Raging Heroes [official] Toughest Girls of the Galaxy Kickstarter - $698,548 Finish!

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**Jimsolo**

AlexHolker wrote:
JWMarines wrote:
Ramping up production and maintaining quality are critical for them now. I'd love to see their game be able to compete with 40k one day. Most of the games that come along are very skirmish-oriented, so I don't think they compete as directly with GW as they could. I'd love for them to create a game that can scale all the way to huge battles... Even if they don't have the supporting models right off the bat... It's not like no one proxied or scratch built for GW games over the years.

Another reason to have a few proper plastic kits. Every single restic manufacturer I know eventually learns that restic just can't keep up with the requirements of mass production. Just this week Avatars of War finally bit the bullet and abandoned WarCast for their regiments (though they made the mistake of moving to a different restic already associated with massive undersupply). Everybody would win if they had a few proper plastic kits for when someone wants a couple of platoons for their IG - cheaper for them, cheaper for us, and doesn't tie up their production facilities for a week. Even if they still threw in a sprue of restic heads as a detailing kit, that would still be a lot faster and cheaper than doing the whole thing in restic.

If we want Raging Heroes to eventually come close to competing with GW (and I do, I really do, although realistically that's a pipe dream at this point) then I think abandoning resin for plastic would be the surest way to make sure it doesn't happen. Plastic cannot and does not have the ability for the fine detail that is possible in resin and metal. There are plenty of bland, muddy featured plastic wargaming figures cluttering up the market, and if Raging Heroes goes plastic, then they would just be another drop in the ocean of blah. What sets Raging Heroes above the rest of the pack is the absolutely stunning detail in their minis, which is above any other game company I'm aware of. Even if plastic meant faster production, then throwing quality down the tubes for a quicker product isn't something that is going to help compete against GW. (GW already does speed over quality better than anyone else!

)

I messaged Loud'N Raging early in the campaign, and I eventually got a message back. I had expressed my concerns way back when people were first beginning to speculate that the whole line might be converted over to plastic if they raised enough money, and I wanted to know if that was going to happen.

Hi,

I hear your concern but have to say our miniatures are not planned in plastic.
Heroines will be metal and troops and supports will be spincast resin.
Spincast resin miniartures is basically like resin, only the technology is different allowing greater number of production.

Hope that helps

Sincerely,
Jean-Romain
RAGING HEROES TEAM

Fortunately, it seems that the RH team agrees, and for that I'm glad.

**insaniak**

Herzlos wrote:
PsychoticStorm wrote:
That is the great debate and no, I refuse to acknowledge the old Napoleonics "measure to eye" standard.

For me a model is from feet to top of head.

Does that mean a model with a tall hat (like a wizard) is in a larger scale than an identical model with a bare head?

The existence of hats is exactly why the old standard was to measure to the eyes. It's easier.

For whatever it's worth, if these girls wind up taller than Guardsmen, that would kill any interest I have in buying them. My primary interest in them would be to use as alternate Guard, or for Necromunda. So if they're significantly taller than GW's humans (and even the 'reworked' model in the render pictures was too much taller than the Cadian pictured) they are useless to me.

**AlexHolker**

Jimsolo wrote:
If we want Raging Heroes to eventually come close to competing with GW (and I do, I really do, although realistically that's a pipe dream at this point) then I think abandoning resin for plastic would be the surest way to make sure it doesn't happen. Plastic cannot and does not have the ability for the fine detail that is possible in resin and metal.

Your argument is complete nonsense. Even if I concede for the sake of argument that metal and resin are better at reproducing fine detail, there is no sane reason to believe that producing some mass infantry kits in proper plastic stops you competing with someone who produces some mass infantry kits in proper plastic. You are literally suggesting that doing the same thing GW does takes you out of GW's league.

On the other hand, not doing the same thing GW does makes you physically incapable of competing. Even if you like handwritten manuscripts better than mass printed works, you cannot scale production of the former to the point where you can compete with the latter.

**MrMoustaffa**

Ok, so quick question to make sure I'm reading this right.

You can now mix and match the different units to add up to a pledge amount. Whatever kinds you want, as long as the cash amount adds up.

What I want to know is, can I do this with a pledge amount that doesn't line up with one of the "official" pledge amounts.

For example, let's say I only wanted to pledge 60 bucks. Would this mean that I'm stuck at the "First Class Box" at the 40 dollar pledge level, or would I be able to get 60 dollars worth of items?

I kind of want to get 5 of each of the troops just to have for painting. I don't know if I'd use them for gaming considering they would not match my army in the slightest.

**somewheresomehow**

Weird double post

Automatically Appended Next Post:

MrMoustaffa wrote:
Ok, so quick question to make sure I'm reading this right.

You can now mix and match the different units to add up to a pledge amount. Whatever kinds you want, as long as the cash amount adds up.

What I want to know is, can I do this with a pledge amount that doesn't line up with one of the "official" pledge amounts.

For example, let's say I only wanted to pledge 60 bucks. Would this mean that I'm stuck at the "First Class Box" at the 40 dollar pledge level, or would I be able to get 60 dollars worth of items?

I kind of want to get 5 of each of the troops just to have for painting. I don't know if I'd use them for gaming considering they would not match my army in the slightest.

What do you mean, 5 of each of the troops? What kind of troops? Like the Troopers section? That could help us help you better, because if you only want to pledge 60 bucks, are you also including shipping in that?

**Jimsolo**

AlexHolker wrote:
Jimsolo wrote:
If we want Raging Heroes to eventually come close to competing with GW (and I do, I really do, although realistically that's a pipe dream at this point) then I think abandoning resin for plastic would be the surest way to make sure it doesn't happen. Plastic cannot and does not have the ability for the fine detail that is possible in resin and metal.

Your argument is complete nonsense. Even if I concede for the sake of argument that metal and resin are better at reproducing fine detail, there is no sane reason to believe that producing some mass infantry kits in proper plastic stops you competing with someone who produces some mass infantry kits in proper plastic. You are literally suggesting that doing the same thing GW does takes you out of GW's league.

On the other hand, not doing the same thing GW does makes you physically incapable of competing. Even if you like handwritten manuscripts better than mass printed works, you cannot scale production of the former to the point where you can compete with the latter.

I'm sorry you think that way Alex.

A company much, much smaller than Games Workshop lacks the financial and industrial capacity to beat the giant at their own game. I think a far better strategy would be to find aspects of the market that Games Workshop has neglected. I would much rather see Raging Heroes go a different route, and actually have a chance of carving out a market for themselves with those who feel neglected by the (comparatively) lower quality Games Workshop models as their core customer base, especially if the other option is to watch someone try to beat GW at their own game. GW is larger, older, more stable, and has more money. I don't see how you can really think that Raging Heroes can compete directly against them.

I do concede that I'm not Gordon Gekko, and I'm not the third Koch brother. As naught but a simple lumberjack, it's always possible that the vagaries of the market are simply beyond me.

In finance and industry, as in all professions, reality can sometimes fly in the face of common sense and folk wisdom, so I'm willing to accept the possibility that I'm wrong.

However, where I do not think I'm wrong is the whole resin/metal vs plastic issue. (Although again, it's possible.) The incredible detail shown in the miniatures that Raging Heroes already produces is beyond anything I've ever seen produced in plastic. If someone shows me cheap plastic minis that look that good as these, I would of course be willing to change my mind, but as of yet, no one has been able to.

In any event, there's no reason for flaring tempers, brother.

We're all just looking for pretty minis here. Hope you find what you're looking for.

**MrMoustaffa**

I meant one trooper "pack" of 5 miniatures for each faction (45bucks) and then one of the command ones, which would add up to 60.

Obviously there's shipping on top of that.

**Jimsolo**

Yeah, you could do that. You can pledge additional funds on top of the reward package you chose, and still get the extra models, so I believe you could do it the way you want MrMoustaffa.

**MrMoustaffa**

looks like I found my answer

And if you want two $10 Heroines, and one $15 Heroine, it is completely appropriate to increase your pledge and "pay the difference" on that final model per the team.

And if you want more Heroines/Troops/Support than what is included in your BOX level, you can pick and choose what you like, total up their value, and increase your pledge by that amount.

cool. Now I just have to find 83 bucks laying around somewhere...

**prankster**

Well, the other option would be going the route of getting 4 different Private level pledges. Saves you the shipping. Though you'd need 4 KS accounts to do it that way.

**Alyanumbers**

AlexHolker wrote:
Jimsolo wrote:
If we want Raging Heroes to eventually come close to competing with GW (and I do, I really do, although realistically that's a pipe dream at this point) then I think abandoning resin for plastic would be the surest way to make sure it doesn't happen. Plastic cannot and does not have the ability for the fine detail that is possible in resin and metal.

Your argument is complete nonsense. Even if I concede for the sake of argument that metal and resin are better at reproducing fine detail, there is no sane reason to believe that producing some mass infantry kits in proper plastic stops you competing with someone who produces some mass infantry kits in proper plastic. You are literally suggesting that doing the same thing GW does takes you out of GW's league.

On the other hand, not doing the same thing GW does makes you physically incapable of competing. Even if you like handwritten manuscripts better than mass printed works, you cannot scale production of the former to the point where you can compete with the latter.

That's not really how competition works. When you want to compete with a big company, you don't go for their strengths. That'd get you nowhere. Instead, you look for the gap in the market that they're not covering. Offer something different, but just as good as (or better than) what they're offering. This goes double when you're talking about a small studio in France versus a company as big as GW, based in the US (and therefore has better access to the huge English-speaking market).

**shamikebab**

Another good model, starting to think my pledge might not be enough

**WolfStark**

This update came before Arthemesia but it seems there is less love for such nice old ladies who gave their lifes for rearing the offspring. But here she is:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/loudnraging/raging-heroes-the-toughest-girls-of-the-galaxy/posts/523233

BABA YAGA, MATRIARCH OF THE SOUL WEAVERS - now unlocked

There is no doubt that Baba Yaga is one of the most respected and feared character in the high spheres of the Kurgan power.

Nobody knows exactly what her edge is.

Some even say that she was never actually born, and that she was there haunting the woods and weaving her witchcraft form the very first days of human history.

The thing on which everyone agrees is that her shamanic powers are immense.

For generations, she has been in charge of supervising the training of the young Soul Weavers. No one exactly knows how they are trained, or even why they are chosen, but the Yaga Matriarch and her acolytes are always roaming around, from large cities to the remotest villages to find gifted apprentices. They take the young girls with them when they are between 10 and 13 years of age, and they are not seen again for another 10 years. When they reappear, the little girls are grown-up women who radiate the Yaga amazing powers and aura.

The old Baba Yaga very much knows that she is perceived as a necessary evil by most of the Kurgan elite who shun her ancient powers. And so, it is often wondered why she so freely associates with them and support their military efforts.

But Baba Yaga see through the fabric of time, and her motives are most likely too complex for most humans to understand...

**Minx**

Kurganova bike or mech incoming (unless i misinterpreted the following comments):

Charlie St Clair wrote:
how about some more love for the Kurganovas? a bike or mech? please....

Loud'n Raging wrote:
@Charlie St Clair: one of these is being unlocked today!

**Valhallan42nd**

I love the Baba Yaga... And I'm starting to feel the need to up my pledge. It depends on what they do with the Mechs...

**Mathieu Raymond**

It's a shame that Rosenkrantz doesn't have it's associated Guildenstern model to go with it.

Regarding the plastic vs. metal or restic: I don't know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of owning and playing with Confrontation models. They were wonderful, and even though metal was shunned at the time (at least in my circle) as quickly becoming archaic, we kept buying those models because they were great, but also because the gaming experience was great too. If the RH game is tight, then people will buy the models regardless of material.

Now, to answer the charges against cheap plastic, I'd say that GW models may be many things, but the newer kits show a lot of details (sometimes too much for my taste). The Wyrd Ten Thunders are very nicely detailed, and the Dreamforge Eisenkern are nice and sharp.

**Buzzsaw**

Mathieu Raymond wrote:
It's a shame that Rosenkrantz doesn't have it's associated Guildenstern model to go with it.

Regarding the plastic vs. metal or restic: I don't know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of owning and playing with Confrontation models. They were wonderful, and even though metal was shunned at the time (at least in my circle) as quickly becoming archaic, we kept buying those models because they were great, but also because the gaming experience was great too. If the RH game is tight, then people will buy the models regardless of material.

Now, to answer the charges against cheap plastic, I'd say that GW models may be many things, but the newer kits show a lot of details (sometimes too much for my taste). The Wyrd Ten Thunders are very nicely detailed, and the Dreamforge Eisenkern are nice and sharp.

I was going to add to the discussion of "cheap plastic" models that anyone who has the fortune to own the DreamForge Shadowkesh knows that modern plastics are capable of great subtly and capturing both inorganic planes and organic, flowing lines.

Is there a point that RH's heroes are too detailed for transfer, entirely possible. But when we're talking about rank and file troops, especially troops wearing heavy, plated armor, it seems very strange to say that they would convert poorly to plastic.

As Alex says, the fact is that RH is devoted to using boutique, hero unit level production to produce very, very detailed figures. Which is fine, but it does mean that if one, say, wanted to produce a large infantry army using DFG units and TGG units, you'll definitely go sparing on the TGG units because on the troop level they just cost so much more.

**JWMarines**

Buzzsaw wrote:
Mathieu Raymond wrote:
It's a shame that Rosenkrantz doesn't have it's associated Guildenstern model to go with it.

Regarding the plastic vs. metal or restic: I don't know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of owning and playing with Confrontation models. They were wonderful, and even though metal was shunned at the time (at least in my circle) as quickly becoming archaic, we kept buying those models because they were great, but also because the gaming experience was great too. If the RH game is tight, then people will buy the models regardless of material.

Now, to answer the charges against cheap plastic, I'd say that GW models may be many things, but the newer kits show a lot of details (sometimes too much for my taste). The Wyrd Ten Thunders are very nicely detailed, and the Dreamforge Eisenkern are nice and sharp.

I was going to add to the discussion of "cheap plastic" models that anyone who has the fortune to own the DreamForge Shadowkesh knows that modern plastics are capable of great subtly and capturing both inorganic planes and organic, flowing lines.

Is there a point that RH's heroes are too detailed for transfer, entirely possible. But when we're talking about rank and file troops, especially troops wearing heavy, plated armor, it seems very strange to say that they would convert poorly to plastic.

As Alex says, the fact is that RH is devoted to using boutique, hero unit level production to produce very, very detailed figures. Which is fine, but it does mean that if one, say, wanted to produce a large infantry army using DFG units and TGG units, you'll definitely go sparing on the TGG units because on the troop level they just cost so much more.

*cough* merger *cough*

**somewheresomehow**

Buzzsaw wrote:
Mathieu Raymond wrote:
It's a shame that Rosenkrantz doesn't have it's associated Guildenstern model to go with it.

Regarding the plastic vs. metal or restic: I don't know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of owning and playing with Confrontation models. They were wonderful, and even though metal was shunned at the time (at least in my circle) as quickly becoming archaic, we kept buying those models because they were great, but also because the gaming experience was great too. If the RH game is tight, then people will buy the models regardless of material.

Now, to answer the charges against cheap plastic, I'd say that GW models may be many things, but the newer kits show a lot of details (sometimes too much for my taste). The Wyrd Ten Thunders are very nicely detailed, and the Dreamforge Eisenkern are nice and sharp.

I was going to add to the discussion of "cheap plastic" models that anyone who has the fortune to own the DreamForge Shadowkesh knows that modern plastics are capable of great subtly and capturing both inorganic planes and organic, flowing lines.

Is there a point that RH's heroes are too detailed for transfer, entirely possible. But when we're talking about rank and file troops, especially troops wearing heavy, plated armor, it seems very strange to say that they would convert poorly to plastic.

As Alex says, the fact is that RH is devoted to using boutique, hero unit level production to produce very, very detailed figures. Which is fine, but it does mean that if one, say, wanted to produce a large infantry army using DFG units and TGG units, you'll definitely go sparing on the TGG units because on the troop level they just cost so much more.

The trade off though is, that they are known for what they are known for. Deviation could cause a dip in quality, which for a company that is known for its quality, they would lose market share simply with such a dip, even if it is a miniscule amount, it is enough that it could hurt them long term. Whereas going into the plastics trooper business, while being a decent sized trade market, places them in direct competition with Mantic, GW, and a couple of other companies. Now, realistically, and I know I will get backlash from the GW haters, but if GW decided that they wanted/needed/should get into the female trooper trade market, and decided they wanted to do them at high quality, they could easily do it, and do it faster and cheaper (on their end,) wise, than any of the other companies could. Why? Their sheer size, and how large their piece of the marketshare is. RF jumping into that pond means they could definitively gain customers, but how many do they gain versus how many do they lose, and does their jump into that marketshare act as the straw to GW's camel, or not, are unknowns which means, we cannot with certainty, claim they maintain their niche hold, which is what they have survived on so far. The transition is not a definitively beneficial one.

Dreamforge, as you are bringing up so often, went in with knowing where they wanted to jump in at, which was the same pond as the big boys. RH hasn't decided one way, or the other yet formally, and is sticking with what they know they are good at (for the most part.) I do believe it is a decision they need to finalize, but not within the scope of this kickstarter, because transitioning now would probably hurt them far more unlike waiting until they have actually produced the troopers to find out if they could possibly transition well into the plastic/restic trooper market.

**Mathieu Raymond**

With the dearth of female modern/sci-fi troopers on the market right now, I think both GW and RH have styles that are distinctive enough both could survive.

You'll find there is a small but fierce group that wants just that from GW, females. SoB, of course, but any females in the armies of the imperium would be welcome.

You're of course right about the possibility that jumping into the plastic pond could literally kill them. Exhibit A, Defiance Games. Warzone is an unknown at this point, because plastic is a completely different medium than what they introduced at first. So is Wild West Exodus.

It's an exciting time to be a gamer, we just have to be open to working with different mediums.

I know I am. If RH does Restic, so be it, as long the standards are as high as for their other models.

**somewheresomehow**

I am not worried about their quality dropping, I am not caring about what medium is best, that is like a dong measuring contest between drunken buddies, and trying to see them come to agreeable terms with their pants down.

I am worried that they might try to bite off more than they can chew, while working on a product that is as extensive as this line is right now. They don't NEED to jump into plastic troopers at this point in time. They need to make sure the product is released with due diligence and in due time. If they wait to see how their troopers sell in the first place, they can then self fund a plastic line of the same. They do not NEED to produce only one or the other, as simultaneous production maintains both worlds until they know just how successful the plastic is versus the resin. Then when they have enough data, they can decide which to continue, and which to place on hold.

There is this fallacy about them reducing price, which we have no idea is actually feasible for them to do so, with the high overhead for producing the molds for plastic minis. They would need to funnel funds from other projects, to do that, which places the other projects in jeopardy. This ruins the due diligence section I mentioned.

**Kroothawk**

somewheresomehow wrote:
I am not caring about what medium is best, that is like a dong measuring contest between drunken buddies, and trying to see them come to agreeable terms with their pants down. I am worried that they might try to bite off more than they can chew

Can you reformulate that?

**Pacific**

insaniak wrote:

For whatever it's worth, if these girls wind up taller than Guardsmen, that would kill any interest I have in buying them. My primary interest in them would be to use as alternate Guard, or for Necromunda. So if they're significantly taller than GW's humans (and even the 'reworked' model in the render pictures was too much taller than the Cadian pictured) they are useless to me.

Although can I ask are you planning on just using them on their own?

I've found that things a little bit 'out' of scale are OK if they are used amongst models from the same range - an all Rogue Trader-era marine army for instance, or all Mantic Orcs.

**somewheresomehow**

Kroothawk wrote:
somewheresomehow wrote:
I am not caring about what medium is best, that is like a dong measuring contest between drunken buddies, and trying to see them come to agreeable terms with their pants down. I am worried that they might try to bite off more than they can chew

Can you reformulate that?

Hey! You cut it out of context. And somewhat off topic wise, it is their drunken inability to choose the rules for the measuring and are just embarassing themselves with their pants down. The arguments over metal, resin, plastic, restic, silly putty, which can be had elsewhere, are here, more of a distraction from what is actually needing to be discussed. Like how the wave shipments will work, and what their plan is if something suddenly changes in their internal scheduling. I highly doubt, since we haven't heard hide nor hair of a hint of them reaching the number they wanted.. that we reached the necessary funding for plastic kits. I think that is a bit of a forgone conclusion, at least at this point in the KS. Is it possible if the end suddenly shoots upwards? Probably, but I do not deign to think we will have a massive upswing like on the size of Deadzone.

**Mathieu Raymond**

Even if there is a big upswing, I don,t think it would be wise to turn to plastic post-KS, and have potential issues, as you said. They are wise enough not to do so, I trust.

Out of context? Yes. Funny? Absolutely.

I don't think they can answer wave shipping questions, because I don't think they have a firm schedule of how things will go post-KS. Are they waiting for funds to come through before they run all of their test prints? How many print runs will they need to do before designs go from WIP to final? A lot of imponderables at this point.

**somewheresomehow**

Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Even if there is a big upswing, I don,t think it would be wise to turn to plastic post-KS, and have potential issues, as you said. They are wise enough not to do so, I trust.

Out of context? Yes. Funny? Absolutely.

I don't think they can answer wave shipping questions, because I don't think they have a firm schedule of how things will go post-KS. Are they waiting for funds to come through before they run all of their test prints? How many print runs will they need to do before designs go from WIP to final? A lot of imponderables at this point.

True. But I think a good internal schedule that they could share would be a big sigh of relief for those of us who witnessed the first week and were like "Wut?" I love these minis, don't get me wrong, and they are growing on me more and more every day, but a year out, and having some grumpy issues with my bank, means that I have been hoping to see something that I -don't- like, to justify dropping down a pledge level, and just surviving with what I can get there.

**prankster**

THE KURGANOVA'S MOTOR BIKE and FAN FICTION!
Update #35 · Jun 28, 2013 · 1 comment
New unlock:

Here is the Kurganova Shock Troops Motor Bike.

The Kurganova government takes a very big pride in its technological accomplishments and its war gear is amongst the most advanced.

And it must be said that most of the designs and weapons used by other human armies have actually been inspired by (or unabashedly copied from) the Kurgan equipment.

This war bike is no exception.

What's up next?

Today will see the unlocks of the Jailbirds's Pyromaniac Yoko the Psycho as well as Hitwoman Mortaria for the Iron Empire.

And the Paypal option is almost ready to go, so stay tuned...
We've got great Fan Fiction already!!!

There's been some pretty cool action in the Comments section today, with two cool short stories featuring several of the Toughest Girls of the Galaxy in action. As they are definitely in the mood and spirit we are developing, we wanted to share them with you (or just check out the Comments thread and look for them directly).

The first one is by Den aka MDS (Morathi's Darkest Sin), and the second one is from Jimsolo (Raging Fanboy)... I have not edited these stories, only added links to the concepts... Enjoy!
From Den aka MDS (Morathi's Darkest Sin):

She sat crouched back into the corner of a rooftop wall, her focused breathing the only movement as she sat in the darkness of night. Her eyes closed with a halo of yellow hair hanging down over her fringe and around her shoulders. All around the small building she could hear the screams of battle, guns firing, bullets flashing through the air, explosions louder than thunder as they tore open the earth and showered troops with debris. Occasionally she recognized a voice, a yell to fire, pull back, the carnage of war lay beyond her eye lids but all she could do was breathe. Her focus, her calm was all that mattered, the rhythm of her body as she sat in the quiet spot, then she took a final breath and held it. Lifting herself up she slowly turned in a slow fluid movement bringing the long shafted rifle down gently on the cold stone of the wall descended down into a kneeling position looking down the telescopic sight toward the enemies distant battle line.

There they where, agents of their oppressors, the military might of the ascendancy that had pushed them down their entire lives, a slightly angry smirk crossed her lips as she picked out a cocky looking young male officer ordering his troops forward and softly squeezed the trigger. He was dead before she had slipped back down into her hiding spot, another member of the Greymund Guard would not be going home. With a grumble she discharged the round with a sharp tug before sliding another into place, she was running low of ammo. A peril of being a rag tag force, or so Parker said. She wasn't so sure. It could be worse though, at least it was only Greymund Guard and not the Kurganovas out there. That would have been a whole different ball game, although facing off against Noxx again would at least have been fun.

"Thank the wild for small mercies" she mused to herself.

Casting her fingers into a pouch on her belt she withdrew a small strawb lolly, she wasn't going to ask Bernadette how she was coming up with the damned things, but she was certainly enjoying the zing.

"Seems I need more ammo?" she said down to the helmet beside her.

It was sitting on a pile of bricks, She couldn't remember why she'd giving it ears, or scratched as smiling face in the front, but as always Hans gazed up at her, never doubting, never questioning. she picked him up and placed him on her head as she scrambled up and moved over to the small ladder she had used to come up a short while before. As she looked down she could see two jailbirds dead, Lea Longshot and some other girl she didn't recognize, partially because most of the face was gone.

Gripping the ladder with both hands and the side of her boots she slid down and rummaged through the ammo belts, taking several rounds, and pocketing a small silver watch from Lea.

"Blondie!"

She glanced up at Mimi looking down at her. The radio operator held a slight frown, although Blondie didn't acknowledge it.

"What?"

Mimi looked over the two dead bodies, then back at Blondie.

"Raven says get your butt up to the ridge and deal with their snipers, if you'd be so kind!"

Blondie grinned and picked up Lea's rifle tossing it at Mimi, who caught it in her free hand.

"Bodies can be replaced, not so much weapons.”

Mimi glanced at the rifle, then back to the Blonde sniper already moving across the courtyard, and slipping down behind a wall to avoid a fire fight between Parkers unit and a bunch of conscripts.

“You're all heart Blondie” she muttered.

From Jimsolo (Raging Fanboy):

Becky knelt in the scrub brush, listening. Behind her, she could still hear the rhythmic pounding of the artillery shelling the abandoned safe point. She sighed. They'd managed to make it almost comfortable in the three months they'd been there. Still, she'd always known it couldn't last. The Kurganovas always came...eventually.

The stunted forests east of the city were the last place to flee. Becky held her autorifle, using the scope as a makeshift monocular. Ahead of her, she could make out a number of ramshackle buildings, the corrugated metal walls riddled with holes. Squatters digs, although from the look of things, the squatters were long since dead or moved on.

Becky moved forward cautiously. The scree shifted beneath her feet, and she paused to glance back at her bike, concealed beneath an evergreen tree. If the ground hadn't been so loose, so steep, she'd have considered taking the vehicle up to the tin house, but they were low on supplies as it was without needing parts to fix a motorcycle.

As she crept up to the edge of the nearest house, Becky paused. She swore she heard a sound from the side of the building. Lowering herself almost to her knees, she leaned forward, trying to see into the open door. When she heard the explosion of skittering and scraping, she was already wheeling around, the force of her turn sending her crashing into the rusted metal. Becky growled and pulled the trigger, ready to cut whoever was ambushing her in half as their charge carried them around the corner.

The autorifle opened up with a noisy barrage, the bolts firing over the head of the squirrel that she had scared up. Fleeing down the hill, the panicked rodent slid through the loose rock chips, its tail a wide bottlebrush of fear. Becky shook her head and laughed, glad that none of the other Jailbirds had been around to see the lapse in her cool.

And then she saw it.

For a moment she could do nothing but stare through the open door of the tin shack. She blinked, sure she must be mistaken. On a column of shelves on the far wall of the hut were stacked more cans of food than Becky had seen in months. She peered closer, telling herself that the cans must be empty, or a trap, that there was no way she could be this lucky. But the dust and the cobwebs told her that the food must indeed be abandoned, and none of the cans looked open.

Becky laughed. This was enough food to feed them all for a week. As she stepped into the shack, she saw cans of pineapple, beans, tomatoes, and even some canned pasta. She swung her autorifle onto her shoulder, wondering if anyone would miss a can of fruit...

The shock coursed through her without warning. As Becky hit the ground, she felt some kind of electricity surging through her, her muscles stiff as stone.

A small, waifish girl stepped over Becky from where she had been hidden, pressed against the wall the door was on. A moment later, the other woman stepped over Becky and into view, and Becky's heart sank. If the huge iron staff hadn't given her away, the tattoos running up her legs certainly would have. A Soul Weaver.

"Bind her," said the Soul Weaver, her knee length blond hair brushing Becky's face as she passed. "The werebeasts will be hungry."

"Yes Shashenka." The girl scampered to comply.

As the Soul Weaver knelt down, Becky couldn't even stop her paralyzed eyes from leaking a single tear.

"You see child," said Shashenka, "be it a wall of canned beans or a house of gingerbread, little children lost in the woods can never resist a treat."

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Think this is probably my favourite out of the three bikes that we've seen so far. Though whilst it's nice, it's not nice enough to grab any in my pledge rewards.

Fingers crossed still for some trikes.

**somewheresomehow**

Is it just me, or are the bikes beginning to blur together?

**Vermillion**

Doh just when I had popped on to post it after finishing cooking

I wouldn't say the bikes are blurring together, each has a differing style to them

**Mathieu Raymond**

I'll say this, finally a bike's front axle that is not exerting a cantilever force on its struts! Little things, I know. I think this one is glorious.