Wednesday 5 November 2014

In Her Majesties Name using Heroclix! IHMN solo wargame

I fancied something different for my next solo game, and having both a hankering for another game of IHMN and a desire to get some more use out of my large pile of Heroclix figures I came up with the random solution of trying to combine the two!

At first glance this may seem a strange combination, a steampunk/Victorian era wargame and superhero derived characters but bare with me as Heroclix has some interesting figures that with the use of imagination can be just at home in any setting.

Now for ease of use I stuck to using the names given for each figure but this should in no way be taken as me applying any attempt to utilize them as the character they are designed to represent!

As I was playing solo and fancied trying out a number of different rules than normal for me I decided upon not bothering to work out the points cost but to simply roughly design balanced sides and given how the game went I think I got it about right in the main.

Rather stupidly I decided to have 5 sides all competing at once on a far too small table that kept me as the sole player rather busy recalling which figure had which stats but I just about managed!

I also decided to make all figures have a pluck of 4+ simply to make it slightly manageable, although I found I was quickly remembering the frustration I had last time I played where someone with high Armour and a low pluck is almost impossible to hit and when you do they make their pluck roll with laughable ease! Even at 4+ my pluck rolls were annoyingly consistent compared to when I usually play against others giving rise to some interesting back and forth combats waiting for that failed roll :-)

Dropbox link to word file with stats

Due to my inability to add a decent looking table and having no time to write it all out again here if you would like to see the stats used please use the dropbox link above, apologies.

The setting, Shades gang is busy loading their steam boat with some choice swag, four other rival gangs decide to muscle in on it.


Penguin the rather odd industrialist arrives with all the members he could fit in his car.


Similarly Kingpin arrives with his loyal cohort


Shade orders his gang to protect the boat


Insane criminal mastermind the Joker turns up having been having a drink in the nearby tavern


The Riddler appears too.


Due to the table the action is instant and close quartered.
Penguin orders Patch and Ultron to engage the Riddlers gang whilst Hellboy and Stix protect his advance down the town.


Similarly Kingpin orders his second two-face to engage Stix whilst Typhoid Mary rushes into duel the Jokers gang along with Arashi.


Hawkeye attempts to hold back Shades gang whilst the rest of Riddlers crew engages Shades close combat fighters.


First blood goes to Hawkeye with his sharp shooting making light work of the Lex corp security guard whose eagerness to rush in was her undoing.


Next down was the Puppet master, whilst trying to remain in the cover of Ultron encase he needed repairing he stepped into the cross hairs of Green arrow.


Hellboy evened the odds by putting his fist through Aphrodite IX


Ultron shrugged off both a shotgun blast and the consolidated fire of Viper and Green arrow for two turns before closing and pulping the Intergang agent with his steam fist.


The Riddler used his wit to befuddle Arashi before allowing Yukio to use her Heartrending punch.


The unstoppable Taskmaster made light work of Scarab


Hellboy against expectations was taken out by the Green arrow with some cool shooting.


The kills kept coming with the Riddler leading his crew from the front and his trickery saw Magdalena cut down. Saving Kabuki from certain death having been outfought and knocked over twice in a row.


Kabuki's day only got worse when charging Two-face she was cut down


Entering the fray himself the penguin helped Patch over come Electro after a difficult too and fro fight.


Ultron showed the value of the steam fist and its massive pluck modifier making light work of Viper an then Green arrow fell to Patch, whilst Riddle took out Stix to keep him in the game.


Two-Face continued his killing streak shooting Yukio down after shrugging off her unearthly charms.


Speedy was cut down with ease.


Taskmaster after getting bogged down finally finished off Harley Quinn despite her best efforts to dodge, she managed to garrote Savage twice but couldn't finish her off.


The Joker ignoring the losses to his crew charged the exposed Kingpin cutting him down after distracting him with a joke about a fish.


Savage was cut to pieces but avenged by Taskmaster


Penguins crew finally took down Riddler despite a couple of turns dodging and making amusing comments.


Mandarin had been lending aide but failing to impose himself on the game until he floated over and incinerated Joker who died with a laugh on his lips


The stalemate with Huntress and Hawkeye was ended when Shade led his gang in close and stabbed him through the eye with his sword stick.


Taskmaster unleashed his frustration at being stuck for so long in his last combat and charged straight over cutting Two-faces head in half.


The power of the steamfist was again demonstrated when it overcame the mystical powers of Mandarin whilst Patch engaged Taskmaster,


Unfortunately his claws struggled and Taskmaster cut him down whilst the Penguin abandoned his loyal follower to hide behind Ultron.


Penguin and Ultron fled the field


Leaving Shade and four of his original six to continue their operation in peace having seen off the competition.


A very enjoyable if somewhat chaotic game and for ease of reading I cut out all the stalemate combat sections with knockdowns and constantly successful pluck rolls!

I think next time I will try and blend smaller sides with my usual IHMN models but I would say it didn't feel too out of place using the Heroclix minis.



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