Dredd Thread (Judge Dredd Miniatures Game)

[Lovejoy]

Dredd Thread

This is a (the?) Nagoyahammer thread for info about the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game (JDMG).
Since game threads seem to be the in thing (Infinity thread), and it's too good an opportunity not to have something as satisfyingly named as a "Dredd Thread", I have made one.

I'll be editing this (trimming meandering sections), and adding to it, so please consider it a work in progress. If it ain't there, consider it COMING SOON. Thanks!

To find out more about Dredd in general, start here. For the game in particular, scroll down to The Judge Dredd Miniatures Game...

Origins:
Dredd began in a 1977 British comic called 2000AD, which is still going strong. Created by Grant and Wagner, It features a fascistic future cop as its titular (anti-) hero, and was intended as a satire of modern day America, a well as a way of exploring where western society might be headed in future. Wagner himself is an American born Scot, which means seems to have allowed him to satirise things from a unique standpoint.
Most of all though, well..its a bloody exciting comic book. To be fair, initial strips were pretty squarely aimed at the boys 10 to mid teen market, and while entertaining, early stories lack depth of characterisation and plot sophistication. As Dredd has aged however, so too has his audience. The modern comic strip has matured a great deal and now deals with meatier issues, such as mutant segregation rights, political suppression of democracy and notions of freedom, leading to much soul searching on the part of our hero, who is not sure that he still supports what others call 'the big lie' of the ruthlessly controlling police system he embodies.

Interestingly, Dredd ages in real time- so he is now supposedly 36 years older than when he began. This means he is probably pushing 70, but futuristic health care is really something...

The Setting:
America in the 2100s is largely a nuclear wasteland, following the atomic wars of 2070. In time, the remnants of civilisation have formed themselves into colossal mega cities and battened down the hatches - building huge walls to keep out the mutant scavengers of the Cursed Earth, and erecting massive, monolithic citiblocks within the walls to live in, each containing the same number of residents as a small city of today.
The largest of these massive settlements is Mega City One, which originally stretched from modern day Maine to Miami in the south. The city has been nigh on wiped out several times however, and its current size is now rather smaller.
Many other, similar cities exist globally, some of which are playable as factions in the tabletop game.
Law and order all but collapsed following the upheaval of the atom war, which necessitated extreme measures in response to the chaos that was filling the vacuum. Foremost among these being the introduction of a new, ultra streamlined Justice Department, which usurped the standing army of America when it was powerful enough to do so. Mega City One is in fact the Police State that we worry the world may be becoming.
Judges the,selves, have the power to pass sentence on perps on the spot for their crimes, and can even execute them if necessary.
Judges are trained from the age of 5 to 21 in an exacting and brutal Academy of Law, where they hone their mental and physical skills in order to take on the challenges of a society permanently about to tear itself apart. The citizens of Mega City One are generally unhappy- they are bored and fed a diet of mindless television. 95% are unemployed, and fun and freedoms are heavily restricted. Some turn to peculair hobbies to give life meaning, but it's little wonder that they let off steam from time to time.

Key moments in Dredd (Spoilers)
Before I recommend anything, it is a good idea to know some of the main story arcs.
If you don't mind a few spoilers, you really can do no better than read this list of 11 key moments in Dredd, arranged chronologically:
http://io9.com/5944097/top-11-essential ... dd-stories

Recommended Reading, Viewing, Listening

Reading-
Since the Dredd-i-verse has been developing since the late 70s, there is a vast amount of material out there. The entirety of Dredd is being made available as a 20 plus (and growing) volume collection, and each is several hundred pages long. Where on earth do you start?

Dredd on Kindle is a good way to dip in, a space saver, and dirt-cheap offers are sometimes available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=a9_ ... 1413679661

Recommendations: If you read about the 11 essential stories above, you will know what I'm refering to here.

All of the titles below are available via Kindle on amazon. In no particular order :-

Casefiles 5 - Best starting point. Includes all Block War/Apocalypse War arc, which sees the population of Mega City One reduced from 800 to 400 million. Also, includes classic 'Judge Death Lives' . Solid gold.
Casefiles 2 - Includes Cursed Earth and Judge Cal 'The Day Law Died' arcs. Of its time, but still great. I feel that the Cursed Earth epic is overrated, but it remains iconic Dredd, and an epic tale. The Cal story is a crazy satire of unbridled totalitarianism (okay, it's really just the Caligula story in the future, but great fun)
Casefiles 4 - Includes Judge Child arc, finds Dredd trekking across the Cursed Earth (and universe) to find a psychically gifted child who may be able to save Mega City One. On the way we see the introduction of the wonderfully psychotic and characterful Angel Gang, a team of insane red-neck scumbags.
Casefiles 14 - Includes Necropolis - Dark Judges return to judge millions of Mega City Citizens. Naturally, 'only one man can stop them' (that line applies for all these stories). Fantastic twist in the 'Dead Man' story, which links into Necropolis - but is sadly not included here and must be bought seperately. You should, though.
Mega City One's population is again reduced as million die.
Casefiles 17 - Includes Judgement Day - So..Mega City One is still reeling from Necropolis, when every corpse in the world rises to attack the living. The city is assailed by over 60 million zombies. Frantic, with incredible stands against all odds. Population again reduced by millions. Sillier than Necropolis, more fun.
Day of Chaos - Not yet available in Casefile form, but as 3 seperate volumes (The Fourth Faction, Endgame, Fallout ) Mega City One is, for the 4th time by my count, almost destroyed, as East Meg 2 tries to avenge the Apocalypse War. Endgame is where things hot up, when all is said and done only 60 million citizens are left alive. This was written in 2012, and represented a drastic change for Dredd and gives us a Mega City One that can now barely keep order on the streets or defend its interests at home or in space.
The Pit- Not yet available in Casefiles. Dredd grows up a little, with this great procedural police story set in a corrupt sector house that Dredd must clean up.
Origins - Brilliant story detailing Dredd's origins, and those of Mega City One, the Judge system etc. Some hard truths for our hero to digest.
America - Readers say that this is the most important and adult Dredd-universe story, often touted as its finest hour. But- Dredd is apparently only in it for 10 pages. Instead we focus on underground Democracy protestors, in an allegorical examination of the death of the American dream..or something. the only story here I haven't yet read, so I cannot comment.

I cannot recommend Casefiles 1, since this was a Dredd finding its feet. Generally, from Vol 2 onwards, Dredd offers the reader a lot of pleasures, but anyone wanting a more adult slant to their Dredd experience is best off starting with the more recent Casefiles.
Another caveat: If the writer is Wagner or Grant, you are on pretty safe ground. Other authors have been variable, even established, epic comic talents that have written for Dredd such as Grant Morrison have struggled to get it right. So there is that.

Viewing and Listening
The Judge Minty fan film is surprisingly good (please remember that this isn't a studio backed venture, so certain acting and sfx are variable), and gives a nice intro/overview of the Dredd world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aavS_XUITXU

There have been 2 movie adaptations.
Dredd (2012) - Starring Karl Urban
Judge Dredd (199x) - Starring Sylvester Stallone

One of the above is very good, and has gotten the approval of Dredd creator Wagner.
The other is not very good and justly reviled.

Listening
Big Finish Audio have produced severalJudge Dredd dramatisations. The link below is to Judge Dredd: Death Trap, which features Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, League of Gentlemen) as Judge Death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBQrPXii4rk

MORE COMING SOON..

****The Judge Dredd Miniatures Game****
A good place to start is with the quickstart pdf:
http://warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/jdrulesprimer.pdf
Mongoose Publishing also had the old edition, until recently, as a free pdf. Ask your gaming community for details.

Here are two battle reports which are also very useful for getting a feel for the game:
http://www.warlordgames.com/battle-repo ... -the-mall/
http://www.warlordgames.com/battle-repo ... ty-bottom/

And, very usefully - the entire previous edition of the JDMG on the Mongoose Publishing site:-
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/media ... s/jdmg.pdf

The rules in the current edition are different in a few important places (I think..credit values for a few things, skill trees, one or two mechanics), but this is still well worth a gander and a download for the curious, as it's so closely related to the present incarnation.

I thought it had been taken down from the Mongoose site, to be honest. At least, it doesn't seem to be linked to from there. But at time of writing, it's still around.

Overview..how does it play?
The Judge Dredd Miniatures Game is simple, fast paced and lethal at low levels. In theory, you can play a small 500 point game in 30-60 minutes. It uses opposed dice rolls on d10s, which are modified according to skill level. It is often described as having a Necromunda feel, albeit with simpler rules. It is entirely possible for a first time player to triumph over those who know the system well due to this rule simplicity. So, it may not suit those who prefer a little more crunch and complexity, but for the beer and pretzel gamer it's ideal.
There is a comprehensive campaign system too, which features hundreds of possible skill upgrades for your heroes, mercenaries to hire, and vehicles to buy.

Here is a good podcast review from Meeples and Miniatures. Dredd is discussed in depth from 53 minutes in.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/meeplesandmin ... _ep113.mp3

The Gangs in JDMG (Factions)

Justice Dept. - Judges. Elite, high credit value, access to by far the best equipment, vehicles and weaponry in game including the lawgiver gun. Few downsides, but, low in number, and must try to make arrests before shooting their opponents (unless fighting scummy muties, robots or Soc invaders). Access to psi powers. Access to unique skill tree for advancement.

Street Gang- Cheap, bread and butter opposition for Judges. Punks and Juvenile Delinquents able to access a lot of relatively cheap and effective weapons. They are easily arrested. Their main strength is numbers. And a lowly punk with a heavy spit gun is something that even a judge should be wary of.

Cursed Earth Desperados- - Comprised of Desperados ('norms' or non mutants) and mutants. Both are tougher than a street gang, and if mutants are used, have access to some bodily peculiarities which could enhance their abilities.

Citi-Def-Bored gun-nuts tasked with defence of the city (Nearest thing to a standing army in MC1). Given to starting 'Block Wars'. Good weaponry, nice armour, better skills than a street gang., cost more credits. Sometimes shoot their own Citi-def members, unfortunately.

Fatties-faction of professional eaters and their rabid fans. Large number of wounds, can regain hits through snacking. Given a clear run across the table, can potentially steam roller most foes to death with their stampeding guts.

Brit Cit - Future UK take on Judges. Very much similar to Justice Dept. above, except less range of equipment, lawgiver equivalent has fewer options.

East Meg - Invasion Force from the Soviet Mega Cities. Judges, with similarly good armour and gun, but fewer wounds and less skilled. Can take a (potentially) nasty killbot/war droid doofer and useful protective sateillites.

Apes-Genetically engineered primates (have formed own society, wear clothes, have the power of speech, etc). Very mobile and adept at climbing terrain. Easy to pick up, could develop some good physical skills if they don't get shot (most of mine did), but no psi powers, and poor mercenary choices.

Robot Renegades-Tough, given their strong armour. Less likely to surrender. Varied faction which can potentially hit very hard.

Lone Vigilante- One for the Superhero fans. The LV gang usually starts as a single model, who has access to all the best non-justice kit, so you can go all out. You will need to, as all your eggs are in one basket. So, have fun with armour, jetpacks, shields. Shooting wise, restricted to handguns but still plenty of possibilities. Possible to upgrade sufficiently during character creation to take on a sidekick. From there, take as many as you want and develop a super team of costumed crusaders.
Yes, you could easily work up a Not Captain America or Not Batman.

Demonic Pact- Not well up on these, but very unpredictable. Could be laughably useless or eat you alive. A comedy wild-card? Not for gamers who like reliable gangs, but look to be a blast the play!

The Dark Judges- One to roll out on special occasions. Utterly lethal dimensional entities. Judge Mortis for example can cause wounds within a certain radius just by decaying everything in the environment. Terrifying.

Zombie horde- you know the drill. Swamp the opponent in bodies. Dredd zombies are weak, and slow, but hard to put down permanently. Probably overpowered at higher point levels, there are simply too many to deal with for too cheap a cost, seems to be the consensus.

Mercenaries
There are also many mercs to hire which give your gang extra flavour.
MORE SOON

Starting Out - What do I need?
COMING SOON

Miniatures- Mongoose/Warlord, Foundry and other alternatives
COMING SOON

Downloads - PDFs and other links - Rules, Scenarios, Gangs

Again, the quickstart PDF
http://warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/jdrulesprimer.pdf
And two battle reports which give a feel for the game:
Battle Report: Rumble in the Mall
http://www.warlordgames.com/battle-repo ... -the-mall/
Battle Report: Turf Grab on City Bottom
http://www.warlordgames.com/battle-repo ... ty-bottom/
PDF download roster for keeping track of game
http://warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/jdroster.pdf
PDF download of important FAQs and errata
http://www.warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/dreddfaq.pdf
Ideas to spice up game with random events
http://www.warlordgames.com/rules-rando ... -city-one/
A new gang for Dredd not available in the rulebook.
http://warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/M ... _Force.pdf
A new unit for the Judge Cal faction (Judges in Skirts and boxer shorts, anyone?)
http://www.warlordgames.com/downloads/p ... Judges.pdf
Rules for using the Rogue Trooper miniatures with JDMG. Rogue is a popular 2000AD character.
http://www.warlordgames.com/downloads/pdf/Nu-Earth.pdf
Rules for using dinosaurs (always a Dredd favourite) in your games.
http://www.warlordgames.com/rules-mega- ... o-rampage/
A mission using Fatties - Rolling Thunder!
http://www.warlordgames.com/justice-dep ... g-thunder/

[Spevna]

So far it got;

2 street gangs
1 robo judge gang
1 Citi Def gang

I've also got some minis that I will use to run the Nort gang that Warlord published as a PDF.

The game is great, easily my favourite skirmish game.

[Lovejoy]

@Spevna, I added pdf links and lots more tweaks. While doing that, I read over the FAQ and wondered if we hadn't been playing the natural 10 wrong. It's an auto hit, but were we assuming it couldn't be dodged with agility? Ah, I forget. Something to be aware of though.

[Spevna]

Don't think we missed that actually. Then again, I was pretty drunk for a large part of the day so who knows......

[Lovejoy]

Added a link to a useful podcast review from Meeples and Miniatures.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/meeplesandmin ... _ep113.mp3
They discuss the JDMG from about 53 minutes in, and provide a good overview of the game. Also some nice reflections on campaign games.

[Lovejoy]

Added a link to an OOP Judge Dredd audio drama from Big Finish productions, featuring Mark Gatiss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBQrPXii4rk
It's not a bad listen.

[Lovejoy]

Just some Dredd news and as a way of bumping the thread-

In a reply to a post I left on the Mongoose site recently, Matthew Sprange (Mongoose Boss) commented a little on future releases, given the rather long gap in Dredd activity/releases. He said we are to expect a 'tsunami' of Dredd stuff, beginning in late November with a new supplement and a new faction box set.

Coming up, here is what I remember having read about:-
-Blood on the Streets supplement - new vehicles and talents, new rules, gangs etc. Max Normal makes it in finally with a mini and rules.
-Civilians - great idea and long overdue as they are of course ubiquitous in Dredd comic firefights. Lets hope some rules get in the supplement. Pics attached of the sculpts, I rather like them.
-The Judda - a new faction of Fargo/Dredd clones who form a kind of cult dedicated to destroying the Justice Dept (not so fussed myself, never liked them in the comic - but, nice Bob Naismith sculpts)
-Manta - out very soon..it's nice alright, but since it's the size of a laptop, 900 creds in game, and 100 quid, doubt they'll sell.
-Pat Wagon- Much more like it. It's been around online for an age. It's finally getting a general release.
-Brit Cit Iron Lion - great addition. Shame no cannon option in rules. No reason they couldn't bring it in line with lawmaster.
-Brit Cit box - apparently 2 detective judges, including a new female sculpt. To guess at the rest, 2 plod bots, 4 Brit Cit street / Para squad judges.
-ABC Warriors - nice greens online, Mongrol and Joe Pineapples in particular looking great.
-Biker gangs- there will be apes, street gang, zombies and others (muties, surely?) in biker gang form.
Other bits and bobs I'm not sure about- Oz Judge on three-wheeler bike, long walk judge

[Spevna]

Glad I held off on getting the rulebook. Hopefully they'll do a core book and supplement bundle.

[AndrewGPaul]

-Manta - out very soon..it's nice alright, but since it's the size of a laptop, 900 creds in game, and 100 quid, doubt they'll sell.

Well, they sold one to me. Took a tonne of filling, but if I ever paint it, it'll look cracking.

-Brit Cit Iron Lion - great addition. Shame no cannon option in rules. No reason they couldn't bring it in line with lawmaster.

That's the problem I've noticed with the non-MC1 Judges; since the comic obviously focuses on MC1, we see all the specialists, fancy equipment and whatnot, so obviously the game has rules for that. With the other cities, we only see bits and pieces, so the coverage - and hence miniatures range - is narrower.

-Biker gangs- there will be apes, street gang, zombies and others (muties, surely?) in biker gang form.

and robots - at least, there'd better be, since that's the option I went for on the Kickstarter.

[Lovejoy]

Let us know how the Manta works out painting and playing wise! Would love to hear more.
Bikers should be good, I'm in two minds about zombie bikers though..common sense wise, how would that even work?
I seem to remember Mongoose saying (in reference to making Hondo City a more complete faction) that they have some leeway from Rebellion to develop their own ideas, so I really hope they do add some shiny stuff to the less fleshed out, non-MC Justice Dept gangs, provided it feels right for the background.