Thoughts on themed gangs for GoMC1: Citi-Def gang

[ekwatts]

I remembered somebody asking about designs for a Citi-Def gang a while back, and decided to see if this was viable under the regular rules for starting gangs from scratch, and also as I've been putting together and painting some out of the GoMC1 minis boxes I have (helmeted head, shell jacket torso, big round kneepads with the three lines and two T-shaped shoulderpads; somebody on here gave me the idea, but I can't for the life of me remember who). Here's what I came up with:

Top Dog: Shell Jacket, Double-Barrelled Stump Gun, Club, Improved Leadership as the free trait.

2x Punks with Shell Jackets, Club and a Stump Gun each.

2x Juves both equipped with a handgun, club and a shell jacket each.

Only five members and 50 credits left over seems harsh, but with a starting reputation of 15, it's not too shabby. As well as this, the addition of Improved Leadership to the Top Dog is appropriate as well as useful, allowing the entire gang to move at once. A plus and a drawback is the addition of Shell Jackets for the whole squad. This slows them down, but at least the lack of numbers is made up for in toughness. This type of gang would only really be suitable for a defensive style of play, but then again, that's what the Citi-Def are for! Plus, with the already high reputation level, the gang will be able to purchase Citi-Def specialists after only two or three games. The natural advantages of the Citi-Def specialists would make even more sense in this gang.

I haven't had a chance to playtest this idea yet, but I'll certainly be doing so as soon as possible.

Also, remember to give your members appropriate names: The Top Dog would be a Commander Jenkins, the Lieutenant a Sergeant Phillips and the Juves would be Privates or Recruits...

 

[Silverback]

Some of the Copplestone Castings Future Wars miniatures could be used for Citi-Def gangs. Probably the Assault Troopers and Trooper Officers look the most appropriate.

The Rezolution CSO range of miniatures also features suitable mini's to fit the bill. Specifically Troopers, Trooper Sergeant, Peace Keeper Sniper 2, Field Medic and Medi Bot, Trooper Team, and Engineer.

From eM4 Miniatures the Recce Squad looks suitable and also the unpainted Troopers. The pics aren't very big to be able to tell properly though!

 

[ekwatts]

Hmm, none of those look "Dredd" enough for me, though. The street gang box may have many, many faults, but I'm a modeller at heart, and I really enjoy making them into something pretty good, and the street gang box has all the parts I need for some very Dredd-styled Citi-Def soldiers (despite there being only two!).

 

[Silverback]

Really!? That does surprise me. I even went so far as comparing the stock photo of the Citi-Def blister pack with those miniatures suggested to make sure I was on the right lines. Have even ordered the CSO Trooper Sergeant and Trooper Blister packs. Ah well, guess I can't convinve everyone all the time!

#$!* faulty hypnochips . . . {grumble} . . .

 

[ekwatts]

Actually, the medibot does look the business for Judge Dredd, but the other figures just don't do it for me. They're similar to the Mongoose metal Citi-Def figures, but... I don't like them either!

 

[Rob_A]

I think they are sculpted by the same guy (The Rezolution minis and GOMC1 CITI-DEF).

 

[WallyTWest]

A review, from experience.

You totally sold me on playing this force. 1 EM4 miniatures box latter I have a fully modeled force and some nice looking miniatures. But….

I just played 2 games with this list and the cit-def destroyed my opponents both times. Is it power-gaming? They just ran about like Hogan’s Heroes murdering/beating down Juves and Total War gang members.

The 6 to wound is brutal, and it takes a lot of firepower to take out a single member of this gang. The ability of this gang list to move about so fast and get things done is insane! (I played very well, lots of called shots on top dogs and the like.) I think next game session I am going to be seeing lots of judges. (yuck)

Anyone else tried a Cit Def gang list yet?

 

[ekwatts]

*edit*

 

[WallyTWest]

I have had some time to think about this one, I think that it has somthing to do with low starting numbers in gangs. Everyone moves and shoots, unlike a standard Punk/Juve gang where sometimes more than half your credits are just standing around doing nothing and guarding your flank.

When an oposing top dog jumps out in the middle of the board/runs up a side of it, he is basicly just asking to be killed. Without someone at the ready that foreward moving mob is a ripe target. Of course when a gang looses its leadership, its all over.

A mob of well armoured guys on the other hand are nearly imune to most of the starting weapons. (Without a specical like Blast, pistols and knifes are nearly useless against even a well armored juve.) Most retaliation from juves or punks on watch is simply ignored.

Also the clubs where a great idea, nothing like chasing down a gangs juves and giving the smackdown! Looking foreward to my next fight, but there are rumors that one of my friends is bringing the famed Judge Cobert to the next game.

Thanks for the great gang.

 

[Rob_A]

Rather than take the merc ones. I would actually make a different list and use the mercs as fully experienced ones.
Just have a 'gang' or 'squad' of Juve Citi-Def and trainees ones.
Obviously, they would have many less models than the normal gangs.

Same would apply for Klegg, rather than taking one group of the massive ones, take a unit of smaller ones, but only 3 or 4. Give them less effective weapon options as well.

Alien lists could be similar to the mutant list, but make the gang have to take the same 'mutation' for the entire gang. Stuff like 'large', 'multiple limbs', humanoid', 'scaly', 'winged' etc etc etc...
This would take some time, but would allow some interesting gangs not covered already.

In one prog of JD there are some aliens that look the part very much so and look easy to convert from GW kroot, given wings.

Oh yeah, and eldsters. Again, they would be few in numbers, but highly skilled and have all sorts of rules for traps and surprises. A successful Eldster gang would be quite scary.

I also would like to see more special characters, I keep stressing this. I have read all the progs up to the apocalypse war (and a little further) now. I have to say, a lot of it is inspiring me now. Especially the apocalypse war itself! Imagine raving hordes of MC1 gangers against other raving hordes, or against the judges of MC1 or even East meg, let alone east meggers against the MC1 judges and Citi-def. I think this would be expensive, and is sort of covered by the article in S&P.

Perhaps the next move is to add these gangs I suggested along with some good vehicle rules, some new RPG rules which can transform into the GOMC1 ruleset and a series of special characters to act out some 'what if?' scenarios and the like.

Sound good? Sorry about that, but your conversions seriously inspired me!

 

[Silverback]

. . . some good vehicle rules, . . .

Didn't you like my effort at vehicle rules? I know they need more playtesting but I didn't think they were that bad!?

 

[Rob_A]

Sorry, I didn't mean it that way!
I meant some published ones, be them yours or not.
Didn't yours require a copy of the JD RPG rulebook though? :?

 

[Silverback]

. . . Didn't yours require a copy of the JD RPG rulebook though? :?

I don't think so. Some of the thread was about conversion guidelines but a lot of it featured actual conversions of vehicles into GOMCO terms.

 

[Rob_A]

Oh, in that case:

My greatest apologies! I will use these in my next GOMC1 campaign and see how they flow.

I have to do some GOMC1 games as I plan on demoing it a bit this year.

 

[WallyTWest]

Holy Forum Hijack Batman!

(Both opponents called judges, won the first game but the second was a slaughter. Eaten alive by 4 street judges. Topdog is doing life in the iso-cubes, another 4 doing hard time. 4th of 16 games in the season.)

So what was the purpose of the thread? Oh yea, themed gangs…?

Game balance can be a funny thing in GOMC1, so little latter on and so much when you start. Restricted equipment choices balance startup gangs, but latter on the specialists can be just outright. (I happen to think that more rules is not the solution.)

I would love some extra choices for startup gangs, or a compiled online PDF supplement for S&P that encompasses all of the online updates (weapons, cursed earth and terrain articles.)

But what I think would help the most would be if some 2000ad fan went into the back room and scanned images/wrote up a list of different Gangs, Cults and Movements of the Mega City. I think that this would be fantastic for inspiring new gangs.

The existing rules are fairly open ended and allow for some interesting startup gangs, but what most players in this case lack is that little spark of imagination to get a gang going.

For me it was buying an old 2000ad prog with some rogue post apocalypse Cit Def cleaning house. For someone else it was picking up America for the first time and deciding to play “Total War”, kill some Judges. One kid just wanted to paint up a gang of angry chimps….

I don’t want someone to do a listing of every gang ever, just cover some of the fantastic work that has already been displayed in 2000AD. A brainstorm article.

 

[ned-kogar]

I really like the fact that you achieved the desired effect without needing additional rules. I look forward to someone trying this sort of gang out in our campaign... though I may hide when they do so.

As for other gang types, I am quite taken with the idea of alien race gangs.. Mega-City One does have Alien Town, and also alien renegades.

Perhaps the way to generate a race for your gang is to have a good range of positive features, of which you can pick a max two, but they must be taken with corresponding negatives... eg. Wings:10" flight, must land at end of each turn, must also take 2 negatives (eg. -1CC, -2WtF). A selection of maybe 12 pos and 12 negs would give a good range of possibility.

Maybe the ability to shunt stats around a little, too. Cost up some alien base stats for punks and juves, but then allow points to be shunted about (eg. add +1CC, -Agi). Hmm. That might allow you to have juves with different abilities.. a larval form, kinda.

Maybe (for plenty extra base cost) a trait can be made innate, too?

Needs thought, to stop it being messy. Robot-building seems the best model to base it on (eg. +1000 to have a built in trait). I shall think.

Ned