![]() |
| The Spaceport at game start. |
Campaign turn 2.After an uncomfortable beginning, Dash, Toros and Mackie all head into town looking for a Patron (Sending 3 crew members is an auto-success with this task).
Jella manages to get a good deal on an auto rifle at the markets, while T92 guards the ship again.
The explorer Jann Silman is holed up in his ship at the spaceport. He has an unmarked crate of goods he is unwilling to leave behind, but a group of Vespulid pirates bar the way.
I rolled 5 opponents, one a leader. They were Orange Aliens, with claws/fangs and hive mind talents... I chose my vespulid figures to represent them. This meant they were all armed with handguns, the leader with 2.
The delivery mission called for the crew to carry something to the other side of the board. As I wanted to use my interior modular scenery, I started my crew in one corner and rolled random module placement for the Vespulids by rolling a d4 for each one.
The crate would be represented by a crate model from GZG, and I ruled it could be carried 4" per turn (the speed a figure can carry a wounded comrade in the game) by one figure, or 6" per turn if carried by 2 cooperating figures. Dashing while carrying the crate is not permitted.
![]() |
| Final turns of the game |
Dash and Jella grudgingly teamed up on point. A single Vespulid eluded their fire and tore Dash up in close combat. (+1 to brawl for claws is actually pretty deadly, especially when charging.) Before she could react, the alien followed up 2" and quickly dispatched Jella as well.
Mackie and Tommy 92 moved up with the crate, Tommy's shotgun making quick work of the blood splattered Vespulid. Toros used the suppressive fire mode of his assault carbine to send all the Vespulids on his flank scurrying for cover. 3 shock dice really lays down a withering hail of fire that usually results in at least a Flinch.
Another couple of Scurry turns got Mackie and T92 all the way to Bar Gyro unharmed. Toros plodded along covering their rear and laying down a lot of (Cyril Figgis-style) SUPPRESSIVE FIIIIIRRRE.
A final Fire Fight turn saw T92 flinch and dive behind some tables, leaving Mackie to crawl to the exit, pushing the crate along the floor. Success!
![]() |
| The butcher's bill |
AftermathAfter rolling up a loot item and a trade item (Patron missions grant a trade item as a bonus) I rolled for Dash and Jella's injuries. Dash died and Jella suffered a career ending injury. Was it really internal bleeding, or was it remorse for never making up with Dash before he died saving her life? A sad end to an outlaw artist's tale.
Next episode, Toros' enemies, the UNITY enforcers will be attacking the crew. It's an Assault mission, which I think I'll do on board their ship, the Rampart. Exciting!
NotesThis game took place on a board only 18" square. The terrain is custom built using 6" MDF squares as bases, 6mm cork tile walls and cardboard panels for floor detail. It was originally going to be an office for cyberpunk-ish games, but watching the 2012 Dredd movie made me want to turn it into a Mega block. It's fairly generic, so works (possibly better) as a spaceport too.
I spent a lot of time planning it, going as far as to build a 3d prototype in Google sketchup to test out if revolving the modules would make an interesting enough variety of setups. As there are only 4 basic room types, each one only having 2 walls (for ease of moving figures) the build was very easy, cheap materials and straight cuts.
(Through my adventures in terrain building, I have decided that fully enclosed interior walls or too-high interior walls are the bane of 15mm gaming. If you cant easily see or get at the minis, it's no good.)
Interestingly, the even smaller than normal spaces worked fine due to the density of cover. FiveCore has a slightly unusual cover mechanic which allows a figure to "Hide" or "Peek" when entering cover or activating subsequently. Hiding figures cannot shoot or be shot at , while peeking figures can. Peeking figures are better off vs shock dice than one in the open, but otherwise quite vulnerable. Hidden figures are for the most part totally safe. I find this a really refreshing way to handle cover, but also really fun, as it adds an interesting decision to taking cover each time. My advice is the more terrain the better... Avoid just plunking down a few pieces if you want an interesting game!
House RulesI have been using 6"+1d6" as a Bail distance instead of the stated 12". I like this for smaller game areas as it adds a small element of uncertainly when a figure runs away. It's also the same as a Dash move, only involuntary.
That's all for today, keep your blaster handy... You never know what's around the corner on the Fringe!
