Wasteland Wondering - the last city

Welcome back and to another Wasteland Wondering.

I have been playing around with an idea for the last couple of weeks. I had an idea to create the Last City in the Mattblackgod’s world fluff. The idea is in part inspired by the Killing Moon novel Rod Glenn. 

The last city is a strange mix of high tech new buildings, repaired ruins, adobe huts and ramshackle looking huts all protected by compound walls. The compound walls often reflect the township they protect. In between the compounds lie many streets of mostly stripped ruins. Decades of survivors has left most of them empty husks. Even the skeletons have been taken away and recycled.

My thoughts is to make a fortress city run by a loony claiming to be a descendent of the mattblackgod - the planet’s founder. This gives the leader a pseudo religious element which has been used by despots to stay in power for many millennia. 

This city is based from a old government bunker. Unlike the other bunkers this one has the advantage of knowing roughly where the military bunkers, SOS bunkers and Vault locations are. Although finding the local ones wasn’t always easy as the orbital nuclear bombardment has changed the world somewhat. Over the years they have looted and absorbed a few of each bunker. This makes puts them in a very strong position supply and equipment wise. The SOS Bunkers have equipment to manufacture what may be need by the Dwellers to survive. Most of this has been put into use producing weapons and other equipment for the Fortress City.

The new powerful hub of “the government” has attracted lots of wastelanders. As such the ruined city the Last City lies in now has a rough set of barricades miles beyond the Last City. Within the barricades lies several settlements and cities attracted by the security and of the trade advantages the Last City provides. They are left pretty autonomous in terms of governance. The only thing the Last City calls for from each town, settlement and gang territory is tribute to the City. They are also expected to muck in and come out fighting when the city is under threat. 

While the (Matt) Black Guard patrols various parts of the city it is pretty lawless and it is not unknown for battles to break out when disputes occur. The (Matt) Black Guard usually sit it out and then go mop up. Outside the compounds after dark is dangerous as criminals, slavers and what ever may have creeped up from the old world sewers are out hunting. 

Outside the boundaries of the Last City the bandits, tribals, mutants, Trogs (Orks), Mootie men (Grots), Vermen, nomads and small settlements still exist. They are threats to the salvage teams that make a living stripping and looting the corpse of the old world. 

The plans are to move my more “civilised” creations/places into one area to allow conflicts and trade to occur. There will be some new factions and the combining of some others. Hopefully this idea will allow me to develop new city districts in the future. 

Most of my military type units will be assigned to the (Matt) Black Guard. While any new figures added will get stylish new black armour and mixed uniform colours. I will mix and match figure styles to reflect the looted styles of kit. 

The Last City and its environs are hungry for old world materials and items. While scrap metal, glass and plastics are traded to be recycled then refined into fresh usable materials. Rubble is also treated in this manner. Fuel is cooked up by various groups. Different groups and gangs will hold responsibility for different city areas. 

Power and water is supplied by the Fortress City to the smaller townships, settlements and bases. Which is another strangle hold the city keeps. The larger players have their own power and water supplies. Food is grown or caught by many. Plus some townships specialise in producing synthetic foods. 

There will be more ideas as I develop the factions. I have to be careful that I this doesn’t end up a full on RPG. 

I got fed up with all my main factions being spread all over the MBW map this idea allows more interaction. Now it’s time to go find a suitable large city map I can use for inspiration.

Thanks for reading. Take care out there.

Yet more 15mm terrain

Hello and welcome back. 

It’s been a challenging week or two here at matt-black towers but I have managed to get some 15mm terrain finished. 

Some random metal things, skeletal remains of a dead world long gone. Who knows what they were or what purpose they served? These will serve as LOS blocks, shelters or loot objectives. They may even have something unpleasant living in there!

These are a few left over bits from Robogear hex platformer kits. I am determined to use the last bits up. 

This platform was from a platformer kit. Hopefully it will allow figures to get to higher levels in games or serve as a starship gantry platform in my Sci Fi Wild Galaxy setting.

Another bit of random scatter - the big cog. Who knows what this came from? This was a cog from a plastic toy, glued to a bit of gift card and flocked. Cheap, simple and easy terrain. It may even see action in 28mm scale too.

Some more scatter items that will also serve as objectives/stashes. These are resin items supplied by Alternative Armies. 

The barrel colours are chosen to be water (white, blue or with a white cross), fuel (red or Red Cross) or random chemicals. What is in them is anyone’s guess.

The crates got markings too. Red = ammo, green = scrap/junk, white = food, blue = energy cells and the Red Cross for what is obviously medical supplies. 

There are further plans to create more scatter terrain.  There are also a pile of resin shacks by white dragon that have been screaming for attention for a couple of years.

Thanks for looking and stay safe out there. 

Hobby progress & bingo card

Hello and welcome back to my blog. 

Just a quick update on this years hobby progress. Back at the start of the year I set a aim of getting 104 figures painted this year, so 2 figures a week.

Here we are in week 23. So where am I at numbers wise? 

Figures painted: 48

Figures reworked: 1

Terrain finished: 15

I am above the weekly aim by two. Working on 15mm scale has gotten the numbers up quite a lot. Once good thing about the scale is how quickly you can paint figures. The extra time from the lockdown has helped too. 

I have been working on my hobby bingo card, it is getting there. 

Will I get it filled? I hope so.

Thanks for reading. 

Take care out there. 

More 15mm terrain.

I have been busy this week working on bits of 15mm terrain. 

After my last game I realised that my table was looking a bit bare. I am a huge fan of crowded tables with lots of cover. It is a good way to balance well armed forces with poorly armed forces. Plus it looks great visually. This has lead me to a big scatter terrain push. Most of these new bits will be dual use for both post apocalyptic and Sci Fi. 

Some shattered pipes. Who knows what could be hidden in there? Mutant? Stash? A wasteland crazy? The warlord’s lost sock?

These are a part of a universal scaled set I am working on to make a shattered looking wasteland. The hill sections are still WIP. 

The pipes are cut up cardboard tube from inside a kitchen foil roll. They are based on poster board. 

Some old civilian transport pods.

As well as scatter they may serve as loot opportunities. Tech, parts or something that was being transported? Maybe it was used as a stash site? I got a pack of 4 of these from Critical Mass Games a couple of years back. I thought they would make nice wrecks while the remaining pods will see action on my Sci Fi boards, if I ever get around to making them.

They are hot glued to poster board.

Cargo containers are often used for storage and often in post apocalyptic settings, housing. These are made by Brigade Games. 

A common feature of most wastelands is shattered trees. Survivors have long since dragged off any useable wood. 

I am not sure where I got these, they where supplied by a seller on Amazon over a year ago. They are multiscaled so should work with my Hotwheels scale and 28mm stuff.

There is more terrain bits in the pipeline - stay tuned!

Thanks for reading. 

Stay safe out there. 

Oasis town

Hello and welcome back.

Next up is the first township in my 15mm PA world. Oasis lies on the edge of the dried up sea in a territory known as the Dune Sea. The township is kept alive by a small heavily guarded spring. The small town lies within the territory of the Immortals bandit clan. An uneasy truce lies between Oasis and the Immortals as they need a friendly trading post for supplies. The Immortals have claimed the town and provide extra security. 

Oasis security guards - a mix of GZG colonial marines and HOF Security Force Alpha figures by Alternative Armies. 

To the south of Oasis lies an old city buried in the sands. Ruined skyscrapers push out of the sands like the fingers of the dead pointing accusingly at the skies. Oasis is visited by traders looking for tech and salvagers risking the ruins. That is a risky prospect as the old ruins are not only dangerous but also haunted by ghouls, mutants, wild dogs and Immortal patrols. 

Oasis is also the last watering hole for those wishing to try crossing the dried up sea. Most are never seen again. The townspeople suspect that the travellers die of heat or thirst out in the sands. No one has ever gone out there to investigate/salvage the wrecks. It is possible something or someone worse lurks out there. Why go stir up extra trouble? 

Oasis has a population of 32. The trading post (Drabbies Junk) is a general trader supplying junk, scrap, tech, weapons and ammo. Drabbies also carries some interesting technological items built by the Immortals bandits. There is a bar (The last chance) which provides beer, water, food and information at a cost. Vehicle repairs and fuel is supplied by Spanners Mc Gloomy.

Power and lights are provided by a wind farm. 

Oasis is inspired by the tradetown of the same name in the Rage 2 computer game. The rage computer games have lots of inspiration for Sci Fi Post Apoc. The Sci Fi feel of the figures means I can use these as Frontier World colony guards in my Wild Galaxy setting.

Thanks for reading.

Take care out there.