"The Robot Wars" - Coming To Kickstarter Soon

"The Robot Wars"

I've previously posted about the exciting announcement that Russ Morrissey's “Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game” is coming to Kickstarter soon both here and on the "Dawn Of Comics" website. However, up until recently, I hadn't seen much about the W.O.I.N. (What’s Old Is New) engine-based rule-set's first supplement which firmly focuses upon the veteran street judge's experiences during "The Robot Wars". Fortunately "EN Publishing" have now kindly released some of its contents...

The below is the second article in my coverage and was originally published on the "Dawn of Comics" website...

"All across Mega-City One, the Robots are turning against their human masters."

Hot on the heels of their announcement that “The Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD” Tabletop Adventure Game will be up on “Kickstarter” on Tuesday 25th September 2018 at 5pm GMT, “EN Publishing” have now revealed a significant insight into one of their core rule-book’s adventure supplements, the 101-page sourcebook “The Robot Wars”. Based upon “the first extended storyline of the comics character Judge Dredd” which was originally published for the British anthology comic “2000 A.D.” in 1977, this incredibly exciting expansion will not only allow players to take on the role of the Judges during John Wagner’s tale of droids rising up against their human masters, but also allow them to act “as Civilians and Perps in Saving Matt Damon Block, as war rages across the embattled city.”

"Chaos reigns as the charismatic Robot leader, Call-Me-Kenneth, rallies the city's Robots to his side..."

The hefty tome’s attention to detail is truly breath-taking due to its inclusion of “expanded rules for Robot characters”, from affordable animal pet robots through to expert assassination models, and an in-depth discussion of the robot's role in society; which delves into both the changing of their original programming, as well as their power being harnessed by criminals “for a variety of tasks”. In addition, before handing over the situation to the player characters, Andrew Peregrine’s work provides its readers with “a quick rundown” of what happened to Dredd in each episode’s original storyline and how he dealt with the challenge, plus exciting “summaries of Dredd's earliest case files”.

"Play as Judges... or as Civilians and Perps in Saving Matt Damon Block, as war rages across the embattled city."

Arguably this essential addition to the Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD roleplaying game’s biggest highlight however, is in its coverage of the future lawman’s mechanical manservant Walter the Wobot and “the charismatic Robot leader, Call-Me-Kenneth”. All of the statistics for both the “small sentient mechanoid” and murderous “carpentry robot” are supplied within this sourcebook, including a comprehensive look at just how their various machine-driven appendages and skills, such as Walter’s extendable limbs and annoying lisp, can impact gameplay. Indeed, fans of the “new Messiah for robot-kind” should be particularly enthusiastic about the opportunity of not only being able to utilise the entire array of Call-Me-Kenneth’s integrated power tools whilst perhaps leading an attack on the Grand Hall of Justice, but also portray the automaton on the tabletop in his resurrected form sharing a sense-shattering showdown with old Stoney Face atop a huge flying oil tanker…"

“Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game” - Coming To Kickstarter Soon

"Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game"

It's not every day that I am able to combine work with my one of my main hobby interests, so I recently took full advantage of Russ Morrissey's invitation to send me one of his company's press kits in order to help promote the “Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game” on both the "Dawn Of Comics" and "Sci-Fi Movie Page" websites. I have admittedly only recently come into contact with the game's W.O.I.N. (What’s Old Is New) engine, courtesy of Mike Myler's "N.O.W. The Modern Action Role Playing Game" and Morrus' “The Moons Of Boria”, but the additional promise from "EN Publishing" to be sent some sneak peek page scans of their upcoming hardback was too good an opportunity to miss and I have already gained the approval of my editors to start waxing lyrical as to the virtues of this new worldwide licensed game.

The below is the first article in my coverage and was originally published on the "Dawn of Comics" website...

Dusting down my miniatures ready for some new tabletop adventures

Wargaming devotees of either the weekly British science fiction anthology publication “2000 A.D.” or its most successful serial “Judge Dredd”, will have much to look forward to on Tuesday September 25th 2018 at 5pm GMT, for that is when “EN Publishing” will be bringing all the tabletop gaming potential behind Mega-City One’s toughest lawman to “Kickstarter” in the form of their marvellously exciting “Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game”. Featuring “a full colour hardcover book which contains the core ‘Worlds of 2000 AD’ rules as well as setting information enabling the players to… play Judges… civilians and perps in Mega City One”, this first release also brings with it all the highly-positive consumer confidence one might expect from a product which has been co-written by Russ Morrissey and additionally utilises the publisher’s well-established W.O.I.N. (What’s Old Is New) engine.

"Dawn Of Comics"

In fact, those familiar with either Morrus’ marvellous manual “N.E.W. – The Science Fiction Roleplaying Game”, or the “EN Publishing” owner’s enthrallingly detailed “visit [to] the Borian Homeworld” in the supplement “The Moons Of Boria”, will doubtless take great heart from the fact that this “incredibly flexible” system will be used to “cater seamlessly for the Celtic environs of Slaine” as well as the scrotnig “spacefaring hijinks of the Ace Trucking Co.”, and should certainly be exhilarated by the seemingly endless stream of sense-shattering sneak peek pages being presently ‘leaked’ to all the dice-throwing disciples of Tharg the Mighty.

The Front of the Game Master's Screen

Equally as encouraging are Nick Robinson’s plans for “a series of books starting with the Robot Wars”, which the Line Developer states “will not only allow players and GMs to play through the events that took place in the comic arc, but also add to the game setting with additional rules or source material relevant to the period or location.” This minute attention to detail is already one of the “N.E.W.” game engine’s most attractive and rewarding features, so the suggestion that “Robot characters will be expanded in The Robot Wars whilst in Luna-1” should see ‘squaxx dek Thargos’ being provided with engrossing “detailed information on the moon colony and life there.”

"2000 AD has forty years of rich history and storytelling..."

Continuing along such heartening tracks “EN Publishing” are additionally promising to support “Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD” by means of “a series of adventure

Source books giving players and Game Masters the opportunity to play through the story

arcs that made Judge Dredd such an enduring character.” The opportunity to potentially partake in such chronological classics as Pat Mills’ “The Cursed Earth” or John Wagner’s “The Day The Law Died” will surely protect this planet from any unwanted thrill deprivation, and that’s not even taking into account the plethora of plots featuring the “ABC Warriors”, “Indigo Prime”, “Nikolai Dante” and “Rogue Trooper” which may well yet come. Zarjaz news indeed, Earthlets…