It's Golden

Fifty games of A Touch of Evil in this blog after this update. 

Which continues the long-running (currently at six years) campaign. And starts to look like it might one day be over.

Villain was Unspeakable Horror, to whom we had lost Katarina the Outlaw and Frederic Leon earlier. Was it to devour the souls of Heinrich Cartwright and Eliza the Witch Hunter?

Maybe, because on round two there was already one dead town elder and three (3) evil elders. All the elders of the coastal town had revealed their rotten core right from the start.

Early in the game the heroes had to suffer At Mightnight, They Come and the game saw at least the appearance of The Heretic, Matriach of Silence and The Outcast. 

Fallen demons were sprouting all over the countryside of Shadowbrook, and their 4+ to ignore a wound was a nuisance that caused a few greedy knock outs. But other than that the fight against Unspeakable Horror was rather steady. Shadow Track was surprisingly stable - probably again thanks to not too many Murders being committed. 

Doctor Manning was struck dead by the villain, then revived by Eliza, only to be killed again by her. Just wondering who's the real villain here.  

Sophie and Magistrate Kroft went mad from encountering the ancient demon, and Lady Hanbrook was seen running all around the locations until she was betrayed by, well, a Betrayer. 

Turning point for the game was when Eliza found Cross of Kandor, Family Bible, Sacred Stone and even had the Sacred Chalice - that was +8 fight dice on command. Heinrich had been keeping a collection of your everyday tools such as hatchets, axes and pitchforks - all the while being possessed by perhaps another demon, rival to Unspeakable Horror.

Half of the board was filled with summoning circles, but the rolls of 3+ were merciful. And the procession of cultists was sluggish at best, which was perhaps suggesting the heroes were hunting a greater demon of sloth after all.

This all culminated in a 30 fight dice attack with silver bullets against the villain when showdown began. The Ancient Evil stood no chance, and Katarina and Frederic Leon were avenged.

 Campaign statistics

Villains defeated: Spectral Horseman, Vampire, Siren, Bog Fiend, Volgovian Nutcracker, Delion Dryad, Scarecrow, Krampus, Sunken Seven, Gargoyle, Banshee, Reaper, Dreamweaver, Werewolf, Unspeakable Horror
Villains still to be defeated: 3, +1 investigation vs Shadow Witch

Heroes dead: Katarina the Outlaw, Frederic Leon Brother Marcus, Anne-Marie, Lucy Hanbrook, Harlow Morgan, Scarlet Shadow, Maria de la Rosa, Thomas the Courier, Adrianna, Valeria, Jack Fellows, Argot Blackwell, Inspector Cooke, Isabella von Took & Liliana, Lost Soul
Heroes remaining: 8

Stashed investigation: 8

Nostalgic

 A while ago I played a few board games from the childhood of Dearest. 

First one was called Taika Kengät, which apparently only has a Finnish edition. Name translates to Magic Shoes. The game had elves trying to find magic jewels from a realm torn asunder by an evil troll. Elves need to find proper shoes to travel from different area to another. Magic Shoes were the only shoes that could traverse any terrain.

It quickly dawned on us that this particular game, perhaps, had lost some of its enchantment in the latter years. The age recommendation of 5+ was there for a reason.

Another game was Sphinx, which was a bit more engaging and kept us entertained for two games. 

Burkstad Renaissance (Gwendor Thrice Cursed and Twice Lived)

 Lantern Year 21 hunt was a level 2 Gorm. 

First attempt to hunt was a miserable failure. Cat Eye Circlet wielding Vladimir got Tunnel Vision disorder, and Mortis decided to never show up in the showdown in the first place. With three underleveled survivors our forecast of winning wasn't looking all bright and sunshine. Also, it would have been a tad boring session for one of the players had we actually tried that showdown.

No, we fed Gwendor to Gorm to proc Hours Ring. 

Oh, the irony of having to use this rare item right after we built it last year. But hey, it's Burkstad after all.

Second attempt went a little better, except if it wasn't for our inept hunters Gwendor, Vladimir, Purvina and Mortis who somehow got around five extra events during hunt phase. Fortunately nothing excessively punishing showed up, since it's not like Dash is the only thing keeping survivors alive against level 2 Gorm, and Madflies giving Frenzy to Mortis locked away her survival actions. She was also the one who had +5 evasion and Rawhide Armor.

Oh well. Maybe we'd manage with 25% of our number frenzied.

In the end survivors found a strange path that had the hunters ambush Gorm.

Fetid Grotto gave also Gwendor frenzy. Half of the team without survival actions. Oh, and Gwendor had also donned Death Mask, so that was -4 to severe injuries with no possibility to dodge.

When Mortis crawled back to settlement on the first hunt attempt before Hours Ring, she obviously had seen this coming and knew what'd be best for everyone involved.

Thanks to ambush, survivors at least got some wounds in to the beast. Four, in fact, on the ambush turn. Might have been a good start, but it ended up with Gorm retching on three survivors. Miraculously no-one rolled head location, and game continued with heavy injury levels only.

Gorm does Body Check, which is almost beneficial if it damages survivors - at least it pushes you away from the end-of-turn retch. Nice in theory, but Gorm failed to score any hits. All four of us had now received a baptism of vomit. 

So, any accidental retches could prove fatal from now on, so Vladimir - now with less Tunnel Vision in this parallel universe - starts checking hit locations rigorously every turn.

Next, Gorm draws it's duration card that gives adjacent survivors severe injuries when it lands down.

For the heck of it, Purvina wounds the beast despite its +5 toughness tokens. 

Gorm wallops Purvina around a bit with a large trout, but deals no serious damage.

It was a showdown that had the potential to go south without a moment's notice - but this time that note never came. Purvina with her Lantern Halberd dealt half of the wounds, and the remaining survivors did the rest. 

Lantern Year 22

Finally the oppressive Gorm Climate subsides. Inspired by this heroic showdown, a new age of arts, sciences and strange ideas began in Burkstad. First, survivors perform a magnificent theatrical masterpiece called "The Hunt of Gorm level 2" in hunt re-enactment. Gwendor is nominated as the favorite survivor, and Lefasu was the least favorite survivor. 

Gwendor, being the Prima Donna he is, overdoes his part and slays Gorm again. Because that's what happened, right? Too bad it was played by Lefasu.

The rumors about this play had reached far, and Armored Strangers had come to silently spectate the stage play. Their review had some mixed signals though, as they impaled a survivor to a lantern halberd guidepost and left it on the outskirts of the settlement.

Settlement innovates Sculpture, so that's another category of fine arts altogether. And also groundbreaking new science was made in the form of special innovating Albedo via gormchymy. 

But what would a renaissance be without it's l'uomo universale? Love Juice blessed the settlement with it's sixth savior.

Gwendor becomes a tinker with Augury and shrine ritual is a success. Mortis hones her proficiency with grand weapons in Nightmare Training. Vladimir learn Synchronized Strike and to leave her impact to this new and wondrous age, Purvina dances the Forbidden Dance. 

Fortunately the critics had already left the settlement.

Next, Sunstalker level 2.

Population: 9

Principles:
Protect the Young
Graves
Barbaric + Ultimate Weapon


Innovations:
Language
Hovel
Ammonia
Bed
Nigredo
Symposium
Lantern Oven
Paint
Family
Bloodletting
Inner Lantern
Cooking
Shrine
Drums
Momento Mori
Scrap Smelting

Nightmare Training

Song of the Brave

Sculpture, Albedo, Guidepost


Locations:
Lantern Hoard
Bone Smith
Skinnery
Organ Grinder
Catarium
Gormchymist
Gormery
Weapon Crafter
Leather Worker
Skyreef Sanctuary

Plumery

Gear:
1x Cloth
3x Stone Noses
Full Rawhide Set
1x rawhide vest, 1x Rawhide Gloves, 1x Rawhide Headband
Gorment Boots
2x Skull Helm
Bone Dagger
Bone Darts
Rib Blade
Greater Gaxe
2x Leather Shield
Cat Eye Circlet
3x Monster Grease
Lucky Charm
Monster Tooth Necklace
Bandages
Catgut Bow + Claw Head Arrow + Hollowpoint Arrow
Full White Lion Suit
Scrap Sword
Flower Knight Badge
Cycloid helm + vest
Death Mask
Whisker Harp

Hours Ring

Lantern Halberd



Resources:
3x Monster Bone

3x monster hide
2x Skull
1x Broken Lantern

Dense Bone

Meaty Rib (organ, bone)

Jiggling Lard (organ, hide)

Milky Eye (organ)

Stout Hide

2x crab spider

1x nightmare tick

Sinew
2x Lion Claw
2x Great Cat Bones
4x Iron

3x small feathers

1x tail feathers

1x pustules (organ)

1x black skull

Asphyxious on Halloween

 

Had a 50 points game of Warmachine about a week ago on All Hallows Eve, which is the reason for a particular piece of scenery.

My list:

Cryx

Lich Lord Asphyxious [+28]
 - Defiler [8]
 - Harrower [16]
 - Ripjaw [7]
 - Seether [13]
Bane Lord Tartarus [6]

Misery Cage [2]
Swamp Gobber River Raider [1]
Bane Warriors (min) [10]
Bile Thralls (min) [9]
Black Ogrun Ironmongers [6]

Opponent:

Protectorate

High Exemplar Kreoss [+29]

 - Crusader [10]

 - Sanctifier [14]

 - Vigilant [9]

Exemplar Bastion Seneschal [5]

Vassal Mechanik [1]

Vassal of Menoth [3]

Choir of Menoth (min) [4]

Exemplar Bastions (max) [15]

Exemplar Errants (max) [16]

Scenario was the one from main rulebook with three flags on the centerline, and five points to win.

First rounds are pretty straightforward. Cryx advances behind Caustic Mist clouds. Exemplar Errants spread out and take random shots, mostly at Bane Warriors who defy death a second time. 

Vigilant with Defenders Ward is contesting middle flag, Crusader flag on the right and some errants the flag on the left. 

Harrower, Tartarus and Bane Warriors maul the Vigilant, but the light jack just refuses to go down. Well, of course there was this ARM 23 thing going on, too.

Bile Thralls, Harrower and Defiler remove all but two Errants. I could have scored a point with Swamp Gobber River Raider, but I had already activated it before the opportunity arose.

Protectorate secures flag on the right. Kreoss uses his feat, and Sanctifier charges Harrower to get through caustic mists in order to attack Seether. Opponent doesn't bother attacking Bane Warriors all that much, as Kreoss had come to a rather vulnerable distance in regards to Asphyxious' feat. 

Bastions charge in, and while Harrower and Seether both are severely beaten up, neither lost Cortex. This was a big turnpoint in the game, because now I was able to remove Sanctifier and what was left of Vigilant. 

However, Kreoss and Bastions were next going to remove both of my warjacks, too, and Crusader was unscathed - at least until Tartarus charged in to die himself in turn. 

Cryx managed to even out the advantage opponent had in scenario, but that likely was too late - I was had a couple of Ironmongers left, plus the feat. Kreoss had cast Defenders Ward on himself, and had been keeping up the Lamentation throughout the whole game - six focus Hellbound sure feels costy.

But.

Kreoss was within charge distance of Asphyxious, and there were six Bane Warriors waiting to take a dive into Caen once more. 

So, Asphyxious used feat and charged the Protectorate warcaster. Asphyxious did well enough, but Kreoss was not dead. Only two Banes got to his back arc, so those went first. First one hits, and Kreoss fell to only a few damage boxes remaining. Another one lost. 

So, next four attempts to score 10 on 2d6 and win the game, or miss them all and go home. So, better hit since we were playing in my apartment.

No Banes hit, so I'm currently looking for a new home I guess... or?

Opponent had to leave to not get a parking ticket so the grande finale was never actually rolled. I added the game to my spreadsheets as a loss anyway, since opponent would be doing damage with -2 to dice, and would be able to do two fully boosted attacks, and one attack with a hit boost.