7TV2: Eternia Base and the Daleks

Introduction

To my everlasting regret, I've only played 7TV once before (here), though I've played its precursor - the Doctor Who Miniatures Game (DWMG) several times.

The one previous game of 7TV was fun, but it wasn't a total success for two reasons.  Firstly the forces were too small for the table (or if you prefer, the table was too large for the number of figures) and secondly the objectives were too easy to collect very early on (and that took away much of the point of playing the remainder of the game).

Last Thursday, I decided to revisit the game at the Helensburgh games club, but with some adjustments which would hopefully improve the experience.

The Setup

Somewhere in Federation space, on a remote and otherwise uninhabited planet is a top-secret research establishment called "Eternia Base".  There, scientists are conducting dangerous experiments to establish the nature of anti-photons.

A cross-dimensional rift caused by these tests has allowed universes to collide; Davros and a group of xenocidal Daleks have been sucked through.  They would like to take the secret knowledge of Eternia Base for themselves.

However, all is not lost.  Another dimensional traveller (who calls himself "the Doctor") and his assistant have persuaded the nearby starship USS Matakishi to intervene.  Captain Bellamy is leading an away team to try to rescue the scientists and save the base.

Special Rules

This would be a regular 7TV2 battle with 60 ratings per side.  The only alterations that we made to the standard rules were concerning objectives:

1. An objective wouldn't automatically be claimed just by spending a special action.  Rather, the objective would be successfully claimed only if the model making the attempt could pass a Mind test.  Of course, for the Doctor and for Davros (both with a Mind rating of '6') this was just a formality...
2. The central objective is the plasmatron, which splits photons or something like that.  For the heroic side, claiming this objective means that the experiment has been shut down safely; the structure of the base will be saved (even if its inhabitants are overrun by Daleks).  On the other hand, if the evil side claim this objective then they set the experiment to overload and eventually suck the base (and maybe the planet too?) into anti-space.  Either way, once this objective has been claimed the effect cannot be reversed.
3. The other 4 objectives are scientists.  Claiming one of these objectives allows the successful player to add the model to his cast (though note that the scientist's Gadget special effect will be of limited effect: it won't allow any more gadgets to be claimed as that's a pre-game effect only) as well as gaining the usual 2 plot points immediately and 1 victory point at the end of the game.
   Once in play, the opposing player can try to knock out the scientist, or can claim the model for their own cast by following the rules for taking an objective.  In theory, a scientist could change allegiances every turn, as the two sides plead, threaten and trick them!

The Game

At the beginning, the Federation advanced as quickly as they could.  Both the Doctor and Captain Bellamy manage to talk to a scientist and convince them that safety lay in joining the good guys.

In contrast, the Daleks were afflicted by a nasty Countdown Card which effectively restricted them to half speed for a turn.  Since they weren't exactly fast movers to start with, their progress was distinctly sluggish!

Davros took out some of his frustrations by shooting and injuring Brook Aria, the Doctor's plucky assistant.

In their second turn, the Federation advance continued.  The Doctor ran up to the plasmatron, though he didn't have an action left with which to try to defuse it.  Also, the redshirt squad advanced, firing for all they were worth and actually hit one of the Daleks.  [They were shooting at Davros, but he has a 'Sacrifice' special effect which can redirect hits to a nearby friend].  Sadly for them, each Dalek can take 3 hits before succumbing and even worse, this was one of only two times in the entire game where a redshirt hit anything!

However, this single hit did change the results of the game, as you will see...

In one of those "I did not see that coming!" moments, the Daleks then drew a Script Editing countdown card.  There was a weird continuity error as Davros was suddenly next to the plasmatron (and was immediately able to set the device to overload before scuttling back to his own lines)...

...whilst the Doctor found himself in the midst of a bunch of angry Daleks, who proceeded to zap him.  It took all the plot points they had for the Federation side to keep him alive, though injured (and then there was some luck involved as well)!

Never underestimate the Doctor!  On his next turn, he ran up to the red Dalek and did something with his sonic screwdriver, thus adding another wound to the battle machine [he used a "Pen Gun" gadget, but I imagine this was just a setting on his normal device rather than a separate piece of kit].

On the other side of the base, two grey Daleks had tried - and failed - to claim the 3rd scientist/objective.  In a moment of sheer coolness (or perhaps utter madness!), Captain Bellamy transported in and rescued the terrified scientist from under their blasters [in game terms, these Daleks were hit with a Countdown Card which prevented them from activating for a turn and then Captain Bellamy used a "jet pack" gadget to move up for free before claiming the objective and scarpering]!

The Federation wasn't the only side to have gadgets, of course.  One of the Daleks produced a noxious cloud [nerve gas canister] that sent most of the redshirts coughing and reeling; it then exterminated a couple of the hapless humanoids.

Things started to get a bit hectic at this point:

• The Doctor used a disguise kit to prevent the red Dalek from disintegrating him.
• Davros threatened the 4th scientist into submission...
• ...but just as he did this, a Federation shuttlecraft landed nearby and disgorged another squad of redcoats.  Two of them were promptly shot by the grey daleks, sadly.

The other two redcoats brawled with Davros, but had no effect whatsoever [honestly, they'd have done better to stand back and shoot him - though even that probably wouldn't have achieved much].  Fortunately for the heroic side, the Doctor was having a much better turn:

• A Countdown Card allowed him to retrieve a gadget; the Doctor re-tuned his sonic screwdriver and inflicted the 3rd & final wound needed to destroy the red Dalek [with the same "Pen Gun" gadget as he had used before].  One down, four to go.
• To cap this, the Doctor also persuaded the scientist that he didn't want to follow Davros after all...

So at this point, all four scientist objectives had been claimed by the Federation/heroic side - though the Daleks had set the plasmatron into irreversible meltdown.

Right, time to leave!  The Doctor and his new scientist ally ran from the enraged Davros, whilst the shuttle relocated to the centre of the table to pick up Captain Bellamy, his scientist and a stray redshirt.

The evil side wasn't going to take this lying down.  Only one grey Dalek was in range of the shuttle, but it hit the craft squarely and inflicted heavy damage [i.e. 2 of the shuttle's 3 damage points were gone].  However, if that was the worst they could do then it looked as if the heroes might escape after all...

...but the Daleks chose this moment to Steal the Scene and take a double turn.  All the Daleks that were at all close converged on the shuttle; it was rocked as bolt after bolt hit it.  The Federation side was all out of plot points and so there was nothing they could do except hold on and hope for the best.

Amazingly, the shuttle's armour [shields?] held.  It made every single saving throw needed and then flew off into the sunset with its precious cargo!

There goes my armed astronaut!

 The Daleks' fury was intense!  They spent the last turn or two shooting down anything that moved.

I spent my last four plot points trying to save this scientist!  Didn't work, though...

Another redshirt bites the dust.

I had spent all my remaining plot points trying to save the last fleeing scientist, forgetting that the Doctor was also threatened.  A single hit would knock him out easily, but this time the rolls went against the Daleks and the Doctor survived & escaped.

At this point, the Countdown Cards ran out and the game ended.  Whew!

Victory

At the end of the game, after the Daleks' last minute shooting spree, the Federation cast was axed.  The Doctor, Brook Aria and one scientist had escaped on foot, Captain Bellamy, a redshirt and a second scientist had escaped in the shuttle and another two redshirts were still on the table - but all the rest were dead.  +1VP to the Daleks for axing the opposition.

Against this, the Federation had possession of 2 objectives/scientists.  +2VP to the Federation.

Hmm, Davros set the plasmatron objective to overload: +1VP to the Daleks.

So far, that's a tie at 2VP each.  However, we need to add in the points for cast members killed.  Nothing for extras (for which the Federation were extremely grateful), but +3VP to the Federation for destroying an enemy co-star (the red Dalek).

The final tally:

• Evil side (Davros and the Daleks): 2VP
• Heroic side (the Doctor/Federation): 5VP

So, who'd have thought it?  The Federation won; even though virtually all their shots had no effect at all, the destruction of the red dalek was the key!

Conclusion

Well, that was a thrilling game and no mistake!  There were so many moments where it could have turned - Davros swapping places with the Doctor was a masterstroke, the Doctor seemed like a goner in the midst of his enemies but somehow survived, the Daleks were all but invincible, the shuttle's escape under fire was very cinematic...and so on.

Both players enjoyed the game tremendously.  A number of other attendees at the games club wandered by during the evening to try to figure out what was going (there were mutterings such as "there are Daleks - but that looks like Star Trek?!", though nobody actually asked).  From this, I anticipate that there's plenty of latent interest in 7TV - even if many of the club members don't yet realise it 😃.

We'll be back...

7TV: Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Venus

Introduction

This is a report on our first game of 7TV (2nd edition).  I've had a copy of the 1st edition rules for a long time, but I never got around to playing a game.  The new version was so enticing that I determined not to make the same mistake of just letting it gather dust on the bookshelf.

The Doctor and allies are in blue; the Master's forces are in red

Sometime in the future, or maybe in an alternate universe, Venus has been terraformed enough to permit human settlement.  The growing mining and agricultural towns have encroached on ancient monuments left by some long forgotten race of aliens.  Most people regard these pyramids as mere curiosities; dusty relics from a distant age, but maybe they're more than that?

The Doctor has determined that the structures are anything but harmless; they form part of a key which could be used to summon back their terrifying creators.  He and his companions have decided to neutralise the threat by removing certain components.  In this they are accompanied by some local corporate law enforcement officials who have been persuaded of the danger.

However, other eyes have spotted the possibilities of the ancient, alien monuments as well.  The Master has tricked a squad of Sontaran soldiers into assisting him.  He seems to delight in sowing chaos and trouble wherever he goes, but who knows what are his real goals?  It's now a race to see which force can reach the Pyramids of Venus first!

The Forces

For our first game of 7TV2, we decided to keep the sides quite small; we used 25 ratings each.  Also, there would be no customisation of any profiles; we'd use the characters exactly as written on the cards.  Fortunately there were enough suitable archetypes amongst the prebuilt 7TV characters to fill all our needs.

The Doctor

We decided that the heroic side should be heavy with stars and co-stars, backed up with a few local nonentities:

• (Star) Unearthly Traveller.  The Doctor.  Note that this model is one of my son J's rather than my own.
• (Co-star) Plucky Assistant.  Sarah Jane Smith.  Another of J's models.
• (Co-star) Strongarm.  Dexter, a local ruffian from the nearest township, tolerated but loved by the forces of law and order.
• Security Guards.  3 corporate police types from the nearest mining/refinery complex.  Let's call them Knuckles, Starbuck and Paddy.
• Doctor.  Dr. Ness, a local MD with an interest in antiquities.

The heroic side ended up with 4 gadgets.  I've just realised that this was a mistake; they should only have kept 2, chosen from 4.  However, we only used 2 of the items during the game, so it's probably OK...

The Master

In contrast, the Master had a whole bunch of hired/tricked muscle with him, but wouldn't brook any competition from equals:

• Otherworldly Invader.  The Master (in partial Timelord ceremonial robes).
• Alien War Leader.  Sontaran commander (without helmet)
• Alien Heavy.  Sontaran with disintegrator rifle (no helmet, big gun).
• Alien Warriors. 4 Sontaran soldiers (with helmet).

Since the Sontarans are all clones, there didn't seem much point in trying to give them names.  They'll remain as faceless minions, then.

The Master's side had just 1 gadget.

The Game

Both sides set up in 2 separate groups, each very close to an objective marker.  Indeed, the Master used his Spy ability to set up a bit further onto the table, right on top of one marker!

If we've understood the deployment rules correctly then it is entirely legal to begin within just a few inches of an objective.  Consequently, 4 of the 5 such markers were claimed within the very first turn.  I think I'll need to re-read this part of the rules quite carefully; it seems like a surprising result and I'm concerned that we may have misunderstood something.

The first hostile act occurred when Knuckles attempted to advance round the extreme right-hand pyramid.  A squat alien with a very big gun stepped forward to get a better shot and then gunned down the human at long range.  The disintegrator cannon didn't leave much of Knuckles, just hot ashes  [What?  The alien heavy has a strike value of +12!  Most minion attacks are in the +6 to +8 range.  That's an anti-tank weapon; poor Knuckles didn't have even a remote chance of surviving].

Although Knuckles distracted some of the alien soldiers, this was really just a sideshow.  The main action took place in the centre of the table in the flat ground between the 3 pyramids.

Further Sontaran warriors, encouraged by the Master, claimed the 5th and final objective.  The Doctor was busy studying the ancient writing on the ceremonial bowls on top of one of the monuments, so it was up to Sarah Jane and Dexter to try to thwart the evil side's nefarious plans.

As the aliens started to retreat with their prize, Dexter ran forwards.  "You wanna fight?  Ah'll gub you, see if ah doan't!" he shouted as he threw a tear-gas cannister towards the aliens.  The bomb left both the Master and a Sontaran reeling.

Dexter flattened the Sontaran warrior with his jemmy, then rampaged onwards into a second alien.  As he did this, Sarah Jane ran forward to help (though it's not obvious what assistance she might have offered).  All the alien heads immediately swivelled in her direction and she was met by a torrent of fire [that's the Danger Magnet special effect; enemies within 6" may not attack anyone else when it's activated].

Somehow, Sarah Jane survived the fusillade; the alien pistols and rifles all missed.  The soldier with the disintegrator cannon had also wandered in; this was a much more significant threat that would probably have left SJ as a cloud of rapidly expanding hot gas.  However, the timely application of a First Aid Kit gadget cancelled the effects from that strike.  As one of the good guys, this alien heavy was really worrying me!

OK, what can we do about the nasty Sontaran cannon, then?  I don't fancy the Doctor's chances if he tries to talk the alien into disarming, nor Sarah Jane's chances in a brawl.  Instead, the only guy we've got nearby who isn't occupied is Paddy, the corporate guard.  He edged round the pyramid and pulled out his pistol.  It wasn't much of a chance against the Sontaran's battle armour, but he fired anyway.

The evil side were so full of confidence (or lacking in experience of the rules?) that they didn't bother to spend any plot points to boost their defence roll.  The good guys were running on empty and couldn't afford any plot points to improve their own chances.  And what do you know - Paddy rolled high and plugged the bad guy!

The remaining 2 unengaged Sontarans now advanced from the woods to assist their embattled colleagues.  Paddy had a pistol, which gets 2 shots per turn.  He was the only thing between the alien warriors and his friends, so he fired.  Once again, pistol versus battle armour isn't a good match, but he scored fatal hits with both shots.  Jaws were dropping by this time, I can tell you!

Sarah Jane had been injured by the Sontaran leader during another round of "Danger Magnet" shooting, so she had retired a short way to be tended by Dr. Ness.  She was soon bandaged and ready to go again.

Not to be outdone by a pseudo-policeman, Dexter crowbarred another Sontaran warrior into a motionless heap.  Within 2 (?) turns of fighting, the evil cast had been thoroughly axed!

To add insult to injury (and for no well-explained reason), the Master suddenly exploded!  He wasn't hurt by the fireball, but it might have rattled the players on the evil side...

The evil side were now down to just 2 figures.  Dexter charged at the Master, shouting a traditional war cry: "Hey, you!  Big man!  You're going DOWN!"

Paddy took aim at the Sontaran commander.  Once again, the odds were against him, but his bullet hit the bad guy.  The evil side were quick to point out that this Sontaran had 2 health points, so Paddy fired again (pistols are allowed 2 shots, remember?).  There was a stunned silence when his second shot hit the alien leader squarely between the eyes and felled him.  That's 5 shots in a row against the odds, without a single miss...

Dexter gave the Master an almighty thump that staggered the Timelord.  However, before he could capitalise on this advantage, the scheming villain pulled something from his sleeve and sprayed it in Dexter's face.  The human fell to the ground, momentarily disoriented.  When he recovered his wits a short time later, the Master was nowhere to be seen; he had fled!

Conclusion

This game started off a bit slowly.  I think that we all felt a slight sense of let down when all the objectives were claimed within 2 or 3 turns.  There was a distinct sense of "what happens next?  What do we do now?"  However, once Dexter and Sarah Jane attempted to drive off the aliens, things certainly hotted up.  In the end the Master escaped, leaving his minions scattered and destroyed.  This seems very appropriate!

I think we were probably playing on too big a table (4' x 4') for the small, 25 rating casts that we used.  Coupled with this, we should also have used 5 cards in each countdown sequence rather than 6, so that the small game would have ended sooner.  Still, for a first outing I'm quite pleased with the way this game went.

Biggest disappointment: the Doctor spent almost all of the game just staring at ancient stonework.

Biggest surprise: has to be Paddy!  I mean, the man deserves a medal or something.  Without him, the heroic side were almost certainly in big trouble.

And the final victory point score, for anyone who cares:

• Evil/The Master: +3 points for objectives
• Heroic/The Doctor: +2 points for objectives, +1 point for axing the opposing cast.

So it's a draw!

A bit of this, a bit of that...

Introduction

I've been working away on many projects recently, without really concentrating on any one.  Sometimes I'm finishing off a model that has languished for too long on my paint table, sometimes I'm producing more figures to extend an existing project and some of my output is for new settings that I haven't yet gamed.  Judge for yourself; here's an eclectic collection of models; the only thing they have in common is that they have been completed recently!

The Deora

First up is a card model: this is the Hotwheels "Deora" from Dave's Card Creations.  Whilst the kit is based on a toy, it does represent a futuristic design from the 1960s.  As such, I thought it would be ideal for my long-awaited Captain Scarlet game, though it could also be used in Star Trek or any other 1960s Sci-Fi or Spy-Fi setting.

Note that I've scaled this model up a bit from the downloaded pattern.  I can't remember how much, though I think my version is between 10% and 30% larger than the "out of the box" model.  Also, I've added treads to the wheels to strengthen them, though this isn't visible in the picture above.

Denver

My second offering is "Denver", from Reaper Miniatures.  He's described as a zombie survivor and is clearly based on the character of Columbus from the film "Zombieland".  I've tried to paint this model as he appeared in the movie, though I don't recall him having any luggage there.

Note that Reaper are known for their considerable variations in the size of their (human) miniatures.  "Denver" is bigger than average; I had to place the model on a 30mm base rather than my more normal 25mm.

The Master

Moving on, this is a model of "the Master" from Doctor Who.  The Master has had almost as many different portrayals as the Doctor himself; this version comes from the rather poor 1996 Doctor Who movie where he was played by Eric Roberts.

The model is from Black Tree Design (for some reason, their current website is now "eorbis.co.uk"; this is not a misprint).  As well as a renegade Time Lord, I could see the figure being used as a futuristic VIP, a cult leader or a modern wizard.  Use your imagination to come up with other ideas!

Water Elemental

Next, here is a water elemental, also from Black Tree.  He/she is a single-piece casting and is a very large lump of metal!  For all that, it's a simple piece to paint; I used a base colour and a lot of dry-brushing.  I wonder if I should have picked out the eyes in something different, though?

The water horse is intended for games of 7th Voyage, where it could be part of either heroic or evil casts, or indeed just a hazard of the scenery.  Jason and the Argonauts, beware!

Snow Leopards

To finish, I've just completed a pair of snow leopards for Frostgrave.  The one in front is from Black Cat Bases (although it is described as a "panther" there), whilst the other is from North Star's official Frostgrave range.

All Together

It can be difficult to judge the size of a model from a single picture, so I've included a group shot as well.  From this last picture, you can see just how big is the water elemental.  Note also that "Denver" looks similar in height to the Master, but remember that the former is bending forward whilst the latter is standing up straight.  In reality, Denver is quite a bit taller than "regular" 28mm figures, though not impossibly so.

They came from beneath the waves!

Introduction

It's not often that I show any of my 28mm Doctor Who miniatures.  Mainly this is because they don't get used in many games and so they languish in half-forgotten storage.  It takes me some effort to find them, so it's usually easier to present something else.

This time I was determined to catalogue my Sea Devils, so I made the effort to uncover the correct box and get them out.  Indeed, I did this twice since the first batch of photos were all badly focussed - I only realised this when transferring the pictures from my camera to the computer after putting the models away for the first time.  Ah, the troubles I go to for you lot...

Sea Devils

The bulk of this force consists of 7 regular Sea Devil warriors.  Why 7?  Well, because the models come from Black Tree Design and that just happens to be the number of figures in one of their sets, though you can buy them singly as well.

There are 2 poses amongst these models, though both are quite similar to each other.  Each Sea Devil is holding up its "heat ray", though they look very much like 1970s car headlamps to me!

Leaders

There are 2 Sea Devil models in heavy armour available from Black Tree Design.  I use these figures as leaders, though I suppose they could just as well be assault troops or elites of some kind.

Again, the models are quite similar to each other, though not identical.

Support

In the 1970s episodes, the Sea Devils had a pet/ally/slave creature called a "Myrka".  It has very thick hide and is therefore resistant to bullets and other projectiles, though it's sensitive to light and can be driven into a mindless frenzy by the smell of blood.

While the concept is reasonable enough, this isn't one of the better-looking monsters from the Doctor Who show.  Indeed, it looks very much like a pantomime horse: 2 men in a bad costume.  No doubt some 40 years ago small schoolchildren found it a lot more scary than the pantomime animal!

All Together

So, I think I have enough Sea Devils for a reasonable skirmish game, especially if I add in the Master or some Silurians to control them!  What's stopping me so far is my lack of appropriate terrain, as I don't have any coastal scenery or suitable buildings/vessels and fittings.  Hmm, how big would a model of a lighthouse need to be to go with 28mm figures, I wonder?

Robots in 28mm: Film, TV and beyond.

Introduction

Once again, I find that I'm falling behind in my intended schedule of blog posts.  To try to regain some lost ground, here's a relatively simple post about my robot models.

Didn't we already do robots recently?  Well, yes - here - but those were really mechs.  I'm not sure that I really understand the difference, but I know it when I see it.  Perhaps a mech has built-in tools/weapons appropriate to its function, whereas a robot is more general purpose and can use regular human devices?  Whether this is a reasonable distinction or not, in this post, you'll find real robots!

Robbie

Until Star Wars came along, I think that Robbie was possibly the best-known robot in science fiction.  He made his debut in Forbidden Planet, but has since appeared in a number of cameo roles in other films (such as Gremlins).

Of course, this model isn't really of Robbie.  Rather, it's the Classic Robot from Black Cat Bases.  The model does bear an uncanny similarity to Robbie, though...

Danger, Danger!

My next machine is also from Black Cat Bases.  This one looks remarkably like the Robinson family's machine from the original TV series of Lost in Space (not the more recent film with Gary Oldman as the villain).  It must be just a coincidence that it looks so similar, but nevertheless...

In homage to the TV show, I've added a young woman called "Penny" to this set.  However unlike the original Lost In Space, my version of Penny has a remote control for the robot, rather than the machine being completely autonomous.  Penny is a converted em4 plastic ganger.

Who?

Of all the robot models I have which portray a film or TV character, this is the only official one!  It's a servo robot from Black Tree Design's licensed Doctor Who range and it faithfully replicates the cutting edge special effects from a 1960's BBC TV show.  'Nuf said.

I'll be back!

Here are some more models from em-4, these bear a passing resemblance to the T-800 from The Terminator.  Of course, the idea of a skeletal, metallic robot isn't exactly unique, but I do like these ones a lot.  That doesn't mean I've ever used them in a game, of course...

Even 1 of these looks frightening, so I'm not sure what effect the entire range of 5 models would have on any players.  Very menacing!

The Elephant in the Room

There is, of course, a rather large manufacturer who have a range of robots amongst their products.  This is Games Workshop (as if you didn't know!); here are some examples of their basic Necron warriors.

Personally, I don't think that the bandy legs and oversize weapons do these models any favours.  Still, I suspect that I'm outnumbered in this by tens of thousands of teenage boys across the world.  Ah, well...

Conclusion

Of course, this collection doesn't even scratch the surface of all the robot models that are out there.  They do give me some options for games though: I could run a classic Terminator scenario, or add a robot as an impassive (& malfunctioning?) sidekick to any science fiction skirmish game.  One of these days I fancy running a game of All Things Zombie set in a science fiction convention (like Night of the Living Trekkies); a couple of home-built robots would be brilliant as props or accessories.  Of course, I'd need to build a convention centre model first, so this might have to remain a pipe dream for now!