New user: Ramshackle games blog and 40k rules.

[Little Pete]

Hi folks,

I'm new to the boards, found it thanks to a link from Ramshackle Games. I'm a 40k player but I couldn't help myself when I saw the great prices and models on Curtis' website.
I'm intending for this to become an ongoing piece to cover my construction and conversion of the models (I ordered a lot) and also to ask for advice on creating 40k rules for the models.


First up is a review of the customer service.

In a word, EXCELLENT. I emailed Curtis asking about including some miscast parts in the order. He responded promptly saying that was no problem.

 I told him my order and expressed an interest in having just one figure of a set that's not sold seperately (Oliver Sprockett from the Society of Intrepid Explorers, http://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=153). He immediately offered to include a spare cast of the model at no charge.

 A little more order altering later and he told me the postage cost for the airfare to the US. I noticed a cheaper option on the website and asked about this. It turned out to be an error in his software that was giving me UK postage rates instead of the correct international rates. Curtis immediately said that it was his error and so the lower cost would apply. In the end he has taken over 20 pounds of postage cost on his end at no issue to me and thanked me for finding the software error. What a guy.

Anyway now I'm just in the hard stage of waiting for my shiny new models to arrive so I can start building. I'll post up pictures as they progress and also speculative 40k rules for comments and criticism.

Pete

[Jonas]

Looking forward to see what you come up with 

And I can only agree on your "review" of Curtis  I have also only had friendly response and good service, every time I have made an order I have recieved it fast and with some extra free bits and pieces included, which is awesome when I think of the already low prices.

[Little Pete]

Okey doke, rules time 

First of all, my order was for:
 - Huntsman Spider Tank with turret
 - Chimera Traction Engine
 - Boneyard truck
 - Giggles Clan
 - Society of Intrepid Explorers
 - Isembard Kickass Brunel
 - Dungers
 - Trixie

Now one problem with using such individual figures for 40k is that the game relies more on squad formations and can get too complicated if you add in all sorts of individual rules. With that said, I'm aiming to do my best to differentiate the different models without overcomplicating things.

I have some conversions planned to keep things working in a fluff sense but everything will aim to use as many common rules/wargear as possible.

[Little Pete]

FIRST UP. ALL IMAGES SO FAR ARE THE PROPERTY OF RAMSHACKLE GAMES AND ARE TAKEN FROM THEIR WEBSITE


Boneyard Truck



So, first things first. These are initial estimates and any suggestions are welcomed.

Vehicle. Ballistic Skill = 2
Armour: Front = 12.  Side = 11.  Rear = 10
Transport capacity = 20

I'm planning to mount a set of hurricane bolters onto each side (I built the redeemer variant from my land raider kit) and have it that the owners looted a destroyed Land Raider. I'm thinking that they should be able to fire regardless of the distance that the vehicle has moved (with the low BS to compensate).

[blackstone]

Welcome to the forum. My knowledge of 40k rules is limited to memories of the original book, still I'm interested to see what you have planned for those Ramshackle miniatures and especially the vehicles... I've always thought they looked great.

[Little Pete]

Chimera Traction Engine



Vehicle. Open-topped.
Armour: Front = 13.  Side = 11.  Rear = 10.

Now the kit comes with the choice of a flame cannon or a machine gun of a sort for the turret.

1) Heavy Flamer (S:5, AP:4, Template). The template may be placed with the narrow end touching any point up to 3" away from the Traction engine, representing the weapon's elevated firing point.
2) Maxim scourge Machine Gun (Range=36", S:6, AP:5, Heavy 6).


Ram's head drills.
The Traction engine was built with two hardened rock-splitting drills at its front end. They were salvaged from an Adeptus Mechanicus mining facility and have been modified for combat.
 If the Traction engine moves within 1" of an enemy unit, it may use the drills to make an attack. The engine may only attack one unit per turn and must face the unit it is attacking.

 Against vehicles, roll a D6 for each drill. On a 4+, they inflict a Strength 9 hit on the vehicle, resolved against whichever armour is facing the Traction engine.

 Against infantry, roll 2D6 and pick the highest. The unit suffers that many Strength 9 hits (normal armour save apply). If one drill is removed by a 'weapon destroyed' result, only a single die may be rolled.



Thoughts
Hopefully the drill rules are not overly complicated. I had to find some way to include those awesome features without breaking the 40k mechanics that units can't touch without being in assault. I also wanted to set the weapon rules a little away from simply being a flamer and heavy bolter but still keep them simple to integrate.

[Little Pete]

Huntsman Spider Tank

Alright, time for the beast.



Now since this is a much larger kit than the others I decided that it needed to have some suitably Apocalyptic rules to make it powerful enough. Luckily, GW has published the wonderfully anarchic supplement of 40k Apocalypse so yay.

As a size comparison, I've used the photo from Tabletop Gaming News' review of the kit (http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2008/04/07/13630)



Now this suggests to me that the model is of the same sort of size as the Baneblade kit (something testified to by Curtis) and so deserves a comparable level of beastiness. I'm not sure exactly how much I'm allowed to post of GW rules on here so I will keep it general and say that any specific general rules should be looked up in the Apocalypse book.

Name: Huntsman Spider Tank
Points: 350
Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 3
Armour (Front/side/rear): 13/13/10
Ballistic Skill: 3

Weapons:
 - Turret Mounted Demolisher cannon (R:24", S:10, AP:2, Ordnance 1, Barrage)
 - 2x chin mounted Rail rifles (R:36", S:6, AP:3, Heavy 2, twin-linked)



For those who do not know the apocalypse rules, the essential parts for a SH walker are:
 = Moves 12". Moves through difficult terrain as per monstrous creatures (i.e. may re roll dice) but doubles the result.
 = Has 3 'wounds' and a different damage chart (see apoc rulebook).
 = May fire all weapons regardless of movement and each may fire at a different target (though individual guns may be shaken and unable to shoot, the others may still fire.)
 = May assault a different unit than it fired at. May not be pinned in combat except by another super heavy walker or a gargantuan creature.
 = Stomp. Makes one attack at each model in contact with it during assault phase. This is resolved at Weapon Skill and Initiative of 1, and is a strenth 10 power weapon attack that rolls 2D6 for armour penetration.
  ***May have missed out a couple of details. Check the apoc book***


Thoughts

I wanted to keep this model relatively simple to use and not have a bevy of special rules for it. The demolisher cannon seems the most appropriate weapon for the turret bell cannon and it fits with my fluff where this (and the boneyard truck from an earlier post) have parts scavenged from space marines. The chin mounted rail rifles are part fluff where the tank will ally to a Tau force (who else would befriend them?) and part homage to the Rail gun technology used in the Nuclear Renaissance game from Ramshackle.
  The points value is based around the Brass Scorpion of Khorne in the Apoc book. That is a similar super heavy walker. The armour is the same, 1 structure pointe fewer, it is more heavily armed (demolisher, 2 flamer weapons, a 10 shot rail rifle equivalent) and it hits harder in assault. In addition the Scorpion has a tendency to go nuclear when it is killed, wiping out a large chunk of (hopefully) the enemy. I figured that the HST was a little less outright killy but this way it will still be tough enough to give a solid challenge to the foe. Playtesting should help this out.

As usual, any thoughts, comments or criticism are welcome. 

[myincubliss]

Just wanted to chip in and say yes, Curtis is awesome, an absolute gem!

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

Ooh hoo! Well thanks for the glowing reviews guys, I think I do actually mess up quite a few orders so at least I make some people happy!

I like the rules you have posted Pete, they seem fair. The huntsman being 13 armour seems right, as its a bit fiddly with all those legs and tridlins to go wrong! Certainly it would be tough, but its no land raider....

As for the Victoriana figures, Id say that maybe using them with the inquisitor rules would probably work.

I have the giggles clan in my space marine army as servitors.

[wolfgangbrooks]

Next time you're looking for Ramshackle stuff, consider us. www.recreationalconflict.com
We carry his stuff in the U.S.

[Little Pete]

Thanks for the rules feedback Curtis. I'm looking forward to trying things out on the tabletop. I've been thinking through a few rules for the figures and I think it's best that they stay simple. I'll probably just use a basic statline and have certain figures equipped differently based on what they look like (i.e. Papa giggles has a power fist, Pontius a power weapon, Leroy has a big gun). Some of them will be easy, Mr Snickety just has to have lightning claws 

In any case, I'll post up some ideas after I've had a chance to write them out and see what it looks like.

Thanks for the link Wolfgang. I knew there was a website offering Ramshackle stuff in the states but couldn't find the site earlier. I'll definitely keep it in mind if I have any single things I'm interested in as it would be easier. I think when I have a big order though, I'll save it up for when my family come over to visit or I go back to England and pick it up that way.


PS: Curtis, are there any more models in the pipeline yet? I know that I'd be interested in some more resin figure sets and where else can we get such crazy post apoc vehicles. 

[Little Pete]

Well having played my first 40k game with the Huntsman spider tank I can safely say that it is a great, though dangerous thing to field on a small table. I can't wait to play it again in its full painted glory.

http://ghostnebulae.blogspot.com/2009/12/battle-report-against-old-shatter-hands.html