Squig Game vs One Page Rules

Yesterday, Matt suggested we play Squig Game using the Grimdark Future set from One Page Rules. If you are not familiar with idea, you set a up a fairly conventional game (in our case, Matt's space dwarves against my Genestealer Cult Soul-Snatcher Cult 😉) but...

There are 30 juicy squigs scattered across the table. While the rules play pretty much as normal, you can only score points for each model you destroy with a squig. So, against squishy infantry, you might be able to collect points easily. Against "multi-wound" models such as characters and vehicles, things are more difficult. You only get the points if the squig causes the killing wound. You might need to weaken them with conventional weapons and then use your squig to finish them off...and you get points for each wound. But you run the risk of killing with your conventional weapons before you throw in the squig...and lose all those potential points!

But, how do you use the squigs? Well, you can pick one up when a unit touches one during movement. You roll a d6 and they might object to being picked up (I know I do) and they will attack you doing d3 unsavable wounds to that unit. They might run off and join the nearest enemy unit instead. But most of the time, they seem happy to be picked up and have a fuss made of them.

When you shoot or fight in close combat, you can use the squig for free except the same risks note dabove may apply (they could attack your own unit or go to join the enemy) but, mostly they will hurt the enemy for d3 points of damage.

Now, it seems silly, doesn't it? But, in fact, it somehow smooths out the swingy-ness of a typical game. Powerful units may take out their opponent but won't gain any points. Mobile units that can hoover up and lob squigs suddenly become very powerful, and your opponent will be reluctant to wipe them off the table (and miss out on points).

In the end, our game came down to whose unit activated first in the turn and then how many points of damage a single squig did...it was that close!

I'm a big fan and look forward to playing again.

The Cleansing of Priestus Hive

A few months back, we played some Necromunda and had some spare time in the evening. We decided to throw a bunch of Genestealers into the hive (the results can be found here).

We had a great time and decided we should follow up the game with another scenario where Space Marine Terminators are sent in to flush out the hive. Unfortunately, not everyone could make our last games day so instead we send in some poor Imperial Guard and a handful of Marines to deal with the Genestealer Cult that had caused the infestation.

They met heavy resistance from cultists and purestrain genestealers

However, a single Guardsman and a Marine Captain were able to make it to a beleaguered Adeptus Arbites fort in the centre of the hive.

In our most recent game, the Terminators finally arrived to fend off the Genestealers and escort the Arbites, that surviving soldier and a Colonel out of the city. A secondary objective was to investigate a cryo-pod which had been left in the hive when the infestation escalated.

The Arbites, Colonel, soldier and Ultramarines Captain.

A squad of Ultramarines Terminators teleport in, locking onto their Captain's homer. They start taking out the purestrains attacking the fort.

They are quickly overwhelmed as aliens ascend to higher platforms. 

With his back up depleted, the Captain orders the Colonel and other humans to jump to a nearby platform rather than leaving the fort at ground level. Two Arbites slip and fall their deaths.

Fortunately, Termniators from two more Chapters (the Blood Angels and Dark Angels) arrive.

The Blood Angels appear right by a comms bunker allowing future squads to teleport in wherever they want.

This allows the Hawk Lords to lock on to the bridge next to the fort which was lost to the aliens. They succeed in taking back the bridge. 

Even so, stealers have hopped onto the fort from another walkway and leap again to catch up with the fleeing Colonel. He fights them off with help from the Hawk Lords and Judges.

At ground level, Angels Dark and Bloody team up to to clear the way for the POI to descend. Leaving at the higher level was probably a good idea as genestealers are still active around the fort... 

...including a brood lord.

While the Angels are busy dying on the ground, the Space Wolves make a surprise appearance. They find a Squat engineer in the cryo-pod and (slowly) help him to the exit. 

Elsewhere, purestrains mass up near the exit. One of the last Dark Angels unleashes a salvo from his cyclone and takes many of them out. This thins down the escape route at the base level.

Meanwhile, stealers have over run the fort and look to follow on the heals of the Colonel. The Hawk Lords, who have supplied much needed covering fire from above, bar their way.

The Colonel has now made it to the ground and his cyclone ally (the last of the Angels) fight through the much thinned ranks of stealers and cultists. Unfortunately, at this point, the Space Wolves and Squat are eliminated after a valiant fight. The Hawk Lords above are now gone.

But the fighting prowess of the Colonel and Ultramarines Captain ensures that the Colonel makes it to safety. The hive is still overrun and Exterminatus is ordered a while later to destroy all life on the hive world.

We used 40k 2nd Edition rules to play this out. The quirks of that edition's close combat rules meant that the Colonel was able to hold his own even against genestealers. We joked at one point that he could probably have walked out on his own without having 25 Terminators killed.

Even so, it's a good set of rules where different races seem distinct without special rules for each and overwatch mitigates the old-fashioned Igo Ugo turn sequence.

Oh...and there was a fleeting bromance between a Dark Angel and a Blood Angel.

Protect the Patriarch

Last week we used the excellent Clash on the Fringe rules to set up a fight between some tyranids and a genestealer clan. I had just finished painting up my clan figures so I couldn't resist and James was happy to oblige.

We rolled up the objective "Monster" on the random scenario table and decided that the bloated Genestealer Patriarch was already starting to send a psychic beacon to attract his parent Hive Fleet to come and assimilate the world he had conquered. The invading nids, however, were from a different hive - the patriarch didn't want their fleet to come in place of his own. So, my mission was to capture one of the Tyranid Warriors to send a "false alarm" message so their fleet would pass us by. The invading tyranids had to capture the patriarch and alter his beacon to alert his fleet that the world was ripe for the taking.

The Magus boards his limo, ready to lead from (almost) the front.

My lascannon guards one of the long streets.

My full deployment.

The Tyranids deploy mostly to the centre and their right flank.

The Tyranid swarm surges forward, scuttling over buildings.

I spot a lone Tyranid Warrior on their left flank...

...so I focus the assault on my right. My hybrids move diagonally left (by the small dishes) to lend support. I also move a truckload of Brood Brothers up. It's risky as fierce gaunts are nearby but allows them to get support where it may be needed.

The truck also spotted for my mortar which won a lucky hit on the gargoyles in the distance (along with some gaunts bunched up with them)! 

The surviving gargoyles leapt from building to building posing a serious threat.

Below them, out of shot to the right, another warrior with gaunt support were harassing the brood brothers by the three tanks.

The brothers were ultimately killed leaving the gaunts free to look for the Patriarch. They were no longer much of a threat, though.

The remaining brood brothers disembark in the middle of the table to prevent anyone hindering the final advance on the lone warrior.

That said, the warrior is no pushover and takes out all but one of the advancing genestealers.

As the brothers from the truck move in, their small arms prove useless against the warrior. The last genestealer tries to take it down in close combat but is pushed back. The Magus arrives in his limo to watch the battle.

It is ended as a hybrid armed with a plasma gun downs the beast. The clan is safe for now.

Thanks to James for a fantastic game. I think we possibly had too many figures on the table and, if I'm honest, I probably had a slightly more powerful force. It was also James's first time with the rules and we are both going to revise the build of our forces now we've had a chance to use them with CotF.

Stealers in the Hive

I've not posted in while but our game last week has re-motivated me. We revisited Necromunda of which we had a handful of games at the start of last year. There were four us playing a mini campaign. But that isn't what this post is focussed on.

After our campaign finished, we still had a couple of hours spare so decided to hook out the rules for 40k second edition Genestealers and have them invade the hive world (Necromunda rules are based on 2nd ed so they work well together)! Our gangs were left as they were at the end of the campaign and had to get from one end of the table to the other...presumably out the hive and in to the wastes...a marginally better fate than being torn up or impregnated by the stealers.

The gangs started just ahead of the cranes and had to get to the gaps in the elevated walkway in the distance.

It's difficult to write a battle report in any meaningful way. We ran headlong forward as a random number of aliens entered from random table edges each turn. They had to enter at ground level so the only tactic was to get off the floor as soon as possible!

Dave's Chaos Cult join the central walkway from the right flank. Ross's gang do so from the other side.

My poor gang, the Rusty O's, took a route down the left flank (mainly because I was stood that side).

Dave's zombies held up the Genestealers for a short while but didn't put up much resistance.

The central gangway became the main stage for the massacre fight. With both gangs crammed in, the aliens headed for this area and were able to cut through man after man (after mutant!).

My own team survived longer than expected with my heavy stub gun maintaining overwatch and a lot of luck.

I knew the writing was on the wall as these stealers approached...my heavy stubber (top right) and shotgun jammed. My leader's plasma pistol was recharging :(

A stealer looks down from from its entry point, ready to join the feast. But, in the distance, some of the Chaos cult are making a getaway.

Dave wins as one of his Chaos mutants gets to an exit (top right) with the Genestealers nipping at all three of his heels.

I just love it when we say "hang the rules and any hope of balance" and get on with it. This was such a fun, tense and cinematic game. It finished off a great day.

Next time, we are going to send 2nd ed Teminators in to the hive to see if they can clear out the bugs. If not then there's always exterminatus (Digamma, Decimatio, Duodecies).

Other pics: