X-Wing - Rebel Transport - Unboxing

Hot on the heels of the Imperial Aces, the GR75 Rebel Transport swoops in to HBID! to help bolster the forces of the Rebellion. As the first huge ship to be released for the X-Wing game, this was always going to be an exciting prospect to unbox. Let's pull off the cellophane and marvel at the wonders within... and in particular, the models...

The Transport model carries an excellent level of detail. The underside in particular looks impressive, with the numerous cargo pods layered upon one another in very pleasing manner; The separate cast elements have clearly been well considered at design stage. Whilst the paint job is a little on the muted side, the factory inking process manages to add great depth to the model*. This is particularly apparent on the model's top side, where there is a lot of flat space to contend with...

* I've wondered as to how the inking is applied to X-Wing models at factory production stage. I suspect it's a 'dipping' process, to ensure an even and consistent coverage. It also feels like the models are then 'wiped' to ensure no ink residue is left on the plate surfaces...? Either way, the ink would appear to have a 'motor oil' like consistency to ensure good adherence - Maybe similar to Army Painter Quickshade. Does anyone out there no FFG's secret?   

Of course, when it comes to the X-Wing Huge Ships, size matters... So how does the model stack up when compared to it's smaller counterparts?

From end to end, the Transport measures very close to 9" in length. Certainly enough to please your average Twi'lek dancing girl but I'm not sure Leia would have been fully satisfied... For some reason I was expecting something a little more substantial and whilst I'm sure the FFG team will have conducted hours of research to ensure the 'scale nerds' were kept happy, the model feels a little underwhelming. Overall though, it's a solid piece of resin that does look the business on the table-top...

You decide...

As well as cargo transports, a number of GR-75s were retrofitted as long range fuel tankers for use by
rebel star-fighter groups, as well as some being converted to dedicated troop transports for planetary assaults.

Next up we have the other reason why everyone will be wanting to buy this release; the included X-Wing fighter escort. And along with a group of new pilots in the form of Wes Janson, 'Hobbie' Klivian and Tarn Mison, Rebel players will now be able to fly everyone's favourite cockpit crusher, Jek Porkins...

I'm really digging this model over it's standard brethren. First up, it carries a brighter, whiter finish when compared to the darker, grayish drab of the original expansion pack model. The additional red striping and yellow nose cone really make the model stand out and the red astromech droid looks right at home just behind the cockpit. Good job FFG.

Of course, the box comes with a whole bunch of other assorted shenanigans, including a ton of new counters, pilot and upgrade cards and the new Cinematic Play campaign rules for the 'Evacuation of Hoth'... but we'll leave that for another day...

Until next time ;)

X-Wing - Imperial Aces: An Alternate View...

The Imperial Aces have finally landed in the HBID! hangar bay and not before too long... There's already a lot of articles around the web concerning the included upgrade cards and their potential tactical uses, so let's instead concentrate our attentions on the models themselves and delve a bit deeper into the backgrounds of these fighter squadrons and their feared pilots...

Soontir Fel leads the Emperor's finest.

Those red stripes will certainly make the Rebel scum think twice before engaging...

Led by the infamous Baron Soontir Fel, the TIE Interceptors of Saber Squadron were memorably based on the Death Star II and were assigned to defend the Star Destroyer 'Avenger' during the Battle of Endor. But the history of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing and the notoriety of it's pilots took root long before this infamous battle...

Having overcome the lackluster leadership of their former commander, Colonel Evir Derricote, the newly assigned Soontir Fel would go on to lead and shape the 181st into one of the most feared fighting forces in the Galaxy. Through his strict discipline and iron leadership, he created a squadron of well drilled, highly skilled pilots. These elite pilots included such feared names as the Force blessed Maarek Stele and the man who would eventually go on to lead Saber Squadron himself, Turr Phennir...

At a time when the Rebel Alliance was achieving one of it's greatest victories, destroying the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, Soontir Fel was leading Saber Squadron on the other side of the galaxy in a resounding victory for the Empire at the Battle of Ord Biniir... If only Fel had been the one chasing Skywalker down the trench! o_O

Recognising the skill of Soontir Fel and the 181st, Darth Vader duly attached the fighter wing to his very own 'Death Squadron', where they fought in a number of decisive engagements including the Battle of Hoth and the crushing of Prince Xizor and his Black Sun fleet...

And if you thought the ladz in black were not to be messed with, wait til' you get a load of the fellas in red...

The Royal Guard were the successors to the Red Guard of the Galactic Republic and formed a hand picked Sith military unit served with the the protection of Emperor Palpatine. These men were so indoctrinated into the service of the Emperor, they would gladly lay down their lives without a moments hesitation... Not that these killing machines were bested by death that often...

When not standing around looking utterly menacing, the Royal Guard would fly their distinctive crimson red TIE Interceptors, primarily escorting the Emperor's personal shuttle and it's various decoys. The TIE Interceptors they flew were optimised in every way when compared with their fleet counterparts. Equipped with a built in hyper-drive and shield generator, their ships possessed incredible speed and their pilots preternatural abilities...

The Royal Guard escort the Emperor... or do they...?

Kanos and Jax. The 'Red Death'...

Of all the men that would form the feared ranks of the Royal Guard, two men in particular would stand out, both for their loyalty and their infamy...

Recognised early on for his incredible martial talents and stone cold discipline, Carnor Jax was quickly elevated from his post within the Blackhole Storm Troopers and sent to the planet of Yinchorr, the designated home of the Imperial Royal Guard Academy...

Alongside another outstanding recruit by the name of Kir Kanos, Carnor Jax quickly rose to become the standout soldier within the academy. The men, grouped in permanent pairings, received rigorous training in the deadly fighting art of Echani and quickly became lethal experts in the chosen weapons of the Royal Guard - the force pike and the vibroblade.

On a daily basis, the recruits were subjected to an unrelenting training regime, designed to whittle out those who showed the merest sign of weakness and to mentally condition those who survived. A great many of these training activities would see the recruits test their martial prowess in the fighting arena known as The Squall...

After a year of brutal training and with only a handful of surviving recruits remaining, The Emperor and Lord Vader watched on as the last two pairs of recruits were mercilessly ordered to fight their partner to the death. Carnor Jax easily slew his partner, Alum Frost, showing no hesitation in the act. Kir Kanos accepted the order with some hesitation, but ultimately succeeded in executing his partner, Lemmet Tauk. In a private ceremony with the Emperor and Lord Vader, Jax and Kanos were finally elevated to the rank of Royal Guard. Little was the Emperor to know at the time that Carnor Jax would one day become a Sith Lord himself and attempt to seize the throne of the one he once called master...

Alongside Carnor Jax, Kir Kanos would eventually survive the exhaustive training of the Royal Guard Academy and be elevated into the position of protector to the Emperor. His unwavering loyalty to the Emperor's ideals stood out even amongst the ranks of the Dark Lord's inner circle and the Emperor knew that in Kanos, he had a man who's quest to serve and to protect was unequaled.

Kanos served the Emperor with distinction for many years, but matters outside of his control would eventually change his life forever... Whilst stationed on Coruscant, Kanos unwittingly escaped the destruction of the Death Star II at the Battle of Endor and with it, the death of his beloved Emperor.

The embittered Kir Kanos continued to loyally serve the remnants of the Galactic Empire in the disarray following his master's death... However, the Emperor would soon make a miraculous return to life in the form of a clone...

But despite the return of the Emperor, the Galactic Empire was at even greater risk from enemies within... And those that once considered themselves to be brothers in arms, would clash both in their quest for power and in their quest for honour...

But that, as they say, is another story...

Until next time ;)

X-Wing - AT-AT and AT-ST Walkers

The Imperial ground forces are coming...

And it's not just the Rebels based on Hoth than need to be worried...

Zombicide - Dog Companions: Unboxing & Review

They say a dog is a man's best friend. And what better time to have a good friend by your side than when the Zombie Apocalypse drops. Let's open this sucker up and check out the K9 goodness within...

Front of box. Back of box..

Clockwise from top right: Moog & Gaspard, Lucian & Cherry and Bismuth & Martens... SIT!!!

Let's take a look at the minis. The box contains three different sculpts representing the six possible dog companions available to our survivors. No Chihuahuas or Pugs here, these boys are made of sterner stuff and coming from the hardy breeds of either German Shepherd, American Bulldog or Blue Heeler, they are more than happy to chew on Zombie bones should the need arise...

Bismuth and Moog add their fangs to the fight as our survivors hold back the tide...

The sculpts themselves are characterful, crisp and show a nice level of detail. The minis 'sit' snuggly on a central peg attached to the base. They're not directly glued in or anything and therefore can, if required, be removed from the base. This may come in handy for anyone looking for dog minis to re-base and use in other game systems... For example, how about the German Shepherds mixed in to a Bolt Action Heer Command Group? ;). 

Next up are the cards and as mentioned, there are six cards representing the six different dogs available. The box-set actually comes with a further twelve cards; six repeat cards printed in Spanish and again in French (set these to one side if needs be). The cards are of good quality and match up with the equipment cards found in the core game set...

Finally, we have the rules. Let's summarise the key elements players will need to know:

• Dog Companion cards are Equipment cards and the Survivor owning the card is it's 'Handler'
• The card doesn't have to be 'in hand' to be active
• Like other equipment cards, Dog Companions can be traded between Survivors
• Each Survivor can start the game with a Dog Companion or certain missions and objectives will see them shuffled into the Equipment deck (more on this rule in a minute...)
• Survivors can have multiple Dog Companions in their inventory
• Dog Companions have only one wound
• Dog Companions have the 'Low Profile', 'Slippery' and 3 Zones per Move skills
• Dog Companions add +1 Melee Die to it's handler. This is cumulative based on the number of dogs the Survivor handler has with him
• Dog Companions don't have any actions - The Survivor Handler opts to spend his own actions for the dog to use
• The actions a Dog Companion can use are: 1.) Move 2.) Melee Attack 3.) Make Noise 4.) Get In / Out of Car 5.) Search
• Dog Companions can hold Equipment they find, but not use it 
• Dog Companions can freely exchange Equipment cards with their Survivor Handler when they are in the same zone
• 'Moog' can't search but adds +2 Melee Dice

'Cherry' unearths an automatic shotgun... 'Good boy!'

'Moog' charges in like a hound from hell...

As mentioned earlier, the rules allow for our Survivors to start a mission with a dog companion already in tow, or gain one via achieving mission objectives etc. In the games we've played to date, we've preferred to shuffle all six Dogs into the Equipment deck, regardless. This has provided a really nice surprise for each player when they find one of the dogs and really does create an inseparable bond between man and beast.

In-game, the Dogs themselves have performed admirably; Doing a great job searching for items and with their ability to move 3 zones in 1 turn, acting as 'runners' to help quickly ferry vital equipment between our beleaguered Survivors. The Dog's ability to add additional dice in melee has also proved extremely useful. When a Survivor has picked up more than one Dog, they've become a real force to be reckoned with...

In one game, Grindlock had turned into a 'pack master'...
His three dogs and heavy duty DIY equipment making him a Zombie killing machine...

...And here's Grindlock taking his pups for a spin in the Pimp Mobile... 

In summary, the Dog Companions set is an excellent addition to the Zombicide game. The minis are characterful, well executed and add to the flavour of the post apocalyptic setting. Importantly, the Dog Companion rules really add a new dimension to the game, providing our Survivors with a range of new tactical and strategic options. Players will become really attached to their K9 counterparts and feel genuine sadness (quickly followed by blind rage vengeance!) when their loyal friend is taken down by the foul Zombie horde... NOOOooooo!!!!!  MOOoooog!!

On this note, if your gaming group likes a hard-core challenge, you could then turn your freshly munched pooch back on his former master, in the form of a zombie dog...

Well, hopefully you enjoyed our look at the Dog Companions set for Zombicide. If you're into the game, I highly recommend you put them on your shopping list. At this point, I should also say thanks to my mate Olly who bought me my box for my birthday. Good on ya' mate! :)

Let's round things off with some fan made custom Dog Companion cards. Or in this case, Wolves...

Until next time...