Balloon Project

Yes I have taken the leap and following suggestions I have starting making a Balloon for the Fun Fair. using paper mache.

The theory is to link the Fun House and the Ferris Wheel by having a high level Balloon Port in between. This will provide a reason to use the Ferris Wheel (get quickly to the top) and well as providing an excellent viewing / shooting platform. I must ensure that the full height is within the 30cm limit for Batman so that he can fly up and down.

I started with a balloon, strips of newspaper, plain flour and salt. An equal mix of flour and water is generated and brought to a smooth consistency. Salt is added to stop the whole thing going mouldy. Then the strips of paper are coated with the mixture and applied to the balloon. The aim is to cover the surface a total of three times going horizontal, vertical and horizontal again. My application was - well - messy to say the least but at least I have something.

Now I have to leave it to dry before I can move on to the next stage - the 'burst the balloon' stage. I am looking forward to that and hopefully it will all hold together. Then I need to make it look like a balloon with a basket suspended underneath.

The high level Balloon Port with dual access should also be a challenge - but one thing at a time.

Should be fun.

$150 Dollar Question - Q&A

An interesting discovery last evening. I was going through Google search looking for Batman Miniature Game related topics and came across an old discussion concerning the number of $ available to spend in the game.

The rule states that for every 150 points of rep you receive $500. We had interpreted this to mean that a 200 point game would receive $500 and only at 300 rep would you receive $1000.

The discussion sent me to this page which showed that there were two ways to read the rule.

$150 Dollar Question

I then decided to go to the new rulebook and see what I could find. It seems that the rules have changed to reflect the above thinking such that page 45 now gives complete clarity.

"For every 150 points or part thereof, you receive $500 of funding." 

It goes on to give several examples including....

"In a 400 point game you have $1500."

In our case a 200 rep game will have $1000 to spend. $500 more then we had been planning. Looks like we need to revisit our crews to invest the additional dollars. I think is will be a good thing as it will bring in potential 'Clown Painting' and 'Neurotoxic Drugs' even to the smaller games.

I have also noticed that all the Joker Clowns now have Distract on the latest Bat Builder

How have you guys been playing the dollars rule? And any advice on expenditure?

Urban Furniture progress

Got lots of little projects on the go in the lead up to our first game and obviously some fairly major ones as well with the Fun House, Power Plant, Ferris Wheel and Carousel. I will also need to do something with the board to give some texture.

However some essentials to play the game are the Lampposts and Sewer markers. I had fun making the Lampposts and the Sewers were just bits of vehicle from the Bitz Box.

I finally managed to get them all ready and added to the pile of playing scenery.

I have ordered some Batman Miniature Game Boxes

and Containers

which should be in the post. I figured that they would be good for lots of different game types, so worthwhile. There is benefit being higher than the opposition so standing on boxes or seats will be a tactic.

I have even ordered some Blood and Stun damage markers. I am going to need a couple of extra boxes in the garage to house all this stuff when its not in use but the production line is flying along.

200 Rep Joker Crew - more thoughts

I have been doing a bit of play testing and am beginning to realise that the Batman Miniature Game is going to be very different to what we are used to playing. Its got the mental juices flowing.

Victory Points are amassed on a round by round basis and there are many ways to acquire them. You can kill the opposition, hold Objectives, solve Riddles or meet the criteria associated with Scenarios. I am beginning to realise that the total number of VP's could, in fact, be quite high. This game will not be about just killing the opposition - having said that, if the opposition is dead they can't hold objectives ;-)

I have also been looking at the way the Objectives and Urban Furniture etc are placed. The order is interesting because it forces a 'spreading out' effect.

First off, each player is allocated D3 Sewer Markers. These can be placed anywhere on the board but must be 5cm's from an edge and at least 20cm's from each other. Using the Sewers will be a great way to get up the board fast. Place one marker in a deployment zone, enter the Sewer at the start of the game and exit at another marker in turn 2. Pick up a piece of Loot or solve and Riddle and move on. Only one character from each crew can be in the Sewers at any time but it will be interesting especially if there are a lot markers in use.

Next come the Lampposts and again each player has D3 to deploy. The game is fought in darkness so these are going to be important as they cast a 10cm disk of light. Anyone standing in the light can be seen and targeted.

Finally come the Objectives which are interestingly placed after are the Crews have deployed. This time each player chooses three Objectives (out of the 4 types available) - so there will be a minimum of six in play. Objectives markers cannot be placed within 10cm's of a players own deployment area, they must be 5cm's from the board edge and importantly a minimum of 5 cm's from any others marker i.e. Lampposts, Sewers and other Objectives. They can be placed within the disk of light cast by the Lampposts though. This is going to really spread out the Objectives.

Loot (if any are taken) must be placed on neutral ground unto 20cm's from the enemy deployment zone.

Riddles (if any are taken) are deployed in pairs (I only recently spotted this) and like Loot must be placed on neutral ground unto 20cm's from the enemy deployment zone.

So there is a lot of Objective counters to be in control of. VP's are awarded at the end of each round and to be in control of the Objective you must be the only character in base contact.

I believe that the impact of all this will be force each Crew to start at the edge of its Deployment Zone and then to move forward onto the Objectives as quickly as possible. It might be interesting to place an Objective or two at the back of the opponents deployment zone. Cause a little confusion by effectively taking someone out of the game although this could give away a lot VP's.

The thing is that you will need to have a lot of characters, quite spread out, to be in control of the counters and therefore gathering VP's.

With this in mind and taking account of some of the comments received from my first thoughts I have reviewed my options to improve the number of guys in the crew. This option brings the total to 7 but does dilute the Joker influence a bit.

The Crew

Joker - 90 rep
August - 25 rep - comes with a Handy, Heavy Axe doing 2 blood damage and he can Run
Turk - 25 rep - has two hand guns, firing twice a round
Contra-Auguste - 21 rep armed with a Handy, Heavy bat
Clown Knife - 15 rep
Clown Tube - 14 rep
Prisoner Tube - 10 rep

The cash could be spent Neurotoxic Drugs giving a couple of the crew both Fast and Dodge, probably Turk and Contra-Auguste. Alternatively a couple of Clown Paint guys to gain Distract and a spare Ammo Magazine for the Turk.

The thinking here is to fan out and own some of the Objectives while the Joker sets up to take pot shots at any advancing force.

I don't have all the models for this list and both the Turk and the Prisoner will not benefit from Trickster but an interesting option none the less.

The Joker in the mood

I just couldn't resist and so I have spent a couple of days hacking and drilling and gluing and 'green stuffing' until finally I can field my very own 'Joker with Attitude'.

The gun is a bit big really and I had real problems getting it stay in position. In the end I pinned the gun to the hand and even managed to keep four of the fingers which was a result. I then increased the size of the pin in the shoulder joint and added some green stuff and straightened the arm into a firing pose. I next pinned his head. I had to lift it a bit to get the chin over the shoulder.

He looks a bit daft really but hell, it was a bit of fun and I can't wait to field him against The Batman. You just know that he will pull off the famous One Shot critical hit that will result in a Casualty. Now that he has the gun in plain view - surely he can't miss?

He, he!

Game Counters - Objectives

In order to play the Batman Miniature Game you need to have a fair number of counters on the board.    These include a variety of Objective markers. Each player is allowed to place three objectives on the board, that is a total of six. There are four different kinds of Objectives. Titan Dose, Ammo Crates, Loot and Riddles and each player can only take one of each type.

I have been to the 'great Bitz Boxes' in the garage and pulled out a variety of items to make up the required counters.

It is always fun to visit the 'great Bitz Boxes'. You just never know what may be found. As usual I am able to pull out various bits and bobs to let me do whats needed. I have started to paint them up and am keeping them very different so that there can be no doubt what each one is. I will enjoy picking out some detail over the next few days.

Its another big step towards our first game.

I need 6 Lampposts (which I have started) and 6 Sewers entrances next.

A present for the Joker

As luck would have it Harley has been out trying to find something that the Joker will enjoy. Something big and powerful. Something unique. Something that will bring a smile to his face.

Could that be a One Shot Gun?

I was in my Bitz box looking for stuff to make objective counters and came across this old Necromunda metal pistol. I instantly knew that I had to drop everything and have a play.

I drilled out the muzzle. It was so small that I literally created an open sided groove. Then I fitted a length of paperclip and used glue and green stuff to fix it place. Once dried I then added a very thin layer of green stuff to the barrel and squeezed the end to create a little gun sight.

An ideal present for the Joker.

The Batman is going down!

Joker - One Shot Gun

I am building up to the main event and reading through the rules with care. The Joker has many tricks up his sleeve and there is a zany element to him that the rules are capturing very nicely. I am beginning to get that 'Warhammer 40k, Ork' glow. This happens when a rule has a fantastically unpredictable upside that could just totally change the game.

I give you the One Shot Gun!

It can only be used once per game but 'me oh my' I could be laughing for a very long time afterwards.

It is relatively short range at 20cm but the stats ... auto Hit, Strength 2+ to Damage (who said anything but a one - wash his mouth out with soap), the damage inflicted is 3 Blood which is heavy duty but if the Collateral Damage die (a separate die rolled for additional effects) is a natural 6 you score a CRT that results in the enemy character being a Casualty! Take him away please. Ouch.

You find yourself thinking I just got to have me one of those. I mean why not? There just should be a model already?

I can imagine the game unfolding and announcing 'stand aside - I am taking my shot'. You reach down under the table and and produce a replacement Joker model that has been made to measure. Surely he can't miss if you have the model on the table?

I love the pose. I am thinking that the current Joker model could be easily adapted. Turn the head to the right, straighten and lift the right arm and then perhaps cock the left arm having removed the knife so that the hand comes back to the hip. Add green stuff at the elbow and then a bloody big pistol with a really long barrel (piece of paper clip) to the right hand. With a nice weighty base, all should be fine. He, he.

I say - Boom!! Send The Batman to morgue!

Dare I purchase another Joker model - oh dear. I already have another delivery on the way and a second in my wish list. Steady now, steady. Perhaps a look on eBay might be a softer way to go ;-)

200 rep Joker Crew

I have been working away, building my Joker crew, and so far it has really been enjoyable.

We are looking to get our first few games started in April and as such my thoughts have been straying back to crew lists. My first thoughts were largely based on the models in my possession at the time. Things have moved on.

We are intending to start with a couple of 200 rep games so therefore my first Joker crew will need to be constructed accordingly. This limit will also place a $500 maximum spend on crew assembly. So how do I build a Crew that can take down The Batman?

I have been contemplating lists that range from higher numbers of low cost models v's lower numbers of expensive characters.

First things first - I have to take a leader and for me, this will be The Joker. He costs 90 points. I feel it will be important to understand the implications of fielding him and then play complimentary models to maximise effectiveness. This lesson was forged when playing Warhammer 40k, my Dark Angels. I played Belial as my leader and it was an effort to really understand how to build an army around him. However once achieved .... well it was worthwhile.

So - what do I know about the Joker?

First off, he has Special Traits that benefit Henchmen, not Sidekicks and Free Agents.

He confers Trickster onto all Henchmen and as such they can reorder their Action Counters when they activate. This is a unique ability and should be great as I learn the game. It will bring a lot of flexibility and help me get out of early errors.

He also Inspires Henchmen within 10cm so that they get an extra Action Counter and can take the total Action Counters above the normal maximum.

The Joker also reduces the game length by one turn, so a six turn game becomes 5. It will be important to gather VP's early before the clock ticks away.

Decision 1 - Max out on Trickster and Inspire so leave the Sidekicks & Free Agents at home for the smaller games - Total 90 rep spent.

Overall the Joker appears to be fairly slow but comes with decent ranged attacks. He has an awesome 'one shot' gun that really does look like it can do damage and also has medium range exploding teeth (of all things). These are template weapons with a 10cm diameter. This ranged ability is complemented by Night Vision which allows the Joker to see in the dark and is not reliant on the 2xD3 Lampposts which give a 10cm disk of light. He will provide long range threat, provided he has Line of Sight. He will need a little help to spread the threat to other areas of the board.

The only real ranged help available to the Joker Crew in a 200 rep crew is Triston. He costs 26 rep and £300.  He comes with a medium range Shotgun that does 2 Blood damage. I think that this will compliment the Joker nicely and also put some real threat into the well lit areas of the board.

I have $200 left to spend and an extra ammo clip might just be the thing for that expenditure.

Decision 2 - take Triston and the extra ammo. - Total 116 rep and $500 spent (84 rep remaining)

The Joker's 'hand to hand' abilities are less impressive and so he will need some muscle to help him when things inevitably come together. Although he does come with Luck forcing the opponent to reroll all successful Hits. (I like it) Bunching up will also help to spread the Inspire effect to Henchmen within 10cm.

Alternatives

This is where the thinking cap has to come out. Do I go for cheap clowns with a view to scuttling around the board gathering objectives or do I go for more punch?

Option 1 - 84 rep

Ringmaster - 32 (Chain)
Contra Auguste - 21 (Bat)
Clown shield - 16
Clown knife - 15

This squeezes every last point out of those available and gets a six man crew on the table top. Maybe the thinking here could be that Contra-Auguste stays close to The Joker and the others scatter up the board. A potential issue with this tactic is that he has Mental Disorder - Obsessive meaning that once he strikes an opponent he goes after him until he is taken out! Not very flexible, if very scary :-)

The Ringmaster has a 360 degree weapon which would be good in a crowd, but will I really need that against a Batman crew? Also it can damage friendly models so I would not want him close to the Joker in a defensive capacity. Much better attacking on his own maybe with Triston in support.

Another option is that I could take another couple of Clowns in lieu of the Ringmaster?

The cheap prisoners are also looking pretty good with this mindset - but I don't have the models for them yet and I have just spotted Turk with 2 pistols as well. Nice.

Option 2 - 82 rep

Master of Ceremonies - 36 (Axe)
August - 25 (Axe)
Contra Auguste - 21 (Bat)

This is more compact and comes with a couple of Axes for punch. They are 2 Blood damage weapons and when combined with Handy (reroll failed to Hit dice) then they look impressive.

Replacing The Master of Ceremonies with Asker at 38 rep would max out the 200 rep limit and add a short range hand gun / meat knife with 1 blood. He has a rather nice Distract ability (reduces an enemy Defense by 1 within 10cm. He is Fast so could be used to grab objectives and then support others later in the fight. He is also Bloodthirsty so gains an action if damaged.

Yes indeed - a lot to think about and I would welcome any thoughts.

Happy hunting.

Brain wave - Jack in the Box

I have been thinking about the objective markers that are required for the Batman Miniature Game. There are four types: -

1. Ammo Crates - 3 victory points and restore ammo
2. Loot - 1 victory point
3. Titan Containers - 2 victory points and gain one  titan dose (+1 to all basic skills)
4. Riddles - can be worth up to 3VP's but you might even lose 1 VP

Now The Joker just has to have a few Riddles up his sleeve and I wanted to make something characterful. My mind has been wandering through the possibilities for a few days and then it struck me - a Jack in the Box!

I had such fun making it. The spring is from a clothes peg, the skull from my bits box (I added some free stuff for the green hair look) and the box itself is just cut card.

Booo!

It was great fun to make and will add a little something to the game.

Let there be light!

The Batman Miniature Game has some requirement for specific pieces of terrain. Each player will place D3 lampposts, each player chooses 3 Objectives of which there are four different types and each player deploys D3 sewer entrances. All will need markers so I thought I would start with a lamppost or two. I will need at least six.

I started with a wooden skewer. I stuck a square piece of foam board to a base and then inserted the skewer through the foam board and into the slot in the base. This was great if somewhat wobbly. To overcome this I used green stuff and metal off cuts to give the base some weight.

The result was much more stable.

To make the lamp I cut a length of card and wrapped it around a pen. I used PVA to glue it together so that it formed a cylinder. Then I cut a circle of card that was slightly over sized and made a hole in the middle.

The disc was then stuck to the cylinder.

Hey presto - we have a simple lamppost. In the Batman Miniature Game the lamppost casts light for a 10cm radius. Anyone standing in the light can be seen from anywhere on the board provided there is line of sight. Their positioning will be important and I can imagine that key intersections will be well lit and overseen by gang members with guns.

"Walk in the light - at your peril" cackled Mr J.

Power Plant for the Fun Fair

Any good Fun Fair will have its own supply of power. Essential for all those lights and stuff, at least that was the theory when I discovered this industrial plant. It is by Sarissa Precision. I had never used one of these kits before and for the small sum of £12.50 I thought I would give it a go - and I am impressed!

Everything is laser cut and absolutely precise!! Never seen anything like it in this hobby of ours. There were only three sheets of A4 card to make up the entire thing.

Each wall section came away with ease. and then fitted together like a jigsaw. No gaps at all! Very impressed with the design.

There is a floor piece that the four main walls slot into vertically. Each wall section fits to its neighbour like a zipper. A little PVA and it is all secure. The section that impressed me the most was the flat roof section. A slot had been cut horizontally that allowed each section of vertical railing to pass through until the roof found its final position. Like a glove, it fitted. I giggled that it worked so well.

There is a section of card that fits inside the the window and door which gives a nice effect and then, just for fun, the door opens and closes - wow! I love it.

The only small issue for Batman Miniature Game is that the scale is slightly small. This is only noticeable around the door height. I gave this some thought and then mounted the building on a piece of foam board.

This just makes the whole thing more believable.

This is a great find and if my little Power Plant is anything to go by then these kits are well worth trying out.

Have fun guys and gals.

The Joker Rulebook in the house

Great excitement with the arrival of the Batman Miniature Game Rulebook (Joker version). I ordered it a few weeks back and have been looking forward to receiving it.

It is a cool piece of artwork on the cover and a quick flick through the book makes for a mouthwatering experience. There is good background to the characters. Obviously my interest is currently focused on the Joker ....

And there is also a good section displaying all the miniatures from each crew. There are more than I was aware of.

I have a good selection of the Joker crew at this stage and the painting is coming along nicely. I am looking forward to getting them involved in a game. My playing table is also coming along and I am in need of crates and street lamps. These are essential to the playing experience.

I have not play tested yet but now that I have the latest rulebook I will be giving it a try. Should be interesting. It is always fun getting the basics of a new game under your belt and this reads as if it will be very different with lots of special rules to get to grips with.

Fun House progress

I really liked the idea of turning the Joker mask into some kind of Fun House. The idea is that it takes up the side of a building and maybe becomes the entrance. I found an old cardboard box that was about 2 thirds the height of the mask and used this as my starting point.

I glued a piece of foam board to its base making sure that it stuck out enough to take at least a single playing model. I then began a process of cutting out wall pieces about waist high to act as balustrades.

Next I added a 'storey' under the box so that the mask was able to stand to its full height. This gave me a three storey structure plus a roof. I made great use of cocktail stick dowels to give rigidity combined with lots of PVA.

The idea is that the Fun Park is abandoned and locked up - so only the outside can be used. The piece of terrain is large enough to substantially break line of sight and will also provide multiple height platforms. Strategically placed objectives will be great to ensure that the terrain is well used.

Next I needed to place a second line of maintenance platforms and do something with the roof to allow access to all areas. The dowels were less effective for this task so I hung the platform from the roof and added a support pole to the front corner. It is actually quite stable and takes the weight of a model no problem.

I have had a look online and the average Fun House seems to be a riot of colours and levels. The 'more is less' principle so go mad with additions and make it all look crazy. Here is a particularly loud example.

Reds and yellows will fit in with my chosen colour scheme but lets see how things develop.

Fun Park investigations

I have been applying some paint to the Ferris Wheel and it is coming along nicely. It is an imposing piece and will provide some good atmosphere.

In the end, I went with the vertical stripes for the pods and it has helped to 'pull the piece together'. I have still plenty to do and it does take some time building up layers until they are fairly solid in nature. With the pods in place the Ferris Wheel has more presence.

The playing board is 900mm x 900mm, so not huge. I am thinking that I will need 3-4 major items to complete the board plus some kiosks, ticket offices and the like. It will be important to break sight lines and to attempt to have some height as well.

I have also notices that the Batman Miniature Game has rules associated crates so I will need to come up with a suitable design for these.

I have been hunting for ideas and the Dark Templar has been ever helpful with this fantastic mask.

Current thoughts are that it might make a good 'Funhouse' or maybe even the entrance to the park. It is very much in keeping with the Joker theme and also the Trickster element for Coney Island.

Every good funfair has a Carousel so I figured that my next addition should be in that vein. Nothing huge but with horses and poles and all that good stuff.

So I have started with a top and bottom section and intend to use cocktail sticks for the poles. I may have some old horses in the garage somewhere but it may be that they are too big. I will investigate. I think that the key to this looking the part will be the conical top piece and the banner that surrounds the top of the carousel.