Elder Scrolls: Call To Arms - Dragonborn Triumphant
This launch promo of the Dragonborn Triumphant is a 32mm scale multi-part high quality resin miniature complete with scenic base. The Dragonborn is packaged unassembled and unpainted in a small black presentation box with silver embossed Skyrim symbol. No game mechanics are included, however the Two Player Starter Set will include rules for using the Dragonborn in the game.
This item is available in limited quantities through the year, with the first 1000 orders shipping in the first week of June 2019. The second and third wave of subsequent orders are expected to ship in July and August 2019. If this first release is sold out, click here to order from the July wave.
Not for under 14's, contains choking hazard please keep out of the reach of small children. Requires assembly and is supplied unpainted. Assembly instructions available to download in PDF on purchase.
Star Trek Adventures Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook Launches on July 25th
“In the end, it comes down to throwing one pitch after another, and seeing what happens. With each new consequence, the game begins to take shape." - Benjamin Sisko
Modiphius Entertainment is excited to announce the release date for the Star Trek Adventures Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook. It will be available from the Modiphius webstore in print & pdf on July 25th 2019, and in friendly local gaming stores in August.
The Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook contains everything you need to run and play games in the Alpha Quadrant whether you want to negotiate with a Ferengi starship, play as a Caitian or explore the Badlands and Demilitarized zones on the Federations border. Moving the timeline forwards from 2371 to when the Klingon's withdraw from the Khitomer Accords in 2372 the sourcebook also encompasses the next stage in the Star Trek Adventures living campaign.
We are all explorers driven to know what's over the horizon, what's beyond our own shores. The Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook provides Gamemasters and Players with a wealth of information to aid in playing or running adventures set within the Alpha Quadrant of the Star Trek universe. This 128 page full colour hardback contains
The Alpha Quadrant Sourcebook contains:
- Eleven new alien species players can choose from during character generation, including Aurelians, Caitians, Edosians, and Ferengi.
- A selection of alien starships from the Cardassian Union, the Ferengi Alliance, the Breen Confederacy, and the Tholian Assembly.
- Guidance for the Gamemaster on running missions and continuing voyages in the Alpha Quadrant, along with a selection of plot components to help plan adventures and several new Non-Player Characters to enhance encounters.
- Details on the Federation’s presence in the Alpha Quadrant up to 2372, and details on the homeworlds of Betazed, Denobula, Tellar Prime, and Trill.
- Material about the people, history, and culture of Bajor and the Cardassian Union, including details on Cardassia Prime and other worlds.
- Information about the Ferengi Alliance, the Tzenkethi Coalition, the Breen Confederacy, and the Tholian Assembly.
The Star Trek Adventures supplementary rulebooks and sourcebooks require the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook in order to play.
We hope you enjoy this annoucement, look out for more great Star Trek Adventures warping in later this year.
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG - Spotlight on what's new
In this post, we look at a few areas that are new to Fallout: Wasteland Warfare or different for the RPG. As ever, James Sheahan (designer of Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG expansion) sheds some light on these areas.
Initiative
When action occurs in the RPG, the game uses Action Play to break events into turns and rounds. To determine the order in which characters act during Action Play, the RPG uses the same activation system as the miniatures game. Each side in the scene (usually the players and the GM) take turns making one of their Unready characters Ready and then deciding whether to activate all of their Ready characters or not. This gives players lots of control over the order in which the characters act, plus it allows them to co-ordinate so they can work together such as one opening fire to suppress the enemy whilst the other makes a run for it, or lifting the broken door that’s too heavy for one character on their own. Also, having an initiative system with no dice roll means players are not frustrated by an unlucky, poor initiative roll leaving their character in a precarious position, plus using the same system as the miniatures game means all abilities and Perks that affect turn order work seamlessly too. The system also provides some mechanics the GM can use to add extra detail to a situation tool; for example, characters caught by surprise may start ‘Stunned’ or ‘Used’ so they miss their first one or two actions respectively.
Chase
Giving a visual element to a chase can really help players and the GM keep track and understand where different characters are. To facilitate this, the RPG includes a framework for chases using the range rulers. Before a chase starts, the range rulers are placed so they are all side-by-side in order of length with their ends aligned at one end. Where they all line up represents the target the characters are chasing. The players each place their model (or something representing them) at the end of a range ruler representing the relative distance to the target where they start.
The chase is broken into ‘moments’ and, during each moment, the GM gives the characters a choice which may move them to a shorter range ruler than their current location if the gap narrows, to a longer range ruler if the gap increases, or keep them where they are if the gap remains the same. If a character reaches the target, they immediately catch the target.
Let’s take the example of chasing a target through the alleyways of Diamond City. The characters all start at Green distance away. One moment in the chase may be as simple as the target running around the shell of a rusted sedan and the characters can either go around too, or can try and jump and slide over it as a shortcut; those that choose to jump it, make an Acrobatics skill test: a success means they close the gap and move one range ruler closer (i.e. if they were on Green then they are now on Red), but failure means dropping back 1 distance. Another moment in the chase is that the target throws a door shut behind them as they enter a dwelling. The nearest character, as they’ll be the first to reach the door, chooses whether to open the door (which will take time) or slam into it to try and barge it down. If they succeed, all the following characters can just go straight through too and narrow the gap to the target; however, failure means losing time and the next character will find it more difficult to barge it down (given their friend still shaking their head to stop the ringing in their after their collision). One more example of a moment is a group of sick-looking people in the alley arguing who is next to see the doctor – the characters could avoid it for no change, but could make a Presence skill test to shout at them to clear the way. If the shout is successful, they move and the character closes the gap, but fail and the crowd is just confused so the character has to muscle their way through losing some ground. After the chase, the characters that went through the crowd must test to see if they caught Mole Rat disease off the waiting patients (with a penalty to their roll if their shout failed and they got very close to the sick).
Using chases can add some exciting split-second decisions for players, and the same system can be used for when the characters are being chased too. Just like all elements of an RPG, the GM can choose to use the chase system or d it a different way, but it does add an easy framework for those wanting a visual system.
Crafting and Repairing
Crafting and repairing items in Fallout is just a way of life. Apart from some basic weapons, characters can not create new weapons or armor so scavenging the Wasteland can be key to gaining new equipment; however, characters can create mods as well as attach and change the mods attached to items. Complications that occur during skill tests, or other incidents, can result in damage to equipment and repairing these broken, damaged or jammed items is necessary to get them working again.
To craft or repair an item, a character needs the relevant ‘Repair & Craft’ skill, plus they need to be using the relevant workbench or station too, and have any resources the GM deems required too (which can come from scrapping other items). For example, to repair a weapon, a character needs the Repair & Craft Weapons skill, a weapons workbench, plus the resources – if the weapon is a Pipe Pistol then a few screws, gears and steel from a Desk Fan will likely be enough, but if it’s to repair a Laser Rifle then the resources required will be more advanced (such as Fiber Optics) and, most likely, be more scarce. Food, drink and chems can be crafted in the same way using a cooking station or chemistry station respectively, plus some ingredients too.
Settlements
The settlement is the main homestead or camp for many inhabitants of the Wasteland. Characters may want to remain in an area and build up a settlement to serve as their base of operations. At other times, characters may come across settlements that need assisting, investigating, controlling, attacking, etc. Settlements come in many different forms and the section on settlements in the RPG provides some advice for GMs on what a settlement might contain and what characters may want to include when building their own.
Luck
All player characters can use Luck (as they are the equivalent of being Heroic). In the same way as the miniatures game, Luck Points (LPs) can be spent during a scenario to tweak moments in the character’s favour such as nudging a failure into a success (or vice versa), reducing damage slightly, or gaining an extra critical point. In the RPG, characters can also spend LPs to add Effect Dice to a test too, adding one dice for each LP spent.
Characters can gain Luck Points over time and the GM awards LPs at fitting moments such as after they rest or after they complete a task. Also, the GM can award LPs as a reward and incentive for good roleplaying, clever thinking, noticing clues, etc.
As you can see, the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG provides many additional or revised elements to ensure the world away from the battlefield has all the depth needed to tell your Fallout story.
Next time, we’ll look at combining the tabletop and RPG for an even bigger Fallout: Wasteland Warfare experience. Until next time, happy wandering in the Wasteland. You can pre-order the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG Expansion here.
Initiative
When action occurs in the RPG, the game uses Action Play to break events into turns and rounds. To determine the order in which characters act during Action Play, the RPG uses the same activation system as the miniatures game. Each side in the scene (usually the players and the GM) take turns making one of their Unready characters Ready and then deciding whether to activate all of their Ready characters or not. This gives players lots of control over the order in which the characters act, plus it allows them to co-ordinate so they can work together such as one opening fire to suppress the enemy whilst the other makes a run for it, or lifting the broken door that’s too heavy for one character on their own. Also, having an initiative system with no dice roll means players are not frustrated by an unlucky, poor initiative roll leaving their character in a precarious position, plus using the same system as the miniatures game means all abilities and Perks that affect turn order work seamlessly too. The system also provides some mechanics the GM can use to add extra detail to a situation tool; for example, characters caught by surprise may start ‘Stunned’ or ‘Used’ so they miss their first one or two actions respectively.
Chase
Giving a visual element to a chase can really help players and the GM keep track and understand where different characters are. To facilitate this, the RPG includes a framework for chases using the range rulers. Before a chase starts, the range rulers are placed so they are all side-by-side in order of length with their ends aligned at one end. Where they all line up represents the target the characters are chasing. The players each place their model (or something representing them) at the end of a range ruler representing the relative distance to the target where they start.
The chase is broken into ‘moments’ and, during each moment, the GM gives the characters a choice which may move them to a shorter range ruler than their current location if the gap narrows, to a longer range ruler if the gap increases, or keep them where they are if the gap remains the same. If a character reaches the target, they immediately catch the target.
Let’s take the example of chasing a target through the alleyways of Diamond City. The characters all start at Green distance away. One moment in the chase may be as simple as the target running around the shell of a rusted sedan and the characters can either go around too, or can try and jump and slide over it as a shortcut; those that choose to jump it, make an Acrobatics skill test: a success means they close the gap and move one range ruler closer (i.e. if they were on Green then they are now on Red), but failure means dropping back 1 distance. Another moment in the chase is that the target throws a door shut behind them as they enter a dwelling. The nearest character, as they’ll be the first to reach the door, chooses whether to open the door (which will take time) or slam into it to try and barge it down. If they succeed, all the following characters can just go straight through too and narrow the gap to the target; however, failure means losing time and the next character will find it more difficult to barge it down (given their friend still shaking their head to stop the ringing in their after their collision). One more example of a moment is a group of sick-looking people in the alley arguing who is next to see the doctor – the characters could avoid it for no change, but could make a Presence skill test to shout at them to clear the way. If the shout is successful, they move and the character closes the gap, but fail and the crowd is just confused so the character has to muscle their way through losing some ground. After the chase, the characters that went through the crowd must test to see if they caught Mole Rat disease off the waiting patients (with a penalty to their roll if their shout failed and they got very close to the sick).
Using chases can add some exciting split-second decisions for players, and the same system can be used for when the characters are being chased too. Just like all elements of an RPG, the GM can choose to use the chase system or d it a different way, but it does add an easy framework for those wanting a visual system.
Crafting and Repairing
Crafting and repairing items in Fallout is just a way of life. Apart from some basic weapons, characters can not create new weapons or armor so scavenging the Wasteland can be key to gaining new equipment; however, characters can create mods as well as attach and change the mods attached to items. Complications that occur during skill tests, or other incidents, can result in damage to equipment and repairing these broken, damaged or jammed items is necessary to get them working again.
To craft or repair an item, a character needs the relevant ‘Repair & Craft’ skill, plus they need to be using the relevant workbench or station too, and have any resources the GM deems required too (which can come from scrapping other items). For example, to repair a weapon, a character needs the Repair & Craft Weapons skill, a weapons workbench, plus the resources – if the weapon is a Pipe Pistol then a few screws, gears and steel from a Desk Fan will likely be enough, but if it’s to repair a Laser Rifle then the resources required will be more advanced (such as Fiber Optics) and, most likely, be more scarce. Food, drink and chems can be crafted in the same way using a cooking station or chemistry station respectively, plus some ingredients too.
Settlements
The settlement is the main homestead or camp for many inhabitants of the Wasteland. Characters may want to remain in an area and build up a settlement to serve as their base of operations. At other times, characters may come across settlements that need assisting, investigating, controlling, attacking, etc. Settlements come in many different forms and the section on settlements in the RPG provides some advice for GMs on what a settlement might contain and what characters may want to include when building their own.
Luck
All player characters can use Luck (as they are the equivalent of being Heroic). In the same way as the miniatures game, Luck Points (LPs) can be spent during a scenario to tweak moments in the character’s favour such as nudging a failure into a success (or vice versa), reducing damage slightly, or gaining an extra critical point. In the RPG, characters can also spend LPs to add Effect Dice to a test too, adding one dice for each LP spent.
Characters can gain Luck Points over time and the GM awards LPs at fitting moments such as after they rest or after they complete a task. Also, the GM can award LPs as a reward and incentive for good roleplaying, clever thinking, noticing clues, etc.
As you can see, the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG provides many additional or revised elements to ensure the world away from the battlefield has all the depth needed to tell your Fallout story.
Next time, we’ll look at combining the tabletop and RPG for an even bigger Fallout: Wasteland Warfare experience. Until next time, happy wandering in the Wasteland. You can pre-order the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG Expansion here.
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare - Synergy between the RPG & miniatures game
In this blog post about the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG, we look at how the miniatures game and RPG can potentially be used together. James Sheahan (designer of Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG expansion) provides some details on how the two styles of game fit together and what this can deliver.
Integration
The RPG has been designed specifically so it integrates as much as possible with the miniatures game and vice versa. The core mechanics are the same. We have loosened some restrictions to allow the Gamesmaster more agency and some rules which are there to ensure balance in a two player game are not required. For example we do not have the same limitations on how many attacks a creature has in the miniature game as the GM may desire to make it more dangerous. Player characters from the RPG can be used in the miniatures game, and Units from the miniatures game can be used in the RPG (in fact, they are the GM’s NPCs). As a result, there is excellent potential to use both styles of game. Potentially, GMs can create a miniatures campaign with elements that are resolved using the RPG and vice versa. Using the miniatures game for combat during the RPG is likely to be less required as the RPG’s combat is very similar but with less emphasis on exact model position.
Expansions
As the RPG uses the same cards as the miniatures game, most new cards for the miniatures game are new content for the RPG too. (I say ‘most’ as some card types are not specifically used in the RPG, although they can be useful and we’ll look at this a bit later on.) Prior to the release of Wave 2 of the miniatures game, it was announced that the new waves of products for the miniatures game will include a card pack for that wave, containing all the cards for that wave (as no cards will come with the models). These card packs will contain further weapons, items and Units (NPCs) which can also be used in the RPG too.
Tokens and Cards
The RPG has been written without using tokens; however, players can use any tokens from the miniatures game they find useful such as to show conditions (each of which already has an icon on the character mat to use for tracking), activation tokens, Critical Points, and so on.
Whilst some types of cards are not used in the RPG, the GM can use some to trigger ideas, randomly create situations, etc. For example, Danger cards can be used to generate random dangers such as when failing a test to open a trapped lock, and Creature cards can be used to generate random creatures such as when investigating an old ruin.
Similarly, Explore cards can be used to generate minor encounters during a journey. For example, it takes 2 days to reach the outpost during which time 3 Explore cards are drawn and resolved each day. The incidents on the cards may just be a starting point for the GM who may read the card and create a larger scene around it. Event cards can be used the same way. The RPG rulebook includes some advice on how these cards can be used with the RPG.
AI and the RPG
Someone asked if the AI can be used in the RPG. It’s an interesting idea but they’re not specifically used as the GM determines all the NPCs’ actions; however, if they really wanted to a GM could potentially use the AI cards to give them some inspiration.
On a side note, I have joked previously that players could make AI cards for their own RPG character and have the GM use those if a player can’t attend a session. It made me think if no players made it to a session, the GM could still run a game with no players and just their AI :) That’s certainly not the intention and I was only joking - interesting thought though.
Until next time, happy wandering in the Wasteland. You can pre-order the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG Expansion here.
Integration
The RPG has been designed specifically so it integrates as much as possible with the miniatures game and vice versa. The core mechanics are the same. We have loosened some restrictions to allow the Gamesmaster more agency and some rules which are there to ensure balance in a two player game are not required. For example we do not have the same limitations on how many attacks a creature has in the miniature game as the GM may desire to make it more dangerous. Player characters from the RPG can be used in the miniatures game, and Units from the miniatures game can be used in the RPG (in fact, they are the GM’s NPCs). As a result, there is excellent potential to use both styles of game. Potentially, GMs can create a miniatures campaign with elements that are resolved using the RPG and vice versa. Using the miniatures game for combat during the RPG is likely to be less required as the RPG’s combat is very similar but with less emphasis on exact model position.
Expansions
As the RPG uses the same cards as the miniatures game, most new cards for the miniatures game are new content for the RPG too. (I say ‘most’ as some card types are not specifically used in the RPG, although they can be useful and we’ll look at this a bit later on.) Prior to the release of Wave 2 of the miniatures game, it was announced that the new waves of products for the miniatures game will include a card pack for that wave, containing all the cards for that wave (as no cards will come with the models). These card packs will contain further weapons, items and Units (NPCs) which can also be used in the RPG too.
Tokens and Cards
The RPG has been written without using tokens; however, players can use any tokens from the miniatures game they find useful such as to show conditions (each of which already has an icon on the character mat to use for tracking), activation tokens, Critical Points, and so on.
Whilst some types of cards are not used in the RPG, the GM can use some to trigger ideas, randomly create situations, etc. For example, Danger cards can be used to generate random dangers such as when failing a test to open a trapped lock, and Creature cards can be used to generate random creatures such as when investigating an old ruin.
Similarly, Explore cards can be used to generate minor encounters during a journey. For example, it takes 2 days to reach the outpost during which time 3 Explore cards are drawn and resolved each day. The incidents on the cards may just be a starting point for the GM who may read the card and create a larger scene around it. Event cards can be used the same way. The RPG rulebook includes some advice on how these cards can be used with the RPG.
AI and the RPG
Someone asked if the AI can be used in the RPG. It’s an interesting idea but they’re not specifically used as the GM determines all the NPCs’ actions; however, if they really wanted to a GM could potentially use the AI cards to give them some inspiration.
On a side note, I have joked previously that players could make AI cards for their own RPG character and have the GM use those if a player can’t attend a session. It made me think if no players made it to a session, the GM could still run a game with no players and just their AI :) That’s certainly not the intention and I was only joking - interesting thought though.
Until next time, happy wandering in the Wasteland. You can pre-order the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare RPG Expansion here.
The Raiders are here!
The Fallout: Wasteland Warfare game is expanding to introduce many more factions from across the Fallout universe. For the first major expansion coming to retail from August (we call it wave 2) we're introducing the Raiders and you can read more about them below. We've made a limited number of Raider Wave 2 bundles available in advance which include the three Raiders sets, the Wave 2 card pack described below and the special promo Mysterious Stranger (who'll be available on his own in Wave 3). These are ready to ship for those who want to jump in and gets you a saving of £26 / $33 on the MSRP. Otherwise you'll be able to pick up the individual items in in your local store or our webstore from August 9th.
As wave two approaches, we touched base with some of the team behind the game to get their input on what to expect from the releases. With the wave release beginning in August, it won’t be long before you can introduce the Wasteland to roving bands of Raiders, as well as add some new options to your Creatures, Robots and Survivors.
We sat down with Wasteland Warfare’s designer, James Sheahan to talk about the new profiles and cards in the card pack as well as some of the mechanics that will be coming to the game that are previewed in this wave.
James - Designing the Raiders
One of the biggest new elements in Wave 2 is the Raiders - bands of thuggish survivalists who take what they want and with little regard for others. Whilst the average Raider may be less skilled than most, they have decent armor as standard and can quickly charge into close combat – effectiveness over subtlety. Due to their illicit activities, almost every Raider knows how to lockpick which makes them suited to a wide variety of objectives.
Within the Raider ranks are Scavvers who are excellent shots, and Psychos who are skilled at close combat and are fast so long as they do not wear any additional armor. The combination of these types makes the Raiders’ rank-and-file a force offering great flexibility for combat.
The alternate versions of the Raiders, such as the Raider Outlaw, are slightly less capable than their standard counterparts but have computer skills and the ability to use Action Points for Expertise skills, making them perfect for non-combat objectives.
Of course, the Raiders are not just a crew of manpower but also include talented individuals. The Veteran Raider is a grizzled, highly capable warrior, sometimes wearing custom-made Raider Power Armor – whilst not quite up to T-45 standards, it still makes for a strong and tough target.
Shady and deadly ghoul Sinjin, heavy weapons specialist Ack Ack and sharp-shooter Avery are also very skilled and tough unique Units each with their own abilities.
Wave 2 also brings the Sole Survivor Tech who is great with computers and Dogmeat Guard Dog who wears tough armor and may even take damage on behalf of a friendly nearby model. Good boy/girl!
Inside Wave 2 are some iconic Fallout items such as X-01 Power Armor – rare and expensive but also incredibly tough – as well as weapons such as the Junk Jet, Railway Rifle, and Gauss Rifle which can be charged over time to deal greater damage.
New creatures include Putrid and Bloated Glowing Ones – some of the toughest inhabitants to be found (or preferably avoided) in the wasteland - as well as the widespread scourge, Mole Rats. In addition, some new, weaker versions of existing robots and creatures are included in Wave 2 such as the Battered Sentry Bot and Young Deathclaw. These slightly less formidable versions allow players to encounter these robots and creatures more often, and their lower caps values (some less than half their normal value) makes it easier to include them in a force.
Players wanting to create a force of robots or creatures will be able to do so using new Leader cards (Robot Controller and Creature Controller) which allow one model to lead an entire force of their chosen minions.
This concept will be expanded in Wave 3 with the Automatron Deck (alongside the Institute release) which will allow a player to give their robot minions many extra abilities, and/or have the leader exert their control over them, and even add The Mechanist as their leader. Creatures will be similarly expanded in Wave 4. The Controller Leader cards are provided in Wave 2 in advance of these expansions as we know players have already expressed their desire to lead such forces.
In addition to all of that, Wave 2 expands players’ Fallout: Wasteland Warfare games with many new items, mods, quests, perks, leaders, and explore cards, as well as cards to further add variety to your wasteland with new creatures, dangers, strangers and events.
All the cards for Wave 2 are contained in the Wave 2 Card Pack so all players can have access to all this content regardless of which models they purchase. A free campaign of 5 linked scenarios specifically designed for Wave 2, containing AI settings for solo/co-op play will be available for download.
Following that, departmental head Jon Webb had some thoughts about the models that are getting released.
Jon
The Raiders Wave, as we know it internally was a pretty special one for me as it contains the first released set of models I briefed with the various Raider poses we added to the initial seven sculpts previewed way back in the mists of time.
Amusingly, these were not the first batch of briefs I have done, but due to the vagaries of release waves and production schedules, the Raiders get to shine before anyone else (hold out for Wave 3 for more of my “babies”).
One of the things I was keen to push was not repeating sculpts. Given the Raiders are the most “swarmy” of the various factions in the game, they needed a decent number of models to ensure no two were the same. I was particularly proud of the sack hood Raider and getting to put some nods to the Fallout 4 concept art with the two extra Scavvers.
Luigi, one of our sculpt team did a superb job with the briefs and I’ve had great fun building a number of pre-production copies for my own purposes (oh, and playtesting too... ) I just need to find some time to paint them.
The other cool thing that we managed to sneak in to the wave was the extra profiles for the Robots and Creatures. James did a great job running with that, allowing players to build a more varied Robot force and hopefully make use of all the Assaultrons that will be booting up and looking for poor survivors to laser come September. That’s only the start of his plans for the Robots too… Wave 3 has something special for players looking to rule the Wasteland with a force of implacable steel.
Hope everyone enjoys what we’ve put together here and it won’t be long before Wave 3 arrives, with the Institute coming to the surface looking to rebuild as well as more troops and profiles for the wave 1 factions.
We had a chat with our studio painter Adam Huenecke, who painted every model in wave 2, about his experience prepping them for the boxes and promo shots we rely on to show how awesome the figures are.
Adam - Painting the Raiders
The Wave 2 miniatures were some of the most fun to paint- The raiders, glowing ghouls, and X-01 Power Armor are some of the most iconic characters in the series. They allow for lots of grime and weathering that allow you to have fun and get sloppy (and have the results turn out even more realistic).
I’m not a huge fan of “paint formulas,” because they are only as good as what you do with them, but I can share the colors I used for the primary elements and perhaps that can help folks get good results on their own stuff.
I’ll explain everything in terms of four elements- Base Coat, Shadow, Highlight, and “Special Effects.”
Base Coat- The first main color you can ‘block’ out your colors with. In most cases, I’ll color out each of my basic elements in their ‘Base’ color before I do any shading or highlighting. This can help you plan out your overall scheme and get a feel for what the miniature will look like when you are finished.
Shadow- These are the colors that will add depth to your base coat. These are typically a darker, richer tone than your base color. You can often add these colors as a thinned wash or a careful addition to the areas where shadows would naturally fall.
Highlight- This is the color that you will use to make your colors ‘pop’ by adding a little additional light. These are typically a brighter version of the base color and should go on the surfaces that light would hit.
Special Effects- These are the extra additions that give your color scheme a little more realism. They can range from rust, slime, glowing effects, or anything else to give your model a little more drama.
Raider Armor
Base Coat: Reaper Blackened Steel
Shadow: Scale75 Petroleum Grey (Note- this is one of my favorite post-apocalyptic paints. It’s a great dark grey/brown that can add a gritty feel to nearly anything. I often use this in my airbrush to shade my terrain as well).
Highlight: P3 Pig Iron / P3 Cold Steel
Special: Rust- P3 Bloodstone (thinned). I don’t know what it is about this paint, but a well-thinned P3 Bloodstone, with perhaps a bit of glaze medium added, makes an amazing ‘wash’ for a realistic rust effect. When it dries, it tends to separate a bit into a flat orange/brown effect that tends to pool in all the right places. Play with this a bit and you won’t be disappointed. Works great in an airbrush as well.
Raider Leather
Base Coat: P3 Bloodstone
Shadow: P3 Umbral Umber
Highlight: P3 Bootstrap Leather
Raider Cloth
Base Coat: P3 Greatcoat Grey
Shadow: Scale75 Petroleum Grey
Highlight: P3 Bastion Grey
Causasian Skin Tone
Base Coat: P3 Beast Hide
Shadow: P3 Battlefield Brown
Highlight: Reaper Tanned Highlight
Special: Blush- P3 Khardic Flesh- A thinned down Khardic Flesh (a pinkish tone), with a little acrylic drying retarder added
X0-1 Power Armor
Base Coat: P3 Pig Iron
Shadow: Scale75 Petroleum Grey
Highlight: P3 Cold Steel
Glowing Ghouls
Base Coat: P3 Necrotite Green
Shadow: P3 Thornwood Green (This was less of a shadow, and more of the color that I used for the darker hands and feet)
Highlight: P3 Cygnus Yellow (mixed with base color)
Special: Radioactive Glow- Vallejo Game Color Fluorescent Green, via Airbrush. I applied some of this extra glow to the model with an airbrush, which gives it a glowing look (and makes it glow under blacklight!)
Ethan and Charlie - Playing the Raiders
Playing Raiders is wildly different from playing with any of the existing factions in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. They are a group that prefer brawn over brain, Chems over Charisma and numbers over tactics. They can throw enough bodies at a problem to overwhelm most enemies, and have the speed to run away if the fight doesn’t go their way. Wherever there are Settlers desperately working to survive the desolate wasteland, there will always be Raiders nearby searching for easy prey.
A perfect way to begin looting the Wasteland is with the Raider Core Box containing a Veteran Raider (modelled in Raider Power Armor), 3 Raiders, 2 Psychos and a Scavver. This is a solid start to any aspiring scourge of the wasteland. In most cases, the boss in your warband will have the best equipment and in this case that Veteran Raider can throw on a suit of Raider Power Armour and lead from the front. Whilst in the Power Armour, the Veteran Raider gains access to the strength bonus from being STR 7+, so load them up with a Melee Weapon that packs a mean punch or a Heavy Weapon that can fire with deadly accuracy.
As much as they would like to be able to, the boss can’t do everything on their own! Make sure they have some backup, such as allowing the Veteran Raider to use a nearby friendly model as a Meat Shield. Raider units are well rounded and can fit into many roles, be that long range support with a Rifle or up close and personal with a Machete. Where the Raider faction really comes into its own is with its specialised bands of Psychos and Scavvers. Load up a Psycho with a Melee Weapon and a ton of Throwing Weapons and watch your opponent panic at the fast moving whirlwind of chaos tearing its way across the battlefield. Scavvers on the other hand are the workhorses of the faction, able to reliably provide long range support. If you’re in need of someone a little more suited to objectives than fighting, the Outlaw variants of all 3 basic Raider units sacrifice a small amount of agility to gain a large boost to intelligence, along with the skills to hack into any terminals in their way.
There is always the choice of bringing along one of the infamous Raider bosses for the ride. Ack Ack, Sinjin and Avery are the paragons that all Raiders aspire to be, if Raiders have aspirations that is. If you feel that your Raiders aren't killing enough, fast enough; Ack Ack and her Minigun are an excellent addition to your force. Even better, if you activate other models in the same turn as her, Ack Ack’s Bullet Storm ability allows them to hit even more often. Sinjin on the other hand prefers the careful approach. Unlike his crew, he can’t throw out a lot of damage, but he can do it reliably. The free Silenced Mod fitted to any Pistol he brings means you have a good chance to not trigger any enemy models waiting in ambush. Finally you have Avery, an expert in exploiting the enemies Weak Point, allowing her to turn a blank face on a black dice she rolls into an Armour Break. Load her up with a Combat Shotgun and watch as she tears through the ranks of any force that dares stand up to the might of your Raider warband.
In addition to all these great units and abilities, make sure you stock up on a load of Chems. For Raider faction models, the final round of an active Chem lasts one additional round. Load up on Fury and dish out devastating damage in melee, take some Overdrive and charge up that critical attack even faster or pop some Orange Mentats to steady your aim whilst waiting in ambush.
Follow Ethan and Charlies Raider games on Youtube - Episode 1 here.
So, get out there and make me some Caps!
