The Rogue Trader setting of Boone's Landing has been taking shape for a while and though I still have ideas I want to take forward and at least 10 more shacks I want to build it is at last ready to use in a game. People were definitely impressed at the club last night though! I am not sure how it will come across in the photos I was able to take but hopefully you get the idea what I'm trying to do. On the back of this game I got several people hooked and I was overwhelmed with volunteers for games in the future which was my goal so I was incredibly thrilled with the success of this one demo. I must shout out to the now largely defunct 'Tales from the Maelstrom' blog. Whatever else is going on behind the scenes there, the production values of their battle reports was exceptionally high and it remains a target of mine to get to that level.
Calamityville, Boone's Landing. Moments before the peace is shattered.
You can see the farm in the background of the picture above, also the two watchtowers I built for Wolf Time on the left and right sides plus a refinery/silo type building in the foreground made from a defunct hairdryer. It was broken before I touched it, I swear! I have liberally scattered parked vehicles about the place, next time I will have some civilians wandering around too hopefully. The battle mat is from Hotzmatz, in Canada. I will be doing a separate post on mats soon and plugging Eric Hotz quite a bit because he is a customer service legend and deserves to be the first stop globally for battle mats under $100 (Can). Mine didn't need much in the way of screen printing and made it's way to me in the UK for $40 (Can)!
Here is the background blurb I gave to my players:
"Boone's Landing is a backwater, dirtball planet (sort of the Rogue Trader 'Lost Worlds' meets Mad Max meets the Wild West meets Necromunda meets Dune). It has has several influential Founding Families which look down on the masses and form the elite, land-owning, merchant class. Out on the prairie tribes of techno-savages roam, hunting wild grox and burrowing death-crabs. Further out in the barren hills live degenerate clans of inbred muties. The only Imperial forces ever to visit are those of passing Rogue Traders and the occasional Inquisitor. The planet is a port to all sorts of xenos scum, Eldar pirates, Ork freebooters, Dark Eldar slavers, Genestealer cultists and of course the servants of the ruinous powers to name but a few. There is very little in the way of law enforcement, mercenaries are hired on an ad hoc basis by the wealthiest mine owners and grox herders to solve any 'problems'. Needless to say, there are plenty of the usual hired guns that evolve in this sort of environment, gunslingers for hire, bounty hunters, escaped cyborg-slaves and unsanctioned psykers."
A closer shot of the rusty refinery, you can see the planking and ladders that facilitate access to rooftops and add an extra dimension to the scenery more clearly from this distance.
A shot of the farm, a large vent (more hairdryer) which has some not too shonky stripes painted on in freehand and the sabotaged pipeline.
A shot down the deserted high street. The locals (being unpainted) are all wisely hiding in their homes. You get a better idea of the watchtower from this angle.
A nice aerial shot focussing on the centre of Calamityville.
The High Street at high noon. A mob of unruly bandits show up to steal food, supplies and anything else sufficiently unguarded. If there is a little bit of 'unwinding' to be had too, so much the better.
"Hoooo-wee! Looks like we got ourselves a welcomin' committee boys! What say we give 'em a welcome of our own, huh?"
Word has spread of their coming however and Calamityville is prepared. Lawman Brig (Inquisitor Beaumenteur pressed into action) has hired some HPS mercenaries to teach the thieving desperados a lesson.
A great shot of the minis interacting with the terrain.
"Godsdammit Merl git that gun on that thar ruff and lay down some fraggin' lead on targit!"
The Hotel car park, the bandit leader breaks right with two of his men.
"Alrigh' you two bozos come with me. You sorta wave your heads out roun' this here hotel until some o' Brig's goons give away their spot, then I jump 'em wi' ole Sally Shotgun see!"
The HPS merc with the big gun tries to set up a machine gun nest with a buddy out wide on the flank.
The bandits make an aggressive, reckless push across the rooftops and towards the HPS positions.
"Well come on boys! Time's a flyin' so let's cause some dyin'! Whoop!
The HPS panic as they get outflanked, their shooting becomes very wild at a critical moment and their positions are overrun.
"I will always remember that hot day in Summer when bandits came to Calamityville. Lawman Brig had warned us of their comin' and collected a tax from the whole town, my folks included, and shelled out on some ' deputies'. Hah! Mercenaries more like, they mighta had shiny badges and what not but they sure got licked good nonetheless when the shootout started! Afterwards it kinda went quiet for a bit, then things started to get real tough for us folks. Lawman Brig never lived to regret his purchase. I lost my Ma and Pa that day too, kinda raised myself since. The day I turned fifteen I upped and joined the Cartwright gang so as I could learn how to fight. I will never forget the face of the bandit who broke into my house as I peered from the cupboard and some day I will find that son of a bitch and cut him where it matters."
So there you have it. I find I can't quite do a blow by blow account, I was totally overwhelmed by the response to the game and table (I know it may seem a bit basic to some but at Harrogate we had let things go pretty badly in recent years so it was a big deal to us) and I was far too busy to make proper notes and take photos. Fortunately, I now have Boone's Landing games booked for the next two Thursdays in a row at least so I can bring you the events from those, maybe doing a reshoot/replay for the blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
