| Cacique Caribe | 18 Dec 2009 3:38 p.m. PST |
A) Anyone thought of how it could be done, if at all? B) How would you go about simulating extremely thick fog over most of a table? C) And what tanks were those shown at the end of the film? I'm not quite familiar with all modern tanks. Thanks Dan |
| Thomas Whitten | 18 Dec 2009 4:10 p.m. PST |
It could be done. A simple way would be to run one of those multi-scene or act style games where each act takes place in a different location with the survivors. 1> Escaping to the Store
2> Flighting giant flys – Terror-dactyls
3> Fighting spider things
4> Escaping to the Jeep Two of those would be staight forward combat while the other two would need to be 'race' style. The race style could simply be random movement and an encounter table roll. Not much tactics but fun with the right mind set. A harder way would be to run a rescue scenario on the edge of the fog. I would think the fog would could make use of a judge. Divide the table into three sections. The players edge would be one section with no sight restrictions up to section 2. Section two would have medium sight limitations and section 3 would have heavy sight limitations. I would envision this as a multi-player game where each player controls a squad. They get some points for killing mist beasts but even more points for rescuing survivers. Have there be more beasts and more survivers in the heavy fog but none in the player zone. As players move farther into the fog their change of encountering something increases and the distance those things appear from the players decreases. This could easily be done with tables or a judge could track movement on a map. I would say the beasts would have no trouble seeing in the fog. Pretty much in the movie, one a beasty saw some food they continue to pursue it until they started to eat it or lay eggs in it. There was no escaping the beastys if you had their attention unless that beasty was killed. I'm not sure about the tanks. |
| Glenn M | 18 Dec 2009 4:11 p.m. PST |
CC, for the fog you could utilize a flipped tile system, where each terrain piece is a blank white or light grey tile, which is flipped when in range. Miniatures fade in an out of view as characters move around, perhaps blip tiles could be used, when someone is out of your view range, grab two or three blip tiles, and move them, only one is real. |
| Arrigo | 18 Dec 2009 4:44 p.m. PST |
C) first one seems an M109 (or an Abbot masquerading as an M109, but read later…) The you see an M548 ammo carrier, the side skirts of an M2 Bradley and in the last sequance with the entire column… a column of M1 who do not seems to be mock up… so I will say that they had US Army cooperation and even the first one was a real M109… Arrigo |
| flooglestreet | 18 Dec 2009 5:01 p.m. PST |
Are you sure its an M109? Thats an SP gun, not a tank. |
| Katzbalger | 18 Dec 2009 5:16 p.m. PST |
And many people not familiar with modern equipment would say tracks, armor, big gun--yup, that's a tank! Heck, plenty of people (okay, journalists--but I assume they count as people too) that should know better call Bradleys tanks. Rob |
| Arrigo | 18 Dec 2009 5:21 p.m. PST |
It is an M109 or a british built Abbot masquerading… <edit it is an abbot… the driving lights in the lower front hull made it clear> But I have doublecheked the ending on youtube… the carriers are M548… when the protagonist is knelt on the ground with the two grunts on MOPP behind him he is bassed by an M2 probably an A1 certainly not an S2… it is the only vehicle with that hinged sideskirts…
and when the entire column is shown they looks like M1… Katzbagger… Journalist, except some notable exceptions are not people… |
| Space Monkey | 18 Dec 2009 5:22 p.m. PST |
For me the big point of the movie was the tension within the group of folks in the store… the crazy religious woman and the stupid people who fall for her nonsense… vs. the main protagonist and his pals.
That and they've holed up in a really fragile building that can't be reliably defended… and have very few if any decent weapons. Those elements all seem best suited to a roleplaying game.
As a skirmish game It's just a zombie/bughunt game with low visibility… probably best played solo (otherwise, given the setup of the movie, the monsters player just attacks and eats all the folks in the supermarket).
I'd make a gridded map of game table with numbered locations… as each location is entered have roll dice to see if that location has critters. Critters always all out attack, no fear…
Have one entry on the roll chart be for wandering monsters, which are probably the bigger ones.
Sounds easily done in Chain Reaction.
|
Dances With Words  | 18 Dec 2009 5:36 p.m. PST |
hmmm…well you could take either 'spider web stuff' from halloween store or that fake cotton snow stuff and stretch it out and have players try to move UNDER it…by TOUCH alone and use REAL spiders, bugs, scorpions to represent the creepy crawlies that they run into…but that would take some effort… or a 'smoke machine' like for disco night/fog machine from Halloween….(or some dry ice in saltwater with a small 'hand fan'????? would be realistic and "chilling" at the same time???? and of course any tile could be turned over at any time…(like a minefield)…that a charater is within one tile of it??? as a 'monster'…now that would be almost as creepy! Break out the chainsaws, gas-powered heavy-duty weed-wackers and propane tanks…I'm gonna rig me a blowtorch/flamethrower….and BBQ some NASTIES!!!! yee-haw! Trap ME in a Hardware store and I'll show them critters/zombies etc the TRUE meaning of fear as we put the wood-chippers, concrete mixers and leaf-blowers thru paces the manufacturers 'wouldn't recommend'…. Slishfully,
Sgt DWW-btod (who needs the 'anarchist's cookbook'…I subscribe to TMP and am a WARGAMER!!!!!) |
| Space Monkey | 18 Dec 2009 6:56 p.m. PST |
Rather than playing out the movie… which, like I said, seems like an RPG situation to me…
Howsabout the followup (or more likely, the prequel), where a military force goes through the mysterious gate that let the mist and its resident creatures through in the first place…
If it's the prequel then it's a relatively small group who don't really know what they're getting into (Stargate to hell) for 28mm skirmis… if it's the sequel version then it's a much larger force… 15mm or even 6mm (so you can field those really huge monsters. |
| Cacique Caribe | 18 Dec 2009 7:10 p.m. PST |
Venusboys3, I like the idea of a "prequel" setting! If I did it in 15mm, I think I have a few figures to start with (some of the new US Infantry by Rebel) but, other than a couple of Humvees, I don't have any vehicles: link
TMP link If we are thinking prequel, then I guess I wouldn't need all that much for the human troops anyway, right? If the prequel works, I could then try to get more of the armored vehicles mentioned above (thanks, guys!) for an all-out counter attack on the beasts. I guess I can see what IrishSerb/Brian or QRF have at that time. Now, for the creatures, I'm thinking Khurasan Parasachnids to start with: picture
link
link Dan |
| khurasanminiatures | 18 Dec 2009 7:13 p.m. PST |
Critters always all out attack, no fear… Not sure that works. The are alien, from another dimension, but for the most part they are still just animals. They definitely show fear, etc. |
| Cacique Caribe | 18 Dec 2009 7:19 p.m. PST |
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| Cacique Caribe | 18 Dec 2009 7:47 p.m. PST |
For thick fog rolling in . . . picture How about this kind of stuff (sewing "batting")? picture Dan
PS. Interesting alternate ending done by a fan:
YouTube link
Aside from the first vehicle that comes out of the fog, the carriers with all the white suits at 4:40 minutes look awesome. |
| Space Monkey | 18 Dec 2009 8:07 p.m. PST |
Not sure that works. The are alien, from another dimension, but for the most part they are still just animals. They definitely show fear, etc. True, they're just alien critters… I'm only going off of what's shown in the movie and in the short story where the critters don't seem to back down from a fight. I'm probably thinking of Tyranids in Epic/40K… and various undead in games that usually opt out of the fear/morale rulings. I'm a fan of the original short story and I was very happy with the movie… and the design of the monsters was spot-on. In the story King describes them as looking, not so much like believable alien critters but as pop-eyed kind of ridiculous monstrosities. The story was his homage to all the BEMs of 50's sci fi B movies and this movie keeps to his intent. I've always meant to watch it in B&W because that's how I saw it while reading the story.
That mini CC linked to would be perfect… |
| Hrothgar Berserk | 19 Dec 2009 7:05 a.m. PST |
The prequel idea sounds cool, as does a sequel where the military and armed civilians have to hunt down the remaining beasts house to house. spideroids spraying acid webs, giant lobster clawed entities, flying beasts…. what's not to like? CC, other minis might come from GFI's 10mm bugs |
| capncarp | 19 Dec 2009 1:01 p.m. PST |
GDW produced a compilation of sci-fi/horror scenarios for its Twilight 2000 game system, called Twilight Nightmares. A very Mist-like one called "The Fog" was one of them, as was one involving giant ants called "Them…?" Both made good miniatures gaming fodder. |
| soulman | 19 Dec 2009 1:48 p.m. PST |
could the creatures live outside the fog..? i know the bat/bird creatures entered the store etc…? i loved the film, the idea of making a hole into a nothing planet etc and the creatures came flooding in, i wonder how far the mist spread and i guess the lab shut down the gate at some point…? Alittle like Xtro 2 when they opened a gate..?
Also a book i once read, when in a lab they opened a doorway and let bad things in, not sure of the book, but had weird purple lights and people changing etc… also a book i have around the house which was a great story, and i`m trying to find it now for the name, its night non stop rain which glows and people turning into mutants etc, really creepy… i try and find it |
| soulman | 19 Dec 2009 1:56 p.m. PST |
Found the " Rain " book its by Dean Koontc and called " the taking " 2004 Alan |
| Cacique Caribe | 19 Dec 2009 11:53 p.m. PST |
"CC, other minis might come from GFI's 10mm bugs" link Does anyone have photos of them next to human figures? I can't tell size from the pictures there. Thanks. Dan |
| Cacique Caribe | 20 Dec 2009 12:57 a.m. PST |
Other interesting bugs, these from Pendraken: link
link Dan |
| Eli Arndt | 20 Dec 2009 10:58 a.m. PST |
I have always seen this movie as a nice updating of a Lovecraftian style movie all the way down to the ending where the main character ends up mad. I have a list of movies that are Lovecraftian but are not. In other words they have that feel and style or themes but are not directly based on or drawn from Lovecraft's work. -Eli |
| Hrothgar Berserk | 20 Dec 2009 2:01 p.m. PST |
emu2020, I agree on the Lovecraft angle. I think S. King would also since I recall reading an interview where he says Lovecraft was an early influence on him. The horror is more explicit than Lovecraft, but the cosmic and apocalyptic nature of the threat would be right up his alley. What other flicks do you list? I can think of the first 'Alien' and 'Humanoids from the Deep'. The Quatermass series from the 60s. What about Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness"? |
| Hrothgar Berserk | 20 Dec 2009 2:21 p.m. PST |
CC,
Back when GFI released those bugs, he posted some pics I'm sure were placed next to a ruler. I think their fairly big for 10mm-maybe the small ones were 12mm-15mm long? |
 Bobgnar  | 20 Dec 2009 3:07 p.m. PST |
I would play this with Hordes of the Thing. Here is all the gun data
link great site |
| jpattern2 | 20 Dec 2009 3:16 p.m. PST |
You could also use some of the Black Orc Games Hundred Kingdoms Hive minis as the basis for some insect conversions: link
Some of them are armed with weapons and shields, but in most cases it looks like it would be easy to cut them away. I don't own any, though, so I can't tell you how they compare to 15mm or 25mm/28mm humans. |
| chronoglide | 20 Dec 2009 3:50 p.m. PST |
King references Lovecraft in the original story. The quickest way to game the film would be to put them all in the car at the end and give him d6 shells for the gun. Assume an automatic hit and roll for damage. |
| jackattack | 20 Dec 2009 5:09 p.m. PST |
Of all the suggestion, I think dummy counters is the way to go. It will have your players jumping at shadows, especially since there is no way to know which particular monster is going to show when the counter is flipped over. Some counters might even be parts of creatures (like the legs of one of those big honking things from the end of the movie). Range modifiers are critical to simulate fog. Double or triple the standard penalties. Just to add an element of confusion and danger, you can also have a house rule that if Character A is closer to Monster A than Character A is to Character B, then it is possible that Character B is targeting Character A and not Monster A. The GM rolls that die, and doesn't even have to tell the players what the specifics of the rule are. Finally, IMO the creatures need the fog to live, but they can stand short periods without it. If the players trap one in a room without mist, it will die; if the players figure out a way to clear the mist, the creatures will die. (The bigger the creature, the longer it takes.) |
| Space Monkey | 20 Dec 2009 8:02 p.m. PST |
The dummy counters also lend themselves to the effect of seeing indistinct shapes skittering around out there… but even those need to not appear until it's almost too late… and keep the potential that by avoiding one you run into another one.
Definitely need the potential for 'friendly fire'. Maybe the fog is the atmosphere from whatever realm the bugs arrived from… or maybe they themselves produce the fog somehow. There's no mention of it smelling strange in the story… I can't remember it having properties different from normal fog. Also, a long time ago there was a Infrogram (sp?) text game based on the book… as I recall it maintained the mood pretty well… and I think, maybe, had your character shutting down the gate at the end. I wouldn't know cause I never made it that far. |
| soulman | 21 Dec 2009 7:59 a.m. PST |
Thanks all i know have a copy of the text game, from a website here free-game-downloads.mosw.com Had to pay with paypal about $5.95 USD for it but it works and well it be my first text game in about 35 years..!!!! |
| Eli Arndt | 21 Dec 2009 9:54 a.m. PST |
Other movies - The Relic
The Descent
The Ruins
In The Mouth of Madness
Midnight Meat Train
The Thing I am sure there are others, but this is the off the top of my head list. Keep in mind the qualifications here are not strictly style-based but also content and theme based as well. -Eli |
| soulman | 21 Dec 2009 10:16 a.m. PST |
Yes to midnight meat train, very Hp |
| Thomas Whitten | 21 Dec 2009 1:31 p.m. PST |
If the game gives the possibility of taking out the critters, I find counters to take away any suspense and it becomes a tactical problem. The players just treat every blip as a creature. I rather have the random appearance of the creatures. In a fog environment like that, the squad would have no ability to key in on particular moving things any distance away from them. The sound will be all around them and man sized and smaller critters are neigh impossible to detect if you can not see them visually. This comes from experience working on a golf course in a thick fog. I didn't see the deer till they were upon me and at that point they were quite visible. I think that also fits with the movie. By the time the people in the movie even knew something was there, the critter was already on the attack. To maintain the suspense, the players need to feel lost and have no sense of direction. |
| Cacique Caribe | 21 Dec 2009 1:37 p.m. PST |
Thomas: "The sound will be all around them and man sized and smaller critters are neigh impossible to detect if you can not see them visually. This comes from experience working on a golf course in a thick fog. I didn't see the deer till they were upon me and at that point they were quite visible." Wow. I guess I've never experienced fog or mist like that in real life. Amazing stuff. Dan
Clips:
YouTube link
YouTube link
YouTube link |
| soulman | 22 Dec 2009 2:37 a.m. PST |
if you playing on a map or board, they you can have encounter numbers based on the locations, with a chance something may appear, the more you move away from a house or closed shop the more danger, or maybe each turn on movement into the fog, based on groyp size or noise etc.. Safe inside the supermarket until night time with the lights and then across the carpark and into that open shop which had the spiders etc, you could have encounter tables with monsters, other people and equipment found… Some table for zombies etc in ATZ and chain reaction something like that, safe where you are or take a chance..!!! " When i get fog here, its the mist on my mind or the old fog film, as i live by the sea " |
| Lowtardog | 26 Dec 2009 2:16 p.m. PST |
One of the lads on Lead Adventure Forum has embarked on this self same idea Vyper. He is maximising his Zombie terrain town and survivors |
| Jemima Fawr | 26 Dec 2009 8:23 p.m. PST |
Rolls of cotton wool. Lots of them. |
| Jemima Fawr | 26 Dec 2009 8:25 p.m. PST |
I was just watching 'Flushed Away' on the TV over Chrimbo and was wondering how best to convert it to wargaming? Does anyone make SF frogs in 15mm? How about slugs? I guess they're fairly easy to make from greenstuff? |
| pahoota | 30 Dec 2009 8:52 p.m. PST |
Years ago my friends and I got our hands on some dry ice. We put it on our 40K (Rogue Trader of course, no other…) table in little petrie (sp?) dishes with water and violia! fog! I remember it being anti-climactic and a bit of a disaster. I probably have my physics wrong and it was 15 years ago, but I seem to recall a lot of condensation and all our terrain got wet. The counter idea sounds much better than dry ice… |
| Cacique Caribe | 31 Dec 2009 9:05 a.m. PST |
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| 28mmMan | 31 Dec 2009 10:23 a.m. PST |
A must have creature for a Mist game…or any monster game IMO, and inexpensive link |
