Adore the Immortals, for they are Ours!

 "Aye lads, gather 'round. Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the Sump Sea. This sad tale begins on the edge of the Great Sump, near a huge drainage tunnel that just happens to be the most direct route from the Underhive to what lies beyond the Wall. The twin settlements of Sumptown and Port Imperiale sprang up on either side of the tunnel, growing wealthy on the trade between the hivers and Ash Nomads, Sludge Sea sailors, and even smugglers from the spaceports outside the hive. The shops and bazaars were stocked with exotic items unavailable anywhere else. The taverns were teaming with wanted men, desperadoes, and strange offworlders. Port Imperiale was a shining boomtown of vice and false promises, while Sumptown was a lawless sprawl of shanties and thieves dens. Mayor Norton I of Port Imperiale, though a mere figurehead, was much beloved by the citizens and visitors. A sort of peace and order was maintained through a truce between the three largest gangs, the Orphans, the Savages, and the Spuggs.
 This fragile peace was shattered by a series of bombings and assassinations which decimated the three gangs and left the cities and surrounding settlements dark and smouldering. The Immortals, a large gang from a distant part of the hive have moved in to fill this power vacuum and attempt to restore order. 
 So, what will it be lads? Try to rebuild Port Imperiale to it's lost glory, join up with the foreign upstarts, or sit here drowning your sorrows in another tankard of fungale? 

 At the game day on the 1st, I have a list of 5 scenarios written up for us to play, some can be replayed several times, a record of the results will be kept that will determine the disposition of forces for the big game at KublaCon, which will be a Siege scenario from the Outlanders book, representing the Immortals final assault on the defenders of Port Imperiale.

Should the player choose to ally with the Immortals, the following rules will apply:
 1. Due to the Immortals' control of the Spook trade, the gang can hire a Wyrd for free.
 2. For the cost of 25 credits per game, D3 Immortals will fight with the gang. Standard ganger stats, 2 random Ferocity skills, armed with either an Autogun or Autopistol, and knife.
 3. If the gang has a Settlement territory, any "free juves" must be given to the Immortals in exchange for D3 Immortals, as above.
 4. If the Immortals gain control of Port Imperiale, the gang may choose any one new territory.

Should the player choose to side with the independent gangs and the mayor, the following rules apply:
 1. Dispossessed civilians are eager to help. The gang may hire Scummers for 5 credits, or 1 independent ganger or d3 Scavvies for free.
 2. Refugees looking for a new start are plentiful. The gang may hire new Juves for 15 credits.
 3. If the Mayor and the Independent gangs maintain control of Port Imperiale, the gang will receive D3 randomly determined new territories.

In the comments below, please post before Saturday morning which side you are backing. First come first serve, but if you guys bunch up on one side, I may have to either sweeten the other deal, or bump some of you over to the opposition. Now back to the painting table for me.
Thanks, good luck, remember if the bad guys are "the Boot" and the good guys are "the Neck," it's better to be the bad guy, and always check those corners.

Miniature Review: Valkyrie by Art Crime Productions

Now for a product review. Lately I've been watching and learning about 15mm Sci-Fi wargaming options. One of them the new Gruntz rules (http://www.gruntz.biz). It's nice because you just build stats to the miniatures you already have, they don't have their own model line. Also been following their new YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/trybeinganihilist)

I stumbled upon a very small 15mm mini's producer called Art Crime Production (http://www.artcrimeproductions.blogspot.com). They gave away a few packs of their models to some lucky readers on their blog an here is what they sent me.



What's in the Box? (or blister):

Or in this case, it came in a simple small plastic baggy with a sticker along the top with the part number TC-001

• Three 15mm metal power suit Valkyrie models
• three square 25mm plastic slotted bases

The torso, two arms, and gun each come on their own sprue. The lower leg sections come separately.



Sculpting/Casting Notes:

I was very impressed by the quality of the castings. Flash was almost not existent. And it had very few mold lines to file off. Each joint has a peg & socket connection, so it is very easy to assemble. Just add glue and pose as needed. Each model does have the same pose, but with the joints they can be assembled with slightly different poses. The level of detail is really nice, with some fine details coming through clearly. The model stands about 25mm or 26mm to eye level.



Here is a size comparison to some other models.



Overall:

A great sci-fi model to use with 15mm or 6mm games. I assembled one model, adding some texture to the base with Vallejo Stone Texture Black Lava and a few small rocks. Looks nice! It looks like this 3 pack retails for $20, a bit on the high side of things. Thanks again to Art Crime Productions, and I am looking forward to more releases as they develop their line.