Following on from the intro to Judge Dredd miniature game. I'm going to take a quick look at the JDMG Rulebook. First up, here is the link to the Warlord Website (link), where you can currently get the PDF rules for free, so go check it out and get it!
Most gamers will know JDMG has been around for a couple of years now. It's written by the great guys of Mongoose Publishing, who originally funded the project via Kickstarter. But much to my excitement, Mongoose Publishing decided to make this game more accessible and have teamed up with Warlord Games, to help out with production. This merger has meant a new, better produced to order range of models and of course this high quality rule book.
The Rulebook
First thing you'll notice is the quality of the book. It's a full colour, weighty, hardback book (unless your looking at the pdf) containing 240 pages, full of photographs, artwork and bright shiny colours (always impressed by bright colours). Included along side the easy to pick up rules, are pages of gang details, scenarios and fluff to introduce new players to the world of Dredd. Unlike a lot of games where you need to buy faction books, this game comes with Eighteen ready to go gang forces. This great selection of starting forces allows for any play style. Here is a list of teams available:Justice Department - A small elite gang with access to some of the best equipment.
Brit-Cit Justice Department - Similar to the above, but cheaper and slightly less elite.
Citi-Def - Average gang with great weapon options, but not the most competent.
Street Gang - Cheap, fun, low tech weapons and will always outnumber your enemy.
Ape Gang - Chimps, Gorillas and orangutans need I say more?
Mobsters - Very flexible force of specialists. Also can access some great weapons.
Fattie Stampede - One of the strangest forces, looks great but hard to master.
Cursed Earth Desperadoes - Character heavy gang, lacks high tech gear but loads of modelling options.
East Meg Invasion Force - Well equipped force, super elite force with droid options.
Apocalypse War Resistance Unit - Made from Judges and punks and low on ammo. Prefect force if your looking for a challenge and a mixture of models. Best used against the East Meggers.
Sky Surfer Gang - Small, low tech weapon gang. But super fast and exciting to play. Hit and run is your friend with these guys.
Lone Vigilante - Easy to collect (only model), but one wrong move and your hero is dead!
The Angel Gang - No customising at all, but you get to play as one of Dredd's most iconic family.
The Dark Judges - Can't upgrade or gain skills. You can rarely use all 4 in a single game. But what you do have is a super villain who can take down whole gangs on there own. Recommended for experienced gamers and one off battles that are story driven.
Chief Judge Cal's Personal Retinue - Think justice department with Alien aid. Brutal at close range combat.
Zombie Horde - Always outnumber your enemy. Highly resilient and lacking in tactics.
Demonic Cabal - An unpredictable gang, if the dice favour you, you can win in style. If not you will become your own worse enemy.
Renegade Robots - Expensive to recruit but can be tailored to suit any style of player. Very mod able and a unique looking force.
Now to the game itself. First thing I noticed is that it plays fast! This is important for me as I would rather play 2/3 games in the space of 3 hours rather than just one large battle. The rules are pretty simple and are based around a D10 system. The core mechanics is roll a D10 and add the characteristic whilst your opponent also rolls a D10 and adds their opposing characteristic.
Example:
A Judge is shooting at a perp. So the Judge rolls D10 and adds their Shoot Characteristic to the score. At the same time the perp rolls a D10 and adds their Agility. The highest roll made by both players are then compared. If the perp's roll is higher then the Judge missed. If the Judges roll was higher then he's scored a hit. You then use the Damage stat and deduct the amount from the perp's hit points. If the the perp happened to be wearing armour, then an armour save is made on (drum roll) a D10 and add the Armour value to the result, the aim being to get a roll above 10.
And that is the basic mechanics of the game. Movement like most games now is measured in inches and the usual line of sight rules are present. The rules for the basic game are simple and easy to learn, which is great for new players. A lot of links can be drawn to GW's old Necromunda. But the game plays faster with a lot less charts and rules to remember. Each figure in your gang can take 2 actions a turn. Actions include moving, shooting, melee and special. These actions can be performed in any order and even twice if you want to run or just keep firing. And there you have it, the game rules. Pretty simple, quick and fun.
The second half of the book is full of campaign rules, missions and most important of all the fluff (Nearly 40 pages of goodies). The fluff is great, it goes over futuristic city blocks and Mega City-1 all the way to Hondo-Cit and Brit-Cit.
This is a truly beautiful book, that is well made for the fans and so far I have enjoyed every game I've played. Just give it a chance and grab the free rules while you can.
Please drop a comment below if you've got any thoughts on this great game. Or just say hi and thank you for reading this lengthy post.