainly excited to create the story and world for them to explore!

I won't be revealing many plot details here or in future posts because I don't want to spoil things for my players (or for future players who want to play the same campaign), but I will post a few items on this blog soon, relating to the campaign background, setting and some of the Sector House staff - so watch this space!

What I will say is that both sessions were a lot of fun! Thrown in at the deep end - though "it's all a deep end" - the Judges found themselves in the unusual position of the city's citizens having the upper hand. Before long, both their courage under fire and devotion to the law were both put under pressure and the teams were forced to figure themselves an escape route from a horrendous situation! What was very pleasing was that both teams identified and decided to pursue different methods of escape, something which is always pleasing as a GM when players have been provided with a block-sized sandbox to explore! 

Another thing that delighted me were just how many laughs there were during the sessions. Totally engaged with the setting, everyone seemed to gel well together and shared a similar sense of humour (you have to have this to be a true Dredd aficionado, of course!). It made the sessions an absolute pleasure for me to run and it was satisfying that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, all expressing a commitment to play again and an excitement about the next session! Note: I offer a taste and try first session where you only pay for the session if you enjoy yourself and want to continue, so although I have confidence in my Game Mastering abilities, this was by no means a given! 

We've had a few fumbles and a few huge successes in both games - in the first group, one Judge rolled 100 when about to throw a Stumm Grenade and almost took out the whole team! Fortunately, one of the Judges passed an Initiative test to snap down his respirator and haul his teammates to safety, but it was a close thing! When pulling up information from a block terminal, another Judge managed to hack into the system and take control of the cite-block, while another barked an order that had perps quivering in their boots and throwing their guns down (not everything ends in a gunfight)! 

I've seen some criticisms of the GW system where some have said it delivers Judges who are lacklustre and barely capable of holding their own. It's true that it will take some time for the Judges' skills to rise to a level where they will be successful most of the time, but there was no problem at all in them holding their own! The teams worked well together in dealing with various threats and there was plenty of variety in terms of the famous Lawgiver ammunition used: General Purpose, High Explosive and Incendiary bullets were flying! If anything, I think I'm going to have my work cut out in delivering opposition which will sufficiently challenge the awesome firepower at the fingertips of the Judges - which is as it should be! I would be open to groups requesting their characters begin with higher stats, but it really is more interesting having characters who start off relatively weak (though not compared to typical citizens) and slowly become more proficient as their career progresses and hours on the street rack up! 

The freedom to explore that I've built in to the first adventure is harder to offer longer term in a game like Judge Dredd as the investigative side of the game tends to favour railroading, with the perps leaving behind clues like pieces of cheese for the Judges to follow up on. That said, I've been formulating strategies and putting gaming materials in place to deal with the situation of the Judges deciding to pursue their own agenda and go exploring Sector One! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with them!

On this evidence though, I'm going to have a huge amount of joy devising and delivering interesting, engaging and varied adventures in Mega-City One! And for any other potential players out there, please don't hesitate to reach out if you want to ask anything at all about my service! You can either contact me on the Discord group, my Judge Dredd GM Collective group on Facebook, find me on twitter @thebissler or email me at thebissler@gmail.com - I look forward to hearing from you! As mentioned previously, watch out for more details on the Order Out Of The Chaos campaign coming soon on this blog!

Cheers!