This Town...

With Hunting Grounds being released into the wild this week, myself, Tony and Tom decided to revisit the first Scenario from the book- the Ghost Town.

I would be playing my Apache Posse- the Firemakers (using the Theme rules from HG); Tony would command the Dark Confederacy, and Tom would assume the mantle of the Twilight Order.

We would be playing on less urban terrain, so I set up a badlands ranch as the 'Ghost Town' surrounded by rock formations and cacti- as per the Scenario, the buildings would begin the game in the spirit realm; and so we used green glass counters to show this.

The game began with the Posses converging on the spectral buildings- the Twilight Order hanging back slightly to assume good firing positions (one rifleman by the name of Hank even clambering to the top of a precarious rock-spire), while the Confederates advanced behind their usual wall of expendable Revenants! The Firemakers, meanwhile, divided their forces- one half led by their Chief, Bodaway; the other led by the Shaman Taklishim.
Bodaway's group would shift into the Hunting Grounds and attack from there, while Taklishim's braves would mount an assault in the physical realm. The cards were kind to me, and I got the necessary red suits to pull this two-pronged assault off!

*The Firemakers cautiously advance on the ranch...

Careful fire-discipline in the early stages of the game saw the Order give the Confederates something to think about- first mowing down the Revenants and then opening up on the living behind, they managed to Shake the Necromancer- Tom knew that if he could drop the evil sorcerer, the Revenants would collapse and the Confederate numerical advantage would be neutered.
Unfortunately, he couldn't quite capitalise on this and the Necromancer managed to slink into the Hunting Grounds, from where he eventually managed to heal himself. In fact, this game saw uncharacteristically bad luck on the part of Tom beyond the initial turns!

*Hank takes up position atop a rock-spire to give covering fire to his comrades in the Order.

On the right flank, the Apaches ran into the Twilight Order's vanguard- a chaotic shootout ensued, during which Taklishim summoned a Wendigo- the beast screeched it's feral hunger most impressively; seconds before a silver bullet drilled it between the antlers and it dropped, physical form already unravelling. Meanwhile, the now-wounded Bodaway and his warriors were pinned behind the shack by a Confederate sniper atop the water-tower- with no red cards in my Hand to shift into the other realm, they were stuck for the moment... My cunning 'two-pronged assault' was already in tatters!

*The Wendigo appears from the aether and assumes an intimidating pose...

 



*... And an unimpressed Crusader of the Order guns it down without breaking stride!

 



Across the table, a mass brawl broke out in the yard between the Confederates and Twilight Order as they vied for control of the ghostly buildings and the loot within- both sides fed more and more fighters into the melee, but it soon appeared that the relentless undead (helped by Tom's atrocious luck!) had the upper hand...

*Things get messy out in the yard!

Taking advantage of this distraction, the Firemakers rallied and grabbed two loot counters from under the noses of the enemy- Taklishim and his surviving men mopped up the Order's grunts that still opposed them and positioned themselves ready to join the big scrap as the game drew to a close!
It didn't all go to plan, however- Bodaway (now in Wolf-Form) made a break from cover to draw attention away from his warrior who had the loot, and was gunned down by the Confederate sniper.
The sharpshooter then shifted into the Hunting Grounds to take down the fleeing Apache in the final turn- only to realise too late that his vantage point existed in the physical realm. The structure beneath his feet faded into a spectral outline, and the man plummeted to his death- the lesson here is always pay attention to which Plane of Existence you are in, kids!

*The Dark Confederacy secure the farmstead as the Skinwalkers melt away into the wilderness with their loot!

The game finally drew to it's bloody conclusion with the luckless Twilight Order wiped out to a man in the brutal melee and the Apaches making a fighting retreat against the relentless Confederates- both Posses reduced to a fraction of their former strength, and both holding two pieces of loot...

When the VP were counted up, the Confederates had squeaked a narrow victory thanks to the number of kills they had inflicted on the Order- a well deserved victory for Tony!

Dracula's Painting

I've managed to get a fair bit of 'official' stuff painted for Dracula's America over the last few days, ready for next weekend's inaugural Ingleton Wargames Weekend (organised by my good friend Andy and the kind folks at the Wheatsheaf pub!).

This is just a quick Post while I try to figure out exactly what I'll be doing for the participation game of DA I'll be running on the Sunday...

*My Congregation Posse, plus Unique Summons- I had a lot of fun paining these guys- lots of referencing snake-skin patterns! The Temple Snake (centre-right) was converted with a human skull-head to match how I originally envisaged the thing, and it's patterning is based on a diamondback rattlesnake! The Vessel (top left) was converted with twisted paperclips (inexpertly) sculpted over with greenstuff to try and give the impression of spiritual energy lifting him off the ground. I'm also particularly fond of the grassy tufts added to the back and shoulders of my Swamp Baka (centre-back); this was a last-minute idea that I think finished the model off nicely!
The rest of the Posse was painted in fairly muted, naturalistic colours to help them blend in with their swampy environs- apart from the bright white 'skeleton' paint on my Houngan Arcanist.

*The finished new Wolf-Form Skinwalker (a Frostgrave Barbarian Warhound, I think!) faces off against a mob of Zombies (from Northstar's Horror Stories range).
I'm especially pleased with how the Wolf turned out- again, lots of referencing images of Grey Wolves from books !

Back soon with a DA Game Report!..

Back in the Saddle...

A belated happy 2018!

After a well-earned rest following the madness that is my job during the festive period, I finally managed to catch up on the far more important business of gaming.

I wasn't completely idle, however- managing to snatch an hour of painting here and there meant I made some headway on my Ghost Archipelago stuff, and I even did some extra work on my Dracula's America Posses- getting some more hapless mooks finished for the Twilight Order and Red Hand Coven, plus starting a new Wolf-Form Skinwalker model for my Apaches...

*The new recruits.

*Some WIP fresh blood on it's way to DA!

*My Heritor Crew...

 

*...And my GA menagerie so far...

 

*...With more on the way!

During my break, I also got some extra rules material for Dracula's America under my belt so expect to see that in the future; either on the Osprey Games Blog or in magazines such as Wargames Illustrated!
I've also started a new, super-secret Dracula's America-related project that I'm very excited about, but I can't say much more as it's still extremely early days and it hasn't actually been officially green-lit by Osprey yet...

Er, looking back on what I just wrote, my break wasn't actually that much of a break really!

My first game of 2018 was an introductory game of the excellent Lion / Dragon Rampant- I've played both versions of this game many times over the last couple of years, and thought it was about time I introduced it to the Ingleton lads!

*The Armies advance towards each other as some pigs look on from the fields!

We broke out our SAGA Warbands for use in this game, and didn't really worry overmuch about army composition or coming up with a fancy Scenario- we just picked rough 24 point Retinues of the models we fancied using and then got on with the business of killing each other!

*My Viking Warlord and his Hearthguard (foreground) calls out his rival (on the left, waving his sword about) in the centre of the field.

As usual with L/DR, the game swung one way then the other; with both sides experiencing the highs and lows of dicing for activations- Team Awesome's legendary ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory saw us narrowly defeated in the first game. Since everybody was enjoying themselves, we pushed on and played a second game- this time, myself and Andy were utterly crushed in embarrassingly short order by Tony and Tom's much more decisive warriors.

*My brave warriors take the farm from a handful of enemy archers in the first game. The pigs are ours!

*In the second game, our warriors on the right flank are run down and massacred by enemy horsemen while our archers (and a few bemused cows) look on!

As the dust settled, L/DR was unanimously declared a great success by the Ingletonians- we will be playing more of it over the coming year, I'm sure (talk even turned to collecting Game of Thrones armies for it...).

Here's to a great new year of gaming!

Shattered Realm- The Campaign System!

Here it is; the last piece of the SR puzzle- the Campaign rules!

As always, this is still an early draft copy; but it should give you a very good idea of where I'm going with it- if you ever give it a try then please let me know what you think!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tcpguekozvmzdlx/SR%20Campaigns%20Doc.%20V.2.3.%20COPY.odt?dl=0

You will also find blank Roster sheets and optional Character Cards at the end of the document- the Cards are something I'm also considering making as a resource for players of Dracula's America in the near future, as I've heard some folks say it can get a little 'token-heavy' for their tastes... Using these Cards will allow you to keep table-clutter to a minimum!

...And Now For Something Completely Different.

Bit of a non-gaming-related Post, but I went for a wander early yesterday morning on one of my favourite walks- going on long walks by myself in such beautiful landscapes really fires up my imagination and just generally refreshes me; so I thought I'd post a few pictures up here (if only to prove that I actually do have other interests besides pushing toy soldiers around a table-top!)...

*Walking through the woods, well before first light.

*Leaving the woods and heading further up into the hills, the sunlight is just starting to creep across the sky...

*Following the track over the tops, you come across a trail of cairns and get some incredible views over towards Pen-Y-Ghent!

*At this point, the sky lights up!

*Walking the cliffs above the old whetstone mine, following the cairns towards the village of Austwick.

Eat your heart out, Middle Earth!

Fog in the Barrowvales- a Solo Shattered Realm game!

Here's the report of a test game for Shattered Realm I played recently using the Solo rules!

The young Dwarven noble Ranhulf Finehair and his Party, in self-imposed exile from his Father's realm, is travelling South in the direction of Gharzulgrint. Passing over the mountains into Fellmoor, they cross the bleak uplands and eventually find themselves traversing a series of mist-shrouded valleys. The tiny hamlets and isolated Crofter's huts of Fellmoor become fewer and fewer as they head West, and an oppressive feeling hangs heavy on each Dwarf.
Soon, ancient burial mounds and stone monoliths begin to loom out of the fog on all sides, and not even the ever-present crows can be heard. An unnatural silence falls, and eerie whispers begin to echo all around as the Dwarves close ranks into a defensive formation.

The Party's scout, the self-proclaimed 'Handsome' Roldo, suddenly returns with a haunted expression on his face. He reports an especially large barrow dead ahead, topped by what seems to be a flickering green flame- even more disturbing, he speaks of ethereal figures drifting around the corpse-fire...
Ranhulf grimly determines that to tarry here would be foolish. A grim expression on his face, he orders his companions to steel themselves and keep marching- they can forge a path straight through the Barrowvales; but speed will be of the essence!

As the Dwarves trudge on through the gloom, the fog seems to thicken. Ahead, they can only make out an ethereal green glow that marks their destination. Weapons are drawn and readied, while torch and lantern-bearers move to the flanks to provide what illumination they can.
Hollow laughter rings out as the hazy outline of the barrow emerges from the mist ahead, and eerie figures begin to drift down towards the Dwarves with spectral claws outstretched!

With a bellowed oath, the impetuous Ranhulf leads his men from the front and hurls himself into combat with the first Wraith- but is dismayed to find his finely-crafted heirloom blade passing harmlessly through the undead creature's form!
Seeing his liege-lord in peril, 'Red' Gutrikk (a veteran of the Draugr-Wars in far-off Shieldmark) charges selflessly into combat with the creature- he has fought such ethereal undead before, and knows that timing is critical when facing a Wraith. Between the two Dwarves, they dispatch the foul entity easily- Ranhulf dealing the final blow as the Wraith's form briefly solidifies to strike at Gutrikk!
But there is no time for congratulations, as yet more Wraiths close in on our heroes. Meanwhile, atop the burial mound and lit by the green flames of the corpse-fire, the Lord of the Barrow surveys the interlopers and stretches forth a withered talon... Opposite him, the Ranger Agbert feels himself drawn towards the cloaked figure against his will. When he regains his senses, he is stood alone and cut-off from his comrades on one flank- yet the flickering torch in his hand gives him courage, even as yet another Wraith coalesces out of the mist behind him...

Meanwhile, the fighting in the centre is growing desperate- the Dwarves are skillful fighters compared to their undead foes, but many otherwise-lethal blows are having no effect on the cursed creatures.
To the dismay of the Party, Ranhulf himself suddenly falls with an anguished cry- the freezing claws of a Wraith sliding past armour and flesh as if they weren't there to rend his very spirit!

Standing over their lord's unconscious form, the rest of the Dwarves grimly fight on- determined to avenge their liege. Gutrikk takes command of the situation, and orchestrates a determined counter-attack. Slowly, inch by inch, they begin to push the Wraiths back up the side of the barrow towards the flame burning at the top. Even young Snorri gives a good account of himself, despite this being his first encounter with the fell undead!

 

Now the Dwarves have the measure of their opponents, and Wraiths begin to fall all around- yet for each one destroyed, another coalesces from out of the surrounding mists. Seeing these interlopers trespassing upon his sanctuary, the Barrow-Lord begins hissing fell incantations and bolts of pure shadow leap from his outstretched fingers to strike the Dwarves- yet they grimly endure this punishment, their eyes fixed upon their prize as they crest the barrow's summit and plunge into combat. Roldo takes advantage of the chaos and kicks dirt over the corpse-fire. The ethereal flames flicker and die out, and abruptly the undead seem to diminish and shrink back from the Dwarves in what looks like dismay! Still dragging the unmoving Ranhulf with him, Gutrikk yells for his friends to finish this...

 

 

Surrounded and bereft of the magical power of the corpse-fire, the Barrow-Lord's form becomes solid. It's ancient blade whirls and parries with supernatural skill, but the Dwarven numbers are too much and it is soon overwhelmed. With a ghastly shriek that echoes around the barrow's summit, it's physical form becomes wind-blown tatters on the breeze, that quickly melt away along with the unnatural mists. With the undead curse lifted, Ranhulf's eyes flicker and he rises to a sitting position with a groan. Mercifully he appears unharmed, despite his ordeal!

 

 

From their vantage-point, the Dwarves can now make out the path through the valley- beyond this lies the road to Gharzulgrint, fame and fortune!..  





Goodbye to the Frozen City...

Last week, we managed to squeeze in a final game of our current Frostgrave Campaign! This was simply due to my day-job getting crazy this time of year- in the new year we will be starting a new one (though I do have a plan in that regard...)!

I've just finished (and thoroughly enjoyed!) the Frostgrave novel Second Chances by Matthew Ward, and the climactic scene provided the inspiration for the Scenario we used.

The aim was to recover the four Treasures- interfering with a Treasure in any way (via Telekenesis or just picking it up) awoke the spirit of a long-dead Wizard that would appear as a Wraith in the central tower. These Wraiths once formed an evil cabal determined to cheat death by devouring the life-force of all living creatures in the City. These followed the rules for the Lich Lord in the Thaw of the Lich Lord expansion, but with only one HP each. Once all four Wraiths were defeated, their Master would himself appear in the central tower (again, using the Lich Lord stats but with only half his HP)- destroying him would end the game.
A tall order indeed!

Knowing this was to be the final game, we all spent every bit of gold we had on better Soldiers.
Herr Doktor Schreck (now recovered) would finally get to use his Ring of Power, Dregg and Grubb my surviving Goblin Thieves were upgraded to Treasure Hunters, and Mungo went from Infantryman to Barbarian. Most exciting of all, I purchased a Captain- the infamous Raggedy Bill, the murder-scarecrow!

*The Plague Doktors skulk in the trees. In the foreground we have Mungo, Raggedy-Bill (who is apparently so evil that snow melts wherever his wooden feet tread!), Dregg, the Apprentice, Igor; the Thug Fritz and the Archer Ivan.
Well ahead of them we have the rest of the Warband including Doktor Schreck himself (being uncharacteristically aggressive). Looming to their right we have the forbidding wall of the ruined tower.

Tony's Warband headed straight for the central tower with their characteristic aggression, and his Telekinesis-happy Spellcasters summoned the first two Wraiths.

*The first Wraith materialises. Below it, under the wooden plank, you can see Tony's Warband (Treasure in tow) cautiously entering the  ancient tower...

So began a ranged duel between his many Rangers and the undead Wizards. Initially the Wraiths had the upper-hand, but soon the sheer number of incoming arrows began to tell and the first one fell with a hellish shriek! The other Warbands breathed a collective sigh of relief- we had all been on the wrong end of his formidable 'bowline' this Campaign, so it was nice to see it put to use on something other than ourselves!

As the rest of the Treasures were gathered up with gleeful haste, the remaining Wraiths appeared and things got decidedly heated for Tony (we were all secretly hoping that his mob would be overwhelmed by the combined magical onslaught of the Wraiths!). It looked like our scheme might work until Andy, his blood up, charged into the tower to get to grips with the undead! Caught between two Warbands, the Wraiths began to fall one by one...

*Another Wraith (centre) is caught in a doorway between Tony and Andy's Soldiers, high on the walls of the tower!

While this unlikely- yet noble- alliance fought to preserve Frostgrave's living inhabitants on the walls of the storm-wracked tower, the Plague Doktors skulked in the trees near the main gates, waiting to see the outcome before getting involved. It was at this point that they spied Tom's Warband, led by the hated Sigillist that had betrayed Doktor Schreck in the Breeding Pits weeks earlier, making their way to the gates. Self-proclaimed 'Man of Science' he may be, but the good Doktor could not let such a chance for vengeance pass him by! The ragged mob of desperate scum and villainy came screaming out of the treeline just as the Sigillist himself was in the open- surrounded on all sides by misshapen Goblins, deranged lepers and a big dumb brute with a rusty scythe, the hated Wizard was cut down!
Seeing his employer shanked to death, one of Tom's (several) noble Templars charged forth to exact vengeance- but with a wave of Doktor Schreck's hand, his mighty greatsword crumbled to dust in his grasp and the unarmed man was quickly pulled down by the unwashed mass. The taste of vengeance sweet in their collective snaggle-toothed mouths, my Warband set about the reeling Sigillists. Raggedy Bill and Mungo subsequently made a nourishing gruel out of the Sigillist Apprentice, a Knight and a further Templar, before Tom's troops rallied and counter-attacked. The snows before the courtyard ran red, but predictably my own underlings soon began to suffer heavy casualties and started to slink away into the gathering darkness leaving their dead (including Doktor Schreck!) lying where they fell... Igor rubbed his gloved hands in glee; now he would be Wizard instead of the Wizard!

*Bloody mayhem before the tower gates between my Plague Doktors and Tom's surprised Sigillists.

While the screams and bellows of the vicious fight below echoed upwards, Tony and Andy continued the good fight atop the tower. With the final Wraith vanquished, the Overlord of the cabal appeared to unleash magical death upon the impertinent mortals. However, some poor dice rolling on his part saw his grand entrance become something of a farce- in fact, if he hadn't been ethereal he would most probably have tripped on his robe and tumbled down the stairs!

Seizing their chance, our heroes made one last charge and in a flurry of weapons the undead fiend was no more- a lingering shriek carried on the cold breeze all that remained of the anticlimactic revenant!

...And so, our tale draws to a close. Ancient evil turned out to be not as evil as we expected, and the Plague Doktors, now led by a power-drunk Igor, have slunk off into the night to plot new experiments.
New Warbands are being planned for the first Campaign of 2018- I am leaning towards taking my Barbarians, led by the Elementalist Tor Stormbrand.

However, it is rumoured that the Ghost Archipelago has returned to the Southern ocean, and crews are being hired to set sail in search of the mythical Crystal Pool...

*My Ghost Archipelago terrain- needs more jungle trees, but it's looking good so far- now I need to build and paint a Heritor and crew, and convince the other guys to do the same! Shouldn't be too hard...