Judge Dredd - The Cursed Earth

Whilst the brand new Judge Dredd: I Am The Law skirmish game was my birthday present for myself this new supplement, The Cursed Earth for the Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD role-playing game by EN Publishing is my Christmas present for myself. Written by John White, this supplement runs to 160 pages.

The Cursed Earth is a vast, radioactive wasteland filled with mutants, outlaws, and more. Whether you're undertaking a desperate raid outside the borders of Mega-City One, or you're a Mutant trying to eke out a life in the blasted wasteland, the Cursed Earth provides endless opportunities for adventure.
Within you'll find 10 new mutant species including the Alabammy Blimp, Brotherhood of Darkness, Dog Soldier, Gila Munja, Kentucky Trog and more, plus expanded mutation tables which include animal mutations, corporeal mutations, and metaphysical mutations. You'll also find a wide range of new mutant careers, equipment, a gazetteer, and a full adventure which takes you on an epic trek across the Cursed Earth as you desperately try to deliver a vital antidote to Mega-City Two!
An essential book for those playing mutant characters or those venturing out into The Cursed Earth!

The supplement contains the following eight chapters.
Chapter 1. Outside the Norm. Examining the background of the tragic survivors and their warped offspring, who somehow still survive in the irradiated wilderness, this chapter expands the rules presented in Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD rulebook to provide a wider variety of mutations that offer new and unique twists to mutant characters.
Chapter 2. Taking the Long Walk. Players can choose from a wide range of origins, careers and exploits associated with this deadly environment, allowing them to characterise how they have somehow lived through their experiences of Cursed Earth life.
Chapter 3. Equipment and Vehicles. From camouflage netting to flare guns, las-saws to long guns, radcloaks to shock slicks and cerebral links to spinal taps, this equipment is essential to survive the Cursed Earth. Vehicle enthusiasts can choose from rad wagons, vintage tanks and more!
Chapter 4. Cursed Earth Gazetteer. The interior of the former United States has been transformed into a nightmare landscape where bizarre creatures and the mutated remnants of humanity struggle to survive. In this chapter, find the details on various locations within the redundant state boundaries, along with a scattering of scenario suggestions.
Chapter 5. Beyond the Mega-City. This chapter examines a variety of adventures and campaign types for wilderness adventures, along with different types of character groups to undertake them. Comprehensive tables give Games Masters the tools to improvise adventures involving extreme weather, wilderness locations, NPCs and hideous diseases.
Chapter 6. Diverse Dangers. A chapter dedicated to scenario seeds that can be used entirely on their own, or woven into a campaign set within the post-apocalyptic interior of the former United States.
Chapter 7. The Cursed Earth Saga. An interlinked campaign that relates the original Cursed Earth odyssey to save Mega-City Two allows players to take on the roles of Judges risking their lives across the entire continent, or provides options for actions as perps seeking to stop them in their tracks, Games Masters will also find suggestions for further adventures to the locations from the original comic strip.
Chapter 8. Denizens and Menagerie. Life still exists in the Cursed Earth, but its flora and fauna are mutated and dangerous. The creatures presented here are all potential threats to player characters, ranging from crawling swarms of biting insects to huge carboniferous dinosaurs that are once again at the top of the food chain. Alongside details for running the Cursed Earth NPCs contained within the campaign sections of this book, this chapter can also be used to provide Games Masters with unique adversaries for a wide variety of adventures.

This was an essential purchase for myself and is highly recommended for any fan of the Judge Dredd role-playing game. If you want stats for example, the Angel Gang or other infamous foes encountered out in the Cursed Earth, the likelihood is  they'll be somewhere in here. Whilst I am not interested in replaying Judge Dredd's Cursed Earth Saga, there are enough scenario ideas and hooks to use separately in new and unique scenarios. Even if you set your Judge Dredd campaign wholly within the confines of Mega City One, there are still enough ideas and rules to use anyway. The expanded rules for creating mutants are particularly useful. In short, this is a veritable treasure trove for GMs and players alike to dip their toes into.
This supplement costs £24.99 and is available direct from EN Publishing, Amazon UK and even Warlord Games, who now stock all of the Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD role-playing products.

Judge Dredd: I Am The Law Size Comparison Photos

In this post I want to take a look at some of the 35mm scale figures by Warlord Games for their brand new Judge Dredd: I Am The Law skirmish wargame based on the most iconic character from the weekly 2000 AD comic. If you want to see the majority of the range as painted on the Warlord Games website you can check out my post here -  https://vampifanwoin.blogspot.com/2019/10/warlord-games-judge-dredd-figures.html
These new figures have shot to the front of my painting queue and I'm busy painting the new Street Judges now. Bolt Action is taking a bit of a back seat for the moment but not for too long. I will  show my painted figures once I finish them but for now I thought I'd do something a bit different for this review post.
There has been some criticism over Warlord Games' decision to make this range in 35mm heroic scale and not the slightly smaller 32mm scale they used for the companion Strontium Dog game. I must admit that at first I was slightly disappointed at this decision but now that I am painting the figures and had time to take a closer look at them I can see why Warlord Games  made this decision. One of the reasons they gave for this decision was so that their sculptors could include more detail. On  this point they certainly succeeded. The figures are incredibly well detailed and sculpted. The figures are made of Warlord Games' new resin compound, which I have no problem with.  A limited amount of figures (the Block Gang and Block Gang Reinforcements) were made of metal due to the high demand of this range. They were included in my Mega package that I received. Being a massive fan of Judge Dredd, I wanted one of everything that Warlord Games produced for the first wave.
So, what I have decided to do for this post is to produce a series of size comparison photos to show that this new range isn't as bad as first may seem.

The League of Fatties is represented by three figures, all of a similar size . From left to right are the old huge Warlord Games Fatty, who dwarves the others. In the centre is one of the new Warlord Games Fatty figures. He is only slightly larger and fatter than the old Citadel Fatty at the far right.

Next up are the Wargames Foundry Judge Death figure alongside the new Warlord Games Judge Death figure. The new Judge Death and the new Nero Narcos figures are the two tallest figures from this range, standing roughly 42mm tall. I'm not sure why, unless it's because they're larger than life - tenuous, I know! New Death is beautifully sculpted and will certainly stand out on any gaming table.
Looking at the new and old Warlord Games figures of Oola Blint, the Angel of Death, there is no difference in size or quality of sculpting. Both are really nice figures and I don't know which one I like best.

Oddly enough, the new Warlord Games Mean Machine Angel appears smaller than two previous sculpts by Wargames Foundry but that could be because he is leaning forward to headbutt an opponent. He is not a bad sculpt but I much prefer the one-armed Wargames Foundry version in the centre of this group.

Finally, are the Street Judges. From left to right are figures by Wargames Foundry, Mongoose Miniatures, old Warlord Games and new Warlord Games. There is not a lot of difference between them and I'm perfectly happy to mix the new with the old. One thing to bear in mind with this new range is that I have glued many of them to the standard Warlord Games 25mm diameter thin plastic circular bases rather than the much thicker old slottabases, so when you mix the two that extra height of the new figures is negated.
Expect a whole load of Judge Dredd content on this blog. My WOIN campaign is ready to go and I am very keen to show some I Am The Law batreps to complement them and to show off the new rule set. This is a golden age for both 2000 AD fans and Judge Dredd fans. I couldn't be happier and I feel that the franchise is in good hands with WOIN for the role-playing game supplements and Warlord Games for the figures. Long may they rule!

Judge Dredd: I Am The Law Starter Set Review

For me, the most eagerly awaited game of the year arrived a few days ago, just after my birthday, so it was an ideal present. It is of course, the Judge Dredd:I Am The Law sci-fi skirmish game by Warlord Games. Above is a photo of all of the contents of the starter boxed set, which I want to review here. A full review of the figures will appear in my next post. The box is the same size as the starter box for the companion Strontium Dog game by Warlord Games and indeed the Judge Dredd game shares much in common with it - rules, dice, counters, etc.
Inside the box is the rulebook, which at 160 pages is a fairly hefty tome. It expands on the rules of the Strontium Dog game with additional rules for vehicles and robots plus campaign play both as a Judge or a perp. You have the option of playing either Judges or perps. There are numerous scenarios to play along with stats for a host of Judges, perps, robots, vehicles and weapons. The rulebook is in full colour and is beautifully produced.

A limited edition hardback version of the rulebook was made available to early bird backers. I got one and mine was number 60 of 200. The hardback was signed by the games three authors Andy Chambers, Gav Thorpe and Roger Gerrish. To my surprise, they also signed the softback rulebook - see above.
Also in the boxed set are a quick play set of three scenarios, a large double sided map measuring 3 feet by 3 feet, a sheet of 2D scenery items made of thick card, a sheet of water slide graffiti transfers, 3 sprues of assorted counters (gold for the Judges and dark blue for the perps), six combat dice, two standard six-sided dice, stat cards for Judges and basic perps, a deck of armoury cards with which to arm your Judges or perps, a deck of Big Meg special events cards and finally two 35mm scale resin cast Judges plus eight 35mm scale resin cast perps. A special Judge Dredd vs Judge Death pewter diorama set is available if you order the starter set direct from Warlord Games. All in all, great value for money for £50.00.
I ordered the Mega deal package from Warlord Games, which netted me all of the above plus all of the figure sets made available for wave 1 of this range. Incidentally, the wave 2 range of figures which should be released in January 2020 are Citi-Def squad, Citi-Def reinforcements, Cursed Earth Raiders, Mutie Sky Surfers, Psi Judge Anderson, a grav pod and a hover van.
The game does not rely on the IGOUGO system but is much more unpredictable but in common with a lot of games produced by Warlord Games, especially Strontium Dog. Every figure in the game is assigned an activation chip and these are placed in a bag to be drawn out one at a time until they have all been drawn, thus completing that turn. Rinse and repeat. You can never be sure who gets drawn first, which makes gameplay more of a challenge. I like this mechanic. Games are designed to be played with just a few figures per side. Figures are permitted two actions per turn, either two simple actions such as move or snap-fire, or one double action such as sprint or aimed fire. Play continues until one side defeats the other. It is simple, fast and fun and works very well.
I do intend to run games of I Am The Law alongside my Judge Dredd WOIN campaign using the same Judges in both games and setting both games in and around Sector 13. With a fairly large cast of named Judges this will give everyone a chance to shine in the spotlight and hopefully, not fail too badly, if at all.

Sector 13 SJS Judges

The Special Judicial Squad, the SJS, are an elite within Justice Department. They have to be for the perps they have to deal with are the most dangerous of all – rogue Judges! Those who  have been recruited into the SJS gain the responsibility for keeping tabs on their fellow Judges. No one is safe from scrutiny, not even Joe Dredd. They might help administer Random Physical Abuse Tests and try to break a Judge in a variety of ways. If there is evidence of a bad apple in the ranks it is almost always the SJS who perform any investigation. They will gather the evidence and if the suspect is guilty they will be sent to the most isolated and harsh prison available – the Titan penal colony.
These are my SJS Judges who are either assigned to Sector House 13 or who will have an impact on my campaign.

At the far left is Terence D'Spatch, an alert human SJS Judge who wears a Hitler moustache to provoke a response, good or bad. A long term SJS Judge, Terence D'Spatch has recently been summoned by Sector Chief John Barker of Sector 190 to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three Street Judges over the past two months. Their bodies have not been found, suggesting they may have "flipped" (turned renegade). D'Spatch has found no direct evidence of judicial malpractice in the missing Judge's personal logs and he is certain that the disappearances are linked to the perp-running operations over the West Wall, though he is not sure exactly how they are related. D'Spatch suspects at least one other Judge knows the details behind the disappearances, but he is not talking - for now. Aged 41, he is rank grade 10 with a 7d6 dice pool.

Next up is Daniel Fincher an alert human SJS Judge who does not have a sense of humour. Having passed as a rookie specialising in Applied Violence and Combat Range, Daniel Fincher was accepted as a Street Judge. He enjoyed his three years on patrol very much but felt he could serve the Justice Department much better elsewhere. He applied for a move to the Special Justice Squad and was accepted. Rooting out corruption within the Justice Department gave him a true sense of purpose. He certainly lives up to the standard view of an SJS Judge - dogged, implacable, intimidating and with no sense of humour. He was assigned to Sector 13, where he works under the direct command of SJS Judge Paula Patton. He is 35 years old and rank grade 8 with a 7d6 dice pool.

Third in line is Paula Patton an alert human SJS Judge who despises corruption in all its forms. Paula Patton is a highly successful Judge in the Special Judicial Squad.  When she first joined the Academy of Law she believed that a long career as a Street Judge awaited her. She spent seven years pounding the mean streets of Mega City One as a highly effective Street Judge before specialising as an Interrogator Judge. Despite being very proficient in this role she preferred life on the streets, investigating crimes. However, her life turned around after three years in this role when she was head-hunted by the SJS. They offered her a new role as one of the Judges who investigate potentially corrupt Judges. She has excelled in this new posting and is a rising star in the SJS. She was assigned to Sector 13 and was duly promoted to command the SJS team stationed there after just one tour of duty. Aged 44, Paula is rank grade 11 with an 8d6 dice pool.

Last in line is Arlo Sharp, an empathic human SJS Judge who always looks for the worst in people. When Arlo Sharp enrolled as a Rookie Judge he developed a knack for pistol shooting and honed his skills with two years in the Combat Range school. Inevitably, he was accepted as a Street Judge and was assigned to Sector 99. It was here that his skill at interrogating perps had such a high success rate he was assigned as a specialist Interrogator Judge . The Special Justice Squad noted his performance and offered him a posting in their department. He happily accepted and has not once regretted his decision. He was reassigned to Sector 13 in Central Mega City One working under the command of SJS Judge Paula Patton, whom he has the utmost respect for. They have much in common and work well together.in common and work well together. He is aged 40 and rank grade 9 with a 7d6 dice pool.

Each Sector House usually have two or three SJS Judges assigned to them to ensure any investigation can have local assistance. Others form task forces to root out the most cunning of the rogues.  One thing uniting most SJS Judges is their belief that the worst criminal offenders are those who disgrace the badge. There is no obstacle they will not overcome to bring the worst of the worst down. Who watches the watchers? They do!
SJS Judge D'Spatch was produced by Wargames Foundry and the other three figures by Warlord Games. All are no longer in production. Hopefully they will not see much use in my campaign but further in the future I have big plans for them.

Ogron Marines

I bought this batch of Games Workshop Ogryns many years ago and once I got into N.E.W. I thought that they'd fit in perfectly for the Ogron race. Ogrons are a very militaristic and aggressive race so these figures are perfect for Ogron Marines.

Here we have the leader with his banner pole flanked by his two lieutenants. I have not named any of these figures. I do think that the banner pole is an unnecessary accessory that will cause more problems than it's worth. For example, he'll struggle to get through many doors. Bear in mind that Ogrons average 7 feet in height. Banner poles are a bad idea in my opinion.

These figures were sculpted by Bob Olley and have a very distinctive style. I do like them a lot and I like that they are so varied whilst keeping a unified look. The leader came with separate head, arms and banner pole. The Ogron to the left is a one-piece casting whilst the Ogron to the right came with separate head and arms.

These three figures are standard Marines. They have all been glued to 40mm diameter bases due to their large size. The two to the left are one-piece castings, The chap at the right came with a separate head and arms.

They are all armed with the same weapons known as Ripper Guns. I use the stats for a Railgun from the N.E.W. rulebook for them.

 Here we have four more standard Marines. These all came with separate heads and arms

These would make very tough opposition for the crew of The Ace of Spades if I decided to pit them against my heroes. I can well imagine I'm going to have a lot of fun creating their stats and backgrounds. They really are excellent figures full of character and extremely well sculpted.

Judges on Lawmaster Bikes 03

These four Judges are riding the Mk.II Lawmaster Bikes. They were made by Mongoose Games but were quickly replaced by the Judges on the Mk.I Lawmaster Bikes when Warlord Games acquired the licence to produce the Judge Dredd figures.

The Judge on the left is a conversion of the Judge on the right. I simply bent his right arm at the elbow so that he is holding his Lawgiver Pistol in a ready position instead of aiming it.

Note that I added the big light directly above the front eagle of the bike in a box made of Milliput that also shows the bike's computer facing the Judge rider. I'm not sure why the sculptor for Mongoose left this off but for me it was a serious omission.

To the left is a judge with both hand son the handlebars, safely controlling his bike. To the right is a female Psi Judge firing her Lawgiver Pistol left handed.

I like the design of these bikes. They look a lot squatter than the Mk.I bikes I showed in my previous posts. The seats look more comfortable and are fitted with back rests. Which Lawmaster Bike do I like best? That's easy. The Mk.III coming soon from Warlord Games. I'll be buying a few of them.

I am sure someone is going to ask me if they can see all of my Lawmaster Bike riding Judges together and so here they all are, including one spare that is riderless parked up on the pavement, awaiting its rider to return.

All of my riders are glued to their bikes. I did consider leaving them separate but for ease of storage and gaming use I found they were best suited being glued in place.

 Judge Scott and his partner Judge Huntsman proudly lead the parade.

With this many Judges on Lawmaster Bikes they are a serious force to be reckoned with. Don't mess with the Judges of Mega City One!

Judges on Lawmaster Bikes 02

These three Judges on Mk.I Lawmaster Bikes were produced by Warlord Games for the previous Judge Dredd skirmish game. These Judges are all specialist Judges - Psi Judge, Rookie Judge and Tek Judge.

At the far left is a female Psi Judge, who, with her blonde hair, could be Psi Judge Cassandra Anderson. I have left her unnamed so she can be used as any female Psi Judge. She is holding her Lawgiver Pistol in her right hand.
Next up is a young Rookie Judge, easily identified by his white helmet and diminutive size. All Judges are taught how to ride the Lawmaster bike from a very early age. Perhaps this young Judge is riding out into the Cursed Earth on the Hotdog Run.

The Tek Judge is riding a very specialised Lawmaster geared towards aiding Tek Judges when they are out on patrol. A large mechanical gripping hand is fitted to the back of the bike. In addition are tool boxes and advanced sensor arrays. This was a very rare model so I was very happy that I was able to purchase it.

Warlord Games had this Med Judge on Lawmaster and Sidecar made but sadly it never went into production. A big shame as I certainly would have bought it. It was nice to see the Tek and Med Judges get their own specialist Lawmaster bikes but very sad that only one went on sale.

Judges on Lawmaster Bikes 01

The standard issue transportation for a Judge, the Lawmaster bike is as iconic as the helmet and Lawgiver. A common ( and not always welcome, if you are a lawbreaker) sight on the streets, skedways, megways and Xpressways of Mega City One, the Lawmaster is a high performance, high endurance, high technology vehicle and weapon system rolled into one. Every Judge is allocated a Lawmaster as part of his standard equipment and, naturally enough, the Academy of Law has taught him what he needs to know to get the best out of the bike.

These bikes and Judges were produced by Warlord Games and represent the Mk.I Lawmaster Bike. Mounted on two of the Lawmasters are my personal player characters for my upcoming campaign, Street Judges Bryan Scott and Nicki Huntsman. These are conversions with the upper bodies of the two named Judges glued to the legs of the bike's seated Judges.

The Lawmaster bike at the far right may be used when a Judge dismounts. I would really liked to have acquired more than one of these but I missed out. Note that all of the bikes are glued to 25mm by 75mm bases with rounded corners, which gives you a fair idea of just how long they are.

These three figures feature generic unnamed Street Judges in a variety of poses. Two have drawn their Lawgiver pistols. The Judge at the far right is firing his Lawgiver.

The Judge at the far right has both hands on the bikes throttles as he concentrates solely on driving.
I am a huge fan of these bikes and figures. They look big and intimidating and faithfully represent the very popular Mk.I bike. It is a shame these are no longer available. That said, I am very excited to see that Warlord Games will be producing the sleeker looking Mk.III Lawmaster bike for their new skirmish wargame.

Sector 13 Street Judges 02

Regular readers of this blog will know by now that I am naming certain Judges from Sector 13, the setting of my upcoming Judge Dredd campaign, after fellow bloggers who regular comment on my two blogs. So far, I have covered all those who featured in my last campaign based on the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game skirmish wargames rules. Since then I have acquired two very loyal followers who are both regulars in the comments section of my two blogs - Frank O'Donnell and John aka Vagabond. So, I asked them if they'd like NPCs named after them in my new campaign and both agreed. So I present to you Street Judges John Bond (a mash up of John and Bond from Vagabond) and Frank O'Donnell.

At the left is John Bond, a human rugged MC1 Judge who suffers from dyslexia. Note, it was John's decision to have his Judge be dyslexic, not mine. It is certainly an interesting and brave choice! John made a lasting friendship with fellow Judge Frank O'Donnell when both were Rookie Judges in the same class. He became a Street Judge in 2117, a year after Chief Judge McGruder resigned for the second and final time and was replaced by Judge Adrian Volt. Judge Bond has worked the streets of Sector 13 for the past 12 years, serving loyally and with distinction. Despite many efforts by his tutors and peers he still suffers from word blindness resulting in his dyslexia. Judge Bond is a rank grade 7 Street Judge with a 6d6 dice pool. His figure was the very last figure I bought from Wargames Foundry's 2000 AD range, a week before they stopped selling this range. He is meant to be another variant of Judge Dredd but I prefer him as a standard Street Judge.

At the right is Frank O'Donnell, a tough as nails human MC1 Judge who misses the golden age of cinema. During his Rookie training, Frank became highly proficient with the Daystick, after taking two Applied Violence courses. As a Rookie he befriended fellow student John Bond, and they pledged to help and defend each other to the bitter end, no matter what they did. As a consequence, their Judge Tutors made sure they were partnered together when they passed their Full Eagle day to be assigned to Sector 13 as Street Judges. They work extremely well together with a deep understanding of how each other will react in any given situation that has been honed with years of experience. Like John, Frank is a rank grade 7 Street Judge with a 6d6 dice pool. His figure is an old Warlord Games Street Judge with Daystick.
I hope Frank and John approve of their Judges and I hope they go on to have long and distinguished careers in my campaign.

Warlord Games Judge Dredd Figures Preview

As some of you may know, Warlord Games will be releasing a new Judge Dredd skirmish wargame supported by a brand new range of figures. The figures will be fully compatible scale-wise with those from the Strontium Dogs range, also produced by Warlord Games. I must admit this is the most exciting news I have heard all year. Suffice to say, I will be adding these new figures to my already considerably sized 28-32mm scale Judge Dredd collection of figures.
Warlord Games recently released some preview photos of their new miniatures and I repeat them here.

First up is Judge Dredd on foot and on Lawmaster bike. The foot figure is very good but I still prefer the Wargames Foundry figure of Dredd that I'm already using. However, the mounted version of Dredd is superb. That new version of the Lawmaster bike is just perfect.

Next in line are a set of five arch villains, all of which should be very familiar with any Judge Dredd fan. I am sure the rest of the Dark Judges and the Angel Gang will be released in the future.

This next set features five MC1 Denizens, including Oola Blint, her husband, Homer, Vigilante Karl Raider and a generic East-Meg Agent and Futsie.

The largest set is this group of eight Block Gangers. These could be used equally well in Judge Dredd or Strontium Dogs.

If you want a bigger Block Gang, these three figures are Block Gang Reinforcements.

Last up is this League of Fatties set. This is the first time I have seen a company make a female Fattie, so kudos to Warlord Games.
Looking at them, I can't see a bad sculpt amongst them. Release date is scheduled for 16th of November, just over a week before my birthday, so I know what I'll be getting for my birthday. You can expect to see most of these figures in action in my upcoming Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD campaign. To be honest, I'm more interested in the figures than in the skirmish game but I will give it a try out.

Sector 13 Specialist Judges

In this post I'm reviewing three specialist Judges, all of whom are well experienced in their fields. They come from the Sharpshooter, Psi and Med Divisions. Two of them, Burnett and Nash are based on fellow bloggers, Clint and Andy, whilst Devereux is a PC I created.

At the far left is Clint Burnett, an alert clone MC1 Judge who likes to watch Aeroball. When Burnett enrolled as a Cadet Judge he showed a natural aptitude for ranged combat with the Lawgiver Pistol and Lawrod Rifle. He spent one tour of duty as a Street Judge before transferring to the Sharpshooter Division. He was in his element, taking out targets from afar with his Lawrod Rifle. He frequently supports Street Judge teams by providing cover fire from the hatch of a hover Pat Wagon. He excels at killing perps with sniper fire. He makes precision take-downs on targets who may be heavily armoured, robotic in nature or just too difficult for anybody else to deal with. When off duty, he likes to watch the Harlem Heroes Aeroball team. He is rank grade:7 with a 6d6 dice pool. His Lawrod Rifle is fitted with an Advanced Scope, which increases its range increment from 30 to 60.

In the centre of the group is Justine Devereux, an empathic human MC1 Judge who is cool under pressure and never rushes a decision. Devereux is a prime example of a lifetime psychic Judge, one detected at a very early age and brought in by Psi Division for training and education. Her abilities are very common for Psi Judges - clairsentience and telepathy. Devereux's expertise in the Law and its application allowed her to take that skill to the streets with a passion for the job and a real knack for assessing a situation, and determining the appropriate level of force and action to take at any given time. This precision has served her well and she is viewed by many as a rising star in Psi Division. Sector House 13 only has seven Psi Judges, so she is considered an excellent asset by Psi Chief Abi Dryden. She is rank grade:7 with a 6d6 dice pool.

At the far right is Andy Nash, a brilliant human MC1 Judge who is interested in oriental culture. Whilst training as a Cadet Judge, Andy Nash's tutors marked him down as an ideal candidate for Med Division. He soon realised that this would be  a good career decision and he concentrated all his efforts in passing at the top of his class. Sure enough, his diligence and hard work paid off and he passed his rookie assessment with distinction. Med Judges are no weaklings and Andy knows that if he has to make the call to put a bullet in a perp's head to save lives then he won't hesitate to do so. After a short exchange visit to Hondo City, Andy developed a fascination with oriental culture. He is also rank grade:7 with a 6d6 dice pool.

Sector 13 Street Judges 01

In this post I'm reviewing three of the more experienced Street Judges from Sector House 13. These three Judges were NPCs in my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign and are all named after some of my fellow bloggers and followers.

At the far left is Senior Street Judge Dave Stone, a tough as nails human MC1 Judge who will never admit defeat. Senior Judge Dave Stone has steadily rose through the ranks with cool efficiency. When he passed his final assessment with full marks and a commendation for devotion to duty, his personnel file was flagged for later promotion. There were those in the administration that feared his zeal and enthusiasm would get him killed long before he could ever enjoy career advancement. Fortunately for both Stone and Justice Department, they were wrong. However hard the streets got, Stone got harder, His enthusiasm faded as the years wore on but his zeal never did and his integrity only became stronger. Day after day, night after night, he brought the Law to the city, making a name for himself among the citizens of Mega City One as one of the toughest and fairest Judges on the force. He is 41 years old serving five tours of duty as a Street Judge in Sector 13, followed by one tour of duty as a Senior Street Judge when he received his promotion four years ago. He is rank grade:10 with a 7d6 dice pool.

In the centre of the group is Street Judge Webb, a  nimble human MC1 Judge who has a strong respect for the Law. Street Judge Roger Webb took the Advanced Driving School and Combat Range classes as a Rookie Judge so he was selected to be a Street Judge. He was partnered with Street Judge Simon Moore, who was the same age as him. They enjoyed a friendly rivalry during their training years and this continues to this day with both Judges being assigned to Sector 13 in Central Mega City One. His attitude to Judging is moderate being neither lenient nor strict. From an early age he was a natural climber and he has caught many a perp who has tried to flee a crime scene by climbing a fire escape ladder. He is rank grade:7 with a 6d6 dice pool.

At the far right is Street Judge Moore, a rugged human MC1 Judge who dislikes bad language and lewd behaviour. Street Judge Simon Moore was assigned to Sector 13 as a rookie and has remained there ever since. Early on he learned how to instil fear in others and making citizens (and many perps) into completing any commands he gives them. His years on the street have given him the knack of being able to sense trouble before it happens. Many years spent honing his skill with his Lawgiver pistol has made him a crackshot. He is regarded as a highly efficient Judge. However, his distaste for swearing and lewd behaviour means he will always give the maximum sentence to any perp committing these offences. Aged 30, he is rank grade:7 with a 6d6 dice pool.

Sector 13 PC Judges

In this post I'm going to review the figures I'm using for the player characters for my upcoming campaign. The two main PCs will be Street Judge Scott and his partner, Street Judge Huntsman.

Bryan Scott (yep, it's me as a Judge) is a young deadeye human MC1 Judge who is always on the lookout for danger. At the age of 5, he knew he wanted to be  a Judge and so his parents enrolled him into the Academy of Law in the year 2113. He quickly developed a knack for always being on the lookout for danger, which stood him in good stead when he was accepted to be a Street Judge. He was assigned to Sector 13 in Central Mega City One and became a Rookie under the tutelage of Senior Street Judge Dave Stone, who taught Scott a lot and passed him with flying colours. Judge Scott is frequently paired up with Street Judge Nickey Huntsman, who enrolled at the same time as he did. They work well together and are developing a strong reputation as tough, no-nonsense Judges. He is a rank:5 Judge on his first tour of duty as a Street Judge.

Nickey Huntsman is a young athletic human MC1 Judge who strongly respects authority and the Law. She enrolled into the Academy of Law in 2113 and specialised in melee combat techniques as well as performing well on the shooting range with her Lawgiver Pistol. As an only child, she regarded her fellow Judges as her family. She developed a close friendship with fellow Cadet Judge Bryan Scott. Once she gained her full eagle and became a Street Judge, the two of them were assigned to Sector 13 and would often be partnered together, which suited both as they got along well together, working  as an efficient team. She is also a rank:5 Street Judge on her first tour of duty.

The other four PCs I'll be using are these four who are the pre-generated Judges who appear in the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD rulebook. I covered their backgrounds in this post here-https://vampifanwoin.blogspot.com/2019/03/converted-figures-from-judge-dredd.html
When I posted it, Dave Stone asked if I could show a picture of the original artwork the conversions were based on and at the time I couldn't. But now I can and here they are from left to right Med Judge Clayton Halsey, Psi Judge Sera Devi, Street Judge Jessica Morris and Tek Judge Terence Novak.

These are all starting Judges at rank:5 and on their first tour of duty.

Sector House 13 Command Judges

Having previewed the seven major blocks of Sector 13 and Sector House 13 in my previous two posts it is time to take a look at the significant PC and NPC Judges of Sector House 13. This is the Sector that my campaign will be based in. I start with profiles of the four most senior Judges of Sector House 13.

Sector Chief Hal DiMaggio has been in charge of Sector 13 for ten years but was a Senior Judge in the sector before that. He is 62 years old now and the Judges reckon he will opt for the Long Walk in the next three to five years. Gruff, grey-haired and pock-marked, he is every bit an old school Judge. DiMaggio is highly anti-mutant, believing that the relaxation of the Mutant Laws was a huge mistake for all concerned. His officers are under instructions to come down hard on any muties who flout the law in his sector. He is equally tough on the growing drug problem, exacerbated by the sector's proximity to the Eustace Fargo spaceport and an influx of off-world chemicals that whilst not strictly illegal, have contributed to rising crime levels amongst the juve gangs of the lower levels of the sector and in some of the blocks. Of less concern to him is organised crime. There has not been a Mob War since before Max Contralto became head of the Jimmy Gandolfini Crew and even the murderous Azbury Park Brotherhood, the Contralto's nearest rivals, have remained low-key in recent years. This allows DiMaggio to focus on controlling the drugs and mutie problems that he believes are at the heart of Sector 13's crime statistics.
DiMaggio takes a personal interest in the careers of all his Judges. Sector 13 has 500 Street Judges, 100 Tek, 80 Med and 7 Psi Judges. He insists on monthly fitness assessments and reports, co-ordinated by his Med team and he likes to personally brief all Judges at least once a week instead of relying on machines or other Senior Judges to do it. His memory is phenomenal: he knows the name and arrest record of every Judge in his sector and is both quick to praise and admonish as circumstances dictate. Any Judge who screws up is summoned for one of his infamous "Helmet Dentings" where he dictates his gruff, thick, old New York accent in a criticism-laden barrage against the hapless miscreant in a stream so hard, it can dent a helmet. Conversely, when a Judge performs well and cracks a major or difficult case, he is personally overjoyed to hand out a citation in front of all the other Judges, even if the recipient had a Helmet Denting that same morning.

Sector Chief DiMaggio is supported by Deputy Chief Abi Dryden who heads up Psi Division in Sector 13 and is one of Justice Department's best empaths. She understands Sector Chief DiMaggio perfectly, having worked with him for almost 13 years and her approach mirrors his attention to detail and a genuine concern for her Judges. But, as an empath, Dryden is easier to get along with, tailors her mood to those she is talking to and manages to place everyone at ease. She still walks rounds at the neighbouring Psyko Block 101, helping to treat the inmates there and occasionally gets summoned to Grand Hall to assist high-profile Psi cases. Unlike DiMaggio, Dryden is worried about organised crime. Her best precogs have all reported premonitions of some form of power-struggle between the organised crime groups in the not too distant future. Details are exceedingly hazy and the recurring motif of the premonitions is a full moon. DiMaggio listens to her concerns but dismisses them, noting that a 74.6% chance of accuracy is not a basis for going to war with the gangs. Dryden is subtly attempting to convince him otherwise.

Head of the Med Division of Sector 13 is Med Chief Lisa Holby. A specialist in off world diseases and chemicals, it was her team that researched and classified the various off-world narcotics coming through Fargo Spaceport. Three in particular are of real interest and all originate in the Qux system. One, "Glean", is a combat stimulant, not illegal, as it is also an anaesthetic but it does have certain emotion-suppressing properties. The second, "Flare", is mildly hallucinogenic but no more so than many legal stimulants, instead, Holby believes it is linked to Petty Crime Addiction, relaxing the inhibitions of its users and increasing petty crime propensity. The third, "Cake", is like Umpty Candy but clearly an independent concoction. It tastes damned fine and has no known damaging side effects but it is in such short supply that the usual drug-runners are selling small amounts of it alongside their usual stashes of zziz and ganja.

Head of Tek Division of Sector 13 is Tek Chief Zeke Hawking. A wizard with vehicles, he came to Sector 13 from the Q Branch of Tek Central at the Grand Hall of Justice. He worked on the initial designs for the Manta Prowl Tank before transferring to Sector 13, where he spent 6 years piloting H-Wagons before his promotion to Tek Chief. He is currently engaged in research on the ground vehicle profiles for the highways around the sector. He wants to find a way of clamping down on the Last Chance Power Rides of the E Street Juves through the use of fully automated prowl cars instead of having to rely on Street Judge patrols. The scheme needs funding and, if his developments meet with GHoJ approval, then he can put his plans into production using the Sector House garages and armoury.