Mutants & Death Ray Guns Report: Judge Dredd & Tweak - "2T(FRU)T"

JUDGE DREDD AND TWEAK BATTLE "TOOTY FRUITY" INFECTED CITIZENS

This game was played using the basic rules of “Mutants And Death Ray Guns” by “Ganesha Games”, and is the first in a series of adventures involving Mega-City One's toughest lawman as he attempts to thwart the break-out of a virus strain left over from the Great Germ War. The scenario comprised of a small party of three Pure Human characters and a Mutant, facing a larger (but similarly costed) horde of the Wretched across a 2’ x 2’ tabletop populated with the Urban Apocalypse Terrain by “Battle Systems”.

“The story so far… Finding his city once again threatened by the deadly 2T(FRU)T virus, Judge Dredd has sought the aid of Tweak, and accompanied by Judges Giant (Senior) and Hershey, has travelled down into his metropolis' Undercity in order to locate the last known location of some vaccine crates. Unfortunately, the virus has already spread to the ruinous landscape's denizens, so not only must the Justice Department retrieve its precious prize but simultaneously fend off the attentions of a frenzied horde...

THE TABLETOP - THE UNDERCITY

Located at the Eastern end of the Undercity, Judge Dredd positioned his small force in between Zabadak House and Martin Cooke Apartment Block. The lawman's mission was to locate eight points worth of vaccine from inside five crates dotted about the dilapidated buildings, and, despite no-one knowing how much vaccine each of the unopened wooden boxes were holding, the starting point provided the party with a good opportunity to quickly access three of them.

Because all of the Judges were wearing standard street-uniform, they were all treated as having a Flak Jacket (for armour) as well as carrying a pistol (to represent a lawgiver). "Old Stoney Face" had the additional special rules for being a Hero [always automatically rolls one success, regardless of their Quality], as well as being the group's Champion [+1 to Combat Score] and Leader [Quality increases by +1]. Giant was Steadfast [+1 Morale Rolls] and Hershey had Stealth [cannot be targeted by Ranged Attacks when adjacent to Cover]. Tweak, as a Mutant (so as to better represent him being an alien), was awarded the special rules for Food (5), Hand-to-Hand Specialist [+1 Melee Attacks and -1 Ranged Attacks] and Tough [when receiving a normal kill result are instead just wounded].

JUDGE DREDD LEADS HIS TEAM AGAINST AN INSANE HORDE OF HOMICIDAL KILLERS

The "Tooty Fruity" infected citizens were split into two groups with a Leader-led horde emerging from the west and a second band containing a Champion (former-Judge) appearing in the north. As the Wretched are referred to in "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" as "zombie-like humans" who have been "mutated by a terrible disease" and turned "into living plague carriers," their statistics weren't altered in any way, including their ability to potentially infect a Human "adjacent to a Wretched for the first time". They were also given the special rules Drug:Stimulant and Savage [inflict Gruesome Kills by doubling an opponent's score].

The Justice Department won the Initiative and Hershey immediately moved south-east behind a discarded sofa, which was sat just outside Martin Cooke Apartment Block. Judge Giant moved over to the southern door of Zabadak House and Tweak cautiously walked west down the main street. Judge Dredd marched to the entrance of the nearby Apartment Block, but failed to budge its rusty door.

To the North, two of the diseased dwellers of the Undercity started moving south towards the sound of the intruders. Whilst from the East, the "Tooty Fruity" leader, her crazed eyes already resting upon the bizarre form of Tweak, scuttled towards the extra-terrestrial... 

JUDGE GIANT FAILS TO ENTER ZABADAK HOUSE, AS TWEAK HEADS WEST

Barbara Hershey saw the infected woman racing at them from out of the westernmost darkness, and raised her Lawgiver. Her target was double her weapon's range, as well partially hidden by several stacks of shelving which had been left discarded in the street, yet it still came as something of a surprise when the shot went wide; especially as the Judge had had time to rest herself against a stale-smelling sofa and take aim. Giant was also having difficulties, for despite his best efforts, John Clay's son could not make the door to Zabadak House budge. Both Dredd and Tweak however, had no such difficulties, as Fargo's clone broke into Martin Cooke Apartment Block and the former alien slave smashed his way inside Dai's Den.

With so much crashing and banging taking place, it was no surprise that more "Tooty Fruity" scavengers were heard moving ever closer from both the North and East. Encouraged by the proximity of her insane brethren, the horde's leader raced ever closer towards her opponents.

Continually banging on the door before him, Judge Giant was getting angrier and angrier with his performance, whilst his former mentor, Dredd, continued to work his way through Martin Cooke Apartment Block searching for the vaccine crate Justice Department intelligence suggested was inside. Judge Hershey once again took aim at the green-haired she-hag running towards her colleagues, and this time the shot took the wild woman down; albeit only momentarily as the homicidal fiend was merely wounded. Realising that the "Tooty Fruity" leader was still alive, Tweak quickly made his way to her side, and with a 'snip' from his formidable pincers clipped the zombie mistresses head clean off!

DREDD ENTERS MARTIN COOKE APARTMENT BLOCK AS HERSHEY PROVIDES COVERING FIRE

Unfortunately in touching the infected creature, the "short furry alien with dark brown fur" took the risk of contracting the 2T(FRU)T virus himself, and within moments felt the lethal strain affecting his physiology. As a result Tweak's Quality was instantly worsened by 1, his movement reduced to Short and he was -1 to all Combat rolls.

The impact of their leader's death was arguably far greater upon the surviving "Tooty Fruity" maniacs however, as many of them failed their subsequent Morale Test. Indeed, only one scavenger remained in the north, skulking near Zabadak House. Whilst just three of the ferocious infected stalked the Judges from the west. But the Justice Department had yet to recover any of the much-needed vaccine, and had already effectively lost a quarter of its scouting force's strength...

To be continued...