Smethwick and the surrounding area is riddled with
derelict factories, garages, terraces and industrial units. Most are
practically ruins, some have come under the control of the Engineers
Guild, but a few have become barricaded hideouts for some of the
gangs and militias that fight over the meagre resources of the
remains of Smethwick.
One of those gangs is known as the Coggers, a
masked group of raiders who have carved out a patch in a
half-collapsed factory near to an algae-infested canal. Led by
Chancer, who claims to be a descendent of some old time industrial
boss, the Coggers are fiercely loyal to each other, but extremely
distrustful of others. Lucky trespassers are escorted away at the
end of an assault rifle, unlucky ones end up face down in the
stagnant canal water.
Chancer himself:
Not many have seen
Chancer's full face and lived to tell the tale – those that have
talk about his scarred features in hushed whispers; some speculate
it's some kind of low level mutation, others believe the scars are
the result of some dreadful accident or violent clash. Chancer isn't
talking and the only person brave (or foolish) enough to ask him had
their skull cleaved by the Cogger's hefty axe.
Chancer has become the
Coggers' boss through his strength of arm rather than his charisma;
he's the kind of gruff man who leads by direct example rather than
through rousing speeches.
Here's Lug (and Lug's Little Brother):
A towering brute, the
LMG-toting gunner of the Coggers is a near-mute affectionately called
Lug by his gangmates. With his topknot and smiley face mask he
appears almost comical, but those who underestimate Lug find
themselves dodging a barrage of bullets from his beloved LMG.
Recently, Lug's Little Brother (known only as Dub-L B) has started hanging out in the Coggers' factory-hideout. He has been working to get an old industrial tool of some kind up and running - occasional blasts of fire and Dub-L B beating out flames with his heavy apron indicate he might be getting close to bringing it out to play with the rest of the Coggers.
And here's Sniff and Scar:
Sniff is a wild-eyed
man who goes way back with Chancer. With his iron bar and machine
pistol he runs around the battlefield, vaulting over walls and
barricades as he goes. Off the battlefield he's the most talkative
Cogger, and is generally the one who can be found at trading posts
bartering for supplies.
One day Sniff came back from a trading post with a horribly scarred young 'un in tow. He was quickly given the name Scar and now runs with the Coggers during their raids.
Next up is Wall:
Quite possibly a
psychopath, Wall is a brutal fighter who swats away gunfire with his
huge makeshift shield of welded metal as he closes with his foe.
Once he's close enough, his rusty saw-edged blade rips through his
enemies in short order. He got his hands on some nail bombs recently and his gangmates are running a sweepstake on exactly how long it'll take before he blows himself up.
Here's Patch:
Even the Coggers
acknowledge the need for a medic, and Patch was given the job of
carrying the first aid kit. As his name suggests, he's able to patch
up his gangmates, but he's equally happy using his trusty assault
rifle.
And finally Legs and Four Eyes:
Some say Legs used to
be an IAO man, but whatever his past he is a loyal member of the
Coggers now. He certainly shows signs of combat training and is
handy in a scrap with his spotless assault rifle.
Four Eyes, named after the smelly leather hood he wears with four eye holes, is a suspected mutant, but Chancer trusts him so the Coggers pay him no mind.
The gang:
You'll be able to read about some of their adventures over on Trials of a Casual War Gamer (the battle reports are always superb!)
