Dreadball - Unboxing

As part of the 2013 hobby shopping list, Zombicide is high on the agenda. However, unlike Dreadball, Zombicide wasn't on the shelf of my local games store...

Mantic's Dreadball is the first of it's kind to come along and truly challenge Blood Bowl for the tabletop fantasy sports game crown. It says a lot that it's taken so many years for a viable contender to step up to the plate as competition. And Mantic should be applauded for having the balls to do so.

And to their credit, Mantic and the game's author Jake Thornton, haven't rehashed Bloodbowl. No, they've released something that can stand on it's own two feet as an original game in a fully realised fantasy world of it's own. If Orx smashing Dwarfs for possession of a ball are the link between the games, then that's where the similarities end...

Set in Mantic's sci-fi world of Warpath and it's autocratic Co-Prosperity Sphere, great Corporations sponsor teams of humans and aliens alike, to play in the galaxy's most popular and brutal sport. A sport which is fast paced and fluid, with both teams attempting to score 'strikes' into one of their opponents three scoring zones. Critically, if a team succeeds in scoring, the ball is quickly recycled back onto the pitch opening up the potential for quick counter attacks and rapid changes in scoreline. The positioning of your players and thinking several turns ahead can therefore play a critical role...

But more importantly, what's in the box? Well, for around £40 Dreadball certainly feels like good value for money. Encased in a rather large shiny box you get a smart looking fold out pitch, assorted cards, counters and dice, a glossy rule book and of course, two teams of Dreadball players...

I have to say, the rule book is excellent. Feeling a bit like one of GW's old soft bound codex releases, you're clearly getting your money's worth. The quality and high level production shine through and it's content and accessible writing style does an equally good job of ensuring the rules feel familiar. Beyond the main and advanced rules, there are also sections on referees, exhibition and league play, player and team progression (supported by the roster pad) and the opportunity to introduce MVPs into your games...

Next up, we have an assortment of tokens for representing team actions, score and rush tracking. As well as 18 dice - 6 each of white 'Home Team', red 'Visitor Team' and blue 'Coaching Dice'. It has to be said that unlike the rule book, these game elements are unacceptably below par. Sure, they certainly won't ruin your game, but the tokens are printed on card stock that is no better than a cereal packet and I've seen better quality dice in a Christmas cracker. As gamers, we're sure to have enough dice lying around to resolve the latter issue and at least Mantic have seen sense (via funding from the first Kickstarter) to release replacement acrylic tokens which are of a much better quality.

Thankfully the playing cards are up to standard, representing fan support, referee movement, game events and player special abilities. The pitch itself comes on a great looking fold out game board, with the artwork representing the neon lighting that is synonymous with Dreadball pitches, particularly well. It's worth mentioning that beyond the core game there are a number of alternate pitch options available from Mantic, available in acrylic and MDF varieties...

Finally, we have the minis: 10 x Corporation Players (4 Strikers, 4 Jacks, 2 Guards), 10 x Marauder Players (6 x Jacks, 4 Guards), 1 x Referee and 2 x balls.

The first thing to note is that they are somewhat smaller than your average GW 'heroic' scale mini - more akin to true 28mm. This does not detract however from the quality and detail of the sculpts, with a range of characterful and dynamic poses. The plastic utilised by Mantic is of a softer variety than GW and as such, any cleaning of mold lines is best done with a 'cut' as opposed to a 'scrape'. The minis are also multi-part (legs / arms) and require a basic set of modelling skills to be utilised, with super glue being your weapon of choice when constructing these bad boys...

L to R: Corporation Guard, Ref-Bot, Marauder Guard and Jack

When I picked up the main game, I also couldn't resist picking up the remaining two first wave teams - The Forge Father Midgard Delvers and the those sneaky Veer-myn, the Skittersneak Steelers. I like the way Mantic have packaged their minis, with the box effectively acting as a storage case once they've been assembled and painted. In this regard, teams can be picked off the shelf and transported to their next game with ease...

So, in summary, the Dreadball core game is a winner. The production value of the counters and dice aside, the game represents both excellent value for money and a dynamic and engaging game. If you've been tempted by Dreadball and have so far been resisting the urge, I'd highly recommend you give it a go.

Importantly, Mantic haven't rested on their laurels when it comes to expanding on their initial release. The Season 2 Kickstarter surpassed it's funding goal to the tune of $730k, bringing another four teams to the game and a whole host of additional MVPs. Further to this, Jake Thornton and the Mantic team have already announced the pending release of the 3rd and 4th expansions to the game: Ultimate Dreadball and Dreadball Xtreme...

Until next time :)

Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game - Republic Cruiser

One of the playable missions in the X-Wing Miniatures Game is called 'Political Escort' and the game comes with a punch out card stock Senator's Shuttle to use in the mission. This is pretty cool but it would be even better represented with a 3D model and that's where the ever handy range of Micro Machines Action Fleet toys comes to the rescue...

El Star Warsio...

I picked up both my ships from eBay. The price can vary a bit - I manged to pick one up for 99p (!) and the other for £10 (excluding p&p). Overall, a solid purchase.

The model measures 15.5cm in length and whilst the scale is out by about 2/3, the overall look of the model when placed alongside say, an X-Wing (4.5cm), is actually not that bad? Here's a quick ship length comparison via Wookieepedia:

• T-65 X-Wing Fighter - Length 12.5m
• Consular Class Republic Cruiser - Length 115m
• CR90 Corvette / Blockade Runner - Length 150m

So, the model should do an admirable job playing the lead role in the 'Political Escort' mission, but could the Republic Cruiser offer up any other opportunities in games of X-Wing?

During the Clone Wars a number of vessels were retro fitted with additional weapons batteries and served as light frigates in the Republic wartime Navy...

Given an appropriate set of ship rules and weapon profiles, an up-gunned Cruiser could play an interesting role in games of X-Wing supporting a flight of Rebel fighters as they attempt to break the stubborn resistance of an Imperial blockade?

Equally, the Cruiser could play the role of transport vessel for a notorious galactic smuggler or even the flag-ship in a pirate fleet operating at the lawless fringes of the universe...

Until next time ;)

Epic 40k - Ultramarines Battle Company

I used to play a whole bunch of Epic 40k back in the day and I thought i'd dust off some of the models and show em' on this ere blog... Starting with this Ultramarines Battle Company...

Epic 40k is a great game but it always felt that little bit more magical back in the good ol' days of detachment cards, Squat Leviathans and 'beetle back' Warlord Titans ;)

Until next time ;)

Epic 40k - Legion of The Damned!

Further to our last Epic 40k post which looked at the noble Ultramarines, we switch focus to those mysterious and far more sinister Space Marines, the Legion of the Damned!

These lads were one of my early Epic 40k armies and were inspired by the Legions' first ever outing, in White Dwarf #99...

Back in 1988 the LotD weren't an ethereal embodied entity as they are today. No, these lads were literally dying on the spot, struck down by some strange warp born disease with no cure in sight. As such, the lads decided that if they were about to snuff it, they'd go out on their terms and with all guns blazing...

The LotD decided to remove all previously held chapter iconography and instead, embracing the inevitable, adorned their armour with images of death and fire!

As you can see, I embraced the opportunity to cover the buggers in skulls, bones and fire wherever possible and overall, it makes for a pretty striking force on the table-top...

For those unsure, this is what the Thunderhawk originally looked like back in the good ol' days. For obvious reasons, It was christened as the 'flying brick'...

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little trip down Epic 40k memory lane. Next time, we'll take a look at a particularly garish force of Nurgle Chaos Marines...

Until then ;)

Super Dungeon Explore! - Von Drakk Manor - Mar 2013 Release!

Soda Pop are taking pre-orders for the 'next level' of Super Dungeon Explore: Von Drakk Manor :)

Available in stores from March 28th...

Baron Von Drakk has ruled the Glauerdoom Moor from his haunted manor for centuries. Now he has pledged the might of his nightmare hordes to the Dark Consul's cause. The twisted necromancers of the Dust Covens have plundered crypt and grave, raising legions of armor clad skeletons and undead abominations to serve their dark masters. The skies echo with the cackle of witches on their brooms as they cast curses and hexes on those below. Yet all is not lost. Mighty Heroes of Light have answered the call to defend Crystalia. They arrive on angelic wings and with cracking whip, slashing claw, and holy might they stand ready to turn back the darkness...

36 Fully Assembled Soda Pop Miniatures:

New Heroes:

Sister of Light

Celestial Herald

Van Wilding

Van Wilding (Shapeshift)

New Bosses:

Baron Von Drakk

Nocturne (Shapeshift)

Death Spectre

New Monsters & Spawning Points:

1 Crypt Spider

2 Curse Coven Witches

6 Skullbats

1 Pumpkin Patch Spawning Point

1 Dust Coven Necromancer

2 Dread Knights

2 Dust Mages

6 Boneheads

6 Rattle-Bones

2 Shallow Grave Spawning Points

Hero and Monster Cards

Bone Pile Counter Sheet

6 Unique Von Drakk Manor Treasure Cards

From the Soda Pop Facebook page:

PROMO Figure - ROXOR!
'Introducing (Finally) the Herald of Vulcanis! Warrior without peer - this dark minion is a bronze clad nightmare for even the staunchest of heroes.'

PROMO Figure
‘Available for a limited time! Get an anti-hero for your dungeon today! The dark and beguiling Vandella will happily lead your heroes down paths they should not follow. With a crack of her whip, she brings a little pleasure to the pain she brings.’

'One of our Heroes bears a terrible curse!'

'Celestian Heroes are amazing marksmen and they can fly!'

Super! ;)

Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game - Millennium Falcon

With a long and storied history this YT-1300 light freighter has had many owners and flown under many names, including the Fickle Flyer, the Second Chance and the Stellar Envoy.

But we know it best as the Millennium Falcon and what a legendary ship it is. Bestowed with countless upgrades and modifications over the years, the Falcon boasts warship grade shielding, debilitating sensor jammers and a 4 player hologame table... Let the Wookie win.

Alongside the recently released Slave 1, the Falcon introduces large ships to the game of X-Wing and aside from new rules, ship upgrades, named pilots and crew, we also get a fantastic looking, well executed model - When placed alongside other ships, it really looks the business...

'Looking good Han!'....  'Don't get cocky kid!'

For around £20 you get quite a bit of bang for your buck, including 4 new named pilots, 3 of which are unique and with some cool special abilities. Han Solo clocks in as a level 9 pilot and has the ability to re-roll all of his attack dice, but if you choose to do so you have to re-roll as many dice as possible. Lando is a level 7 pilot and following the execution of a green maneuver, his special ability allows a friendly ship in range band 1 to perform a free action as represented on it's action bar...

Han's partner Chewbacca, a level 5 pilot, gives you the ability to ignore all face up dealt damage cards. Finally, the generic Outer Rim Smuggler has no assigned special abilities, thus allowing you to take more than one of this kind of ship in your games. For me though, there will only ever be one Falcon, so not sure I could cope with seeing two on the board at the same time!? Mind you, if you've got the modelling skills, imagine having Dash Render and his ship the Outrider pairing up with the Falcon on the same table top...

The Outrider

There are a lot of new upgrade cards to play with, many of which are exclusive to this expansion. These include items such as Concussion and Assault Missiles, Veteran Instincts (increase pilot skill by 2) and some named co-pilots in the form of Luke, Chewbacca, Nien Nunb and the Weapons Engineer, who enables you to target lock two different ships...

One of the cool things about the Falcon is it's 360 primary weapon firing arc. Whilst secondary weapons are still required to fire within the forward facing 90 degree arc, the ability to bring the main cannon to bare in all directions creates a monster threat to lightly armored fighters who may be tempted to get too close...

The Falcon also packs a hefty 5 shields and 8 hull points and coupled with the option to further upgrade your shields, could prove a tough nut to crack...

The only thing that may let the Falcon down is it's lack of speed and agility. So whilst heavily armored, expect enemy ships to target the Falcon with relative ease...

Finally, it's worth mentioning the inclusion of a new mission: 'Den of Thieves', which sees the Rebels attempting to intercept prototype starship material currently on route to rendezvous with the Imperial Fleet. New game pieces representing these objectives are included and all help to bring this mission further to life...

I think the Millennium Falcon expansion represents good value for money and a great addition to both the X-Wing game and the Rebel Fleet in general. I can see this baby getting a lot of game time...

Punch it!

Until next time ;)