Doctor Merkury's Lab

Weird World War 2: POINT BLANK!

2011-12-06T17:13:00.001-08:00

WEIRD WORLD WAR 2

I recently came across some archival footage of some Weird War actions using a modified version of Iron Ivan Games's Point Blank Skirmish Rules:

The Eastern Front, 1943

The Soviet "Little Klims" Iron Comrade Armor

T34s and Infantry support the Soviet assault.

Another aerial photo.

German forces advance through the tree lines.

A Heavy German Walker advances, the Von Stine.

A T34 attempts to engage the Von Stine!

The T34 misses!

But not the Von Stine!

A little Klim falls the walker, but will it recover?!

The little Klims advance, but the Von Stine rights itself!

One Klim gets smoked, while the other runs into the woods occupied by German infantry.

Screams are heard coming out of the woods as the Germans are butchered.

Germans dying everywhere!

Encircled by heavy armor and out of ammo, the Klim is taken down!

More to come,
Doc

PLO T34/85 for Lebanon 1982

2011-11-28T07:01:00.001-08:00

Adding to my PLO forces for the Lebanon Civil War, 1982

Here are some PLO soldiers from Mongrel Miniatures with a JFTM T34/85

I went with a very worn look for the T34. Also got some Jersey Barriers from JR Miniatures. All 28mm stuff.

More to come,
Doc

The Night of The Glob, AAR

2011-11-16T15:50:00.001-08:00

Night of The Glob

Here is the AAR of the Glob game we ran using Iron Ivan Games new Scenario for No More Room In Hell:

http://store.ironivangames.com/glob.html

Downtown Fenixburg after the Glob has landed.

The USMC Rescue teams arrive via Sea Knight chopper.

Quickly teams Tango and Charlie spread out in the dark of night in search of Survivors...
"We'll check the car, you take your team and check that building.."

The car is clear, but a Glob is spotted!

Pvt Stine tries to fend off the Glob in Hand to Hand!

The Glob is stunned as it attempts to reconstitute itself!

Team Charlie becomes trapped inside the building which is leaking Gas!!
Out Front a Glob moves toward Team Charlie-
As an even larger Glob moves toward their building. Team Charlie flees out a back door and through an alley!

Team Tango makes it's way back to the Chopper and finds a Survivor, Pvt Stine faints after another encounter with a Glob. Encounter markers begin to close on the USMC, but are they more Survivors or Globs?!

Closer, closer...

They are Globs! And Team Tango takes tests on the Fear table. Sgt. Conley and Pvt Stine both pass out, but Pvt Gardner rushes into hand to hand and beats back the Glob from his comrades.

Safe for the moment!

Team Charlie rescues a wino and a cat lady and try to hot wire a RV as Globs begin to close around them.

Team Tango find 2 more Survivors, High Tower and Doctor Price.

Encircled by the Glob, Team Charlie sacrifices the Wino to the Glob to escape!

Run for the Chopper!!

Here comes a big one!!

Fire splits it apart!

But doesn't stop it from reaching hand to hand, Fear tests are failed and Pvt Gardner bolts while Pvt Stine faints again and is eaten by the Glob. Only Sgt. Conley of the team makes it back to the Chopper.

Team Charlie makes a mad dash for the Chopper!

The Globs encircle the Chopper as the Teams attempt to fend them off while they lift off.

In the end Team Tango rescued the most Survivors, but lost 2 Team members, Stine who was eaten and Gardner who was left behind!

The game was a lot of fun and really shows how versatile No More Room In Hell is for all types of Survival Horror gaming. This ran about 2 hours with lots of laughs and tension to go around. Give it a try:

http://store.ironivangames.com/glob.html

Doc

THE GLOB!

2011-10-26T20:42:00.001-07:00

It is at great personal peril that I now take you through the process by which the Glob, the Doom of Humanity, came into being. May God have mercy on my soul.

Here we can see the elements and tools needed for the Glob's creation, safely shielded by the Lab's solid walls of 3 inch thick Impervium.
Red Ink
Washers
Glue gun and glue sticks for said glue gun
Household cement
Decorative Marbles
Triple Coat Krylon Gloss spray

Here is a close up of the most important ingredients, the glass marble accents used to fill some banal vase of flowers, but here weaponized and used to create flesh eating Hell Jelly. They are highly reflective and flat on one side. Also noticeable is the Daeg Rune I received from the time I spent abducted by Norwegian Pirates on one of my Explorations of the North Seas, but that is another story...

Step 1: Glue the Glass beads to the washers/bases using a household cement, nothing fancy, just get them on there. You can fit more than one on if you want to create some variety.

Step 2: Fire up the hot glue gun, use about a stick, stick and a half on no more than 3 bases.

Step 3: You need a needle, piece of wire or similiar instrument. While the hot glue is still tacky, push into the glue with the pin and pull outward. This will create the tendrils with which the Glob will feed with.

Here I am performing this task. Notice how the Glob is becoming animate and lashing itself around the needle, sensing the heat of my flesh holding it. Be very careful at this point.

Step 4: Once the Globs have cooled and have gone into a state of hibernation, begin painting them with red ink. Here you can see some vintage GW ink that has lasted over 10 years.

The Globs receiving the coat of Red ink.

They begin to stir again...

Step 5: Seal the Globs now with the Gloss coat spray.

The Finished Terror...

More to Come,
Doc

It Came From The Stars!!!

2011-10-23T17:45:00.001-07:00

A Meteorite from the Dark, Cold reaches of space slams into the town of Mongoville, startling the residents from their slumber, but worse things were to come...

"What is that thing Joe? Some...kinda...Glob?!"

Beware the Glob!

More to come...
Doc

28mm USMC M60A1 MBT circa 1980, Phase2

2011-10-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

FINISHED
Here is the painted finale of the M60A1 corgi diecast tank with some 1980's USMC from Mongrel Miniatures. I didn't bother to do the bustle rack, I could do it with some chicken wire, but I couldn't see it lasting with gamers.

I think this about does it for my Marine force, still have some more stuff to do for my 80's project though. More to come...

Doc

Battle on Genosha IV

2011-10-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Did a test run of some Scifi Fantasy rules I've been toying around and used Star Wars minis for the game. So here we are on the planet Genosha IV with the Clones defending against a droid assault force.
The Table.

Defenses are laid and positions taken.

"Wait till you see their optic sensors!"

Fast support awaits the signal to attack behind the rock face cover.

Droids supported by grav tanks advance.

"Wait for it.."

Troopers rain death down on the enemy only to be torn apart from return fire.

A Jedi advances with a squad escort.

Troopers open up from the other cliff, but are forced back by Gravtank fire.

Sith and Droids advance by cover

Gravtank is taken out by the Republic tank after it pops up from cover and smokes it.

Still they advance.

Super Battle Droids get pinned down by the Republic tank.

Droids advance under cover, Roger, Roger.

The troopers scale down the cliff face to hold the objective.

Suppressing fire!

The Jedis advance on the Sith.

Force push knocks back a squad of droids.

The Jedi comes under fire from all sides as the troopers drop around him.

More droids thrown back with the Force.

The Jedis try to attack together, but one is thrown back with Force push.

Droids are shot down and Force Crushed, but the Sith manages to rally and take the objective. Mass fire from overwhelming droid forces tear down the Jedi and what seemed like a victory for the Republic, goes to the Separatists.

More to Come,
Doc

28mm USMC M60A1 MBT circa 1980, Phase I

2011-09-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

So after a long period of years of steady searches on Ebay, I finally scored a Corgi diecast 1/50 scale M60A1 for under $20. Let the conversion work begin!

Here is the tank right out of the box with a Mongrel Mini standing in for scale. The details are nice enough for wargaming but the plunger barrel has got to go. The current barrel is made to fire a plastic rocket with springs. First step, I mercilessly tear off the black plunger piece so now it is just the smaller barrel.

Step 2: I go to my stash of Evergreen plastic modeling tubing and find a diameter that slides over the old barrel. I cut it to the correct size, put a little glue inside and slide it over the barrel.

Step 3: I take the next smaller size of tubing and cut a small piece to fit in the end for detailing. The Evergreen tubing is sold in gradual sizes so each fits snuggly inside the next size.

Step 4: I cut pieces wide enough in diameter to slide over the new barrel to make the muzzle break and details. Voila! New barrel has been made and is sturdy for use to boot. Next up will be the NATO paint scheme.

More to come,
Doc

Star Wars Stuff

2011-09-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

In An Episode Far, Far Away...

Here are some of the Transformer Star Wars toys that fit good with the Star Wars CMGs.

A Clone Tank ready to hover out and attack.

Some Gunship action, a little small but works for me.

Droid tanks ready to fry some Gungans. Nice to see rivets exist in the future.

More to come!

1980's Syrian Gazelle for SOCWAD

2011-09-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

Finished my 1/50 scale diecast Gazelle from Verem for my 28mm 1980's Syrians. Been looking to add more to my force for Seek Out, Close With, And Destroy games and thought this would be a fun addition. I still need to stat it out, but hope to get it on the table soon.

More to come.
Doc

Alle Gegen Alle: No More Room In Hell 1944

2011-09-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

In the maelstrom of the Eastern Front, 1944 the Dead walk again! Play one of 4 desperate, German survivors trying to escape the Russian Juggernaut's Operation Bagration as you flee Westward seeking sanctuary, but all you find is the Vengeance of your own Dead! Iron Ivan Games proudly announces the first Survival Horror adventure for No More Room In Hell,
Alle Gegen Alle.

In Alle Gegen Alle you the Survivor must navigate through the Red Storm and the Undead!

Alle Gegen Alle is a full color 14 page scenario with new rules for Spotting, Angels of Vengeance, Holy Relics, Cursed Items and Hidden Horrors as well as a full background story and illustrations to the Scenario.

Can you Survive the Ost Front when Alle Gegen Alle?!

Now available for download from our online store for $5 USD.

http://store.ironivangames.com/allegegenalle.html

More to come...

Afghanistan 1985 with Disposable Heroes: POINT BLANK

2011-08-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

DISPOSABLE HEROES: POINT BLANK
Game test Afghanistan 1985

We ran a Moderns Game Test of the forthcoming Squad based Skirmish Ruleset from Iron Ivan Games, Disposable Heroes: Point Blank. We did a 4 player game with each player getting a squad.

The table.

A lonely local, milling about a broken down truck...smells like a trap.

Here comes the Red Army.

A mechanized squad enters the table and quickly deploys.

Ali gives the signal to attack!

The Muj ambush the Soviets.

The Soviets begin taking up positions and move to flank the Muj.

The Muj begin to get pinned down from the Soviet fire.

Muj snipers take down a Soviet.

A Muj RPG takes out the BMP, but is pinned into oblivion from suppressing fire.

The unpinned Muj charge the flanking Soviets and defeat them in Close Combat, but lose their overall commander.

The game lasted about 1.5 hrs and ended with the Soviets in a little better condition. There were a lot of Muj suppressed on the table and losing their leader meant less activations in the Point Blank system. The Soviets took some losses too, but their training gave them a greater tactical flexibility by way of more activations and better morale.

All in all a fun game, I like how the mechanics of the game allow individual actions and you see a tactical choices being made by the players.

More to come,

Doc

Dirk Manchest and Farouk go to the Earth's Core

2011-06-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Alright, back to some more work on the Hollow Earth rules for Where Heroes Dare!

My long time, faithful Companion Mongo purchased a Zuzzy mat for me with earnings he made from the sale of one my early inventions, The Feeble Inducer ray. Apparently it sold well enough for me to get the mat and him to get the operation and new clothes he desired.

So here is the mat:

The mat and the paints about to be used on it.

Post paints.

Now we proceed to Dirk Manchest and Professor Farouk at the Earth's Core.

"I say Manchest, a trifle hot down here wot wot?"

"Quiet Farouk, that big toothed thing sees us!"

"We must run, your umbrella is powerless here!"

So that's some of the new terrain, going to give it a test run tomorrow so more to come.

Doc

Republican Assault on ROshon IV AAR

2011-04-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Republican Forces arrive on the desert waste planet ROshon IV in the Manheim System to destroy a Separatist Recon Post.

ROshon IV

The Separatist Recon Facility built using enslaved Bith labor.

Another view of the station.

"Have you ever killed a Jedi?"
"No"

Jedis Tomax and Xamot advance with Clone escort.

The brave but short lived Red Battle Droid team advances to meet a Jedi Acolyte. Last known image of the Red Battle Droid team.

Under fire from Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids the Republic forces advance.

Ground is claimed by the Clones after a young Jedi rushes the walls only to be cut down by Droid fire.

The barrels of the Speeder wilt under intense use. These things happen as you get older.

A team of ferocious Wookies advance led by One Zed A Day Kris.

The Jedis leap onto the roof of the Separatist Health Clinic but are unable to charge the Sith below.

Brutal fire fights erupt in the alleys with blasters flaring and Null grenades going off.

The Sith Charge the Jedis on the roof in a desperate attempt to stop their advance.

But are force blasted off the roof during the whirling melee!

Wookies smell fresh Sith.

The Sith charge the Wookies, the wookies take out the already wounded Sith Acolyte but fall under the blades of the Sith Master. The Recon post is lost but the Republic suffers a heavy price.

We used heavily modified Where Heroes Dare! rules for the game and we ran it about 7 turns in 3 hours with 5 players. In hindsight there needed to be less Jedis on the Republic side and a few more droids on the Separatist to even it out. That being said the mechanics ran well, even with some really bad rolls hitting the table.

More to come,
Doc

WW2 Disposable Heroes Coffin for Seven Brothers AAR

2011-04-05T17:05:00.001-07:00

Some pics from a bring and battle WW2 game we did this past weekend using Disposable Heroes Coffin For Seven Brothers.

The table, a Holland theme.

German Grenadiers guarding a Nebelwerfer.

American forces of Rlee

British Paras and Cromwell of Mongo.

The Nebel Werfer rains death down on the advancing Allied forces.

German reinforcements arrive, SS!

The Sherman takes hit from the Nebelwerfer immobilizing it.

A Stug arrives to lend support to the Germans. Mongo wails openly like a distraught Jonathan Harris.

Hans and Dieter hold the line for 3 turns against insurmountable American forces before being routed.

The Amerikaners advance and take the "Crater of Death"

The Stug lands a crippling hit on the British Cromwell.

The GIs take the forest of Hans and Dieter.

Herr Allen's Germans hold their ground, but the werfer es KAPUT!

More German forces arrive, SS with a 250/9

And a 250 with support gun.

Americans advance but suffer pins from Hans and Dieter.

Mongo's Red Devils advance through the woods.

Another Cromwell arrives!

Herr Allen lays down mortar fire on the Paras!

The SS add fire support against the paras.

The US command also takes a mortar hit and a pin.

A bazooka takes out the 250/9!

Hans and Dieter fire and manuever falling back through the woods to the building.

The British PIAT team makes a dash out of the woods and fires on the German armor only to miss.

Last turn and the Americans beat Hans and Dieter to death for delaying their advance for 4 turns! In the end the Allies met one of their objectives leaving the game as a tie!

It was nice to dig out some of my WW2 stuff that hasn't seen use in awhile, for Mongo it was a few years!!

More to come
Doc

Moroccan Regulares and Panzer 1's in ¡Primera Batalla!

2011-03-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Gathering forces that I will need for the Spanish Civil War, Battle of Brunete games for Historicon this year, and here are a few pics of this project in progress.

First are the Moroccan Regulares who served as shock troops side by side with the Spanish Foreign Legion. Statistics I have read showed these to be especially tenacious fighters and almost twice as numerous than the Legionarios who fought in the Spanish Civil War. I have about 40-50 of these guys on my painting table right now and a mix of both Empress and Force of Arms. The ones pictured above are the first 2 that I have gotten painted and are from Force of Arms. One of the things I like about the period is the variety of troops and uniforms which makes painting and collecting a joy.

Next I had a look at some of my long forgotten SCW armor, in this case Panzer 1s supplied to the Nationalists by Germany via the Condor Legion. These little guys are moderately effective in providing some support, but stood little hope against the Republic's T-26s supplied by the Soviets.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brother-Against-Experiences-British-Volunteer/dp/0750916451

Above is a link I got to a very interesting memoir of a British man who served in the Spanish Foreign Legion during the Spanish Civil War. Peter Kemp has been the English source for Nationalist memoirs for time eternal, but this book gives a very stark, well written look at the war from a volunteer in Franco's forces and unlike Kemp's book is reasonably priced.

More to come,
Doc

Major Awesome and Kid Liberty in Where Heroes Dare!

2011-03-25T19:41:00.001-07:00

So I thought I would do something fun for Mongo's, my erstwhile Companion, Birthday this year and decided to give him the gift of America, because America rocks. And what better way to show that America rocks than with these two fine figures.

I used a Diorama case that is for something as mundane as a baseball and slapped a piece of Alternate World War 2 goodness into it!

Here is a shot of our two Agents of Freedom. I used sculpey to create the wall and the pavement.

I raided my bitz bin for scraps and debris to strew on the base.

I made it so the models' bases fit into the display base so they can be removed for play. I took some images from the web and worked them together to make the propaganda posters on the wall and ground.

Now what fun are miniatures if you can't use them? Sure they are pretty, but isn't it more rewarding to have these guys slamming shield into some monocled Nazi's face? So here are some rough and ready rules for the Agents of Freedom for use in Where Heroes Dare!. Make sure whoever you are playing with agrees in their use because they break all the Character Creation rules, but should be a heck of a lot of fun to play!

Major Awesome who is all kinds of awesome.

Kid Liberty his faithful sidekick.

Happy Birthday Mongo!

Doc

Spanish Civil War 1936-39

2011-03-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

I took a stroll through my hard drive and found some of my old pics. Here is a batch of my Spanish Civil War images of mixed manufacturers, Force of Arms and Empress Miniatures mostly.

Some in game action with the Republic's T26s, the "Tigers of the Peninsula"

FAI Milicianos.

Asaltos move up.

A militia CA-1

Guardia Civil interrogating the locals.

Anarchists found!

Internationals in Spain.

Fuego!

Commissars in the EPR.

Lincolns on the move.

DT LMG team.

More Lincolns.

Command.

I would like to add more pieces to what I already have. In the beginning gaming the period I was mostly interested in the variety of disparate groups and the uprising itself in the 36-37 period. Now my interests have shifted more toward the formal battles like Brunete, Teruell and the Ebro. I'd like to make a couple Secciones of Campensino's EPR as well as some Italians to expand into a couple other battles.

More to come,
Doc

Battle of Brunete at Historicon 2011

2011-03-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

Coming to Historicon 2011, the ¡Atacad! group brings the Battle of Brunete!
The Republic's Counterattack meant to relieve the raging battles against the north and cut the Nationalist's supply lines.

We will be running a series of games using the ¡Primera Batalla! supplement for Iron Ivan Games rules Disposable Heroes Coffin for Seven Brothers along miniatures from Age of Glory, Force of Arms, buildings by Brigade Games, and many more.

In the coming weeks I will be revealing more of this monumental project.

Scenarios to be tested.

Models to be assembled.

Figures to be painted.

Along with photos and some new books added to my library.

Stay tuned there is more to come!

Doc

Cold Wars 2011 AAR

2011-03-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at Cold Wars 2011, got to see some familiar faces, play some games with old friends and got to meet some new people of shared interests. One major highlight for me was seeing Badger Games in the Dealer area with literally bags upon bags of Mongrel Miniatures which seem to be as rare as unicorn horn these days. He showed me that they had not only added more to existing ranges, but also added another entire line, Pakistanis. Also he noted that Vietnam was one of their next ranges to be tackled.

Okay, so on to the games. A few of us in our Cabal ran a few games for Lebanon 1982. Mark, http://daddyslittlemen.blogspot.com/, and Jon, http://lebanon1982.blogspot.com/, ran their games in 15mm and put on a really nice show.

Mark and Jon's Lebanon 1982 table.

Al, http://ravenfeastsmeadhall.blogspot.com/, ran an awesome Mekatac game pitting giant piloted mechs against each other. Flamer Todd was the first to drop in this steel duel of giants!

Here is a look at my Clearing Sidon game where the Israelis moved through a refugee camp clearing out the PLO and shutting down their Radio Arafat station.

Another view of the camp. I used Iron Ivan Games Modern Rules supplement, Seek Out, Close With, And Destroy.

These hovels are all made out of the paper mache boxes I showed in previous posts.

A PLO sniper scans the road.

Rlee's awesome Israeli force.

A view of the radio station.

Housing of the Future! Welcome to Tomorrowland.

Snipers abound!

Under heavy fire and aided by smoke rounds, the Israelis move up under hails of fire and booby trapped buildings.

An Israeli moves up to support the troops but gets raked by Dshk fire.
In the end the Israeli's won by a small margin.

Next game I ran was Waltz with the Amal, where the USMC defends a check point in Beirut against the Amal militia. A 23 year USMC veteran helped command the US forces. Thank you for your service!

I wanted to add more to the table for scenery, but this is where I got. These are the crate buildings I made.

An Amtrac mans the gates.

The USMC Platoon Command takes sniper fire but holds fast.

Mortars at the ready!

The HMG team deal out justice after getting clearance to engage the enemy.

In the end, much like history, the Amal failed to break the USMC line and instead tried trading fire in a shoot out with the USMC, not good for the Amal.

I may have some more pics to come.

Thanks for everybody that played and for everyone who stopped by,
Doc

Sea Knight Helicopter for my 1980's USMC

2011-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was recently looking at some 1/55 diecast for Moderns and Chal of Iron Ivan Game pointed this out to me for my 1980's USMC.

Back shot of the Phrog.

Never trust a helicopter under 30

Phrogs phorever!

More to come,
Doc

Italy, WW2

2011-03-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

I Had a chance to play test some rules that Iron Ivan Games's Keith Stine has been working on, 1:1 Single Model activation Skirmish. I got out all my Mediterranean Terrain and he brought out his British and Germans for a rumble in the Boot.

A view of the table.

A view from the other end. Captain ROshon and I played the Brits, while Rob and Keith handled the Germans.

My British advance.

The Germans pour out of the woods using a KO'd Panther for cover.

Rob's Germans take up positions.

Keith's view.

A well hidden German who harangued my Brits for several turns.

Desperate fighting in the streets, many a grenade was thrown to clear out the enemy.

MG-42s repeatedly pin my Brits. It was very tough to move around with the Germans spraying lead everywhere!

My Brits gain some ground, but only after repeated pins and some losses.

Captain ROshon fairs better at his end and gains ground on Rob's Germans.

The Captain's troops advance.

Rob's German's taking hits.

The game ended with about equal success for both sides. The grenades helped me gain some ground with all the cover, but those MG42s kept pinning my guys and wounding them out. Fun game and fun time.

More to come!
Doc

Back of Beyond, Where Heroes Dare!

2011-02-22T16:36:00.001-08:00

Another fun game of Where Heroes Dare! this time in Warlord China in the 1920's. The Mad Baron Ungern Von Sternberg makes a raid on a Tuchun Chinese base where a fresh shipment of ammo has arrived. Tuchun Warlords R Lee and Al Ming lead the Chines forces while myself and Captain ROshon man the Baron's attacking horde.

The rugged Back of Beyond, 1920's China.

Al Ming's Soldiers man the ramparts of their ancestors

The vital trucks and the precious ammo!

R Lee's Chinese take the foreground and guard the trucks.

In come my Monghol Forces, Burakai Khan and his tribesmen advance on the Chinese.

The Chinese ready themselves for the attack as the sound of horses can be heard across the wasteland.

A Big Sword unit advances to meet the Baron's horde.

Shots begin to echo through the rocks as the horde closes on the Chinese.

White Russian Infantry advances to good firing spots while the Tuchun forces on the Wall rain down death on them.

The trucks are almost within reach!

Vicious melee erupts as a Big Sword unit charges the Baron's own Tibetan Bodyguards. It is a desperate fight, but the Baron's men succeed in tearing them down.

Burakai Khan's forces dwindle under the steady fire of the defenders of the Wall. They are forced to hug the wall edge as they advance on the Chinese infantry.

The Baron's force breaks through the other flank to join the fray.

The defenders at the Wall are all that remain of the Chinese, it's up to Al Ming now!

White Russian infantry continues to try to advance.

The remaining Horde Cavalry gather under the Baron's command for a push on the Wall.

The Chinese are finally overcome after another bloody round of hand to hand. The Baron now has the ammo he needs to continue his conquests.

More to come,
Doc

GAMMARAUDERS AAR!

2011-02-20T18:55:00.001-08:00

What is the best boardgame EVER?! That's right, MFing Gammarauders

We played this awesome game of the past this weekend with 4 players, it can take up to six. Each player takes turns laying out the hexes to make the game board. After that a city location is chosen for their fortress marker.

Each player begins with a force of Infantry, Hovertanks, Gammajets, and a BIOBORG! A bioborg is a huge, mutated animal that has all kinds of crazy weapons A-Teamed onto it. My personal favorite weapon was the Neo-Nuclear Flamer.

I was Squawwk a Penguinoid @ss beater.

Gruz was the beast of The People's Democratic Republic of Bookmans.

Blip the Teleporturtle was Mongo's and his vicious Eco-Terrorists.

Onko was controlled by Al who set up in a section of the table completely cut off by water. It took more movement to get there and Al had a horde of an army built up that ripped me up and down. I had to fight my way in and then fight my way out to get away. His fortress became known as ALLENGRAD! No one took it from him.

Last image is of Gruz reaping vengeance on the Turtle people for the destruction of their fortress. In the end Gruz did win with lots of shaky alliances and back stabbing, GREAT GAME.

Doc

Refugee Shanties for Lebanon 1982

2011-02-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

Started work on some of the ramshackle buildings for Lebanon 1982. I'm trying to do these fast and dirty using pre-made boxes as the base. In the instance below it is one of the heavy duty paper mache boxes you can find at a craft store.

The box was cut for doors and then primed black, then dusted with a flat khaki.

Following that I did some rough brushing and then dry brushing with an off white and gun metal to give it that "lived in" look. The block work was actually scribed in, I'm going to put more effort into the next one. About 8 more of these to go!

Doc

Lebanon, Modern Ruins 1982 Part 2

2011-02-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

More ruins for Lebanon 1982 that will be in my Seek Out, Close With, And Destroy game at Cold Wars.

Here we can see another crate building as I made before, but now with roof intact.

The "roof"of the crate has been removed using a portable jigsaw. It made quick work, I cut about 9 of them in 15 minutes.

Using PVC glue, I glued part of a Popsicle stick into 2 of the corners. They will hold the lid in place.

I drilled holes in the corners of the building floors and inserted nails for support beams. I then cut sturdy plasticard to the floor size.

The card is flexible enough so you can get the floors out. This process was pretty quick, about 10 minutes of actual labor.

A view inside with the floors out. The nails look dangerous, but you would have to be a complete idiot to hurt yourself on them. Let's call them Darwin Beams.

Now with minis inside, fully supported.

Next floor.

A view of the minis inside with the roof on.

Two crates stacked = multiple floors of mayhem! How high do you want to fight?

Wreckage

And Ruin.

More to come,
Doc

USMC 1980's The Root force completed

2011-02-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

My USMC Force for Beirut is finished! I would at some point like to add a M60 tank if one ever becomes available for 28mm scale, but this is it for now. All the miniatures are from Mongrel Miniatures available through Newline Designs.

A checkpoint is set up using a LVTP from S & S models.

Team Leader with M203.

M60 in HMG mode.

The entire force, two full squads, command and support elements.

More to come,
Doc

1982 Syrians in Lebanon for SOCWAD

2011-02-10T19:10:00.001-08:00

Syrian Forces arrive for the upcoming SOCWAD game at Cold Wars

Here is a sniper in vertical stripe lizard pattern Camo.
The miniatures are from Mongrel Miniatures available at Newline Design Studios

An LMG gunner in the Pakistani Brush Pattern Camo in front of a Sloppy Jalopy made BMP.

These are my first two, I got a slew more to paint along with the PLO/Amal forces. I really enjoyed the models, more master work from Paul Hicks!

More to come!
Doc

1982 Lebanese Rubble for SOCWAD

2011-02-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Painted rubble for the 1982 Lebanon table for the Cold Wars SOCWAD game I am running.
So following up from last post I did a sloppy spray of flat khaki over the ruins, the a light red mist here and there followed by a light grey and white spray misting all with spray paints.

I then used an off white, cream acrylic and did a rough dry brushing over the entire structure.

After the dry brushing I did another light spray of flat black over the 2 large "blast holes" on the sides of the building.

I have a few more of these to make and they will be stackable for high rises. More to do yet, rubble piles, tank smashed cars, some high rises with balconies and I need to finish painting my Arab forces.

More to come,
Doc

Lebanon 1982 Terrain for Seek Out, Close With, and Destroy

2011-02-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

I started work on some terrain for our SOCWAD Lebanon Games today, the first being some bombed out buildings made from plastic crates at the Dollar Store.

The miniature beside the crate is a 28mm USMC from Mongrel Miniatures
Using a Hacksaw I cut some blasts into the crate. A pair of diagnol cutters helped for this.

For the interior rubble and flooring I used Gator Board which is sturdier than Foam Core and can be snapped into irregular shapes. The matchsticks are from a craft store and are used in the debris.

Now I put pins into the sides of the floors to rest on the plastic lattice work and poured wood glue over them. I added debris from cutoffs and also some aquarium gravel.

Another shot of the front this time. I cut a door way and I want to put some kind of ruined Lebanese sign up, or maybe a picture of Yasser.

Next step will be painting once the glue dries!
More to come,
Doc

Project List For 2011

2011-02-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

2011 Project List

It's that time again, time to lay out a plan :)

So this is what I got:

Lebanon 1982 Amal, PLO, and USMC forces and Terrain for Cold Wars

Battle of Brunete, my remaining unpainted SCW minis and Terrain for Historicon

The Unterwehr, Pulp minis and Terrain for Fall In

In between all this I hope to fit in more of my Spanish American War project and some maybe even some Weird War 2 goodness.

More to come!
Doc

Zombies in Prypiat, Ukraine!

2011-01-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Mad Professor Stine ran a Zombie game for a few of us this past weekend in the irradiated wastes of the ruined Ukrainian city, Prypiat.

The radiation poisoned streets of Prypiat, what horrors lie in wait?

Comrade Rob provides support to Comrade Merkury. The objective is to rescue 3 survivors or take 3 successful readings on the canisters.

Yuri! What has become of you!

Desperate melee ensues!

Flanking and fighting as a last resort get the last 2 members of the Red Guard to complete the objective and exit off the table. These suits were contaminant proof right?

We ran this game using Keith's Iron Ivan Games Prypiat .pdf and Eureka's 28mm miniatures. Good stuff!

More to come,
Doc

Establishing a Base Camp in the Hollow Earth AAR

2011-01-29T17:06:00.001-08:00

More Thrilling Adventure in the Hollow Earth, Where Heroes Dare!

9 Rugged Teams of Adventurers enter into the Inner Earth in search of glory. The objective of this game was to find the best location for a Base Camp, and hold onto it :)

Team ROshon advances out and solves the first Dare! locations discovering fresh water, +2 VP and a good start at a Base Camp.

The vast jungle of the Core World.

The intrepid team of ToddD makes it's Where Heroes Dare! debut.

Blake Sissken leads the team.

The Cult of Al suffers the first Dino casualty as Cultist #4 gets pancaked by a Sauropod!

One of the last surviving photos of Mongo's team of Boat People.

The Kinsey Expedition discovers an abandoned 75mm Field Gun, oddly covered in blood...

Roy Chapman Kinsey's force is attacked by a pack of Raptors. In the background can be seen the Sauropod that Kinso Slice took down in a single shot, but luck changed as the Raptors killed him to the last man.

The game was a lot of fun, Dinos, back stabbing, shaky alliances, it had it all.

To Be Continued...

Doc

The Day of 2 Games!

2011-01-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few picks from a Saturday of gaming at Rob's.
We started out with a game of Where Heroes Dare! and I ran the first Chapter of the Shield of the Gods Campaign for Keith and Rob.

Delphi, Greece Where Heroes Dare!

The players deploy.

Captain Achilles Rockets to the high ground and a sabotaged truck explodes showering him with debris but leaving him unharmed.

Kumar rushes to aid the downed Hogan, still smoking from the rounds of Tommy Chung!

The Professor is found, but where is the Aegis Shield?!

Ying Fang, Kong Fang's wicked daughter has found the shield! Achilles rockets into hand to hand with this fiendish femme fatale, but after myriads of blows he is struck down by her poisened blade. A win for Rob and the forces of Kong Fang!

Some shots of Rob's shelf.

15mm goodies!

Even some 15mm Pulp.

Looks like the makings of a Weird War!

Our next game, 15mm Disposable Heroes WW2 in the Pacific.

Some shots of Rob's Motor pool.

The Japanese hold the high ground.

Rob Commands the Japanese while Keith and I man the US Army forces.

US infantry adavance and the Stewies go to work on the Japanese armor.

Bazooka shots begin to take down the armor of the Rising Sun.

A steady advance under withering fire from the cliffs and the bunker.

The Tiki Room is secured and the Imperial armor gets brewed.

Relentless fire from the cliffs.

The forces in the bunker get worn down, but hold fast.

The Japanese advance!

Really fun game, I hadn't played a 15mm DH game before and this was a lot of fun. The Japanese won in the end, even after a few desperate charges. The table played on was only 30 x 30 but still played out like a 4 x 6 28mm game. Might have to think more about 15s, hmmmm.

More to come!
Doc

Hell Comes To Christmas!!

2011-01-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

My good COMPANION Mongo, of Wafflehou se fame, blessed me with my own set of Survivors for No More Room In Hell for this past Christmas. The models are inspired by the Walking Dead comics and TV show and Mongo did an ace job painting them.

"Somethin's Cookin'!" Check out that awesome plaid job on the shirt.

That is not a midget in a cowboy hat, that is a child with a gun!

Another shot of that awesome plaid.

Thank you Mongo and to all a Merry Christmas!

Doc

Christmas at the Lab, Free Building templates

2010-12-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
In the spirit of giving I have loaded from the archives of the Lab some templates that I use for making foamcore buildings. Simply print these puppies out on card stock and cut away the white portions and you are left with a quick and easy template. The designs are based on 6 inches wide, I usually make a 6 inch by 6 inch base of foamcore to build from. It appears that the Blog auto scales the images, so these will have to be scaled to 6 inches wide to print accurately. I'll post some of my finished pieces for reference later. These are intended for 28mm games, hope you enjoy!

Doc

Elsewhere in the Forest...

2010-12-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

Here some furry little heroes from Splintered Light Miniatures

Finally got around to taking some pics.

As much as I've tried getting my daughter interested in these..

She is still more interested in Giant Robots :)

I really like the figures, fun to paint and full of detail.
Now where did I leave my Mouseguard trades...

Doc

What Lurks Below? Dinosaur Safari

2010-12-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

What Lurks Below?
A land without time!
The Inner Earth!

Four teams of Hunters/Scientists enter into the Inner World in search of specimens to bring back. Each team had 500 pts to use in our Where Heroes Dare! test run of the forthcoming Hollow Earth Expedition book, What Lurks Below?

Team ROshon, back for another go in the Inner Jungles

Roy Chapman Kinsey's Team fends off an attack from Utah Raptors as they venture further into the jungles of danger!

The intrepid crew of the USS Falcon led by Captain Mongo stumble upon a feeding Theropod!

The Marano Team downs a T-Rex under a withering hail of fire after losing a porter to it's jaws. After immobilizing the giant beast, it was finished in Hand to Hand!

Captain Mongo and his sleeveless Companion Trey, walk amongst the carcasses of felled Prehistoric Beasts.

Poaching ensues with Team ROshon finishing off the Theropod wounded by Team Mongo.

"That's an ABONIMATION of Nature!"

Team Kinsey cleans up with the most victory points at the end of 7 turns with the discovery of a nest and eggs!

Lots of fun, thanks to all who made it out, I got a few more tweaks to go!

More to come
Doc

RAPIDO! SCW Cavalry

2010-11-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

I finished some of the Nationalist Cavalry from Empress Miniatures that I bought long ago when they were Anglian Miniatures.

Age of Glory carries the line in the US. The figures are a joy to paint, just taking sometime to get through the whole platoon. The walls are from Crescent Root Studios.

More to come,
Doc

The Invisible Terror!

2010-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

A few more figures added to my Pulp collection:

"Do You Know What's Under Here?! Nothing! Nothing! Muhahhahhaa!"

"Really Ms.Page, it's getting quite desperate with you always getting tied up by strangers"

Figures by Copplestone, Reaper Miniatures, and Pulp Figures.

More to Come,
Doc

The Root , Cold Wars 2011

2010-11-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

USMC of the MNF, Multi National Force, sent in 1982 as peace keepers for a war torn Lebanon.

The figures are ones I bought long ago from Mongrel Miniatures that are now owned by Newline Designs.

Two Modern conflict loving members of our Club started gaming this period and asked the rest of us if we would like to join in and run some games for Cold Wars 2011 (pretty fitting right?). Jon and Mark both started 15mm forces, which thanks to them I have the beginnings of some PLO, and another member also has 28mm figs like myself which will give us a couple different scales to show the conflict.

So these long forgotten minis came out of cold storage and got put into my work que. Above are my first 2 out of the batch of 50 + a LVTP that I have. The woodland camo made for a nice challenge, used a couple different Ospreys, online photos, and some in depth conversation from Iron Ivan Games own Chal who wore it in the late 80's. Still looking for a good reference for the LVTP's camo scheme.

Next up will be some PLO/Amal forces to challenge the 28mm IDF that a friend is painting and also to harass the USMC. We plan on using Iron Ivan's Modern Rules supplement, Seek Out Close With And Destroy for the 28mm skirmishing.

So far the best book that I have read for the Marine experience is The Root, but looking for more.

Lastly, been very busy lately, both home, work, and hobby :) so there are a lot more posts coming up!

Doc

Brunete 1937, The Republic Counterattacks!

2010-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

A focus has been chosen for the ATACAD Spanish Civil War Project for Historicon 2011,
BRUNETE 1937
This is the Spanish Republic's big Counterattack that was meant to relieve pressure on the Northern Campaign and also destroy a Nationalist salient, but history wrote a story different from the Republican plans. Brunete offers a variety of troops, armor, and aircraft for a SCW player to field making this an exciting project.

More to come!
Doc

ATACAD! 2011 Historicon

2010-11-04T17:26:00.001-07:00

A new Yahoo Group has been formed to gather fellow gamers interested in the Spanish Civil War and who would like to participate or host games in the upcoming Historicon 2011 Convention:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ATACAD/

Here we will be discussing scenarios, forces and other aspects of gaming the conflict.

If you would like to try your hand at what has been called the First Battle of WW2, join us!

More to come,
Doc

What is No More Room In Hell?

2010-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

No More Room In Hell is the latest release from Iron Ivan Games and challenges YOU the player to SURVIVE! In a world gone Dead, literally, you must choose who will be on your team of Survivors and test the limits of your humanity.
Zombies! The Undead roam this world gone mad looking for food. In No More Room In Hell the Zombies can be player controlled or can be run by the game system itself, allowing players to work together, or against, each other in a bid to exist.

No More Room In Hell is a richly illustrated 80 page book filled with all the rules needed to form your party of Survivors, equip them, and scenarios that can be used in a campaign system. Inside you will find rules for vehicles, horses, hospitals and more! Choose your points for your party and spend them on Shot Callers, Back Ups, and Sheeple or take a chance and use the Random Survivor Generator in the Campaign section. Everything you need to experience Hell is here.

Is it just for Zombies? Oh no, Hell can have many faces, NMRIH can also be used for Post Apocalyptic gaming complete with vehicle upgrades like 50 cals or even mower blades. The Campaign rules include tables for Hunger, Trading, and Lucky Scores to test your Survivor's limits.

Think You Can Survive the Night?
Can You Survive the Bite?

Give it a try

http://store.ironivangames.com/nomoroinhe.html

Doc

The Island that Time Forgot, 1944

2010-10-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the Devil's Triangle, a force of USMC is lost on an uncharted island...

Hold on Mam', we'll get you down!

Holy John Moses Browning! Fire on that thing!

"Run Dan! Run for your life!"

Thought I would have a little fun with some of the Jungle terrain and dinos before I put it all away :)

Doc

What Lurks Below?! Hollow Earth Adventure in Where Heroes Dare!

2010-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

The Treacherous Under Jungle of the Inner World, teeming with danger.

Two intrepid teams enter in search of glory and to establish a base camp. Pictured here is the Valiant Expedition, led by Professor Valiant.

The ROshon Expedition, ever ready for a challenge!

The cliffs of the Inner world, what dangers lie ahead?

The ROshon party investigates some dinosaur remains and finds Grogg, a friendly Local, who joins the party as a guide.

The Valiant team finds stranges ruins and uncover a hidden cave, perfect location for a Base Camp!

Sven Angstrom and his porter are attacked by Neanderthals with spears and the party loses a Supporter.

The ROshon party examines another carcass and discovers...

One very large Carnivore!

Two of the natives in the party become a light snack as this Titanic Terror attacks!

A chase begins with the ROshons firing while on the run from the thunder lizard!

Stay near the rocks! Find a place to hide!

The beast stops to smell for prey...

Sven, empathic to the competing party, fires a shot at the beast but fails to wound it.

Another dino is found and a Titanic battle erupts giving players a chance to escape!

The valiant team takes cover in the jungle growth as the ROshons manage to pull off a win and establish their base camp.

More to come!
Doc

The Living Dead in Allentown...

2010-10-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

A night of scrounging, scavenging, and being eaten by the walking dead...

Our story begins in the burned out husk of Allentown PA

My team, The Logan Boys and their Sheeple Tina

Dave's team, they find "The Loaf" at their first Survive! spot and are reduced to 6 inch moves as Mr. Handicapable puffs along with his team.

Team Al takes out aggressions on the local Fauna.

More and more Undead arrive...

My team bolt and scramble to get on top of a bus as the Zeds close in!

Tina never made it and a hard choice was made to shim behind.

Soon Burt and Greg are surrounded, Burt hacks his way through but Greg goes down and is feasted on.

Burt goes apeshit seeing his fallen friend become a Zed Happy Meal and charges into the feasting fiends, putting them down, but nothing can bring back Greg.

Team Al rescues a child and makes for a retreat out of town.

Team Dave becomes trap on the upper floor of ruins as a Horde of Zeds mill about waiting for dinner.

Not looking good!

Team Dave becomes trapped as more and more Zeds appear...

Burt too becomes trapped and Suppressed, too terrified to move and now stuck in a pair of soiled pants.

All in all Team Al did the best, finding the Essentials needed and making it's way off the table. Burt took out a stunning 9 Zeds in Hand to Hand, enraged at the loss of Greg.

Fun stuff, thanks to Al and Dave for playing and especially to Al for bringing all is awesome painted minis.

More to come!

Doc

Arnhem, September19, 1944 Disposable Heroes Coffin for Seven Brothers

2010-09-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Arnhem 1944 Day 2

I ran an Arnhem Scenario for our local Gaming Group this week from the Iron Ivan Games Fields of Battle book:
http://store.ironivangames.com/without-fortune--arnhem-1944.html

The German attackers. Dave scored a lucky Campaign Chart roll for the Germans, they got a Tiger that would enter on turn 3. He also rolled for the British and got Low Ammo which affected their ACC. Unfortunately I was the British player :(

But with lemons make lemonade. My Paras set up in the buildings overlooking the rubbled streets.

My PIAT team advances forward to try to take out a Panzer IV only to miss and be taken out by the SS infantry. Bub Bye Anti-Armor!

The Big Cat arrives! Shells get poured into buildings trying to weed out the Paras, but they hold fast. My HMG team is holed up in a Basement Bunker, franticly trying to hold back the Gerries.

The SS Command and a rifle team moves up through the cover of a wooded area.

The Panzer IV advances, providing cover for the Germans to cross the street.

Germans begin to converge with the help of armor and artillery, on the battered British.

"TIGER!"

The final tally ends with the British tied with Germans for Battle Objective points, but Germans pulling ahead by 2 additional Mission Objective points.

All in all a fun game, had to do some maneuvering with my Paras to force the German armor to reacquire their targets. In hindsight I could have been more patient with my PIAT team, which might of helped more in the end turn. In my favor was the woefully inaccurate German off board artillery :)

Doc

Sir Percival Grailhlem, The Flying Knight!

2010-09-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

My present, Your present.
My good COMPANION Mongo gave me a wonderful Birthday present based on a conversion idea I had for a Pulp Era hero. Above is my gift, now re-gifted for any Where Heroes Dare! player that wants to field their own Flying Knight.

Hope you enjoy!

Doc

"And in these times they will seek Death, and not find it..."

2010-09-11T18:58:00.001-07:00

NO MORE ROOM IN HELL!
Had a run of the upcoming Iron Ivan Games Zombie rules this week. While Mongo frolicked on sun kissed beaches, we Survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse fought our way down the Highway to Hell!

The Road, not quite Cormac's The Road which was the Greatest Story of our time, but challenging none the less.

And at this end we have the Living Dead, ready to block our Survivors like a brick wall of Meat.

The Survivors begin moving for the end of the road. All minis provided by none other than our Lead Archivist, AL.

Quickly between ruined vehicles the action becomes grave!

Things begin to back up for the living as more and more Zeds swarm the motley bands.

Game ends with Survivors unable to make it off the table, many having climbed to high ground to avoid the chompers while others became the buffet!

More to come!

Doc

Where Jedis Dare!

2010-07-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Where Jedis Dare!
At tonight's club game we got out some Star Wars minis and ran a Modded Where Heroes Dare! game to have some SCI-Fantasy Action!

The Planet RO-shon IV, looks like the Separatists got here first! General Skywalker and General Kenobi take their teams in search of the Jedi Holocron fabled to be left here.
5 Dare Locations are put down with one being the Holocron, who will get it first and make it to the lower levels?

Dooku and his Droid entourage advance.

The Clone Troopers hold the landing pad while the Jedis scour for the Holocron.

Anakin's team advance, blasting through the Battle Droids!

The Super Battle Droids lay down withering fire on the Alliance forces.

Ventress races to the goal and claims it as her Droids are mowed down.

Jengo Fett rockets in to blast Anakin only to have his shots deflected. Anakin charges into a Dire Duel, but Ventress cuts him down!

The Battle now rages below with no more Supporters!

Desperate fighting erupts in the lower levels. Jengo Flees a Dire Duel as his Super Battle droid is sliced to pieces by Obi Wan. Ventress and Anakin square off again, but the Jedi is again cut down and Dooku holds the Holocron!

Lots learned in this play with more to come!

To Be Continued...

Doc

¡Viva la Muerte! Spain 1936

2010-07-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Spain 1936! We played a March on Madrid game the other night with IBers and FAI militias squaring off against Nationalist infantry, Guardia Civil, and some Carlist Requetes.

The Nationalists advance on the pueblos on toward Madrid.

The Nationalist force made up of Carlist Requetes, Guardia Civil and Peninsula Infantry bolstered by Italian CV33s and some FT-17s.

The quiet streets of the Pueblo.

The Nationalist Infantry advances, RAPIDO! RAPIDO!

Guardia Civil quickly take cover in a shell hole as the FT-17 winches forward.

Por Cristo! The Carlists advance to the Manor House.

The IBer's and FAI militia advance on the Republican side, the Manor House must be secured!

Nationalist forces pour into the backs of the buildings taking up firing positions.

A T-26, fresh from Russia, brews up the tiny FT-17. Muchas Gracias Senor Stalina!

The IBers take up firing positions to support the troops advance on the Manor House.

The Manor House becomes a butcher's house as grenades fly, melee ensues, and point blank shooting tear the insides apart.

The Anarchists vote to not support the IBers charge. So much for Solidarity!

The T-26s, the Tigers of the Peninsula, pound away at the Nationalists holed up in the Manor House but are unable to dislodge them.

In the end the Nationalists succeeded in capturing and holding the Manor House as the Republican forces ran out of troops. Another defensive line will have to be drawn!

To Be Continued...

More Pulp Action for Where Heroes Dare!

2010-07-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

The last and final Chapter of the Shield of the Gods .pdf, Where Heroes Dare! Campaign is complete and now in the Iron Ivan Games store. Captain Achilles and his stalwart gang take the fight to Kong Fang's door, deep beneath the earth! 15 Pages covering the ultimate showdown complete with Character lists, table map, scenario rules, and all the insidious secrets buried in the Caverns of Fang. What is the Ritual that Kong Fang is trying to complete? What secrets do the mercury pools hide? What is Jade Spear of Sun Tzu? Find out all this and more in The Lair of Kong Fang, Where Heroes Dare!

http://store.ironivangames.com/laofkofachth.html

But Wait! There's More!

The Where Heroes Dare! Dossier is now available in the Iron Ivan Games store. Want something to take the work out of Character creation? Want to create a slew of minions quickly to fill an evening's adventure? Well the Dossier is the perfect tool. The Dossier is a .pdf file with built in functionality to calculate a Character with drop down menus for choices and smart fields to record data. You will still need the WHD! book, but only for reference when using the Dossier which has the choices for Character creation contained within. Priced at just $3 and sized the same as a 3" x 5" card, you could start building your own Pulp Dossier files today!

http://store.ironivangames.com/dossierforwhd.html

On the Bench...

2010-07-19T17:20:00.001-07:00

Some pics of what I'm currently painting, Pulp stuff for a friend wit some SCW cavalry mixed in. Next up will be Modern US figures by Devil Dog design and the beginnings of my Hollow Earth German force, The Unterwehr. Also looking at a special project for Fall In using some 28mm 1980's USMC....

Doc

In the Hall of Dinosaurs!

2010-07-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had to do some quick painting for this year's Historicon and thought I would share some pics of the figures with some recently acquired dinosaur skeletons.

Minions of Kong Fang

More Tong gunmen from Pulp Figures

Some West Wind Figures for Basmachi

Kong Fang's devoted Servants

Tong axe men from Pulp Figures for a Dire Dueling team in Where Heroes Dare!

To Be Continued...
Doc

Where Heroes Dare! 3 Chapters in one night!

2010-06-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Mark from Daddy's Little Men fame, working, working, and working on his team while the rest of us heckle and cajole. "I need more Burros!"

Chapter 1: The Devil in Delphi.

This time around everyone brought their own 500 point team. Forces of Good were Captain Roshon's Jungle Patrol, Bobb-O's Sky Pirates, and Mark's New York State Archeological Expedtion to the Greater East. Evil represented by the Cult of Al and the Cult of Mongo. It was a Cult mixer.

Good surges forward looking for the Professor and the Aegis shield!

The Red Fist lurks by the trucks with members of the Cult of Al.

Shana the Jungle Queen, moves forward to challenge Evil!

Roy Chapman Kinsey summons his faithful dog Lucky to attack the Red Fist. This is the last known photo of Lucky...

The Cult of Al makes their move around the truck.

"Holy sweet !&@^%!!, Shana did you see what Red Fist did to LUCKY!!???!"

Roxanne the Sky Pirate finds the Professor, but The Red Fist has found the Shield.

Roy Chapman Kinsey puts a car length between himself and the murder machine, The Red Fist.

One long, girl-like scream is all that was heard from Roy Chapman Kinsey.

Explosions!!

Good withdraws to the safety of the ruins. Evil wins by a narrow margin.

Chapter 2, The Long Tomb of Doom in China.

Forces deploy.

Roxanne's Sky Pirates take to the field.

The Diabolical Red Fist, his son Harold, and the nameless minions.

The Cult of Al takes position.

Shana the Jungle Queen with the Professor and the Jungle Patrol in tow.

The Entrance to The Cult's lair is found, but can it be held?

Run down by the spears of the Jungle Patrol. Good wins this one with some truly brutal fights.

Chapter 3, in the Lair of the Red Fist.

The horrid caverns below.

Mongo scours the caverns.

Roy Chapman Kinsey's team moves forward to confront the Red Fist. Remember LUCKY!

Roxanne takes a cavern toward the Red Fist.

The Red Fist completes the Ritual to End the World!

The Great Demon is summoned!

The Heroes fight to stop the demon, then wound The Red Fist, banishing it and saving the World!

A big thanks to all the players, lots of fun running these scenarios. Special thanks to Min/Max Mongo for hosting the games. These scenarios are available through the Iron Ivan Games store and you can use your own forces instead of the ones listed in the .pdfs like the players did here. It's a lot of fun to see what types of teams players can come up with. I will be running all 3 Chapters again at the upcoming Historicon Convention and the final scenario .pdf for this game, The Lair of Kong Fang, will be in the Iron Ivan Games store shortly.

Doc

Battle of Saipan, July 1944 with Iron Ivan Games

2010-06-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to help test out the Battle of Saipan game that Iron Ivan Games is putting on for Historicon. Chal the Merciless helped Keith "Banzai" Stine run the Japanese against the stalwart USMC commanded by Mike and I. This night was just to test the mechanics of the game, the table and figures are still in the rough so don't judge just yet ;)

"So..uh, where's the cover for us Chal?"

The scenario uses flare mechanics to control the light.

Japanese Iron Beasts ready to drive straight through the Marines.

My mortar team that scored an amazing 5 "10s" on a 6d10 roll. Great...

A wider view.

BAR Gunners, rifles and Bazookas tow the line.

The Japanese come boiling out of the dark!

The Japanese armor begin to take hits from Mike's side.

They cover a lot of ground fast!

When all else fails it's time to close assault!

A rear machine gun on the turret frantically fires at the Marines who fail to immobilize the tank.

Wave after wave of Japanese.

Lines begin to close.

Everybody on that tank!

One Japanese tank makes it off.

This little guy didn't get far.

Everything worked out good with the Marines feeling the pressure from the respawning Japanese. Time to hammer out a final table and get all the painting done. Look for the game at Historicon 2010 hosted by Chal Conley.

Doc

NO MORE ROOM IN HELL, AAR

2010-06-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

NO MORE ROOM IN HELL, or how I spent an evening at Mongo's vanquishing the Undead.

The layout in all it's glory. A 15mm land of Hell.

The Cast of Characters.

A Damned Town.

Another view.

Urban decay.

One band out in the wasteland...

Town Hall.

The first Zeds to be shot.

More Zeds on the prowl.

Team Mike makes their move and finds angry survivors holed up on the first floor.

No rest for the Wicked.

Slow crawl through Oblivion.

The Zombie Jamboree begins.

A lonely forklift...

Happy Toyz, bait for the feeble.

Zeds in the Horde.

A desperate run up the building.

Could the Fire Dept. be responsible for the Zombie Holocaust?

More Zeds on the streets.

The ending swarms...

Mongo put on a great little test run of the Zombie Survivor rules he is working on for Iron Ivan Games titled, No More Room in Hell which allows players to field a single model or a group of models in a series of scenarios pitting them against rival survivors and zombies alike. Parties must find needed supplies in order to keep going, because the dead will walk the Earth when there is NO MORE ROOM IN HELL!

More to come...
Doc

Der Eisen Maulwurf, Part 3

2010-06-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Assembled!
Now I have to do a little more detailing and also begin work on the German Unter Wehr Force. Yes I know, UNTER WEHR!

Primed and assembled. Rivets were done with beads and paneling was does with styrene. A few extras were put on from left over kit sprues.

The beginning paint job. Here we can see the large access door on the side.

A back first view of the same side. The main door on the side is more visible.

Other side showing the cupola hatch and ladder made from track links going up to it.

Next are a few more details, some better photos and then work on the German pilots and strike force. Might put some Iron Crosses on it too, not sure yet.

Doc

Der Eisen Maulwurf, Part 2

2010-05-27T20:36:00.001-07:00

Mad Science begins to take form...

The schlepper portion of Der Eisen Maulwurf. Made from some pvc pieces, plasticard, and a HO scale pipeworks.

The whole kit and kaboodle together. Again, mostly all pvc pieces, plasticard, and the auger from part 1.

A view of the rear with it's massive exhaust and turbine propulsion. Made from a Christmas ribbon spool.

Last thing to add will be rivets and some hatches. Maybe a few more details here and there, but the bulk is done and even with proper ventilation I'm still a little high right now from the pvc glue ;).

To be Continued...

Support Mad Science!

2010-05-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well for anyone looking for something odd that they can also wear, I have a store set up here:

http://www.zazzle.com/doctormerkury

I'll be adding things to it as I go in a lot of different categories and if you have a request, feel free to let me know!

Doc

Der Eisen Maulwurf, Part 1

2010-05-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

What Lurks Below!? The Germans intend to find out with their latest device of Super Science, Der Eisen Maulwurf. Construction of this diabolical vehicle of doom has begun...

Key ingredients, different sized wood circles and stars from der Kraft store.

A spent tea mix container, wood glue, and an old Christmas ribbon spool.

Aforementioned wood pieces now stacked and glued together with wood glue. The auger begins to take form...

To Be Continued...

DOC

We need meds, grub, and...

2010-05-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, inside the Aunt Annie's Pretzel Compound...

Our 6 players (survivors) are tasked with finding much needed food and morphine. Arriving by Ice Cream truck we quickly deploy.

Some of the first Zeds are spotted shambling toward our apathetic Farmer/leader Jeb.

Ol' Jeb goes a hunting in the ruins, Charo and the Drug Dealer go for a flank while civic leaders Gina and The Fireman go for a far right. The PD support Jeb.

BRAINNSSSS!

Houses are searched to no avail.

Team Charo making their way to the Gun Store/Daycare center

Team Fireman

Making our way, the only way we know how...

PD dropping some ZEDS.

Ol' Jeb takes a bite.

"Back to the van!"

End of days...

Everyone back to the van!

A big thanks to Chris of our local Northern Lancaster Wargamers for putting this on for us. These are his home brew rules and everyone had a good time. Highlights include some desperate jumps from second story windows and wicked shotgun shooting. In the end I believe Charo had the most merit badges. Until next time...

Doc

Where Heroes Dare! Dossier

2010-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Tired of adding? Wish you could bang out a few Characters even faster? Well the Where Heroes Dare! Dossier sheet may be for you. Designed to make Character generation a breeze, it auto adds the points for all your stats and even lets you put a photo of your choice into the sheet. Expect to see this soon.

Doc

Disposable Heroes Coffin for Seven Brothers

2010-05-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in Germany, 1945. The SS try to take the vital Fudge District back from the Russian Horde.

It's a long road to Der Fudge Haus.

A methodical advance under withering Russian fire.

The Soviets stand ready to defend.

Schnell!

The T-34 is destroyed by the fast moving Puma that hits it on a flank.

The SS move up to assault Der Fudge Haus.

SS Pioneers hold down the flank.

Sniper!

The SS close in on the Russians.

Still smoldering T-34.

The Russians assault the lone Puma.

The Puma is immobilized.

A fun casual game in the dying days of the Reich. Special thanks to Keith for hosting and Mike for running the Russians.

Doc

Artizan's WW2 Late War German's, WIP

2010-04-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

"Doc, just what is on your table?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Currently I'm painting my way through some 28mm German's for a friend. I'm at the point where it is now detailing, almost all the big brush work is done, so more than half way. I really like these models and this will be the second time I have painted them, as I have a platoon myself. My crummy phone camera may not show it, but the figs have a lot of detail and take a brush well IMOHO. After these guys are done, who knows as I still have a lot of lead to get through...

Doc

The Long Tomb of Doom, in the store!

2010-04-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Now available here in the Iron Ivan Games shop:

http://store.ironivangames.com/longtombofdoom.html

The electrifying 2nd Chapter to the Shield of the Gods Campaign for Iron Ivan Game's Where Heroes Dare! Pulp rules is now available. Titled the Long Tomb of Doom, it takes the players on their next hop across the globe in search of the deadly lair of the nefarious Kong Fang. Use your own team or one of the many lists provided to slug your way through Pulp adventure. A richly illustrated, full color, 14 page .pdf that includes special rules, pre-made Character lists, map, and everything you need to go into the Valley of Fang. Use it for Where Heroes Dare! or for any Pulp ruleset you have!

To be Continued...

Doc