writes:Now that Warfare in the Age of Madness (Visceral Impact Studios) is out, I have been thinking of the possibilities - in the mad post-apocalypse future, what figures can be formed into new armies?
Then I remembered the Colony-15 range from Darkest Star Games, sculpted by Bob Naismith. This range, still in development, is set in a future when stellar civilization has collapsed, and focuses on the factions on the planet named Colony-15.
My current favorite faction is the Magravite. In the Colony-15 setting, the Magrav is the interstellar feudal lord who rules this sector of space. The packs available so far feature the Margravite militia – the ragtag local forces that try to defend the settlements when space raiders strike.
The packs are:
15MM2 - Magravate Militia Command
5x 15mm metal infantry figures wearing Flak body armor, and respirators. Includes 1x Platoon Commander, 1x Radioman, 1x Anti-armor troop, 1x NCO, and 1x soldier running.
15MM1 - Magravate Militia
5x 15mm metal infantry figures wearing Flak body armor, respirators, and armed with rifles.
15CC1 - Household Guard Adviser
1x 15mm metal character figure wearing Full Combat Armor, armed with an "Eliminator" heavy beamer.
In the Colony-15 setting, you would have the command, the militia, plus an adviser from the Magrav (to keep the rabble in line).
Translating to Age of Madness
Warfare in the Age of Madness is set on a post-apocalypse Earth, so some re-imagining of the background is needed. The respirators look perfect for radioactive badlands of some sort, and the headgear suggests a society that has reverted to feudalism...
Out in the radioactive badlands, there exists a lost valley where farmers still till their crops, protected by their overlord - the Magrav. When raiders cross the wastelands, the militia is called up to repel them.
Armies in this game system start at 1,200 points, modified by perks and penalties. Since this is a militia force, I'll take Sloppy Teamwork (+250) and Oblivious Shooters (+250)... but since they fight for their lord and homes, let's give them Heroic Moxie (-150), for an adjusted total of 1,550 points.
Our Core Elements will be the rifle-armed militia. (The "rifles" look like antique blasters... I'll say they're equivalent to rifles.) Those cost 70 points, and we can have up to nine stands of them in our force. Because of the body armor, I'll add Hardened I for 15 points, bringing them to 85 points each.
Adding a command element costs 20 points, plus five more to make him a forward observer, plus 15 for Hardened I.
I'm going to count the battlesuited adviser's heavy beamer as equivalent to a HMG, making him a heavy-weapons element, plus Hardened II to cover his armor: 135 points.
I can have up to three more heavy-weapons elements. From the command pack figures, I'll make two types: I'll count some figures with bigger guns as equivalent to automatic grenade-launchers (AGL, 110 points, +15 for Hardened I), and the missile launcher as ATGM S-23 (175 points, plus 15 for Hardened I).
The vehicles for this range are not available yet, so I will grab an Adder Combat Car from The Ion Age line. The Yellow Adder Combat Car (IAF035B) provides some rocket support, which I think will be needed with this force. The "LAV L42" hull gives reasonable armor for a support vehicle (120 points), plus 90 points for "heavy mortar" (equivalent to a rocket barrage). I don't see any secondary weapons on the model, so I'll leave it at 210 points.
Of course, there are lots of other ways to build the army list.
First, the commander could have been embedded in any of the core infantry elements, saving points.
Similarly, the heavy weapons could have been added to the core infantry squads instead of being separate elements.
The adviser in the battlesuit could alternately have been added to an infantry squad, raising their abilities, or even bought as a small 'mech.
The vehicles could have been almost anything that you can imagine fitting into the background - big mechs? hovercraft? a battleworn Abrams tank? technicals?
Putting it all together and playing around with a spreadsheet, my army design comes out...
| 7 rifle stands (core) | 595 points |
|---|---|
| 1 command stand | 40 points |
| 1 HMG stand (heavy weapons) | 135 points |
| 1 grenade-launcher stand (heavy weapons) | 125 points |
| 1 missile stand (heavy weapons) | 190 points |
| 2 mortar vehicles | 420 points |
| TOTAL | 1,505 points |
Still 45 points to spend...
For 25 points, I can upgrade one rifle squad to recon, and make it a forward observer.
For 15 points, I can add a smoke marker for the mortar car. (Well, I think I can... the upgrade isn't listed in the vehicle section, but it makes sense.)
And for 5 points, I can add Medic trait to the command stand.
How Many Figures Is That?
The rules say to use any basing you like, but suggest basing core elements at three to five figures per 40mm x 30mm base, other infantry at two to three figures per 30mm x 30mm base, and vehicles individually (basing optional).
I've looked at the gallery on the publisher's website, and I like the look of four figures per large base, and two figures per small base.
If I've done the math right, I need six packs of Magravate Militia, one pack of Militia Command, one Household Guard Adviser, and 2 Adder Combat Cars. I'll also need some crates and supplies to make a required field camp objective.
That's only $29 USD worth of figures from Darkest Star Games, plus £8.00 GBP for the two vehicles from The Ion Age (plus shipping and taxes). Not bad for a new army!