"Your Insolence Has Exhausted My Patience."

"Your persistence is admirable. But your arrogance will prove fatal!"

This 45mm tall plastic “Wizkids” model of Major Maxim is miniature number 054 from their Indy “Heroclix” range and depicts the Hammer operative during a raid upon Eddy Owen's house in England, when the "robotic monstrosity" was searching for a mystical artefact from Atlantis known as the Helmet of Second Sight. Working for a secret organisation "built out of the remnants of the Nazi Empire", the cyborg first appeared in the August 1998 issue of “Danger Girl” and was created by J. Scott Campbell Andy Hartnell.

Willing to "stop at nothing to complete his orders", Maxim was initially primed using some "Vallejo" Black and then treated to a coat of "Citadel" Abbadon Black. I did consider subsequently dry-brushing the figure with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, as I do for all my predominantly black miniatures. But decided against it as I wanted the hulking brute to appear as devilishly dark as he does in the heavily saturated "Cliffhanger" colour comic books.

"Wizkids" WIPs - Four of the eight "Heroclix" U-Men currently on the painting table

The Major's belt buckle, pipes, medal, breathing apparatus, goggles and cap badge were painted with "Citadel" Ironbreaker and later shaded using some Nuln Oil. I then picked out his armband with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and tidied up its sculpted Hammer emblem with a touch of Abaddon Black.

As a final touch I dotted the fascist fiend's eyes with a couple of dabs of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion, and washed them with (more) "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I also pigmented the fluid tanks at the sides of Maxim's breathing apparatus with "Vallejo" Steel Grey", before dappling the areas with "Citadel" Asurmen Blue.

"Knight Models" WIPs - The Black Manta has been dry-brushed, layered and shaded

Having finished Major Maxim I wanted to give him some Hammer agents to command as quickly as possible, so having painted some "Wizkids" U-Men in the past, I quickly dug out some more figures from my embarrassingly large "Heroclix" backlog. However, as I wanted some of these frogmen to be armed with specialist weapons, I converted a few of their firearms using some spare pieces of "Gale Force Nine" 15mm plastic tanks.

In addition, my recent trip to "Beachhead" 2020 reminded me that at last year's show I bought a few cheap "DC Comics" super-villains made by "Knight Models" for their "Batman Miniatures Game". Considering I am currently using a lot of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Ironbreaker, my figure of Black Manta therefore seemed an obvious subject to paint alongside my U-Men... 

"Black Tree Design" 28mm Battle Report: Sutekh Verses The Voord

THE SERVANT OF SUTEKH INVADES A VOORD WORLD

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) in order to allow us to continue a universe-sized campaign utilising many of my painted "Doctor Who" 28mm miniatures by "Black Tree Design", and took place upon a 2' x 3' "Deep Cut Studio" Tundra Playmat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of scenery produced by "Gale Force Nine"; most notably several Rocky Outcrops from their "Battlefield in A Box" range.

“The story so far… The Cybermen, Voord, Great Intelligence, Sutekh, Nimon and Silurians have all decided to try and establish their dominance over the Universe once and for all, by conquering numerous planets, moons, stars, and galaxies in an effort to be declared the undisputed master of all space and time. Most recently however, this furious fight has been made all the more ferocious by the appearance of outlaw Sharaz Jek and his highly-developed android army..."

THE UNIVERSE - THE SERVANTS OF SUTEKH ATTACK AN OUTER VOORD WORLD

"The campaign so far... With the Nimon Empire suffering severe losses to both Sharaz Jek and the Silurians, all attention has seemingly turned towards Voord controlled space. A sudden attack by the robotic Yeti of the Great Intelligence soon sees the extraterrestrial mutants' territory split asunder, and resultantly Sutekh has dispatched his own automatons, lead by his black-clad servant, to oversee the capture of another Voord planet. Desperate to maintain a grip on his fast-dwindling galactic kingdom, Yartek orders his flipper-footed warriors to push back the Osiran service robots, but it just might be that the Voord will need more than sharp-edged knives to defeat the forces of Sutekh the Destroyer..."

THE TABLETOP - A FROZEN PLANET WITHIN THE NIMON EMPIRE

The Voord, which started along the western edge of the battlefield, consisted of four warriors and their white-robed leader, Yartek. They were all armed with knives and due to their aquatic nature would suffer no movement penalties for traversing the partially-frozen lakes. Across from their position, along the eastern edge, stood the Servant of Sutekh and four Osiran service robots. None of these carried any particular weapons but were all capable of delivering death with their 'bare' hands. The snow-covered tabletop had five strategic locations, each worth an unknown number of victory points. These would only be revealed once they had been discovered during the confrontation and could only be claimed by an unopposed unit being in direct contact with it at the end of Turn Six.

THE VOORD AND SUTEKH'S MUMMIES RACE TOWARDS THE BATTLEFIELD'S OBJECTIVES 

Winning the initiative, the Voord rushed east and succeeded in reaching the Destroyed Robot [Objective One] on the edge of the Small Frozen Lake. This was revealed to be worth an encouraging 4 Victory Points. Meanwhile, the much more ponderous Mummies of Sutekh lumbered towards their master's enemies, whilst the Destroyer's servant rushed to claim the Fuel Barrels [Objective Four] and discovered they were only worth 1 Victory Point.

One of Sutekh's robots made its way to the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five], and ascertaining it was worth just 2 Victory Points, indicated to his fellow automatons that they needed to press on towards the Cosmic Cube [Objective Three]. As a result the Osiran service robots ended up bunching together near the northern edge of the Large Frozen Lake.

AS BOTH FACTIONS ACQUIRE OBJECTIVES ALL EYES TURN TO THE BATTLEFIELD'S CENTRE

In response a lone Voord captured the Ruin [Objective Two], temporarily acquiring 3 Victory Points in the process, and compelled Yartek to head towards the Cosmic Cube with a pair of bodyguards. With two such wealthy objectives already 'in the bag', the Voord leader realised that all he needed to do was prevent Sutekh from taking control of the battlefield's centre to successfully stave off the invaders.

Determined to push past Yartek's black wet-suited blockade, one of Sutekh's Mummies charged into the Voord leader's northernmost bodyguard. Behind him, the Destroyer's Servant lead the rest of the Osiran robots west towards their opponents, including the unit momentarily guarding the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five].

OBJECTIVES ARE FORGOTTEN AS THE FACTIONS FIGHT FOR THE COSMIC CUBE

Sensing this was the 'make or break' moment in the battle already, Yartek rushed east with his remaining bodyguard into one of the Mummies slowly approaching the Cosmic Cube [Objective Three]. The pair savagely hacked through the automaton's bandages and after a plethora of satisfying strikes finally saw their electronic enemy fall to the ground lifeless. The Voord by the Destroyed Robot [Objective One] also joined the fray by utilising his "Water Walker" ability to cross the Small Frozen Lake and significantly damage one of the Mummies by the Servant of Sutekh. The Voord by the Ruin [Objective Two] also deserted his prize post so as to advance towards the Osiran Robot previously by the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five].

 With the fighting clearly favouring the flipper-footed Voord, the Mummy moving away from the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five] suddenly found himself facing a ferocious opponent, whose dagger tore away at his protective bandages. Fortunately for the Osiran Robot though his cytronic particle accelerator was undamaged, and he managed to stand his ground. To the north, Yartek's frenzied assault upon the automatons accompanying the Servant of Sutekh destroyed a second Mummy.

YARTEK AND THE VOORD CLOSE WITH THE MUMMIES OF SUTEKH THE DESTROYER

With little but poor scoring objectives behind him, and down two units already, the Servant of Sutekh decided to enter the fighting himself, and almost immediately made an impact by practically frying the first Voord he touched alive. The one remaining nearby Mummy managed to cause another Voord a debilitating wound with a powerful hand chop, whilst the robot battling beside the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five] caused a single wound upon his rubber-clad assailant.

The penultimate turn saw some ferocious fighting in the centre of the table with a second Voord joining the attack on the Servant of Sutekh. The darkly-dressed mysterious character almost fell under such blows, but somehow managed to evade a fatal wound and then utilised his all-powerful master's regenerative power to start healing himself. The huge Mummy beside him however was finally starting to take a toll on the Voord with his enormous hand chops, so when an opening appeared, the Servant of Sutekh killed one of Yartek's weakened warriors seemingly with the simplest of touches...

THE VOORD DESPERATELY TRY TO CUT THROUGH THE MUMMIES' BANDAGES

What was clear was that all the battlefield's objectives had been utterly forgotten about, and what initially had appeared to be an easy victory for the Voord had suddenly turned into a tense kill count contest. The Servant of Sutekh continued to regenerate himself back to full health, before launching a harrowing attack upon his nearest flipper-footed opponent. The assault wasn't quite enough to destroy his foe, but it was only a momentary lapse as a Mummy crushed the injured Voord to death with his bare arms. It was neck and neck...

The close combat by the Destroyed Dalek [Objective Five] was also reaching a tense conclusion, as the Osiran Robot there clubbed his enemy with his mighty hand, and almost killed the Voord. However, because the automaton was just in range of the Servant of Sutekh's "Command" ability, he was able to re-roll one of his attack's misses and sensationally successfully felled the knife-wielding warrior with the new result.

THE SERVANT OF SUTEKH AND HIS REMAINING MUMMIES STAND FIRM BEFORE THE VOORD

Throwing himself into an 'all or nothing' assault, Yartek futilely hurled himself at the Mummy before him, but simply couldn't seem to find an opening through the machine's torn bandages to damage a vital internal component. The Voord beside him was similarly as unsuccessful in penetrating the dark robes of the Servant of Sutekh, so as the battle ended it was clear that the Destroyer's forces had won a most unlikely victory for the Osiran who "planned to destroy all life in the universe."

"Black Tree Design" Battle Report: Sharaz Jek's Androids Verses The Nimon - Part Two

A RAIDING PARTY OF SHARAZ JEK'S ANDROIDS ATTACK A NIMON INFESTED WORLD

"The story so far... Having witnessed the Nimon Empire and the Silurians creep ever closer to a destructive confrontation, the mad terrorist Sharaz Jek has decided to launch a surprise raid against one of the Nimon's ruined conquests in an attempt to establish his own territory. Dispatching a small task force of his highly developed androids, the facially disfigured outlaw soon learns that the parasitic species won't give up their valuable resources without a fight and swiftly finds his faceless automatons taking casualties..."

THE ORIGINAL TABLETOP - A RUINED PLANET WITHIN THE NIMON EMPIRE

"Black Tree Design" Battle Report: Sharaz Jek's Androids Verses The Nimon - Part One

Realising that their firing line was about to be overrun by the large, black-skinned humanoids with bull-like heads, Sharaz Jek's robots retraced their steps back towards the eastern edge of the tabletop, ensuring that they were out of range of any more Psionic mind beams. They then returned fire with their sub-machine guns, and almost brought down the southernmost Nimon right there and then. One of the Minotaurs near the Chemical Sample [Objective One] was also reduced to his final wound of four following a ferocious burst of gunfire from the android near the Drinks Machine [Objective Four].

SHARAZ JEK'S ANDROIDS FIRE AT THE ONCOMING NIMON ASSAULT

Despite taking some significant hits however, the Nimon were still seemingly dominating the battlefield, and shrewdly re-positioned its injured combatants back to secure both the Broken Robot [Objective Two] and the Space Antenna [Objective Three]. The rest of the Minotaurs stalked towards the automaton positioned by the Drinks Machine [Objective Four] and with a deafening roar sought to destroy the machine with a blast from their Psionic mind beams. Disappointingly though, they only managed to partially buckle the android's outer shell.

In response the southernmost robot moved south towards the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five]. Whilst the other featureless artificial beings aimed their weapons in the direction of the Nimon who was approaching the Drinks Machine [Objective Four] and reduced the alien to a lifeless heap on the ground. Having obliterated one Minotaur, the robots then turned their attention to another of the extra-terrestrials by the Chemical Sample [Objective One] and wounded it.

THE NIMON START TO DIE AS SHARAZ JEK'S ANDROIDS BEGIN THEIR OWN ADVANCE

Sensing that their full-frontal assault was taking a distinctive turn for the worse, those Nimon that could sought cover behind whichever ruins they could reach. In front of them the injured Minotaur by the Chemical Sample [Objective One] tried to give some covering fire, and managed to score a palpable hit on one of Sharaz Jek's androids.

To the south, one of the robots moved to retake the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five]. Another automaton approached the Chemical Sample [Objective One]. It was becoming clear that the masked maniac from Androzani Minor's minions were slowly starting to win the day. To reinforce this viewpoint a scattering of automatic gunfire struck one of the Nimon hiding near the Broken Robot [Objective Two] and killed the black-furred beast.

MORE NIMON SUCCUMB TO THE FIREPOWER OF SHARAZ JEK'S ANDROIDS

With their ascendancy assured, one of Sharaz Jek's androids reached the Chemical Sample [Objective One], and injured the Minotaur nearby. This Nimon was then killed by another automaton hiding in the south-eastern ruins. Finally the Android by the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five] fired at the alien close to the Space Antenna [Objective Three] and felled the brute. The battlefield well and truly belonged to the Spectrox smuggler's forces...

"Black Tree Design" Battle Report: Sharaz Jek's Androids Verses The Nimon

SEVERAL SHARAZ JEK ANDROIDS INVADE A PILLAGED WORLD BELONGING TO THE NIMON

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) in order to allow us to begin a universe-sized campaign utilising many of my painted "Doctor Who" 28mm miniatures by "Black Tree Design", and took place upon a 2' x 3' "Deep Cut Studio" Urban Ruins Playmat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of scenery produced by "Gale Force Nine"; most notably several ruined walls from their Gothic "Battlefield in A Box" range.

“The story so far… The Cybermen, Voord, Great Intelligence, Sutekh, Nimon and Silurians have all decided to try and establish their dominance over the Universe once and for all, by conquering numerous planets, moons, stars, and galaxies in an effort to be declared the undisputed master of all space and time..."

THE UNIVERSE - SHARAZ JEK RAIDS THE NIMON EMPIRE WITH A FORCE OF ANDROIDS

"The campaign so far... Having witnessed the Nimon Empire and the Silurians creep ever closer to a destructive confrontation, the mad terrorist Sharaz Jek has decided to launch a surprise raid against one of the Nimon's ruined conquests in an attempt to establish his own territory. Dispatching a small task force of his highly developed androids, the facially disfigured outlaw hopes to take the parasitic species completely by surprise but soon realises the large, black-skinned humanoids with bull-like heads won't give up the valuable resources of one of their worlds without a fight..."

THE TABLETOP - A RUINED PLANET WITHIN THE NIMON EMPIRE

The Nimon, which started along the western edge of the battlefield, consisted of five figures, all armed with Psionic mind beams. Whilst Sharaz Jek's android force began the fight along the eastern edge, and was composed of five sub-machine gun carrying robots. The dilapidated battlescape had five strategic locations, each worth an unknown number of victory points. These would only be revealed once they had been discovered during the confrontation and could only be claimed by an unopposed unit touching it at the end of Turn Six.

THE NIMON AND ANDROIDS RUTHLESSLY ADVANCE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER 

Seizing the initiative, the two southernmost Nimon sauntered east towards the edge of the ruins overlooking the Space Antenna [Objective Three]. Whilst the lone Minotaur in the centre of their formation rushed towards the Chemical Sample [Objective One] hoping the small ruins surrounding it would protect him. Finally, the pair of Nimon to the north began moving around the walls blocking their route to the Broken Robot [Objective Two].

In response three of Sharaz Jek's androids took up a firing position alongside some ruins close to the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five]. The remaining two robots moved towards the Drinks Machine [Objective Four]. Utilising its sub-machine guns greater range than the Nimon's mind beams, one of the automatons managed to fire a burst of bullets at a Minotaur sheltering near the Space Antenna [Objective Three], and despite the difficulty of the shot due to the large alien being in cover, the android managed to cause a flesh wound. First blood to Sharaz Jek's forces.

THE NIMON QUICKLY APPROACH OBJECTIVE THREE USING SOME RUINS AS COVER

Determined to seize control of the battlefield early, and despite already being under-fire, the southernmost Nimon moved around the southwestern ruins and claimed the Space Antenna [Objective Three]. This was revealed to be worth 3 Victory Points. In addition, the northern Nimon took control of the Broken Robot [Objective Two], and an extra 4 Victory Points. Invigorated by this achievement, the Minotaur in the centre of their formation strode east up to the small ruins close by the Chemical Sample [Objective One]. Unfortunately however, due to the close proximity needed for their Psionic mind beams, the Nimon were unable to attack any of their opponents.

In response, Sharaz Jek's forces moved west and quickly took the Drinks Machine [Objective Four] and the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five]. These were worth 2 Victory Points and 5 Victory Points respectively. The rest of the androids formed a firing line along the length of the ruins near their deployment position, and discharged a withering hail of bullets at the closest Nimon within range. The Minotaur which had previously been injured bellowed in pain as it was struck twice more. Just one more wound would see the formidably-tall beast fall...

DESPITE THE ANDROIDS' FIREPOWER, THE NIMON CONTINUE TO ADVANCE

With the exception of their badly injured brethren, who wisely sought shelter behind some ruins just north of the Space Antenna [Objective Three], the Nimon boldly marched east, lowering their horns in anticipation of discharging their Psionic mind beams and relying upon their great bulk to absorb the hotly anticipated returning fire from Sharaz Jek's androids. With a huge explosion the robot holding the Fuel Barrels [Objective Five] was blown asunder by the Minotaurs' attack, granting the parasitic species another Victory Point and costing the mask villain's minions control of a highly valuable objective. Fortunately however, the automaton by the Drinks Machine [Objective Four] managed to weather the Psionic storm without any injury to its circuits.

Dum Da Dum, Diddly Dum, Oo-ee-oos… 

"Wizkids" Battle Report: The Howling Commandos Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Verses Dire Wraiths - Part Two

THE HOWLING COMMANDOS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. CONTINUE TO BATTLE THE DIRE WRAITHS

"The story so far… Having received intelligence that a band of Dire Wraiths are weaving a spell which will resurrect the formidable Hybrid, the Howling Commandos have been dispatched to an abandoned village in the Sahara desert, Tunisia. However, upon their arrival Warwolf's team realise they have very little time with which to stop the extra-terrestrial Queen's dark arts and resultantly have immediately launched an assault upon the shape-changing aliens' location..."

THE TABLETOP -  A GHOST VILLAGE IN THE SAHARA DESERT

"Wizkids" Battle Report: The Howling Commandos Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Verses Dire Wraiths - Part One

With the green-hued Dire Wraith matriarch in her sights, Vampire By Night hot-footed her way east into the settlement believing her ability to regenerate any wounds would ensure her survival until she at least reached her intended target [Regenerate: At the start of its turn, a model may roll a D6 for each missing Mass point. Upon the roll of a 6, a single Mass point is returned to the model].

Nearby, Manphibian fired at the northernmost alien and despite the evolutionary offshoot of a Skrull taking on the appearance of an innocent villager so as to 'throw off' the Howling Commandos' aim, the Dire Wraith was struck by a bullet and injured. Determined to put an end to his red-skinned foe, Manphibian utilised Warwolf's Command ability [Command: A friendly unit that is within 12" may re-roll a single dice roll once per turn] and trained his firearm at the snarling, vaguely humanoid-looking creature from the Andromeda Galaxy. The monster fell dead under a hail of bullets.

VAMPIRE BY NIGHT LEADS THE CHARGE AGAINST THE DIRE WRAITH QUEEN

Sensing the close proximity of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s super-powered agents, the Dire Wraith Queen weaved her sorcerous arts and generated a staggering 6 points of Dark Magic. It would not be long before the Hybrid was returned to her coven. In the meantime, one of the monarch's sisters by the settlement's western wall charged into Vampire By Night, causing the blood-drinker one wound [Attack: 2 + 2 dice for the Charge].

To the south, the Dire Wraith watching the large palm trees sent a magical blast hurtling towards the Man-Thing and due to the fiery attack's supernatural origin it caused Ted Sallis' alter-ego some noticeable discomfort as it scorched his vegetable matter. Disconcertingly however, the Howling Commandos' mission was about to become even more difficult as Warwolf was twice struck by more missiles summoned from within the Dark Nebula and fell unconscious to the sand...

THE DIRE WRAITHS AMBUSH NINA PRICE WHILST THEIR QUEEN PERFORMS HER DARK ARTS

Encouraged by James Marks' manifestation being close at hand, the Dire Wraith Queen used her arcane spells to produce two additional points of magic. The alien was now just three points away from success, and her human opponents were leaderless. With a haunting shriek she directed one of her fellow witches, who was just north of the tower, to charge into Vampire By Night. Already locked in close combat with one Dire Wraith, Nina Price was unable to fend off this second onslaught and sadly fell before the extra-terrestrial's numerous blows.

The defeat of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vampire/werewolf hybrid left the shape-shifter who had originally been fighting her free to unleash a sorcerous blast upon Man-Thing. The Howling Commando was partially protected by a small rocky outcrop [Cover: -1 to hit], but still caught the best part of the magical attack. The Dire Wraith south of Theodore also fired at him, and the former Legion of Monsters member shook in pain. Having been wounded thrice the "large, slow-moving, empathic, humanoid swamp monster" was literally on his last legs.

MANPHIBIAN SLOWLY CLOSES IN UPON THE DIRE WRAITHS' STRONGHOLD 

Bravely however, Man-Thing was still determined to stop the Dire Wraith Queen in her unholy ritual, and ploughed into the Dire Wraith who had vanquished Vampire By Night, partially crippling the alien [Mass: 2]. Elsewhere Manphibian moved northeast to the northern edge of the settlement's wall.

For a moment time seemed to stand still as the Dire Wraith's monarch weaved her spells for a fifth time. But the matriarch only managed to generate two points of magic meaning the Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. had one move chance to stop her foul machinations. Unfortunately for Nick Fury's special agents though, the Queen's sisters took the opportunity to 'swamp' Man-Thing, and brought Ted Sallis' vegetable matter-made form down under a flurry of blows.

THE DIRE WRAITH QUEEN SUCCESSFULLY SUMMONS THE HYBRID

Alone, with no hope of reaching his mission's target before she uttered the final incantation necessary to bring about the resurrection of the Hybrid, Manphibian decided that a tactical retreat was probably the better part of valour. The super-strong gill-man had gained some valuable intelligence on the Dire Wraith menace, and would return for revenge...

"Wizkids" Battle Report: The Howling Commandos Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Verses Dire Wraiths

THE HOWLING COMMANDOS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. BATTLE THE DIRE WRAITHS

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) in order to allow us to quickly field a handful of my re-painted "Heroclix" miniatures, and took place upon my 3' x 3' "Deep Cut Studio" Desert Playmat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of scenery produced by "Gale Force Nine"; most notably several buildings and walls from their "Galactic Warzones" range.

The Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. started along the western edge of the tabletop and consisted of Warwolf (10pts), Vampire By Night (10pts), Man-Thing (10pts) and Manphibian (10pts). Whilst the Dire Wraith Queen's forces started the fight dotted throughout the town situated on the eastern side of the desert, and consisted of the extra-terrestrial monarch herself (10pts), and four of her sorcerous sisters (total 40pts). At the start of each of her turns the Dire Wraith Queen would roll a D6 to establish how much Dark Arts energy she had been able to summon. Once her combined total exceeded 18 points worth of magic, then the evil alien would successfully summon The Hybrid and win the game. The Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. would only win if they killed the Queen and prevented the summoning from taking place.

THE TABLETOP -  A GHOST VILLAGE IN THE SAHARA DESERT

"The story so far… Nick Fury has received intelligence that a band of Dire Wraiths have assembled at an abandoned village in the Sahara desert, Tunisia in order to resurrect the formidable Hybrid. Unable to contact the Space Knight, Rom, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director instead dispatches his Howling Commandos in a desperate bid the stop the magic ritual before it is too late. But no sooner has Warwolf's team landed than they realise the Dire Wraiths occupy the entire township, and to make matters worse, their Queen herself has already begun the spell..."

WARWOLF'S TEAM MAKE THEIR PLANS AS THE DIRE WRAITH QUEEN STARTS HER SPELL

Ignorant to the arrival of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strangest agents close by, the Dire Wraith Queen weaved her sorcerous arts and generated an impressive 5 points of Dark Magic. Hissing with the success, the red-coloured alien furthest south waddled west to wards the edge of the dusty derelict township, having thought she her the sound of hated humans approaching her sisters' location [Move: 6"]. Elsewhere, the other extra-terrestrials were also responding to the noise coming from behind a pair of palm tree plantations to their west, and started running to wards the edge of the village using its walls as cover [Run: 8"].

Activating the gene package embedded on his right mechanical arm in order to transform into a werewolf, Martin Reyna used his superior speed to head east straight towards the co-ordinates S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite had provided him with as the Dire Wraith Queen's position [Move: 8"]. Similarly as fast due to her lycanthrope form, Vampire By Night kept pace with Warwolf and noticed with satisfaction as Man-Thing lumbered his straight into the large plantation of palm trees without the trees impinging upon his speed whatsoever [Forest Walker: Does not have its movement rate halved whilst crossing a woodland or forest]. Manphibian meanwhile, shouldered his large blaster rifle and run east using the southern edge of the smaller palm tree plantation as cover.

MAN-THING MAKES HIS WAY THROUGH A PALM TREE PLANTATION

Man-Thing continued to lurch east through the large spread of palm trees, all the time under the protection of the towering tall plants from any sorcerous blast or attack. Vampire By Night also continued travelling east, this time using the rocks around her to protect her flank, whilst Manphibian confidently strode behind her to provide some additional firepower should Nina Price's sharp claws and fangs fail in their mission to cut down any dire wraith foolish enough to get in the white-furred immortal's way.

Using his supernatural sight to its limits, Warwolf's eyes drew a clear line straight across the battlefield to the Dire Wraith Queen's position, and immediately started firing at the blubbery-shaped, green-skinned monarch [Shooting: 2 Dice]. Unfortunately, the leader of Area 13's S.T.A.K.E. (Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities) subsequently gave a howl of frustration, as he was still too far away for his bullets to reach the alien.

Realising that her mission to summon James Marks back from beyond using the blood pillar her incantations had already created, the Dire Wraith Queen set her arcane spells to work for a second time, and successfully produced three more points of magic. The alien was already almost halfway to achieving her goal, and her opponents had not yet even reached the village's sand-blasted walls.

VAMPIRE BY NIGHT AND MANPHIBIAN NEAR THE DIRE WRAITH INFESTED TOWNSHIP

Spotting the trees swaying as if some massive monster was lurching through them, as indeed the Man-Thing was, the southernmost Dire Wraith made her way to the entrance of the town's tower and faced the large pal tree plantation in front of her. Another of the Skrull evolutionary offshoots hid themselves by the wall by the western edge of the settlement and motioned for one of her sisters to sneak around the northern tip of the self-same wall so as to blast their attackers with dark magic just as soon as they spotted them.

Silent and sombre-faced, Man-Thing suddenly strode out from the large palm tree plantation. Ted Sallis knew he was in plain sight of one of the Dire Wraiths, but trusted upon his body being "practically invulnerable to harm" to keep him safe [Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 6]. In addition, Warwolf appeared to his north, having used his werewolf-based super-speed to lead his freakish team from the front...

To Be Continued...

"Y.F.T. Design Studio" Battle Report: Red Dwarf And The Homicidal Killer Gelfs - Part Two

LISTER AND RIMMER FACE A WALL OF ONCOMING HOMICIDAL KILLER GELFS

"The story so far… Whilst taking Rimmer on an asteroid spotting trip, Kryten has crash-landed Starbug on a swamp moon. Fortunately, Holly's scan of the local area has revealed several deposits of machinery which could be used to help repair the shuttle-craft. Armed with a couple of blazookas and a hand-hoover, the Boys from the Dwarf have managed to almost collect the necessary parts but now face an attack from a tribe of homicidal killer Genetically Engineered Life Forms..."

THE TABLETOP - A SWAMP MOON

"Y.F.T. Design Studio" Battle Report: Red Dwarf And The Homicidal Killer Gelfs - Part One

Somehow sensing that the intruders' intentions were about to change, the Gelfs wobbled towards their prey with four of them approaching Objective One (Genesis Ark). Rimmer meanwhile made his way to Objective Five (Damaged Robot) and recovered the final component needed to complete Starbug's repairs.

However, the Gelfs had certainly not been thinned out enough yet to enable the scavengers to escape, so both Cat and Kryten remained by Objective Two (Space Radio) in order to better fire upon the oncoming storm of genetically engineered life forms. Dave Lister also wanted to make some room for his blazooka blasts, so ran past Arnold to the eastern edge of the Large Toxic Pool.

CAT AND KRYTEN PREPARE THEMSELVES AS RIMMER COLLECTS ANOTHER SPARE PART

Four of the Gelfs approached Rimmer's postion, whilst three more closed in upon Cat and Kryten. Despite his hard light body, Arnold scurried to hide beside his bunk-mate and watched in amazement as the former chicken-soup vending machine cleaner dispatched one of the homicidal aliens. To the north, Cat also fired his firearm at the extra-terrestrial blob nearest to him, and purred with satisfaction as it exploded into tiny globules. Unfortunately Kryten was not so good a marksman with his hand-hoover and missed his intended target.

LISTER AND ARNOLD FACE THE GELFS FACE-TO-TENTACLE

Enraged by the loss of their comrades in blobbiness, the remaining Gelfs near Objective Two (Space Radio) charged into Cat and Kryten, their tentacles flailing and mutated claws snapping [Attack: 4 + 2 dice for the Charge]. Cat staggered back from the assault with three wounds, whilst his robot-in-arms received two wounds despite his mechanical body [Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 6].

CAT, KRYTEN AND RIMMER BATTLE THE FAST-APPROACHING GELFS

Fortunately, the Gelfs attacking Rimmer were far less successful, with the hologram avoiding any damage whatsoever. Some of the genetically engineered life forms did rush past him though, in an effort to reach Lister. Dave, however, was not about to swap kisses with a giant green blob or two, so ran north into the middle of the Large Toxic Pool. He remained uninjured and the Gelfs had now left a gap in their line which lead straight back to Starbug, but the goop did halve his movement, making his progress slow going...

Realising that the human was trying to escape, one of the Gelfs wobbled north to intercept Lister, whilst another charged Rimmer. Despite the hologram's hard light form [Heavy Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 5 or 6], the technician suffered a single wound. The Cat did less well though, and a savage blow to the head knocked the smartly-dressed scavenger out for the count. A moment later Kryten joined him as the robot was overwhelmed by the tentacles of his assailant.

DAVE LISTER MAKES A BREAK FOR IT WHILST RIMMER IS OVERWHELMED

Arnold desperately tried to fend off the Gelf attacking him, but failed to hurt the blobby fiend. Lister however, aimed his blazooka at the Gelf moving between him and Objective One (Genesis Ark) and with a cheer shot it to pieces.

With both Cat and Kryten fallen, the Gelfs by Objective Two (Space Radio) moved towards Dave, who was still stood knee deep within the middle of the Large Toxic Pool. Rimmer finally managed to overpower one of the Gelfs wrestling with him, and with some delight saw that Lister had also gunned down the first of the aliens to place a tentacle into the gloopy green water near him. The homicidal killers were definitely closing in upon the two remaining Red Dwarfers, but they were now few in number.

LISTER AND RIMMER FEND OFF THE FINAL GELF ATTACKS BY THE LARGE TOXIC POOL

Despite the thickness of the goo surrounding them a Gelf charged into Dave and caught the curry-loving scavenger with a blow to the head. Incredibly in return though, Lister battered the extra-terrestrial to bits with the butt of his blazooka and looking up, saw Rimmer dispatch the final homicidal killer with an exaggerated karate chop. They'd won... and now needed to simply drag the unconscious bodies of Cat and Kryten back to Starbug before beginning their repairs...

"Y.F.T. Design Studio" Battle Report: Red Dwarf And The Homicidal Killer Gelfs

THE RED DWARF CREW ENCOUNTER HOMICIDAL KILLER GELFS

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) in order to allow us to quickly field a handful of my painted "Y.F.T. Design Studio" and "Crooked Dice Game Design" miniatures, and took place upon the "Deep Cut Design Studio" 35" x 2" cloth Swamp game mat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of scenery most notably some Dalek-themed objectives produced by "Warlord Games" and some toxic pools manufactured by "Gale Force Nine" as part of their "Battlefield In A Box" range.

The Red Dwarf crew, who started on the western edge of the table, were made up of Dave Lister (10pts), Kryten (10pts), Arnold Rimmer (10pts) and Cat (10pts). Whilst the pack of homicidal killer Gelfs consisted of eight warriors (5pts each) and would only enter the battlefield from the western edge at the end of Turn Two. The swamp moon had five objective markers each worth an unknown number of repair points dotted about its eastern half. These would only be revealed when a player had searched them. In order to be victorious the Red Dwarf crew had to accumulate eight points worth of repair points and have at least one model escape back off the western edge of the table, or kill all of the Gelfs.

THE TABLETOP - A SWAMP MOON

"The story so far… Whilst taking Rimmer on an asteroid spotting trip, Kryten has crash-landed Starbug on a swamp moon. Fortunately, Holly's scan of the local area has revealed several deposits of machinery which could be used to help repair the shuttle-craft. Believing the parts are just beyond a small forest the Boys from the Dwarf, armed with a couple of blazookas and a hand-hoover, have set off unaware that the planetoid is inhabited by a tribe of homicidal killer Genetically Engineered Life Forms..."

THE BOYS FROM THE DWARF LAND ON THE MOON OF THE PEPPERPOTS

Not willing to wait around and find out what is making the horrible squelching sounds behind them, Dave, Arnold, Kryten and Cat all ran [Run Move: 8 Inches] east towards Objective One (Genesis Ark) safe in the knowledge that their pursuers wouldn't be appearing at the outskirts of the woodland for some time yet. They had a plan too, with Lister and Rimmer agreeing to pepper the gelfs with shots, so as to allow Kryten and Cat to race for the various objectives and collect the repair parts needed.

Still unable to see their foes, the quartet split into their appropriate pairs with Dave and Arnold running ever closer to Objective One (Genesis Ark), and Kyrten and Cat heading north-east towards Objective Two (Space Radio). Suddenly, the gelfs appeared from out of the tree-line. They were in three groups, with the larger central warband clearly planning to make a bee-line straight for Lister and Rimmer.

THE GANG SPLITS UP AS THE GELFS CONTINUE THEIR PURSUIT

Keeping the initiative, an exhausted Arnold reached Objective One (Genesis Ark) and was delighted to find five points worth of salvageable repair parts. It meant the guys were already half-way to achieving their first goal. Dave meanwhile, ran further southeast towards Objective Five (Damaged Robot) and took up a position to sweep the gelfs with blazooka fire as soon as they got within range. Kryten and Cat continued running north-east towards Objective Two (Space Radio), all the time hearing the sounds of the tentacled terrors behind them gurgling their way across the swampland towards them.

Moments later, the Red Dwarf crew continued their excellent momentum as Kryten discovered two more points worth of parts whilst examining Objective Two (Space Radio). This called for a change of plans as the quartet now needed just one more part to fix Starbug with. Cat therefore opened fire with his blazooka upon the nearest gelf [Shoot: 3 dice] and despite the life form being hard to hit [Stupefy: A unit always suffers –1 to its dice roll when firing at an enemy unit with ‘Stupefy’] it fell lifeless before the torrent of exploding bullets.

RIMMER AND KRYTEN COLLECT SOME VALUABLE SPARE PARTS

Lister likewise opened fire but lacked the feline skills of his fanged friend and missed. Rimmer meanwhile, huffing and puffing, raced towards Objective Five (Damaged Robot). The gelfs were getting ever closer and they still almost outnumbered the Red Dwarf posse two-to-one, so even when Arnold did collect the final part needed for Starbug's repairs, they'd still need to thin out the homicidal killer aliens somewhat before heading back to the shuttlecraft...

 To be continued...