Last 2 Weeks

I've been back to Lancaster Wargames Club again these last two weeks and played a couple of new rule sets (Exciting!!).

Overview of board

Last week I joined in a 6 player game of Dracula's America. Set in the post American Civil War USA,the basic rules are basically Wild West (we didn't play any undead etc). I'm not sure but it did not seem massively deadly and almost impossible to actually get an outright kill. However I think this may have been due to a misunderstanding with regards save rolls. (We were saving with fails being per hit rather than the amount below the save value).

Left Flank - Nutter running across the street - survived and ran back.

With a lot of these games (this one included) there is an error in the set up of terrain - no one wants to cross the "valley of death" (or street as in this example). So it almost just becomes dice wars.

Having said that the card mechanic by which you drew 4 cards for a turn then bid with your cards for where you were to go in the turn had a good blend of luck and game theory.

This week myself and AE played our first game of Rommel. (Unfortunately I forgot my camera so no pictures). So we felt we could judge the rules correctly we played a scenario which was half based off the Breakthrough mission and a Spearkrieg game we played a few year ago over the Battle of Prokhorovka. Scaled down we played 1st SS Panzer Grenadiers against 52nd Guards Rifle Division.

The game worked well with the Germans having to peel a way through the defensive lines (reinforced by the "Workers to the Front" event. Maybe I wasn't sufficiently aggressive early doors (new game syndrome) and it took a while to get through. Eventually a whole appeared and I was able to widen it out. By turn 15 the aggressive use of Recce, Armour and Armoured Infantry allowed me to take an objective where we called it.

Things we learned:

• Tactics and defences really help to reduce casualties; in reverse the fact that my entire force was motorised meant I could evade to reduce hits against myself. As ops dice disappear and attacks are going in by brute force, combat becomes more deadly.
• If you can lure an attack onto yourself and pinning attack has already been used and surprise attack isn't in effect then withdraw is a really good way to make your opponent burn and waste ops dice.
• Recce units with their free scout turns are really useful (even with a 50% success rate). I had a full battalion of recce as the Germans formed their Recce units as fighting battalions which really helped.
• Always plan for the worst. I attacked a single infantry company with one remaining hit in the open with 3 stands. Missed and I hadn't left enough space to retreat. Up until this point these were my only units destroyed.
• Attacking across the narrow part of the table is grim.
• All in all the rules are simple whilst giving a seemingly historical result. Could be really interesting to battle the whole campaign although we discussed it and think we'll go for an ops sheet per division. The ebb and flow of resetting etc could be absorbing as the various attacking divisions have to pause at different times.

As a side piece I also based Schy'yrk. I'm going to do the rest of Gronne Flamme like this to complete my raiding party for Frostgrave.

Schy'yrk

Frostgrave - Standard Deployment (2)

Got some laser cut mdf building ruins in a bundle and we gave our Frostgrave warband another run out. We decided to just do another throw down game (although I'm determined to play some alternative scenarios considering I know have them all printed and put in a folder). Again the game was close although repeated use of telekinesis, teleport and leap really mixed it up.

Set Up

I really need to get some better pictures taken - also need a grey sheet or something. Anyhow this game really was a mad dash to run for the treasure, spells were going off left right and centre, although I've agreed to let JT rechoose her spells as shes currently got no offensive spells and far too many out of game spells (which we both forgot about). Before this I had purchased a tracker (as I had one painted), and having closer to parity on numbers really helped.

All in all I think we're both still enjoying it although I think we might give the Dark Alchemy campaign a go or maybe the new Ambronnax Campaign from the Forgotten Pacts book.

Roughing it out for the last few treasures

After all of that we both got 3 treasures, although Jade was a lot luckier with KO results having no ongoing effects compared to me losing my archer as well as a badly wounded Apprentice.

Blue Sapphire (Update)

Wizard Romanoff Apprentice Zito - KO (Recovered)Elgiva the Archer - KO (Recovered)Gerard the Crossbowman - KO (Recovered)Guy the Infantryman - KO (Recovered)Etheldreda the ThiefFaramond the ThugAnsger the ThugSedemay the Treasure Hunter - KO (Recovered)Osgyth the War Hound - KO (Recovered)

Cast 6 Spells and Carried off 3 Treasure = 210 XP (460 XP)200 GC2 Grimoires - Steal Health, Elemental ShieldMagical Weapon/Armour - Magical Shield (+1)Base: InnL4 (increased 2 levels) (increase ?and?) 
Purchased 1 Archer (-50GC) = Current Gold 360GC

Gronn Flamme

Wizard Heimr
Apprentice Baldr - KO (Badly Wounded)
Aylwin the Archer - KO (DEAD)
Walburga the Infantryman
Wulfhild the Infantryman
Goldwin the Infantryman
Bathsheba the Man-At-Arms- KO (Recovered)
Diggory the Thug

Aslak the Tracker

Cast 8 Spells, Carried off 3 Treasure, 1 Kill by Wizard) = 270 XP (590 XP)
450 GC
3 Scrolls - (Plague of Insects, Imp, Spell Eater)
Magical Item - Ring of Protection (+1)
L5 (increased 2 levels) (increase ?and?)

Purchased 1 Archer (-50GC) + Recovered Apprentice (-100GC) = Current Gold 400GC

On a side note it also turns out that model ruins are great to get the eldest interested. Maybe not but can but hope :p

Frostgrave - Standard Deployment

So me and the missus played a throw down game of Frostgrave; half the minis are unpainted, the other half need the bases doing, some scenery is built but part painted and we found didn't have nearly enough - so might just buy a few bits to tie me over (just not enough time to do everything I want to!).

Anyway my Gronn Flamme boys took on JT's lads in a free for all - 6 treasure in the buildings and see what happens.

I can report (as I did after the game I played at the club) that the mindset has to be different to a traditional wargame mind (especially one like mine which tends to play larger scale games). Its a raid - get what you want and get out. This mindset was there for Jade and she managed to quickly get the 3 on her side of the table. Meanwhile my apprentice (with half of my smaller warband) took up position on a small hill with a great field of fire - unfortunately not really covering any tokens and only really good if enemy were coming to attack me. Eventually the removal of thugs to carry off her treasure whittled her strength down and I was able to cause some casualties with my better quality soldiers including my wizard laying the smackdown on her wizard.

I promise next time to have some pictures of the game but here are the results (for housekeeping if nothing else). Can I say although I was lucky in game with some of my combat rolls, JT rolled incredibly for recovery.

Blue Sapphire (Update)

Wizard Romanoff - KO (Recovered)
Apprentice Zito
Elgiva the Archer
Gerard the Crossbowman - KO (Recovered)
Guy the Infantryman - KO (Recovered)
Etheldreda the Thief
Faramond the Thug
Ansger the Thug
Sedemay the Treasure Hunter
Osgyth the War Hound - KO (Recovered)

Cast 4 Spells and Carried off 4 Treasure = 250 XP
210 GC
Magic Weapon/Armour - Mail Armour
Magical Item - Horn of Destruction
3 Scrolls - (Leap, Furious Quill, Illusionary Soldier)
L2 (increase Fight and Health)

Gronn Flamme

Wizard Heimr
Apprentice Baldr
Aylwin the Archer
Walburga the Infantryman
Wulfhild the Infantryman
Goldwin the Infantryman
Bathsheba the Man-At-Arms
Diggory the Thug

Cast 3 Spells, Carried off 2 Treasure, 1 Kill by Wizard, Wizard killed Wizard = 320 XP
180 GC
3 Potions - (Teleportation, Invisibility x2)
Grimoire - (Enchant Armour)
L3 (increase Fight and Health, Learn Enchant Armour from Grimoire)

Needs for next game; Choose Base of Operations, Reinforcements (Paint), Get more scenery, Make Spell Cards, Make Quick Reference Sheets (I've got some somewhere)

Frostgrave Warband Green

So I first put these models together back in August last year and I've finally got a warband competed (well still need to do the bases). To identify mine from the missus' I've used green on every model (as opposed to the blue on the other force). Anyone, due to my Enchanter looking a bit Nordic, I've gone with that theme - cherry picked the helmets I feel match and even painted the symbol for Thor on my Man-At-Arms' shield. And in deference to my most recent guilty pleasure Acquisitons Incorporated my Warband is named Grønn Flamme.

Complete Warband

I do have more than 500 points here to allow for growth in further missions - I may need more as time goes by too.

Heidr and Bjarnn

Master and apprentice. My only slight issue with these is the rule where wizards always have a better fight value than the apprentice - Bjarnn is significantly bigger than any of my other figures.

Heidr and Bjarnn with all the things they may need.

Infantrymen

This is the core of my force, 3 infantrymen who can really deal the damage - as I've stated I recently won a copy of "Into the Breeding Pits" and our battles may primarily take place underground - alternatively in the "Hunting the Golem" mini campaign. Ordinarily I probably would have taken a bunch of thugs and thieves for a normal game.

Infantrymen again - including a nice green scarf

I will probably go a bit more shooter heavy in future but for now I only have the 2 in my force, although I intend to get some offensive weapons for my Wizards.

Tracker and Archer

Really like this Archer model and how its come out - used a bit darker brown for his clothes and think it really works.

Tracker and Archer

Also really like how the wraps (can't really call them boots) and the quills look - I will get some better pictures once based.

Man-At-Arms and Thief

These pictures do not do justice - I really like my Man-At-Arms - so much that I'm probably going to build my next DnD character around him. I did the thief in grey with thoughts of making his smock mottled and sneaky looking but I haven't dry dusted the mottle effect on yet.

Man-At-Arms and Thief with his dirty sack.

So there they are - I hope to get my other warband painted asap and then I'll probably base them all together - I also need to get some monsters and things.