Betrayal at Sanurinn Pool

Year 11 hunt and showdown:

Right on the outskirts of settlement hunters encountered a dead Gorm, but as they proceeded to investigate, a mournful bull Gorm charged from the darkness.

Showdown was a standard fight that didn't have much of a story element. Quickly the beast was slain, and survivors returned, victorious.

Barbaric survivors that had accepted their deep-rooted darkness. Now that Ralala had stepped down from leading the hunting parties, one of the eldest members of Sanurinn Pool let out all his rage, jealousy and envy. Drorn and Ralala were the first real parents of this settlement, they should both have been equally revered. But Drorn had fallen, somehow. He did not even have a surname. All of his children he had with Ralala had also died. No legacy whatsoever.

So Drorn took matters in his own hands, tried to set the course of Sanurinn Pool to that which he envisioned. With Insanity 28, he murdered Ralala.

Yes, settlement event is the dreaded Murder.

Year 12

But there were witnesses to this heinous crime. In fact, most of the settlement saw what happened, as Drorn tried to crown himself with Ralala's ribcage as to become undisputed, tyrannical leader of the settlement. I guess he just did not have the charisma to murder a person and get away with it. Ralala had been a god walking amongst men. People were furious. They tore Drorn to pieces and made a warpaint out of Drorn's blood. (This, however, was not an omen for innovating Paint... sigh...)

Clearly, and era had come to an end. Gorm Climate was removed from the timeline, storm had passed, called away by Halyran. There was only the scorching sun, and the fading memory of Ralala's protective presence. Matters like these need to be passed down the generations. Settlement innovates Saga.

Relons studied lanterns and accidentally discovered the fiery power within herself - Red Fist was enough to set alight a more permanent source of heat - Lantern Oven.

Sun Dipping was a great success. Chilons and Halyran entered the beam of light, and walked out as Sun Eaters.

Chilons Sunearr and Halyran Sunearr chose a new surname, for Ralala's dynasty was over. Chilons gave birth to a Child of Sun, who received purification immediately. The newborn had umbilical symbiosis with the strange creatures that had emerged from the sacred pool, and her skin started to reflect light unnaturally. To commemorate the late savior of the settlement, newborn was named Sacrala. And confusing newborn she was.

Accuracy +2, Strength +4, Evasion +3. Courage 2, Understanding 3 and a fighting art to boot. She had probably absorbed the fleeting essence of Ralala and gained some extrasensory information from surroundings, as her art was Trailblazer.

Hunt and showdown:

Very foundations of the settlement being shaken, hunting for the Beast of Sorrow seemed only appropriate.

A titanic beast bellows in the darkness just as hunters start their journey. Spiduka is the only one who does not hear this threat, and wonders why everyone seem so scared all of sudden. Relons even covers in fear as flat on the surface as she possibly can.

Spiduka leads the shaky survivors to scratching grounds. These markings look entirely different than those left by Gorm. Investigations give two Lion Claws.

Chiloresc would have found a statue, but life-time reroll later Chiloresc's attention focused more on a nearby stone fountain. Everyone took a sip. First survivor told how terrible muck it was. Second survivor did not believe, and decided to see for himself. Disgusting. Third one could not believe that water might be so horrible tasting. But it was, much to the astonishment of also fourth survivor.

However, there was something else in the water, too.

Spiduka tasted death, and the bitterness of it all. From now on she would not be scared of anything with maximum Courage. Now she was blind and deaf. Just waiting for shattered jaw.

Sea of Golden Grass taught Halyran exactly the same that Spiduka had learned from drinking of the fetid pool. Bitterness of death. Quite something to trigger See the Truth on a survivor with two hunt experience.

Survivor move past a gibbet where someone is pleading for help. Spiduka, who is the eldest of the group and somehow respected because of that, is deaf. Cannot hear a thing. And all other survivors who can hear the pleas just follow the example of Spiduka.

Now, I know People of the Sun campaign removes Leader from the fighting art deck. But I suppose Relons became a Leader anyway, because Overwhelming Darkness specifically instructed her to gain Leader fighting art. Only Halyran loses it during Overwhelming Darkness. He just cannot bear the shadow of a massive whale swimming overhead.

I realized quickly how risky this showdown was without being able to dash. Trample and Cunning dealt four points of damage that ignored evasion whenever they triggered. I thought fist & tooth mastery would be enough. Severe injuries started piling up even when most survivors had Dried Acanthus with them. Fortunately I don't think there was even one permanent injury. Size Ups played important role in actually winning. I should have taken more detailed notes during showdown, but it was so exciting that I kind of forgot.

Eventually Halyran Sunearr slays the Beast of Sorrow, which has quite a few repercussions as settlement had innovated Saga.

Year 13

Despite Slender Blight coming back to settlement, Sacrala makes the Grand Proclamation. She has heard legends of Ralala, and has a great desire to live up to her mythical name. She consecrates the sacred pool to level 3. A miracle child and a true innovator, newfound guiding light. From what I've learned, incredibly promising young survivors often die to something not all that grandiose. For example, a stern gaze from a scary man.

Settlement special innovated Pottery via Umbilical Symbiosis innovation, and then Forbidden Dance from innovation deck. It was discovered by accident, when an unknown force entered Chiloresc's spirit. Patterns were nigh of revealing secrets not meant for humans. The unknown force twisted Chiloresc into impossible poses, which ruined the dancer. But as there was something sinister and mysterious in the dance, newborn child, Lavias Sunearr imitated Chiloresc's dance, and succeeded to gain +1 evasion, but not understand the meaning behind everything.

It's year 13 and haven't seen Paint even once.

Hunt and Showdown

Together Mud Slide and Acid Storm gave a rocky start for this hunt. In the searing heat of the sun, acid rain made soil into a runny sludge, so that survivor defenses were already ruined before actual fight even began. Acid storm was heading to settlement's direction.

Relons found a survivor called Daress during Overwhelming Darkness, who was scared witless and kept mumbling something about monstrous grief.

Lavias Sunearr pokes a pickaxe through a stone face that resembled his own. Then, he proceeded to gather some herbs, but only wasted everyone's time. To make up for these failures, he suggested a light hearted word game to pass the time. "Well, maybe we play some words, then. Huh? Anyone?"
No-one else was in the mood. They silenced Lavias by rolling their eyes. Lavias lost a point of courage.

Just as showdown is about to begin, Relons notices visible signs of migration.

But one from the antelope herd had been injured. Sacrala followed the bloody trail to their wounded quarry.

What a terrible hunt phase.

Screaming Antelope doesn't reach target on first turn, so it grazes an Acanthus Plant, healing the previous wounds from whatever had injured it. Then it raised it's head, and bloodshot eyes gleamed in the darkness, as it began diabolical trampling.

Lavias was disemboweled, and thus kind of fell out of the showdown when Screaming Antelope sped towards other survivors. Double Dash at least enabled him to move two spaces per turn. His personal journey starts to look a little tragicomic.

Antelope trampled over Sacrala, who had her lungs collapsed for a while. This marked the moment when survivors decided to launch all-out offensive. Sacrala must not fall.

Praying hard, survivors rapidly decrease the size of AI deck. Hands of the Sun is immensely useful. Relons slays the Screaming Antelope level 2, or more exactly caused it to jump to it's death because of degenerating wound. Showdown was a mediocre one. It had it's scary moments, but it didn't turn into a desperate one where player is praying even harder than all the four survivors combined.

Survivors return victorious, and people gather to listen what Daress has to say. He tells a tale of a Beast of Sorrow that had been stalking him and his kin in the darkness. Settlement event was Elder Council.

Year 14

With a smirk Halyran tells that Beast of Sorrow has already been slain, but thanks for telling. Then Halyran is off to Organ Grinder to read the future from entrails. He has to do augury twice, but he does get some Insight that also makes him a tinker.

While performing auguries, Halyran receives a most welcome vision. Settlement innovates.

... yes. PAINT. Finally!

Daress is purified, as has oftentimes happened when survivors are being rescued from the outside. And it's probably a good custom, since Spenaccio had not been purified despite being found from silk nest. He had ran into the Acid Storm, bellowing incoherently. Daress takes a long walk and finds him back, but Spenaccio is so exhausted that he should skip next hunt.

With invention of Paint the survivors attempt to tackle a level 2 Gorm.

Hunt and showdown:

Relons, Sacrala, Spiduka and Halyran

Amidst horizon of bones Halyran finds peculiar scratches on the ground that look like drawings. But whatever their meaning was, Halyran fails to decipher it.

Spiduka, being deaf, did not hear the sound sand and pebbles made as they began to withdraw into the ground. She falls into a suddenly formed sinkhole, but Sacrala's whip saves her.

There's something in the air, perhaps soundwaves human ear cannot hear, that cause head splitting pain to survivors. Relons gains Performance Anxiety disorder, and Sacrala gets Tunnel Vision. Halyran merely closes his eyes and rubs his temples. Spiduka falls to the ground, laughing maniacally. Survivors arrive at the mouth of the cavern complex where their prey is hiding.

Heedless of danger, Spiduka enters the fetid grotto, but was immediately struck down by the acidic fumes. This equaled collapsed lung. Everyone else tried to use something to protect their breathing, and added their waist armor on top of their head.

Which may have actually been a wise thing to do, as Gorm opens the game with Infrasonic Roar, that always deals damage to head location.

Survivor fight in perfect unison. They're like one beast that has eight independent hands. Praying for Hands of the Sun helped immensely in reaching this achievement, but before Gorm drew it's second AI card, it had received staggering amount of nine wounds, two of which came from Amber Poleaxe that Gorm impaled itself a total of three times.

Eat & Run tactics of Gorm fail miserably, but then I will have to start respecting the hideous ability that is Mushth. No survival opportunities means a 1/6 chance to receive a severe head injury right away. And that's what happened to Halyran. He had Dried Acanthus, so it wasn't a table flip time, but had me scared.

In three rounds the Gorm was dead. Praise the Sun. Sacrala killed the Gorm level 2.

But then survivors had to make a blind exit through miasma that was wrecking survivors' innards. The youngest and the eldest suffer heaviest toll of toxins. Sacrala and Spiduka receive -1 permanent strength.

Year 15

Drosel is certain that there is evil spirit amongst the haunted settlement. It must be the vengeful spirit of Ralala, that now possessed Drosel via Haunted settlement event. He gains the Possessed ability.

Settlement special innovates Citrinitas and innovates Nightmare Training the old fashioned way.

Relons then takes some trepanning sessions to cure her Megalophobia. Chilons is the most qualified for this job - after all, she is the vivisector. First result is Expanded Consciousness, which gave her Quixotic disorder and Tumble fighting art, which is actually a detriment. I want Relons to collide with monsters as much as possible.

She takes another trepanning, and look at that. Expanded Consciousness again. I suppose the plan to remove Megalophobia worked, but not in the way I imagined it would.

Now that Chilons got the hang of it, it was easier to work with Halyran, who manages to remove Megalophobia right away. Soon enough I plan on hunting the Phoenix, and being Megalophobic ruins that plan by making it illegal. Sacrala goes into Nightmare Training, but even after five tries does not succeed in learning Whip specialization.

Hunt and showdown:

To kill the time survivors hunt level 2 phoenix.

Time flows backwards, and this is simply too much of Relons. She has emotional overload, which turns into a blind rage.

Sacrala finds her one true love, the Lovelorn Rock. This was what she had been preparing for in the nightmare training. Not to learn to fight - but to love. Bird Brained phoenix flies on top of Overwhelming Darkness and survivors refresh themselves at a stone fountain before showdown starts.

Relons, the one with Red Fist fighting art has a deja vu moment that she should not exist. So she disappears, deep into her expanded consciousness. Phoenix also kills Sacrala's children from the future, as well as Halyran's.

Sacrala avenged their genitals by striking Phoenix in the inner face at with Killing Blow effect. She would have avenged Relons, too, but she never existed.

Year 16

Time had been flowing backwards, so settlement faces Slender Blight again. This time departing survivors need to swap their insanity and survival values.

Upcoming showdown is one with Manhunter level 3.

Daress and Spiounas have child after Spiounas is purified. They choose Darksilk as their surname. Baby is named Spiress.

Halyran tries to train third point of shield proficiency, but fails even with four attempts.

Settlement innovates Heart Flute.

Then Lavias shoots Manhunter level 3 dead with Clawhead Arrow.

Sacrala has heard stories how Ralala had always been there for settlement at the time of need - whenever their pool had been invaded by human-like creatures like these. Now she feels herself taking the place of her grandmother as the ultimate grand protector of Sanurinn Pool. This clears her mind up a little, and she loses her Tunnel Vision. Storytelling tradition has been going on for some time now, so this fight is added into already lengthy record of sagas. Returning survivors gain +1 strength and Quixotic. This seems rather excessive, but year 20 is very soon here.

Daress has heard legends how these collectors arrive into the settlement now and then. This sparks vague memories about the time he had spent in the vast darkness before being rescued. He has seen these collectors before. And he remembers hiding from them. Daress is a long time veteran when it comes to avoidance. He gains Seasoned Hunter and Trailblazer fighting arts.

Year 16 hunt shall be Lion God, and truthfully I'm more worried about the aftermath event than the actual showdown.



Some settlement details:

*Sacrala Sunearr, Reflecting Warrior of the Sun
Accuracy +2, Strength +6, Evasion +3
Courage 5, Understanding 6, Whip proficiency 5
Overprotective, Quixotic
Sun Eater, Trailblazer, Clutch fighter

Destroyed genitals

- Grand proclamation to become a savior of Sanurinn Pool.
- Architect of level 3 Sacred Pool
- Fell in love with a rock

Killing blows:
Gorm level 2
Phoenix level 2



*Ghorum
Accuracy +1, Strength +4
Courage 7, Understanding 3, Katar proficiency 2
Hemophobia, Megalophobia, Absent Seizures
Vengeance, Double Dash, Orator of Death

Dismembered arm

Who is mostly interested in the storm. Whenever he is required to make contact with another human being, he speaks only in the language of death. And if there is a dispute, he can and will settle it by practicing what he speaks.

- Voice of "Reason"
- Lost his hand while inside Screaming Antelope's stomach
- Rival's Scar
- Killed his rival, Khantan, on the eve of Khantan's grand victory
- Crystal Skin
- Captured by Spidicules
- Returned from Spidicules with great insight from darkness, bringing news of a Beast of Sorrow.

Killing blows: Khantan.



*Spiduka
Accuracy -1, Strength +3
Courage 9 (6) from listening to storm, Dagger proficiency 5
Narcissistic
Berserker, Mighty Strike, Defender

Bitter Frenzy

Deaf
Blinded in one eye

- Season of the Spiderling survivor
- Architect of level 2 Sacred Pool
- Feels rejected by society.
- Has seen the truth and tasted bitter death in a murky fountain.
- Survivor of Manhunter level 2


*Grissewan:
Strength +2, Evasion +1
Courage 1, Understanding 1, Axe proficiency 1
Hemophobia
Last Man Standing

- Saved Ghorum from Spidicules.

Killing blows: level 1 gorm


*Larona
- Yet to do anything memorable.

*Drosel
Accuracy +1, Strength +4, Evasion +1

- Possessed by an evil spirit.


*Resculachu Ra-Dynasty
Strength +3, Evasion +1
Courage 3, Understanding 1
Hoarder
Crazed

- Found from a spider's nest
- Purified as random people from inside nests seemed like a good omen


*Frohlagodhen
- Yet to do anything memorable.

*Rablirucsen
- Yet to do anything memorable.


*Chilons Sunearr
Accuracy -1, Strength +2, Evasion +2
Understanding 1, Fist proficiency 3
Emotionless, Overprotective

Blind from one eye

- Purified
- Vivisector of infant beasts from sacred pool.
- Trusted trepanner
- Dipped in searing light, partner to Halyran

*Halyran Sunearr
Accuracy +4, Strength +8, Evasion +4
Courage 9, Understanding 5, Shield proficiency 3
Quixotic
Seasoned Hunter, Berserker

Bitter Frenzy

Blinded in one eye
Destroyed Genitals

- Purified
- Thundercaller
- Seen the Truth and tasted bitter death in sea of golden grass.
- Dipped in searing light, partner to Chilons.
- Phoenix traveled in time and killed all Halyran's future children.
- Danced forbidden dance.

Killing blows:
Killed Screaming Antelope lv1
Manhunter level 2
Beast of Sorrow


*Chiloresc
Accuracy +1, Strength +4, Evasion +2
Courage 4, Understanding 1

- Bastard son of Resculachu and Chilons
- Has failed to dance forbidden dance.


*Spenaccio
Accuracy +1, Strength +3, Evasion +2
Understanding 1

- Twins found from a spider's nest
- Ran bellowing madly into acid storm

*Spiounas Darksilk
Accuracy +2, Strength +3, Evasion +2
Courage 1 Understanding 1

- Twins found from a spider's nest
- Purified

*Daress Darksilk
Accuracy +1, Strength +5, Evasion +3
Courage 2, Understanding 3
Axe Proficiency 1
Quixotic
Seasoned Hunter, Trailblazer, Lure Epilepsy

- Found from overwhelming darkness while he was hiding from the Beast of Sorrow
- Purified
- Lead Spenaccio back home when he ran to acid storm.
- Knows manhunters and understands the meaning of war.

*Lavias Sunearr
Movement +1, Accuracy +1, Strength +5, Evasion +3
Courage 3, Understanding 5, Bow Profieciency 3
Quixotic
Double Dash

- Was the first to dance Forbidden Dance successfully - as a baby.
- Has the worst games.

Killing blows:
Manhunter level 3

*Spiress Darksilk
Accuracy +1, Strength +3, Evasion +2
Courage 2, Understanding 3
Unrelenting


Settlement innovations:
Death principle: Graves
Life principle: Survival of the Fittest
Conviction: Barbaric
Society: Accept Darkness
Sun Language, Partnership, Hovel, Bed, Family, Clan of Death, Hands of the Sun, Sauna Shrine, Ammonia, Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, Drums, Song of the Brave, Saga, Forbidden Dance, Heart Flute, Symposium, War Room, Nightmare Training, Lantern Oven, Paint, Pottery, Bloodletting, Umbilical Bank, Crimson Candy, Silk Refining, Fist & Tooth mastery

Settlement locations:
The Sun
Level 3 Sacred Pool
Bone Smith, Skinnery, Organ Grinder
Weapon Crafter, Skinnery, Stone Circle
Catarium, Gormery, Gormchymist
Silk Mill, Plumery, Barber Surgeon

Battle for Starfail

For the first time in a few years, I finally got to play Deadzone again. These games were included in the deadzone Battle for Starfall summer campaign. And when I took a look at the Deadzone campaign page I was impressed. Statistics! Pie charts! Percentages! I don't think I've ever seen this detailed, complex and player-involving campaign in any of the game systems I've paid some attention to over the years.

I really should have taken a closer look on this earlier, because a campaign like that might actually have me playing more often. But it's already last week of the campaign. Boo hoo.

Opponent kindly let me make my lists from his Outbreak supplement, so I got to test some new toys, too.

Sector Xalos North, raining
150 pts
Stage 3A lieutenant with holo sight
2x Stage 3A's, one with smoke grenade and one with frag grenade.
2x Stage 2A leaper
2x Stage 2B burster
Stage 3Z Zombie
Plague Enforcer with extra ammo.

Opponent had an assortment of enforcers, but they were all normal troopers - and with that I mean that there were no vehicles, or light or heavy enforcers or supporting models.

Smoke grenade muton acts heroically by missing the smoke grenade from where I wanted it. It landed to block line of sight to and from a cube where opponent wouldn't be able to draw LoS anyway. Well, at least it provided some penalties to shooting, but it was a bit of a double edged sword as I had some units that would've liked to shoot.

Well. Plague Enforcer shoots a dud shot, gaining blast type for this round. Otherwise there would have been good position for my enforcer, but either a fusion thingy or grenade tossed this 3VP model to ground. I knew it probably wouldn't be very wise thing to do, but I wanted to try to get some work done with my ethereal lieutenant. But I somehow messed up with special action dice and couldn't move it back to safety.

Bur(k)ster held pretty well against two enforcers that were sent against it. Eventually they blew it up in melee, which triggered nice Boom effect. But nothing really happened there. Throughout this game it felt like whenever I rolled exceptionally well, so did my opponent. Best I could do was some lucky wounds to enforcers. But did I kill more than one? I don't remember.

Maybe I did once chrysalid leapers got into melee somewhere in the middle, but by then it was too late for Plague to catch up on victory points.

Game 2

Sector Unknown

200pts
Stage 3A lieutenant with holo sight
2x Stage 3A's, one with smoke grenade and one with frag grenade.
2x Stage 2A leaper
Stage 2B burster
3x Stage 3Z Zombie
Stage 3D Hellhound
Stage 3A specialist with grenade launcher
Plague Enforcer with extra ammo.
Plague Teraton

Here opponent had Strider and a few of the heaviest enforcer type they have available, plus a couple of the scouty type enforcers with tag rifles or something.

Again my smoke grenade shenanigans fail miserably. This time the grenade landed where I wanted it - but then it dissipated right away at the start of next round, leaving my troops there in the open.

Plague enforcer takes a vantage point and tries to make the experimental weapon function a little better than last time. I think it actually did one wound to the lightweight enforcers. It did soak up quite a lot of bullets before dying, but... again, it's a 3VP unit. Losing it hurts.

For some time plague survived with no other notable losses, but stage 2A's were getting wounds in which meant rampage tests.

Grenade launcher finally managed to position itself so that it could shoot an explosive, which killed one of the little enforcers. Another enforcer that was still growing died to zombie onslaught.

What griefs me most in this game was my good assault on the Strider. Movements were carefully orchestrated, and I had quite optimal set of effects stacked against it (Stage 2A leaper with army special action and extra melee, plus supporting stage 3A), but scored only one wound then, and nothing at all when it escaped the fight.

Strider got into brawl with Teraton, but Teraton isn't a good unit to crack such armor.

Desperately did Plague fight, but killed only two pathfinders and did one wound to Strider.

However, that's only half of the story. I had my chance in scoring scenario point - I did get to score points from enemy side, as well as controlled both regular VP areas for a while. But in the end I lost too many models and could not stop enforcers from doing the same. Another loss for plague.

Again it did feel like I rolled badly, but considering how resilient enemy forces were that may have been just a gut feeling, as winning opposed tests too little had no effect whatsoever.

Word Winder

Some days ago I had the pleasure of playing Finnish edition of Word Winder, a nice word game with simple rules.

Two rounds were played, with the latter getting a little silly because it was already quite late.

Since there is no point scoring, play could be fast paced if it wasn't for the desire to find longest, most complicated words on the board - disregarding words that are too short.

Black Oil

A couple of days ago I played this 10 point game of Warmachine.

It was to teach the game a bit more for a beginning player.

My list was:

Asphyxious the Hellbringer & Vociferon

- Malice
- Helldiver
- Defiler
Gorman diWulfe
Soul Trapper

And opponent had:
Captain Victoria Haley
- Stormclad
- Lancer
Rangers

My opening move was to harpoon Stormclad to Malice. Stormclad had Arcane Shield and Calamity on, so it was effectively Arm 20. Malice needed 7+ to punch through that armor, but even with damage boost it did not succeed. Whoopsie. To discourage retaliation Asphyxious used feat.

Stormclad charged Malice and wrecked every single system except cortex. Gorman lobbed black oil on Stormclad, and Malice took a swing at the cygnaran warjack. Attack hit even with on die, and damage was boosted to two dice.

Defiler teases rangers. Asphyxious had gained two extra focus from his feat and decided to charge Stormclad. Warjack gets wrecked.

Next Haley uses her feat which results in a dead Defiler and Helldiver.

Malice succeeds to drag Lancer to Cryx, and Asphyxious gets the job done again. With Blood Boon he casts Calamity on rangers and Vociferon kills two rangers with a Hex Blast.

Cygnar has a couple of rangers and Haley left, so there ain't many options available. Haley charges to Gorman diWulfe just for the sake of it.

Asphyxious...

Uh. So, Asphyxious nearly single-handedly destroyed Stormclad, Lancer and Haley. Rest of the army got three rangers. Well of course he had good support to do that, but still it's an amusing thought.

Next we're up for a 25 point game.

First demo game for mk3

Some time ago I offered a demo session of Warmachine for a particularly interested player.

I made demo lists like these:

Asphyxious3
- Harrower
- Helldiver
- Defiler

vs

Asphyxious1
- Seether
- Nightwretch
- Stalker
Bloat Thrall

And they played out rather nicely. Though I did forget about Unyielding, and when I noticed it I did not want to pull of such a rule out of thin air when game had already went on for a while. But that was a handicap for me.

Eventually I charged Asphyxious3 post-feat against Seether and wrecked it. I had five focus for damage mitigation, but it was not enough when Asphyxious1 charged the future him. I tried to play so that game would have some interesting moments but without me doing something excessively ridiculous. And it worked. Next friday we're having some real 10 point games, so I suppose demo was a success.

The Spider and the Dragon

A nostalgia game of Labyrinth with two players. This time with actually having read the rules, so game could not get locked into pushing back and forth the same column of labyrinth pieces. Everything has changed since childhood.

Everything.

But it's the magically morphing labyrinth, after all.


This blog entry was edited on 31th of October to add another game that was played to "even up" the scores - and fortunately did so.

Irregular Fleet Raiders

Here's two Warmachine games that were played a while ago.

As I have begun to get bored of Infernal Machines, I decided to try something new. My list was:


[Theme] Slaughter Fleet Raiders
Goreshade the Bastard [+27]
- Harrower [16]
- Nightwretch [7]
- Seether [13]
- 2x Slayer [10]
- 2x Stalker [8]
- Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan [4]
Axiara Wraithblade [0(6)]
Black Ogrun Boarding Party (max) [11]
Black Ogrun Ironmongers [6]
Cephalyx Overlords [8]

Even if I don't have that many Slaughter Fleet units, I wondered if I could make something out of my collection. Goreshade the Bastard looked like he'd alleviate my lack of proper models - bringing Gang Fighter bonus wherever needed with his feat.

Black Ogrun Iron Mongers are still on the painting table. And that's where I forgot them. Axiara Wraithblade, on the other hand, has not even arrived yet. So there's some proxies on the table.

I think opponent had a list something like this:

[Theme] The Irregulars
Ashlynn d'Elyse [+29]
- Freebooter [9]
- Nomad [11]
- Vanguard [10]
- Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker [0(4)]
Dahlia Hallyr [17]
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios [0(7)]
Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress [4]
Major Harrison Gibbs [4]
Ragman [4]
Rorsh [15]
2x Kayazy Eliminators [5]
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt [8]
Press Gangers (max) [12]

Game 1:

First game was over sooner than it had begun. The astonishing threat range of Rorsh caught me by surprise, so we decided to play another game.

Game 2:

Second game took quite a bite longer.

Otherwise my list seemed to somehow work - Curse, gang fighter and Dark Shroud stacks in a manner someone might find disgusting. Warjacks were able to do at least a little something even during Ashlynn's feat. But Goreshade doesn't have enough focus. Maybe the new Satyxis warcaster attachment would help there by upkeeping Lamentation. But still it would not be enough for this many warjacks.

When opponent engaged with his heavy warjacks, he had some really bad luck and did not wreck a thing.

Opponent can't get to Goreshade and I can't get to Ashlynn, and neither side was scoring scenario points in a reliable manner. Play became a version of Cat & Mouse, with after many turns Goreshade finally won.

However, such a victory feels hollow, when had it been an actual tournament game opponent would have won via deathclock. And if we would have counted turns, there would have been a good chance that by the end of seventh turn opponent would have had the lead.

But last game showed how this approach to list building might actually work.