All posts by Flak Magnet

Initial concept for a Gruntz! force.

I’ve gotten back into tabletop gaming after a hiatus of several years… too many years.  In addition to dusting off my WW2 Micro Armor, I’ve gotten interested in 15mm Sci-Fi since one of my friends is ramping up to do a “bug hunt” scenario on a derelict space craft using the Gruntz 15mm rules.

I’ve only started to read through the rules, and I haven’t even peeked at the army design rules.  So below I’m going to run through the models I want to buy and the force I hope to design using them.  I’ll see how well I’m able to translate my concept(s) into the game’s rules, which will inform me as to how much I like the design system.

After shopping around a bit, I’m going to go with non-human-looking models for both infantry and hardware, but moderately high-tech and agile-looking.  I’m going to make sure I have digitigrade* legs on all infantry models and walker-mecha types.  Doctrinally, I intend to build a very mobile, stealthy force with lots of flexibility.  The individual trooper will be disciplined, with medium to low armor (guard?) and high toughness (soak).  Weapons-wise I intend to stick with accuracy and rate of fire over “punch”, even on the anti-tank weapons.  Opponents should find this force to be quick, light, mobile, an ever shifting enemy they have trouble pinning down.

* – dig·i·ti·grade adjective  – (of a mammal) walking on its toes and not touching the ground with its heels, as a dog, cat, or rodent.

Commmand – From left to right; Technican, Dunno what the kneeler will be, Commander (perhaps with psychic ability?), and finally the medic/political counselor/shaman type.

from Khurasan
from Khurasan

Regular Infantry – Note that the guy on the top, far right has some kind of scanner/binos/comm device, he’s the Squad Leader.  Their helms have some sort of sensor faceplate, and their guns all have scopes/sensors yet short barrels, supporting the concept of rapid, accurate fire.

from Khurasan
from Khurasan

Heavy weapons infantry – Not sure how I’ll design these weapons yet…  The two on the left I may make the anti-armor guys just because the guns look a bit bulkier with larger apertures.  The guys on the right will probably get a SAW/rapid fire role, using the circular packs on their back as a power-supply to support sustained fire.

from Khurasan
from Khurasan

Heavy Armored Infantry – It’s hard to see these guys, but they have the digitigrade legs too, heavier armor than the Khurasan figs, and a weapon barrell at the end of each arm.  Use these guys like shock-troops, maybe with jump packs or somesuch if the models justify it.

from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions

This second pic, of the “Warriors” would be the close-assault variant of the heavy armored infantry but I don’t think I’ll get these guys as I hope to make close assaulting my guys hard to do via shooty-ness and I really hope Gruntz! isn’t prone to WH40K’s tactics.  Besides, the pincer-like manipulators on the end of the jaguar arms look plenty assaulty-enough.

from Art Crime Productions

from Art Crime Productions

Heavy Power Armor – They come with multiple weapon options, so with some conversion I’ll be able to swap out the weapons between games.  These look very much not-like that walker from District-9.

from GZG
from GZG

Light Mecha – Sort of a big-brother to the power armor, with an “all the things” sort of approach, big guns, support missiles, etc… etc..

from GZG
from GZG

Robot dogs –  I just want some, could be scouts, could be spoiler/flankers.  Dunno yet.

from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions

Robotic Support Mecha – Finally bunch of walkers with different weapon load-outs.  The idea is to put the really heavy weapons on walkers that can move and fire (if the rules allow) so as to not slow down the force.

from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions
from Art Crime Productions

I may flesh this out with other vehicles, transports and the like.  I kinda like the Kravak vehicles from GZG, but I have some more shopping to do first.

Why “Flak Magnet” as a pseudonym?

I chose it in 1998 shortly after finishing my enlistment in the army.  I was playing Quake online a lot and getting pretty much owned harshly as more experienced players who knew the maps, certain tricks and who were just better than I was showed me how the game was to be played.  😉

After running through some nicknames that were… uh… less than appropriate for mixed company I settled on Flak Magnet.  I thought I was terribly clever for coming up with it, and the dark humor aspect of it appealed to me.

After a few months I googled Flak Magnet and learned that back in WWII more than a couple bomber crews had the same dark sense of humor.  Google it yourself; from nose art to simple titles, several bombers were named “Flak Magnet”.  Well, they didn’t have the same dark sense of humor… their sense of humor was MUCH darker than mine.  After all their lives were on the line, not just a wait to respawn in a game.