Ogrezine 2 Web

OGREZINE Game Design by Steve Jackson
President/Editor-in-Chief: Steve Jackson • Chief Executive Officer: Phil Reed • Chief Operating Officer: Susan Bueno
Chief Creative Officer: Sam Mitschke • Ogre Line Editor: Drew Metzger • Graphic design by Richard Meaden
Original Ogre image created by Winchell Chung • Illustrated by Rob Goodwin, Tim Kauffman, and Brandon Moore
Photos by Stephan Beal, Mack Harrison, Steve Jackson, and Cat Reddington-Wilde
Production Artist: Gabby Ruenes • Production Manager: Sabrina Gonzalez • Project Manager: Darryll Silva
Art Director: Shelli Galey • Prepress Checking by Susan Bueno • Operations Manager: Randy Scheunemann
Ogre Theme by Tom Smith • Director of Sales: Ross Jepson
CONTENTS
Priority Dispatch��2 Teaching a Computer to Fight Itself:
Implementing an Artificial Intelligence
The Daimyo and the Dragon Solver for Ogre
by Roland Boshnack��3 by Martin Gallo�� 32
The Superheavy Controversy The Origins of the Heavy Tank
by Karl K. Gallagher��4 by Mathieu Moyen�� 35
A Fire in the Distance 2-D Terrain for Miniatures Games
by John David Karnitz��7 by Steve Jackson�� 38
Infantry Magnets Artificial Irreverence
by Cat Reddington-Wilde�� 14 by Andrew Mull�� 40
Overrun Hex Optional Rule: Damaged Armor Units
by Tim Kauffman�� 16 by Drew Metzger�� 43
Iron Mountain Cruise Missile Fizzles
by J. Richard Jarvinen�� 17 by Joshua Megerman�� 43
Shuriken Counter Reskin�� 21 Know Your Force
by Drew Metzger�� 45
Painting Infantry: Boot Camp
by Stephan Beal�� 22 Mercy Well Met
by T.A. Gordon�� 49
Refugees
by Paul Teti�� 25 Building Your Own Monopolis:
It’s a Game, Not a Diorama
Defend the Negev! by Mack Harrison�� 54
by Israel Barker�� 27
Copyright © 2019 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Ogre, the distinctive likeness of the Ogre, and the pyramid
logo are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
STEVE JACKSON GAMES

ogre.sjgames.com
PRIORITY DISPATCH
Welcome to the second issue of Ogrezine!
As the North American Combine improved
their initial Ogre with the release of the Mark II,
we believe our Ogrezine Mark II is a step forward in
the development of fan-submitted support for the
game. It is through the continued patronage of Ogre
fans everywhere that we are able to present to you ®
Ogrezine Mark II.
This issue is packed full of all sorts of Ogre
goodness. Our cover feature is a look back at a fan
favorite, “Iron Mountain,” by J. Richard Jarvinen.
The fiction still resonates with players everywhere
and the scenario rules have been updated to Ogre
Sixth Edition standards. There are counters that
may be photocopied and cut out for use on the Iron
Mountain map, either the official Ogre Iron Mountain
Playmat (M2) or one of your own creation.
Speaking of fiction, we have three wonderful
submissions that illuminate the moment to moment
concerns of the Last War. Can an Ogre be heroic or
merciful . . . or even have a sense of humor? “Artificial
Irreverence,” “A Fire in the Distance,” and “Mercy
Well Met” each invite us to look at an Ogre in more
depth than viewing it as a mere killing juggernaut.
With the success of our Ogre Miniatures, we
are now receiving more articles in support of these
many minis we may have acquired. Articles for
terrain building, miniature painting, and Infantry
enhancement are all here. As many of us are novices
in the world of miniatures, these are welcome
additions to the issue.
We delve into the units themselves. We explore
the history of the Heavy Tank and its evolution over
time as well as present a strategy article to assist
beginning players to better understand the units
available to them in the game. Plus, there is an
interesting take on what the overrun hex represents
exactly, in real-life scale.
We round out the ‘zine with two new scenarios, an
article where a real-life computer teaches itself to play
Ogre more effectively, and some interesting variant
rules. I believe there is something for everyone in this
issue, no matter your style of play.
I already have a few submissions for a presumed
Ogrezine Mark III. If you are inspired to submit an
article or art, please be sure to review our guidelines
posted on our site and send your queries to ogre@
sjgames.com.
I hope you enjoy Ogrezine Mark II!
- Drew Metzger
Illustrated by Robert Goodwin
2 PRIORITY DISPATCH OGREZINE

THE DAIMYO AND THE DRAGON
by Roland Boshnack
Colonel Kurita smiled. He had outfoxed his Chinese equivalent,
sneaking a Samurai cybertank into a delta, along the bottom of a
deep river, and up onto the beach a stone’s throw from the command
post. The Chinese were scrambling everything they could spare to
defend the makeshift building, but it was nowhere near enough to
stop such a powerful attacker. He allowed himself a moment of pride
at wielding his assigned weapon so expertly . . . until he noticed that
one of the defending unit icons was a flashing interrogative sign.
Toggling his headset, he called down to intel.
“At your order, Lord Kurita. I have a reconnaissance drone nearby.
Redirecting . . . coming over the ridge now . . . ah! It’s an Ogre! Looks
like a Mark III-class, standard weapons loadout though the frame is
different . . . trying to come around . . . I’m sorry, Colonel, they’ve
shot the drone down.”
Kurita sat back and steepled his fingers. The Steel Warrior could
still prevail over his lesser counterpart, though now the outcome of
the battle was far from certain. Still, how did the Chinese manage to
build an Ogre?
Overview and necessary materials. This is a variant of the
standard Mark III Defending scenario.
This scenario may be played with Ogre Designer’s Edition or
Ogre Sixth Edition (+/- Ogre Reinforcements). The Nihon Empire:
North American Divisions and/or the Uncommon Ogres sponsored
sheets are recommended, but not required.
BASIC SCENARIO SETUP

Map. Use the standard Ogre map and deployment rules.
Chinese force. The Chinese People’s Army is on defense with
18 squads of infantry and 15 armor units. Additionally, it has one
Dragon “cybertank” (see Special Rules). Defending units may
be set up anywhere in the North or Central areas of the map. SJ
Games has not produced any specific counters or miniatures for the
Chinese Hegemony in Ogre, so use the red (Combine) counters and Illustrated by Robert Goodwin
a standard red Ogre Mk. III for the Dragon.
Use a Mk. III record sheet; Dragons have identical stats.
Nihon force. The attacking force is the Nihon Imperial Army.
Normally, cybertanks ignore all D results rolled against their
The attacker gets a Samurai (see Special Rules). Use a blue Ogre
components. Containing a human crew, Dragons do not, but their
Mk. V for the Samurai.
size and thick armor limits their effects.
No Cruise Missiles or Crawlers should be used by either side.
If a D result is rolled against a Dragon’s main or secondary
batteries, or against an unfired missile, the weapon is not destroyed.
SPECIAL RULES Instead, place a Disabled marker on the Dragon’s record sheet. Until
the end of the Dragon’s next turn, it suffers the following penalties:
Nihon Samurai. The Samurai (“Steel Warrior”) is a modified,
and somewhat more advanced, cybertank based on stolen plans ►► The Dragon may move a maximum of one hex. It may use this
for the Ogre Mk. V (see record sheet). Note the increased range movement to conduct a ram attack, reduce infantry if it has AP
on the secondary batteries, the presence of missile racks, and the batteries remaining, or initiate an Overrun.
additional AP batteries. ►► The Dragon may only make one ranged attack with its heavy
Chinese “Dragon.” Although far from technologically inferior, (non-AP) weapons. It may combine any number of main and
China never did produce a proper cybertank AI. Their Dragon secondary batteries and missiles into the single attack. AP
“cybertank” actually had a human crew. Against conventional battery attacks against infantry and D0 units do not count; the
opponents, it was a terror. Against a true cybertank, it was decidedly Dragon can continue to make any number of such attacks as
inferior. normal.
OGREZINE THE DAIMYO AND THE DRAGON 3

In an overrun, the Dragon may conduct its “free” ram in its first Empire: North American Divisions counters. The defender gets
fire phase. It may only make one attack (total) per phase with its 18 squads of infantry and 10 AU. This makes a good “challenge”
heavy weapons, but may make any number of attacks with its AP scenario for an expert player (using the Dragon) against a less-
guns against eligible targets. experienced defender. A veteran defender will likely find the
Additional D results have no effect and are ignored until the Dragon to be an easy target!
current Disabled marker is removed. At the end of the Dragon’s next Oni Defending. Nihon also produced a variant of the Ogre Mk.
turn, remove the Disabled marker. It may move and fire normally at III-B, the Oni or “Steel Demon,” (see the record sheet). In this
this point and may be subject to another Disabling. scenario, replace the defending Dragon cybertank with a rogue
Except as noted above, standard Ogre rules apply. Dragons are Oni! Reduce the number of conventional defenders to 15 INF and
worth 14 AU. 10 AU. The Samurai is going to have a much tougher time of things.
(Historical note: According to the Nihon Empire, none of their
cybertanks ever went rogue, so this is a non-canon scenario . . . at
END GAME least, that’s what the official records say.)
Victory Conditions. Use those of the standard Attack the CP Variant Pseudo-Cybertanks. The Dragon’s special rules can be
scenario. used with any other Ogre or cybertank record sheet, representing
other types of ultra-heavy tank. Missile racks count as heavy
weapons. Players are encouraged to experiment!
VARIANTS Use the record sheet found at http://daysofourtrailers.
Dragon Attacking. A Dragon can also be used in the basic Mk. blogspot.com/p/ogre-6e-nihon.html.
III Attack scenario. If available, the defender may use the Nihon
THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY

by Karl K. Gallagher
(with assistance from many contributors on the SJ Games forums)
One of the recurring arguments where Ogre fans gather is

“Superheavy Tanks are too powerful.” That’s an ironic issue for a
unit that started out so weak players refused to use it. The original
Superheavy Tank (SHVY) couldn’t hold its own on the field. New
editions of the game strengthened the unit until it was more than
a match for its value in any other unit. Now the question we face is
whether the SHVY needs to be scaled back from its current strength.
The Superheavy Tank initially debuted in the Shockwave
expansion, which was released in 1984. It mounted a pair of 3/3
guns and moved at M3, and it cost two armor unit (AU) equivalents
to take as part of a force, but any similarities with the current SHVY
end there. The original SHVY had the same terrain restrictions as a
Heavy Tank (HVY), mounted no AP guns, and had D4 for defense
strength.
It was not a popular unit. A single HVY could take one down.
Players would not take any more than one or two because of the
high cost. Even a pair of SHVYs operating on their own wasn’t strong
enough to stand up to a swarm of other units. That forced players
to keep the SHVYs with the rest of their force, which in turn kept
them from using their superior range and mobility to attack first.
A Space Gamer article [http://www.sjgames.com/ogre/articles/
ridewave.html], later reprinted in The Ogre Book, recommended
not selecting any as part of a force.
Those who used SHVYs often would put them in the center of a
line of HVYs as they faced a similar enemy formation. Since a HVY
could destroy a SHVY just as easily as another HVY, the SHVYs would
be targeted first. With luck, the SHVYs would take out enough
enemies to justify their cost before being destroyed.
An even more embarrassing way to lose a SHVY was to stop
within movement range of enemy infantry. Six infantry squads
Illustrated by Robert Goodwin could overrun a SHVY, lose two squads to the main guns, and have
4 THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY OGREZINE

an 89% chance of destroying it. Even four squads were an odds-on There is a Kryptonite for the SHVY, however: the Ogre missile.
favorite to win in an overrun. This was far from a dominant unit on Most missiles are wasted in 2:1 or 3:1 attacks. The SHVY provides a
the battlefield! target that lets the Ogre player get the 1:1 attack that experienced
When Ogre Miniatures came out in 1992, the SHVY was players know gives the best chance of an X result for the attack
improved over the original version. Two AP guns were added to it, to power used.
save it from overruns, and it now had Ogre terrain effects, allowing In “Kill the Command Post,” a SHVY is inferior to two HVYs. The
it to move into water. It was still D4. As a result, although it was a HVYs can soak up two missiles. Ramming them will cost the Ogre
stronger unit, this didn’t change its popularity. four tread units instead of three for the SHVY. The additional attack
Then, the second edition of Shockwave came out in 2000. It power of the HVY is useful when destroying treads – against other
kept the Ogre Miniatures changes and made the SHVY D5. Now units it’s frequently wasted through rounding down or in a 2:1
it took two HVYs to get a 1:1 attack on a SHVY, and a lone GEV attack. But when there’s no Ogre around, a player who chooses an
couldn’t attack one at all. The cost was still the same: two armor all-SHVY force has a good chance of stampeding over an opponent.
unit equivalents or 12 victory points (VPs). This Superheavy could Is this a bad thing?
be in the center of the line of HVYs and be a useful contributor to To this writer, yes, no matter how many games he has won
the battle. doing just that. A danger faced by all game designers is players who
This level of change isn’t unprecedented, even for Ogre. The “optimize the fun out of the game.” If both sides are using the same
stats for both the HVY and GEV were changed between the first and units in the same way, we lose the complexity and variation that has
second editions of Ogre. Game balance is hard. made Ogre such an attractive and beloved game.
In 2008, Ogre Miniatures Update added the D5 change to that Players can avoid this by choosing non-optimum strategies.
version of the game, and added the option of the “partial damage” Many experienced Ogre players do just that when introducing
rule – making the SHVY a “mini-Ogre” that could lose one gun or newcomers to the game. But there should be strategic variations
some of its movement as part of an ongoing degradation of the unit at higher levels of play as well, and different scenarios should have
over time. If using that optional rule, that version would cost three different optimum strategies. The scenarios “Ceasefire Collapse”
armor units rather than two. The partial damage rule hasn’t seen and “Last Train Out” shouldn’t always be won by the same mix of
enough use for it to come up in the regular debates, so it won’t be forces.
discussed here. So, what’s the solution? Multiple options have been discussed
Gradually, the player base realized that a D5 SHVY was much on the Steve Jackson Games forums:
more than one defensive point stronger. It could take on a pair of ►► Change nothing. “Breakthrough,” “Raid,” and Ogre scenarios
HVYs, and win regularly. “Cage match” simulations showed that don’t let SHVYs run wild. We can accept that the stand-up fight
when: scenarios favor the toughest units. But if people liked this
►► A SHVY gets first shot on both HVYs: the SHVY wins 75% of time option, we wouldn’t have so many forum threads complaining
►► A SHVY gets first shot on one HVY (other out of range): the SHVY about Superheavies being too strong. That said, this option is
wins 67% of time preferable to making another change that would make things
worse.
►► One HVY gets first shot on SHVY: the SHVY wins 38% of time
►► Roll back the SHVY to D4. This simply isn’t an option. There
►► Both HVYs get first shot on SHVY: the SHVY wins 32% of time are too many D5 counters out there, too many players who
Given the range advantage of the SHVY, a pair of HVYs would not discovered the game after that rule was already in place, and
often get the first shot in. we’d wind up with a unit that went from overwhelmingly
powerful back to being woefully under-used once again.
Superheavies also could use their mobility to outmaneuver
the other single AU units. It is faster than Missile Tanks and can ►► Remove the AP guns and water movement capability. This
cross terrain that GEVs have to go around. There is no “rock, paper, wouldn’t fix the problem. Most head-to-head battles don’t use
scissors” option with the SHVY – it can beat any other armor unit it those features anyway.
faces more often than not.
OGREZINE THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY 5

►► Limit the fraction of SHVYs in a force. The typical recommendation asymmetric scenarios, the attacker gets better use out of SHVYs
is allowing a player to use only 25% of the starting armor units than the defender (who needs to cover a broader area). So, on
as SHVYs. This would prevent stampedes by herds of SHVYs and the orange map they’d cost 2 AU; for green map defenders,
force more variety into players’ force selection and strategy. But they’d also cost 2 AU; and for green map attackers, they’d cost
it is a brute-force way of achieving the goal. Ideally, we’d have 2.5 AU. For “Ceasefire Collapse,” both sides would be considered
a solution where players would want other units, not just be attackers. Again, this would need playtesting to check if it is
forced to use them. balanced.
►► Increase the cost of SHVYs to 2.5 armor units each (15 VPs). This ►► Expand the CRT to allow 1:3 attacks. If SHVYs can catch a D
would keep Superheavies as an option, but tilt the scale mildly result on a roll of a six from a strength two attack, they can no
against them. It is a popular option. The Cobb Calculator rates longer completely ignore some units. Nor could they overrun a
the SHVY as 14.93 VPs, almost exactly 2.5 AU. What’s lacking is disabled HVY without taking a risk. This would fundamentally
a history of playtests showing 8 SHVYs having a 50-50 chance change the game, however.
of beating 20 HVYs, or any of a variety of other combinations. ►► Embrace the power of “and.” Look at the SHVY as a unit that has
Without that, we can’t be sure the folks arguing for a 3 AU value evolved over time; many systems have been upgraded after not
aren’t right, and then we’d be having this argument again once working out as well as expected in the field. The game could
the new rule was used enough to test it. have an “early” SHVY, being the original Shockwave 1st Ed.
►► Mandate the partial damage SHVY. Instead of having partial version, and a “late” SHVY, which has all the APs and D5 added,
damage as an optional rule, make that the only version players for 2 AU and 2.5 AU, respectively. Scenario designers could
can use. That would increase the cost to 3 AU (or possibly even restrict which one is available depending on the time period.
more) and make the SHVY more durable. But the bookkeeping [Ed. Note: We have included counter “skins” of this earlier SHVY
challenge might discourage players from taking an all SHVY option for those of you who wish to try it.]
force. ►► New ideas. Dear reader, if you have a better idea, please share it.
►► Make the Ogre versions of scenarios the default. SHVYs can The author leans toward option 5, but isn’t certain enough to
only run wild when there’s no Ogres to keep them in check. The insist upon it. Whichever solution is picked should be playtested
solution to that is to always have an Ogre on the board. Right to ensure it actually solves the problem. The key is not just keeping
now, the basic “Ceasefire Collapse” is perfect for Superheavies: the game balanced, but keeping it fun.
a stand-up fight in mixed terrain with no Ogres. But we already
have an Ogre version of that scenario. If that’s the default
instead of an optional rule, SHVYs won’t have as strong an
advantage. Players will choose other units so the Ogres can’t use
missiles and rams to wipe out the SHVYs.
►► Make the cost dependent on the rule set used or scenario side.
On the orange map, SHVYs lose many of their advantages. In
6 THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY OGREZINE

A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE
by John-David Karnitz
The op was blown, there was no doubting that.
Hauptmann Tesch knew it, Leutnant Ebbe Walters knew
it, and so did the rest of Task Force Hornisse.
Even the damned cybertank bloody well knew it,
which was saying something, because it was the damn
cybertank’s fault the Hauptmann, Walters, and four of
his closest friends were along for this particular party.
He should have stayed home in bed. Hell, he should have
stayed home when the war called for him five years ago,
but that hadn’t happened, either.
Walters jammed the throttle forward with his left hand
while his right remained steady on the control stick. The
shock frame in which he was cradled preserved his body
from the worst of the buffeting engendered by a ground-
effect vehicle loping a meter above the ground at well over
a hundred kilometers per hour. It was still a Hell of a ride.
Nuclear sunrises split the night through which they
screamed. These smaller bursts were mere echoes of the
mushroom clouds formed by the command-detonated
mines that had opened the ambush of the Fencer and
its GEV escort in a valley outside Pappenburg. A score
of tracked tanks, heavies and lights both, had erupted
from their concealed positions. Their red icon littered his
heads-up display.
None of the blasts touched the ground-effect vehicle
– Danjal, from the legend on its blunt bow, but officially
bumper number D44 of Fourth Platoon, Company D, 2nd
Battalion, 33rd Paneuropean Brigade (Independent).
Danjal had obediently kept a real-time image of the task
force on a map-readout in a secondary monitor. Not
everyone who had started the operation was still on it.
“Hornet Elements, this is Hornet Six,” the task force net
squawked in the calm, measured, and ultimately inhuman
tones of the task force commander.
That should have been Hauptmann Tesch, aboard
D06, Decarabia. Instead, a metal monster none of them
had even met before got the top slot – which figured with
Sector Command running things directly of late. But where
the blazes was Dec in any event?
“Break and reform vicinity Golf-Rome Two-Two-Six-
Niner. Execute. Out.”
The metal monster hadn’t waited for a reply from any
of its human charges, even a confirmation of receipt of
orders. The bastard probably didn’t care if they made it to
the rally point or not. Maybe it was too busy fighting for its
own life . . .?
Fire split the night anew behind Danjal as it sped away.
The other GEVs were beginning to reform on it. Walther
made out three blips beside his own.
“Think . . . that . . . thing knows . . . something . . .
we don’t?” Lukacs Fielder asked from the weapon-system’s
OGREZINE A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE 7

operator position to the right of Walters’ command chair. Even “Delta Zero-Six, this is Delta Four-Four. Come in, over,” Walters
suspended in the shock cradle, technology could only do so much to asked over the task-force frequency. He waited for a few beats and
protect him from the jolts of a ground-effect vehicle slamming over then queried again.
terrain at two meters off the ground and a hundred fifty kilometers After a few moments, he pursed his lip as if to spit. Instead of
per hour and rising. fouling his fighting compartment, he grimaced and swung Danjal
“Who the Hell knows what those bloody things think, Lucky?” wide around a copse of trees that – despite being fifteen meters
Walters demanded over the howl of the podded turbines mounted high on average and half a kilometer wide in aggregate – managed
on the pylons at the aft end of their craft. “Who the Hell cares?” to sneak up on him.
But he was just mad, really. Mad at the Amis – the North “Negative contact. Max Delta elements, this is Four-Four;
American Combine troops – who, after fifteen years of war, wouldn’t assuming command of the escort element. Rendezvous at Romeo
simply go home. Mad at himself for getting in a position where he’d Papa Two-Two-Six-Niner. Out.”
have to deal with the metal monsters, let alone follow them. And He shaped Danjal’s course to the north and the rally-point the
mad at the cybertank for putting them all in this predicament in the cybertank had marked out for them. It was in an area of broken
first place. ground well away from the course the operational orders had set
He missed the fold in the ground until they were already on top out for them at their firebase outside the recently liberated city
of it. – liberated ruins – of Bremen. Maybe that mechanical monster
“Bleeding Christ!” Fielder exploded after Danjal had landed – thought the Combine troops wouldn’t be looking for them there.
hard – from the bounce it had taken. “Give me a damn chance, here, Things being what they were, maybe it saw a clot of them already
will you?!” there and wanted to save its own skin at the cost of a half-dozen
meat bags instead.
“Just hang the Hell on, Weps,” Walters replied through teeth
that were not gritted only because he was too focused on the terrain That iron-shod demon was probably winging its way south west
before him and the controls in each gloved hand, throttle in the left as fast as its tracks could carry it. Meanwhile, Walters and his merry
and control stick in the right. “Just take a damn shot whenever you band of unloved bastards might be headed right into a maelstrom.
bear.” Walters paused in his reflection while he negotiated a pass
The Lord knew there were enough targets lying about right now. between two hills that blocked out his sight of the surrounding
terrain for a moment. Danjal bounced up, onto, and over a roadway
The WSO was a veteran enough to know that even a meter rise that had seen better days since the civilian infrastructure in this
in a grassland was not inconsequential at a hundred and fifty area had collapsed following the invasion several years before. On
kph. Even at two meters-altitude, Walther himself was hanging his screen, he could see the three other survivors of the screening
on for dear life. And in times like the present, returning fire was element for the cybertank coalescing behind his speeding ground-
always encouraged, but the need for accuracy decreased in inverse effect vehicle.
proportion to the need to escape what had become death ground.
Well, if the monster was running, it couldn’t be doing it any
Still, Lucky Fielder was a professional, and if Danjal was headed better than they themselves were. From the shadows cast by the
away from the contact area as fast as its lift fans and flexible skirts glare of heavy weapons-fire behind them, it wasn’t having as
could take it, he would try to make his mark. Futile as it might have notable success, though.
been, he had the twin-thirty millimeters on the roof-mount over
the fighting compartment horsed over the back deck for a Parthian Bloody Hell.
shot. They were well out of range, and they were antipersonnel “Nearing the rally-point, Lucky,” Walters said over the intercom.
weapons besides, but at least it gave the gunner something to do. “Give me a scan-report, yes?”
Walters could still see the reflections of the mushroom clouds “Delta elements, Four-Four,” he said over the task-force
from the command-detonated mines in his mind’s-eye as if they frequency. “Conform to my movements and follow me in to the
were memories from decades past, and not merely a collection of Romeo-Papa. We will sweep in on our present course, clear the
minutes ago. site, then hook back around and invest it from the north and await
The rest of the task force’s escort elements had scattered in all further instruction. Four-Four, out.”
directions like a burst star-shell when the ambush first popped. He didn’t need nor require confirmation from the remaining
They were on his ass now, though. The escort element of TF Hornisse skirts. Everyone in Dusty Delta, 2/33, was a veteran, and those in
was a good team, even if they had been dropped into the midst of the Fourth Platoon had been together longer than most. What they
a Class A disaster. He knew that because he had a twenty-percent were doing now was about as standard an operation as there was.
mask of the task-force’s position and status readouts on his heads’- Other than escorting a damn cybertank into Ami-held territory and
up display. That was a part of his job, to be ready to jump into the getting whacked before they were halfway to the objective area.
commander’s seat the moment it became available. Well, life is risk.
Which it very well might be, since the icon for the hauptmann’s “Board is clear,” the WSO replied coolly; now that the immediate
ship, Decarabia, was notably absent. Along with Four-Three. danger was passed he wasn’t looking for a throat to tear out and
Walters hadn’t seen anything, of course. But he could well imagine take with him. “Solid nothing for ten kays.”
the sudden sunrise erupting beneath a hovercraft. He could see
its flexible skirts ballooning in the microsecond they still existed. “Roger that,” the pilot responded. “Stay sharp, though.”
Its crew looking down in horror as the floor of their fighting “Like a tack.”
compartment disintegrated under the onslaught of hellfire so
complete that only a column of smoke would provide both their Danjal led the three other GEVs into the swale and out the other
epitaph and grave marker . . . side. Their lift-fans screamed as the pilots added power to pull
themselves out of the northern end of the depression, then wailed
8 A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE OGREZINE

anew after they had reversed course and dropped back into the low “Christ Alive,” he breathed while the rest of the escort
ground. The newly-appointed command vehicle cantered to a halt detachment – his detachment for the time being – reported on their
and each of the skirts faced outwards in a cruciform before dropping status. All green. For now.
to the loamy soil. Beside him, Fiedler stretched minimally and sighed softly,
If they had been on a proper roadway or track, they might have a sound barely audible even in the near sudden silence of the
adopted a herringbone, but this far into Ami country, all around fighting compartment after their frenzied flight from the killing
defense – even at a short halt – seemed like the best plan. They fact zone. The whisper of the fans under the floor of the compartment
they were within a dozen meters of their fellows and not a kilometer was noticeable more from their vibration than as a sound. The
or more was risky enough. The fact that they were here at all was at viewscreen, status monitors, and Fiedler’s attack board provided
once a curse and a minor miracle. the only illumination, giving Danjal’s two crew members a pale,
Walters idled the pylon-mounted turbines and dropped the sickly coloration that reminded Walters of a three-day old corpse.
incidence of the lift fan blades to zero but kept them spinning so He reached over and slapped his five-point restraint harness with
they could slide at a moment’s notice. He sat for a moment and let the heel of his right hand and lurched upwards to pop the hatch with
his mind absorb the present reality. He thought he could detect the his left. He stood on the pedestal of his seat and steadied himself on
echo of a flash of explosions to the west. the hatch coaming. The blast of fresh air was disorienting; clear,

cool and dark after the miasma of fearful anticipation building up To the west, three distinct pulses of light brightened the
in the fighting compartment since they had buttoned up prior to horizon. It took several seconds to hear the dull reports;
crossing the line of departure hours before. crumpcrumpTHOOOM!
They were in a swale whose lips sheltered them from direct view “So we head back,” Trager replied. Ebbe Walters had never met
from the adjoining grassland. The rise on both sides provided a frame someone quicker to put a boot on someone’s throat than Mitzi, but
for the formless clouds overhead. As a child, the only constellation she was more pragmatic than most. “Just give the word.”
he had been readily able to find was Orion, but he hadn’t seen a clear “Great, so we’re headed back, then?” Jankowitz asked from his
night sky in almost a decade, since the war began. Modern nuclear skirt. “If so, I say we bid that big bastard good riddance and pull up
munitions had remarkably low yields compared to their ancient stakes right now.”
progenitors, but their profusion made up for that. Regardless, he
still missed seeing the stars. The Greeks grunted assent. “That thing probably has killed all
the Amis anyways,” Ioannou interjected dispiritedly. “And is trash
Walters gripped the rim of the hatch tightly, then made his now besides. I say we leave it and try again tomorrow. Another day,
hands relax in increments. After a time, he half-raised his helmet’s another Ogre.”
visor. He scrabbled for a black-papered Eckstein and lit it with
his minitorch so he could think. He could feel the eyes of the No one laughed, but all felt the corners of their mouths twitch
other skirt-commanders on him; watching, waiting. Through his upwards. It had been a black joke amongst the Paneuropean forces
bulbous commo-helmet’s earphones he could hear the susurrus of since before any of those present had been old enough to put on a
quiescent ground-effect vehicles – “skirts” to their crews – waiting uniform. It had only taken a different meaning, one that was at least
like leashed hounds in the lightening veil of dust that was slowly as dark, once Paneurope had started fielding their own cybertanks.
settling from their arrival. “Roger that,” Jankowitz, a survivor of two other platoons over
Mitzi Trager aboard D42, Dagon, would be standing up in the past year, said. “Let the bloody cybertank take some bloody hits
her hatch as well, just as Jankowitz in D41, Dracula, would stay for a change and leave us the Hell out of it.”
buttoned up until they reached basecamp. Ioannou aboard D13, Walters grimaced despite himself. He took a long drag of his
Demogorgon, and his WSO would both be standing in their chairs as Eckstein and tossed the filter into the intake fan amidships of
if on a holiday. Well, the pair were Greek; they were only here to kill his craft. He was not – none of them were, or else they wouldn’t
Amis and drink ouzo; what did they care about elsewise? Other than be crewing skirts – one to run from a fight, but the ambush wasn’t
the fact that they were out of ouzo and had to switch to retsina. one they had a chance of winning. The cybertank could, and it was
Walters faced around and found himself facing the others from in charge when it had sent them away, and now when it was still
their hatches, just as he expected. He felt a sudden surge of warmth evidently still fighting. It had been an order Walters, and the rest,
for the men and women that he had known for months, or even surely, had been quick and happy to obey. Who the Hell wanted to
years in the case of Trager. As far as he was concerned, the mission die for a machine that took up half a city block?
was scrubbed; he only had to get them home safely . . . Hell, who wanted to die in the first place? Maybe the cybertanks
“What’s next?” Mitzi asked for the other three; this close, they did; they certainly didn’t seem to care much . . . though in their
were speaking on the inter-ship laser and there was little need for hearts, none of the troopers present really believed they were going
regular commo procedures, let alone security from outside listeners. to die, not now especially.
Walters made himself shrug, but that was as much a mental The WSOs were beginning to clamber back aboard. Fiedler gave
reaction as it was a physical one. He was spent already and between the leutnant a thumbs-up before he slipped back into the fighting
darkness lighted by their helmet-visors’ integral vision enhancers compartment. Beneath them both, Danjal purred like a contented
and distance, the movement would be barely visible to the trim lioness.
brunette. On the other side of the cruciform the skirts formed, light The escort commander murmured a command to his helmet
flared anew as Ioannou lit up another cigarette. and Danjal’s core obediently projected a slice of the operational
“First things, first – check out your skirts and make sure graphics on his visor. There were only a few real options back to
everything is in one piece. Then . . . look, the mission is scratched the firebase outside Bremen. None of them looked great, but things
so far as I can tell,” he continued. “Whatever the blazing Hell that were shifting even at the relatively small scale at which Walters was
thing thinks of the situation.” viewing them. He could see a route to the south, past Ganderkesee,
paralleling the E233 that might work.
He thumbed back to the west where every so often light still
flared. Nothing came over the net, though, and Fiedler would be He wondered if that road, 233, was an omen.
watching his screen to alert them all if anything changed, locally He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Fiedler,
or back where the cybertank was evidently still fighting. Thunder speaking over the intership linkage for the benefit of all. “Incoming
pulsed, incongruously out of sync with the lightshow. Walters traffic from Scepter. On the hard channel.”
found himself opening and closing his left hand reflexively and
willed it still. He took a drag of his Eckstein. Walters grimaced for real now. Scepter was the call sign for
Sector Command this night, and they were calling over the satellite
Almost immediately, the WSOs from each skirt popped their net using laser comms bounced off orbital debris. Communications
hatches. Fielder paused to remote a readout of his attack board to in such a manner could be tricky, but there was no more secure way
his commo-helmet. They picked their way down the boarding ladder to send traffic over a continental battlefield populated by so much
inset into the sides of the fighting compartment and began a quick jamming, electromagnetic hash, and prying eyes and ears. No one
spate of preventative maintenance. It wasn’t especially common for wanted to talk to the people that sent others off to die on a whim
the crews to dismount in the middle of Amiland, but doing so now with such regularity as SeCom. But it wasn’t something that was
was infinitely better than finding a problem at operational altitude denied, all the same.
and speed during a run-to-contact.

“Hornisse Echo element, this is Scepter Two-Five. Stand by for Someone blew a raspberry over the line, while Trager chuckled
Change Order, over.” lightly.
The voice was clipped and businesslike. Bored, even. Walters “Lot of Amis headed here, not so?” Ioannou mused suddenly.
wondered if it was a machine and not some nameless functionary “Maybe we stick around and pot a few. Then head back for tomorrow?
who wore a uniform in name only. It would be fitting to start getting Perhaps that devil is not as bad as we thought, eh?”
even general orders from machine intelligences instead of just “The sooner we are rid of it, the sooner we can get back
tactical ones. Hell of a war – to something more survivable,” Jankowitz replied. In this he
“Scepter Two-Five, this is Delta Four-Four. Roger. Standing by.” was pretty much speaking for them all: they were hunters, not
“Prepare to pull back to Point Tango on order. Refit, resupply, shepherds. Tying them down to a specific location, even a mobile
and prepare for follow-on mission. Over.” one, was a recipe for disaster on an individual basis.
Walters reached for another Eckstein. “Wilco, Scepter Two-Five.

Withdraw to Point Tango on order for refit, resupply, and follow-
on mission. What about the Hornisse Prime
Element, over?”
There was a pause on the other end of the
link, which made Walters smile under the
gentle glow of his minitorch. The brief flame
turned the gesture into the leer of a devil.
“Hornisse Prime will have to fend for
itself; your primary mission objective is
unattainable at present but substantial enemy
forces are being drawn to your area. Prepare
for exfiltration; execute in one-zero mikes,
Delta Four-Four. Scepter Two-Five, out.”
And that was that.
“Huh,” Lucky said from his hole. “Didn’t
even ask how we were doing. How rude.”
Walters thumbed upwards towards the
glowering sky; he thought he could detect an
imperceptible brightening to the east. Maybe
they would live to see another sunrise. “They
know everything we do already.”
He didn’t bother adding that there was
no sense reporting their status for SeCom’s
planning purposes until they were back
behind the front-line trace; a lot could happen
between now and then. Mostly bad. SeCom
had a point, though: this mission was blown,
but a lot of Combine troops were headed to
be in on the Fencer’s kill. Hard lines for the
blasted cybertank, but tomorrow’s op would
have four scouts who had been through the
area recently.
Well, life was a series of trade-offs. Until
you died.
“Follow-on operation, eh?” Jankowitz said
dejectedly. “This one wasn’t good enough for
them?”
“What did you think was going to happen,
Janko?” Trager spat with mild venom. “Take
the rest of the war off?”
“Well, we’ve been attacking each other
since I can remember,” Dracula’s commander
retorted. “Hasn’t worked yet for either side.”
“Settle down, you two,” Walters said.
“Really, Janko, you want to give up all this
and go home to your wife and kids?”

“We stay here until we go,” Walters returned. “I am quite sure sustained considerable damage to primary offensive capabilities
we will get our chance to kill as many Amis as we can find on the and motive systems. This includes critical failures to fifty percent
next op.” of missile-launching equipment and direct-fire weaponry. Point
“Where we will be on the vanguard, no doubt,” Trager said as defense array holding at seventy-five percent capacity. Running
a statement of ironic fact, not a general complaint. “So cheer up, gear down to seventy-three percent with resultant loss of ground
Jank. And you too, Yanni.” speed and maneuverability. Over.”
“Opa!” Ioannou chortled before sobering. “So it is settled, then, The leutnant blinked despite himself. Below him and to his
yes? We blow out of here, leave the devil to its fate, and then prepare right, he could feel Lucky Fiedler shift uncomfortably in his cradle.
for tomorrow?” It was a hell of a situation for the poor bastard to be in, but at least
he and his were clear . . .
Walters shifted uncomfortably on the pedestal of his command
chair. Leave the devil to its fate, Ioannou had said from atop “Ah, good copy, Hornet Six,” he replied while his eyes searched
Demogorgon. Walters hated the cybertanks for what they were, for the display on his visor that he unconsciously increased from its
what they represented – a weapon so terrible even their creators typical twenty percent mask of his visor to forty. “I estimate at least
viewed them askance. But he wondered now how he would feel ten mikes before the lead elements of the approaching force will
about himself on other mornings when he thought about it cracked make contact at your vicinity. Recommend you withdraw towards
open and burning as they ran away. my location and we retrograde together. Over.”
Walters shook himself. Doesn’t really matter, he thought, but The troop net remained silent, but he could well-imagine the
Fiedler looked up with a querying eyebrow as if he had spoken. The incredulous rage of his troopers as they listened to the erstwhile
escort commander cleared his throat as a cover and said, “Weps, task force commander and the escort leader make a paradigmatic
plot us a course past Ganderkesse and back to basecamp. Be ready shift in their fortunes. But they were professionals of the Army of
to execute on order in five.” Paneurope, God love them. For better or worse.
Lucky gave him a thumbs-up and started working his attack/ And, Hell, they were all volunteers to be crewing the skirts,
plotting board. When he was finished, he would upload it to the rest weren’t they?
of the detachment without needing to be asked. It wouldn’t take “Negative, Four-Four,” the distant cybertank breathed after a
long, but it gave Walters a moment to think. moment, a microsecond of consideration that might well have been
As he did so, he saw the first of what promised to be a wave of interminable deliberation for a colloid mind. “I ascertain a probable
red beginning to build on his sensor readout. Just a few icons, and likelihood of success against the plausible approaching force of
unspecific due to the range. But thanks to a complicated mixture of less than eight percent. A withdrawal in my present condition will
sat-recon, signals intelligence, data-linked but hitherto unknown increase that in the short term, but not eliminate the chances of
friendly elements, and the task force’s own sensors, they were failure to a broadly acceptable degree.”
visible. At present, it was just a handful approaching from the The infernal machine paused long enough that Walters
northwest, moving slowly but methodically towards the cybertank’s wondered if it was for human benefit or because the blasted things
location. was actually considering what the import of its next words would
He couldn’t tell why the Fencer had sent them away when the be. “Prepare to execute your orders, Four-Four. Over.”
ambush popped instead of keeping them around as a foil for the The leutnant’s mind whirled, and Mitzi Trager’s voice broke in
attackers sure to follow up their initial advantage. Hell, it was their on the troop net. “Dammit, Walters, if the damn thing wants to
job to screen the monster, even if they were cold meat in a surprise die so much, let it have its chance!” she said, her usual dispassion
knife-fight. broken by the heat of the moment.
But sent them away to safety it had – From the attack console, Lucky Fiedler cleared his throat.
“Hornet elements, this is Hornet Six,” the commo virtually “Bandits coming on hard, now, sir. Whatever we do, stick or move,
exploded in his ears. “Come in, any station this net. Over.” we gotta do it quick.”
“Bloody Hell,” someone mumbled over the troop net before “What are we waiting for?” Jankowski wondered incredulously.
professionalism reasserted itself. In the distance, Walters could see “It’s time to make dust!”
Mitzi slam a fist down on her hatch coaming and then stab her left Ioannou remained characteristically silent while he and his WSO
hand to the east imperiously. awaited a chance to kill, whether it be now or twenty-four hours
“Hornet Six, this is Delta Four-Four, over,” Walters responded from now. On Walter’s visor, the icons were beginning to coalesce
by rote but his mind was whirling amidst a kaleidoscope of images as they neared the quiescent cybertank and their identities could
of nebulous red icons, eye-searing nuclear bursts, and thin glowing be more accurately assessed. The pair of mobile howitzers in the
paths home – and hope. enemy force would be in range in minutes at worst.
“Delta Four-Four, Hornet Six. Situation is untenable. Large Walters slammed both his hands on the edge of his hatch
enemy force building to the southwest and headed to present coaming in frustration and the sudden unyielding rage of a veteran
location. What is your present status? Over.” who knew in his bones there was always a new fight to be had if only
one was alive to face it. “Hornet Six, a slight chance is better than no
“Six, we have four victors. Have received orders to exfil,” Walters chance at all!” he roared back at the machine that was had ceased
responded, almost breathlessly. “Will you, ah, be able to rendezvous being only an inanimate object, as well as his nominal superior. “If
at our location? Over.” you start moving now, we can cover you back to friendly lines, Lord
“Four-Four, negative,” the monster said; the voice it now used take you!”
had a different timbre and inflexion than previously; it was out of When the machine spoke anew, its voice was softer than before,
sight to the east but the leutnant could feel its vast presence. “I have “Four-Four, one of your fundamental texts inveighs that greater

love has no more than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. He dropped the throttle and Danjal nosed out of the swale,
Your orders are to recover to friendly lines and prepare for a more picking up altitude and speed as they went. The three other GEVs
successful thrust in the very near future. Execute those orders now, formed on them in wedge with D44 in the lead.
Herr Leutnant. Good luck and Godspeed. Hornet Six, out.” Walters keyed the task force net. “Hornet Prime, this is Delta
By now, everyone knew what was really going to happen. The Four-Four. Hold what you got. Help is on the way.”
Fencer would sacrifice itself, to be sure. But the next thrust would In the distance, the embattled Fencer stood in profile against
be right here, in the hole that the monster would blast in the Ami a trebled flare of light as three shells found its sleekly broad hull
lines during its death throes. The onrushing Combine troops were amidships, a living symbol of Man’s inhumanity to man. The
simply too bent on slaughter of a wounded foe to realize what they four human-crewed vehicles howled towards it, like moths to a
were doing in full truth: rushing into their own trap. The enemy beckoning flame.
battalion – in aggregate – that they would lose destroying the giant
would leave this sector critically undermanned.
Walters cursed bitterly and slipped back into his
command chair, elbowing the crash bar to drop the
hatch over him and worming his leaded arms into the
harness and locking its closure-points down. His ears
popped as the overpressure system equalized to seal out
the contaminants of a soon-to-be nuclear battlefield.
Mathematically, operationally, it made perfect,
clinical sense. The demon out of sight certainly saw it
that way. But humans were ruled by baser instincts.
Humans on both sides of the line.
To the west, wicked light flashed. Contact. Hell, they
were going to be late . . .
“Delta elements, this is Delta Four-Four,” he said over
the troop net formally. “You have your courses marked
for exfiltration. Prepare to execute on command.” He
took a deep breath and reached over and squeezed the
WSO’s shoulder. “Delta Four-Two is in charge. Danjal will
instead move to reinforce the Hornet Prime element in
order to secure your safe withdrawal. Any last words,
troopers?”
“This is Four-Two,” Trager responded almost as if
she had expected the orders; and maybe she had. They
had slid together for long enough. “Negative. Dagon
will accompany the leader on his ill-advised foray. Four-
Two, out.”
Ioannou chuckled into his boom-mike. “Now is
better than later, not so? Demogorgon will find its own
way back with the rest of you. One-Three, out.”
“This is Four-One,” Jankowitz said after a heartbeat,
then another. “Let’s get this over with, then. Dracula,
out.”
Walters grinned despite himself. Lukacs Fiedler
snorted and cursed mildly. They reached over and shook
hands, maintaining the contact for a few seconds longer
than absolutely necessary because, for the moment,
they still could.
“Hell, it won’t be that bad,” Walters said as he
dropped the incidence of the lift fan blades to increase
their bite of the air being sucked in by the intake fan.
Danjal lifted to a dynamic stasis and the WSO scanned
his attack board to ensure all their weapons were live.
They were going to need them.
“Well, it can’t be any worse than where we are now,”
Fiedler deadpanned over the rising cacophony.
Ebbe Walters blinked, and then laughed out loud. It
was a long time since he had done that.

INFANTRY MAGNETS
by Cat Reddington-Wilde
What is the most useful way to mount Ogre infantry miniatures
on their bases to easily allow for casualty removal and transfer
between bases and personnel carriers? Magnets.
The plastic infantry that come with the Ogre Miniatures sets
have a very practical basing system with plastic tabs and slots that
allows the figures to be snapped in and out of both their bases and
the GEV-PCs. They are well designed for quick and easy use right out
of the box. Studying my figures when they first arrived, though, I
began to wonder if there might be a better way. Meditating on the
tab mechanics led to the conclusion that this arrangement could be
improved with a little work and a lot of magnets. Initial experiments
proved successful, so I ordered supplies online in bulk.
Needed ingredients are: 1/8” x OD 3/4” zinc plated fender
washers, 1mm x OD 2mm rare earth magnets, and custom base
toppers to fit the washers. I sent a sample of a washer, a plastic
base, and an infantry figure to my friendly local laser cutting
company, Things From The Basement, LLC. They designed and cut
the chipboard toppers with holes that keep the miniatures properly always check each one after it is in place. Remove any wayward
spaced and aligned facing the same direction. Some assembly is magnets (pressing hard with the blunt tip of a file or tweezers
required. usually does the trick) and re-glue in the proper direction. To be
Prepare the infantry by removing the plastic tabs from the double-sure that the magnet stays in place over continued use,
bottom of each base. They come off easily with sprue snips. Shave smoosh a little bit of putty into any gaps around the edges, then top
off the remaining stubs with a hobby knife, leaving a flat surface. with a thin layer of glue to harden the putty. Testor’s Contour Putty
Mark a drilling spot in the center of the figure’s base with the tip of is inexpensive, easy to use with no mixing involved, and good for
the knife. Drill a hole with a 2mm bit in a pin vise. Check for magnet jobs like this.
fit in the hole, reaming lightly with the knife if more clearance is Repeat the process for each figure. Repeat it a lot. It is a simple
needed. procedure, but with Kickstarter quantities of infantry, it is a time-
consuming chore. Watch a pile of monster movies while working
on this project. My initial math was wrong. Doing a few magnets
doesn’t take much time, but a lot of magnets adds up to a lot of
time.
I spray painted the bases in matching colors for each force. I
sub-divided each of the blue, green, and red forces into light and
dark battlegroups to facilitate identification in large multi-player
games. The bottoms of the bases are painted in a solid color to speed
up sorting and packing everything in the correct boxes at the end
of a game. The tops are sprayed with a variety of colors to achieve
a speckled effect. Finally, they are spray varnished for protection.
Base toppers like these would also work for making extra infantry
bases even if you are just gluing figures to the base and don’t want
to spend time filling texture around the tiny base of each figure to
When gluing the magnets in, it is important to triple check that blend them in.
every one is inserted with the same polarity alignment. Any figures
with opposite alignments may want to leap out of their assigned
spaces and stick to each other. I work with a small stack of the
2mm magnets that have another stack of larger magnets stuck at
one end. The larger magnets act as a handle and make sure that
the 2mm magnets always have the same facing pointing towards
the hole.
Any glue for metals will work; I prefer Zap-A-Gap CA glue. A
toothpick is a useful non-magnetic tool to press on the inserted
magnet to get it flat and level with the bottom of the base.
Sometimes a magnet might spin around before the glue sets, so
14 INFANTRY MAGNETS OGREZINE

A big advantage of the magnet system is its flexibility beyond
the plastic Ogre miniatures. Other additional figure styles can be
GEV-PCs need a metal floor to transport the bemagnetted used for specialist troops, such as Marines and Heavy Weapons
infantry. Remove the plastic floor with sprue snips and knife. Teams. Once equipped with a magnet, any figure can be swapped in
The snips quickly achieve the initial chopping. Trim and finish and out of the bases and vehicles. Once equipped with a magnetic
the edges with knife and hobby file. I carved out the whole mid- floor, any truck or hovertruck can be added to the motor pool.
level area of the passenger well, cutting right up to the ends of Additional infantry and transport vehicles won’t be limited to those
the indented space as can be seen in the photographs. This extra with plastic tabs and slots.
length will accommodate alternate figures that might require a Most importantly, the system has worked very well during play.
little more space. Glue a magnetic metal floor onto the underside We have a group of friends that get together regularly to play Ogre,
of the vehicle. A number of small companies make metal bases for and everyone has been very happy with how smoothly the magnets
wargaming miniatures. I ordered custom cut 11/32” x 3/4” bases work for loading and unloading infantry from GEV-PCs, and for the
from Shogun Miniatures to use for the floors. dread casualty removal. The work put into this project will amortize
To be able to store and transport the infantry in a Plano box with very well over time and continued game play!
the rest of their force, I made caddies from 28 gauge galvanized
steel. The figures could be stored in common mint tins, but those
don’t easily fit inside the larger storage box. I picked up a small
sheet of steel at the big box hardware store and cut 6” x 1.5” strips
on a band saw, filed the edges smooth, and bent them to shape
by hand over a hard corner surface. I used the edge of my anvil
because I have one, but really any workbench table edge will do.
After doubling over the handle, the final step was to squeeze the
fold tight using a bench vise. The resulting caddy has a 4” long floor
and fits in a double slot in the box.
All of my plastic miniatures have a base coat of Krylon spray
paint and a final spray varnish of Testor’s Dullcote on top. Krylon
on plastic is nearly indestructible and will not chip. The varnish
on top ensures that other detail painting won’t rub off. With this
combination of protection, it is quite safe to store and transport the
models loosely packed in the storage box as shown.
OGREZINE INFANTRY MAGNETS 15

OVERRUN HEX
by Tim Kauffman
A hex in Ogre is 1.5 kilometers wide

An Ogre Mark V is 25.5 meters long
Placing 25.5-meter smaller hexes in an over-
sized 1.5-kilometer game hex, we can see the
relative size of an Ogre Mark V scaled to the game
hex, which is approximately 59 hexes wide
This is where overruns occur
16 OVERRUN HEX OGREZINE

IRON MOUNTAIN
by J. Richard Jarvinen
“Well, sir, what do you think?” “All right, corporal, you’re dismissed. Catch up with the van.
Captain Emory R. Hanson, Third Army, Paneurope, slowly The last wagon should have some medical equipment to take care
lowered his field glasses from the small plume of dust rapidly of that arm.”
approaching his transport column. “Yes, sir,” said Jacobs and went running back into his GEV, which
“Yeah, lieutenant, it looks like one of ours. Probably Jacobs, started almost immediately. Lifting clumsily from the ground, it
judging from the direction.” slowly accelerated up the road in pursuit of the convoy.
“But he’s not supposed to report for another half-hour. And Hanson sat down, wiping his hand over his mouth, a habit most
besides, wouldn’t he call if there were trouble?” people recognized in him as a sign of extreme anxiety. His driver,
Sergeant Wiles, looked at him speculatively. “Well, do you think we
“Yes, he would. If he could.” Captain Hanson had reason to can outrun it?”
worry. He was solely responsible for delivering ten truckloads
of sodium nitrate to Launch Site B, high on Iron Mountain. Four Hanson paused before responding. “I don’t know. I hope to hell
armored vehicles, three GEVs and five squads of powered infantry we can. Catch up with the trucks. I’ve got some figuring to do,”
ought to be adequate protection, but. . . As the jeep started off, Hanson reached into a compartment and
grabbed a map and pocket calculator. He began to figure.
“Lieutenant!” snapped Captain Hanson. “I
want you to inform all drivers that they are to When they reached the rear of the convoy,
proceed at maximum possible speed. Now!” Lieutenant Bourcher was waiting in his own
jeep.
The lieutenant hesitated, as if to say
something, but apparently thought better “Did you find out what it was?”
of his impulse. “Yes, sir,” he said, and ran Hanson frowned at his question. “It’s an
quickly down the caravan to issue the order. Ogre, lieutenant, and it’s coming straight
Hanson raised his glasses again and peered at us.” The lieutenant paled, while Hanson
over the windscreen of his jeep, studying the continued. “Here’s what I want you to do.
unexpected and unidentified vehicle. The Up ahead there’s a large turnout. I want all
roar of the giant diesels reverberated through the lead tanks and GEVs to pull over and let
the air as the 4-ton trucks began their arduous the main convoy pass. Then they are to pull
climb up the mountain road. in after the last truck and be ready for action
Five minutes later, Hanson was still from the rear. And Lieutenant, I want this
standing in his jeep when one of his GEVs information radioed. Now!” The lieutenant
drew up close and shut down its power, falling jumped up, barked a “yessir,” and ran off.
to the earth with a cry of tearing metal, rather “OK, sergeant, let’s go. I want to be at the
than settling slowly as air-cushioned vehicles front of this convoy ASAP.” Sergeant Wiles
normally stop. The door literally flew open and put the jeep into gear, jammed down the
Corporal Jeffrey Jacobs stumbled out, his left pedal and they raced off, gravel and rubber
arm hanging bloody and useless at his side. scattering behind them. Captain Hanson
“Sir,” he panted, “an Ogre! It almost got us! Blew our radio out looked at his watch and then went back to work on his calculator.
on the first shot. It was all we could do to get away. Simpson’s dead, The lieutenant had now joined Captain Hanson in his jeep as it
Meyer’s hurt, but not badly . . .” raced along in, front of the convoy. Anxiously he looked up.
“Easy, son,” the captain interrupted. “Just tell me what I want to “Do you think we can outrun it?” he asked.
know. How far back is it and what direction is it headed?” “No, lieutenant, I do not.”
The corporal paused to catch his breath. When he did speak, it The lieutenant bit his lip. “Then, I guess we’ll . . .” his voice
was in gasps and he kept wiping his brow with his good arm. “We cracked slightly as he spoke, “we’ll have to fight it.”
spotted it about 40 klicks back, just before it saw us. We exchanged
a couple of shots and then we took off. It must still be following us, “Yes, we will. But I’ll tell you what we’re going to do, just in
but our radar went out with our radio.” Jacobs eyed the remains case we suddenly have a new commander.” Hanson looked hard
of the antenna that had flown proudly atop his vehicle. He turned at the lieutenant, who returned his gaze with determination, if
back, half smiling. “I think we got a couple of hits on its treads.” not with confidence, fully aware of who was second in command.
“Now, here’s a map of the roads leading up Iron Mountain.” Hanson
“Good work, corporal. Did you recognize the type?” sketched briefly on a small pad.
“No, sir, not exactly, but from the size, it must have been a Mark “The numbers are the distances in kilometers from one
III. It was kinda hard to judge at our distance and we ran pretty intersection to the next. We’re at point X and are trying to reach B,
fast.” the secondary launch site. The small, curvy line is the old post road.
OGREZINE IRON MOUNTAIN 17

It’s been unused for several years. Going up, you’ll see we have Ten minutes later, Captain Hanson and the lieutenant, trailing
two possible destinations. Regardless of our destination, the Ogre, the convoy once more, looked up suddenly as the sound of muffled
with his superior speed, will be able to catch up. Our only advantage, explosions filled the air.
and I emphasize only, is the Ogre doesn’t know to which site we’re “First blood. Hand me the radio. Baldini, can you read me?
headed. It turns out that if we’re going to A, we should take the old What’s happening?”
road, and if we’re going to B, we should take the new one. At least,
that’s what we should do if we want to prevent the Ogre from getting Baldini’s voice came back over the speaker, weak but clear. “Yes,
in front of us, which it could do if it took the opposite route from us. sir, we read you. Just like you said, Captain. The Ogre came tearing
Which is exactly why we’re going to take the old road.” around the corner, not suspecting a thing. We got in a couple of
good shots, but it’s still coming strong. We’re going in for a second
“But I thought you just said that if we take the old road to get to attack. Over.”
site B, the Ogre could head us off by taking the new one. Wouldn’t
that be stupid? Ahh . . . excuse me, sir.” “Good work, Baldini.”
“That’s all right, lieutenant. Yes, that would be stupid. And the “My God!” Baldini’s voice broke in. “It’s got four missiles!
Ogre knows we’re not stupid. I hope. Therefore it will assume we’re But it’s only the size of a Mark III. It also looks like it has two –”
headed to site A, and thus follow us up the post road. It would lose Baldini’s voice was suddenly cut off, and a few seconds later,
more time by taking the new one if that’s where we’re headed.” another explosion reached their ears. Hanson looked grim.
“Just what does this buy us, Captain?” the lieutenant asked, “Come on, lieutenant. Time to set another ambush.”
with more than a trace of disapproval. “Is that possible, sir? Could a Mark III have four missiles? And
“About ten minutes, lieutenant. About ten minutes.” what else was he trying to say?”
“And if the Ogre guesses right?” “Could be a later version of the same model. And I’m afraid he
was telling us it had two main batteries. It’s going to be rougher
“We’ve lost.” than I thought. Get all the drivers on the radio. Tell them to push
The convoy had successfully negotiated the old road without forward and ignore all their temperature and pressure gauges.
mishap and was now on the section connecting the old road with There should be a small howitzer up ahead. Get someone to check
the new. Captain Hanson and the lieutenant were in the lead jeep, on it and make sure it’s manned and supplied. And keep trying to
anxiously looking ahead. The captain broke the strained silence. raise Baldini.”
“The moment of truth arrives. But with luck . . .” Hanson’s jeep raced around the corner when Sergeant Wiles
The lieutenant remained silent. slammed on the brakes. The wheels locked, sending the jeep into a
slow spin toward the guard rail. As the jeep finally stopped, its front
At the intersection, Hanson had the jeep pull over and he stood fender nudged against the rail with a gentle bump. The lieutenant
up, waving the trucks on. let out a deep breath, but Hanson’s reaction was somewhat more
“By God, I think we did it. The Ogre should have been here three dramatic.
minutes ago if it had outguessed us.” “What the hell’s going ON!” he yelled, as he looked at one of the
The lieutenant looked up skeptically. “You’re sure?” he asked. trucks, stopped solidly in the middle of the road. The driver of the
truck got out and pointed down the road to the entire convoy, all
“Unless my computations were wrong. Okay, let’s go!” The last stopped behind the lead truck. Its hood was lifted and three men
truck had just disappeared around the corner, its tires squealing were frantically trying to repair it.
loudly in protest against the violent abuses it was forced to suffer.
“I want one heavy tank, one GEV and one platoon to wait on either “Damn it! Don’t waste time trying to fix that beast! Shove it over
side of the intersection, just out of sight. They should be able to the side!”
wheel around and get in a couple of good shots just as the Ogre “What . . . what did you say, sir?”
comes around the last corner. Come on, let’s move!”
18 IRON MOUNTAIN OGREZINE

“You heard me! Get on the radio – no, never mind, I’ll do it.
Coggins, is that you over there? Get your platoon and shove that
THE BATTLE OF IRON MOUNTAIN
damn truck over the side. And I mean now!” Ogre is fast, clean, and most of all, fun . . . a very enjoyable
game. This prompted the story you just read, and also the scenario
Almost instantly a group of troopers surrounded the stalled
which is to follow. With only a few rules modifications and some new
vehicle and shoved it toward the edge. The truck balanced for a
counters, you can recreate Captain Hanson’s desperate attempt to
few seconds, and then sluggishly slipped down the steep cliff.
delay or damage the Ogre (which, by the way, is a Mark III-B. Try
Halfway down it struck a ledge with a sickening crunch, and
this scenario with an ordinary Mark III and see what happens. Or try
suddenly blossomed into flames as its cargo ignited. The sound of
it with a Mark V! Ouch!).
the explosion was deafening, and heat from the blast could be felt
across the ravine.
“OK, move, move!” Hanson jumped back into his jeep and
they charged off. Hanson picked up the radio again. “How’s that D1 D1
howitzer, OK? Good, tell them to get ready. It will only be a few
minutes.”
4/5 m0 m4
As Hanson reached the howitzer, one of the men pointed back
Light Howitzer Truck (Armored)
behind him, fear contorting his features.
“Oh, Jesus, there it is,” he cried.
Hanson turned, and for the first time in his life felt real fear. A D1 M4 D1
tank, yet more than a tank, had just come around the far corner.
Tactical nuclear missiles, primary and secondary batteries,
antipersonnel weapons, practically invulnerable to conventional
DISABLED D1
attacks, and all controlled by a computer, unfeeling, unfearing, TRUCK (ARMRD)
and able to make lightning-fast calculations. This was an Ogre, Light Howitzer TRUCK (ARMRD) DISABLED
the most feared weapon of its time. Even as Hanson was turning
to look, a bright flash appeared from its side, the sign of a missile D1 D1 M0
being launched. Accelerating quickly, it arced high over the crevice
and, locking on its target, plunged down toward the convoy. Men
scattered in all directions at the screaming approach. Suddenly, DISABLED D1 LT HWZ LT HWZ
one of the tanks exploded in a white flash, followed by a crimson
ball of flame. Almost immediately following the first, a second
Truck (Armored)
DISABLED 4/5
explosion occurred. The following truck’s cargo had been ignited
by the intense heat of the nuclear blast. Hanson could hear the cries
of the wounded and dying. Stunned, the men stood appalled at the
horror so quickly wreaked. Hanson was the first to move. RULES MODIFICATIONS
“Man that gun! Get those missile tanks to lock in with us! We’ve [Editor’s Note: “Iron Mountain” originally appeared in the Space
already lost too much time!” The barrel of the howitzer lowered as Gamer in 1977. At the time, only Ogre had been published; G.E.V.
it tracked the moving Ogre. A GEV went up in flames as the Ogre and other expansions had yet to be developed. Thus, the various
rolled over it. Simultaneously, the howitzer and the Ogre’s big rules now associated with the game relating to stacking, terrain,
guns emitted jets of flame. Instantly the howitzer and one of the spillover fire, etc., did not exist. Ogre has evolved in a different
Ogre’s main batteries were destroyed, each a victim of the other’s direction than the rules offered here, but that does not detract from
vengeance. The lieutenant ran over to the shattered remains of the the enjoyability of this scenario. When playing this scenario, the
howitzer, looking for Hanson. The captain’s body lay on a rock, rules presented here supersede any current “official” rules of Ogre.]
nearly torn in two by the explosion, one hand still desperately 1. Units may stack. Maximum stacking limit (for movement
gripping his radio. Slowly backing from the gruesome scene, the also!) is 3 defensive factors. Thus, a Heavy Tank virtually blocks the
lieutenant stared in horror. Then, turning quickly, he ran back to road.
the jeep.
2. When any unit (except the Ogre or Infantry) enters a hex
“Let’s go, sergeant. We may still get one more chance. It’s (he containing any non-Infantry unit, there is a cost of one additional
refused to say the word Ogre) still got two more missiles, but if we movement point. Units that start a turn stacked in a hex still move
can knock out both of them, some of the trucks may get through.” independently. Thus, once the first unit has moved forward on the
Sergeant Wiles, seemingly unperturbed by the absence of road, there may be an additional movement cost for the second
Captain Hanson, gunned the jeep forward. or subsequent unit moving into a hex that the first unit has now
occupied.
In the end, five trucks did make it through safely. They were
the only survivors of what is now known as the Battle of Iron 3. Trucks may only move at half speed while climbing the rough
Mountain. Little is known of how the lieutenant and his remaining mountain road. Any Truck may attempt “accelerated” movement.
force managed to destroy the Ogre’s remaining missiles, but by the On a die roll of 1, 2, or 3, the Truck may move 3 hexes instead of
time the Ogre broke through the pass, it lacked the firepower to 2. On a die roll of 4 or 5, the Truck moves normally. On a die roll of
accomplish its mission and was too far behind to overrun the trucks. 6, the Truck moves normally, but then “stalls.” Flip the counter to
Almost despondently, the Ogre turned and made its way back down the “Disabled” side. A stalled Truck may not move unless it rolls a 6
the mountain, subject only to the sporadic and ineffective shelling just prior to its movement phase (i.e., during the recovery phase).
of the two howitzers guarding the entrance to Launch Site B. It may attempt to “unstall” once per turn.
OGREZINE IRON MOUNTAIN 19

4. Any non-Truck unit may “shove” a stalled or disabled Truck 8. When a Truck is destroyed (“X” result), any units in the same
one hex in any direction (except into a mountain hex) at the cost of hex are immediately attacked with an attack strength of 3, and any
one movement point of the shoving unit. Thus, you may shove units units in adjacent hexes are attacked with an attack strength of 2.
into turnouts or off the cliff (in which case they are immediately Note that a chain reaction of explosions may occur in a densely
destroyed). Shoving units off cliffs is the only case when a unit may packed Truck convoy.
leave the road. 9. An Ogre ramming a Truck automatically destroys it, but the
5. Mountain hexes (and hexsides!) block the line of fire for all Ogre’s treads are attacked at 1:1 odds with an attack strength of 2.
units. This is the only case when the line of fire is blocked. 10. Trucks may be attacked with antipersonnel weapons.
6. You will need to make some new units: ten Armored Trucks 11. Because the narrow winding mountain road is not conducive
and one 4/5 Light Howitzer. Images are provided to assist in to armored combat, only half (rounded up) of one type of the Ogre’s
making either counters to match the Ogre Classic Counters, for armament may be used against any one target. Different types may
those that wish to play “old school,” or counters appropriate to Ogre be combined, however. For example, the Ogre could use half of its
Sixth Edition. A Light Howitzer counts as one armor unit (AU) and secondary batteries against one target, while using the remainder
is worth 6 VP. against another target.
The Trucks start on hexes 0510, 0511, 0610, 0612, 0613, 0614, 12. When more than one unit is stacked in a hex, the Ogre player
0615, 0710, 0715, and 0816. The Howitzer starts in hex 1312. Note must specify which unit he is attacking. Other units are not affected
that two normal 6/8 Howitzers start on hexes 1504 and 1604. (except in the case of Truck explosions).
7. Other starting units for the Paneuropean convoy are: 13. The convoy player moves first. The Ogre arrives on hex 0501,
Two Heavy Tanks spending one movement factor to do so. If the convoy player has
Two Missile Tanks 5 or more Trucks reach the Launch Site B bunker in hex 1702, he
Three GEVs wins. If exactly 4 Trucks make it to the bunker, it is a draw. If less
than 4, he loses.
Five squads of Infantry
14. The Ogre starts the game having lost 4 tread units to Corporal
These units may be set up on any road hex, subject to stacking
Jacob’s hits.
limitations. If using Captain Hanson’s ambush, place one Heavy
Tank, one GEV, and one squad of Infantry in hexes 0306 and 0407, Alternate scenarios are plentiful. For instance, start the
and one Heavy Tank, one GEV, and one squad of Infantry in hexes lead Truck of the convoy on hex 0501 and the Ogre on hex 0206.
0708 and 0809, obeying stacking limits. The Missile Tanks, and (Captain Hanson guessed wrong and the Ogre guessed right. Not
remaining GEV and Infantry, may be placed on any other road hex much of a contest, but it shows what could have happened.) Or start
(other than in the pass), subject to stacking limits. the convoy of Trucks five hexes closer to the Ogre, beginning in hex
0708. (Captain Hanson didn’t gain his 10 minutes. Makes quite a
difference!) Have fun!
12
Launch Site A
30
X
10 Launch Site B
17
Maximum Speed (km/hr)

Road Trucks Ogre
Normal 30 40
Rough 22 25
15
50
Area shown on game map
20 IRON MOUNTAIN OGREZINE

SHURIKEN COUNTER RESKIN
In the first issue of Ogrezine, the article “Shuriken”
D1*
described a stealth drone for the Ninja based off of the
Combine “Gremlin” Light GEV. Here is a counter skin that 1/2 m5-4
DISABLED D1*
may be copied, cut out, and glued onto a small counter,
facilitating the use of a Shuriken in game play. Shuriken Shuriken
OGREZINE SHURIKEN COUNTER RESKIN 21

PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP
by Stephan Beal
STEP ONE: PRIMING

To help ensure that our infantry units are suitably vibrant, we
want a bright base color. Plain white works great, though some
might prefer a light grey. At the scale of these particular minis,
brighter is better. We need to apply a thin, but complete, coat of this
to our infantry. Spray cans or an airbrush are arguably the easiest
ways to apply this coat, so use them if you’ve got them. Failing that,
coating them by hand is not difficult but might take more time. My
own minis use a mix of airbrushed and hand-painted coats, and
the end results, at this scale, look the same either way. A priming-
specific paint is not needed – any plain acrylic paint is fine for this
purpose. After priming, let them dry completely before proceeding.
Sidebar: Priming is not strictly
necessary for these minis. We can,
if we’re being lazy (who, me?),
apply the “final” color directly to
PROLOGUE them. Having a bright priming
layer really helps their final color to
Each army of Ogre Miniatures includes 42 miniscule infantry stand out, however, and is strongly
figures. While it is tempting to use them as-is, without painting recommended for best results.
them, they look quite bland. This article demonstrates that with Though gesso paint often makes a
just a little effort, even a complete non-painter can turn these tiny good priming material, it is definitely
plastic soldiers into… well, not quite works of art, but something not recommended for minis at this
more exciting than nondescript red or blue specks on the tabletop. scale because the gesso’s texture
Forewarnings: This article was written by a non-painter/non- plays havoc with their tiny details.
modeler for non-painters/non-modelers. Experienced painters
and/or modelers may have opinions which differ, perhaps wildly,
from any suggestions made here. Due to space considerations, we
STEP TWO: GIVE IT SOME COLOR
neither go into detail regarding common painting terminology With the priming layer in place, we can now apply the main color
(e.g., dry-brushing, washing, and “the scale effect”), nor discuss (i.e., the only color, with the exception of the wash and highlights!).
how to set up a painting station or mount minis to make them easier With my box of generic paints, ultramarine blue and carmine red are
to manipulate while painting. Online tutorials and video services perfect matches for the colors of the unpainted Paneuropean and
cover such topics in great detail should you need more information Combine miniatures, respectively. There’s no specific reason why
about them. Additionally, painting is very much a “by-feel” activity. the infantry of one faction all have to have identical colors, so feel
Any suggestions made here may or may not match your own sense free to mix them up. Assuming one wants a conventional blue-vs.-
of feel and aesthetic tastes – adjust them to suit. red color scheme, dark turquoise comes out looking quite nice for
the Paneuropean units, as does sky blue. For more variety, various
greens or even bright violet look fine. Ultramarine blue works well
REQUIRED MATERIALS: but comes out quite dark. It might be tempting to use a metallic
►► Acrylic paints and brushes. Each mini requires three colors: paint, but my own experimentation with metallics gave rather
white (base and highlights), black (wash), and a single body “meh” results.
color of the painter’s choice. My own set is a generic bundle of
20-odd colors – costly name-brand paints are not needed.
►► A dark wash. The recipe for a suitable homemade wash is
detailed in the article (requiring acrylic medium, distilled
water, and acrylic ink).
►► A sealant of some sort (e.g., spray varnish or plain white glue).
►► Optional: “Flow aid” can assist in the coverage of the paint and
can be bought or created in various ways. A mix of six-parts
distilled water to one-part glycerin makes a decent, inexpensive
general-purpose flow aid. Some people simply use a tiny amount
of dish soap.
22 PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP OGREZINE

As with priming, the base coat can be sprayed or brushed on. To apply the wash, simply brush it liberally over the mini and
When brushing it on, a bit of flow aid or thinner may make the paint dab away any large pools (which tend to appear between the legs,
easier to apply. A single coat suffices for these minis, and it’s okay around the feet, and where the arms meet the torso).
if the color from the priming layer shows through a bit, as the wash Dry-brushing goes quickly with these minis: 30 seconds to 1
and/or highlights will cover it up. minute per model is typical. Which color to use for dry-brushing is
After applying this layer, allow it to dry completely before largely a matter of taste: plain white vs. a lighter tone of the base
continuing. Note that use of a flow aid may increase the drying time. coat color. Given the scale of these minis, a plain white works quite
well. Adding a tiny, almost invisible, amount of yellow may liven up
the highlights a bit, but the effect might not be visible at this scale.
STEPS THREE AND FOUR: WASHING AND DRY- If, after dry-brushing, the highlights are too exaggerated, it’s easy
BRUSHING to dial them back by dry-brushing, ever so lightly, over them with
the model’s base coat color. That provides a subtly different effect
The steps of applying wash and dry-brushing (highlighting) are than dry-brushing using a lighter tone of the base coat color. (At
combined here because their order is largely a matter of taste. The the scale of the infantry, the difference may be too subtle to notice,
results are subtly different depending on whether wash is applied but is more visible on the larger models.) Alternatively, applying
before and/or after dry-brushing. Regardless of which order the wash after the dry-brushing has completely dried may suitably tone
wash and dry-brushing are applied, allow each to dry completely down unduly strong highlights.
before applying the next. Dry-brushing over not-quite-dry wash
just makes a mess of things! For the sake of demonstration, we
assume that the wash is applied first.
Sidebar: Finding a good wash can be difficult, and thus we
provide a specific wash formula, which works very well with these
minis (indeed, with nearly everything): ten-parts (50%) distilled
water, nine-parts (45%) acrylic medium, and one-part (5%) flow
aid. That results in a colorless wash base to which arbitrary color
can be added. One drop of acrylic ink per milliliter of base liquid is a
recommended option, but the exact ratio is largely a matter of taste
and may also depend on the brand and density of ink. Using three
drops per four milliliters also provides good results on these minis.
Acrylic paint can be used in place of ink, but it can separate from the
wash base over time and may need to be stirred/shaken frequently.
OGREZINE PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP 23

each other! (Been there, done that!) Once the glue completely dries,
that is no longer a problem. When in doubt, let the minis set out in
the open for at least a week or two before dumping them together
in a storage box.
Once the sealant is dry to the touch, you can unleash your
models upon your opponents!
JUST IN CASE: STARTING OVER

If something goes horribly wrong while painting, or the chosen
color scheme simply doesn’t suit you, it’s easy to strip the paint
and start over. Rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush can remove PVA
sealant and acrylic paint from minis, especially if they haven’t
set for longer than a day or two. Drop the offending models into
rubbing alcohol, let them sit for a bit, then strip them one by one
STEP FIVE: SEALING with a toothbrush. Be sure to wear safety goggles and use gloves,
To keep the paint job from scratching off, we need to seal as you certainly do not want rubbing alcohol droplets in your eyes,
the paint. It’s important that we wait until all of the layers are and prolonged contact with skin is highly irritating. If you have a
completely dry before continuing. Trying to seal a model before the breathing mask, use it to avoid inhaling the tiny droplets which the
dry-brushing or wash dry fully can completely ruin a paint job by toothbrush can send flying everywhere. Those droplets may stain
causing the various colors to mix. clothes, so dress appropriately!
Spray sealants are the simplest solution. Feedback from long-
time modelers suggests that glossy sealants are harder and more IT’S NOT JUST FOR INFANTRY…
scratch-resistant than matte sealants, and they recommend first The approach described in this article can be just as easily applied
applying a couple coats of gloss before reducing (if desired) the to the armor unit minis, including Ogres, and allows non-painters
gloss effect with a coat of matte sealant, allowing each coat to dry to produce some surprisingly decent paint jobs. For red Combine
before applying the next. That said… armor units, a white priming layer is not strictly needed – they come
Sprays are costly and not the only viable solution. Plain white out just fine without one, provided they’re coated with red. For the
glue (a.k.a., PVA) makes for a perfectly decent sealant, especially if darker Paneuropean units, as well as the Combine infantry, a white
the minis are not going be unduly mishandled. PVA-like substances, priming coat layer is recommended to help brighten up the models
such as Mod Podge, can also be used for this purpose, but may be a bit.
glossier than PVA. Mixing the glue with a small amount of water Here’s one recommended tweak to the process for armor units:
or flow aid simplifies application considerably, but make sure it’s when dry-brushing with white, overdo it! Exaggerate the highlights
thick enough to provide protection once it’s dried. One or two drops to the point where you think, “wow, that’s ugly!” After that dries,
is normally enough to coat three squads of infantry, and two coats dry-brush it again, this time more lightly, with the base coat color,
are recommended (three if you like, but too many coats may blur covering up the white. That provides, to my eyes, subtler, more
out the model’s details). PVA is easily applied with a pointy brush, natural-looking highlights than simply dry-brushing with white
but be careful to avoid pooling of large globs. While working, clean or a lighter tone of the base color. The process can be repeated to
the brush off periodically (after every 6 to 9 infantry or so) to keep refine the highlights.
the glue on the brush from partially drying, which causes annoying
sticky strands to build up on the brush. When finished, thoroughly
clean the brush to get the glue out (rubbing alcohol helps by
destroying the adhesive).
The brush-on PVA
approach is orders of
magnitude less costly than
spray sealants, but also
requires considerably more
time to apply. Roughly 45-
60 seconds per infantry
model per coat of sealant is
a good rule of thumb.
There’s one notable
achtung when sealing with
PVA: if the minis will be
stored clumped together,
let the sealant set for a
week or more before storing
them. If the sealant is not
100% dried, PVA-coated
minis pressed together for
long periods may stick to
24 PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP OGREZINE

REFUGEES
by Paul Teti
Looking over the Nightfall counter sheet, I
saw a counter with a picture of a Truck on it labeled
“Refugee” and I started thinking, “How can I use
that in a game?” After some thought, I developed
the following rules to act as a scenario within a
scenario, or a “sub-scenario.” The concept is
that this sub-scenario could be overlaid on any
other scenario that uses a map with town hexes.
Ideally, this should be played by a third person
with the other two players using the designated
forces in the chosen primary scenario.
Overview and necessary materials. The goal

is to get as many refugees as possible out of the
conflict zone and into the refugee camp using
three 5-ton trucks.
This sub-scenario requires the following
counters:
►► One refugee camp marker (I printed out a
caduceus as a marker) (Ed. Note: or use a 3-D
structure!)
►► Three truck counters
►► One note pad to track refugees, civilian rescue
workers, and evacuated town hexes
►► Many radiation markers, if the optional
radiation rule is used (bingo chips should
work well)
Additionally, whatever materials are required
for the chosen parent scenario.
SETUP
The refugee camp cannot be placed on or near
any CP hex or any other military target. Ideally, it
should be placed on an edge of the map farthest
from the conflict zone. Placing it on or next to a
road would work best. The camp should be placed
after the other players have set up as per their
scenario rules.
A record sheet should be made for each Truck
with four checkboxes to represent the civilian
rescue workers (see below).
The refugee player always moves last per turn
(i.e., after the primary scenario players move.)
OGREZINE REFUGEES 25
SPECIAL RULES workers moves into the hex and stops. On the following turn, two
of the second Truck’s civilian rescue workers transfer to the first
Refugees in Towns. Each town hex has 0-50 refugees; roll one Truck, and then both Trucks are capable of moving that turn.
die and subtract 1, then multiply by 10 to determine the number
within the hex when a Truck first enters the town hex. Note: the
nearest town hex (or hexes, if a multi-hex town) to the camp
contains no refugees; they have all evacuated to the camp already.
Once a town hex has been evacuated, no more refugees are present
in that hex.
If Cruise Missiles are used in the scenario, roll as normal on the
Cruise Missile Effect of Explosion Table (see Section 10.04 in the
rulebook) for a D0 unit, and add the above damage rules to any “D”
result. Once a crater is formed by a Cruise Missile, Trucks may not
drive through any adjacent hexes; there is too much radiation for
an unshielded vehicle.
Radiation Variant: Once a hex is attacked by any weapon other
than antipersonnel weapons, a Truck can no longer drive through
that specific hex because of radiation; place a radiation marker on
that hex. (Note: the board may get cluttered quickly!)
Refugee Trucks. Refugee Trucks normally have a four-person Trucks can be detained or commandeered by either belligerent
civilian rescue team: one driver, one navigator, and two EMTs. All via moving into the hex as an overrun. Trucks may not move if there
are capable of driving the vehicle. Each Truck can hold 20 refugees is a combat unit in the hex. Intentionally firing upon a Refugee
for a total of 24 souls. If the Truck does not have a full complement Truck is a war crime. Ogres will not fire upon Trucks.
of rescue workers, it may carry additional refugees, up to a capacity
of 24 total occupants. Trucks start out at the camp with only the
crew on board. ENDGAME
A Truck may not move on the turn it loads or unloads refugees. The refugee player’s sub-scenario ends whenever the primary
It will take one full turn to load refugees onto a truck and one full scenario ends or the refugee player cannot rescue any more
turn to unload. refugees.
With refugees on board, subtract one hex from the Truck’s Victory Points and Levels. The refugee player gets one point
movement allowance. It may only move into a clear hex by rolling (VP) per refugee that reaches the refugee camp. Refugees in Trucks
a 1-3 on a single die prior to moving. If it fails that roll, it may not that have not reached the camp do not count towards the player’s
move that turn. Trucks with refugees transitioning on to, or off of, a point total.
road must stop before transitioning in the same manner as GEVs and To determine the victory level, first calculate the total number of
Light Tracked units at a stream. Empty Trucks move as normal for a victory point. Count the number of Town hexes that could contain
Truck. Trucks cannot drive in woods, swamp, or rubble. refugees. Multiples of this number determines the victory levels:
A Truck is automatically destroyed (loss of all life) if it is ►► Total VP equal or greater than 20x the number of Town hexes:
targeted. It suffers spillover fire if it is in the same hex of another Complete success.
targeted unit (see Section 7.12 in the rulebook) and automatically
loses lives. Roll a die and multiple the result by four to determine ►► VP equal or greater than 10x the number of Town hexes, up to
the number of lives lost; 1 = four lives lost, 2 = eight lives lost, 20x the hexes: Limited success.
etc. Additionally, one civilian rescue worker is part of the total lives ►► Fewer VP than 10x the number of Town hexes: Failure.
lost per multiple above a roll of 2; mark them off the Truck’s record
sheet. If the number of lives lost as per the roll are more than those If the Radiation Variant is used, award two VP per refugee
in the Truck, all are killed. If a Truck is in a hex adjacent to an attack rescued.
(regardless of whether the attack was successful or not), a roll of 1,
2, or 3 on a single die results in lives lost; a 4 or higher delivers no VARIANTS
damage.
In addition to the Radiation Variant described above, feel free to
A Truck with no civilian rescue workers may not move. A second try these alternatives:
Truck may transfer one or more civilian rescue workers to an
unmanned Truck if they both start the turn in the same hex. Both Multiple Camps. On large maps, consider one or more additional
Trucks may move that turn. If A Truck returns to camp without a refugee camps. Trucks can bring refugees to any camp. Reduce the
full complement of rescue workers, additional workers join the crew VP awarded per refugee rescued to 0.5.
bringing it up to the full complement of four when it leaves. Limited Civilian Rescue Workers. The camps do not have
Example: A full Refugee Truck is next to a hex that had an additional workers. The four rescue workers per Truck are all that
attacked unit in it. This Truck has been subject to damage previously are available during the game. This makes the subscenario harder.
and only has two civilian rescue workers within it (in addition to 22 Hovertruck Variant. Replace one or more Trucks with a
refugees). The refugee player initially rolls a 2, resulting in damage Hovertruck. Hovertrucks carry only two rescue workers and have a
to the refugees. The second roll is a 4, meaning that 16 lives are lost, total capacity of 18 (so, 16 refugees with the two workers when full).
including the two remaining civilian rescue workers, leaving eight Multiply the damage roll by three instead of four to determine lives
living refugees in the Truck. The Truck may not move that turn. lost, and one or both workers are lost on a roll of 3 or 5, respectively.
However, during the turn a second Truck with four civilian rescue
26 REFUGEES OGREZINE
DEFEND THE NEGEV!
by Israel Barker
“Gimel-304, what’s your status?” “Copy Segen Uri. Tzevet, Yalla 304, boys and girls!”
“B’Seder, Segen Uri, nothing moving out here but rabbits.” Judit This wasn’t a flash order but Judit gunned her GEV southwards full
bat Rachel was Rasal of the Negev Rangers, 3rd Section, GEVs. She throttle until she was in visual of the coastline. “No, this isn’t right,”
kept her pilots in line as far as any low-grade NCO was able. Duty in she mumbled to herself, “it couldn’t be.” What was an antique like
the Negev was cake compared to assignments in the North, so she that doing here?
could tolerate a bit of slacking. “Segen, send us all you got. You aren’t going to believe this, but
“Gimel-304, long-range is showing something odd down by the we’ve got a Mark II coming out of the ocean down here!”
water. It might be a blip but swing by and check it out anyway.”
OGREZINE DEFEND THE NEGEV! 27

1.0 INTRODUCTION 3.02 Borders. National borders are shown by a dashed line.
Due to neighboring states’ hostility towards Ogres in general, if the
The Last War had uneven effects in the Middle East. Nations in Ogre approaches or crosses either border, it comes under attack.
the region were neither Combine nor Paneuropean, and no longer of Except on the first turn where the Ogre enters the map, if the Ogre
great interest to either after both blocs ceased relying on fossil fuel. comes within one hex of a border, roll one die to determine if Arab
The Arabian Confederation allied itself with neither major bloc and Confederation forces are willing to risk a cross-border attack. On a
officially took no sides. Israel was focused only on its own borders. 5 or 6, the Ogre is understood to be targeted by Arab Confederation
It remained on speaking terms with all sides and occasionally forces and subject to attack by a single Howitzer. Roll one die to
provided covert support to the Vatican Guard on request. determine which part of the Ogre is targeted (1 or 2 secondary
Large scale conflicts between the Arabian Confederation and battery, 3 main battery, 4 antipersonnel, 5 or 6 treads). Even
Israel had ceased as well. The unofficial truce after the 12 Minute though only one Howitzer is visible on the map, this rule applies
War held. There was neither official peace nor open war between to all border hexes. If the Ogre crosses a border it is automatically
the Israelis and the Arabian Confederation, more simply a shared attacked as above. These rules continue to apply in an endgame
unwilingness that the Last War should extend to the region. situation as per 4.0 below.
Militarily, both the Israeli and the various armies of the Arabian Israeli forces will not be attacked on border hexes. If an Israeli
Confederation shared a distaste for Ogres. They were ruled assur by unit crosses a border, it is subject to attack by neighboring artillery
the Israeli rabbis and haram by the Arabian Confederation muftis. to be resolved as a single Howitzer attack each turn it is across the
Both reasoned that neither a golem nor a djinn, respectively, border.
should be deployed as a weapon of war since no non-human entity
3.03 Terrain. The map has terrain features
could be trusted not to betray its masters. The Vatican ruling that
not covered under official rules.
sentient Ogres had souls confirmed the opinions of both the rabbis
and the muftis. 3.03.01 Mountains. Mountains are
impassible to all units except Infantry.
However, rogue entities still exist and, as expected, follow no
Infantry units may only move one hex per
official doctrine. An as-of-yet unknown group has obtained a third-
turn within mountains. Entering a mountain
or fourth-hand Mark II and is deploying it from the Red Sea into the
hex completes an infantry movement phase.
Negev. It is up to a small force of Israeli nature preserve rangers to
Infantry defense strength is tripled in
stop the Ogre.
mountains. If the Ogre player attacks the
For the Israelis, immobilizing it so its AI can be analyzed by mountain hex itself rather than Infantry
intelligence is preferable; destroying it is second best. units, normal Spillover against terrain rules
apply.
2.0 SETUP 3.03.02 Hills. Use all Swamp rules in a hex
with hills including bonuses and penalties for
2.01 Maps. This scenario uses the custom map provided. The each type you unit.
one water hex is the southernmost point on the map. The dashed
lines represent national borders. See 3.02. 3.04 Capturing the Ogre AI. Removing the AI
from an immobilized Ogre is a combat engineering
The map has the same dimensions as an Ogre map. Players task and is only possible if a player has Combat Engineers. Odds
may print out their own map, or use the standard Ogre map with of success for the Combat Engineers are resolved as a 1-2 attack,
overlays. meaning only a roll of 6 will result in success. Undestroyed Ogre
2.02 Israeli Forces. The Israelis start with 8AU of defending weapons are still active and may target the Combat Engineers
forces not including tanks, artillery, or missile type units (this is attempting this task.
a force of park rangers) and an Admin building of SP10. The Israeli 3.05 Stacking. Stacking is permitted as per G.E.V. map scenario
player may substitute three squads of standard Infantry per AU. rules.
Standard Infantry may be exchanged for specialist Infantry at the
standard cost. Israeli players set up north of any hex ending in xx14 3.06 Terrain Damage. Due to environmental sensitivity on
on the map. the part of the Israelis regarding the Negev, combat engineering
functions such as mines or attacks on, or alterations to, terrain are
2.03 Mark II Ogre. The Ogre enters the map through the water forbidden by operational doctrine.
hex at the south end of the map.
2.04 Cruise Missiles. Cruise Missiles are not allowed in this
scenario. 4.0 ENDGAME
2.05 Egyptian Howitzer. Place one Howitzer in hex 0419. See ►► Complete Ogre victory - The Ogre must destroy the Israeli Admin
3.02. building and must exit the map from the same hex it entered.
►► Marginal Ogre victory - Admin building destroyed and Ogre
3.0 GAME PLAY destroyed before escaping the map.
►► Partial Israeli victory - Admin building damaged but not
3.01 Reinforcements. Starting from the 13th turn, Israeli destroyed, Ogre destroyed.
reinforcements will begin to arrive on the northern edge of the map
in waves of 3AU (with the limitations as described in section 2.0.2) ►► Complete Israeli victory - Admin building undamaged, Ogre AI
each turn. Types of reinforcements do not have to be declared in captured.
advance. The defending player may not save up any reinforcement’s
“credits” between turns.
28 DEFEND THE NEGEV! OGREZINE

5.0 VARIANT SCENARIOS 5.02 Malfunctioning Ali. This is a third- or fourth-hand Ogre
after all; who is to say it is really in full working order? In this
5.01 Neither Friend Nor Foe (3 players). The neighboring variation, at the start of every turn the Ogre must roll two dice
Hashemite Kingdom does not want an Ogre of any type operating before taking any action.
near its borders and has sent four squads of Royal Marines across
the border to ensure the Ogre does not cross the eastern border.
►► On a roll of 2, the Ogre completely malfunctions and can do
nothing that turn.
These units are Marines as defined in normal Ogre rules. Both the
Israelis and the Royal Marines have an interest in the Ogre’s AI and ►► On a roll of 3, the Ogre moves one hex randomly: roll one die,
neither wishes the other side to have it. count off hexes clockwise from the north to determine where it
goes. Border rules still apply.
The Royal Marines are under orders not to fire first at the Israelis
but may return fire if fired upon. ►► On a roll of 4, any Ogre attacks that turn are reduced by 1 due to
a targeting systems malfunction.
5.01.01 Setup. Jordanian Royal Marines enter anywhere from
the eastern side of the map. Note that if a Royal Marine unit leaves ►► Any result higher than 4 means the Ogre operates normally for
the map for any reason it may not re-enter. that turn.
5.01.02 Stacking. Royal Marines & Israeli forces units may be Considering that the Ogre has a reasonable chance of a
stacked in the same hex. This only applies up to the point where malfunction, the Israeli player begins with 2AU less for the initial
either Israeli forces choose to attack the Royal Marines or spillover force. No reinforcements are included in this variation.
fire occurs as described below. 5.02.01 Victory Conditions. As per normal rules, above.
5.01.03 Spillover Fire. If Royal Marines are affected by spillover
fire, it is up to the player as to how they wish to respond. Due to
the fog of war, the Royal Marines player may assume that they were 6.0 DESIGN NOTES
targeted by Israeli forces and choose to retaliate. Almost every Ogre scenario focuses on the basic Combine
5.01.04 Reinforcements. Both the Israelis and the Royal vs Paneuropean conflict. This scenario was written to explore
Marines receive reinforcements as per 3.01, except that Royal something a little different, to try out something from a different
Marines receive one Marine squad per turn as reinforcements and cultural perspective.
that the Royal Marine player may delay reinforcements for several The border rule does violate a general convention of the
turns. This could allow a 2-turn delay resulting in one squad of game going back to the beginning that only units on the map are
Marine Engineers. participants in a battle. The southern tip of the Negev is a tight
5.01.05 Victory Conditions. space where three national borders meet and those nations are not
at formal peace with each other. Assuming off map artillery seemed
►► Royal Marines complete victory - Ogre AI captured by Royal better than a larger map with artillery visible but would result in lots
Marines of essentially non-playable space for both sides. This also allows
►► Israeli complete victory - Admin post not destroyed, Ogre players with only the original Ogre map to customize their map
immobilized and Israeli player has enough strength left at the boards with overlays rather than forcing them to print a large map.
end of that turn to defend the prize against any Royal Marines If you enjoy the variants, why not try combining Neither Friend
within firing range of Israeli forces. Nor Foe with Malfunctioning Ali and make the Ogre a Legionnaire?
►► Israeli partial victory - Ogre destroyed, Admin post not destroyed Thanks to those on the Ogre forums who helped iron out the
►► Marginal Ogre victory - Admin building destroyed and Ogre terrain rules. Also, thanks to Thomas Cornwell for creating Ogre Map
destroyed before escaping the map. 2.0.
►► Complete Ogre victory - The Ogre must destroy the Israeli Admin
building and must exit the map from the same hex it entered.

30 DEFEND THE NEGEV! OGREZINE
TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT
ITSELF: IMPLEMENTING AN ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE SOLVER FOR OGRE
by Martin Gallo
INTRODUCTION APPROACH
The game of Ogre was first published in 1977, but my The challenge in programming a computer is that it only
introduction to the game was the 2012 Ogre Designer’s Edition does exactly what it is programmed to do. How could I program a
Kickstarter campaign. My wife was my primary opponent, so I let computer to find a solution if I did not already know the solution
her play the Ogre because it was only one unit to manage . . . and myself? There are numerous artificial intelligence techniques and
it was a steamroller. After losing a few games as the defender, most learn by using a fitness function to evaluate the quality of
the complexity of the game became painfully obvious to me. their solution. I used an AI technique known as a genetic algorithm
Which defensive units should I take? Where should I place those that would begin with a random selection of defensive units. 100
units? How should I move each unit? Should units fight together random training games were played, and then evaluated using
or separately? Which Ogre systems should I target first; the main a fitness function. Just like in nature, the games with the best
battery, the missiles, the secondaries batteries, or the treads? No outcomes were selected to be parents of future games. After many
matter what strategy I tried, each game always ended in an Ogre generations, I hoped for a strategy that would perform better than
victory for my wife. random chance.
Then I thought, “What better way to learn how to win a game Before I could implement the genetic algorithm, I had to employ
about a massive AI tank than by creating my own AI solver to play a rules engine. The rules engine is responsible for enforcing the
thousands of games and tell me how to best play the game!” The game rules of Ogre, for example; Ogre and Infantry units may cross
genesis of this idea was a Python software course at Washington ridge lines, but no other unit may cross a ridge line; no unit may
State University. Each student needed a semester project. When I move into a crater hex; etc. Abstract games like chess are played on
sought approval for mine, I discovered the professor, Dr. Bob Lewis, a grid of rows and columns that can be easily represented as a data
was very interested, as he was a longtime Ogre fan! structure known as a 2-dimensional array. The Ogre map is a very
specific type of grid called an “offset, point up hex map”. This type
of map is not well suited to representation using a 2-dimensional
array because a lot of space (i.e. computer
memory) is wasted and calculating
OGRE MOD.
OGRE MK V
distances between two hexes is difficult.
®
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
C2 2086
Design: Jackson, S., BGD
Miller, K., se
Chung, w., ra
approved:
INTELLIGENCE AND MEMORY UNIT PRIMARY

®
In a genetic algorithm, a sequence

similar to DNA is used to represent one
SPECIFICATIONS: SENSOR EXTERNAL VIEW
LENGTH 25.5 METERS
I/O TOWER
ARRAY solution to a given problem. This potential
WIDTH 13.5 meters
solution is evaluated by a fitness function.
MEMORY
hull height 7.5 meters CENTER TOWER
CORE (SHOWN IN BATTLE
tower height 15.5 meters ANTI-PERSONNEL SECONDARY
maximum combat speed 90 kph
weight 380,000 kg
CPU
INTERFACE
CONFIGURATION.
CAN BE LOWERED
FOR HULL-DOWN
BATTERIES BATTERIES Additional solutions are created from
the most successful previous solutions.
CONFIGURATION) POLARIZED MUZZLE
COILS
BPC
BIPHASE CARBIDE
intelligence: The first challenge to overcome was how
HOUSING
PIVOT
ARMOR MAIN
BARREL
series 14 ai cybernetic unit. POWER (THICKNESS VARIES FROM
1024 yb memory with
evaluations per second
INPUT 1.2 m TO 3.O m)
PULSE
CONTROL
to represent each of the many possible
combinations of defensive units.
COOLING
speed of 1.2 billion. MAIN BATTERIES SECONDARY
VENTS
SENSOR AMMO
PULSE
ARRAY
Each defensive unit is assigned a
FEED
power: RINGS
MAIN
60 independent tread drives,
powered by central fusion
plant with 3,040 hp each.
BARREL
symbol from a finite alphabet. In the
case of biological DNA, that alphabet is
PERISTALTIC
COILS
CARGO
armament:
main battery
AMMO
FEED
BAY very small; just four letters A, C, G, and
(2) 175 mm satnuc cannon T. The actual symbols used in a genetic
secondary battery
(6) 135 mm satnuc cannon
algorithm do not matter as long as they
missiles
are used consistently. We could use the
(6) Rattler semi-intelligent
tactical nuclear missiles LOGIC
first seven symbols of the English alphabet
antipersonnel warning CENTERS
RATTLER MISSILE to represent each of the seven defensive
(12) 30 mm heat railgun
Ogre, the likeness of the Ogre cybertank, and the all-seeing unauthorized possession and/or
FUSION
POWER
COMPUTER
DRIVE
units in Table 1, but I1, I2, I3, Gv, Hv, Hz,
pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games
Incorporated. Copyright © 1987, 2000, 2013 by
Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
distribution of this document
carries the maximum penalty.
PLANT UNIT NUCLEAR
WARHEAD
HEAVY
BATTERIES Mt are more descriptive than A, B, C, D, E,
ogre.sjgames.com
F, G.
NAVIGATION DUCTED
w/vfa - 050711 CENTER FANS
Ogre Blueprint Poster Giant Size.indd 1 10/3/13 10:04 AM
32 TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF OGREZINE

Defense Unit Type DNA Defense Unit Behavior DNA
Infantry-1 I1 Cowardly C
Infantry-2 I2 Disciplined D
Infantry-3 I3 Aggressive A
GEV Gv
Table 2. Defense unit behavior DNA
Heavy Tank Hv
Howitzer Hz Cowardly units flee the Ogre and move towards the command
post. If they are still in range of the Ogre after their movement phase,
Missile Tank Mt they fire at a random Ogre system and never combine their attacks
with other defense units. Aggressive defense units pursue the Ogre.
Table 1. Defense unit type DNA They combine their attacks whenever possible and target the Ogre
probabilistically, with a 50% chance of targeting the main battery
Initially defensive units are chosen at random according to the or missiles, a 20% chance of targeting a secondary battery, and a
rules of the Basic (Mark III Attack) Scenario; 20 points of infantry 30% chance of targeting the treads. Disciplined units stand their
and 12 armor units. A sample selection may be: I2, I2, I3, I1, I1, ground and do not move. Disciplined units combine their attacks
I2, I2, I3, I1, I1, I2, Gv, Gv, Hz, Hz, Hz, Hz, Gv, Mt. Interestingly, with nearby units for 3:1 odds whenever possible and always target
this selection was generated at random for this article, but by pure Ogre systems based on decreasing threat level; first the missiles,
chance it contains four Howitzers. In The Ogre Book (2001), Chester then the main battery, followed by the secondary batteries, and
Hendrix’s “The Four Howitzer Defense in Ogre” describes a valid finally the treads.
strategy incorporating a similar selection of defensive units. The
odds of randomly selecting at least four Howitzers is approximately This programmed behavior for aggressive units illustrates a
4 in 1,000! Placement of each Howitzer is key and it may take a potential pitfall in artificial intelligence. The programmer must be
genetic algorithm many games to learn the optimal placement careful not to allow their own bias, include incomplete or incorrect
given there are 222 potential hexes (0101 – 1516) for three of the assumptions of the problem to influence the solution. As a new
four Howitzers and 90 hexes (0101-1507) for placing the remaining player, I implemented what I thought was the best strategy for the
Howitzer. How the Howitzers fight together; what they target, and defense. However, veteran players will state that 1:1 odds optimizes
in what order, and at what odds to combine firepower, must also their chances. Veteran players may also prioritize attacking treads
be learned dynamically. Again, this may take a genetic algorithm over secondary batteries to slow or stop an Ogre. After all, an
many games to learn. immobile Ogre is harmless, provided any scenario objectives are
outside of the range of its remaining weapons. This problem is
One obvious advantage of computation and artificial intelligence further addressed in the Future Work section.
is the vast number of games that can be played in a short amount of
time. Computer science uses the worst-case run-time scenario for The defense unit behavior DNA becomes a prefix of the defense
analyzing the efficiency of an algorithm (i.e. asymptotic analysis). unit DNA. For example, an aggressive GEV would be represented by
A two-player game of Ogre can be played by humans in 30-60 the sequence AGv, and a disciplined Heavy Tank as DHv. When all
minutes, so we use 60 minutes for calculations. The AI solver can of the defense units’ DNA is concatenated together, the result is a
play about five games of Ogre in just under one second! In the same single string of characters that defines all the defensive units and
amount of time it takes humans to play just one game of Ogre, the their behaviors for a single game.
AI solver can play over 21,000 games. That is over 21,000 chances When the game is over, the AI solver uses a fitness function
to learn something new about optimal strategy compared to just to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected defense units and
one chance to learn for the humans. their behaviors. The fitness function I used is simply the victory
I programmed each defense unit to make tactical decisions conditions of the Basic (Mark III Attack) Scenario:
based on one of several predefined behaviors. How would they
move in relation to the Ogre? Would they work together with ►► Complete Ogre victory: CP and all defending units are destroyed.
nearby units to combine firepower? What Ogre systems should be
targeted first, the main battery, the missiles, or the treads? Inspired ►► Ogre victory: CP is destroyed, and the Ogre flees the south edge
by Aristotle, I chose to implement three basic behaviors for the of the map.
defense units; cowardly, disciplined, and aggressive. Aristotle was ►► Marginal Ogre victory: CP and Ogre are both destroyed.
concerned with how much of a particular thing was the correct
►► Defense victory: CP survives, and the Ogre is destroyed.
amount. In Nicomachean Ethics, written for his son, we find
Aristotle’s renowned idea, “moderation in all things.” Not enough ►► Complete defense victory: CP survives, the Ogre is destroyed,
aggression results in cowardice which may be a bad thing because and 30 attack points of defender units remain.
soldiers will not fulfill their duty. Likewise, too much aggression is
also bad thing if a soldier charges foolheartedly into overwhelming When ties occur, they are broken by counting the remaining
odds and certain death. The correct amount of aggression results in attack power of the defense units. If a tie still remains, games with
a disciplined soldier that will not abandon his position needlessly fewer turns are preferred.
and fight when necessary as a member of an integrated team.
Two of the top ten games are chosen at random to become
parents of the next game. Each parent contributes half of their DNA
to the next game, with a slight probability of a genetic mutation. To
illustrate this process, we will use a simplified DNA sequence using
just two defense units for each game.
OGREZINE TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF 33

Game Game DNA Description FUTURE WORK
1 DHvAI3 Disciplined Heavy Tank, The current AI solver does not account for defense unit
Aggressive Infantry-3 placement. Recall “The Four Howitzer Defense in Ogre” discussion.
The placement of each Howitzer is key to the strategy. If the initial
2 CMtDGv Cowardly Missile Tank, placement hexes were also recorded as part of a defender unit’s
Disciplined GEV DNA, the genetic algorithm could learn that it won more games
when the Howitzers are placed in hexes that allow for mutual fire
Table 3. Two examples of Game DNA support (e.g., 1506, 1007, 0904, and 0706) as opposed to in a single
row at north end of the map (e.g., 0101, 0102, 0103, and 0104).
The DNA of Game 1 is split in half, resulting in two strands of
DNA; DHv and AI3. Both pieces of DNA, which we will call “Parent Odds on the Combat Results Table are also important. Luck may
1 Left” and “Parent 1 Right,” have a 50% chance of being passed play a part in an individual game, but it has no place informing
on to Game 3. This process is repeated for Game 2. Table 4 shows strategy over many games. Therefore, there may be an optimal
the probability of each DNA sequence for Game 3 using Game 1 and attack ratio to be found. The AI solver could be modified to learn
Game 2 as parents. what this optimum ratio is. This would require less programmed
behaviors (e.g., aggressive and cowardly), and a framework to
allow the genetic algorithm to discover one or more approaches
to defensive unit movement, target selection, and attack strength
Game 3 DNA Source Probability (i.e. cooperation with other defensive units).
DHvCMt Parent 1 Left and 25% Local maxima appear after playing 100,000 games. At this point,
Parent 2 Left we must play tens of thousands of additional games, over much
DHvDGv Parent 1 Left and 25% longer periods of time, to derive only fractional improvements. If the
Parent 2 Right AI solver could experiment with additional defense unit behaviors,
AI3CMt Parent 1 Right and 25% this local maxima may likely be improved. Use of AI solvers can also
Parent 2 Left result in a complicated strategy emerging that a human might have
difficulty seeing in advance.
AI3DGv Parent 1 Right and 25%
Parent 2 Right The game engine implements a trivial AI for the Ogre. The
Ogre always starts in the same hex (i.e. 1222), takes the shortest
Table 4. Potential DNA sequences for Game 3 (before mutation) path to the Command Post, reserves one missile for destroying
the CP, destroys the CP with the longest-range available weapon,
then immediately flees to the south of the map. This is not an
Each symbol has a small probability (e.g., 5%) of mutation. For
optimal strategy and will always preclude a complete Ogre victory
example, using the DNA sequence AI3DGv, there is a 5% chance the
because the Ogre will not hunt down and destroy any remaining
aggressive behavior of the Infantry-3 unit mutates and becomes
defense units. The AI solver risks overfitting its strategy to this
either cowardly or disciplined. Then there is a 5% chance the
preprogrammed Ogre strategy. Overfitting is when an AI finds an
unit type mutates from Infantry-3 to some other type of defense
adequate solution to a particular situation that does not generalize
unit, a GEV perhaps? The rest of the DNA sequence is checked for
well to other situations.
mutations, then finally Game 3 is played, and the result is evaluated
with the fitness function above. Successful games pass on their DNA AI failures are a source of inspiration in Ogre fiction and
to future games, and the AI solver continues to make better defense scenarios. In “The Black Knight” (Ogre Scenario Book 1), an Ogre
unit selections and employ better defense unit behavior. Actual forgets its goal after suffering from combat stress. In “Run for
DNA sequences for each game played by the AI solver are much the Border” (also in Ogre Scenario Book 1), an Ogre abandons its
longer than those in Table 4. initial programming to defect to the enemy. Finally, in “Wounded
Company” (Ogre Scenario Book 2), a Vulcan decides that saving
the AI brain of an immobilized Mark V is more important than its
RESULTS programmed combat objective.
If we assume Steve Jackson designed Ogre to be balanced and I hope that sharing my experience with programming an
both players play optimally, we should expect a Nash Equilibrium. AI solver for Ogre has inspired you to learn more about artificial
The details of a Nash Equilibrium are not important to this article intelligence, game theory, philosophy, computer science, or even
but may an interesting diversion for some readers (esp. fans of the create your own fan fiction and Ogre scenarios. This endeavor has
movie A Beautiful Mind). In a nutshell, we should expect the Ogre to taught me a lot, but I still lose often when my wife and I play Ogre!
win 50% of the time and the defender to win 50% of the time. Games
that are unbalanced tend to not be fun to play. Thus, we should
expect a winning AI solver to win approximately 50% of its games.
When choosing units randomly, the AI solver wins an average of
just 5 in 100 games. This is a pitiful 5%-win rate, far from the goal
of 50%. However, after 100,000 games using the genetic algorithm,
the AI solver has learned enough to improve its outcome 64% in the
span of time it would take us humans to play six real games of Ogre.
34 TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF OGREZINE

THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK
by Mathieu Moyen
Although the peaceful conclusion of the Cold War seemed poised
to make armored warfare redundant by the end 20th century, M1 ABRAMS 1980
political and technological forces both combined to reverse the
trend. The global re-grouping which took place between about
2015 and 2035 resulted in a renewed focus on superpower politics,
and this manifested itself in a major conventional arms race, of
which the modern Heavy Tank is one of the most notable results.
Although the Heavy Tanks used in the Last War outwardly bore only
a passing resemblance to their ancestors in the previous century,
their lineage is directly traceable to the conflicts of the 1980s and
1990s, and the weapons developed to fight them. Chobham and
composite laminate armor gave way to biphase carbide plate, and
chemically propelled tank guns were rendered obsolete by more The last tank built by the United States, the M1 Abrams was the
advanced magnetic railguns firing smart munitions with nuclear dominant armored vehicle of the latter decades of the 20th century.
warheads, but the essential formula established in the Cold War Upgrades in the late 1990s allowed it to remain a capable weapon
remained as functional in the Last War as it had been a century into the 2020s, but the introduction of modern composites, active
earlier. If the Heavy Tank as a type can be said to have led to defense, and artificially intelligent computer systems rendered
something truly new on the face of the Earth, it was its intersection the Abrams obsolete by 2030. Nevertheless, with modern armor
with the cybernetic revolution of the 2050s, which led to the first and weapons added ad-hoc, Abrams tanks saw service with minor
fully autonomous battlefield vehicles, the Mark I Ogres. In this, nations well into the Last War. Although these “archaic” weapons
armored warfare entered an entirely new era, one which made were no match for modern armor, they fared well enough for
both the Last War and the age of global stagnation and political brushfire wars to make them more common than conventional
fragmentation which followed far more dangerous and destructive wisdom might otherwise have dictated.
than any previous human conflict. Yet in spite of this, or perhaps
because of it, Heavy Tanks remained the mainstay of conventional
forces throughout the 21st and 22nd centuries, and the art of war
has yet to move beyond them in any significant way.
M7A1 MATTIS 2023
Originating from designs already on the drawing board before

the formation of the North American Combine, the Mattis MBT
was the last step in the development of tanks based on Cold War
objectives, and was in every way a relic of a bygone era. Built with
a gas turbine engine comparable to that of the Abrams tank, it was
fast, but wasteful of fuel, and the economic crises of the middle
2020s meant that operating it in large numbers was impossible
even before it entered production. Nevertheless, it did have some
key features, such as modular electronics and integrated armor
castings, that would see extensive use in the construction of later
tank classes.
OGREZINE THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK 35

LEOPARD 3 2025 CHASSEUR2037
The Chasseur Main Battle Tank was an entirely new vehicle, the
The Leopard 3 used composite armor and active defense systems
first tank which was not designed to meet Cold War objectives left
designed to fight an expected Russian invasion of Western Europe.
over from previous eras. Though not a “heavy” tank in the modern
Lighter and faster than previous battle tanks, its primary mission
sense, its shape and design presaged more advanced Paneuropean
was neutralized by the absorption of Russia into Paneurope in
weapons, and it had many of the elements later found in standard
2015, but this allowed the integration of components from the
tanks of the Last War. Armored with second-generation biphase
T-series Russian tanks into the design. The resulting tank was
carbide plate, equipped with an atomic thermocouple powering a
mass-produced, and it was this tank which was to establish the
hypervelocity railgun as its main weapon, and with hardened, EMP-
conventional weapons superiority of the Paneruopean Federation
resistant integrated electronics, the Chasseur’s main flaw was that
for the next twenty years. In a period when transatlantic relations
it was difficult and expensive to produce in large numbers, which
were already souring, this superiority became a major part of
hampered its wider exploitation.
Paneuropean military and geopolitical strategy.
JAEGER 1A2E 2049

T9742036
The T974 was notable as the first Chinese tank to carry biphase
carbide armor, but was recognized, even at the time, as being a The standard Paneuropean tank of the 2050s, the Jaeger 1 was
transitional model at best. Its conventional hypervelocity cannon, introduced at the very end of the Sino-European War to counter
though capable of penetrating the earlier BPC armors of the time, the massed-formation tactics used by the Chinese Hegemony.
was effectively already obsolete by the time the tank was introduced, The Jaeger 1 was, in the end, most notable for the speed with
and required a number of special ammunition upgrades to keep it which it could be produced and the quantities available on the
functional as railgun technology improved rapidly throughout battlefield. By 2055, Paneuropean ground forces enjoyed a nearly
the 2030s. The T974 saw extensive duty in Southeast Asia during 2:1 conventional superiority over the Combine, whose aging Mattis
the confused fighting surrounding the formation of the Chinese tanks had performed only marginally in the Central American wars
Hegemony, but, although plentiful, T974 was rapidly outclassed by where they saw service. The Jaeger 1, on the other hand, did
newer Paneuropean tank designs. remarkably well in the latter stages of the Sino-European War; its
flaws were mainly covered by its deployment in large numbers.
36 THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK OGREZINE

TYPE 75 WARRIOR 2052
The first truly modern Heavy Tank produced by the Nihon
Empire, the Warrior design was the result of a joint development
effort with the North American Combine. Third-generation BPC
armor proved to be capable of resisting anything smaller than
a tactical nuclear weapon, and the Warrior was the first tank to
introduce an electromagnetic railgun that was capable of firing
self-forging nuclear shells. Its appearance was a major shock to
both China and Paneurope, and the Warrior tank established Nihon
as a dominant land power in continental Asia. With modifications,
it saw service with the Combine as the M9 “Dragoon,” and was also
the basis for later Nihon “fast” heavy tanks of the 2080s.
MX1A1 CYBERTANK PROTOTYPE 2055

The originator of the Ogre as a tank type, the MX1 prototypes were a radical departure from previous machines and
represented a clear turning point in 21st century tank development. Though often referred to in the popular press
as the first Ogres, they were originally intended to be hybrid machines, carrying a crew consisting of a commander
and a gunner, who made command decisions and selected targets and objectives.
Their automated goal-seeking software drove the tank, loaded and fired the main
gun, tracked threats, and, most importantly,
learned from its combat experiences. This
software proved so successful in battle trials
that tests were carried out with
no crew at all, and the MX1’s
mission and design profile was
altered, resulting in the Mark I
Ogre. It was this full production
model, with an advanced and fully
autonomous computer on board, that was
the first battlefield cybertank. It would be in
production throughout the Last War.
M11A3SEP RANGER 2071 JAEGER 2A2 2074
Introduced just prior to the Last War, the Ranger radically

overtook the then-standard Jaeger 1 heavy tank of the Paneuropean The entire Paneuropean industrial complex had been tooled for
Federation, and early tank battles of the European Campaign were production of the Jaeger, to the point that switching to an entirely
woefully lopsided. The introduction of up-armored Jaeger 2 units new model became impossible once hostilities with the Combine
restored some level of parity, and the Ranger’s A3 service extension had begun. The best the Paneuropeans could do was an upgrade
package was issued in the field to keep pace with the improved package to the Jaeger 1, creating the Jaeger 2. Like its predecessor,
Jaeger 2 series. On paper, this upgraded Ranger was the equal of it was easy to produce in large numbers, and fared well enough in
the Jaeger 2; in practice, it was often superior in single combat. single combat against the Ranger heavy tanks that it was deemed
Unfortunately, the fall of the British Isles meant that Combine adequate for wartime use. In any event, by the time of the Last
units in Europe lost a their main source of resupply and the Ranger War, most Heavy Tanks were earmarked for combat against Ogre
became a rarer sight in Europe as the War went on. incursions, for which numbers were more important than advanced
technology.
OGREZINE THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK 37

2-D TERRAIN FOR MINIATURES GAMES
by Steve Jackson
As the second edition of Ogre Miniatures comes together, I’ve
tried my hand at creating flat miniatures terrain, with moderate
success.
Flat terrain? Isn’t that a contradiction in terms?
Flat terrain is terrain that represents forests, rivers, etc., by flat
pieces, and hills by stacks of flat pieces. The point of 2-D terrain is
to look good while giving the miniatures a stable base on which to
rest. It’s hard to play when your figures slide downhill on their own,
or get trapped in the forest for real. 2-D terrain solves this issue.
Cloth for terrain: clear terrain, water, forest, town.

The downside is that if your base table covering is cloth, another
piece of cloth may be a bit hard to position precisely. And it frays at
the edges (a product called Fray Check will help). Cloth may curl up
on the table. And it gets creased and wrinkled in transport.
Miniatures painted by Ben Williams A sturdier material is cardboard. It’s still easy to cut to shape,
and you can paint your terrain onto it. If you are not a master
A hill represented by layers, providing painter and want a more professional look, you can also glue paper
a stable base for the howitzer. or cloth to your cardboard. Lots of hobby glues will work to stick
things to cardboard, including good old Elmer’s.
Flat terrain is also light and compact, easy to carry around.
And it’s quick to set up. On the whole, it’s a good solution for most Downsides of cardboard: The edges are usually light-colored
games. Any club, or any hobby shop with a play area, can use a box and ought to be painted, which takes a few more moments. Some
full of flat terrain of one kind or another. kinds of cardboard dent easily, though others are very tough. And
a cardboard terrain piece, once accidentally creased or folded, will
never be the same.
MATERIALS Various kinds of flat foam are also available. Light open-cell
Paper is the quickest and cheapest solution. Find some terrain foam in a variety of thicknesses will fall into your hands every time
patterns that you like (and we have some online at http://ogre. you open a package. (Well, now that you are looking for it, you’ll get
sjgames.com/miniatures) and a color photocopier. Bang. It’s bubble wrap instead, but the principle is sound.) Open-cell foam,
all over but the cutting. Paper terrain isn’t durable, but it’s easily when painted, has an organic appearance that some people like
replaced – so easily that you will be comfortable writing or drawing very much. It survives folding and squishing, and it doesn’t usually
on it to make notes during the battle, because at the end of the move around on its own. It may dent a bit when you put a heavy
game you can throw it away. The biggest problem with paper is that figure on it, but the dents will go away when the figure moves.
it’s so light that it moves on its own. Spray the back with spray-glue, Or, for a small investment, you can buy pink builder’s foam
or tack it to cardboard, to get it to stay still. insulation at the hardware store. You’ll need a knife to cut it, but
Cloth is a traditional material for flat terrain. I found some good it’s very durable, and can be covered with cloth or paper, or painted,
forest, plains, and water patterns on the shelf at JoAnn. Cloth is as you see fit. It’s thicker than most other materials; you may find
cheap, soft, flexible, and easy to cut into any desired shape. And that either a plus or a minus, but the edges really have to be painted
it’s just as fast as making terrain from paper. unless you want pink stripes all across your battlefield.
38 2-D TERRAIN FOR MINIATURES GAMES OGREZINE

NEOPRENE when the “sandwich” is fully dry, cut out the desired shape with
sharp scissors.
But I’ve been using thin cloth-covered neoprene, because I
I also got some perfectly usable terrain by painting directly onto
have access to a free supply. We create play mats in-house as promo
the play mat material, either spray-painting with Krylon Fusion or
items, and the rejects would otherwise go in the trash. Noooo! Don’t
Rust-Oleum 2X, or brushing with regular water-based acrylic hobby
throw those away! I have a use for them!
paint, or a combination. Either way, it takes a couple of coats, and
The slightly tacky bottom of the neoprene mats, and their leaves the neoprene less flexible but still adequately bendy. My
flexibility, turn out to serve very well for terrain that won’t move artistic skills are less than masterly, but the final result was at least
on its own. It survives squashing and folding. On the whole, it’s the not embarrassing. I used painted neoprene for my swamp because I
best material that I’ve found. could not find a green-and-blue pattern that I liked.
I made some very pretty terrain by gluing cloth to the neoprene
(rubber cement works; spray glue works better for big areas; silicone
glue seems to cause curling).
Painted swamp and cloth-patterned water on green tablecloth.

“But,” you say, “I don’t have a source of scrap mats around.”
The Internet comes to the rescue. You can buy neoprene in small
amounts on foamorder.com, and doubtless on other sites as well.
Furthermore, you can order it plain on both sides; there’s no point
in getting it with cloth already on one side if you’re going to glue
more cloth on it, and getting it plain is a bit cheaper.
A failed experiment. Silicone adhesive made the pieces curl.
Once the adhesive is dry, the neoprene-cloth sandwich can GOING INTO PRODUCTION
still be cut easily with scissors. I painted the black edges because
After I’d created a table’s worth of terrain, I decided that since
I thought that otherwise I’d be able to see them on the table, but it
we have the equipment, I’d take what I had learned and go into
turns out that that wasn’t necessary.
(small-scale) production – that is, actually use our playmat printer
I did find one attractive cloth that wasn’t usable because with to make a few dozen terrain-patterned sheets, cut out the shapes I
every glue I used, the neoprene curled up after it was glued down. want, and give some to friends and our Friendly Local Game Store.
Moral: if you can, make a test piece before investing a lot in cloth. And that will happen, even though it almost feels like cheating now
After a lot of experimentation, the best technique seems to be that I have done it by hand . . .
(1) draw a shape on the back of the neoprene mat, (2) adhere cloth But the craftwork was fun, and a useful learning experience –
to the front of the mat with spray glue or rubber cement, and (3) and I’ll still use the terrain that I made!
Finished layout, with Ogre miniatures.
OGREZINE 2-D TERRAIN FOR MINIATURES GAMES 39

ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE
by Andrew Mull
Bremen in spring; the history books talk about how it used to For now, we camp in the shadow of the hulk of the Mark IV,
be so beautiful, with flowering fields and gentle rains. In 2089, it’s waiting, trusting that High Command is actually sending us the
nothing but an irradiated wasteland, crushed under the treads of replenishment we need. The Howitzers pound it daily, making sure
Ogres time and time again. Nothing dares to grow; forests of craters it stays a hulk; Specialists able to deliver the coup de grace won’t be
have replaced the forests of trees, and the rains can’t begin to here for another month. From our commander’s point of view, a few
quench the parched earth. Still, it’s home; not just to me, but to dozen shells a day are immaterial compared to the cost of finding
what’s left of the 46th Teutons, the pride of northern Germany. out that thing was playing dead, waiting for us to forget about it so
It’s been quiet since a Mark IV forded its way up the river a week it could finish us off. In spite of the CO’s insistence otherwise, even
ago, getting too close for comfort and costing us dearly. If it weren’t Reinhardt has taken a couple pot-shots at it – one of the only times
for Reinhardt, a Fencer on loan from Hamburg’s 9th Regiment, we’d I’ve smiled at the thought of one of those mechanical monsters
be the glowing corpses instead of the Ogre. Having my skin saved having a mind of its own.
by it doesn’t mean the self-awares unnerve me any less. Whoever A few of us have escaped the claustrophobia of the oversized tent
decided cybertanks needed true AI ought to be out here on the set up on the remains of what used to be the mess hall; myself, Lt.
lines; maybe they’d have thought better of that particular bright Hayden, and Sgt. Slaugenhaupt along with two of the newbies, Pvts
idea. Thanks to Descartes, the tin cans are getting smarter . . . and Hoffman and Fleischer, are eating our rations under the stars, still
the smarter they get, the more consolation letters I have to sign suited up from our evening patrol. The Sergeant and I have taken
every time one shows up. up positions sitting on the bogies of a Heavy, while the Lieutenant
Official word from High Command is that reinforcements are is leaning against a truck to my left, and the privates are sitting on
coming, but High Command always says that. They promise us the open gate of another straight across.
tanks, they promise us GEVs, they promise us ammunition for the The new guys can’t pronounce the sergeant’s last name; since
Howitzers; so far all we’ve gotten is rescheduled deliveries and a few they don’t know his first name is Dave, they’ve taken to calling
iron riders fresh out of training. him Slag. Even better for me, Dave hates his new nickname; we’ve
The rookies arrived at first light three days ago, and I can’t say served together long enough I could tell he was going to retaliate
I’m impressed. They’re so green they can barely put their armor soon. I didn’t know how or when, only that it was going to be funny
on by themselves; my hopes aren’t very high that they’ll be of any when it happened. All I had to do was bide my time, and at least
use in a real fight. The Fencer hasn’t been refitted, either: one gun something would lift my spirits.
destroyed, two missile launchers heavily damaged, and even worse, “So, what do you think of that monster?” Dave asked, pointing
a mere five missiles remain. Combined with the reduced state of our a fork still dripping with baked beans toward the Mark IV, the scars
conventional forces, we’d be easy pickings for a Mark III, let alone in its armor glowing against the twilight sky. “You newbies have
anything bigger. probably never seen a real Ogre before. It’s nothing like what’s in
VR training, eh?”
40 ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE OGREZINE

Pvt. Hoffman paused, voice cracking a little as he talked around distraction so the bigger guns can hit it, but every now and again
his fork. “No, Sergeant! N-nothing really prepares you for the real somebody’s armor gums up the treads enough to slow it down.”
thing.” I had forgotten that Dave saw action against a Mark V at Calais.
Lt. Hayden . . . Al . . . laughed from deep in his belly. “Now I had taken leave to go see him in the hospital when he finally woke
imagine fighting that thing! If you were done learning to tie your up. To hear him tell it, that battle was a bloodbath, and the KIA
shoes even a week sooner, you’d know what it’s like to see combat list certainly backed up his assertion. Two heavies and not quite
against one. There were so many missiles in the air even Reinhardt three squads of infantry are all that came home with a pulse; the
got scared!” massacre left him so rattled it took two years behind a desk before
As I opened my mouth to say something I heard the unmistakable he summoned the nerve to suit up again.
crackle of a radio from the Heavy’s rear bogie, not far from where The embellishment worked; deal with enough guys fresh out
Dave was sitting. He made eye contact, then informed me of the of training and it isn’t difficult to notice when something’s got
obvious. “Your radio’s talking to nobody in particular, Lieutenant. one spooked. As the next moments passed, the color left their
Here, catch.” faces, their eating slowed, and unfortunately for them the old hats
It was all I could do to catch the helmet without dropping my smelled their fear.
dinner, an incident the other old men wouldn’t have let me live Lt. Hayden couldn’t resist twisting the knife. “That’s nothing
down. Setting my mess tray aside, I held the headgear to where I compared to the Mark VI, though. Those are the real monsters.
could hear clearly without having to put it on. “This is Fogelman, Smash a Mark IV and a Mark V together, putting all the guns from
last transmission was missed. Say again?” both on a single chassis. Three primaries, countless secondaries,
My heart sank when the voice that replied was obviously single-shots and missile racks. You see one of those, you may as
synthetic. It had taken the vocal patterns of a boisterous, booming well bend over and kiss yourself goodbye.” Al talked casually,
man with a Rhineland accent, but wasn’t able to disguise that it eating between words as if he’d personally seen so many they were
was a machine. “I said, I am not programmed to feel fear!” It tried old news.
to follow up with a hearty laugh, but all it succeeded in doing was While the recruits tried to process that information, I took
making me shake my head at the clumsy synthetization. “Fear the time to reflect on what it was like when I was green. That was
reduces combat efficiency by 27.42%; why would they program us a lifetime ago, back when the Mark II was the biggest dog in the
for that when they could program us for glory instead?” yard and I was convinced a Mark III was just a tall tale told by
Great. Of all the conversations in the camp right now it was commanders to scare the rookies into following orders. I’ll never
listening to ours, and more importantly, it was in the mood to forget the day I found out just how wrong I was on that one.
be sarcastic. I wondered why the clever sorts back at R&D decide “. . . Sir?” Pvt. Hoffman spoke up, snapping me out of it. While I
these things needed moods and personalities . . . a humanlike was off reminiscing, the poor kid had started to visibly tremble. This
voice doesn’t change that they’re imposing monsters with inhuman wasn’t going to end well; he had been trying to act tough, giving us
minds. all a hard time since he got here in a misguided attempt to fit in.
Putting the helmet down, I turned to my comrades. “Be careful Dave was especially fed up with the antics and right now my guys
what you say about Reinhardt. It has nothing better to do than were giving better than they were getting. “The Mark VI is as big as
listen to us, apparently . . . and it objects to you saying it was they come, right? Do we have an answer to even the Mark V?”
scared, Lieutenant.” The radio crackled again; I couldn’t make out “Well,” started Al. “Good news is, we have the Huscarl; refitted
what it was saying. I could tell it was Reinhardt, so I didn’t bother Mark Vs we inherited thanks to the siege at Sheffield. Bad news
asking for a repeat. I was in no mood to be sassed by a machine, is, I heard rumor that High Command is talking about ending the
especially when a perfectly good knackwurst was getting cold. They program; the French would prefer we build bigger Fencers rather
didn’t feed us real sausage often; usually only to keep our minds off than use Combine tech.”
the dead after one of those things shows up, and I was determined Before either of my compatriots could follow up, my helmet
to enjoy it. crackled, eliciting a sigh of resignation. If the tin can was going to
A few minutes passed before anyone dared break the silence. be this insistent, I may as well oblige it. To save myself the trouble
Pvt. Fleischer spoke up, looking like he was spooked by something. of playing middleman, I put helmet next to me and switched its
“S-sir? Is it true they get even bigger than that one?” commlink to loudspeaker. “Say again, Reinhardt?”
Poor kid, less than a week in a real unit and he was already “Calculations suggest that yes, they do get bigger. A Mark VII is
getting cold feet. “They do,” I replied, as calm and as reassuring as I technically feasible, but essentially impractical.”
could manage with a mouth full of sausage. “That’s a Mark IV: fast, At least this time it sounds like a machine, I thought.
soft, not built for a stand-up fight. Disable a couple of the missile
tubes, and they lose their teeth in a hurry. The trouble is catching Dave pounced on the opportunity the machine had given him.
the things. Not even a heavy can keep up.” Trying to reassure the “Impractical is right . . . but there’s no kill like overkill, and we’re
kid turned out to be a bad move. Not because it scared the rookie, fighting a war of overkill! Look at Dresden. It’s little more than a
but because I inadvertently gave Dave an opening. glowing crater now!”
“Have you seen a Mark V, rookie?” inquired Dave. He was a “Yeah,” added Al, keeping the pressure on. “When I was at
small man, and what he lacked in raw stature he made up for Sheffield, I heard whispers they found notes labeled Mark VII in
with steely resolve. I realized my mistake the instant his voice some secret computer hidden deep in the base. Supposedly it’s even
sounded animated. “Those are the main battle units. Two mains, bigger and meaner than the Mark VI; the front half of two Mark Vs
six secondaries, a half-dozen missiles each with their own tubes . welded to the back half of a captured Fencer. Four primaries, twelve
. . and sturdy! It’s not as fast as that Mark IV, but it can take more secondaries, and four racks of 8 missiles each . . .” He paused,
hits before it slows down. Covered in point-defense turrets too! pointing to the tank Dave and I were sitting on. “. . . and able to take
We infantry are pretty useless against one, not much more than a 25 solid hits from that tank there before it finally stops moving. A
OGREZINE ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE 41

real juggernaut, it’d be lucky to hit 50kph but with that much arms
and armor, nothing could stop it.”
I tried not to snicker; Al had never been to Sheffield, but it
made for a good fish story. Pvt. Hoffman suddenly looked really
uncomfortable; with the way his face was twisted, I couldn’t help
but wonder if he was stress-testing his suit’s waste-recycling
systems. I felt sorry for him, in a way . . . but what did he expect?
He’d been needling these guys all week; he should have known
retaliation was inevitable.
“That’s ridiculous.” Dave snorted. “Something like that would
sink in dirt, let alone a swamp. No, it’d have to have longer range,
not more guns. You want something to be that scary, you’re better
off taking a Mark VI, bolting Howitzers in place of the Primaries,
Primaries in place of the Secondaries, and add another pair of
Missile Racks.”
“Negative,” interjected the cybertank; it seemed not even
our Fencer could resist getting in on it. “I have run the battle
simulations; neither proposed Mark VII would be more effective
than its predecessors. I suggest using the design streamed to your
HUDs.”
Everyone but Dave reached for their helmets, including me;
if the tin can was playing Ogre designer, now that I had to see.
Slipping it on, I was greeted by a terrifying, horrible sight. What
Reinhardt had to show us was insane, something so outlandish no
human would ever dream it up . . . but that thing’s a heavily armed
super-computer. If it’s saying the calculations actually work out? I
shuddered just thinking about it.
At first glance the design on my helmet’s screen looked like the
front of a Mark III-B mated to the rear of one of those Israeli things
with the secondaries on the deck, but the “tank for scale” was way
too small and the barrels were just wrong. It took only a moment to
realize why. “Reinhardt you’re one twisted tin can, you know that? systems went quiet, but from the sounds of things it was over a klick
A Mk. IV with Light Howitzers, LADs, and Missile Racks, and you’re away. It took turning my visor’s low-light mode on to be able to find
telling me that makes it light enough to keep pace with a Personnel Pvt. Fleischer hiding with the GEV jockeys. Reinhardt informed us
Carrier?” that it was still listening, and that Fleischer considered the pilots
“Correct!” came an enthusiastic, synthesized reply. “I estimate less insane than us at this point.
such a unit to already be active. Tactical maps suggest this location I took my helmet off, picked up my tray, and went back to my
is the ideal spot for such a unit to make landfall for an assault on dinner, which, to my dismay, was now completely cold. “I think we
Gotha. The glory to be had in fighting one of those!” were too hard on them, guys. They’re just rookies. When something
The timing of what came next was too perfect; the Howitzers else comes through here, we’re going to need them,” I chided.
began their nightly song, pounding the hulk of the Mark IV with ten “Relax, old man,” shot Al. “We were just having fun with them.
million Euros worth of ordnance. You still remember what you put me through when I was green,
Hearing the deafening roar of an Arquebus, Dave couldn’t resist don’t you?”
going for the kill. The Sergeant leapt to his feet and grabbed his Thinking back to when Lt. Hayden was Pvt. Hayden brought a
helmet. “The Howitzers are singing! Guess it’s not dead after all! smile to my face. He was right, we did get him good . . . but to my
You boys ready for action?” credit as his CO, after the late-night GEV ride we arranged for him,
I don’t know how he kept a straight face. I was glad mine he never again drank so much he was unfit for duty. “Maybe so,”
was inside my helmet where they couldn’t see it. The thunder of I replied, pointing my fork in the general direction of where the
Reinhardt’s motive systems powering up and the unholy clatter of Fencer had been parked. “But the cybertank doesn’t know that. It’s
damaged treads bound for some soon-to-be-leveled destination a machine, and a German machine at that. It’s not programmed for
made even my chest go tight; the Fencer’s cybernetic voice roared humor.”
across our comms units with a hint of glee. “This one is mine! To I did not expect what came next; my helmet crackled to life
battle, for the glory of the German regiments!” once more. If I could have seen the HUD, I would have noticed the
Moments later, its remaining battery joined the chorus of rookies being dropped. Reinhardt spoke with a more serious tone.
ordnance; I swore I could hear the base commander cursing about “Are you certain, Lieutenant Fogelman? These new recruits have
being outranked by a disobedient AI. been tormenting my infantry since they got here. Turnabout is fair
Mess kits clattered to the ground as the rookies scattered as fast play, is it not?”
as their legs could take them. Such a waste of good wurst, I thought, Dave and Al began howling with laughter. Even I couldn’t resist
struggling to contain my laughter. Moments later I could hear Pvt. laughing with the way it inflected my. Heh. Maybe I could grow to
Hoffman throwing up behind the mess tent. Reinhardt’s motive like this tin can after all . . .
42 ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE OGREZINE

OPTIONAL RULE:
DAMAGED ARMOR UNITS
by Drew Metzger
Damaged armor units. Damaged armor units are those that Damaging armor units. Whenever a non-submerged,
are “mission killed”. They cannot move or fire, and in the course of previously disabled armor unit receives a second ‘D’ result, it is
most games are the equivalent of destroyed. They may be repaired, damaged instead of destroyed. Place a “Damaged” counter (Ogre
however, if there are engineering units on the field. Infantry and Designer’s Edition) or numbered marker or other token (Ogre Sixth
Ogre components cannot be damaged, only destroyed. Edition) to designate the damaged status. Disabled armor units are
Damaged units do not count against stacking limits, but they do always destroyed in overrun combat, or while submerged, upon
get defense bonuses when in towns. Any damaged unit on the map receiving a second ‘D’ result.
at the end of the game counts as destroyed for scoring purposes. Repairing damaged armor units. Either a Vulcan, or an
Ranged attacks against damaged units are at a +1 to the die Engineer squad accompanied by a Heavy Drone, may be used to
roll, and they are destroyed by any ‘D’ or ‘X’ result. Damaged units repair a damaged armor unit. Repairing an armor unit is a task that
that are in an overrun situation may not fire back. One damaged requires a roll of 5+ for armor worth 6 VP or less, or a 6 for armor
unit per surviving attacker is automatically destroyed if there are worth more than 6 VP. On a roll of a 1, the unit is too damaged to
no non-damaged defending units in the hex, or damaged units be repaired in the field and should be considered destroyed. Only
may be targeted normally during the overrun while non-damaged one die is rolled per attempt; additional Engineer squads or Heavy
defending units remain. Attackers may choose to spend another Drones do not help with the task. Once successfully repaired, the
movement point, stay in an overrun state, and destroy an additional unit becomes disabled, until it recovers normally on the next turn.
damaged unit per attacking unit in the overrun. It does not count against stacking limits until it recovers. Upon full
recovery, it counts against stacking limits and must move out of the
Damaged units may be repaired as an Engineering task (see hex if it would otherwise violate them. Repaired armor is otherwise
below). treated like any other active armor unit.
CRUISE MISSILE FIZZLES

by Joshua Megerman
In the world of Ogre, most of the weapons used are precision Causing Fizzles. Any cruise missile (or other large nuclear
nuclear devices designed to leave behind minimal fallout and other weapon, like Engineer suitcase nukes) can fizzle, but they are
long-term radiation aftereffects. These devices produce small, unlikely to do so unless damaged in some way (e.g., interception
fixed amounts of explosive power that vary little from detonation to attempts). The base fizzle number for any large nuke is 3; roll
detonation. On the battlefield, they either work or they don’t, with 3d6 when a cruise missile detonates, and if the number rolled is
no room in the middle for reduced yields. less than or equal to the fizzle number, the warhead fizzles. In the
Cruise missiles and other large nuclear weapons, on the other event a fizzle does occur, the power of the detonation is usually
hand, are multistage devices that require precision reduced, but occasionally a “fizzle” can still result in a full-
timing of nanoseconds or less to produce the power detonation.
expected detonation yield. When that timing Successful and near-miss
fails and the detonation yield is smaller than interception attempts increase
expected (usually by one or more the fizzle number, and enough
orders of magnitude), this is known near-misses can guarantee
as a “fizzle.” A fizzle can result in a fizzle even if the missile
the weapon not detonating at all, isn’t intercepted. For every
detonation of the primary fission interception attempt on a cruise
stage without igniting the secondary missile that misses by 1, add 1 to
fusion stage, or a reduced yield from the the fizzle number. In the event of a
secondary (and possibly tertiary) stages. successful interception (10.03.3), add 5
These optional rules supplement and/ to the fizzle number and roll normally for
or replace parts of 10.00 CRUISE premature detonation. If an intercepted
MISSILES in the Ogre Sixth missile does not detonate prematurely, a
Edition or Ogre Designer’s fizzle does not come into play.
Edition rules.
OGREZINE CRUISE MISSILE FIZZLES 43

Fizzle Effects. When a cruise missile fizzles, it can have one of ►► Fratricide (10.02.1) around a reduced cruise missile explosion
four possible effects: no damage (detonation failure), it can cause is reduced to three hexes (instead of the standard 6-hex radius).
the equivalent of an Ogre missile attack on the hex (second-stage ►► A small crater is formed unless the cruise missile detonated over
ignition failure), or it can cause a reduced cruise missile explosion. a water hex.
There is also a very small chance that a fizzle can still result in a
normal-sized detonation. Divide the fizzle number by 5 and round Small Craters. Reduced cruise missile explosions create small
down to get the fizzle modifier, then roll 2d6 and subtract the fizzle craters, which significantly damage but don’t totally destroy the
modifier. Consult the following table to determine the results. hex in which the detonation occurred. All units treat the hex as
rubble and must also pay 1 additional MP to enter the hex (minimum
movement applies).
Roll Result
Small craters can be indicated using a regular crater overlay
4 or less Detonation Failure with a Damaged marker, or print your own small crater overlays
5-7 Second-Stage Ignition Failure such as this one:
8-11 Reduced Cruise Missile Explosion A second small crater result in a small crater hex creates a
normal crater for game-play purposes, and it should be replaced by
12 Full Cruise Missile Explosion (see 10.04) a regular crater overlay.
►► Detonation Failure. If a cruise missile fails to detonate, the Fizzle Example. A cruise missile is fired from an onboard
result is the same as if it were shot down normally. No damage missile crawler and passes in range of 2 GEV, 5 squads of INF, 1 MSL,
occurs. and 1 HWZ before reaching its detonation point 9 hexes from the
launch hex. The GEVs need to roll a 12 to intercept the missile, and
►► Second-Stage Ignition Failure. If the second-stage fails to everyone else needs to roll an 11+. The GEVs roll a 10 and an 11;
ignite, the cruise missile acts as a strength 6 attack against the since the latter only misses by 1, the fizzle roll is increased to 4. The
detonation hex. The hex itself takes a full-strength attack per INF roll 9, 10, 5, 3, and 10; two of those miss only by 1 so the fizzle
13.01, and all units in the hex takes damage from spillover fire roll is increased to 6. The MSL rolls an 8, and the HWZ rolls a 4, both
per 7.12. This does not cause fratricide (10.02.1), and it cannot missing.
be combined with any other attack.
When the cruise missile detonates, a 6 is rolled on 3d6,
►► Reduced Cruise Missile Explosion. If a cruise missile explodes indicating that a fizzle has occurred. Since the fizzle roll was 6, the
with reduced yield, use the standard cruise missile damage fizzle modifier is 1 (6/5 = 1.2, round down to 1). Rolling 2d6 results
rules from 10.04 with the following modifications: in a 9, and subtracting 1 gives an 8 as the final result for a reduced
►► All units outside the detonation hex are treated as though they cruise missile explosion. The hex becomes a small crater as a result
were double the distance from the explosion (before terrain of the explosion.
modifiers).
44 CRUISE MISSILE FIZZLES OGREZINE

KNOW YOUR FORCE
by Drew Metzger
Ogre is a game of infinite complexity and yet incredible “You think we’re gonna see some action?” asked Private Geary.
simplicity. The basic “Mark III Attack” scenario pits a single Before Lieutenant Miller could answer, Corporal Sanchez clubbed
immense tank against a variety of armored units and infantry. The Geary in the head.
defending commander must choose the defending force carefully, “Don’t go lookin’ for trouble, Rook,” growled Sanchez. “It’ll find
marshal the survivors after initial contact, and ultimately, try to hold you soon enough.” Chastised, Geary moved to his designated spot as
on to defeat the massive Ogre. The forces available to the defending the squad quickly established positions within the remnants of the
commander have a variety of traits, each with specific strengths town.
and weaknesses. Balancing these traits so they complement each
other is key for developing a defense capable of stopping the Ogre. As if on cue, a priority flash from Command lit up on all of our
Numerous articles have been written espousing one particular screens. “Unconfirmed reports of an Ogre in sector Foxtrot Whiskey.
type of defense or another; this article will not attempt to do so. All units elevate to status Victor-7. Commanders, switch to channel
Rather, this article will examine the individual units of Ogre Sixth Bravo-3-2 for additional orders.”
Edition themselves, so defending commanders will have a better An Ogre.
understanding of how each unit may be best utilized to defeat the
Ogre. Crap.
For easily the thousandth time today, Corporal Jones wished he Jones checked the ammo level in his blaster and rescanned his
could scratch his back. Such an act was a physical impossibility in a quadrant for any alerts. Suddenly that itch was gone, replaced by an
battlesuit, which made it all the more annoying an itch. He shifted his icy spike that ran down his spine.
weight from foot to foot, trying to use the armor to rub the spot Infantry have long been the mainstay of military forces.
His helmet lit up with Lieutenant Miller’s signal. “Everything Although their demise was predicted with the advent of the tank,
seems quiet here. Place your sensor spikes and let’s bounce to those ultimately nothing is better than infantry for taking and holding
ruins two klicks down the road.” ground. These traits come in to their own with the overrun rules
and terrain defensive bonuses as found on the green terrain maps.
Jones signaled assent to the lieutenant via the squad’s comm- Unfortunately for them, the basic Ogre scenario pits a defending
link, and proceeded to finish the task. Wrapping up, he watched until force on a barren nuclear battlefield, eliminating many of the
the rest of the squad was done, and then they moved out in a series advantages Infantry have when they can make use of terrain for
of power-assisted jumps, one half leap-frogging the other, while the defensive purposes. But that does not mean that squads of Infantry
stationary half kept watch. In moments they reached the abandoned are useless in Ogre; far from it.
village; a sensor sweep came up negative for any combat units. Still,
the squad spread out and swept through the town, confirming with Infantry are the sole unit that the defender has to take to start
their eyes what their equipment told them. the game. In the “Mark III Attack” scenario, the defender starts
with 20 squads of infantry (30 squads in the “Mark V Attack”
The lieutenant opened a link to the squad and broadcast a map of scenario.) These units require managing to maximize their benefit
the village into our HUDs. “Set up firing posts here, here, and here. in a game. Infantry are hampered by their relatively slow movement
Let’s keep our perimeter tight.” Small red “x’s” illuminated on the and vulnerability to AP weapons. That said, they have a number of
periphery of the map. “This will be a good spot to dig in. Elements of advantages as well, even on an Ogre map. First off, they can split
the 26th Mobile Artillery battalion are setting up a few klicks back and and recombine at will. There can be advantages in dividing into
the howitzer is operational. They should provide us cover from any numerous smaller squads, dispersing their engagement risk by
Raptors scouting this quadrant.” providing multiple (albeit individually weaker) targets.
Second, once an Ogre has been reduced to Move 2 or less, the
Infantry can keep pace with the Ogre, constantly harassing it from
behind. This forces the Ogre to decide whether to “waste” a turn (or
more!) dealing with the pesky Infantry behind it, or keep driving on
the Command Post, knowing the Infantry will advance to the Ogre
each turn to again fire at will. Each time the Ogre moves forward,
it moves itself out of AP gun range against the Infantry. Now the
Ogre also has the dilemma of using a larger weapon against the
Infantry, as opposed to using that weapon against enemy armor.
As the scenario rules dictate that only 20 points of attack strength
(40 for the Mark V version) may be set up in the Central Region of
the map, starting Infantry in the Northern Region makes sense. By
the time the Ogre is advancing on that region, it should have been
reduced to Move 2, allowing the Infantry to swarm it and occupy the
hexes behind the Ogre.
OGREZINE KNOW YOUR FORCE 45

Finally, “Disabled” results reduce an Infantry unit
by one squad, but they do not prevent the survivors
from engaging on the subsequent turn. Although
weakened, the reduced Infantry unit can advance and/
or attack on its turn without pause. When an armored
unit receives a “D” result, it is completely out of action
for its next turn, having to wait to its following turn to
recover and (if it survived the intervening Ogre turns!)
re-engage the Ogre.
Yes, Infantry die in Ogre scenarios a lot – a lot! But
they can be amazingly effective in the mid- to late-
game against an Ogre. Just keep them chasing it from
behind!
Mikulski kept replaying the priority flash in his
mind. “Unconfirmed reports of an Ogre in sector Foxtrot
Whiskey.” Although a veteran of numerous conflicts, he
had had the good fortune of never dancing with an Ogre
to date. He hoped that luck would continue today.
“An Ogre?” groaned Simpson, his spotter. “Man, I
hope they’re wrong.”
“It was probably some hung-over flyboy mistaking one of the the unit on the way to the Howitzer or take precious time to try to
Combine’s new Ranger tanks for an Ogre,” Mikulski responded. “You eliminate the screening units from outside of the Howitzer’s range
know how those GEV-jocks can’t tell a tank from a scooter as they go prior to advancing on the big gun.
by.”
One or more properly placed Howitzers will have fields of fire
Unconvinced, Simpson scanned the holotank of their howitzer’s covering the direct path to the Command Post, creating a tactical
control board. “A damn Ogre. Who would send an Ogre here? Even dilemma for the Ogre: does it divert to attack the Howitzer, again
the beer sucks.” with the costly delay, or proceed directly towards the CP under
The latest in field artillery, the M179 Arquebus was the best the assault of the Howitzer(s)? This concept is central to the Four
platform Mikulski had ever commanded. They were tasked, along with Howitzer Defense, with overlapping fields of fire allowing each
a platoon of missile tanks from the 26th Mobile to the southeast, with individual Howitzer to reinforce its brethren.
providing an umbrella of cover for infantry squads from the 81st and The use of terrain can be a vital component to Howitzer placement
22nd that were stationed in a line of woods and a small town to their as well. Although unperturbed by rubble, Ogres are affected by
south. craters just as much as other units, and they have to circle around
“Well, we don’t know that they did send one. Stay frosty, and let’s the craters to advance forward. As such, craters can be an important
just wait to see what good fortune awaits us today. We’ll probably end part of the screening element for a Howitzer, potentially buying one
up watching the butts of those troopers all day without a squeal from additional, and perhaps critical, turn to pound the Ogre.
the box.” Mikulski wished he felt as confident as he sounded. “Lieutenant Miller has her squads dug in to the west of your
An Ogre. position, here,” blue icons lit up on Lieutenant Dumars’ holomap,
“and Captain Davidson’s blowers will be sweeping the valley along
In his neighborhood. this route.” A blue line arced across the display. “Your primary fields
Crap. of coverage will be here, here, and here.” More icons. “Stay frosty.
Mikulski out.” Dumars disconnected the comm.
Howitzers are the most powerful unit on the map, short of an
Ogre. So much so, in fact, that choosing one costs two armor units, Dumars transferred the updated tac-map to the rest of his missile
as opposed to the single armor unit cost for all other units. Multiple tank platoon. Immediately the avatar for Meyers lit up. He opened the
strikes by a Howitzer can be devastating to an Ogre. Their incredible link. “What’s up, Meyers?”
power (attack 6) and range (range 8) is offset by their cost, lack “Are we taking on an Ogre, Sir?” A trace of panic was in his voice.
of mobility (move 0) and durability (defense 1). Entire defensive
strategies are based off the use of multiple Howitzers. Arguably the “There is no confirmed report of an Ogre. We’re going to do what
most famous of these, “The Four Howitzer Defense in Ogre” (Chester we always do: provide artillery support to the rest of the task force.
Hendrix) appeared in The Space Gamer back in 1979; it has been Besides, we’ve got Suzy at our backs!” The thought of that huge
reprinted in The Ogre Book. Others have argued against taking any howitzer to the north was comforting.
at all. As is true of most units, the truth lies in how a commander Simonetti piped in, “And if you get toasted, you won’t need to pay
chooses to use the unit in the defense. Anders what you owe him from the game!” Laughter filled the comm
Ultimately, the key to using one or more Howitzers is giving from the rest of the tanks.
them the opportunity to lash out at the Ogre as much as possible “Alright, time to work, kiddies,” Dumars said. “Perform final
before succumbing to the Ogre’s onslaught. This is done through readiness checks and button up. I’ll expect a status update from each
the use of screening elements and/or reciprocal fields of fire. unit in 15 minutes.” Corporal Unger, his gunner, was already running
Infantry are ideal for this when using the overrun rules of the green the system check for their tank. “Dumars out.”
maps, but they are less effective on an Ogre map. Armored units
Missile Tanks serve in a similar capacity as a Howitzer. Although
can sit within the umbrella forcing the Ogre to choose to either ram
mobile, they are best suited as a support unit providing cover to
46 KNOW YOUR FORCE OGREZINE

those in close contact with the enemy. For Ogre scenarios, this “Negative,” Davidson replied. “There is a company of heavies
frequently means being part of the “second wave” of units in deployed just west of us. If we find the beast, we’re to fall back and let
contact with the Ogre, along with Infantry. Missile Tanks actually them take point. We’re to provide flanking cover and assist in focus
pair very well with Infantry in that they have the same Movement fire as needed. . . Any other questions? No? Ok, then; let’s do our job.
value, allowing the Missile Tanks to stand off from the Ogre and rain Davidson out.”
missiles down over the Infantry that, out of necessity, are in direct The blowers slid down the hillside like ghosts, the hum of their
contact with the Ogre. As mentioned above, once the Ogre has been turbines increasing in pitch as they rapidly gained speed. Lightly
reduced to Move 2 or less, it can’t outrun either the Infantry or the armed and armored, the Galahad GEV was the fastest unit on the
Missile Tanks. At this time the Missile Tank really comes into its battlefield. They could strike and retreat before many other units
own, as the combination of power and range makes it a formidable could respond.
foe for an Ogre. Conversely, an Ogre that still has its full movement
allowance can frequently maneuver away from a Missile Tank, They reached the highway and sped southward, passing civilian
further reducing the Missile Tank’s effectiveness in the early stages vehicles as if they were stationary. As they approached the bridge, an
of the game. alert sounded at the same time as a red icon lit up on their holobanks.
Looking across the river, they saw an impossibly immense vehicle
But Missile Tanks can support more than just Infantry. A line of crest the ridge and move towards the bridge. Bristling with guns, the
Heavy Tanks can be further reinforced with a second line of Missile sheer size of the thing almost defied comprehension.
Tanks behind it. With the extended range, the Missile Tank sits
beyond the Heavy Tank and yet still can strike with almost as much “Bank hard left! Get on the river and regroup at rally point Delta,”
force. The value of Range 4 really comes into play in the latter part Davidson ordered. Switching to the battalion channel, he said,
of the game, forcing the Ogre to make the hard choice of diverting “Target Troll confirmed. It’s a damn Mark V! Moving west to meet up
to address one or more Missile Tanks eating away at its ability or with the 5th Armored at Delta. Captain O’Leary? I hope your boys and
continuing to push on towards the CP. girls are ready for company.”
“We were getting a wee bit bored, honestly,” she responded
laconically. “Let’s show a little hospitality. Please form up on our
southern flank, if you don’t mind. O’Leary out.”
As the squadron crossed from the highway to the river, it began
to speed up the waterway. One GEV struggled to make the transition
from land to water, spinning sidewise a bit before regaining control.
“Unit 313! Move out now, Schmidt!” Davidson shouted on the link.
A missile lifted off from the back of the Ogre, gracefully arcing
up over the bridge on a column of smoke before vectoring in on the
wayward GEV. Despite the GEV’s gathering speed, the missile homed
in on it, destroying the GEV in an explosion of metal and fire. The rest
of the GEVs sped westward in a series of water rooster-plumes, safely
out of range of any additional missile strikes.
GEVs are a favorite of many Ogre players, evoking the derring-
do of WWII fighter pilots. They are the fastest units on the map
Finally, the Missile Tank is one of the most powerful units during the initial movement phase (Move 4) and they have the
that may be acquired at the cost of a single armor unit. Obviously additional benefit of a second movement phase all of their own
the four-hex range frequently results in first-strike capacity, but (Move 3). This “double move” gives them the ability to dart in, fire,
an Attack Strength of 3 is an underappreciated benefit as well. and then retreat to a position of relative safety after their attack.
Although not quite as strong as a Heavy Tank, the Missile Tank may This unrivaled mobility comes at a cost, however. They are neither
attack a missile or secondary battery of an Ogre at 1:1 odds without powerful (Attack 2 and Range 2) nor particularly durable (Defense
requiring additional attack factors from another unit, nor “wasting” 2).
unneeded attack factors that may be better used elsewhere. Only
the Ogre’s main battery is exempt from 1:1 odds from
a single Missile Tank attack.
Captain Davidson’s GEV hummed beneath him
as he and his squadron idled next to a copse of trees.
He glanced back at his gunner, Antonovich, who was
reviewing the latest update. “An Ogre?! Really?”
Antonovich asked. “Oh, crap.”
“It’s our job to find out.” Switching to the
squadron’s channel, he said, “Falcon Company, form
up on me. We’re going to swing east down the valley,
take highway 17 south along the river for a dozen
klicks, and then come west back up the river as it bends
away from the highway near the Gaston Bridge. Any
questions?”
Garcia’s avatar lit up. “What if we find the damn
thing? Do we engage?”
OGREZINE KNOW YOUR FORCE 47

She executed the commands she had
preset on her squad’s channel. The valley
echoed with the growls of the Jaeger
tanks’ engines as they moved out of the
small copse they occupied. Churning the
soft ground beneath their tracks, they
moved forward to meet their quarry.
“Remember,” she announced over
the unit comm, “we fight for our families
today. No robotic invader, no inhuman
beast, will take our lands, nor kill our
people, without a fight. Make me proud!”
As her tanks ground forward, the
Ogre crested the knoll to their east and
came within range. Warning icons lit up
her display as the Ogre let loose with its
weaponry. The valley erupted with the
sounds of battle: the heavy tanks’ turrets
began blasting and the GEVs screamed
in from the left with guns firing, as
the incoming rounds from the Ogre
announced its arrival.
Heavy Tanks are the mainstay of
With this speed, GEVs are capable of determining the point of many armored forces. Powerful, armored, and mobile, their only
initial contact, which may distract an Ogre from its planned line of “weakness” is a relatively short range, requiring them to wade into
attack. They may also be used to “bait” an Ogre into moving in a the heat of the battle to engage their foe. The Attack Strength 4
direction of the defender’s choosing. With this in mind, GEVs are means they can engage an Ogre’s main battery at 1:1 odds in the
sometimes placed up front in the Central Area of the Ogre map as most efficient manner possible. Removal of the main battery
part of the limited force that may be deployed in that region. This is frequently one of the highest priorities of a defending force,
allows them to initiate contact very early in the game, starting the because that, when combined with a reduction in movement, will
war of attrition on the Ogre from the earliest possible moment. make other units almost invulnerable to the Ogre later in the game.
Alternately, they may be placed in the North Area, using their speed The hearty Defense 3 has an added benefit of causing an Ogre’s
to catch up to the slower Heavy Tanks and other units placed in the main battery to be relatively impotent against a Heavy Tank as well.
Central Area, allowing the entire force to engage the Ogre en masse As attack odds ratios are always rounded in the defender’s favor, a
earlier in the conflict. main battery is no more effective against a single Heavy Tank than a
They function well as a pack, with individual units sweeping in secondary battery. This can trap an Ogre into spending its attack in
for an attack, and then scattering in a variety of directions away a less-than-optimum manner, ultimately increasing the chance of
from the Ogre, preventing the Ogre from retaliating against most, the defender’s units surviving to attack another round.
if not all, of the units. This is especially beneficial late in the game Another benefit of the Heavy Tank is that it is much more
when a GEV is essentially invulnerable to an Ogre that has had its damaging to the Ogre in a ram. Whereas all other armor units cost
movement reduced and has lost its missiles and main battery. The the Ogre a single tread when ramming, a Heavy Tank will extract two
GEV can swoop in and out without fear of retaliation, always ending tread units from the encounter. Although this may not seem like
beyond the range of the secondary batteries. much in isolation, those treads are actually quite valuable. An Ogre
O’Leary reviewed the tac-map again. The Ogre was crossing the without weapons but mobile is still a threat to the CP, whereas one
bridge, here, and presumably headed up the valley along the river. that is immobilized outside of the range of its remaining weapons
Davidson’s GEVs should be flying in at any moment. If she could bait has lost the game.
the Ogre into engaging her tanks over this knoll, the howitzer could The Ogre continually processed the information streaming in from
provide some additional fire support. The Ogre would be faced with its sensors. The defense was strong, and well situated to confront it.
skirmishing with the GEVs to the south, overrunning the infantry dug Nevertheless, it calculated a 61.2347628% chance of success given
in and around the small town to the east, or forcing its way through the current data. That was acceptable. The Ogre ground forward.
her company here . . . all the time being shelled by the howitzer.
And playing the Ogre? Well, the master himself wrote an article
Despite her confidence in the plan, she still shuddered. “A blasted detailing the nuances of the Ogre titled “Basic Ogre Strategy.” That
Ogre,” she said under her breath. “Couldn’t you find somewhere else article covers the fundamentals of maximizing an Ogre’s strengths
to play?” against a competent defense. This is a key factor, because in the
Her holotank lit up with blue icons as Davidson’s GEVs sped into face of a defense utilizing the concepts detailed above, “the Ogre
view. “He’s not far behind, Captain O’Leary,” Captain Davidson needs all its advantages.” Steve Jackson’s treatise on playing the
announced over the comm-link. Ogre may be found in The Ogre Book.
“Indeed,” she replied. “Well, then. Let’s give him a proper
Paneuropean welcome! Regroup here,” she directed, toggling a
position on the tac-map, “and strike at his flank. We’ll meet the thing
head on.”
48 KNOW YOUR FORCE OGREZINE

MERCY WELL MET
by T.A. Gordon
There were still a few fleeting gloomy hours before the official commands, gathering units into Kampfgruppen, sacking failed
sunrise . . . before Reveille roused the soldiers from their rest. Yet Generals, setting up Hedgehog defense-points. He was the Western
there was still plenty of activity around the scattered camps, even defense’s own Fireman - dynamic, successful, aggressive, ruthless.
at this early hour. The sprawled cantonments of the Paneuropean’s Bellman smiled. You don’t scare me, Herr Meyer, he thought to
11th Strike Division lay in a 7-kilometer radius all around the himself.
Mobile Command Headquarters, hidden well in the folds of these There was a slight early morning rain squall as Major-General
remote Galician highlands of northwestern Spain. Erik von Meyer arrived in the HQ compound. He jumped out of his
The Headquarters Company of the 11th Division hummed with GEV as soon as his pilot had cracked the door open, following hard
a constant buzz of incoming and outgoing transmissions. Reports on the heels of the escorting guards towards the MCHQ.
were being steadily sifted and collated, mapping the scattered So, this is the hub of the Fighting Eleventh - the Bloodied
Combine forces lying in a patchwork jumble a hundred kilometers to Sabers, he thought to himself. He looked up at a fluttering torn
the south, the hologram map tracking them all with bright colored pennant. The off-white banner, once edged in gold lace, still had its
points of light. All of them retreating. proud crossed red sabers emblazoned upon it. He liked that; he had
Watching this illuminated display, General Bellman of the an appreciation of the old military heraldry, and it pleased him that
Italian Army Staff was now de-facto Commander of the 11th Strike this mixed division of Italian, Polish, Austrian, and Danish veterans
Division. He’d been in the big seat since last month when his own still had pride in who they were.
senior officer never made it out of a burning GEV. General Bellman watched a staff officer direct the Major-General
Bellman was tired. He ached all the time now, five months into the Command Chamber, prompting him to slide out of his
without relief, not even a week off. So many of his officers were chair. He only then remembered he should have checked over his
gone. Yet the 11th had stood and fought. And it held. The Combine uniform, maybe changed into the spare tunic. He sighed; too late
had been hurled back with horrendous losses and now he had some now, and after all, why worry? He secured an undone top button
breathing space. It was a valuable pause to ratchet down the pace, and left it at that. Exactly as he expected, the Major-General was
get soldiers rested, and all remaining units rebuilt and re-equipped. the very epitome of the ultra-professional German High Command,
He also now had a new asset, and he wasn’t yet sure what to do with smart and confident, and not a speck of Spanish dust on his
it. Would he even get to keep it? uniform. Bellman made a half-hearted attempt at saluting – very
And that was why he was up an hour earlier than normal, deliberately.
awaiting the arrival of Major-General von Meyer. He wasn’t Meyer thanked the staff officer after handing her his long-coat
surprised to get the order from Strasbourg that Meyer had been and gloves. He glanced towards General Bellman. He didn’t see a
sent. After all, this new ‘guest’ was a surprise development, even broken man, as some at the Strasbourg office had suggested. He saw
in the hectic back-and-forth maelstrom of the Iberian campaign. a tired man, but a proud Italian commander – one who had allowed
The latest ETA of ‘Fixer’ Meyer flashed up on one of the command himself to relax in order to cope with what he’d achieved – a minor
prompt holoscreens, stating it was ‘near-imminent’. Bellman slid miracle of a victory despite the Combine onslaught. Meyer had a gift
back into the command chair to finish his coffee. for sizing people up, an empathic skill for character assessment. He
‘Fixer’ Meyer - one of the golden favorites of Paneuropean saw a good commander close to exhaustion, but this man was no
Supreme Headquarters. Renowned for rebuilding collapsed failure or fool. Meyer nodded acceptance as the staff officer offered
to arrange a welcoming morning coffee.
OGREZINE MERCY WELL MET 49

There was a brief pause as the two generals stood motionless “Who gave you the plans?” Meyer felt like he was back in
opposite each other. Meyer seized the moment, stepped forward Karlsruhe Military Academy, asking instructors where did the ammo
and held out his hand, which Bellman shook, smiled, and offered go in a standard assault rifle. But at the same time, he knew this was
his German counterpart a position over at the Main Command Desk. different. This was unique.
Bellman gave a very brief summary of 11th Division positions and And Bellman knew they were getting closer to revealing it all
status, knowing full well this was just introductory stuff. Meyer now, and he thought he’d paced it slowly enough so that Meyer was
patiently listened, taking it all in, asking no questions. Bellman now on the same wavelength. He’d need to be. The reality of the
enjoyed playing out the briefing, delaying the inevitable, the actual situation was so far-fetched, after all. To answer Meyer, he took a
reason why ‘Fixer’ Meyer was here. deep breath, exhaled slowly and pointed at the Ogre on the screen.
Finally, he directed Meyer’s attention to the large green symbol “She did.”
parked just a few kilometers east from where they sat. It was
motionless, and the holoscreen reeled text and chart reports from Meyer stood up abruptly. He didn’t know what to respond with
the sensor cameras and scanners that had been directed at their first. Whether it was the Ogre’s instruction to be disarmed and
new arrival. Streams of data spread across the sub-screens as code- refitted with new equipment. Or that Bellman had just said “she.”
filters deciphered the incoming intel. A hazy visual image slowly Or that Bellman delivered all of this with such a straight face; no
pulled into focus, and Bellman slid the screenshot into the center smirks or smiles, just matter-of-fact and direct.
of the display. Meyer was fixated on it, his cup of coffee now almost “She? Are you trying to tell me, General, that this Ogre has a
forgotten. specific gender?” He slightly regretted resorting to rank, calling
“It really is a Mark 5?” He muttered this quietly, and Bellman Bellman ‘General’, and he was already wishing he’d asked about the
nodded. Meyer had never been this close to one. He had never fought weapons stripping instead. Bellman just shrugged in reply, turned
one. It was scarily imposing in size. It dwarfed the GEVs and Heavy to the new platter of coffee, and helped himself. He motioned Meyer
Tanks parked close to it. This giant looked a little different from the to return to his seat. Meyer complied; this was all most irregular.
usual lines of the Mark V design layouts, but the lack of detail in No wonder Supreme Headquarters had sent him to investigate
the image stopped him from seeing exactly what was different. But Bellman’s initial report.
there was still no mistaking the silhouette of a Combine Mark V. “This Ogre approached our lead defense line near Dormea and
Bellman sharpened the image and switched to live-feed. Meyer Sobrado just over two weeks back. We’d heard, of course, that a
now saw troops and vehicles slide slowly past, while the Ogre sat, Mark V was in the area, over the Net. Those Spanish in 73rd Armor
still and silent. The early morning light was improving now, so Brigade had run from it, despite this being their turf. So, we knew
Bellman dialed back the light-intensification. Now Meyer started to she – it – was approaching our Divisional area. I sent the Danish
get a real appreciation of what was different with this Ogre. Mechanized Strike Group out to circle it, get behind it. Two of their
GEVs strayed too close and the Ogre opened fire. Except . . . it was
“No main batteries?” Meyer noted the complete absence of the no kill-shot. Instead, it was a single AP round that pinged off the
paired heavy guns at the bow of the Mark V. Yet he looked closer he lead GEV’s windscreen. Utterly harmless, and totally unexpected.
noted there was no obvious battle damage. Then he saw not only And then she – it -–stopped and just sat there, near Sendelle. And it
were the missile casements empty, most of the secondary batteries started to talk to our sensors. It took us two hours to cross-reference
were missing too. and patch the language codes until we settled on what was being
He was back on his feet now, close to the holoscreen, rotating used; an early medieval dialect linked back to the Visigoths.”
and zooming the live-feed himself, until he remembered his coffee Meyer was trying hard not to show how stunned he was by all the
and found it was stone-cold. He set the cup down disappointed and detail. He did his best to check back into some sort of conversation
yet still completely distracted with what he was seeing, as Bellman mode.
summoned some more.
“You say the Ogre did not attack our Danish GEVs, but instead
And it was Bellman who decided it was the right time to start the halted, and started to talk to your battlefield sensor arrays in some
anticipated discussion. ancient language? Bellman – these details weren’t in the report you
“We removed all the ordnance - well, the 44th Polish Heavy submitted. I’m finding it hard to . . . to understand . . .”
Engineers Troop carried it out. All of it is on trains heading to “It took a while for us to translate all of it, most of that first day,
Stuttgart now. The Research Command at Strasbourg sanctioned in fact, but we knew the back story by that evening. And then we
that.” Bellman continued his narration as Meyer sat staring at the talked. Overnight, we sent out a single hovertruck and the Ogre
live-feed. followed it into our cantonment, and parked where you see her
“We’ve left some of the AP weapons, as we had difficulty removing now. That has been her resting place ever since. When she goes
them all. You’ll see some additions fitted to the superstructure, and out, it’s where she comes back to.” Bellman had resigned himself to
the tower has part-retracted. We fixed some of the more serious using the feminine tense now. He was slightly irritated in having to
surface damage with BPC-grafting sets, but essentially - well, this check his language all the time anyway.
Ogre is now ready.” He waited for Meyer to take it all in. It was “So . . . what happened, and why do we now have a Combine
ready, and it could be underway in seconds, given any orders. But it Mark V in our camp?”
was now effectively completely unarmed.
Bellman took a long drain of coffee, then another deep breath,
“What additions and why?” relaxed into his chair, and just decided to tell all. He had, after all,
“Protection capsules. We fashioned them from some evacuation dodged the ‘Why?’ question for long enough.
pods taken from submarines laid up in Coruna harbor. The design “The Ogre had been tasked by Combine-Iberia High Command to
was fabricated from materials we had on hand and the plans we plough a wide lane of destruction all the way up the coast of Portugal
were given.” Bellman knew that last part would help him dodge the and then along the Spanish northern coast. One-way attack, no
‘why’ for a moment longer. going back. Maybe it was a desperate last order, who knows. And
50 MERCY WELL MET OGREZINE

that’s what she had done, very successfully. She single-handedly it strange to follow Bellman’s lead and call it ‘her’. But then, he
destroyed General Cheiman’s Portuguese Defense Brigade, for consented to himself, Bellman had been dealing with it for a
instance. Then she broke into our defense zone and routed those fortnight now. He also made a mental note to recommend Bellman
guys in the 73rd. We had major problems of refugees all over the for a week’s leave.
area, a lot of panic, all created by one Ogre. Thousands were fleeing “No, she has insisted that is not the case. She’s asked for neutral
eastwards and my troops were spending half their active duty time status, to be respected by all.”
getting the civs out of harm’s way.”
“And have you agreed to that, have you promised her – it -–
“Meanwhile, she pushed on north until she came to the Rio that’s OK?” Meyer could have kicked himself, slipping like that. He
Ulla, just south of the city of Santiago de Compostela. But instead needed more coffee, so he headed for the pot on the serving tray.
of encountering defense troops, she found a very large crowd of You could always rely on Italian commanders to ensure decent
unarmed civilians, led by the mayor and some priests, waiting for coffee was available.
her. Seems they were carrying all sorts of banners and paraphernalia
from the Cathedral. Icons and items about their patron Saint “Actually, we have. And so have the Combine commanders, too.”
James.” Meyer spun back to face Bellman.
Meyer was puzzled. “How large was this crowd?” “Really? I would have expected them to do everything and
“Over 33,000 people. Men, women, children; hell, they even anything to get this Ogre back – or see it destroyed.”
turned up with horses and cattle. And pets. All civilian, all unarmed. “No. That’s actually the next part of all this that you have to
Carrying their saintly icons . . . and singing.” understand.” Meyer returned to his chair, sensing all that he had
Meyer slid back into his chair, bemused. He could actually heard so far was just the start.
picture such a scene. And he noted his coffee was stone-cold, again. “All the modifications we have carried out are to serve one
But he was too lost in Bellman’s narrative to care much. purpose: preserving human life. They were all done to her explicit
“It seems they asked her to not attack them, they told her about instructions. Those top pods for example. Each one able to carry one
their saint, and their city’s history. She learned from them that they suited-up medic. They eject from the chassis, equipped with the
were not a military threat to either her or the Combine, I guess. They new battlesuit jump motors those Russians designed, reinforced
even recited prayers to her. Either way, she agreed to pass them by, for a safe landing. Capable of keeping a wounded trooper safe in
and changed direction north-eastwards, missing out on Coruna, medical stasis – two if you get out of their battlesuits. All that
and resuming an eastward advance towards Oviedo. Except, she decking – anchor points set in them for securing more casualties.
stopped a day later, and spent a day scrutinizing the data she had And the missile casements – you can squeeze more bodies in
collected at Santiago. Somehow – I don’t know myself – she found there. Stowage packs are fixed in various places, front and sides,
the operational code for the general attack order towards Santander all carrying a range of kit we’ve scrabbled together. Spare servo-
and Bilbao . . . and she deleted it.” motors for suits, helmet-plates, scrubbers and filters, tools, med-
kits, food packs, water bottles, even the BPC-spray grafters for
“The next thing we knew, she was approaching us, and you know temporary patching. All quick release – in fact, some of those eject
already how that turned out.” Bellman gestured to the live-feed too with directional propellant charges. It took us three days to fit
still visible on the main screen. It was a quite accurate summary of it all. And it all works.”
all that the Ogre had provided as explanation, to himself directly,
when they had first talked together. “You’ve saved lives then?”
Meyer, however, had never encountered anything like this. In Bellman keyed in a stat-chart on the holodisplay. “Our newly
fact, he’d never heard of anything like this, ever. And he had spent neutral friend has carried out nine rescue sorties just in the last
years travelling the globe for Paneuropean military interests. He week, recovering 848 wounded Paneuropean personnel, with a
was right in his first assessment; this was truly unique. post- rescue 72.5% survival rate. And – over 200 Combine personnel
as well.”
“Are we saying, then, that this Ogre has defected . . . or
surrendered to us? And you say it ordered you to remove the Meyer crunched the numbers. That was worth a couple of
weaponry too? And then make alterations?” Meyer still found battalions at other hotspots he’d fought in; the difference of a

hastily made defense point falling or holding out. Plus, this adapted
Mark V had rescued Combine soldiers, too.
“And is that why the local Combine commanders have accepted
the neutral status too?”
“Si, Generale. Exactly. Three days back, we had a particularly
vicious battle on the approach to Zamora. We all took heavy losses.
Then she turned up and started the casualty extractions. When
some Combine troopers were collected too, we saw the remaining
Combine forces fall back 3 klicks. Turned out it was a mixed British
and Canadian Battle Group. One of their officers came over, told us
we could proceed without fear of them attacking. They were true to
their word.”
“And where are the Combine casualties now?”
“Treated, then processed as POWs, and now in a medical camp
just east of Santander.”
“And our wounded?”
“Well, 506 could have returned to active duty by tomorrow or the
end of the week. But seeing as we have some peace and quiet here
at this moment, I’ve ordered the medical staff to take their time.”
Meyer nodded. This entire situation was truly special, no doubt
about that. For an Ogre to act this way? One from the Combine too.
He was already drafting the initial outline of his report in his mind,
but he knew this was going to be a tough challenge to make it
convincing.
Or simply believable. An Ogre had just never acted like this, ever.
For Bellman this had played out as he had hoped. In truth, was now in a conversation with it. With her. Now he had a slight
probably better that he had anticipated. Meyer hadn’t scoffed insight into why Bellman seemed so comfortable with its choice of
– there had been no ridicule – and he hadn’t been sacked. There gender. Bellman allowed him to take over the keyboard.
was one last card to reveal, one last scene to show his guest. He
motioned for Meyer to rejoin him at the main screen. – Hello Mercy. I am Meyer. I have so many questions to ask. I do
not know where to begin.
“Shall we say ‘hello’?” Bellman’s fingers flickered over the
holokeyboard and a message slowly assembled on a sub-screen, – Ask-the-one-question-you-need-me-to-answer.
adjacent to the live- feed of the Ogre. Bellman let out a laugh, patted Meyer on the back, and
– Good morning. It is Bellman. How are you? returned to his commander’s chair. It was like someone taking your
regulation backpack off for you; relief, relaxation, lightheaded, and
Meyer watched Bellman type, then glanced up at the live-feed. then suddenly, really tired. He slumped into the worn upholstery,
He thought he could see lights switch on, but he wasn’t sure. More still grinning from ear to ear.
of their troops and light vehicles were moving around the camp
now, seemingly oblivious to the giant machine, ignoring it as if it – What question would that be, Mercy?
was just some normal building or bunker. – Meyer-wants-to-ask-me-WHY.
– Good-morning-General-Bellman. Adequate-restoration. Meyer looked back over his shoulder to Bellman. “If she suggests
On-standby. Awaiting-updates. playing Poker – don’t. I owe her two months of my pay already.”
Meyer glanced at Bellman, seeing his Italian commander Bellman laughed again, and this time Meyer laughed too.
grinning, sipping more coffee. – OK, Mercy. Why have you decided to become neutral and to
“It is time to introduce you Major-General, if you’re happy to rescue wounded troops?
proceed?” Meyer just nodded. – Because-war-is-WRONG.
“Typing all this takes time, but bear in mind, our computers are Both men were now silent, looking at four words that seemed to
trying to translate this all into that Visigoth dialect I mentioned, blaze defiantly from the holoscreen. Four words that neither would
and when she replies, that has to be translated too. So, if there’s have ever expected to hear from one of the most refined killing
a little bit of a delay, it’s just processor lag.” Bellman went back to machines in military history. It was surreal.
doing his speedy four-finger keying.
– So, you will now save lives, not take them?
– I have a friend here. He wants to talk to you. His name is
– Correct-Major-General-von-Meyer.
Major-General von Meyer.
– Humanity-must-continue.
- Good-morning-Major-General-von-Meyer. You-will-call-
me-Mercy. – That is good to know, Mercy. But in truth, throughout history,
mankind has always found a way to carry on.
Meyer read the reply text at least three times. Mercy. It had
given itself a name? And it was quite insistent it seemed. And he – Humanity-must-be-ready-for-what-is-to-come.
52 MERCY WELL MET OGREZINE

Reading that last reply, Meyer felt a little chilled. ‘For what is yet, he could strangely understand it. In this horrendous war of
to come’. He stood and contemplated what to ask next without chaotic destruction on the battlefield, and for all the years it had
following the obvious lead, but the hook had been well planted been fought, to suddenly have something that could potentially
within him. Just as he hovered over the keyboard, the text sub- offer salvation from all that hopelessness. More importantly, to
screen blanked out. The conversation with Mercy was obviously have that here, next to you.
now over. He easily imagined that if he was still a young Leutnant in the
“We’re still trying to instruct her on the simple manners of LuftPanzers, no doubt he would have done the same. He settled
saying ‘Ciao’ when she finishes.” Bellman indeed felt truly relieved back into the chair, watching the soldiers go past. And in the quiet
at this point. He had nothing else to show, and he had no more he Command Chamber, for a moment it seemed the War was on another
could tell Meyer. From this Command Chamber, Meyer should now continent, elsewhere. Bellman even found himself steadily and
be able to see it all for himself. slowly dozing off.
“Why has she chosen ‘Mercy’ as a name? Is it some sort of special Many hours later, after Meyer had sent off a preliminary report
Combine medical code perhaps?” back to Strasbourg, he sat alongside his GEV pilot, in silence,
“No, nothing like that. It seems it was the first word she heard, watching the French countryside fly past their windscreens.
spoken to her by those civilians of Santiago.” As they hurtled down the reserved center lane for military traffic
Meyer nodded; he could accept that. It seemed to fit this on Euro-Autobahn-7, he noted nothing except the read-receipt
strange occurrence perfectly, in fact. He returned to watch the of his submittal had not come back to him yet. He could picture
live-feed from the sensors, and saw troops assembling, battlesuits it; Senior Commanders in Supreme Headquarters, sitting behind
being closed up, vehicle crews donning helmets and harness. As he closed doors, discussing his findings. All trying to fathom out what
watched, a line slowly assembled, a queue that slowly walked up to was the best action. As if there was any feasible action that could be
the Ogre as it sat motionless. Meyer looked on as one-by-one, each taken. A decision that ‘Mercy’ would accept and comply with. Meyer
soldier laid a hand on a BPC panel on the track-housing, or on a thought it was ludicrous to even try.
tread, before moving off elsewhere. All of them did it, one after the He couldn’t shake those last scenes from his mind, the long
other. Bellman watched Meyer’s frown. parade of troops, looking for hope from a machine.
“She retrieves them, so my soldiers think it is polite to do that But worse were those worrying words etched into his memory
– to tell her ‘don’t forget me’ – before they head off for form-up.” for ever.
As Meyer looked on, while infantry and vehicle crews all “Humanity must be ready for what is to come.”
followed each other with this early morning ritual, he wondered He wished he still had some of that Italian coffee on hand.
whether it was a superstition Bellman should have stopped. And

BUILDING YOUR OWN MONOPOLIS:
IT’S A GAME, NOT A DIORAMA
by Mack Harrison
Do you love the game of Ogre, but don’t like the fact that your robot tank occupied both hexes, when that was just an artifact of
minis or 3-D counters can’t fit into a single hex? Want to have two the size of the map. It wasn’t easy to fit more than one of some of
Ogres share the same real estate without having to place one model the other units into a single space, either.
on top of another? Then it’s time to build your own Monopolis. So, loving the minis, loving the rules, and indifferent toward the
Monopolis is a shorthand term to describe my Ogre games using map, I embarked on a project that would: 1) keep the hexes while
standard miniatures on a large hex map with 3-D terrain. My setup providing enough room to fit my models comfortably; 2) allow
combines the straightforwardness of the board game with the modularity and facilitate gameplay; 3) be simple; and 4) not cost
visual appeal of a miniatures game. In constructing Monopolis, too much. I ended up with Monopolis, a game that keeps the board
I used a variety of components, from board games, toys, model game rules on a large hex mat while adding custom terrain with
railroad supplies, and random bits, with the idea that combining both official, and some not-so-official, miniatures.
the parts into a greater whole would make an aesthetically pleasing Materials: Here’s what I used to build my own Monopolis:
presentation. And whenever I started to worry about scale, I would
remind myself that I was making a game, not a diorama. ►► Commercially available game mat (alternately, make your own)
I’m a longtime Ogre fan who picked up Deluxe Ogre and Deluxe ►► Cardboard drink coasters (100 circular and 100 hexagonal)
GEV in the early 2000s. These sets came with metal miniatures and ►► Art board (optional)
paper maps with hexes large enough to fit conventional armor
units. While I also obtained the Ogre Miniatures rulebook, the ease ►► Lichen (from model railroad supplies, various colors)
of play on a hex map resulted in my preference for using minis with ►► Static grass and flocking
the hex-and-counter rules.
►► Model trees (from diorama supplies, various colors)
Although the Deluxe maps were fairly large, the huge nature
of the eponymous cybertanks meant these models would take up ►► Spray adhesive
two spaces on an already-crowded game board. While the rulebook ►► Superglue
stated that for purposes of play, the Ogre only occupied the front ►► Tacky glue
hex, this often led to confusion. Too many times, an opponent
would base their tactics on the mistaken assumption that the giant ►► Spray paints (from hardware stores, various colors)
54 BUILDING YOUR OWN MONOPOLIS OGREZINE

►► Model buildings (multiple origins, the more, the better); my
sources included:
►► Different editions of Monopoly (old and new versions: The
World Here & Now Edition, Marvel Edition, Disney Edition,
City Edition, etc.)
►► Toob building collections
►► Tri Ang 1/1250 die cast buildings
►► Small plastic bits: power cord prong covers, zip lock bag
fasteners, etc.
►► An old bathroom fixture
►► Steel wool
►► Cotton balls
►► Toothpicks
►► Pennies (at one cent each, they’re the perfect size and weight
for markers or bases)
►► Circular adhesive labels
Game Mat: First, the big picture: how big do you want your Once I decided on hex size, I needed to figure out how to get
game to be - literally and figuratively? The larger your hexes, the them onto a playing surface. I toyed briefly with the idea of creating
more minis you can fit into a single space. Conversely, the bigger my own gaming mat, but quickly decided that my hobby efforts
the spaces, the less room to maneuver. To make a ridiculous were best focused on other projects. So, I purchased one instead.
example, imagine a six- by four-foot map with 12-inch hexes: while
that’s plenty of room to stack up all the cybertanks you want in a A cursory internet search will return options for game mats in
single space, there’s not much room to maneuver. You’ve only got various fabrics, colors, dimensions, and hex size. Neoprene maps
six hexes on the long axis, and about four on the short axis. A GEV will lay flat and not move too much during play, and since they’re
can cross the whole map in a single turn. Now, think about that rolled up they won’t get creases. Cloth mats, on the other hand,
same area, but divided up into one-inch hexes: it would take that may show signs of creasing, but their foldability makes for easier
GEV at least 10 turns to get across, but you can only fit one or two transport. You should also consider the type of climate where your
in a single hex. scenarios will take place. Does your backstory involve a blasted
wasteland reminiscent of the original Mark III Attack scenario from
In other words, you will need to balance looks and playability. Ogre? Is your battleground going to be a desert nation or an arctic
I found it helpful to print hexagons in various dimensions (two outpost? Or do you envision a generic temperate area like the GEV
inches across, three inches across, etc.) on standard paper and maps?
then place my Ogres and buildings on them to see how they looked.
Fiddling around with these arrangements led me to conclude that I Whatever you decide, there’s a mat out there for you. I ended
would use four-inch hexes for my game. This gave me enough room up going with an 80-inch by 50-inch heavy felt Open Fields mat
to place buildings and still fit in the miniatures. from Corsec Engineering. Four-inch hexes were printed on the
mat. While not as detailed or realistic as some other offerings, my
purchase did have shading variations that emulated slight changes
in elevation and vegetation. I figured that once I got the various
terrain and other set dressing on the board, the muted colors of the
playing surface would tie the whole game together.
Having figured out my playing surface, I now had to come up
with a way to fill all of those empty hexes. As I was porting over
the board game, which includes rules for damaging and destroying
terrain, I couldn’t build a single huge cityscape. Each town and
forest hex had the potential to be bombarded into rubble, so I
needed lots of modular pieces that I could drop in or remove from
a single hex. Thus, the coasters, which at four inches across were a
perfect match for the hexes. As I wanted to map out a large urban
area, that meant a lot of coasters. Searching online, I snagged a
pack of 100. Each coaster would be used to represent a specific
terrain type.
Rubble: I took about half the circular coasters and gave them a
once- or twice-over with black and brown spray paints to give me a
nice charred effect. After they were dry, I coated the disks with the
spray adhesive and dipped them into the model railroad ballast mix.
I repeated the spray glue application and added more rubble until I
got the bombed-out vibe I was looking for. I made about 50 of these
rubble counters because I planned on using Cruise Missiles in my
games, and those entail lots of terrain destruction.
OGREZINE BUILDING YOUR OWN MONOPOLIS 55

Forest: Confession time: I didn’t use coasters for my forest
hexes. Instead, I had art board that I cut into rough shapes about
the size of a hex, with a few half-hexes in case I needed to have a
road going through the woods. I wanted a more organic look that
avoided cookie-cutter pieces of terrain. Once I had my various
bases cut from the art board, I sprayed them with the adhesive. I
then poured on static grass and flocking. After that, more spray-on
glue and then a mix of lichen.
Water: My initial attempt to create a lake involved a piece of art

board, some blue paint, and a glued-on acetate overlay for gloss.
Don’t repeat my mistake. Instead, do what I did on my second try:
I bought a pack of hexagonal cardboard coasters online and used
old business cards to attach the coasters to one another in rows
of two or three. After that, I coated the assembled hexes in glossy
blue paint. I have enough of these to make a river or a large lake.
Although they are not precisely the size of the hexes on my mat,
they’re close enough for gaming purposes.
Swamp: As with the forest, I cut the bases from art board,
this time a light blue color. Since swamps can’t be damaged or
destroyed in the Ogre rules, there’s no need to ever replace a swamp
with rubble. Therefore, unlike with the other Monopolis terrain, I
created a couple of multi-hex swamp pieces. However, I was frugal
with the flocking and static grass. I only used a thin layer sprinkled
over the spray glue, so that you could still see most of the blue board
beneath it. After the grass and flock was in place, I sparely applied
the lichen, using it to delineate spaces on the multi-hex pieces. City: Putting together the various city tiles was the most
entertaining part of this project. In addition to the traditional
houses and hotels from the original version of the board game,
Monopoly, I had different shaped dwellings from variant editions,
and even skyscrapers from Monopoly City Edition. There were also
buildings from the Toobs line of toys, random plastic bits, and some
1/1200 die cast structures I found at a flea market. The various
styles of buildings allowed me to create distinct neighborhoods on
a single coaster and bring Monopolis to life. However, this portion
of the build required a little more setup.
First, I sprayed the coasters a nice, concrete-looking shade of
gray. When they were done, I took all the brightly colored game
pieces and separated the various buildings, hotels, and houses to
see how many pieces I had of each style. Then I separated each style
into a number of sized groups equal to the spray paints I wanted to
use: mostly gray, white, tan, and brown. I threw in the smaller bits
as well. Getting these pieces painted is tricky; the blast from those
rattle cans will blow them around if they’re not secured. To remedy
that, I sprayed glue on some aluminum foil-covered cardboard.
After giving it a few minutes to lose some stickiness, I pushed the
building tokens onto the foil, and the adhesive kept the pieces
in place. I then applied the different paint colors to the groups of
buildings. Once the paint was dry, it was easy to pull the models off
the foil.

Once I had my buildings all dressed up and ready to go, I played structures and the colors in a single hex. Uniformity tends to look
around with various configurations: similar styles of houses in this more toy-like. The more variety you have, the more true-to-life your
neighborhood, a more eclectic mix in that one. I was able to make city will appear.
some industrial areas, a nice-looking downtown section with plenty When assembling your own Monopolis, don’t be afraid to go
of high-rise buildings, a university, and even a prison. I left a few further afield in your sourcing: I affixed a section of a broken
one-inch-wide corridors on some of the city coasters, so I could bathroom hand towel holder to its own coaster for a nice, sci-fi
fit roads on them. After my neighborhoods were all platted out, I looking arcology. As soon as my players saw this feature on the table,
superglued the models to the coasters. they immediately started referring to it as “the Pfizer Building.”
Although you might want to use the same style of buildings When participants name your kit-bashed terrain features, it means
for certain hexes, it helps the look of your city to vary the types of they’ve bought into your setting.
Craters: While I was

still in the planning
stages for Monopolis, I
was walking through a
hardware store when I
came across a package
of extra coarse sanding
discs that immediately
screamed, “CRATER!”
to me. These hardware
accessories have a
brown surface holding abrasive 1- or 2- millimeter bits
of grayish-black aluminum oxide that reminds me of
the craters on the Ogre board game map. At five inches
diameter, these discs overlap the hexes on my mat, but
since they’re supposed to represent the site of a megaton
Cruise Missile detonation, that’s OK.
Roads: At first, I used some gray, fine grain sandpaper
that I cut into 1-inch strips; no painting required. While
the texture gave a nice road effect, the paper strips were
too light and slid around too often during play. They also
started to curl up while stored with other materials. So, I
later picked up some strips of basswood: 1/32 inches thick
by 1 inch wide by 24 inches long. A quick spray of gray
paint gave me more durable sections of highway that don’t
get moved around so easily.

Railroad: Because Monopolis needed public transportation, I Lichen and gravel: You will have fragments of lichen
acquired a Micro Machines bullet train and track segments on the or bits of gravel come off of their mounting surface. Don’t
secondary market. The railway vehicles were out of scale compared throw them away; recycle! Scatter that stuff around empty
to the Ogre miniatures and the other terrain features; but again, I spaces on the map to fill in those clear hexes.
wasn’t making a diorama. And two cars with an engine at each end Other: Maybe you have a model you like, but it’s the
pretty much stretched across a pair of four-inch hexes; a perfect fit wrong scale, or not really something you can use as an Ogre
with the rules that declare a train is two hexes long, with front and unit. Put it on the board as an objective, or just as eye candy.
rear sections. I’ve used a tiny model airliner and a large toy sci-fi vehicle in
the same game. Remember, this isn’t a diorama!
Scatter terrain: These are little bits of scenery which have

no effect on game play but may have a tremendous effect on the
look of your table. By sprinkling these tokens around otherwise
undecorated hexes, you can add detail to the map that helps bring
it to life. Here are some objects that I used:
Trees: I bought “wire foliage branches” in two colors
and based them on pennies to make individual trees. These
provide a nice garnish to forest hexes without getting in the
way of miniatures, or they can liven up an otherwise empty
space on the map.
Game aids: Once everything is added, you have a great looking

map. But since the whole shebang is there for the players to blow
up, you need some play aids to help with the destruction.
To indicate a damaged town or forest hex, I use tufts of steel
wool (found at the home improvement store) straight out of the
package for smoke. Once the hex is destroyed, you just replace it
with a rubble hex; I generally leave the smoke in the rubble hex to
give an impression of still-raging fires.
For disabled vehicles, I follow the suggestion from Ogre
Miniatures to use puffs of cotton. Some of the puffs are left white,
and others spray-painted yellow. I use the different colors on
alternating turns to keep track of when a disabled unit will recover.
Buildings: I ran out of coasters before I ran out of
Monopoly structures, so I bought a pack of small wooden Regarding destroyed vehicles, while Ogre Miniatures does
rectangles in various sizes and used them to base the have rules for bombed-out hulks, there is no need to keep track
remaining buildings. These can be used to make additional of eliminated units in the conventional rules. That said, I think
town hexes - especially next to roads - or just scattered about indicating where each unit was taken out is a nice ongoing way for
the countryside. Distinctive structures, like the three castles the table to reflect the lethality of the battle. To that end, I stuck
from the Monopoly Disney Edition that I combined into one circular labels on pennies and then painted them the same way I
large castle, can also be used as scenario objectives. did my rubble hexes (because of how they’re used in the game, my
players call them death pennies). I then added a little steel wool
Automobiles: I found some 1/300 scale automobiles for a smoke effect to make some nice destroyed vehicle markers. If
being sold online under the category of architectural you want to use these, make sure you have a lot of death pennies
models. These were inexpensive from overseas, so I bought on hand.
several hundred of these tiny cars. I painted them in the
same manner as the buildings, in mass lots of assorted Cruise Missiles are always a hit with players. Therefore, it was
colors, but first I painted the undersides black (since I knew worth the investment for me to get the large nuke blast marker from
these would easily get knocked upside down). When I place Litko Game Accessories. This acrylic model is pricey, but it spans
these vehicles into town hexes and along roads, they bring a Monopolis hex and looks great on the table when the nuclear
Monopolis to life. warhead detonates.

Speaking of Cruise Missiles, I took some small plastic missiles
from an old line of diecast toys (Mega Force by Kenner, if you are
interested) and mounted them on flight stands. The stands were
easy: I glued a one-inch wooden disk to a fender washer and drove
a nail up from the bottom, gluing the plastic missile to the nail’s
point. This way, players can more easily keep track of the missiles’
flight paths . . . and which units are in range to shoot them down.
In conclusion, I’ve shared with you how I built my Monopolis,
but this method isn’t the only way to get there. I’m sure there are
plenty of modeling techniques or sources that I would kick myself
for missing. Feel free to try those, or something someone else
suggested. The main thing is to get to your own Monopolis . . . and
there’s more than one road that will take you there. In the end, all
that matters is that you’re happy with it. And remember, it’s a game,
not a diorama!
OGRE WAR ROOM – FREE!

A free Ogre app for iOS and Android is available through apps.sjgames.
com. It includes multiple Ogre records, a combat calculator with die
roller, printable record sheet PDFs, wallpapers, quick links to our Ogre
pages, and more.

With GURPS, you can
be anyone you
want – an elf hero
fighting for the
forces of good,
a shadowy
femme fatale
on a deep-cover
mission, a futuristic
swashbuckler
carving up foes
with a force sword
in his hand and a
beautiful woman by
his side . . . or literally
anything else! Thanks
to its flexibility, quality
writing, and ease of
use, GURPS has been
the premiere universal
roleplaying game for
over three decades!
60 CHAPTER OGREZINE
ABOUT OGRE
Ogre, and its sequel G.E.V., have spawned a number of
expansions, including The Ogre Book, and ultimately, Ogre
Designer’s Edition, as well as other games in the Ogre universe
including GURPS Ogre, Ogre Miniatures, and Ogre: Objective
218. Currently, Ogre Sixth Edition and Ogre Reinforcements
carry on the proud tradition of the Ogre line.
Ogre continues to grow, and we will be happy to let you
know what’s new. The Ogre home page is ogre.sjgames.com.
Please visit it for scenarios, history, and other info on the Ogre
universe. You can subscribe to an “Ogre News” mailing list by
going here (https://groups.google.com/a/sjgames.com/
forum/#!forum/ogrenews) and clicking on “Join Group.”
Supplements and expansions.

Both digital and print products
for Ogre Designer’s Edition and SCENARIO BOOK 2
Ogre Sixth Edition may be found KicKstarter contest Winners
K1
in our online store, Warehouse
23, at warehouse23.com. SCEN ARIO O
B O
STEVE JACKSON GAMES

ogre.sjgames.com

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OGREZINE Game Design by Steve Jackson

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

2 PRIORITY DISPATCH OGREZINE

BASIC SCENARIO SETUP

OGREZINE THE DAIMYO AND THE DRAGON 3

THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY

One of the recurring arguments where Ogre fans gather is

4 THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY OGREZINE

OGREZINE THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY 5

6 THE SUPERHEAVY CONTROVERSY OGREZINE

OGREZINE A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE 7

8 A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE OGREZINE

OGREZINE A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE 9

10 A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE OGREZINE

Walters reached for another Eckstein. “Wilco, Scepter Two-Five.

OGREZINE A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE 11

12 A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE OGREZINE

OGREZINE A FIRE IN THE DISTANCE 13

14 INFANTRY MAGNETS OGREZINE

OGREZINE INFANTRY MAGNETS 15

A hex in Ogre is 1.5 kilometers wide

16 OVERRUN HEX OGREZINE

OGREZINE IRON MOUNTAIN 17

18 IRON MOUNTAIN OGREZINE

OGREZINE IRON MOUNTAIN 19

Maximum Speed (km/hr)

Area shown on game map

20 IRON MOUNTAIN OGREZINE

OGREZINE SHURIKEN COUNTER RESKIN 21

STEP ONE: PRIMING

22 PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP OGREZINE

OGREZINE PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP 23

JUST IN CASE: STARTING OVER

24 PAINTING INFANTRY: BOOT CAMP OGREZINE

Overview and necessary materials. The goal

OGREZINE DEFEND THE NEGEV! 27

28 DEFEND THE NEGEV! OGREZINE

OGREZINE DEFEND THE NEGEV! 29

INTELLIGENCE AND MEMORY UNIT PRIMARY

In a genetic algorithm, a sequence

Ogre Blueprint Poster Giant Size.indd 1 10/3/13 10:04 AM

32 TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF OGREZINE

OGREZINE TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF 33

34 TEACHING A COMPUTER TO FIGHT ITSELF OGREZINE

M7A1 MATTIS 2023

Originating from designs already on the drawing board before

OGREZINE THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK 35

JAEGER 1A2E 2049

36 THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK OGREZINE

MX1A1 CYBERTANK PROTOTYPE 2055

M11A3SEP RANGER 2071 JAEGER 2A2 2074

Introduced just prior to the Last War, the Ranger radically

OGREZINE THE ORIGINS OF THE HEAVY TANK 37

Cloth for terrain: clear terrain, water, forest, town.

38 2-D TERRAIN FOR MINIATURES GAMES OGREZINE

Painted swamp and cloth-patterned water on green tablecloth.

Finished layout, with Ogre miniatures.

OGREZINE 2-D TERRAIN FOR MINIATURES GAMES 39

40 ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE OGREZINE

OGREZINE ARTIFICIAL IRREVERENCE 41

M7A1 MATTIS 2023

JAEGER 1A2E 2049

MX1A1 CYBERTANK PROTOTYPE 2055

M11A3SEP RANGER 2071 JAEGER 2A2 2074