From DavidB - Mercs: The Kemvar (25 points)

A small shrapnel blast of sci-fi courtesy of Megacon Games. MERCS or multi-environment-reconnaissance-counter-security or some such innocuous administration speak, is set in a dystopian future that involves no skulls or impending doom on all. 

The earth's governments are gone and replaced by global megacorporations that control almost 2/3 of the earth. They are predominantly situated within peak population centres and regularly engage in hostile takeovers and other such nefariousness to increase the bottom line and angle to depreciate the competitors profits. nothing gets too extreme as when the EU corp and CCR fought in and levelled Amsterdam, it hurt everyone's bottom line and the Global Market sent in judges to make sure the nonsense stopped and everyone ratchet things down a touch.

Except for the other 1/3 of the world everyone works for and is provided for by a megacon. The other bits of the earth are known as the lost margin and it is better you don't go there as megacon employees are not popular with the nationalists and isolationists that dwell there...more on them later!

Kemvar is based within former Brazil and they are the oldest megacon and have had Merc teams the longest. Kemvar is primarily in energy, but dabbles in other spheres like other megacons. Kemvar controls most of South America and is currently in hostile negotiations with Texaco for the Panama Canal.

Each megacon Merc team brings something special o the table. Kemvar uses a stealth technology which helps it's troops hide even out in the open. They also use a special grenade that has a genetically altered worm with big teeth and a voracious appetite. A pulse keeps it docile till armed then the grenade must be thrown to a target which it magnetically adheres to. The now awakened an hungry worm quickly chews through the metal and into the person within...and we thought Australia was bad! :)

You are only allowed a team of five which you have some choice if you have a starter set as six models are included. The only requirement is you can only have five troopers with no repeats of specialities. I suppose taking six troops a squad with 5 heavies would be a wanton waste of corporate resources!

From the left we have a heavy trooper with assault guns, a demo-trooper with the dreaded worm grenade(and other explosives), and a sniper. I should note that snipers are very powerful in the game which plays very fast. although they can only shoot once every other turns, the Kemvar sniper can shoot every turn with a magnetic tag. The mag marker repels from another marker which can throw troops off of heights due to the strength of the magnetic push.

The assault team leader, a monkey-wrench, and an assassin. The assault team leader is the boss and boosts the rest of the squad that are close to him. The monkey wrench repairs armour, since your troops take wounds and suffer damaged armour, it kinda helps having someone who can fix it. If your armour is broken, you cannot move and some Mercs cannot fire. The assassin is a powerful but fragile trooper. He is fast and can setup to take out most damaged opponents, but he doesn't last long without support from the squad.

A fun and very fast paced game with excellent support from Megacon Games. They had a kick starter for boxed games featuring two opposing merc factions and security forces for a space hulk style romp in someones office building. I missed it and it was delayed, but maps, missions and other fun stuff is available for download at the site. I have another force of Mercs which will be painted shortly as I have been invited to Adepticon and I plan on playing some Mercs there!

Nice work Dave.  I have seen these figures online only, and while I must admit they didn't really grab my attention, you've done great work with them, and your passion for them, and the distant, corporate-infused setting, really comes through in your post.  I hope these fellows find much success for you on behalf of the good shareholders at Kemvar - mostly little old ladies with pension funds, no doubt :)  That will be another 25 points on your terrifying pile...