Quantcast
Channel: Vampifan's World of the Undead
Viewing all 682 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Zombicide Ultimate Survivors 2 Announcement

November 8, 2015, 3:05 am
$
0
0
I interrupt my Castle Ravenloft figures reviews to give an announcement to highlight the new boxed set of 8 Survivors for Zombicide. "Fighting zombies isn't easy. There seems to be a never-ending wave of them and eventually you're gonna run out of bullets. Fighting them makes one tough. And the heroes from the first Zombicide game have been fighting zombies for quite some time now. As such, they've levelled-up (besides, you know, levelling up in the game as you play, that is). CoolMiniOrNot is now taking pre-orders for Zombicide Ultimate Survivors #2."
Included in the Ultimate Survivors #2 box are:
  • 8 Survivor miniatures
  • 8 ID Cards
  • 8 Experience trackers
This exclusive pre-order will be open until November 15th 2015. CMoN will produce enough quantity to satisfy the orders, plus a little extra for promotions and conventions. Ultimate Survivors #2 will not be sold at retail, and it’s a limited edition! Each box of Ultimate Survivors #2 is priced at $40, but if you backed ZombicideSeason 1, 2, 3 or Black Plague you get a $10 discount per box!
Go here to pre-order Ultimate Survivors #2. To get your discount, please use the same email address you used on the previous Zombicide Kickstarter Campaigns and your discount will be automatically applied. After hitting submit and you’ll get an email in a few minutes with instructions to specify how many additional boxes you might want, to insert your shipping address and to make payment.

Estimated shipment date Jan/Feb 2016.

Please note there is a hidden charge of about $16 for post and packing. I desperately want this set and have already placed my order. The sculpts of the figures are just superb. These characters are based on the add-on or stretch goal characters from Zombicide Season 1 - Chaz, Claudia, Dave, El Cholo, Ivy, Marvin, Nick and Troy. I missed out on buying them first time, which is the main reason I am so keen to get them now.
↧
Search

Vampifan's Views 70 - Going Offline

November 10, 2015, 3:02 am
$
0
0
Alas, I have to go to hospital, so will be offline for a while... but hopefully not too long.
↧
↧

Vampifan's Views 71 - I'm back

November 20, 2015, 3:37 am
$
0
0
Yes, I'm back after ten long days in hospital. Without going into too many details I was dehydrated, which led to me feeling tired, breathless and lacking in appetite and energy. I was rushed to hospital and placed in a new wing (just opened in February of this year) where I had my own room with en suite facilities, TV and phone. It was like being in a hotel, not a hospital! I was put on a drip for the whole duration and I'm now back to normal.
I have left personal comments to everyone who wished me well on my previous post. Do check them out if you were one of them. I'd just like to thank you all for your well wishes and messages of support. They were fully appreciated.
I'll be spending today catching up on e-mails (155 of them!) and more importantly, checking up on your blogs. Normal Vampifan service should be resumed on Sunday.
Once again, thank you all.

Bryan.
↧

Castle Ravenloft Werewolf and Wolves

November 22, 2015, 3:09 am
$
0
0
Werewolves and Wolves are the theme for this review of the 28mm scale figures from the Castle Ravenloft board-game for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons.
Rather unusually, the werewolf is female - a decision I wholeheartedly applaud. She is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. Her stats are AC15 and 5HP.
The Werewolf's tactics are -
If the Werewolf is adjacent to a Hero, it regains 1HP and attacks an adjacent Hero with a frenzied Swipe.
If the Werewolf is within 2 tiles of a Hero, it regains 1HP, moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks that Hero with a Bite.
Otherwise, the Werewolf regains 1HP and moves 2 tiles toward the closest Hero.
A Swipe attacks gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 3 Damage, as well as placing the Hero 2 tiles away from his or her tile.
A Bite attack also gives a +7 bonus to hit but only causes 1 Damage.
I painted my three Wolves differently, using colour schemes I found on Google Images.
The stats for a Wolf are AC14 and 1HP. Killing one earns a Hero 1 Experience Point.
The Wolf's tactics are -
If the Wolf is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks that Hero with a Bite.
If the Wolf is within 2 tiles of a Hero, it moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks that Hero with a Pounce. 
Otherwise, the Wolf moves 2 tiles towards the closest Hero. 
A Bite attack gives a +9 bonus to hit and causes 2 Damage.
A Pounce attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 Damage as well as causing the Hero to be Slowed. 
I have to admit to having mixed feelings about these sculpts. I'm delighted that the Werewolf is so obviously female but her pose does not seem natural. I dunno, it just looks off to me. It's almost like she's striking a pose. The Wolves are nicely sculpted but they have short, stocky legs, which is just wrong.
↧

Castle Ravenloft Kobolds

November 25, 2015, 3:10 am
$
0
0
This is my last post reviewing the Monsters from the Castle Ravenloft board-game. However, I have only reviewed four of the eight Villains of the game. Still to come are the Flesh Golem, Howling Hag, Zombie Dragon and best of all, Gravestorm the Dracolich. The figures of the Kobolds in Castle Ravenloft stand about 15mm tall and come on smaller diameter bases than the other figures. Three Kobold Skirmishers are led by Klak, the Kobold Sorcerer. Let's take a closer look at them.
Klak, the Kobold Sorcerer oversees Lord Strahd's arcane experiments. He is a sneaky git who is hard to pin down. He is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. His stats are AC14 and 6HP.
Klak's tactics are -
If Klak is on a tile with an unexplored edge, draw a tile from the bottom of the Dungeon Tile stack and place it adjacent to the unexplored edge. The active Hero places a new Monster on the new tile.
If Klak is on a tile with a Hero, he attacks each Hero on the tile with a burst of Fire.
If Klak is on a tile with a Monster, activate that Monster.
Otherwise, Klak teleports. Place him on the closest tile with an unexplored edge. 
A Fire attack gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile away from his or her tile. 
Kobolds are classed as reptiles in the game and so I painted them with scaly green skin (actually Foundry Bright Green 25). Their armour was painted in Foundry Spearpoint 35C and given a wash of Citadel Seraphim Sepia.
The stats for a Kobold Skirmisher are AC13 and 1 HP.  Killing one earns a Hero 1 Experience Point.
The Kobold Skirmisher's tactics are:
If the Kobold is within 1 tile of a Hero, it attacks the closest Hero with a thrown Javelin.
Otherwise, the Kobold moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero.
A Javelin gives a +9 bonus to hit and causes 1 Damage. 
I like these figures a lot. For sure, they are rather weak but they are still a menace. Klak reminds me of Yoda if he had turned to the dark side of the Force! 
↧
↧

Vampifan's Views 72 - Monthly Musings 48

November 28, 2015, 4:30 am
$
0
0
Miss Vampirella November 2015 - Paula Labaredas
November's Vampirella model is actress, cosplayer and model, Paula Labaredas. Portuguese American beauty Paula started her career on a very promising note by winning her very first acting award, the “Shining Star Award.” She then hit the Big Apple (NYC) landing a starring role as a series regular in an international soap opera, “Mausum.” She has had the honour of working with legendary actor Al Pacino and the renowned producer/director Roger Corman. As a correspondent, Paula's charm, versatility, and doer attitude has given her the opportunity to interview such greats as James Cameron, Morgan Freeman, Patrick Stewart, Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell among others.
A model and an internet sensation, Paula’s modelling pics continuously go viral. She reached 9,000 followers, within two weeks, on Instagram.
Her last name "Labaredas" means flame in Portuguese. Normally, Paula has blonde hair. I'm not sure if she's wearing a wig for her Vampirella photo shoot or if she has dyed her hair. She is not as busty as Vampi but she still looks the part. Although Vampirella rarely uses firearms it does happen occasionally, so I have no problem with Paula holding a pistol in this photo.

It has been an interesting month for me with highs and lows. The low point was my failing health resulting in a short stay in hospital. On the plus side, I am back to normal health now. Moving on to the high points, it was my 58th birthday on the 24th of this month. I received a cheque from my mum for a large amount of money which left me speechless. I knew she was going to give me a cheque but I had no idea she was going to make it so huge. I am thankful beyond belief for having the best mum any son could wish for. God bless her!
My brother bought me two DVDs - the boxed set of "Bones: series 10" and "Mad Max: Fury Road," both of which were much appreciated.
The gift that I bought myself (well, you have to, don't you?) was the "Timber Peak" expansion set for the board-game of "Last Night On Earth." I plan on playing lots of games of LNOE in the new year as it is a game I have shamefully neglected for far too long.

I have only recently started painting figures again after a five week sabbatical whilst I was lacking any energy and just couldn't be bothered. So what's on the painting table? The last 12 Berserker Zombies for Zombicide, 4 Heresy Miniatures Vampires and 4 Studio Miniatures Survivors (the 4 heroes from Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" film). They're all over half way done by now.

I have also managed to play two very different games recently. First up was The Forgotten King expansion for Super Dungeon Explore using the Arcade Mode rules. These differ from the Consul Mode rules in that they are better suited for solo-play, although you can still play with multiple players working co-operatively. Heroes roll dice as normal but the bad guys have fixed stats for offence and defence, so roll no dice and their actions are determined by the draw of cards. Being such a big fan of SDE, I thoroughly enjoyed this new experience. I plan on playing many more games as I become more proficient with the new rules. At some point I'd love to post a batrep of a TFK game, especially one involving the Von Drakk Manor tiles and figures aided by the Stilt Town Zombies set of figures, thus mixing all of my SDE undead figures together.

The other game I have been playing a lot of is the Thunderbirds 50th Anniversary Co-operative board-game. As a child, I grew up with a deep love for Gerry Anderson's iconic puppet series. That love and affection has never faded and when I saw the announcement in February of this year that Modiphus were going to launch a new Thunderbirds board-game on Kickstarter I knew I had to back it. As Kickstarters go this was relatively cheap. £40 got you the board-game on its own or £65 got you the board-game plus all the add-ons. Naturally, I opted to pay £65. I have the board-game but the add-ons are due for release shortly. I don't mind waiting as it gives me time to learn the basics. There is much to admire about this game if you are a fan of the show, not least is the fact that it is designed for 1 to 4 players. Games with the solo play option always appeal to me!
Initial set up for 4 players. Solo players use 3 characters.
This is without doubt the best piece of merchandise released this year for the 50th anniversary of Thunderbirds. This game is a fantastic tribute, and playing it, you really do feel immersed in the show. Players each take on a character from International Rescue (Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon, John or Lady Penelope) and a craft, and work together to perform rescues on Thunderbirds-themed disasters and try to prevent the Hood's three nefarious schemes before it's too late. If too many disasters build up or if the Hood's schemes aren't defeated soon enough, the players lose. If all the Hood's schemes are defeated you win. There is a deep sense of satisfaction as you work together to carry out the rescues and defeat each of the Hood's schemes. The game has adjustable difficulty to make the game harder or easier, depending on how successful you are at completing rescues and foiling the Hood's schemes. Everything has been well designed: the counters, cards, dice and board. Production value is second to none.
Anyone doubting the long-lasting appeal of Thunderbirds should take note of a recent poll commissioned to find the most popular ITV series of all time. Thunderbirds came second behind "Auf Weidersehen, Pet." Not bad for a 50 year old TV series! The board-game is now available to buy from various retail outlets for around £40. It's fast, fun, easy to play and I absolutely love it.
↧

Castle Ravenloft Flesh Golem & Howling Hag

December 2, 2015, 2:28 am
$
0
0
With just four more Villains to review from the 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons board-game of Castle Ravenloft, here are two of them - the mighty Flesh Golem and the sinister Howling Hag. I wanted to show these side by side to give you a sense of scale for the Flesh Golem, who towers over the 28mm tall Hag.
Strahd's twisted experiments with death created a monster that has a shambling sense of life. The Flesh Golem is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. His stats are AC14 and 10HP.
The Flesh Golem's tactics are -
If the Flesh Golem is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks an adjacent Hero with a brutal Slam.
If the Flesh Golem is on a Start tile, the active Hero takes 1 damage.
Otherwise, the Flesh Golem moves 1 tile in the direction of the tile's triangle.
A Slam attack gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile deeper into the dungeon. If the attack misses it causes 1 damage. 
In the original Castle Ravenloft RPG, there was a Flesh Golem called Adam. He was the dark-lord of Lamordia. Known as Mordenheim's Monster or the Creature, he was an extremely intelligent and nimble dread Flesh Golem, based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Adam was the most successful creation of Dr. Victor Mordenheim in his research into the creation of life, albeit the one that caused him grief unmeasured. Adam reduced the doctor's wife Elise to a vegetative state and apparently murdered their adopted daughter Eva. The two were inextricably bound together: Dr. Mordenheim had Adam's immortality, and in return Adam shared the doctor's anguish. Usually hidden from sight, Adam was believed to spend most of his time on the Isle of Agony, part of the archipelago known as the Finger.
Now, in this board-game, the Flesh Golem has no name and is a creation of the vampire ruler of Barovia, Count Strahd Von Zarovich. For me, however, I shall still call him Adam. 
The Howling Hag is a mortal woman corrupted by the rituals of Count Strahd Von Zarovich. The Howling Hag is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. Her stats are AC15 and 10HP.
The Howling Hag's tactics are -
If the Hag is within 1 tile of two or more Heroes, she attacks each Hero within 1 tile of her with a horrifying Howl.
If the Hag is on a tile with a Hero, she attacks that Hero with a teleporting Curse.
If the Hag has no path to a Hero, place her on a random Crypt Corner tile. 
Otherwise, the Hag moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero. 
A Howl attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile away from his or her tile. 
A Curse attack also gives a +7 bonus to hit and also causes 1 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile away from his or her tile. 
Both the Flesh Golem and the Howling hag are mighty fine sculpts and are worthy of their Villain status. They were both a lot of fun to paint.
↧

Castle Ravenloft Zombie Dragon

December 6, 2015, 3:06 am
$
0
0
As I draw to a close of my reviews of the figures of the Castle Ravenloft board-game, you will notice that the Villains are getting progressively stronger and tougher. For this penultimate review I'm showcasing the Zombie Dragon.
This is a large creature on the same 50mm diameter base as the Flesh Golem that I reviewed last time. I gave a lot of thought as to how I wanted to paint this monster, as dragons can be painted in many different colour schemes. There is no right or wrong answer here - just what works best for you. With that in mind, I settled on Foundry Cadaverous Green 46 for the skin and Foundry Nipple Pink 16 for the wings. I wanted him to look necrotic, unhealthy and diseased. As with Adam, my Flesh Golem, strips of skin have peeled away to show his bones and muscles but because his heart is no longer working, no blood is being pumped out.
The Zombie Dragon is a Level 5 Villain and activates at the start of each Villain Phase. His stats are AC13 and 13HP.
The Zombie Dragon's tactics are -
If the Zombie Dragon is on a tile with a Hero, it attacks each Hero on that tile with Claws, Wings & Tail.
If the Zombie Dragon is within 1 tile of a Hero, it moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attacks with a Bite.
Otherwise, the Zombie Dragon moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero.
A Claws, Wings & Tail attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage, as well as causing the Hero to be Slowed and placed 1 tile away from his or her tile.
A Bite attack gives a +7 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage.
Whilst the Zombie Dragon is larger than a 28mm tall figure it is, by dragon standards, quite small. That said, it is still a tough opponent - 13HP are a lot when most Heroes only have 5HP. As far as the sculpting goes, I really like this figure. I'm now thinking how I can use it in Zombicide: Black Plague?
Next time, the one you've all been waiting for - Gravestorm the Dracolich.
↧
Search

Castle Ravenloft Gravestorm the Dracolich

December 9, 2015, 2:36 am
$
0
0
And so I come to the final figure in my lengthy review of all of the 28mm scale miniatures from the Castle Ravenloft board-game for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. In my opinion, I have kept the best till last because Gravestorm is a truly awesome figure in size, sculpting and abilities.
Gravestorm is the largest figure in this game. He stands on a 75mm diameter base and is 90mm tall by 120mm long (would be longer still if his tail was uncurled). If you were wondering how can such a large creature fit into the rooms and corridors of a castle, he has a special ability called Squeezing, which allows the figure to be placed over walls as long as the centre square that Gravestorm is on is open.
There are only two named Villains in the Castle Ravenloft board-game - Count Strahd Von Zarovich, the vampire lord and ruler of the country of Barovia, and his most prized servant, Gravestorm the Dracolich. Both are formidable opponents capable of wiping out a party of Heroes on their own. Gravestorm is a level 6 Villain and he activates at the start of each Villain phase. His stats are AC14 and he has 20HP (gulp!).
Gravestorm's tactics are -
When Gravestorm is encountered, place the Dragon's Breath token on his stat card.
If the Dragon's Breath token is on his stat card and Gravestorm is within 1 tile of two or more Heroes, remove the token and then Gravestorm attacks each Hero within 1 tile of it with a Blast of Lightning.
If Gravestorm is within 1 tile of a Hero, it attacks the closest hero with a Bite.
If Gravestorm is within 3 tiles of a Hero, it moves 1 tile toward the Hero with the most Hit Points and then attacks each Hero on the closest Hero's tile with a Burst of Lightning.
Otherwise, Gravestorm moves 1 tile toward the Hero with the most Hit Points.
A Blast of Lightning gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 3 damage if it hits or 1 damage if it misses. 
A Bite gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage, as well as placing the Hero 1 tile in the direction of the arrow of his or her tile's triangle.
A Burst of Lightning gives a +8 bonus to hit and causes 1 damage.
Strahd is harder to hit than Gravestorm with Armour Class 19 compared to the Dracolich's AC14 but no one in Castle Ravenloft has as many Hit Points as Gravestorm. With HP20 he can soak up a tremendous amount of damage. In all of the scenarios provided with this game, the Heroes usually have to face only 1 Villain at a time. Just imagine having to face Strahd and Gravestorm together! What a frightening thought!
When you first open the Castle Ravenloft boxed game, Gravestorm just stands out from all the other figures simply because of his size. But look closer at him and you realise what a fantastic figure he is and how amazingly well sculpted he is. This game features some genuinely well sculpted figures, like the Blazing Skeletons, Dracolich, Flesh Golem, Howling Hag and Rat Swarm, as well as a few very badly sculpted figures like Strahd/Young Vampire and the Zombies. The rest are mostly good with a few being average. Ultimately, I am very glad that I bought this set, due to its emphasis on the undead. I enjoy playing it and will continue to play it. What more could I ask for?

Finally, I have created a new page containing all of my Castle Ravenloft posts so far. Just click on the label marked "Dungeons and Dragons" at the top of the page if you want to check them out.
↧
↧

THW - High Moon Rulebook

December 13, 2015, 2:48 am
$
0
0
It seems like a very long time since I last reviewed anything by Two Hour Wargames (THW). That's simply because I haven't bought anything new from them... until recently. One supplement in particular, High Moon: Dead Reckoning had me very excited for a number of reasons. First up, it was both a supplement to the excellent Six Gun Sound Wild West rulebook as well as a stand alone rulebook in itself. Secondly, it introduces Weird West elements to the genre with rules for Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Warlocks and Zombies, either as heroes or villains. Cool!

Wild West gaming in 28mm scale is something I'd love to get into if only I could find the time. I already own a large collection of 28mm scale Wild West figures (most need re-basing and repainting, however) and a load of card model buildings I could use (sadly, all unmade). I had already decided that if I ever succumbed to the urge to take up Wild West gaming seriously then Six Gun Sound would be my "go to" rules. They really are superb and far more detailed than most THW rulebooks. Taking on this challenge, assuming I decide to, will require a large investment in time but fortunately, not in money. Although, having said that, I'm sure I could find plenty of new figures I'd want to buy. That's always the way, isn't it?

High Moon adds a whole new dimension to the Wild West genre and that is, of course, the supernatural. You could use High Moon without referencing the supernatural elements. It is basically a streamlined and simpler version of Six Gun Sound. But that surely misses the point. What makes High Moon stand out are its detailed rules for the creatures of the night. Let's take a closer look at them.

Vampires are fast and very hard to kill. This manifests itself in a number of ways. When rolling for Activation, a Vampire may roll twice if desired and choose the highest result. This Attribute is called Precognition. A Special Ability called Blinding Speed works whenever a Vampire is fired upon by a ranged weapon. The Vampire rolls 1d6 vs. its Rep.  If it passes 1d6, the hit becomes a miss. If it passes 0d6 or rolls a 6, the hit remains. Another Attribute they have is Dread, meaning all Vampires cause Terror, which can affect opponents in a variety of negative ways. As with traditional Vampires they have one special disability - an aversion to sunlight. Prolonged exposure to sunlight will kill them. All damage from normal weapons is reduced in severity against Vampires. Silver bullets or silver tipped weapons may cause normal damage but not always!
If you feel up to a challenge, you can play a Vampire Hunter, a special breed of human, trained to hunt and kill Vampires. They are more attuned to vampire lore than normal humans.

Werewolves (or Were-creatures as you can also encounter Werebears or Werecoyotes) are more pack-oriented creatures than most supernatural beings. A Werewolf's Special Attributes are Causes Terror (as Vampires do) and Leap, which allows the Werewolf to leap onto the roof of a single storey building or move 8" across the ground. They have a Special Attribute called Fast Mover, which allows them to take the Fast Move test with 3d6 instead of 2d6 and counting all results. A Were-creature can transform from human to animal or back again in one complete Turn. As with Vampires, silver bullets or silver-tipped weapons may harm a Werewolf. If hit by a normal bullet when in human form, the Werewolf will transform on the next turn it is active.

Witches (male Witches are called Warlocks) are very rare, secretive and tend to be loners but they are powerful spell casters. A Witch has two Special Attributes. First is Blink which is used if the Witch wins a Draw! or In Sight test. The Witch rolls 1d6 vs her Rep. If successful, the Witch disappears and reappears 6 + 1d6" behind the opponent. Secondly, all Witches possess Casting, the ability to use Magic Spells. Spells take the form of Damage (offensive), Dazzle (distraction) or Defend (protection). The specifics are left up to you to decide. Some Witches may know Speciality Magic which takes two forms - Potions and Challenge Spells (these are spells not covered by the three main categories). Note that if a Witch is carrying any weapon except for a knife, she can not cast spells.

Zombies come in two types - normal mindless flesh-eating Zombies or Smart Zombies, who retain some intelligence and can still use guns. A Zombie's only Attribute is Sanity Check, taken by anyone who sees a Zombie Feast for the first time. Unlike in other settings, Zombies in the Wild West have three interesting quirks. First is called Fear of God. If within 6" and Line of Sight of a Preacher, Zombies stop and take the Charge Into Melee test. If the Preacher wins and remains stationary, the zombie will not approach him. Second is called It's a Lady! Female humans and Witches can have a distracting effect on male Zombies. If within 6" and Line of Sight of a female for the first time, a Zombie will stop in place and forfeit a Turn of Activation. On its next Turn the Zombie sees the female as a meal instead of a Lady. Finally, is Cat Fight! Female Zombies have an uncontrollable dislike of female humans and Witches. If within 6" and Line of Sight to a female, the female Zombie will immediately Charge Into Melee. Male Zombies within 6" and Line of Sight will stop and not move until the fight has been resolved.

Having read this supplement I am very keen to try it out. I like the detailed rules of Six Gun Sound, but I know some folk will be looking for something simpler and quicker to play. Dead Moon would seem to be the solution. Most of the basic rules have been tweaked to simplify game-play. One major change is that there are now only two Reaction tables to learn - Being Shot At and Man Down, which will please a lot of people. Anyone familiar with any of the THW rulebooks should have no problem in using Dead Moon.

You can purchase Dead Moon from the THW webstore - http://www.twohourwargames.com/himodere.html at $17.00 for a PDF version or $20.00 for a printed version. I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in looking for a Weird West setting and I award this book a 9 out of 10 rating. Yes, it is that good. Although I haven't reviewed Six Gun Sound yet, if I had it would score a perfect 10 out of 10.
↧

All Things Zombie: Reloaded Board-game

December 16, 2015, 3:08 am
$
0
0
Tonya the Rep:5 Star in the thick of the action. Go girl!
This is a game I have been waiting for for a long time - All Things Zombie: Reloaded (or as I shall call it, ATZ:Reloaded). Let's make one thing clear from the start - this is NOT a replacement for ATZ - Final Fade Out. If you want to game with miniatures and 3D scenery then stick with ATZ-FFO*.ATZ:Reloaded is a stand alone board-game played with card counters on a hex map. The game was written and designed by Ed Teixeira as an improved version of the old ATZ board-game, which is now out of print. Gone are the character specific scenarios to be replaced by generic encounters. The rules are more in keeping with those found in ATZ-FFO. Indeed, ATZ:Reloaded would work as a perfect primer for those wanting to get into ATZ-FFO, as it is much more streamlined and less detailed. Also, if you are limited for space, or lack sufficient figures and/or 3D scenery, then this is a worthy substitute.


Inside you'll find:
  • A full set of colour counters including Survivors, Gangers, and Militia characters, as well as a wide range of weapons and loot that you can find during your games.
  • A set of Event Cards that provide all the info you need at a glance, from friends, enemies, zombies, loot and more.
  • Newly designed Player Aid Cards to help you keep track of your characters and their “stuff”.
  • An easy to use campaign system that ties all your games together where the results of one affects the results of the next.
  • Six 11” x 17” maps that can be laid out in over 50 different ways, making each game unique.
  • Specific objectives that provide ways for your characters to increase in skill and ability when they succeed.
  • All this and more.
ATZ:Reloaded can be played solitaire, cooperatively with everyone on the same side, or competitively with everyone against one another. It can also be played as a “one off game” or part of an ongoing campaign.
Components consist of:
  • 25 Event Cards
  • 6 - 11" x 17" Maps (2 Rural, 2 Suburban and 2 Urban)
  • 20 Character Cards (11 named and 9 generic)
  • 88 Counters
  • 3 Rules Reference Sheets (printed double-sided)
I have played this game quite a lot these past couple of weeks and I have mixed views on it. Let's start with the good points. First impressions were highly favourable. Production values are high. The rulebook is in full colour with lots of examples of how the rules work. The Event Cards, Character Cards and Maps are well designed. The Counters are printed on thick card and are very durable. It might be that I am extremely familiar with the ATZ rules but I found the rulebook very easy to understand. Game play is more akin to the tabletop skirmish version than the older board-game version. I'm a huge fan of the whole All Things Zombie franchise and followed the progress of this board-game throughout its production with keen interest. Overall, the game is fine but it is not without its faults.

Most of the bad points about the game are relatively minor. What always annoys me about any book is sloppy proofreading. This rulebook has not been properly proofread. For starters, the right hand column of text on page 6 is repeated on the left hand column of page 7. On page 11 under the heading TURN SEQUENCE it says "if the die scores are the same (doubles) neither side will activate." However, in the glossary under DOUBLES it says "when 2d6 are rolled for Activation and the results are the same both sides activate." I believe the text on  page 11 to be correct. This is how it works in ATZ-FFO.
The Damage Table for Ranged Fire on one of the Reference Sheets is badly worded. It says to roll 1d6 vs Rep and apply the result. Usually when it says this you roll against the Rep of the person making the roll, which in this case should be the Shooter. But this wrong. What it should specify is that you roll against the Rep of the Target! And that makes a HUGE difference! It is explained in one of the combat examples in the Zombie rules section but you could easily miss that. I know I did first time I played the game. This rule really should have been made much clearer, because as written, it is just confusing.
I have a few very minor quibbles regarding the Counters. Quite simply, I'd like to have seen more. You get counters for 3 generic Gangers, 3 generic Militia and 3 generic Survivors. These should have been doubled at the very least. Three of each is just not enough. Your choice of ranged weapons is fine and ditto for equipment. However, your choice of melee weapons is pitiful - a baseball bat or a frying pan. Really?! Is that all? Where are the axes, knives, machetes, swords and most iconic of all, the chainsaw?

I really want to recommend this game to you because Ed is a great bloke and this is a good game he's designed. But, and this important, it could have been a great game if a bit more care had been taken. It felt like it had been rushed into production, which I know was not the case. I did enjoy the games I played of it but it isn't a game I'll be rushing back to. Sadly, there is one more negative comment I have to make.

ATZ:Reloaded costs $59.99 from the Lock n Load webstore. What they fail to mention is that there is a $35.00 international delivery charge on top of that. As if that wasn't bad enough, I had an extra £15.00 customs charge to pay for it. As you can imagine I was well pissed off! Good value for money? No way! If you can find a UK supplier I strongly advise you to buy from them.

ATZ-FFO* Please note that Ed is working on a new version of the ATZ tabletop skirmish rules called All Things Zombie: Fade To Black. This rulebook will also be published by Lock n Load and they will replace ATZ-FFO. RRP is $29.99 but you can pre-order it for $24.99 from the Lock n Load website. Having been stung once I won't be ordering from Lock n Load again. One major change is that the book will be printed in full colour throughout. A big thumbs up for that! I have no idea when this book will be released but I'll let you know as soon as I'm able. I'd expect it to hit the shelves sometime in 2016.
    ↧

    Zombicide: Black Plague - An Introduction

    December 19, 2015, 3:23 am
    $
    0
    0

    Christmas has come slightly early for me. A few days ago I received my copy of Zombicide: Black Plague and I was so incredibly overjoyed. When I backed this Kickstarter project in June of this year, Cool Mini Or Not and Guillotine Games announced that the game would ship in time for Christmas 2015. I doubted it would happen... but I was wrong - it has! Okay, so it's ONLY the basic boxed set. All the add-ons and stretch goals will ship in early 2016, but even so, what a fantastic Christmas present. To the left of here is the game box sitting on my dining room table, just waiting to be opened. Let's take a look inside.
    The first thing you see is the rulebook, which runs to 60 pages in full colour. It looks gorgeous! I have read it from cover to cover and I'm mightily impressed with it. I can't find a single fault with it. Next comes a big box featuring a stunning piece of artwork showing the six heroes of the game - Ann the Warrior Nun, Baldric the Wizard, Clovis the Fighter, Nelly the Serving Girl, Samson the Dwarf and Silas the Elf.
    Inside this box are two  plastic trays of figures and other items. The top tray holds the six 32mm scale Hero figures as well as the Abomination Zombie, the Necromancer and nine assorted Zombies (2 Fatties, 2 Runners and 5 Walkers). To the left are spaces for storing the dice, coloured bases and pegs (not shown) and the game cards. The Zombie Encounter deck is shown in my photo. Finally, is something new that Guillotine Games have designed - the Hero's Dashboard. This is a HUGE improvement on the old character ID cards from previous Zombicide games. I love them. They are one of my favourite parts of the game. I'll show one in use a little later.
    The bottom tray is filled with Zombie figures - 54 in total. From left to right are a female Walker, a male Runner, a male Walker, a male Fatty, a second female Walker, a second male Runner, two more male Walkers and a second male Fatty. Coupled with the nine Zombie  figures from the top tray that is seven of each sculpt. I can see me converting more than half of these. The sculpting of all of the figures is just superb. These are going to be a labour of love to paint.


    As promised, here is a closer look at the Dashboard, set up for the start of play. Your Hero card sits in the middle of the board. In this case I have chosen Ann the Warrior Nun. Her skills are listed at the bottom of her card and next to each skill is a slot in the dashboard to fit a coloured peg to show which skills she has chosen as the game progresses. There is space at the top right of the ID card to place a weapon or item mentioned on the card (an extra Dagger for Ann) or one of the pieces of Armour. In the top left corner of the Dashboard are four slots to show how many wounds a Hero has, ranging from 0 to 3. In Zombicide: Black Plague, Heroes now have three wounds, making them more durable than their contemporary counterparts. To the left and right of the Dashboard are trays to show which item or weapon the Hero is holding in their hands. Here, I have placed the Short Sword (one of the six starting weapons) in Ann's right hand. Further items and weapons can be stowed away in any of the five slots found in the top right corner of the Dashboard. These represent the hero's Back Pack and the cards stand upright. Finally, along the bottom of the Dashboard is your Experience Tracker, which slides from left to right as the Hero earns more experience. I have also shown the deck of additional Hero ID Cards, the Items deck and the figure of Ann with her coloured base corresponding to the colour of her pegs, which in this case is yellow.
    Shown above are the two sheets of counters printed on very thick card. The two large tiles in the centre of each sheet are the Vaults. Vaults contain powerful artefacts (much like the Pimp-mobiles from the original game) and are also a handy way to take short cuts across the game board.
    Last but by no means least are the nine game tiles. These are all double-sided, giving you endless gaming set-up possibilities. They are printed on the same thick card as the counters, so will stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

    Readers of my blog will probably know by now that Zombicide is my all time favourite board-game, so it seems obvious that this review of Zombicide: Black Plague will be biased. That can't be helped and I make no apologies for it. The bottom line is that I like this fantasy based expansion set more than the modern day sets. The rules will be very familiar to anyone who has played any of the contemporary sets. But what makes them better are the changes, all of which I approve of. I have already mentioned the new Dashboard. This is such a massive improvement on the old-style Character ID cards that I hope Guillotine Games will produce them for the contemporary sets. It's unlikely to happen but I can dream, can't I?
    Fatties now spawn on their own, without their pair of Walkers accompanying them. The extra Wound and the introduction of armour makes Survivors have a much better chance of surviving without making them too powerful. But best of all, are the new Friendly Fire rules. Probably the most controversial and least popular rule in previous Zombicide sets was the Target Priority rule used in Ranged Combat. This rule made fellow Survivors the first targets to be hit by ranged fire. I know many people hated this rule or couldn't understand why this had to be. Some gamers ignored it completely. I accepted it as part of the game but used canny tactics to ensure such a situation never arose. In Zombicide: Black Plague, Friendly Fire only occurs if you fail to hit your target. The player(s) then choose which Survivor in that Zone is hit. But this is not automatic as the wound(s) can be avoided by making a successful Armour roll for the Hero chosen. This seems far more logical to me and is a rule that should be used in ALL games of Zombicide.
    I have played the tutorial scenario twice and the first two scenarios once each, winning in every case. Bear in mind, these are all described as being easy scenarios. But even so, I took to the new rules straight away and thoroughly enjoyed playing them all. This is one game that will get played a LOT in the coming months.
    Only those people who made a pledge for the game on Kickstarter will be receiving this boxed set so early. Everyone else will have to wait until early 2016 before they can buy it. Consequently, I'm not giving out price details. My final verdict is that Zombicide: Black Plague is the best zombie board-game ever! It surpasses the original Zombicide game in so many ways and I can only give it my very highest recommendation. As it stands it is damned near perfect but once the add-ons and stretch goals are released it will be just awesome! When I first learned that Guillotine Games were going to produce a fantasy version of Zombicide, I was a tad sceptical about it. But that passed within seconds when I realised the potential of the game. Every Zombicide set produced so far has improved on the previous ones. Guillotine Games have a proven track record of striking gold with their games. So surely Zombicide: Black Plague HAD to be something special? I'm telling you, folks, IT IS!
    ↧

    Vampifan's Views 73 - Merry Christmas

    December 22, 2015, 2:40 am
    $
    0
    0
    What is this? Vampifan starting a chatty post with a picture that isn't Vampirella! Who is she and who's the cute pet? They are Soda Pop Miniatures' pin-up couple, Candy and Cola. Candy is the narrator and mentor of the Super Dungeon Explore rulebooks. Cola is her pet and best friend. He/she may look like a cat but he/she has three tails (!). Candy and Cola are represented by figures for Super Dungeon Explore (Classic mode Candy and Cola, Brave mode Candy and Never Lost Cola, Shadow-Mode Candy (her evil twin), Ninja All Stars (Kunoichi Candy and Koga Kola) and Relic Knights. I have all of these figures except the Relic Knights versions.

    The purpose of this post is simply to wish all my followers a joyous and peaceful Christmas, whatever your religion. Take care everyone, be happy and stay healthy.

    I may or may not post again on Sunday. If not, you'll certainly be hearing from me next Wednesday, when I'll post my final Monthly Musings of 2015 with a look back at the year as well as looking forward to 2016.

    Very best wishes from Bryan aka Vampifan.
    ↧
    ↧

    Vampifan's Views 74 - Monthly Musings 49

    December 30, 2015, 2:55 am
    $
    0
    0
    Miss Vampirella December 2015 - Sascha Knopf
    Welcome to my final post of 2015. As with all of this year's Monthly Musings I begin with a photo of one of my 12 favourite Vampirella models. This time it is Sascha Knopf, the first Vampirella model to appear on the front cover of a Harris Vampirella comic (Vampirella Strikes #1). In fact, she appeared on four different cover variants of the comic. Vampirella Strikes #1 sold well, giving Harris the confidence to use Vampirella models for other covers, but sadly not Sascha herself. However, she did feature on Scarlet Legion (the Vampirella fan club) photos and as a convention model.
    Moving on from modelling, Sascha appeared in MGM’s What’s the Worst That Could Happen? as Danny DeVito’s social-climbing mistress, and in the film Shallow Hal with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. She has continued acting in a string of films to this day.
    Besides being a versatile, actress who can play both leading lady and character, she also has a promising career as a professional photographer. Sascha feels her work in front of the camera has given her great insight in being behind the camera, an understanding of the need for a "connection" between the photographer and the model.
    Sascha deserves her place in my top twelve. Whilst her boots are too long, I can't criticise them because they look so darned good on her! Incidentally, that's a snow globe she's holding in her hand. How very Christmassy!

    This being my last post of 2015 I thought I'd look back over the year as well as telling you about what I'm doing now and what to expect next year.

    2015 was once again marked by me indulging in my passion for board-games that use miniature figures. I began the year by playing Super Dungeon Explore and showcased the figures from the basic boxed set as well as the Von Drakk's Manor expansion set. These received mixed comments from my followers with most liking them but a vociferous few hating them (you know who you are!). At the end of March I received a huge parcel of goodies for the Zombicide Season 3 Kickstarter project I'd backed. This was quickly followed by a review of a board-game that I'd been after for a long time - A Touch of Evil, which was set in and around a small, spooky American town in the early 19th Century. I bought all of the expansion sets for it and thoroughly enjoyed playing it. May saw the arrival of the revamped Super Dungeon Explore rules called The Forgotten King or SDE version 2.0. This remained in its box until November when I finally tried it and fell in love with the solo rules known as Arcade Mode. I have yet to paint any of the figures for it. Hangs head in shame! In August I played my first (and to date only) game of Arkham Horror based on H.P. Lovecraft's Call of the Cthulhu mythos. I'd like to play more of it. In September I received another massive parcel for a Kickstarter project - Rum and Bones. This game of pirates was right up my street and is such great fun to play. I really must get round to painting at least some of the wonderful figures from the game. The Thunderbirds 50th Anniversary Board-game was the only board-game I bought that had nothing to do with the undead. It was purely a self-indulgent purchase because I have always loved Thunderbirds. It turned out to be a cracking good game. I did a comprehensive review of another game I'd bought, and have often played since, Castle Ravenloft. Given my love of all things undead it probably surprised no-one that I painted all of the figures from the game and loved most of them. Although there were some notable exceptions. The year ended on a high in mid-December when I received the boxed set for the Zombicide: Black Plague board-game. This was a game I instantly fell in love with and is now my all-time favourite board-game.

    Moving on to the present and I'd like to tell you what I got for Christmas this year. I mentioned recently when I reviewed the High Moon rules by THW that I'd love to get into Wild West skirmish gaming. There is board-game produced by Flying Frog Productions (makers of A Touch of Evil and Last Night on Earth) called Shadows of Brimstone, which I have quite fancied buying. I checked on Amazon UK and saw they had the two starter sets for sale so I ordered them both and they arrived just before Christmas Day. Lucky me!
    The two sets are sub-titled City of the Ancients and Swamps of Death. I'll review these fully in the new year. Both sets take place in an abandoned mine which can lead to alternate dimensions - the City of the Ancients or the Swamps of Death. So they play like a dungeon crawl. The heroes face supernatural creatures like zombies as well as assorted demons and other nasty surprises. As with all Flying Frog games, the production values are first rate and the miniatures are top notch.
    Beatrix the Witch Queen - sadly not painted by me!
    These were my two big presents from myself to myself. I also bought a few figures for SDE - Beatrix the Witch Queen (so cute and adorable), Jack Scarecrow and the Claws of the Wyrm Warband (a boxed set of 15 figures).
    My good friend, Stephen Gilbert, gifted me a remarkable present - the complete set of Impact Chibi Miniatures. He had wrote a set of Chibi rules for Impact and received them as part payment. However, he soon realised he'd never be able to paint them all or use them all so he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He'd let me have them all (bar a few he'd painted and wanted to keep) in return for a few Memoir 44 (a WW2 board-game) expansion sets he wanted. As far as I was concerned  it was a win-win situation. I bought Steve the expansion sets he wanted and he sent me his Impact Chibi collection. I now have well over 100 new figures to sort out and paint... eventually. My collection of fantasy Chibi figures is now immense, as the Impact figures are very compatible with the SDE figures! I'm happy and Steve's happy. Result!
    Hobby-wise I have been playing lots of games of Zombicide: Black Plague this month, although that is now taking a short break because I've started painting the figures from it. I'm now playing more games of The Forgotten King.

    Looking forward to 2016 and once again the year will be dominated by Kickstarters... or rather, stuff from Kickstarters that I backed in 2015. I'm expecting two Kickstarter parcels in January. One will be a huge package containing the Ninja All Stars game, which is both a stand-alone game and a tie-in for Super Dungeon Explore. I've ordered the basic game and all of the extras. I'm also expecting the add-ons for the Thunderbirds game very soon. That'll be a much smaller parcel. Another Kickstarter project I backed last year was for a batch of brand new Impact Chibi Miniatures. I dunno when they're due but, hopefully, it should be sooner rather than later. Around about Easter time are two more Kickstarter parcels I should be receiving. One will contain all the add-ons and stretch goals I ordered for Zombicide: Black Plague. I'm very excited about that, as I did order a lot. The other is for a miniatures-based board-game called The Others: 7 Sins. This is set in modern times and almost the whole world has been taken over by demons who follow one of the Seven Deadly Sins from the Holy Bible. A small band of survivors still stand against them. Can they prevail? The figures look stunning. In July I'm expecting LOADS of 3D scenery from the Battle Systems Urban Terrain Kickstarter. This, more than anything, will get me back to skirmish war-gaming with miniature figures. Zombie gaming is the obvious choice for this set. Hopefully, I'll get back to playing All Things Zombie. Last but by no means least, I hope to end the year with a massive parcel from Soda Pop Miniatures - Super Dungeon Explore: Legends. This is slated for a December 2016 release. I just recently backed this Kickstarter project for $300 but in return, I'll receive over $1,000 worth of product - an absolute bargain! Legends finally introduces campaign rules to SDE. Awesome!

    As you can see, I have lots to look forward to. Barring illnesses, 2016 should be a great year for me. At this time of year it is customary to make your New Year's resolutions, a tradition I generally ignore. However, I do have a number of resolutions I'd like to make, all of which I think are achievable.
    1. Play more games. This should be no problem at all. In 2015 I played at least one game per week throughout the year. I hope to double that for 2016.
    2. Cut back on my hobby spending, especially on Kickstarters. I'm now at the point where I have  enough games to last me decades of gaming. I don't need any more games. If there is a new Zombicide Kickstarter launched in 2016 I'll back it but otherwise I'll be very selective about what I buy. I have already drastically cutback on my miniature figure spending but I really need to cutback on Kickstarter projects.
    3. Drink more water. Health-wise, this is very important and easily achievable as water is just about all I do drink.
    I will, of course, keep on blogging. It is such a part of my life now that I could never give it up. Expect more of the same - figures and games reviews mixed in with a few batreps and my Monthly Musings. This has been a very wordy post, so well done if you're still here. I'd just like to end by wishing everyone a very happy New Year. Peace, prosperity and good health to you all.
    ↧

    Shadows of Brimstone Overview

    January 3, 2016, 3:06 am
    $
    0
    0
    The components of the City of the Ancients Core set. Note, the cards and counters are not shown.
    The two core sets for Shadows of Brimstone by Flying Frog Productions were my main Christmas presents for 2015. I'm going to review them in closer detail in this post. The two Core sets, called City of the Ancients and Swamps of Death share a lot in common but are also sufficiently different to present their own unique set of challenges.
    When you open either of these two large boxed sets you'll be overwhelmed by how much is packed inside. Oh boy, you do get a lot! The game tiles and card counters rest underneath the plastic trays containing all the other stuff. These games use lots of cards and counters and I do mean LOTS! The figures are made of hard plastic and most of them have to be glued together. Some gamers find this a bad thing but not me. I enjoy making models. The game uses Map Tiles, which clip together like pieces of a jigsaw. There are two types of Map Tiles - Rooms and Passages. There are also End Cap pieces for blocking off Room exits that are not Doors. There also Portal Gates which give access to the Other World. All Map Tiles are double-sided with the Mines on one side and the Other World on the other side.
    Each Core set for Shadows of Brimstone has a shared Rulebook as well as a unique Adventure Book. The main rules for the game are found in the Rulebook, while Special Rules and notes about elements of the game that are specific to the appropriate Core Set can be found in the Adventure Book.
    The game is designed for co-operative play by 1 to 4 players but if you own both sets you can play it with 5 to 6 players. For me, the big draw was the option for solo play. The layout of the Tiles, the encounters and threats, gear and artefacts, and many other events are all determined by drawing a card from the appropriate deck. Please note that this game does use lots of different decks of cards.
    The components of the Swamps of Death Core set. Note, the cards and counters are not shown.
    This is a complex game but I imagine game play will get easier the more games you play. Be warned, there are a lot of rules to learn. I've read all the books and have a basic grasp of the game but I'm sure I'll be regularly consulting the books when I do play my first game.
    The aim of the game is to take your characters down into the mines in the foothills surrounding the demonically overrun town of Brimstone. The Heroes can embark on a variety of missions, from finding and sealing a gateway to another world to rescuing a farmer's son who was hauled off in the night by a horrible creature. The Heroes explore a dynamically generated mine, overcoming dangerous encounters and fighting savage creatures, while collecting up useful Gear and ancient Artefacts to help them during their adventures. It is essentially a Wild West dungeon crawl. Heroes can even find portals to other worlds, stepping through to continue their adventure on the other side.
    In the City of the Ancients set, the Other World featured is the frozen over Targa Plateau. This is a dead world that has slipped into the ice age, covering over alien architecture with ice and snow. Though the city is long abandoned, its technology and systems are still running and it is still being watched over and maintained by robotic custodians and massive Guardians that awaken to defend sections of the city against invasion. The icy corridors have also become infested with hordes of Ancient Void Spiders, Ice Scarabs and  lumbering Snow Terrors.
    In the Swamps of Death set, the Other World featured is the overgrown Swamps of Jargono. There you will find a hot and humid swampland, with knee-deep murky water and massive bundles of roots and vines erupting from the marshy ground and dangling from the dense canopy overhead. Tribal drums can often be heard in the distance and the wild roar of massive predators stalking the half-sunken ruins for their next meal. The thick bog is also infested with slithering serpents, poisonous Bog-bats and carnivorous plants.
    The Heroes from both sets. These were not painted by me.
    Shown above are the four Heroes from both sets. From left to right are the Saloon Girl, the Indian Scout, the Preacher, the Lawman, the Rancher, the Gunslinger, the Bandido and the U.S. Marshal. These are all multi-part models. You get the Bandido, Gunslinger, Saloon Girl and U.S. Marshal with the City of the Ancients Core set and the Indian Scout, Lawman, Preacher and Rancher with the Swamps of Death Core set. Each Hero comes with their own sets of skills and abilities unique to them. One rule that I do like a lot is that the Hero Character Cards are double-sided with a male Hero on one side and a female Hero on the other side, so you can chose the sex of the Hero you want to play. Unfortunately, the figures provided are limited to one sex only. I'd have liked to seen both sets of figures included in the game. However, at the back of each Adventure Book is a page showing upcoming figures and opposite sex versions for some (hopefully, all) of the Heroes will be produced later. For example, the male version of the Saloon Girl will be the Piano Player, whilst the female version of the Preacher will be the Nun.
    One aspect of this game that I really do like are the campaign play rules. You can link your games together and watch your Heroes grow more powerful as they increase in Level and gain more skills and abilities as well as increased stats. The game even provides rules for what the Heroes do between adventures as they rest in a nearby town. They can have encounters on the way to town and in the town itself. Once in the town, they can buy new items, get healed physically and/or spiritually or sell some of their loot. This game has really been well thought out with a high level of re-playability.
    The Hungry Dead aka Wild West zombies. Not painted by me.
    Moving on to the monsters, they do look like they'd be right at home in a Call of the Cthulhu setting (check out the two pictures below). The monsters supplied with the City of the Ancients set are 1 huge Goliath (fits on a 60mm base), 3 large Night Terrors (fits on 40mm bases), 6 Stranglers and 6 Tentacles (both fit on 30mm bases) and 12 Void Spiders (not provided with bases). Note that the Heroes also fit on 30mm diameter bases. The monsters supplied with the Swamps of Death are 1 huge Harbinger (fits on a 60mm base), 3 large Slashers (fits on 40mm bases), 6 HellBats, 6 Tentacles and 12 Hungry Dead (all of whom fit on 30mm bases). Note that the Tentacles in both sets are identical. All monsters come with double-sided stat cards. On one side are their normal stats for when they go up against level 1 - 4 Heroes and on the reverse side are their more powerful Brutal stats, which they use against level 5 - 8 Heroes. As with the Heroes, most of the monsters are multi-part models that must be assembled. The Goliath and Harbinger are particularly impressive.
    The Heroes and monsters of the game.
    In the picture above you can see colour illustrations of all of the heroes and monsters from the game. However, whoever produced this has made a couple of mistakes. First up, the Outlaw is not included in either set. Shadows of Brimstone was originally launched as a Kickstarter project (which I totally missed out on), so it's possible he was included as a stretch goal. Secondly, one of the monsters is missing - the Slasher. I have included a picture of a beautifully painted version of two of the Slasher figures below. Finally, the Corpse Pile and Targa Pylons shown above are represented in the game by card counters. They might also have appeared as models in the Kickstarter stretch goals.
    A pair of Slashers, superbly painted but not by me.
    So, what are my thoughts on the game? Bearing in mind that I've yet to play the game that's hard to say, but from what I've seen, plus what I know about Flying Frog games, I fully expect it to be a great game. It certainly looks good. Everything about the game just screams high quality. If you play the campaign rules, which I strongly urge you to do, you'll find yourself coming back to this game time after time. As I said above, the replay value of Shadows of Brimstone is very high.
    There are a few potential negatives to the game. First of all, not all board-gamers like making model figures. Some of the parts of the figures are very small and could prove problematic to a novice modeller. Secondly, the figures are mostly based on 30mm diameter plastic bases and the grid of squares of the game Tiles are 30mm square. This means that the game tiles take up more space than if they used 25mm square tiles. Be aware, this game can potentially take up a lot of table space. I'm not a fan of the lipped plastic bases supplied with the sets and so I'll be substituting my bases for smaller sized 25mm diameter wooden bases in the case of the 30mm bases and similar sized wooden bases for the large 40mm based and extra-large 60mm based monsters. Finally, it has to be said that there are a lot of rules to learn. I would not recommend this game for novice gamers. Being familiar with Flying Frog's previous games, Last Night on Earth and A Touch of Evil, gave me a good grasp of how the game should work as all three games share a lot in common rules-wise.
    In my last post, Blaxcleric asked me which of the two sets I preferred? I answered Swamps of Death purely because this set contains the zombie figures. But to be honest, there is so little to choose between the two. I'm sure if you buy one you'll want the other, so if you can afford it buy both together. Amazon UK currently has both sets in stock but stock levels are very low. City of the Ancients costs £74.12 and Swamps of Death costs £69.25. RRP for both games should be £109.99 each, so Amazon is offering a really good deal. I ordered both my sets from them.
    ↧
    Search

    Zombicide: Black Plague WIP Figures

    January 6, 2016, 2:41 am
    $
    0
    0
    I am well on my way to finishing painting the six Survivors and one of each of the Zombies from the Zombicide: Black Plague game and whilst I don't normally post Work In Progress reviews I needed a quick filler today whilst I build up my library of photos to post on my blog. All figures are roughly 32mm tall, apart from the Abomination who stands 45mm tall to the top of his head. With his arms raised he stands closer to 55mm tall.
    I'm more than halfway through painting them all, with most of the block colouring and shading done and the bases finished. Next comes the fiddly bits - highlighting and detail work. Shown above from left to right are three of the six Survivors - Ann the Warrior Nun, Baldric the Wizard and Clovis the Fighter.
    Next up are the three remaining Survivors - Nelly the Barmaid, Samson the Dwarf Blacksmith and Silas the Elf Archer - and an unnamed evil Necromancer, who for game-play purposes is classed as a zombie.
    Here are five non-Walker Zombies from the game, the fearsome Abomination, a pair of Fatties and a pair of Runners.
    Finally, are five Walkers, the most numerous of the zombie types, comprising three males and two females. The game includes multiple duplicates of the Fatty, Runner and Walker zombies.
    I plan on showing off a lot of Zombicide figures over the next few months, with posts split between contemporary Zombicide (namely, Prison Outbreak) and Black Plague.

    ↧

    Heresy Miniatures Vampires 01

    January 10, 2016, 2:47 am
    $
    0
    0
    Last month I finally got round to painting four Heresy Miniatures 28mm scale Vampire figures that I bought years ago. I think the only reason they lay unpainted for so long is that they all required some assembly and I was just too lazy to glue them together. My interest in vampires (which has never wavered, although you wouldn't tell from my blog posts) was reignited when I recently painted my Castle Ravenloft figures. That prompted me to dig out my Heresy Vampires and show them some love.
    At the far left of my two photos is a Vampire in a long coat. He came with a choice of three heads and I chose the head wearing the top hat to make him look like a Victorian Vampire. I wouldn't mind buying another copy of him and giving him the traditional Nosferatu head, all bald with long pointed ears and prominent fangs. As is, he has an air of mystery and arrogance about him. Most befitting for a Vampire!
    Next up is Lord Von Blutgericht, who is a multi-part model. His head, right hand and left leg and skull are separate pieces. You can choose between an open right hand or a hand holding a long sword. I felt he'd look more dramatic with the long sword. Actually, it just occurs to me that he'd make a good substitute for the awful plastic figure of Count Strahd Von Zarovich that you get in the Castle Ravenloft game.
    Third in line is Lady Von Blutgericht, wife of the aforementioned Lord. She is also a multi-part model with separate head and a choice of right and left hands. Her right hand is open-handed but you can choose between a hand holding a large goblet or a long sword for her left hand. I see her as being every bit as vicious as her husband, so gave her the long sword. Together, they make a fearsome pair.
    Finally, is a Vampire in Man-Bat Form. He was the figure I was least looking forward to making as his bat wings were separate pieces. Fortunately, I was able to drill and pin them at the arm joints and glued them in place with super-glue. In the end, he went together a lot easier than I thought he would. I had to glue him to a 30mm diameter slotta-base, because his wings made him unbalanced when I tried him on a 25mm diameter slotta-base. I decided to paint him in a dry bone colour (Foundry Boneyard 9, with a Citadel Seraphim Sepia ink wash). He was the easiest of the four to paint. Note that all four vampires have glowing red eyes, a sure sign that they aren't human!
    I do like this quartet of Vampires and it's nice to start the New Year off with a post of some Vampire figures. I don't showcase nearly enough of them, which is odd as I still have loads left to review. I've just checked on the Heresy website for the prices of these and sadly, the Lord and Lady Von Blutgericht are no longer available. Bummer! The Victorian Vampire is listed as Posing Vampire and he costs £4.00, whilst the Vampire in Man-Bat Form costs £7.00.
    ↧
    ↧

    Studio Miniatures' Survivors 05

    January 13, 2016, 2:24 am
    $
    0
    0
    I have just recently painted the first four Survivor figures from the Studio Miniatures Z-Clips Outbreak Kickstarter parcel I received late last year. Any zombie fan should instantly recognise them as the four heroes from George A. Romero's classic 1978 film, Dawn of the Dead.
    First in line are the two WGON television staff members, Francine and Stephen. What is immediately apparent about the figure of Francine Parker (as played by Gaylen Ross) is just how small she is. This is not meant as a criticism, just an observation. Francine works in administration and is the girlfriend of Stephen, from whom she learns how to pilot a helicopter just in case anything untoward happens to him. Note, it does! She is a strong-willed character and is armed with a Bolt Action Rifle.
    Stephen Andrews (played by David Emge) is a helicopter pilot, who earns the nickname "Flyboy" in the film. He is often rash and prone to acting first before thinking of the consequences. When the zombie apocalypse kicks off he plans to fly Francine, himself and their friend, Roger, away from Philadelphia to somewhere safer. Haven turns out to be a huge shopping mall located in Monroeville. He is armed with a six-shot revolver.
    Next up are the two SWAT Troopers, Peter and Roger. Roger DeMarco (played by Scott Reiniger) is a close friend of Stephen and Francine. For the most part, Roger acts very professionally but when on a zombie clearing mission outside the Monroeville Mall, he gets overconfident and suffers a zombie bite, which inevitably, proves fatal. He is armed with a 9mm Pistol (held in a two-handed grip) and a 5.56mm Colt AR-15 Assault Carbine.
    Peter Washington (played by Ken Foree) teamed up with Roger when they were part of a SWAT team tasked to clearing out an apartment block whose residents were defying martial law by refusing to hand over their dead to the National Guard. Afterwards, Roger invited Peter to join his trio to flee in Stephen's helicopter. Peter more than proved himself capable and was the most level-headed of the group. He is armed exactly the same as Roger.
    Of all the survivor figures made for a zombie apocalypse game these are the four I have been waiting for the longest. I was just 21 when I first saw Dawn of the Dead in the cinema way back in early 1979. No other film since has made such a lasting impression on me as that one! It totally blew me away and so began my lifelong love affair with all things zombie-related. Even today, Dawn of the Dead remains my all-time favourite zombie movie. Studio Miniatures are renowned for making arguably the best sculpted zombie miniatures on the market and these four survivors are just first rate. The likenesses to their on screen characters are amazing. I am dying to use them in a game of Zombicide set in a shopping mall, of course!
    I leave you with a couple of photos taken from the film, showing all four survivors together.
    Fran, Stephen, Peter and Roger take a well earned break from killing zombies in the Monroeville shopping mall.
    Ready for action. Roger may be down but he's not out of the fight just yet. Now let's kill some zombies!

    ↧

    Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Berserker Abominations 01

    January 16, 2016, 10:02 pm
    $
    0
    0
    Berserker Zombies were introduced in the Zombicide Season 2: Prison Outbreak supplement. I'll begin the first of my many reviews of them (I do have lots of them to show!) with a close look at the most dangerous of all - the Berserker Abominations.
    Berserker Zombies differ from other zombie types in Zombicide in the following ways -
    1. Berserker Zombies are immune to Ranged Weapon Damage, except for weapons killing everything in their target Zone (such as Molotov Cocktails or Flame-throwers). Unless otherwise stated, the only way to kill a Berserker Zombie is in Melee Combat.
    2. Berserker Zombies exist in all four types: Abominations, Fatties, Runners and Walkers. They have the same characteristics and get the same targeting priority as their counterparts, but in Ranged Combat and Car Attacks, a Berserker of a given type is targeted after the other Zombies (Standard, Toxic, etc.) of the same type. Players still choose their targets in Melee Combat.
    3. Berserker Fatties are spawned with an escort of two Berserker Walkers.
    4. Berserker Zombies do not benefit from the extra activation cards of other Zombie types.
    5. Car Attacks can kill Berserker Zombies.
    6. The Berserker Abomination has an additional game effect: it moves up to two Zones instead of one.
    Note that Berserker Zombies are not turned into Toxic Zombies by the Toxic Abomination.
    The Prison Outbreak boxed set only includes one Berserker Abomination figure but I picked up a second one as part of the stretch goals for backing Season 2. According to the rules, it is perfectly okay to field two or more Abominations in a game, if you have extra figures of them. Otherwise, spawn a Fatty with its escort of two Walkers of the appropriate type.
    I decided that the easiest way to differentiate between my two Berserker Abominations was to give them contrasting hair colours, so one is black-haired and the other (obviously much older) is grey-haired. The various Abominations are always impressively sculpted and these are no exception.  Check out those claws on their right hands. They could slice a man in two! I have been waiting until I painted all of my Berserker Zombies before using them in a game. Now that they are all finished I'm looking forward to trying them out in a few scenarios. Wish me luck!
    ↧

    Zombicide Zombies - Season 2 Berserker Fatties 01

    January 20, 2016, 3:04 am
    $
    0
    0
    Today I present my Berserker Fatties from the Zombicide Season 2: Prison Outbreak supplement.
    The first three Berserker Fatties shown here came from Prison Outbreak. The one at the far right was a free stretch goal figure I received for backing Season 2 of Zombicide. Berserker Fatties follow the same rules as standard Fatties: each one spawned is accompanied with two Walkers of the same type, only weapons doing 2 or more points of damage can kill them and as with all Berserker Zombies they are immune to ranged fire.
    The first three Berserker Zombies in the two photos above have been left as they came with the boxed set. Only my paint schemes distinguishes them. The Fatty at the far right has been converted by simply cutting off his left arm at the elbow.
    The first three of these sculpts came from the Angry Zombies boxed set, which contains 24 extra Berserker Zombies, including some new sculpts like these ones. The one at the far right was another stretch goal freebie for backing Zombicide Season 2.
    The two at the far left and far right are straight sculpts from the box. The middle two have been converted by me. Once again, I've done a simple arm removal on one. For the other one I added a mass of intestines spilling from his stomach. These were made from Milliput rolled up into thin sausage shapes. It's not too difficult a conversion to do and looks suitably disgusting when painted.
    Note that the majority of the Berserker Zombies are wearing the orange jumpsuits worn by prison inmates. The reason why this is, is in the name of the supplement they appear in - Prison Outbreak. It sure made painting them an easy task as I didn't have to think up different colour schemes for each one. I like all of the Fatty Zombies produced for Zombicide and these are particularly cool.
    ↧
    Viewing all 682 articles
    Browse latest View live
    Search