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Cannon Fodder First Look
March 15, 2021 Wargames Atlantic

Cannon Fodder First Look

Matthew Leahy sent along some of his latest work on the next Death Fields' set: Cannon Fodder!

The Cannon Fodder are the dregs of the Death Fields sport: the washouts, the mental cases, the sole remaining members of depleted teams...and one final chance for profit by the owners. 

Cobbled together into a horde and given basic weaponry, the typical Cannon Fodder bout is an ugly display of sheer numbers thrown at a standard roster team. Defeat is an almost foregone conclusion, but not always, and audiences often root for these men, women, and beings sent to fight to Real Death. 

Here we have two examples of types of Cannon Fodder teams. First up is a true hardcase, perhaps one of the warriors who has finally succumbed to centuries of war and death and who refuses to fight any longer. Outfitted with a control collar, his actions can be manipulated by either the franchise itself or handed over to a lucky fan who gets to experience the Death Fields up close through the eyes of their player: 

This second one is a more typical look for a Cannon Fodder team. Basic coveralls, helmet, and equipment. 

This build will also make great planetary militia or near future 3rd world forces in your sci-fi games. 

Coming soon to the Death Fields circuit!

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Comments

Benjamin MacConnell - June 11, 2021

My idea for these guys is an Imperial Guard regiment made up of mass produced clones. A kind of 40K meets the Paranoia RPG, where a curiously un-exterminatus’d AI controls a hive of clones, pumped out en masse to mine raw materials and feed the Imperium’s insatiable hunger for soldiers.

They march into battle in color-coded jumpsuits:
-Infrared: Not Appearing In This Army. These are the menials kept in a drug-induced stupor back at the hive. They have no business on the battlefield.
-Red: Conscripts. Freshly sobered up and in a state of nervously bewilderment at everything. Told to take a lasgun and march forward, firing as needed.
-Orange: Infantry Squads. The clones that survived long enough to learn a thing or two. Have ambitions of rising to higher color codes.
-Yellow: Veteran Squads. Also includes special weapons squads. Are the most trusted to use the big guns with any frequency.
-Green: Platoon Commanders, Astropaths (in those cases where their heavily cloned mutant genes make them psykers), and Command Squads. Folks with enough seniority to command lesser troops.
-Blue: Company Commanders and Tank Commanders. Actually making something of themselves within the Guard’s/Clone Army’s hierarchy. Above this, you get clones too important to be sent to die in battle.

Somewhere in there is the need to designate the color code for Sergeants, but that might make it confusing if a squad has one model that’s a different color.

This kind of set-up is flexible. The clones might be a regiment in the Guard. Or they might be forces in rebellion against the Imperium. Or their homeworld’s PDF, defending the hive complex from Ork infestations, home-grown Chaos/Genestealer/Communist cults, Tyranid invasions, Drukhari looking for cheap victims, or hungry Tyranids.

I also like the concept that the insane computer that runs their complex can build spaceships on its own, and regularly sends companies of clone soldiers out into space for various reasons. Ships that get lost immediately, because they don’t have psychic navigators plotting courses through the Warp. So these poor clones just show up randomly, knowing basically nothing about the galaxy, save that everything they might encounter might be Commie-Mutant-Traitors that want to kill them. Unless the clones kill THEM first…

Felix Gonzalez - June 5, 2021

I am looking forward to this particular set, as they will no doubt augment my regiment, I can already envisage them with a Spartan or Roman legion style, as my Futuristic army’s theme is Spartan and Roman.
The possibilities of restyling them is absolutely amazing. Love the work you guys do and look forward to seeing them on my gaming table.

Felix Gonzalez - June 5, 2021

I am looking forward to this particular set, as they will no doubt augment my regiment, I can already envisage them with a Spartan or Roman legion style, as my Futuristic army’s theme is Spartan and Roman.
The possibilities of restyling them is absolutely amazing. Love the work you guys do and look forward to seeing them on my gaming table.

Felix Gonzalez - June 5, 2021

I am looking forward to this particular set, as they will no doubt augment my regiment, I can already envisage them with a Spartan or Roman legion style, as my Futuristic army’s theme is Spartan and Roman.
The possibilities of restyling them is absolutely amazing. Love the work you guys do and look forward to seeing them on my gaming table.

Frank - March 19, 2021

I must have them…

Keir R Scott - March 19, 2021

I take it those are meant to be autoguns and not lasguns because they have shell ejection ports? Will there be lasgun type weapons too?

John Doherty - March 19, 2021

I can’t wait till these guys are available. I now know what to use for conscripted troops.

Jason Arce - March 18, 2021

Nice. So many uses for such a set. I hope the final details will show a little more character. To match how refined the others set are. It’s just isn’t enough fine details of a supposed prisoner or person with psychological trauma. Something like torn off sleeves. Science fiction style shackles. Anything that will help give the appearance of prison gang paraphernalia. And how about equipment for prison hard labor. But overall love the idea.

Falk - March 18, 2021

Those will work quite well for Stargrave :)
I hope they will mix well with Mad Robot bits.

mr. mike - March 16, 2021

will there be heavy weapons?

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