Which rules for 50s B Alien invasion movie?

[Raider4]

There's a thread on TMP started by Last Hussar:

"Was watching 'Super 8' the other day (2011 film set in 1979)

About 2/3rds of the way through there was a homage to a proper full on SF "US army fails to stop the aliens" – tanks being tossed in the air, all the jeeps armed with .50 cals, firing wildly, powerlines going over in showers of sparks, the full monty.

And I thought "I want to do that" – Giant robots stomping houses, tank rounds bouncing off, infantry running about. But what rules?

I'm thinking 2-3 tripods v post Korea stuff. Any ideas that will handle lots v few?"

I'm not a member of TMP, so thought I'd answer here.

We did this years ago, in 6mm, using the Epic Armageddon rules. These used to be available as a free download from GW. Probably still on the 'net somewhere.

Imperial Guard list was used for the New Mexico National Guard. M4A3E8 Sherman - Leman Russ, M3 Half-track = Chimera APC, M40 GMC = Basilisk, etc., etc.

The Warengine/Warhound Titan rules were used for tripods. If we'd have carried on the Tyranid rules would have been used for giant ants, I suspect.

[GrumpyOldMan]

The Fistful of Tripods http://fft3.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Tripods.pdf for Martian Invasion covers 40s and 90s. Maybe you could modify them for the 50s as an alternative.

[Big Insect]

FWC works for this sort of mis-matched forces very well
It would be fun in 6mm/10mm but even more so in 20/28mm

[FierceKitty]

I'm not a member of TMP, so thought I'd answer here.

You don't like endless shouting matches about whether the US should nuke Eurasia until it glows, and informative posts revealing a professor at the West Ohio Baptist Bible Studies College says cats' teeth prove that they're carnivores?

[Last Hussar]

I've been told of for that... 

To keep on topic...
I'm seeing if I can do something simple
Firing rules at the moment are
Did you hit the target? (not sure whether to make a Tripod 4+ or 5+)
If it's a tripod where did you hit it? (d6-d6 table)
Did you penetrate the armour? Roll d6 = Strength. 4+ is a hit. Defender rolls d6=Armour, save on a 4+. Whoever has the most 4+ wins!

Activation is on cards - 2-10 activate the US army, J,Q,K,A activates a tripod (A, activates ALL of them). Tripod action decided by drawing chits, 1 cup for 'Action' (move/turn/attack), one cup for direction of turn (nearest enemy tank/vehicle/unit, left, right, towards objective), one cup for target of the attack. Some chits also have 'them', meaning the Tripod gets another go!

[flamingpig0]

I would suggest Alien Squad Leader or possibly the new FWC when it emerges

[Big Insect]

... I'm seeing if I can do something simple
Firing rules at the moment are
Did you hit the target? (not sure whether to make a Tripod 4+ or 5+)
If it's a tripod where did you hit it? (d6-d6 table)
Did you penetrate the armour? Roll d6 = Strength. 4+ is a hit. Defender rolls d6=Armour, save on a 4+. Whoever has the most 4+ wins!

You might need to build in some random cards for "citizens save the day" - if there are smaller (pre-teenage) children there is a much higher positive effect - but teenage children or young adult cards might generate some form of friendly fire or even abductions!

Off-topic - I had looked at running an FWC scenario based on the 2 recent 'Monsters' films - with the modern military fighting giant tentacled jelly-fish types.
I suspect that the 'monsters' might come off worse for the experience. But I can see a 'Pacific Rim' type game as having more appeal - or maybe a 1985 'Baltic Rim' game even  

[Raider4]

. .  But I can see a 'Pacific Rim' type game as having more appeal . . .

Ahh, Pacific Rim. One of my very guilty pleasures. I know that it's just Power Rangers with 200 million dollars thrown at the screen, and it's as corny and cliched as hell, but I love it. Idris Elba is absolutely brilliant. I even bought a Tau battlesuit from GW to see if I could make a convincing Jaeger from it, but still haven't got around to building it.

[Big Insect]

I also bought some of the early GW Genestealer type Tyranids (cheaply) to start to convert into monsters, as I thought I'd end up having to cut some of them at the knee/waist/neck to represent them wading ashore  

I also looked at buying some of the actual models of the Kaiju from the film - but they were just all so hideously expensive (at that time).
I might check again on eBay to see if they have come down in price on the 2nd hand market.

Yes, yet another project ... like I had thought about doing a Battle Los Angeles FWC game (at least I have the trashed urban landscape from my Woken Furies project)

[flamingpig0]

Yes, yet another project ... like I had thought about doing a Battle Los Angeles FWC game (at least I have the trashed urban landscape from my Woken Furies project)

I am  sure your game will be much better than the film

[Big Insect]

I am  sure your game will be much better than the film

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Distopian wars might do it as well

[Last Hussar]

I've pretty much finished the rules.

Just need a playtest.