Another Superhero and some HF news

To add to the superhero group, I have been busy sculpting Puck (from Alpha Flight):

He is a smaller character with a very slow ageing process and depending on where you get your info from, has a body resembling hardened rubber. He is the 'cannonball' of the team. He's a bit of a light weight hitter but he can knock down a human sized opponent easily by barrelling into them. I chose him because he is just so full of character that he really adds something to the team.

On a completely different note, Hasslefree Miniatures are making some interesting noises with regard to Grymn Walkers. If you follow this LINK you will see some rather cool WIP pix of a completely re-vamped machine. I don't need to say how much I like it.

Building a Super-team with Grymn.

As I have already mentioned, my Grymn superhero team is being built up but what I have been thinking is 'what makes a good super-team?'

Well, one of the main things about the team is that there is a good mix of powers. Strong characters, flying ones, super-fast ones...each and every type needs to be included to a certain degree so that the team can cope with a range of tasks and also have a visual impact that keeps the viewer's enthusiasm/attention.

As well as powers, it is always nice to have a mix of male and female characters so that there can be plot twists and also to keep EVERYONE interested, rather than just the boys. How cool is it when a strong, male super villain is stopped by the power of a female like She-Hulk?

Equipment is another consideration. A bunch of lycra clad superheroes in similar kit would get tedious...so there is a need to have a mix of extra equipment, armour, weapons, decorations to add a bit more variety to the group.

Personalities must also be considered for when the models get factored into a rule set. How do they react under pressure? How well do they take orders? How well do they respond to other members of the team? How well do they keep their emotions under control (a classic example of this would be the Hulk)?

Finally, I would say that colour and decoration is a huge part of a team's public image. Are they all wearing the same colours or do they have different colours throughout? Are they existing heroes that have joined together (hence all different colours) or has the team been formed of new superheroes and tied together with a team uniform?

All these questions need to be considered before you end up with a superhero team but if you can't decide on what to include, there is always the option of gathering more heroes than you need and picking from the bunch! As a result, my list of super-Grymn has expanded a little. It currently stands at eleven but I can still see it growing:

Nick Fury

Iron Man

Black Widow

Puck

Hurricane

Juggernaut

Captain Britain (the original one dressed in red, carrying a staff)

Beast

Demolition Man (because he looks like Wolverine but doesn't have claws)

She-Hulk

Rescue (Pepper Potts in Iron Man armour)

The only restrictions on my team is that they must get their powers via a super serum or by scientific methods. There are no gods, magical or mutant characters here.

Just things to think about.

Team Leaders

Every team needs a leader and the Grymn super-team is no exception. Enter Nick Fury, special agent of SHIELD:

Nick Fury will be acting as a mediator between the heroes and the military. His main job is to decide the best time to send the heroes in, whilst liaising with the military to gain the best results.

When there is squabbling going on amongst the superheroes, it is his job to calm things down and restore team harmony.

Nick's super-serum has slowed his ageing process down and given him superhuman endurance. His skill with weapons and fighting ability has been gained over many decades of training as a soldier.

More Superheroes.

The next member of the super-team has been completed...Juggernaut joins the team:

So far we have an agile martial artist, a super-fast speedster and now the brute for the team.

I think one of the most important things about putting together a super-team is to get a good range of attributes spread across the team members. I am working on that idea and am looking to have fliers, brawlers, brains and techs in amongst the mix...with a few little extra surprises as well.

As for how to use them, I have been sent a copy of 'Super System' version 3 and am slowly reading through them to try to allocate the correct powers to the team. When I have a decent grip of things, I will add further posts and information with regards to the rules.

The next member will be posted soon.

As fast as lightning!

This time around we have Hurricane. She has been given implants and a super-serum to enhance her athletic prowess to the point where she can run at a super-fast pace:

That makes two down with four more to go. Once the team is complete I will be looking into how to integrate them in a rules system and how my standard infantry can be used.

More to come soon.

Blowing the dust off.

It has been a while but it seems that there are a few more bits and bobs coming from Hasslefree soon. The two greens in my last post are going to be available at the end of November so I can finally start thinking about a higher command level for my armies.

An idea struck me a few weeks ago...why couldn't the Grymn have a secret, scientific branch of their armed forces? A branch that was dedicated to the enhancement of a Grymn's fighting prowess? A super-soldier program?

This got me looking through various sites on the WWW to see which super-soldiers would be good as a super-team for my Grymn armies. I decided that mechanical means (bionics/powered armour) and super -serums/genetic manipulation were fine but any sort of mythical/magical/mutant ways of explaining powers were not.

The first character to surface (after a few niggles with the putty) was Black Widow. Here she is with a GW Dark-Eldar, A Grymn Tunnel Fighter and a Void VASA marine:


She is a pretty normal soldier whose martial arts prowess has been heightened with a super-serum which make her far stronger and more agile than a normal Grymn. She is able to use all manner of weapons, dodge bullets and has extreme acrobatic prowess.

The super-soldier team will consist of five main members, with a liaison officer to act as a go between for the normal Grymn armies. They will have a special transport and will act as a special unit that is not part of the army but may be called upon to help in times of crisis.

Watch the skies for the next hero to arrive!