Scorpio Troopers Rising!

This art for a Scorpio Trooper is the second piece commissioned for Squad Wars.

There is a loose background provided in Squad Wars should players want or need it, howveer the game is very much designed for players wanting to create or recreate their own preferred settings.

In the fluff that is included, Scorpio is a trans-national terrorist and criminal organisation, divided into many splinter cells. Recently there has been a schism between the ideologically fanatical groups and the more criminally focused elements.

Scorpio Troopers are the backbone of Scorpio forces, their red and black armour and fatigues making them a distinctive sight and intimidating presence in fire-zones.

Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

What Is....Squad Wars

This will be the first in a very occasional series of posts under the ‘What Is….’ banner, basically giving a brief overview of one of the books planned for the Kitbash line.

Squad Wars is a rule-set designed to play out modern military-action pulp skirmish games, with the emphasis on being fast-paced, flexible and fun, yet still allowing tactical and strategic thinking.

Forces are built up with Characters, and Characters are defined by their Traits, Skills, Weapons, and Gear. Character creation is built around a few archetypes as follows: Operators (your main characters), Solo's (infiltrator/assassin types), Grunts (your standard soldier), and for really exotic gaming, Robotic Troopers (almost mindless combat automatons).

Characters be grouped in various ways, so you can form Units of Grunts (made up of basic infantry or support types carrying RPGs, LMGs or GPMGs, as well as medics, officers etc.), who can also be led by an Operator.

Operators are the headline Characters, and can form Units with other Operators, or a Unit could have a mix of Grunts and Operators. Many Operators can be created in such a way to offer Unit buffs, especially if they are the Unit Leader.

Solos function independently and are typically powerful and vital assets in your Force, but you need to time their usage right as they can find themselves unsupported, think of them as your scalpel whereas Units are your hammer.

Game-play alternates between players Activating a single Unit or Character at a time, paying their Action costs from the models’ own Moxie pool (think of Moxie as Action Points). Moxie builds as the Mission progresses, and is spent to use Actions or Reactions (Reactions are usually used in response to Enemy Actions), but can also be lost as models become Suppressed.

Squad Wars does not use Rounds to limit game length, instead the Mission continues until Endgame is reached, after which point players finish their final Activations and determine the winner. Each Mission has its own Endgame parameters, and players can supplement Missions with Secondary Objectives (think of these as lesser ‘side Missions’, but unlike Missions players may be playing different Secondary Objectives which are kept secret until the game has concluded).

In all, Squad Wars emphasizes action and is designed to allow players to dream up all kinds of themed Forces, emulating classic military pulp action from cartoons, TV shows, movies, books, video games and comics. The core rule-book will be available in a handy A5 format as pdf and Print on Demand options, and is currently scheduled for release before the end of 2017.

Copyright © Kitbash Games 2017

Images includes miniatures from the author's collection and another collection used with permission.

Yomper Ready For Action!

Yomper is the first character whose art I commissioned for Squad Wars. He is a tough, no-nonsense British marine seconded to work with Strike Force, a top-secret multinational military force formed to combat emerging global threats including the insidious Scorpio.

The background presented in Squad Wars is there only to offer a framework should players choose it. The game is ultimately designed to be played with whatever factions players wish to recreate. However, page upon page of text is pretty hard to read, so pictures are needed to make the book easier on the eye for gamers! Therefore, Squad Wars has its own nominal background, but the rules are intended as a tool-kit to develop player's own gaming milieu.

Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

The Shape of Things to Come....

Squad Wars is taking shape. I finally have a working draft of text that I am happy to play-test with, which has meant a lot of writing, rewriting and rewriting again.

While I am doing that and while getting into the play-test phase, I have started commissioning art to fill up some of the pages in the book. This is something I really enjoy as it makes you think as an author about how to describe something as effectively as possible in a simple way that n artists can translate your mental vision into a piece of finished art.

This week I am being a little sneaky, just showing a silhouette, but from next week I will start to reveal some of the art I am gathering for Squad Wars.

Breaking Radio Silence....

Hi and apologies for the break since the last post!

I promise I have not inactive in recent months, instead I have been focusing on readying a second book that will eventually become a Kitbash product: Squad Wars.

While Supers Unlimited is aimed at taking a fast-pace action approach to supers-gaming,  Squad Wars is intended to enable military-pulp-action gaming in the style of classic 1980's series such as G.I. Joe, Action Force, M.A.S.K., The A-Team, and MegaForce etc. The game is not attached to any existing IP, just intended to emulate some of the things you might expect from gaming this kind of over the top genre.

I'll be showing some Squad Wars previews in coming weeks as well as some more Supers Unlimited previews as I progress on that. Both rule-sets are ready for play-test but I have deferred my hoped-for launch to later in the year as I weigh up what I want to do with regards to layout and design.

The Maven

Destined to become a costumed hero by family history and tradition, Isaiah Jackson is today's Maven, a man of unparalleled intellect and mastery of martial and esoteric arts. Since the War of Independence, The Maven has been a masked figure protecting his nation's interests from the shadows.

Each Maven hands down all the learning they have to the next in line, their knowledge and experience aiding the next as he walks the path of many before him.

To represent the unearthly intellect, martial arts mastery and the esoteric skills he has, The Maven is a Level 25 character, to show that not all Level 25's need be world-beating powerhouses. For The Maven think Macgyver meets Ozymandias or Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt, with a dash of Ethan Hunt in superhero attire.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Warfang

Warfang is HISS' primary enforcer. Ex-Mexican special forces operative Miguel Santos drifted through a variety of close protection jobs. When a HISS hit-squad attacked the Cartel member he was guarding, Miguel was badly injured. HISS science brought him back from the brink and the shadowy organisation offered him a new purpose which Miguel accepted without hesitation.

Warfang typically operates alongside a cadre of HISS troops, and he relishes every chance to go to to toe with a super. While he is no 'true believer', he is loyal to HISS as they have given him a direction missing since his days in the military, and they have the perfect superhuman living weapon.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

HISS Agent

HISS is a nefarious power with tendrils reaching across the globe. Individual cells operate on all continents Each cell operates alone or occasionally with others, working towards the organisation's greater goal, even if that brings them into conflict with other HISS groups. This is exactly as the high leadership wants it.

The backbone of HISS paramilitary forces are the Agents, Shock Troopers and Precepts. Squads or platoons of HISS troopers are only deployed when needed, and always with a clear purpose or goal to be achieved, even at those cost of those self-same soldiers.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Kitsune

Kitsune rounds out the 'core five' heroes as I think of them (although my roster for the Covenant of Justice is much deeper than just these few as you'll see).

On the run from the Fox Clan of ninjas, Kitsune has been set up and has fled to the USA. In San Gabriel the former assassin found allies in the form of the Covenant of Justice as she first tries to understand why she was set up, and what her place will be in the world.

In Supers Unlimited terms, Kitsune is an Infiltrator (one of eight roles outlined in the book). She is Level 20 (which is mid-range for a Super Character). I'll start to show how those things can be applied to a Character in an upcoming post, and how easy it is to create a Super like Kitsune or others in the game.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Iron Armstrong

Iron Armstrong is a long-lived example that good things can from terrible incidents. The youngest of three brothers in business together, Adam was always the most reckless and carefree. But he was tested when thieves broke into their factory hoping to steal a new formula, When Adam stood his ground the vial he held was shattered, spraying fluid across his body. At that moment, the storm outside blew the skylights in, and a lightning bolt surged down, causing Adam to fall into a vat of molten metal. He emerged like a man of iron, using new-found strength to capture the fleeing criminals. Over eighty years later, Iron Armstrong looks barely a day older than when he was transformed.

The Iron Armstrong character has been through a few names and conceptual revisions in terms of my plans before finally committing to a more fixed visual while developing Supers Unlimited. There are quite a few influences on this guy, from name, to power set, to look. I wanted someone who had an old fashioned feel to him, and even a little hint of the pulps that predated super-hero comics. While not the most powerful hero of the Covenant of Justice mythos, Iron Armstrong is certainly one of the longest serving.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

The Cowl

She is the last agent of an ancient and secretive order committed to preserving justice. The Cowl now seeks justice on the streets of San Gabriel as she works alongside the Covenant of Justice to fulfil the final duties of the Shadow Order. All she can rely on are her skills, her trusty .45's and the mystical hood which gives her access to the experiences of every agent of the Shadow Order before her.

The Cowl has undergone more change than a character such as Ace. I first envisaged the character as a male protagonist, but realised that didn't need to be the case. The character also had a different name and a slightly back story before evolving into the design shown here.

Although she carries a couple of guns, I don't picture The Cowl as a 'shoot first, ask questions later' type, instead they are her last-ditch back-up in a strange world of very powerful foes.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Ace

The full art for Ace following the sketch previews.

Journalist by day, costumed vigilante by night, Ace is having the time of his life bringing down bad guys – but will his luck eventually run out?

Ace has been part of the Covenant of Justice mythos for many years, and when I embarked on pulling together what I needed for the Supers Unlimited book, he became the second character to get a full visual concept. I wanted something that evoked a sense of body armour for Ace to make up for his lack of powers. I think that when I eventually get him sculpted, the armour will make for some nice surfaces for painting.

As for his mask - that is the classic TMNT-style domino tied in the back - a design I have always liked.


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Ace Sketches

The Covenant of Justice characters have been in my head and in my notes for many years (as I mentioned in the Doc Cosmos post), and some, like Doc, have gone through a few changes in that time. One character who has been pretty constant however is Ace, and I am glad to finally have him realised in visual form this year.

These sketches were the basis of the final art pieces for Ace which I will be showing off in due course no doubt!

Like Doc Cosmos, I would really like to get Ace sculpted and cast up, and maybe one day make a small selection of Covenant of Justice minis available, so I hope you like him.

Of the stable of characters, Ace is one of my favourites. He has no powers other than what may border on preternatural good fortune. A guy who is not afraid of a fight, Ace relies on his athleticism, a sharp mind and a smart mouth to get him through, but who knows how long his luck will hold!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Doc Cosmos

Doc Cosmos is a character who has been 'living' with me for quite some time - I first made some notes about him back in 2009, and he has evolved ever since.

He first started life as a kind of unknowing legacy hero in the world background I was building, with an especially bland costume design.

A year later and I was contemplating getting a miniature commissioned and sculpted. That led me to completely redefining his look in a rough pen and ink sketch circa 2010, and then commissioning James Van Schaik to create Doc Cosmos in physical form. With a little help I had the mini cast up and a few copies have made their way into the world.

Cut to 2017, and I have found some time to write and revisit Doc Cosmos and his allies from the Covenant of Justice, as well as their enemies. I recently tackled my third attempt at a full draft 'generic' supers rules system, building on some of the best ideas I have been developing for three other games, while maintaining a core principle that character design should be very simple. While developing these rules (Supers Unlimited) I toyed with approaching a publisher, but instead opted to create something I could self-publish to give me maximum control. To that end I have commissioned some art to help me develop the game book which I plan to sell through Wargames Vault this year.

As a consequence, expect more Supers Unlimited material on this blog in the months ahead!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017

Welcome to Kitbash Games

This post is intended to do exactly what it says in the title - and act as a welcome to Kitbash Games!

For those who don't know me, I am Leon and have been a gamer for over 30 years, playing minis games, board games, card games and rpgs through much of that time.

I am also in recent years a games developer as a partner in Pulp Monsters (creators of the Pulp City game - check it out if you are not already familiar with it!). That recent history in games development and a desire to stretch additional creative muscles is what has led me to establish Kitbash Games as an outlet for my design whims.

I plan to establish a series of pdf and print on demand products, primarily for skirmish mins gaming, but branching out for one particular IP line I have been developing in recent years. So please stay tuned to the Kitbash Games blog and Facebook page for further announcements!


Copyright (©) Kitbash Games 2017