Block Mania Game Report: Sammy Fox v Buddy Holly
Introduction: As Rebellion Unplugged have re-released the classic Block Mania boardgame (and Mega-Mania expansion) originally published by Games Workshop, I thought I'd celebrate by dusting off my original copies of the game and would play using the Sammy Fox and Buddy Holly Blocks from the Block Mania set.
For anyone unfamiliar with the game, it is set in Mega-City One, the future city from the Judge Dredd comic strip and the game is based on the wonderful "Block Mania" storyline (as collected in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 05, well worth buying itself!). The citi-blocks, each of which are home to tens of thousands of citizens, declare war on their neighbours, and do everything in their power to destroy them!
With each player taking charge of a Citi-Block and its inhabitants, the object of the game is to inflict as much damage and humiliation as they possibly can upon their hated rivals, before the Judges arrive to bring a stop to proceedings...assuming, of course, that the blocks don't destroy each other first! Note that I am using counters from Mega-Mania and also the Happy Hour changes from White Dwarf. Happily, the Happy Hour changes have been incorporated into Rebellion Unplugged's re-release sets.
The fully detailed written game report follows below, but please check out the video version of this on my Youtube channel here...
Set Up: Sammy Fox Block is on the left while Buddy Holly Block is on the right. The Blocker counters (representing specific groups of citizens from the block) have been placed at either side of the play area, while various other game counters are in reach.
A clear look at the boards before play starts.
Sammy Fox Block receives their Mania Cards which can be used during play. Each side receives a fresh Mania Card at the end of their turn, but may never hold more than 3 at any one time. They can use as many cards as they wish to in a given turn.
And Buddy Holly get theirs - including a very useful "Ra Ra Ra!" card (and failure to chant this when you use the card is punishable by 6 months in the Iso-Cubes, creep)!
Both sides get their starting forces. Sammy Fox gets a decent selection, including the Jaegers of which there are only one in each block. The Mob get no weapons, but the Juves deploy with a Hardware counter each - a Buzz Saw and Fire Bombs respectively - while the Jaegers receive an Armoury counter. Somewhat disappointingly, they only draw a Spit Gun.
Somewhat remarkably, Buddy Holly also find Jaegers in their initial draw of Blockers, but they also have Citi-Def and Vigilantes, all of whom receive an Armoury counter - and again, the Juves receive a Hardware counter, Spray Paint which can be used to Scrawl tags on enemy territory. Again, the Armoury counters aren't much to write home about, but the Demo Charges can cause significant damage if they can be planted on enemy territory!
Sammy Fox Deployment: The Mob looks to protect incursions from the Pedway, while Juves protect both the Vehicle Park and the Power House. Looking for some better weaponry, the Jaegars deploy in the Armoury.
Buddy Holly Jaegars similarly deploy in the Armoury while Vigilantes stay within the building, shaping up to use Defensive Fire if the Mob decides to make an incursion into Buddy Holly. Unfortunately for the Vigilantes, their Spit Gun would be useless against the Mob...but the Mob don't know that! The Citi-Def defend the Vehicle Park while Juves look to block off any route to the Power House.
And that is deployment dealt with! The game can get underway... In any given turn, there is a Phasing and Non-Phasing Player(s). The Phasing Player activates their units and completes all of their movement and firing before play will switch to the other blocker. Non-Phasing Players can do nothing other than use Defensive Fire or defend themselves if Close Combat is initiated. Other than that, they are spectators until they become the Phasing Player.
Sammy Fox Block are first to be the Phasing Player.
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 5 Command Points (CPs) are rolled - not great! A Kleggs card is played to give Sammy Fox some free reinforcements!
With the game in the early stages, it's helpful to get more Blockers deployed to help defend the Block from enemy attack. 4 CPs are spent to also bring on another new Blocker - more Juves! The Juves receive a Power Board, while the Kleggs receive Demo Charges.
Rules Note: There is a grey area around whether the Kleggs could plant Demo Charges. I've decided that they can't, but the rules don't cover this specifically, only stating that they can't make certain attacks, limiting them to Shooting and Close Combat.
The Juves are randomly assigned to a square near to the Mob. Kleggs can be placed anywhere, but they are deployed in a Shopping Mall so they can draw Hardware counters.
The Kleggs draw Sucker Guns while the Jaegars score big a they draw a Missile Defence Laser - one of the game's most effective weapons!
Because Sammy Fox only has 1 CP left, nothing can be activated. Jaegers don't require to spend CPs to activate, but because they drew a counter from the Armoury, their move ends.
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: None.
End Phase: A Mania Card is drawn - Ra Ra Ra! Just what the Robodoc ordered!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Buddy Holly play their Ra Ra Ra! Mania Card - and roll a whopping 19 CPs! This is a fantastic opportunity to get a lot of Blockers deployed - fast!
And they do so - 4 Blockers are brought on - 2 Mobs, Spugs and Juves. Disappointingly, the Spugs and Juves only receive Spray Paint; is this a Block War or a Scrawl War?
The Juves in the Shopping Mall draw a Buzz Saw which will come in handy, while the Jaegers draw a Spit Cannon - even handier!
Buddy Holly use up their last few CPs to activate the Spugs who receive the Spit Cannon from the Jaegers (the receiving Blocker only has to spend a single CP when adjacent to a Blocker passing on an item). While they can make it on to the Balcony through use of Elevators and Civic Squares, they do not have enough points to deploy the Spit Cannon this turn, so make sure they do not leave themselves exposed to enemy attacks.
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: None.
End Phase: A Mania Card is drawn, a handy one given that Buddy Holly have 2 Mobs in play...
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: Sammy Fox are playing catch up so also use their Ra Ra Ra! Mania Card and roll 15 CPs!
They bring on three new Blockers...not the best - and none come with any Hardware or Armoury Cards!
The Fatties deploy close to the Armoury though and decide to use the Trundle Trundle Mania Card which gifts them Trundlewheels to shift that blubber this turn! Making use of Civic Squares, the Fatties Surge forward to gratefully scoop up that Missile Defence Laser!
The Fatties get into position and deploy the Missile Defence Laser. Meanwhile, Kleggs draw a Buzz Saw from the Shopping Mall which will be handier than anything they've been carrying up until now, while the Jaegers draw another Spit Gun from the Armoury. Not great, but at least they will be able to pass these out to other Blockers in future turns...
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: At last - some action! The Fatties target Buddy Holly with the Missile Defence Laser - a roll of 4+ will cause Structural Damage to the enemy Block...but they only roll 3! However, they can keep firing each turn going forward without having to spend any CPs activating!
Sammy Fox is looking good!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Ooft! Buddy Holly only roll a paltry 4 CPs!
It's enough to activate the Spugs and move them on to the Balcony, deploying their Spit Cannon! The Jaegers pick up another Spit Gun.
The Citi-Def activate with the last CP - and move from the Vehicle Park across the Mega-Way...
And engage the Juves in the opposite Vehicle Park in Close Combat!
A Mania Card is played to attack the Kleggs in the Shopping Mall! They need to roll 5+ to kill the Kleggs - and roll 6!
The Kleggs are no more!
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: The Spugs target the Fatties with their Spit Cannon - they need to roll 4+, but roll a 1! The Spugs will be a prime target for the Fatties in Sammy Fox's next turn!
In the Close Combat, both sides add their Strength and all carried weapons bonuses - the Juves have a +1 overall! And they roll 1 better than the Citi-Def! The Citi-Def are killed! First blood to Sammy Fox!*
*Note: Kleggs do not count towards Defeat Points as they are mercenary scum, not actual Blockers.
Though the Citi-Def are gone, they declared they were firing a full burst with their Flamer, causing three Fires! Fire damage is dealt with in the End Phase of the Block suffering the fires' own turn as Phasing Player.
End Phase: Geek Gordon will help Buddy Holly...
Buddy Holly is still looking good, but the Citi-Def attack has left their Vehicle Parks open to Sammy Fox incursions - though they may want to deal with those fires first! The Spugs will be feeling uneasy on that Balcony with a Missile Defence Laser likely to be targeted at them soon!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 8 CPs - decent!
Another new Blocker joins - another Mob!
The Jaegers activate and move in beside the Mob, providing them with 2 Spit Guns! While the Spit Guns aren't great in their own right, (and as mentioned above) Close Combat is calculated by adding up all Armoury Cards and adding the Strength of the unit. In this case that means +3, +3 and +4 - a whopping total of +10, making the Mob a near unstoppable force to be reckoned with! The Mob moves to charge across the Medway, but Buddy Holly quickly respond by playing a Mania Card to sever the Pedway! The Mob is forced to make their way down towards the Vehicle Park. Buddy Holly have bought themselves some time, but they have to be worried about the Mob coming to rampage through their Block!
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: In the Shooting Phase, the Fatties do their best to fail to kill the Spugs, but it is impossible to do so! 1 +8 - Target Strength of 3 still = 6 which is a kill!
The Spugs and the Spit Cannon are removed from the action!
The Juves carry out Fire Control (no need to activate to do so). They need to roll a dice for each fire and, adding their Strength to each roll, require a result of 6+.
They roll 3, 5, and 2, giving modified results of 5, 7, and 4 - one fire is extinguished!
End Phase: But the sprinklers fail to activate and the fire returns to its original strength! The fires fail to cause any Structural Damage.
And they draw a Reinforcements Mania Card which will come in handy next turn!
The Fires being the one minor blip against them, things are looking increasingly strong for Sammy Fox!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Buddy Holly get 9 CPs. They use the Mob Frenzy to activate both Mobs this turn.
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: None
End Phase: Buddy Holly gain a Smoke Bombs Mania Card.
Although Buddy Holly have unable to do anything offensively, this may have been a critical turn for them in shoring up their defences!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: Sammy Fox get off to a flier with 10 CPs and gain their reinforcements - Citi-Def armed with a Trip Mine and a Super Hero! The Citi-Def are deployed at the top of the Block while the Super Hero arrives near the bottom.
The Jaegers and Citi-Def head to the Armoury. The Juves get out of the way on the Vehicle Park, allowing the Mob and the Super Hero to pile across the Mega-Way and engage the Buddy Holly Mob!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Fatties target Apartment 26 in the Shooting Phase.
The Juves battle again to put out the fires...
And once again put out one...
End Phase: ..but once again the sprinklers fail and the fire grows. Again, they cause no Structural Damage.
With the tide turning in their favour, Sammy Fox gain a Mania Card which isn't that helpful as they want to keep as many avenues of attack into Buddy Holly open. On the flip side, it stops Buddy Holly being able to do so...
An important turn which seems to have given the edge to Sammy Fox - is there any way their can their deadly Mob and Super Hero be stopped?
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: A roll of 10 CPs helps Buddy Holly!
They bring on reinforcements - Juves with Bat-Suits - while the Jaegers return to the Armoury and pick up a Flamer.
Defensive Fire Phase: None - note that the Mob and Superhero fought Close Combat in their turn which prevents them being able to enact the Defensive Fire.
Combat Phase: The Mob opts to use their Stump Gun against the Mob and the Superhero - requiring rolls of 6+ and 4+ respectively - Buddy Holly brings Geek Gordon into play.
Note: Rules grey area exists here - the rules state that when a Shooting Attack is made at a Blocker with a Superhero, rolls are made against both Blockers. Does the Geek Gordon apply to both rolls or one? To avoid controversy, the decision is made to apply the effect to the roll against the Mob only, meaning rolls of 4+ are required to kill each unit.
Success! Buddy Holly Blockers breathe a sigh of relief as the Mob and the Super Hero are both eliminated!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 6 CPs to Sammy Fox this turn. They activate a Mob who head to the Shopping Mall and pick up a Robodog, while the Crocks take Demo Charges from the Jaegers and then a Grav Chute down to the ground floor.
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Fatties fail to add to the Structural Damage on the Block opposite. Disappointing!
The Juves continue their firefighting with more success at last!
Sammy Fox receive a Stuck Mania Card which will slow up enemy Blockers. With some extra CPs next turn, perhaps the Crocks can plant those Demo Charges in Buddy Holly!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: A miserable 3 CPs to Buddy Holly this turn! Still, the Citi-Def have a Thermo Bomb and can penetrate Sammy Fox with ease now...
The Jaegers drop a Flamer to search the Armoury for something else...and draw another Flamer! The Juves, meanwhile, drop their Spray Paint and rifle the Shopping Mall - gaining a Vibro Drill! Very handy!
The Citi-Def enter Sammy Fox via the Vehicle Park and set the Thermo Bomb! They head for the Bank, planning to double their mayhem by robbing it...assuming they survive the effects of the Thermo Bomb of course...
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: The Thermo Bomb detonates, collapsing the square it was planted upon! Luckily for Sammy Fox, none of the floors affected by Structural Damage Collapse - but a Fire is started in each one! The Citi-Def fail their roll to rob the Bank. Sammy Fox Blockers will be thirsting for revenge after this...
End Phase: More good news for Buddy Holly - they receive a Ra Ra Ra! Mania Card! It seems the tide is turning their way!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 7 CPs. Juve move to both engage the Citi-Def in Close Combat and to open up a path for the Crocks to move to the Vehicle Park...
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Crocks activate and, using extra CPs, move to Buddy Holly. They have instructions not to destroy the Vehicle Park, so they plant the Demo Charges in the location beside the Vehicle Park but cannot escape before it detonates. The cynical Citi-Def in Sammy Fox suspected as much, but figured the Crocks were nearly dead anyway, so no big loss!
The Fatties add another Structural Damage with their Missile Defence Laser - but again the square does not collapse!
With Juves using their Buzz Saw to enjoy a +5 against the Citi-Def's +1, the Sammy Fox Blocker confidently decides not to call upon Gestapo Bob Harris in the Close Combat - and instantly regrets it! Against the odds, the Citi-Def triumph!
The other Sammy Fox Juves engage in Fire Control - without success! The same applies to the Mob in the Shopping Mall!
End Phase: The fires grow and the sprinklers fail to work!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Buddy Holly use Ra Ra Ra! to rack up a whopping 20 CPs! The Radio Jammer is instantly played, but 14 CPs still gives Buddy Holly plenty to play with!
Juves pile across the Mega-Way and move into position to deploy their Vibro-Drill on Sammy Fox! They cause Structural Damage, but no Collapse yet!
The Vigilantes also use the Mega-Way and engage the Juves in the Power House!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: Even with Gestapo Bob Harris on the Juves' side, the Vigilantes overcome them and take control of the Power House! Worse still, the Juves used a Fire Bomb and have started a fire in their own Block!
The Citi-Def fail again in their attempts to rob the Bank...
End Phase: Sammy Fox is under siege! Buddy Holly has barely any damage but, having sent many of their Blockers into Sammy Fox, they are equally exposed! They pick up a Stuck Mania Card before play passes back...
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: Sammy Fox roll 10 CPs and activate 2 Mobs to engage the Juves and Vigilantes on the loose in their Block! The Citi-Def are also activated and they take Demo Charges from the Jaegers. The Jaegers want to engage the Juves who have just flown into their Block, but they keep drawing Demo Charges and Trip Wires so have nothing to fight them with! They stay put, they have to protect the Armoury at all costs!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: In the Shooting Phase, the Fatties hit the Apartment again and cause more Structural Damage!
This time it Collapses!
...but nothing further Collapses!
In Close Combat, both sides engage one another! The Vigilantes outfight the Mob and kill them!
The Juves and the other Mob find themselves in a stalemate - but (fearing defeat) the Juves used all three Fire Bombs! They face a torrid time in the next round of Close Combat!
The Juves manage to extinguish the Fires in the square diagonally below them...
End Phase: ...and they build as the sprinklers once again prove ineffective!
...causing more Structural Damage - and Collapse the Shopping Mall!
...and the Buddy Holly Citi-Def are crushed as the Fires Collapse the Bank!
Damage seems to be really mounting up now for Sammy Fox! A Reinforcements Mania Card comes as a welcome relief!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: 5 CPs this turn. The Jaegers activate for free...
And make their way down the Block to bring their Demo Charges to the Mob.
The Vigilantes switch off the power in Sammy Fox's Power House and move themselves into position to shoot at the Citi-Def...
And plant their Demo Charges, before moving back towards the Balcony to make their getaway!
Defensive Fire Phase: None (the Citi-Def beside the Vigilantes only have Demo Charges...and yes, there seems to be a glut of these drawn from the Armoury in this game!)
Combat Phase: The Demo Charges explode, causing a whopping 3 Structural Damage...
...and collapsing the square!
...another square Collapses and the Juves suddenly feel the floor buckle under them! Uh-oh!
End Phase: Buddy Holly receive a Tap Gang Mania Card. Sammy Fox is beginning to look a bit shaky!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 6 CPs is distinctly average but the 2 Reinforcements are extremely timely - 2 Citi-Def units, one of whom comes equipped with a Missile Defence Laser!
The Missile Defence Laser team is prioritised, throwing extra CPs into getting the Citi-Def into position to aid the Fatties in dealing out some damage to Buddy Holly! (Note that the lifts and Civic Squares no longer confer bonuses for movement as Buddy Holly Vigilantes shut the Power House down!)
Both the Fatties and the Citi-Def strike hits which will cause Structural Damage!
The Fatties' hit adds to the Structural Damage above the Collapsed apartment...
...while the Citi-Def strike does Collapse it! Unfortunately, none of the other squares Collapse!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Mob goes head to head with the Juves - and tear them apart!
More Fires spread and cause more Structural Damage but, precarious as the situation may be, no further squares Collapse!
End Phase: The first roll of the game is made for Catastrophic Damage...but on this evidence Sammy Fox will last for a while yet! A Radio Jammer Mania Card should hamper Buddy Holly's operations quite nicely as well!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: The Radio Jammer is played immediately after Buddy Holly roll 9 CPs! Juves are activated and head toward the Citi-Def...
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: None.
End Phase: With no other options, Buddy Holly have to pass play back to Sammy Fox! Worse still, the Kaboom! Mania Card they draw is utterly useless as the Medway has already been destroyed! Although they have inflicted far heavier damage on Sammy Fox than they have suffered, it feels as though Buddy Holly's onslaught has faltered...
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 7 CPs are rolled.
Satisfied with the 2 Missile Defence Lasers which can pick away at Buddy Holly, the Mob and Juves are called into action to attend to Fire Fighting duties.
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Citi-Def miss, but the Fatties find the mark!
...and the Pedway Terminus Collapses! Once again, Sammy Fox hopes are stymied as no further floors Collapse!
End Phase: More fires spring up, but cause no further damage.
A Judges Mania Card will come in handy...but who to get rid of? The Jaegers or the Mob?
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: A meagre 5 CPs are rolled - and Sammy Fox doesn't waste any time in having the Jaegers apprehended with the Mania Card! The Demo Charges cannot now be passed on!
The Vigilantes beat a retreat from Sammy Fox and head to the Shopping Mall, picking up a Vibro Drill while the Juves find another Missile Defence Laser in the Armoury! This should fix those Fatties in Fox!
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: None
End Phase: Buddy Holly draw a Kleggs card. Even Mercenary scum like the Kleggs will provide welcome reinforcements!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 8 CPs is handy! Sammy Fox bring on some Juves who bring a Vibro Drill to the party! The Mob activate to switch the power back on and move up to hopefully do some Fire Fighting next turn.
As they move, the Mob set their Robodog on the Vigilantes in Buddy Holly!
Defensive Fire Phase: The Vigilantes use Defensive Fire to shoot down the mechanical mutt! This will mean that they cannot activate during Buddy Holly's next turn.
Combat Phase: Once again the MDLs pummel Buddy Holly but only inflict an extra Structural Damage marker.
The Juves in the Block Park go to Fire Control work...
...and put out both fires! However, plenty more burn...
End Phase: And suddenly the structure begins to buckle and one location Collapses!
...as do another three squares!
...and another one...
...and so does another! Sammy Fox Blockers breathe a sigh of relief as the series of Collapses come to a sudden halt!
...but things are looking pretty grim! They have more Blockers at their disposal than Buddy Holly, but they have barely dealt any damage to their hated neighbours! The Sky Rail destruction Mania Card is little help as Sammy Fox desperately need to get in to Buddy Holly rather than severing more links! The one thing that goes right for them this turn is that the Block survives another Catastrophic Damage roll!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Buddy Holly receive a decent haul of 7 CPs and bring Kleggs into play - but they only receive a Trip Mine which isn't overly helpful. However, the CPs allow the Juves to deploy their Missile Defence Laser on a Balcony, while the Mob use the Mega-Way to attack the Fire Fighting Juves in the Vehicle Park!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Juves target the Fatties opposite them - and kill them! However, as they celebrate burning up the blubber, they see Sammy Fox turning their MDL in their direction... Gulp!
The surf-loving Juves have no chance against the rampaging Mob tooled up with Stump Guns!
The Mob next to them are unarmed after they set their Robodog loose last turn! What can they do to stop the filthy Buddy Holly Blockers?
End Phase: The Juves are exposed but they did their job! And another Kleggs Mania Card means that Buddy Holly have more reinforcements next turn!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: 10 CPs give Sammy Fox hope for retribution! The Spugs begin moving through their Block but the focus is on the Jaegers...
...with the aid of the large CP haul, the Jaegers plan to plant Demo Charges in Buddy Holly - but a Tap Gang attempt to stop them in their tracks! They fail, however!
...and the Jaegers plant the Demo Charges while the Spugs move into position to get to work with the Vibro Drill!
Defensive Fire Phase: None
Combat Phase: The Demo Charges explode causing 2 Structural Damage!
The square Collapses and more Structural Damage spreads, threatening the Kleggs in the Bank!
...and they too are crushed in the destruction! It is not over yet as another square Collapses!
No further squares Collapse, much to Buddy Holly's relief!
The Citi-Def target the Juves with extreme prejudice!
...and vaporise them!
End Phase: The fires cause more Structural Damage but the square still does not Collapse!
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: 7 CPs for Buddy Holly this turn - and they play their Kleggs card! The Kleggs come on armed with a Missile Launcher - while it is a great weapon, this is no use until the Citi-Def with the Missile Defence Laser in Sammy Fox are dealt with!
The Mob activates, moving to engage their opposite number in Close Combat!
...while the Vigilantes move to deal with the Spug threat!
Defensive Fire Phase: None.
Combat Phase: The Vigilantes fail to kill the Spugs!
...while the Mobs go head to head!
Buddy Holly's Mob prevail!
Phasing Player: Sammy Fox:
Command Phase: Sammy Fox gain 8 CPs and play their Kleggs Mania Card to deploy another of the Alien beasts, but also to take control of those in Buddy Holly! The new Kleggs only come with a Trip Mine, but the Missile Launcher the other has will be very handy!
They are brought across on the Mega-Way before deploying their Heavy Weapon.
While the Jaegers move in to shoot at the Vigilantes! The Spugs take up a more central position to wreak havoc with their Vibro-Drill!
Defensive Fire Phase: None (the Vigilantes fired during their turn so cannot fire at the Jaegers).
Combat Phase: The Kleggs hit Buddy Holly with the Missile Launcher! It inflicts a single Structural Damage marker - but the roll is good enough to make it Collapse!
The Balcony above also Collapses!
...but that is where the destruction ends!
And the Tubeway Collapses!
The Jaegers fail to kill the Vigilantes - it looks like this firefight will continue!
The Spugs activate the Vibro-Drill - and are killed by falling masonry as they destroy the square!
Another square Collapses...
And more squares Collapse!
...and yet more! The Armoury goes this time!
And the trail of destruction intensifies!
..before it finally comes to an end! Things look grim for Buddy Holly!
Meanwhile, the Fire causes more Structural Damage! The square finally Collapses, but no further damage is caused. Knowing that only one square could be affected, this was a risk Sammy Fox were prepared to take.
End Phase: It's been a magnificent turn for Sammy Fox and they collect a Synthi-Burger Bar Mania Card. However, the single square Collapse does mean they have to make another roll for Catastrophic Damage. With 14 Collapse Markers on their Block, they only need to roll 15 with 5 dice...but roll 14!!! The entire Block rumbles...
...and suddenly Sammy Fox completely collapses, killing all inside! From triumph to despair for Sammy Fox! But have they done enough this turn to ensure Buddy Holly goes down with them?
Phasing Player: Buddy Holly:
Command Phase: Buddy Holly roll 6 CPs and bring on a Mob. Not much use at the moment!
Defensive Fire Phase: None, the Jaegers fired in their turn.
Combat Phase: The Vigilantes shoot at Sammy Fox's last survivors...but fail to kill them!
End Phase: The Block just has to stay intact to ensure victory as the Jaegers will struggle to cause any more damage with their Spit Pistol - but there 20 Collapsed squares... And they roll 19!
Buddy Holly comes crashing down too! It's clear both sides lost - 200 Defeat Points each - but who 'won'?
It's time to tally up the Defeat Points...
There may be no one left alive to celebrate their famous victory - but Sammy Fox won!
Closing Reflections: Well done if you're still reading at this stage! I hadn't quite realised what an undertaking it was to record all of this and probably would have been tempted just to take end of turn pics with brief descriptions if I had! However, hopefully the detail might help some new/potential players to get an understanding of how the game works - if so, that makes it a worthwhile endeavour as a result! It was great to dust off this classic game and it was a lot of fun to play as always!
After a slow build where both sides concentrated on defending their Block, when things got going, it really seemed like Buddy Holly more than had the edge over Sammy Fox and would have proven worthy winners! It just goes to show how quickly things can escalate when a single Collapse suddenly sparks a chain reaction! Arguably though, Sammy Fox should have done something about that single raging fire, but with it being unable to do any further damage, the priority had moved to really hitting the remarkably unscathed Buddy Holly as hard as possible. This was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Sammy Fox's Fatties had so many turns to hammer away at Buddy Holly with that Missile Defence Laser! It would have been nice to have seen some Looting or Scrawl attacks, but really the best way to win is to cause as many Block squares to Collapse as possible and so it proved at the end when it came to calculating the Defeat Points. Over all the years I've played Block Mania, never have I seen the game end with both Blocks collapsing due to catastrophic damage in subsequent activations. Though how Sammy Fox can believe that outcome is a win...
Mega-Mania is even better fun as Blocks can be attacked from both sides and the scale of the mayhem can really escalate even further! One criticism of the game (which I've always had) is that it could do with more Fire/Structural Damage and Collapse/Structural Damage counters - the set used was almost exhausted and that was with counters from both Block Mania and Mega-Mania and with only 2 Blocks on the table*! If I do another of these reports, I'll try to ramp it to feature all 4 Blocks - but I think we all need a breather after this epic encounter!
*Note: I'm unsure if the new sets perhaps have more counters to address this issue.
Love Judge Dredd? I'm running my Order Out Of The Chaos campaign as part of my GM for Hire Service, please contact me if you want to know more! Trailer videos follow!
