Saturday just gone on the 1st July at the Wargames illustrated HQ in Nottingham a 7TV day was hosted. 14 players turned up from up and down the country for a day of playing 7TV. The 14 players were split into two teams the Disruptors (Villainous) and Vallhalla Project (Heroic Casts). The brief was as follows.
The Russian Job / Luther’s Gambit – A 7TV
Films production
…it began in the ruins of berlin, with strange
discoveries made in a storage room in the führer bunker…
…it continued when an entire soviet research
station disappeared…
…and it waits, in a quiet corner of a forgotten
kgb warehouse, biding its time…
In 1938, the third German Expedition to Antarctica sought to map and
explore Neu-Schwabenland or New Swabia, an area the Nazi
regime hoped to exploit. Although supposedly searching for a site for
a whaling station, the true purpose was shrouded in secrecy…
The Thule Society, the true power behind the rise of Nazism, sought
an object of great power, an object that fell to Earth many centuries
ago. Rumoured to be located in the ruins of an ancient, metallic
structure, the location was revealed by a fragment of the Darkhold,
most of which remains lost, an ancient text of unknown origin.
After a thorough search, the expedition found the structure beneath
the ice. In the centre of this saucer shaped structure, they found
the multi-part object thrumming with power, perpetually spinning.
Using the correct rituals, they placed metallic arrows covered in
occult symbols at key points to lessen the power of the object. They
then took possession of it and returned to the Reich, where further
study was undertaken.
A series of ‘incidents’ were recorded at a number of scientific
facilities across the Third Reich, terrible incidents, people
transformed, laboratories destroyed, whole villages and areas wiped
from the map. The advent of World War Two meant that many projects
were shelved on Hitler’s orders. In 1945, a crazed Fuhrer demanded
that as many of the Thule Society’s discoveries as possible should
be sent to his bunker in Berlin…
…When
Soviet forces entered the Fuhrer Bunker, they found a storage room
full of packing cases of various sizes. Many contained nothing but
pseudo-science / occult trash but records captured suggested there
was much more. These records and selected objects were sent to a
number of locations, including the crate labeled Rache
Sphäre...
All the casts where upto 30 Ratings. I took my Police Cast consisting of
Tough Detective (Star)
Investiative Academic (Co-Star)
Police Sergeant
3x Police Constables
1x Police Dog Handler
2x Attack Dogs
Police Car
Which gave me plenty of choice. There was an eclectic mix of casts from Weird Science casts consisting of slimy worms and spawn, Casts full of apes, Predators (Fan made), Psyschic old ladies. Moon Nazi's maskerading as Deptartment X and the Master and his cronies to name a few.
Scenario 1 - The Defective Defector
Yuri Blankenhof, rumoured to be the only survivor of the 'Mesti Incident', had sent a message - he wished to defect. In addition to his knowledge of Soviet science, he was offering information regarding what happened in the 'Mesti Incident'.
First game was against Mik Holland and his Apes of the Apocalypse cast. Our mission was to locate the scientist. No Objectives were used but the tables were scattered with civilians. One of them possibly being the scientist. On a roll of a D10 a 10 would mean the scientist was located and you needed to then escape with them. Or if a 1 was rolled a KGB agent was revealed. When 3 KGB agents were found your Countdown deck instantly would go down to the Finale section rapidly ending the game.
The game for me started quite well the Detective entering the cafe and beginning to talk to people inside who were obviously baffled by his inability to speak Russian. The Academic advanced quickly to the people surrounding the fountain none appearing to be the scientist.
The Apes began by charging forward terrifying civilians in there search for the scientist. One of the civilians revealed himself to be a KGB agent. The Ape minions saw this as a sign to begin letting loose shots with there SMG's devastating my constables leaving me with just the sergeant and 2 dogs on one flank.
The next round resulted in another 3 KGB agents being found and triggering the Finale countdown. My Two remaining constables sped off after the scientists in charge of the apes leaping out unable to steal the scene they tried there best to hold on but were brutally beaten down or shot. The Academic was reduced to 1 wound and was holding for dear life.
The final round ( I burned two cards) my detective continued to question people in the cafe unveiling a 5th KGB agent. The two feral apes and a minion entered the cafe guns blazing. My detective manage to push them back with a witty put down something about the origins of the apes heritage and banana's. Alas the game ended as my cast was axed.
A great game with Mik my lack of guns meant I had to take the incoming fire and some high dice rolls decimated my extra's eventually axing my cast. In hindsight perhaps I should of been more aggressive with my coppers in the car and bundle the sergeant and other constable into it at the beginning of the game as a diversion and hold up my opponent a bit.
The net results of the games was the defecting scientist was caught by the KGB and executed.
Mik's wonderful cast.
The table we played on. Below some of the other gaming tables.
Scenario 2 - Pieces of Hate
The death of Blankenhof was unfortunate, but at least the parts of the artefact involved in the 'Mesti Incident' were identified as being in packing cases located in several warehouses situated around the city of Rastava.
For this scenario both sides had to seize a crate containing an artifact and escape of the board with it. I had my own vehicle but if you didn't a mini was supplied as a means of transport. You couldn't travel to fast with the cars in case the package slipped off.
Next up I was facing Mike Strong's Moon Nazi's (reskinned DEPT X but Villainous). Our table was a bit of an odd one as it was a docks board with only one route off (my edge). The Crate started on Mike's side of the table and it made sense that I would be blocking his exit with my Rozzer's.
Mike's Moon Nazi's (minus the scientist who has crept into the shot Dam Photobombers)
The game started well my lack of guns not really coming into effect due to the terrain. I deployed the Dog handler and dogs in the car this time. The only casualty was from an early bazooka shot from the Moon nazi's weapon team really killing one of my constables with a splat.
Moon Nazi deploy from a boat on the docks and prepare to seize the package from some KGB agents.
The crate and the Moon Nazi porters.
The bazooka team in position.
My constable hide behind some sheds on the docks hoping to stay out of the guns of the Moon Nazi's.
My Academic prepares to sneak up the flank but then realises he can't carry the crate on his own so doubles back (Bad deployment on my part doh!).
The Moon Nazi porters grab the great and get it loaded on to there custom mini. The rest of the Nazi's sodiers advance. Before the Bazooka can open fire again I zoom up the board and charge out of the Police Car tying up the Moon Nazi's with my attack dogs whilst the Constable slowly advance ( Mike used a special effect to reduce my models down to 1 action this turn). I promptly stole the scene in order to get stuck in. Managing to knockdown the weapon team then arrest them with my Sergeant. My Tough Detective advanced into cover and opened fire with his high calibre pistol stitching the Nazi Captain causing two wounds. The other Constables charged up the board and get stuck in but are defeated by the martial arts training of the Moon Nazi's and are promptly beaten down and killed.
My Tough detective manages to avoid some rifle and smg fire from the remaining Moon Nazi's but takes a wound of the plasma rifle armed captain. My tough detective manages to put another slug into the Captain finishing him off. My remaining constable is taken down axing my cast. A failed spirit test and a high roll means all my remaining models are removed and the Moon Nazi's escape with the package.
Scenario 3 - Self-Preservation Society
The Mesti Device was activated and, seemingly searching for more energy, began to devour the city of Rastava. Although there was apparently a force field surrounding the city, there was a gap, a small gap, which might allow a single vehicle, or group, to leave.
This was the finale game a sort of madcap wacky races affair. Everyone who again didn't have a vehicle gained on to carry there casts in.
The whole cast fitted in the vehicle regardless of capacity in order to escape the Mesti Device and the destruction of the city. The rules were changed slightly. Vehicles could only make one move and one model could shoot from inside each vehicle. Neutral vehicles around the board were able to be moved by each player but they could only do this once for the whole game.
The aim was to get to the gap in the force field at the other end of the board. Across 5 2x2 boards littered with civiliands, Vehicles and of course all the other casts.
The set up of the vehicles on starter orders. Mike tried to sneak in his Moon Panzer APC but was slapped on the wrists and he had to take a mini like the rest of the casts without vehicles.
A view of the distance to be travelled with the blue dot off in the background being the final destination.
Turn one was chaos and vehicles tried to maneuver and escape. The Moon Nazi's in a crazed stunt try to leap the fountain but hit another car causing both to explode taking out most of there casts in the resulting explosions. Neutral Vehicles are moved (well crashed into opponents vehicles) grudges and acts of revenge from earlier in the day being acted out. Crippling other vehicles and wiping out the majority of peoples casts (When a vehicle explodes it causes 1 damage meaning most extras don't make it out alive :) ).
Most my other pics didn't turn out. After a number of turns the device advanced along the board destroying all in its path including any cast members left behind.
Kieron's Aquamaniac Doctor got the closest to the gate abandoning the rest of his cast to there fate. Unfortunately in revenge of this his remaining Spawn and Administrator were gunned down by my tough detective forcing his cast to begin axe tests of which two he passed but as he almost got to the gate up came a 1 and he failed at the final hurdle.
Mike Jarvis's Psychic Old lady cast's academic managed to get off in the final turn of the game as her and my own academic were accosted by to accursed Alien life forms (Predators) ironically using luck (rerolls) to move an extra 2 inches towards the gap and then escaping.
Amazingly my cast was unscathed through out this ordeal a few shots directed my way pinging off my Police Car's tough body.
Landing second meant I picked up some nice vehicles as a Prize from Ainsty Castings. These will come in handy for many games once painted up. We also all got a goodie bag with some OOP Plastons, 7TV Dice and 10% off Voucher. All in all it was a fantastic day and I really hope they do another at some point.
IDW Version
