DREDD Sequel

So I had signed the Dredd Sequel petition a couple months ago...and it made them sit up and take notice, with 80,000 signatures...

So check this out!!

Thank you - you're one of more than 80,000 people have now signed the petition calling for a sequel to DREDD! The response to the petition has been just incredible and the endorsement of the owners of Judge Dredd, 2000 AD and Rebellion, has seen the numbers surpass everyone's expectations.

But we still need your help!

On 18th September, we're encouraging everyone to take part in a massive DREDD SEQUEL DAY OF ACTION - we've already made the moneymen who could get behind a sequel sit up and take notice by consistently keeping the DVD and Blu-Ray in the charts on Amazon and now on Netflix.

We're asking everyone who's signed the petition to come together next Wednesday and drive DREDD back up the charts - if everyone who's signed the petition bought an extra DVD or Blu-Ray (either for themselves or as a present for a friend) or rented/bought it on iTunes and Netflix it will send the loudest signal yet that WE WANT MORE DREDD!

So spread the word that on Wednesday 18th September, you're going to bring DREDD back into the public eye! Plus, it's the day that the new comic book sequel comes out, with lots of media attention planned for this and the campaign.

Thanks to Rebellion for helping put this newsletter together - we're also really pleased to reveal that the official T-shirt for the campaign is now available, so you can wear your support with pride!

So, you ready?


 So join together if you're a geek, watch Dredd on Netflix if you haven't already watched it, watch it again, I'll be watching it this weekend...maybe twice!!! I'm also going to go buy it somewhere! Jump in and help out!
 

Tabletop Day Successes

So Tabletop Day for me was a pretty damn good success.

I got 3 people who had never played Judge Dredd, to play, and 2 of them were unfamiliar with Traveller; the other had played old Traveller back in the 80s!! This time the trip to Haven went very quick and was quite fun, being the third time I've run the scenario definitely helped. Next week's scenario will be an almost JDMG pre-run (if i get the minis in time.) I may actually run it as a Role-playing game using the miniature rules.

For the DCCRPG I was using my own scenario as you should know from following the blog. The Light From Below was pretty well received by the two players who jumped in to play. Unfortunately didn't have the full 4 hours to play, but, in the 2 hours we got to play, I was able to determine that the layout was about right, except that the cave crickets, even toned down to a small cave cricket, are just too powerful to use against level 0s. I will return to what I was going to use before, with blind cave crabs. I think that for actually writing out the scenario the night before, it turned out pretty rock'n, all the ideas that had been swirling around in my head, really came together. I know that those two were really excited at the end to be able to contribute to something that was going to be living on after the game they played.

So Alex and Adam, thanks for playing, your legacy will survive. X marks the spot of Devin's Demise. And Boris' chalk illustration will remain beyond that one adventure. The excitement for you guys having characters that will remain and affect the continuing adventure made my day.

Gam3rCon Gam3day February 9th-10th

Well Well, Gam3rCon mini-con coming up.

Come on down and help me celebrate my Meaning of Life birthday...the Big 42, by playing in my alpha play-test for Unleashed Role-playing.

I'll also be running my last RPG demo for Mongoose, as their new support is miniature based Demonstration teams.



Judge Dredd (Traveller) Hot Dog Run [4 hour time slot, 4-6 players]

You're an Academy of Law Cadet in Mega-City One, You're Academy of Law tutor is taking you on the Hot Dog run. The Hot Dog run is the trip into the Cursed Earth that every Cadet makes. Here the cadets are expected to become acquainted with life beyond Mega-City One, and to demonstrate their skills in handling the various hazardous conditions of the Cursed Earth.

By this time in their life, Cadets have been in the academy for a decade, now as teenagers they are expected to prove themselves. The hazards of the Cursed Earth are many, and entire Hot Dog runs never return, do you have what it takes to survive?

Unleashed RPG Playtest [4+ Hours, 4 players]

The Unleashed Role-Playing Game brings you cinematic role-playing using streamlined rules with an old-school feel. Utilizing an explosive 2d10 based system, it allows you to simulate fantastic combat. Few constraints are imposed in what you can attempt, heroic aspects allow you to accomplish amazing feats of heroism, even at first level. Declare what you want to do, then roll to see what your margin of success was.

At the core of the system lies the OGL of the World’s Most Famous Role-playing Game. But its buried pretty deep, having been re-built based on 28 years of gaming experience. A combination of Old School and Indie design, this game brings you something old, something new, something borrowed, something woo!

Come help Alpha Test Unleashed and you will be included in the Playtest credits upon publication. You can also sign up for continuing playtesting of Unleashed.Brought to you by EpicRPGBlog, San Diego's RPG Blog.

JDMG updated

Judge Dredd Miniature game has been updated. I totally geeked about JDMG after this Kickstarter, there's going to be sooo many awesome miniatures to get.

I remember who first got me into Judge Dredd, my gaming buddy Matt, who I met thru the 3x5 card box that GameKeeper used to have.

Here's some of the greens, concept drawing and 3D renderings from the Kickstarter:

Zombie Judge

Judges DeMarco and Anderson

Death, Wally, Klegg, and Aliens

Riot Wagon

Pat Wagon

Citi-Def forces

Fire Wagon

Box Sets

And all the Rest! (including the Manta Prowl Tank)

Review - Judge Dredd Judge's Handbook (MGP)

Judges Handbook (Mongoose Publishing)
System: Traveller
Campaign Setting: Judge Dredd

120page perfect bound softcover. Color cover, B&W interior, with thick paper.

Description:
Uncover the secrets of the Justice Department in Mega-City One. Within this book, you will find all the methods, technologies and procedures the judges use to track down criminals. From the forensics of Tek-Div to the Manta Prowl Tank, there is a tool to solve every crime, and your judges have access to them all.

The Justice Department provides new rules and options for judges as they patrol the streets of Mega-City One, and allows them access to the more elite divisions and promotions, allowing them to become Exorcist Judges, join the holocaust Squad, or even Acc-Div! If that is not enough to complete an investigation, then the judges will be happy to try out the latest weapons and equipment, straight from the workshops of Tek-Div.

This is one of those products you almost need if you're playing Judge Dredd games, and I'd say it's must have for a prolonged campaign. Within this handbook lies the secrets of all the divisions of Mega-City One.

Chapter 1: 17...SEVENTEEN character creation 'templates' for creating seasoned judges attached to one of the many specialty divisions, from advanced training of seasoned judges, to common specialties like Heavy Weapons Judge, Riot Squad Judge, Wally Squad (undercover) and COE (covert operations) Judge; to the mostly NPC roles of Harbor Squad, Sector Chief, and SJS Squad (Special Judicial Service (aka Internal Affairs). This one section greatly expands the entire universe of Dredd. Each specialty is just like a standard character creation table, Survival, Training, Requirements, Mishap and events tables. Training in a Specialty Judge role represents 1 year of training. Allowing characters to expand their characters in a quick and easy way, taking them off-camera for a year.

With the way I plan on Running Judge Dredd, ala FATE style, letting the players call their own shots, I was thinking of letting the players roll up the additional characters, so when they call in back-up, they're not calling in NPCs, they're calling in their own secondary characters, with their own back stories, personalities, and skills. This also lets players take more control of Mega-City One. Hell I'd probably occasionally let them bring Dredd in and run him once or twice just for the experience of running Dredd. Of course, they'll also be called in to back-up Dredd occasionally.

Chapter 2: the Equipment chapter, what can I say that I haven't said before, I'm a softy for Gear, junk, weapons, etc. So this chapter is right up my alley. This chapter incudes EVERYTHING from Holocaust Suits, Blast Shield, Riot Shields, and Armor; up to Special Issue Equipment like Cling-Nets, Com-scan, EpiStrip, Modular Repair Kit, and Space Boots. Weapons? Drokk yeah! 35 weapons, from the lowly sawed off stub gun, to the Blockbuster cannon present on the walls of Mega-City One, and the Omni Tank. This adds in most of the rest of the stuff missing from the main rulebook.

Chapter 3: Vehicles & Robots Chapter. 18 vehicles, this encompass the aforementioned Omni Tank, A-, S- and HH-Wagons, and other specialty vehicles of the Justice Department. Three spacehips, the Hubble attack Ship, Justice Pod, and Titan Shuttle make up the rest of the vehicles. Then come the Robots, always the Robots, do you have your Robot Insurance? 8 robots, Large Warbot Droid,

Chapter 4: More details on the Justice Department, Atlantic Division, COE, Immigration, Personel, Space Corps, Street Division, Undercover Divisions, all expanded. A Bunch of Backup units are described, stuff every Judge would know about. Gunbirds, Manta Prowl Tanks, K-unit, Long Gunner (aka sniper), Pursuit Squads, etc. Finally, A Bunch of Sample NPCs are given stat blocks, always useful for a Game Master.

Chapter 5: This flshes out Sector 13, the sample sector given to players to run as their sector, away from Dredd's sector. It gives descriptions, simple maps of most of the Sector House. Everything a growing Judge needs. Including Iso Cubes for those Perps that need putting away. Then, to make the Sector come alive, Dock 13, contacts, perps, and establishments round out the book.

Overall Rating: 18/20 Excellent proof-reading, lots of content, useful for advanced players and any game master running a Judge Dredd campaign.

Value: $29.99 for hard-copy, a bit pricey for a soft-bound at 120 pages, but as it's a supplement that is less used, it's going to cost a bit more. However, the PDF is currently available at Drivethru for $16.79.

Edit: Sorry, the formatting was jacked!

Judge Dredd Kickstarter STREEEEETTTTCH

The next Kickstarter stretch goal with 41 hours to go...$80k (sorry if you don't like Kickstarter or mini games, I do...so this is exciting to me!)

Bike MADNESS!!!!

If we can count on your support up to $80,000, we have something quite special for you all. First off, we will introduce not two, not three, but four new box sets, each featuring a biker gang so you can take to the Megways among the ground cars, mo-pads and Lawmasters, and wreck havoc at over 200 mph! We will add a Street Gang (punks and juves) on bikes, an Ape Biker Gang (okay, I admit, that is an addition made purely for myself!), Renegade Robots on Bikes and, finally, Zombies on Bikes (with Zombie Master/Mistress)!

These sets will be added as choices for Rookie, Street Judge and Wally Squad levels. The Council of Judges pledges will receive one Biker set of their choice in addition to everything else (and can still choose others as part of their box set options). Sector Chief and Chief Judge levels will automatically receive all four!

But that is not all...

We will also do the legendary biker Spikes Harvey Rotten on a Lawmaster, as featured on his trip with Dredd across the Cursed Earth. He will be added to Council of Judges, Sector Chief and Chief Judge levels.

Judge Dredd Block Wars Kickstarter update

With 50 hours remaining, JDMG- Block War Kickstarter passes Stretch Goal 15, at 70k!!! Wonder what Stretch Goal 16 will be???



If, in the last hours of this Kickstarter project, we can count on your support to $70,000, we will add three Heroes of Mega-City One; Judge Giant, Fergee and a Judge from the Space Corps. The first two have been instrumental in literally saving the city, while the unknown judge from the Space Corps keeps a constant, vigilant eye out for threats beyond the Earth.


Rookie and Street Judge level pledges will each receive a choice of one of these fine Heroes. Wally Squad, Council of Judges, Sector Chief and Chief Judge levels will automatically receive all three!

Review - Judge Dredd Miniature Game

With the Judge Dredd Miniature Game Kickstarter coming down to the last 3 days, I have decided to do an initial review of the FREE miniature rulebook.



The rules are quite simple, consisting of 4 pages for the basic rules. It's a d10 based system instead of the d6 system that most miniature games use. I like that the game includes a campaign system similar to that of Necromunda, but with 25 levels of advancement for heroes! It's not as a robust of system as Necromunda, but it's close, I wish there were underdog rules, instead of having forces be equal cred values. I do like the minion rules, simple, survive 5 games, and they become heroes.

Characteristics are pretty simple: 
Move: Simple movement in inches.
Agility: Used for dodging shooting attacks and also for jumping gaps.
Shoot: This is the shooting and throwing skill modifier
Melee: Melee skill modifier
Melee Dice: Number of dice that you roll in melee combat.
Will: This is the mental toughness, for resisting arrest checks, psychic powers and other will related checks.
Armour: Ranging from 0 to as high as +7 for Heavy Holocaust Suits this value is added to the d10 armour roll, minus Armour Piercing, if the total is greater than 10, the armour saves. Pretty simple
Hits: Pretty simple, these are effectively hit points, most models have one, Judge Dredd, being a Level 20 Merc, has 22 points!! A Fattie has 6 hits, which is a lot for a minion.


Play switches from Player to Player, One side moving all of their models, then the other.Actions in the basic game are also simple. 2 actions per turn for each figure. A figure must use both actions before moving to the next model. Actions are as follows, Move, Shoot, Melee (including a Move & Attack action), or Special.

Shooting is interesting, because Rate of Fire is figured in with the Shooting Dice on the weapon so a Zip Gun has 3d Shooting dice, and Damage 1, with a 0 AP (3d/1/0). Lawgivers that Judges use are the most versatile weapon, as they should be, with a selection of 7 different rounds, Standard (2d/2/-1), Armor Piercing (1d/1/-4), Gas(1d/1/- explosive 2/gas), Heatseeker(1d/1/-1 ignores cover), Hi Explosive(1d/3/-2 explosive 1), Incendiary(1d/1/0 flames), Rubber Ricochet(1d/1/0 weak, but 5d/1/0 inside a building. This variety completely encompasses Judge Dredd.

The variety of forces continues the trend, by representing the extensive universe of Judge Dredd, from Robots to Mutants & Zombies from the Cursed Earth. Forces can also draw on Mercs (though, for the Justice Department, these are mostly forces also drawn from the Justice department, just not Street Judges.

Other Force Lists in JDMG, include, Street Gang, Mobsters, Ape Gang, Fattie Stampede, Cursed Earth Desperadoes, Sky Surfer Gangs, The Lone Vigilante, The Angel Gang, Cheif Judge Caligula's Personal Retinue, Zombie Horde, and Renegade Robots. (Additional forces are available in the Block Wars expansion.)

Heroes in JDMG gain Talents, these really make the game feel like Judge Dredd. An example of a Judge Dredd feeling talent, would be the Bike Wheelie...This,  judge only,  talent lets the Judge ride down perps while pulling a wheelie for defense. The bike does 3 dmg but also grants the Judge a +2 armour bonus. These talents are very much like feats in OGL games, many having prerequisites.

I'm really looking forward to playing this game, with it's talent system, psi powers, and overall Judge Dredd-iness, the game really captures the atmosphere of the world of Mega-City One. The best part is you can check it out for FREE, read through the rules, see if it's something you want to play, if it is, maybe jump in and support the Kickstarter, Some sweet Block Wars vehicles up for the next Stretch Goal of $66,666, 4 grand and 3 days to go.

Note: I haven't had a chance to play the system, so this is an overview of the rules, the feel of the rules, based upon 2 decades of experience with wargames. 

Monday Updates

So today I'll be updating some previous threads, for now,

Update#1
The Judge Dredd Miniatures Block War Kickstarter is approaching 60k, with 4 days remaining.

more updates to follow later this evening.

Update#2
DCCRPG Contest, 23 days remain for the DCCRPG design contest. Entries are due by  October 31st.

Reviews - Judge Dredd RPG (Mongoose)

JUDGE DREDD RPG (Mongoose Publishing)

Mega-City One - a vast metropolis where each of 360 million citizens is a potential lawbreaker. Patrolling these mean streets are the judges, tough lawmen of the future, trained to keep the peace and equipped to take on the criminals of the 22nd Century. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd, for he is the Law, and you'd better believe it creep!

Judge Dredd is a new setting for the Traveller roleplaying game, in which you take on the role of Mega-City One judges, patrolling the streets astride your Lawmaster bike, ready to defend the city's civilians against an array of foes.

Lavishly detailed as a full colour hardback, Judge Dredd will take your Traveller games to somewhere they have never been before!

JUDGE DREDD requires the use of the TRAVELLER Rulebook, conveniently available in Little Rulebook format for $20.

I must say, having run generic TRAVELLER several times now, I'm REALLY looking forward to running the Hot Dog Run scenario I'm prepping for JUDGE DREDD  I have seen the older Dredd editions, and this one is by far the Best I've seen so far.

Chapter 1: Character creation
Using the TRAVELLER style character creation starting at age 5 instead of 18, using full d66 for event tables. Term 1 is age 5-8, Term 2 is 9-12, Term 3 (age 13-16) is where the creation really starts getting interesting, this is where the character ends up with a Judge division, Psi, Tek, Med or Street Judge, culminating in the mandatory Hot Dog run. Each division has its own Mishap tables as well. Term 4 is the final term, culminating in Full Eagle Day. Fifteen years of training, put to the test on the actual streets of Mega-City 1, under the eye of a  Full Judge, who assesses whether the candidate has what it takes to be a Judge. This character creation makes a stronger starting character than the Traveller character, but that's good since most starting characters in Traveller wouldn't last long as a Judge.

Chapter 2: Skills & Special Techniques
This chapter lays out news skills and special techniques, which are like Feats in the OGL system. A very good additional system for bringing the life of  a Judge together. These special techniques make the Judges feel like they're a step above the rest of the populace, and provide lots of opportunities for for role-playing, and making each judge feel a bit more unique as most starting characters will have only 1 or 2 from 21 different techniques. Short but jam packed chapter.

Chapter 3: The Justice Department
Every player not fully familiar with Judge Dredd should read this chapter, It would be basic information every cadet should know after having spent 15 years in the Academy. This chapter starts to bring the world of Mega-City 1 to life.

Chapter 4: I am the Law
Most people probably think playing a judge means executing wrong-doers immediately, however, playing Lawful Stupid in Judge Dredd is a good way to get yourself executed by another Judge. Often the perps will be captured alive, and have to be transported to a holding post for questioning and sentencing. A great portion of the chapter is dedicated to laying out the codes, section and what the sentencing is. (This would be a good handout for players to have, letting them flip through the codes to mete out justice.) Backup indicates what kind of help a Judge may call on when they're in over their head. Lastly the "Mega Rackets" are covered, this is the organized crime portion, and always a good opponent for a good group of Judges.

Chapter 5: Equipment
You got it, the chapter on the equipment, from the Lawgiver, the Lawmaster and Judge standard issue equipment, wonderful detail is presented here, with 3D CGI renderings of many weapons. One of the great things about Judge Dredd is 35 years of gadgets to give characters, challenging the characters which gadget to use to proceed in the game. Food, accommodations, illegal paraphernalia, etc is covered, a great book with plenty in it.


Chapter 6: Megways and Skedways
You can't get around MegaCity One without knowing the terms, From the Judge's Lane, to the Megway to an Eeziglide, this chapter covers it all, and the vehicles which travel on said 'ways.


Chapter 7: Mega-City One
Twenty Eight pages of coverage for Mega-City One and the rest of the Earth, from Cursed Earth, to East Meg One, Atlantis, and out to the Space Colonies. It covers recreation, sports and daily life. There's a section on tips for bringing th  mega-city to life, which unless you've lived in Hong Kong, New York or other mega city, you will have trouble imagining it at all. It has a couple of charts to help

Chapter 8: Thought Crimes
This is the Psionics chapter, which Psionics are a bit different than Traveller psions, but they operate under the same general rules.

Chapter 9: Crazies, Fatties, Muties and Perps
The monster book...From classic Dredd villains like Judge Death and the Angel Family to generic crazies, muties and perpetrators of crime. Plenty of charts help round it out, letting you make a plethora of baddies to challenge your Judges.

Chapter 10: Robots
With events such as the Robot Wars, and Walter the servant robot, it's bound to have robots, with a couple of Charts and Lots of Robot stat blocks.

Chapter 11: Mac's Database

A Timeline chapter. pretty straight forward, especially useful if you haven't read 30 years of Dredd.

Chapter 12: Sector 13
A Sample Sector for players to run in. It's not Dredd's sector. Population 1.5 million. With that many people to care for, there should be plenty for characters to do.With the following Blocks: Buzz Aldrin block, Jon Bon Jovi Block, Jimmy Gandolfini, and Bruce Springsteen block among others, interject it with an additional Justin Beiber Block that houses the worst scumbags in the sector and you've got a place to run.

Artwork:  This is a full color book, with lots of artwork from the comics, beautiful full  city panorama which make help bring the immensity of the city to mind.


Family Rating: Teen (The world of Mega-City 1 is a brutal place, with Block Wars, senseless violence due to boredom and various other wars, the players will have to make moral decisions about killing and violence in a non-fantasy setting, against humans, most often.)

Cost: $49.95 Print Version ($29.99 for PDF at Drive Thru RPG)

Value: If you're a role-player and you're a JUDGE DREDD fan this is a must have. It's gorgeous, well written and a classic, using TRAVELLER rules makes it simple to run.

Kickstarter Watch (Judge Dredd Block War)

BLOCK WAR!!! (Wish I had 2 or 3 nickels to rub together...heh)



WOW!!!! This shows everything available in the Kickstarter (though they're very close to the next Stretch goal, so more on the way...The next stretch goal brings in Judges from the other cities, like Hondo and Tex City.

"If your support takes us to $40,000, we will add another brand new box set to the range - Judges of the World! This set will include judges from other Mega-Cities, including Texas City, Hondo-Cit, the Emerald Isle, Oz, East Meg-2, and Luxor."

Free PDF rules available at Mongoose.