We’re looking at Judge Grice, a formerly influential Judge vehemently opposed to a restoration of democracy in Mega-City One, earning the ire of Dredd.
Vote ‘No’ to Democracy!
Mega-City One’s pro-democracy activists had, by the year 2113, gained enough momentum to pose a dilemma to the Judges of Mega-City One. The movement demanded a referendum on whether or not to retain the Judge’s system of totalitarian government or return to the democratic system lost in the aftermath of the Atomic Wars. Fearing that, by allowing such a referendum, they would sow the seeds for their own demise, the Justice Department continued to suppress the pro-democracy organisation and ignore the calls for a vote. One man in particular was virulent in his opposition to a referendum: Judge Grice.
An influential and senior street judge prior to the events of the Necropolis, Grice rose to prominence following the defeat of the Dark Judges. With the public angry at the Justice Department for its failings during the Necropolis, Grice advocated a hardline approach to the growing unrest. This stance, however, placed him in direct opposition to Judge Dredd, who proposed allowing the pro-democracy movement—and the citizens of Mega-City One—a referendum. This referendum would offer a binary choice: retain the current system of government as imposed by the Judges, or to revert to the democracy that had prevailed beforehand.
Grice believed such a referendum to be madness, leading only to the deconstruction of the Justice Department. His ire only increased when Dredd imposed his will on the council of senior judges and the incumbent chief judge, McGruder, acquiesced and ordered a referendum be organised. Enraged, Grice led a conspiracy to assassinate Dredd and scrap the vote. His assassins, however, failed and the referendum proceeded with—as anticipated by Dredd—the citizen’s voting to retain the current system. Dredd then arrested Grice and sentenced him to twenty years on Titan, Justice Department’s penal colony on one of Saturn’s moon.
Grice, however, led a breakout of fellow prisoners after enduring only two years of his sentence on Titan. Overwhelming the guards, Grice and his small army of violent prisoners assumed control of the colony. It was then that Grice discovered the colony hid a secret bioweapons project dedicated to the research and development of the so-called ‘Meat Virus’: a contagion which melted flesh on contact. He then seized the colony’s flotilla of starships and—with the Meat virus safely stored onboard—he set course for Earth…
Arriving at Earth, Grice crashed his stolen starships into the city and unleashed the Meat virus on MC-1. Weakened by the effects of the virus, the city’s Judges were overwhelmed by Grice’s army of vicious criminals.
Defeated, the remaining Judges fled to the Cursed Earth, leaving MC-1 at Grice’s mercy. Assuming the title of Chief Judge, Grice began to pass insane laws and demonstrate increasingly unhinged behaviour, even going so far as to kill one of his most loyal supporters with a chainsaw.
Meanwhile Dredd had been marshalling the remaining Judges. Although their numbers were diminished by the Meat virus, the Judges stormed MC-1 and overwhelmed Grice’s men. Sensing his grip on the city weakening, Grice set about the interior of the Grand Hall of Justice with a flamethrower. Dredd and Grice then faced one another for the last time, surrounded by this inferno. Whilst Grice was able to physically overpower his adversary, Dredd ordered his Lawmaster’s computer to repeatedly run over Grice until the tyrant was crushed to death.
2000AD prog #853 / Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 19
Two years after being humiliated by Dredd, Grice—now quicker, stronger and meaner—meets his weakened enemy for one last showdown.
America (Judge Dredd Megazine volume 1, issues #1–7 / Judge Dredd: America)
Recounting the stories of young activists America Jara and her friend Bennett Beeny, America details the beginnings of Mega-City One’s democracy movement, and the inception of the militant organisation Total War.
Extract From Dredd’s Comportment
‘There’s only one thing worse than a perp, and that’s a rotten Judge. Grice is a case in point. All that training, all that trust, and the creep turns on us … on ME … just so he can get his way. Well, he got his way alright; his way to Titan.’
Grice’s background as a former senior Judge makes him a dangerous foe. His stat line is every bit as impressive as you would expect for a man with his training, and his Cool of 5 makes him harder to kill than most perps. Not only that, but his Fortitude skill means he can ignore the effect of one wound or stun marker on his stats.
Offensively, Grice is armed with a Justice Department standard-issue M2000 Widowmaker. However, his weapon of choice is a flamethrower. This fire-spewing ranged weapon makes Grice even more effective at range, with a +4 modifier against any targets within short range (16”).
Mega-City One has been the target of violent coups, crime wars, otherworldly onslaughts and foreign invasions – each being the brainchild of a villain wanting to see the city, Justice Department and/or Dredd himself perish…
The Arch Villains of Mega-City One box set contains five such villains, including the disgraced Judge Grice, for you to set upon the beleaguered gangs and Justice Department in the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game.
Richard Coates