The Joker’s Big Blast – A Super System Battle Report
It was a Saturday afternoon at NWA Croydon and the usual suspects were geared up for a game of Super System, the Superhero miniature wargame.
Charles and Tristan played a tense game in the ruins of an old church in the outskirts of Gotham City.
Scenario
The Joker has kidnapped Police Commissioner Gordon and is holding him hostage in a ruined building on the East side of Gotham. The Dark Knight is closing in, but in a sick joke, the Clown Prince of Crime has strapped a bomb to the police commissioner and there’s no telling when it will go off.
Heroes
Batman, Robin, Huntress, (Commissioner Gordon).
Click here for the pdf file which contains the stat cards for the heroes.
Villains
The Joker, Harlequin, Clayface.
Click here for the pdf file which contains the stat cards for the villians.
Deployment
6’x4′ Table
Gordon and the bomb are deployed in the centre of the table.
The villains deploy within 15″ of Gordon, but no closer than 5″.
Heroes deploy on any board edge.
Game Length
The game lasts 3 + D3 rounds at the end of which the bomb explodes.
Objectives
The Heroes must rescue Gordon before the bomb goes off.
The Villains must fend off the Heroes until the bomb explodes.
Special Rules
Before the game starts an Arbitrator rolls a D3 and notes the total game length secretly. It is his job to point out when the game has run its length.
It takes 2 AP and a successful difficulty 4 Mind roll to free Gordon from his bonds, after which he may act normally as a member of the Hero team.
Turn One
In what will become the theme of the day, the Villain team seizes the Initiative and makes the first move. The Joker and Harlequin close in on Gordon to keep a better watch on the bound Police Commissioner. The Heroes close in under the cover of night, preparing to strike.
Turn Two
The Batman drops down into the shadows near Gordon, but is spotted by Clayface. The hulking brute swings a gelatinous limb at the Dark Knight, who deftly sidesteps in the darkness. Robin charges down the grand staircase, greeted by fire from The Joker’s tommy gun. The Boy Wonder tumbles out of the line of fire and straight into Harlequin who knocks the wind out of Robin with a well-placed kick.
Turn Three
Clayface tries to pin down Batman before he can do any damage, but once again fails to connect as the Caped Crusader darts through the darkness of the ruined church and flings a Batarang at the Joker. The throw goes wide, but attracts the Joker’s attention, but his returning fire does little but keep the Batman’s head down. Whist the Clown Prince of Crime is distracted; Huntress flies into him from behind, but in the darkness, fails to connect. Harley continues to pummel Robin, but he refuses to drop.
Turn Four
With the threat of the bomb exploding becoming very real, the action heats up; but with the Villains seizing the Initiative again, things look bleak for Gotham’s finest. Clayface manages to knock Huntress off her feat with a well-placed tackle and dodges a swing from Batman in the process. The Joker rounds on the prone Huntress and does her a grievous wound, despite this; Huntress leaps to her feet and in a dazzling display dodges away from the Joker and skids to a stop next to the bomb. In the darkness Huntress fails to free Gordon from the ticking explosives. Robin and Harley continue their own melee on the staircase, stuck in an acrobatic stalemate.
Turn Five
Huntress finally manages to free Commissioner Gordon from the bomb and dodges back, firing a steel crossbow bolt deep into the Joker’s thigh. Enraged, the Joker opens fire on the Police Commissioner, winging him as he runs for the safety of the church exterior. Seeing his hostage getting away, Clayface stretches after Gordon, managing to knock the wind out of him and temporarily halt his escape. Trying to aid the Commissioner, Batman flies into Clayface, but his blows just sink ineffectually into the monster’s soft hide. Harlequin lines up a final blow to knock out Robin, but before she can land the blow, the bomb explodes, burying everyone in the church.
Villain Victory
It was a close fought game, had Gordon manages to get just four more inches away; the Heroes would have won the day. Although Gordon had to be pulled from the rubble and taken straight to Gotham General Hospital, the reports are that he only broke a couple of ribs and will be back on duty in a few weeks. Batman, Robin and Huntress managed to escape uninjured. Nothing has been seen of The Joker and Harlequin or Clayface, but no bodies were found in the rubble, so it must be assumed that they are still at large in Gotham city.
This is the beauty of Super System as a wargame. Any hero you can imagine can be built from scratch and sent into battle. Joker’s Big Blast is a fun, quick example scenario that only requires a few figures, but really gives a great experience with a nice little narrative to tie it together.