Ballantyne Pier - third playtest

Last night, Lisa came by for our third playtest of the Ballantyne Pier game.  We leaned further into using Fistful of Lead Bigger Battles and adjusted the two sides a bit further.  This playthrough allowed us to see the effects of some of the rules we came up with for the police to inflict shock and disperse strikers.

VPD blocking the railway tracks.  Arthur selected a figure in a trenchcoat as a more accurate representation of what Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Chief Constable WW Foster was wearing on the day.  

Striking longshoremen marching down Heatley Ave.

A variation on the railway tracks!  With no model train tracks or trains, we substituted with cobbled streets and sci-fi shipping containers.  Chief Constable Foster started the action by 'reading the riot act'.  This was a contested roll with groups of strikers within range.  He was very successful and managed to disperse a couple groups of strikers and a strike leader right off the bat!

Police deployed tear gas near the start of the game, immediately adding shock to the strikers.  WWI British soldiers are standing in a proxies for the British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP).

We felt that the tear gas was persisting too long, so we adjusted the duration.  At the start of each turn roll 1d4, with each cloud of tear gas dispersing if the roll is equal or less than the number of turns it has been on the table.  Strikers have white dice to show their level of 'fervour', which must be exhausted before they accumulate shock points.  Shock is then shown with black dice.  Note the photographer on the balcony on the left.

Dramatic shot showing the police holding the line just behind the area of effect of the tear gas!

The strikers tussled with the special constables of the BCPP, but could not overcome the effects of the VPD tear gas or the orders to disperse from the Chief Constable.

Following are some more game photos, no particular story for each one.

News hound catching photos of the action.

BCPP about to be rushed by more strikers after they were pushed off the street.

Battered BCPP recover after taking a beating from the strikers, as well as being affected by their own side's tear gas!

The Crutchy Push

As part of their 'Right Bloody Mess' collection, Eureka Miniatures released this set of amputees based on a Melbourne street gang called the Crutchey Push.  Or maybe the Crutchy Push, spelling seems to be inconsistent.  The gang these models is based on was active roughly around 1900-1905, but their clothing style allows them to fit in with my interwar folks.

Most of the Crutchy Push members were missing a leg, but one had an amputated arm.  This member is depicted by the man in the blue shirt.  His weapon of choice was a broken brick that he had hidden in his empty sleeve.  

The two crutchies above could simply be amputees moving through the city as best they can.  The three below however are showing a bit more aggro!

These men will add some more diversity to my 1930s tables.

Toffs, Resistance, Heavies and Assassins.

 Catching up with my painting output, here is a collection of figures I've recently completed.

First up is another of the Bad Squiddo Women of the Resistance.  Meet Danish Resistance explosives expert and music composer Else Marie Pade.  One of the things I love about Bad Squiddo's resistance members is that, since most of them are in civilian clothing and many are unarmed, they fit nicely into my interwar labour action games!

These two toffs represent a change from the working class that I've been working on recently.  The gent on the left is from Pulp Figures, while the flapper on the right is a bonus figure that Nic included in my latest order from Eureka Miniatures. 

Nic informed me that she is based on a photo of early Hollywood film star Louise Brooks.  

Also up is a collection of heavies from Pulp Figures and an assassin from Grey For Now Games' 02h00 'Operation Torchlight' set.  

Here's a closeup of the shotgun-toting heavy.

And to round out the group, this mid 19th-Century RN midshipman from Copplestone Castings.  This particular model had been sitting in the old lead pile for many years (ok, decades), long after I painted and in some cases lost the other figures from the same set!

And to round out today's offerings, I also finished up more docks from the Games Workshop Middle-earth Laketown House set.  The slightly darker painted set are the docks that I painted over the past week and the slightly lighter coloured docks are the ones I painted a few years ago.

Workers, strikers and protesters

 Here are some more people to populate the town, as workers, strikers or protesters, or just ordinary folks going about their lives. These are all (but one) from Eureka Miniatures, with the one exception being from Pulp Figures.

These ladies are sold as 'Plantation Workers', however I've converted them slightly to make them a bit more urban.  

I assume that these were assumed to be carrying cotton, but in my mind they have baskets of laundry.  I attempted to paint the laundry in a mix of colours but it didn't look right, so they each have baskets of whites.

The two ladies holding their tools horizontally originally had hoes (as with the lady on the left).  I converted the one on the right to a broom.  The one in the middle has had her original shovel changed into a mop.

Some younger folks.  The lad on the right is from Pulp Figures, the rest are Eureka.

The chap on the left has had a striker's sign added.  I suppose he has turned out to be a Barcelona FC fan!