Brigade Models is now the home of the official Slammers models in both 6mm and 15mm scales, complementing the Hammer’s Slammers:The Crucible rulebook by John Treadaway and John Lambshead.
Based on Drake’s own wartime experience in the 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse), the weapons and tactics have a solid grounding in reality. This is not a future full of laser swords, grav tanks and magical technology; instead, there’s a gritty realism to the equipment of the Hammerverse. Many of the vehicles are wheeled or tracked, as these are still efficient and inexpensive motive systems. Others are ground-effect ‘hover’ vehicles, riding a cushion of air contained in a flexible or rigid skirt. The epitome of tank design are the Slammers’ own 170-ton ‘blower’ tanks, massive iridium-armoured monsters with a crew of just two, backed up by sophisticated AI systems.
The Hammer’s Slammers:The Crucible rulebook provides everything you need to play your first games (apart of course from the physical stuff like models, dice etc.). However, the dedicated website has all manner of support with new playsheets for any number of new units (there are over seventy detachment lists for different units now), along with an introduction and play guides (there are some sample pages from the rulebook if you want to see those before buying), errata and rules updates/supplements, painting and modelling articles, galleries and so on.
The Hammer’s Slammers series of stories by Vietnam veteran David Drake follow the experiences of a mercenary armoured regiment in a future where mankind has rapidly expanded across the galaxy, colonising and exploiting the resources of many planets – and inevitably fighting over them. Rather than invest in their own expensive armed forces, governments – and rebels and other opposition – mortgage their futures to hire experienced mercenary units, and hopefully bring a swift conclusion to hostilities. The whole system is overseen by a bonding authority that ensures that neither employer or the hired guns renege on the deal.
The basic game unit is the detachment – a battlefield grouping of between 8 and 30 Tactical Units (TUs). A TU is either a single vehicle or a stand of infantry. The game is designed typically for two players with one to three detachments, although multi-player games can be played with each player taking one detachment. The game hinges around the quality level of the troops fielded and this is further moderated by their equipment, defensive values and weaponry. The leadership ability of a detachment’s commander is also key, as it determines how many TUs can be activated each turn. A small game between single detachments can be played in as little as an hour, while large multiplayer games with numerous detachments can last the day.
You’ll find models for Hammer’s regiment, both in its original form and its post-mercenary status as the Friesland Defence Force. In addition, there are specific models for many of the other mercenary forces and national armies that appear in David Drake’s stories. And if that’s not enough, most of our existing range of 6mm and 15mm models have a place in the Hammerverse in one or other mercenary unit. Both of those ranges also include lots of resin scenic items and accessories to cover your battlefield.