Monday, December 31, 2018

Dungeon Lords Hard Mode

It's been about three and a half years since Dungeon Lords was played.

Even more with this particular group of three.

So there were... some... misplays. Others more grave than others.

Like, taxes and monster pay being played during every season.

I think we were on the summer or autumn of first year before we realized this mistake, because it was quite unplayable. So let's call it a half game being played.

Next we played base game without fifth season to re-familiarize ourselves. And we got most things right that time.

Another day we played the game with Festival Season.

This was eventful game, as the special event "Hello ladies, I'm back!" gave the aspiring dungeon lords two paladins, with only one having crossed the paladin space on evil-o-meter.

I thought I had managed my dungeon well. And I had. Only one or two dungeon spaces had been conquered during both years, and other players had plenty.

Still I had failed to take into account the power of Titles. I was worried during point scoring phase, as I had lost most of my exclusive titles I had been so certain to have. Another player with the "extra points for titles" room made it a tough game. Point difference was about three in my favor, so it was a matter of only one title.

Bards were cursed on many an occasion.

Quick note on Magic Maze

Some quick Christmas updates here.

Quick as in shortly written, not as in 'immediately written after game.'

In total I brought Magic Maze, Dungeon Lords and Warmachine with me. These are the Magic Maze games.

First we had a little practice with the old time friend as a two player game. We tried to get an idea of all rules in the game, but since we tried to truncate too many rules into one scenario, we didn't win too many times.

On Christmas day we practiced with three players. One of the players had some trouble in keeping up with the rules, so we played without switching the action tiles.

Next day we played with four players, and again without switching action tiles. Here we went up to the mage crystal balls, I think.

Then day after we played again with four players and this time up to security cameras with an extra tile to boot.

It was chaotic, sure, but eventually group learned to act together.

Five players when?

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Burkstad, take two.

Legend continues.

As it's a bit difficult to arrange time for Kingdom Death, the brutal beginning of this doomed settlement was rectified a little.

We removed the Murder from timeline. Yeah, it's a cheat. But the point here is to have a little fun and not have a dead settlement on third lantern year.

Second year has our blue savior, murderer and a couple of inconsequential survivors hunting White Lion.

Savior almost burns himself out already, and only does two wounds to White Lion. Murderer hacks the remaining eight, or at least I don't remember Bob or Dhilhe would have done any wounds in with their bare hands.

Not even a single severe injury roll was being made. I'm not sure if any survivor received even heavy injury level - and after all they were even more poorly equipped than last year that ended in party wipe. That's Kingdom Death, I suppose.

Settlement Event was Elder Council. With our population of six, the two remaining survivors gained +1 permanent accuracy at the cost of two endeavors.

We added Gorm into campaign, and Approaching Storm had a stone replace one of Bob's eyes. Maybe it wasn't actually the Lion's Eye from which we made the Cat's Eye Circlet. It might have been Bob's.

Bob Cat Eye Circlet.

What am I talking?

Ahem. We also got Catgut Bob, I mean bow, and Claw Head Arrow.

Our inspiring murderer and savior double plus Clarita and Dhilhe proceed to hunt Gorm. Survivors find a prisoner from a gibbet during hunt phase.

Showdown went surprisingly well again. Clarita gained Ghostly Beauty disorder and savior quit from existence because he would have done so anyway at the aftermath. Better to fade out than to burn away.

Settlement event is Open Maw, and the recently freed prisoner is encouraged to go and take a look inside the great cavity. It snaps shut instantly. Well. Whatever the case, I believe it's better place to be confined in than a gibbet. But mileages may vary.

There were next to no bones in resources survivors got. One unidentifiable part was bony enough to innovate Symposium.

Dhilhe received Twilight Sword from a mysterious knight that had entered the settlement, and conveniently leaving just before Butcher arrives.

Somewhat failed gormchymistry at least gave us Dense Bone, which was sorely needed. Rib Blade should do wonders in the hands of a murderer. Considering how things went, we might have actually survived this far even with the Murder on timeline.

Next time we'll see how karma strikes back when it Butcher time.


Burkstad

Population: 6

Principles:
Protect the Young
Graves

Innovations:
Language
Hovel
Ammonia
Bed
Nigredo
Symposium

Locations:
Lantern Hoard
Bone Smith
Skinnery
Organ Grinder
Catarium
Gormchymist
Gormery

Gear:
4x Cloth
4x Stone Noses
Bone Blade
Full Rawhide Set
1x Rawhide Gloves
Skull Helm
Rib Blade
Cat Eye Circlet
Twilight Sword
2x Monster Grease
Bandages
Catgut Bow + Claw Head Arrow


Resources:
None

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Skorne Thing

What's this?

A new player in my home town. Last weekend we had a 50 point game of Warmachine. My list was:


Void Seer Mordikaar [+29]
- Agonizer [6]
- Archidon [10]
- Bronzeback Titan [18]
- Cyclops Savage [7]
Bog Trog Trawler [3]
Thrullg [5]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Praetorian Swordsmen (max) [13]
- Praetorian Swordsman Officer & Standard [4]
Venator Slingers (min) [8]


Opponent had:


Commander Coleman Stryker [+30]
- Cyclone [13]
- Defender [16]
- Lancer [10]
- Reliant [14]
Journeyman Warcaster [4]
- Charger [9]
Long Gunner Infantry (min) [10]

The list is four points short, so I suppose opponent forgot to deploy a solo or command attachment for Long Gunners.

We played a rulebook scenario to score a point from five flags. And how different it felt after having used to Steamroller scenarios.

Early on I'm a bit too greedy with the flag points - it was completely unnecessary for me to bring Bronzeback Titan to score a point from the middle flag and be pretty much there in the open, ready to be shot at.

So I lost my heavy beast. And I was against three heavy warjacks that were supported with two instances of Arcane Shield. Whoopsie.

Feats gave us both a "useless" turn. Slingers tried to give corrosion to Cygnaran models while they were under Stryker's feat. Praetorian Swordsmen used their minifeat in an attempt to do some damage to Lancer. They did some damage but did not break any systems. But at least the arc node was tied up.

Opponent, then, was mostly able to kill Praetorian Swordsmen that weren't under Mordikaar's feat.

Considering that I had no way of punching through all those warjacks, I schemed a plan to win with scenario. I had four control points thanks to Bog Trog Trawler. So all I needed was the flag Lancer was contesting.

These are the unlikely epic weird shenanigans that I so much enjoy. My plan was thus:

1) do as much damage to Lancer as was possible with Swordsmen.
2) cast Essence Blast spray, killing all the praetorian swordsmen that were not within 4" of the flag and kill the lancer
3) revive one praetorian swordsmen in base contact with the flag.

It all went fine until I failed to kill a couple of swordsmen with Essence Blast. I did not bother casting Revive, then. I saved three fury points for damage transfer instead, as Mordikaar was in a rather vulnerable position.

Stryker managed to land Earthquake on Mordikaar, so I thought game was pretty much over then. I don't remember if it was Defender or Reliant that rolled only four damage points in to Mordikaar, so I did not have to start spending transfers right away.

Mordikaar was shot to pieces, but not to death. Somehow he managed to survive Defender, Reliant, Charger, two hand cannons from both warcasters and a couple of Long Gunner shots.

I think there is a pattern here. It's not just Hexeris that pulls off these "shouldn't have" -survival situations. It's my Skorne as a whole.

There were no cygnar models contesting the last flag Skorne needed, so game was over. Sure there were swings in this game, though after losing Bronzeback so early on I continuously felt that I needed desperate measures to win.

And my desperate measure seems to be caster bait with odds stacked heavily against me.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Winded

A quick note about a game of Word Winder that was played some days ago. Here for statistical purposes.