How to play The Crucible
One of the ideas we have long thought about is a training video: something on Youtube or similar showing the basics of the Hammer's Slammers: The Crucible rule system.
As we also have a game lined up at Hammerhead hammerheadshow.co.uk – a show in the UK on March 1st – we thought it a good idea to do some training about training. We wanted to make sure that the best approach was used when both introducing new people to the rules at the show and as prep work for some video footage. On that basis, we ran a couple of games.
The first game I have already given some details of TMP link and I thought I'd take the opportunity to put the thing on the Slammers website link
The second one was a new outing on a Saturday at the South London Warlords Club house. It's in the same article link on the site but featured two Slammer's troops – a Tank Troop (three regular blowers and a command blower) and a Combat Car Troop (three cars and a Command car) commanded by Fiona. These represent just the sort of individual forces people can play for a couple of turns for a sort game at a show.
Troops are commanded by a Sergeant and she had a Sarge with Elite skills (Jack ‘Ripper' Scratchard) in the command tank and a regular sergeant in the Command Car. Ad thse were both obvious vehicles, again, using the Leading from the Front rule, this gave an extra bonus to their leadership skills. In addition, Jack had the Elite skills of Dead Eye (plus 1 QR when shooting) and Snap shot (the ability to fire on the move). I ran a single detachment of the West Riding Yeomanry (effectively 4 medium tanks, 3 infantry and some APCs) and they were always going to have a tough time of it as they were out-pointed and a little out-gunned.
The WRY had infantry secreted in a building: three TUs including their commander, Lieutenant Cain, with Elite skills of Inspirational Leader (more leadership points); Tank Hunter (the ability to spot the weak points on an AFV and exploit them, always losing one from the target's defensive value with Buzzbombs), Dauntless (better at rousing the men and removing suppression) and Double tap (the ability to rapid fire weapons – in his case buzzbombs – for only one leadership point). Cain and his men hid on different floors of a big tower block with a commanding view of the Slammers from whatever direction they cam in from and I distributed the rest of the WRY around the town.
Suffice to say that – although the forces were similar in size – two troops of Elite Slammers (8TU's – all AFVs) versus one detachment of Veteran WRY (10TUs including 7AFVs and three infantry TUs) and the WRY had the defensive position, the Slammers outpointed the WRY by more than double the points value.
Find out what happened – with more pics – here! link
But here's a hint…
John Treadaway
