tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38992704032168815872024-03-14T19:06:50.272-07:00Yet Another Friggin' Gaming BlogBecause life's too short to play crap games...David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-10166270922956906472024-01-22T10:34:00.000-08:002024-01-29T17:47:51.771-08:00Shape-ter Ops: "Halloween"<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Greetings, Final Girls n' Guys!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Welcome back to the blog formally known as "Yet Another Friggin' Gaming Blog." </span><span>From here on in we'll be going by the following new name: </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Horror Board Game Play-Throughs and Reviews"</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sorry, I know the content here has been kinda, um...<i>genre specific </i>lately, but hey...you gotta go where the bloody heart leads.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Much of the reason for this trend is because purveyors of spooky merch <a href="https://trickortreatstudios.com" target="_blank">Trick or Treat Studios</a> announced that they were gonna bankroll a series of IP-based board games a few years ago. Then, </span><span>when I heard that they were actually hiring professional game designers to make these macabre titles, </span><span>I went from vaguely interested to "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!" </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>First out of the gate was the Scott Rogers-helmed </span><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-board-game.html" target="_blank">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</a></i><span>, which I love irrationally simply because of the theme (<i>TCSM</i> is definitely one of my top five favorite horror moves of all time) and the press your luck / bag builder elements. But it was the next announced title that really caught my eye. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Waaaaay</i> back in 2015, I reviewed <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-am-ninjayou-cant-see-me-specter-ops.html" target="_blank">Spectre Ops: Shadow of Babel</a></i>, a sci-fi themed hidden movement game by Emerson Matsuuchi, who also brought us the <i>not-even-vaguely-related</i> <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/ahead-by-century-century-spice-road.html" target="_blank">Century</a></i> trilogy as well as the obscenely-opulent <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284189/foundations-rome" target="_blank">Foundations of Rome</a></i>. I liked <i>Spectre Ops</i> fine enough, but the generic sci-fi setting failed to ignite my imagination...ergo it didn't translate into a buy for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But what if you took the solid mechanical foundation of that game, integrated nearly a decade's worth of rules streamlining and then married it with John Carpenter's seminal horror classic <i><a href="https://rantandroarentertainmentreviews.blogspot.com/2020/10/movie-review-halloween-1978.html" target="_blank">Halloween</a></i>? Well, you get a slick, suspenseful "one versus many" hidden movement game that makes me forget all about top-heavy affairs like <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181279/fury-dracula-thirdfourth-edition" target="_blank">Fury of Dracula</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKur3gxofCuJ4ZUrfu1QzloNV6Ocv4PXqiS70B3eZiBSB7HAmizCXqmn5wSC_kz9CSAFEMaKPiad-icgyVbMuo5wbFMUkZZ_oD3w76wOwjOS8FLseQYjNN5nd6ZcP6baOJlrIV6tGeCneYMZo2ayFv5rSL1kTVSWnCX9iXzy246YL-zm4Z52jxNp_KJI/s1024/Halloween%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1024" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKur3gxofCuJ4ZUrfu1QzloNV6Ocv4PXqiS70B3eZiBSB7HAmizCXqmn5wSC_kz9CSAFEMaKPiad-icgyVbMuo5wbFMUkZZ_oD3w76wOwjOS8FLseQYjNN5nd6ZcP6baOJlrIV6tGeCneYMZo2ayFv5rSL1kTVSWnCX9iXzy246YL-zm4Z52jxNp_KJI/w400-h393/Halloween%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what's the police report on this one? <i>Welp</i>, here's the 918A straight from the source:</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">It was the night HE came home... and one player must take on the role of Michael Myers! The others will control Laurie and her friends as they scramble to find weapons, the kids, and a way to escape. Their task will be made more difficult because Myers can only be seen when you're looking right at him!</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">This 1 vs Many game by renowned designer Emerson Matsuuchi is the first time the original Halloween movie has been made into its own board game.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Player Count: 2-4</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Play Time: 60 min</span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Wanna read Loomis's psyche report on this l'il nutter? Well, click on the following <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/geekdo-files.com/bgg357608?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D"Halloween_Rules_V1a.pdf"&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJYFNCT7FKCE4O6TA%2F20240129%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240129T184508Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=09a81b19297b35013b38f0e14fa705e8e8bd19ef740725f25a5a7206c8d51924" target="_blank">link</a> to bone up on the full portrait of evil.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">PLAY-THROUGH</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael starts out on space J14, Annie Brackett on L18, Lynda on M6 and Laurie is on E19.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu2KUjXlitGqGE9SOvLl0-2pK_xZM7K0K_A6dGN1sF6mzQxFEtxyzptGVCGcvqWlXV0UPbDls2TcJPfKg7-YYxjqTZHMXS27nM0vKmCtFLs5GxzyCNpqhqXwMlPVNoqEaCeuZcnzJy2ahzh-nuTH_bdRE-4xlPqIZ5QpTw5-89psVmUSsdvx6c7VlZyw/s1024/Halloween%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="863" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu2KUjXlitGqGE9SOvLl0-2pK_xZM7K0K_A6dGN1sF6mzQxFEtxyzptGVCGcvqWlXV0UPbDls2TcJPfKg7-YYxjqTZHMXS27nM0vKmCtFLs5GxzyCNpqhqXwMlPVNoqEaCeuZcnzJy2ahzh-nuTH_bdRE-4xlPqIZ5QpTw5-89psVmUSsdvx6c7VlZyw/w540-h640/Halloween%203.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN ONE</u></b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie moves four spaces, Searches on L16 and finds a "Telephone." She then faces west, looking out the window onto J19.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After moving four spaces to reach K8, Lynda Exerts to move onto L8, facing towards L10. She then Searches, taking another Exertion to use her special ability to keep the "Knitting Needles" and bury the "Shovel." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie moves four spaces onto B20 and Searches, locating a "Board Game." How meta!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael uses his Pursue action to move all the way from J14 to J8. After using an Infiltrate action to move through the window onto K8, he’s literally standing right next to Lynda!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN TWO</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie Searches again on L16, exhausting that space and locating "Matches." She then Moves four spaces to O15, facing towards O14. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynda suddenly gets a case of the heebie-jeebies and moves four spaces to N8, facing back towards N9. After moving once again onto P8, she opts to face the window and look out onto P10. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie Searches again on B20 and steps painfully onto some "Action Figures." She then moves three spaces onto C22, facing towards D22. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael uses a double Stalk action to end up standing directly behind Lynda on P7! <i>Ruh-roh!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN THREE</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie makes a phone call, dialing up "Ammo", a "First Aid Kit" and a can of "Hair Spray." She puts the latter on top of her house's search pile and buries the others, taking care to put the bullets on the very bottom. She then spends her second Action to move onto O16, changing her facing to look out the window onto Q16.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, Lynda’s sixth sense kicks in and she uses two moves to back-track to L8, facing the window between K and J8.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Discarding Action Figures as an Action, Laurie picks up "Ammo", a "Doll, "Matches" and - HUZZAH! - "Lindsey"! Naturally, she puts the latter on top of the deck followed by the Doll, Matches and the Ammo. She then uses her second Action to Search the spot and find Lindsey! Since she didn’t move, she retains her current facing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Feeling slightly toyed with as well, Michael uses a double Stalk action to end up standing next to Lynda again in the gloom of M8! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XLrmZTvW2ROaBj4xKo2Sp8zbdSDxDMOnJqe8r6EvSQkQYa09DMDCbkQHQVlx2SbdnWdPa6cDja1AD0NqCHdXA3dS8T1ePMslXLGaGtLzHXVQ2wodCULViiTR1XsGP9Mhzh8XzdtglzP5ltmakWJgSwhFQYZfCyFPXWTIfdCPnisemMsEWMaBLp8tzSM/s1024/Halloween%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XLrmZTvW2ROaBj4xKo2Sp8zbdSDxDMOnJqe8r6EvSQkQYa09DMDCbkQHQVlx2SbdnWdPa6cDja1AD0NqCHdXA3dS8T1ePMslXLGaGtLzHXVQ2wodCULViiTR1XsGP9Mhzh8XzdtglzP5ltmakWJgSwhFQYZfCyFPXWTIfdCPnisemMsEWMaBLp8tzSM/w480-h640/Halloween%204.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN FOUR</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie Searches her current space and (not surprisingly) gets a can of "Hair Spray." She searches again, cleaning out that space by finding a "Kitchen Knife." Again, since she didn't move, she doesn't change her facing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This time Lynda stays where she’s at, takes an Exertion Token and Searches L8, picking up a stack of "Vinyl Records" and an "Iron." She keeps the Iron, buries the Records and then spends a Rest Action to remove all of her Exertion. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Laurie Searches again and retrieves a "Doll." Now i</span><span>ntent on a different house, s</span><span>he moves four spaces to E22 (facing towards E21), </span>Michael suddenly springs up out of nowhere on M8. Before he can attack, however, Lynda instinctively uses her Knitting Needles...scoring two hits! Michael strikes back with three dice..rolling one hit! He Attacks again...but not before Lynda whips out the Iron! This time she misses and Michael’s second slash causes another single hit!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRn-8Y3q7v4P0Jka1CIwzwPDbPf2KY1PrHRKgcjvLh1jpFqpb49ZNvnsm6yWH0GQvLO52qV2fitv4uMZgb4YAH1yLf0JfNaurU-R8TXLaC-E2OajZlQ-HdkhulmRZ8-jxjMd9FnlG6McaZDq_CHdgT_wRZlC0hYjk7kfNxUCph5lghQbW_OX67Rsu3dU/s1024/Halloween%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRn-8Y3q7v4P0Jka1CIwzwPDbPf2KY1PrHRKgcjvLh1jpFqpb49ZNvnsm6yWH0GQvLO52qV2fitv4uMZgb4YAH1yLf0JfNaurU-R8TXLaC-E2OajZlQ-HdkhulmRZ8-jxjMd9FnlG6McaZDq_CHdgT_wRZlC0hYjk7kfNxUCph5lghQbW_OX67Rsu3dU/w400-h400/Halloween%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN FIVE</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie double moves to P19. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynda double moves to L12 then Exerts to move one more space, ending up on M12 and facing west towards L12. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie double moves to I20, facing north towards I19.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael double moves to N12, putting him right behind Lynda. Since it's now the end of turn five, Michael draws one of his special power cards! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN SIX</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie Searches twice on P19, first discovering a "Frying Pan" and then the "Yellow Car Keys" this time! Awesome...all they need to do now is locate Tommy! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">By some miracle, Lynda moves away from Michael instead of turning towards him. She double moves, making it all the way to G10.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie wriggles her way through the hedge (NOTE: check out the "Important Rules To Remember" section at the end of this play though) for an Action and then Exerts to move through the window, ending up on K21 and looking back outside onto J20!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Pursues to I12 then Stalks to H10. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU0Ux9kA11sDL3NvNiIYg3t6LkfopAk8iB9hvuUtU9rHfq_rhu0lL9VvZgArWgEmyCfkdm5fk3AFQTwMHJkFrLdpM8uqu-Ywim8Vg8miSJCLP4as0wrBz4MsE-PIZH8mQjrjbgjoNmnE7vAWzbCM6l8AJDV89sDrrLgt0Ufk6RLYP58rGvIidM9y2wuI/s1024/Halloween%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU0Ux9kA11sDL3NvNiIYg3t6LkfopAk8iB9hvuUtU9rHfq_rhu0lL9VvZgArWgEmyCfkdm5fk3AFQTwMHJkFrLdpM8uqu-Ywim8Vg8miSJCLP4as0wrBz4MsE-PIZH8mQjrjbgjoNmnE7vAWzbCM6l8AJDV89sDrrLgt0Ufk6RLYP58rGvIidM9y2wuI/w400-h400/Halloween%206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN SEVEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie goes out through the window from P19 to P20 and then Moves 4 spaces to Q21, facing towards the door to the west.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynda double moves all the way to D5 and then turns towards the door leading to D6.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie uses the Doll to look at the top four items of the white house's Search Deck. Finding nothing new, she then Moves through the house, ending up on N19 and facing towards N18.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael double Pursues Lynda to E10 and then all the way to E6. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_eYmtRa9-LPXgKvkh03vrjeSwiZHSTlmGIdg6RFbvpt5HlDryAXFKkPDEJx6IA6pJvvqHVD40Avt9rvYyx39hQRt94drhW3KVHpE_K5WYTumiTdSXsd7yP6iaV2k2E6onDzTgU__MfToxmA6BKe0-a4gnxwwSSKQG9mZLBxPEXaqhUxY4sQ-RzMBIZw/s1024/Halloween%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1024" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_eYmtRa9-LPXgKvkh03vrjeSwiZHSTlmGIdg6RFbvpt5HlDryAXFKkPDEJx6IA6pJvvqHVD40Avt9rvYyx39hQRt94drhW3KVHpE_K5WYTumiTdSXsd7yP6iaV2k2E6onDzTgU__MfToxmA6BKe0-a4gnxwwSSKQG9mZLBxPEXaqhUxY4sQ-RzMBIZw/w400-h355/Halloween%207.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN EIGHT</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Knowing that the white house has been pretty much turned upside down, Annie double moves, joining Laurie in the hallway. Their goal: get to the barely-explored blue house!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynda Moves to C4 and Searches, Exerting to use her special ability to draw two cards. She keeps the "Bat" and buries the "Bullets." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie jogs past Annie, double moving a total of eight spaces, ending up on O12 and facing towards N12. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Stalks to D4 and then Attacks Lynda. But before that happens, P.J. swings her Bat at the Shape, connecting for a solid two hits! Michael counter-attacks, striking for two damage that TOTALLY kills his quarry. He then spends his free Action card to Heal one damage. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Looking to ensure that “evil dies tonight” (and prevent a distant sequel from being killed by cringe), </span><span>Dr. Loomis appears at space A12. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUK6jM-KYCzlujlRsMYBDZjXAVGsf3b5UR3Ti97Wts_NXz0gwOoOvDpfwoLmZANSTPw2h46vtc4LsvJn0pl3CCTCNwwWfeHg39f7fIcBfq8KANkkX3Hob5NMwpQtRFLbkHAM3fhv4bwrPAzxeuuT44_FYNtwCmBEqZ07sMW_Es070VouDT487Ch9lepc/s1024/Halloween%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1024" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUK6jM-KYCzlujlRsMYBDZjXAVGsf3b5UR3Ti97Wts_NXz0gwOoOvDpfwoLmZANSTPw2h46vtc4LsvJn0pl3CCTCNwwWfeHg39f7fIcBfq8KANkkX3Hob5NMwpQtRFLbkHAM3fhv4bwrPAzxeuuT44_FYNtwCmBEqZ07sMW_Es070VouDT487Ch9lepc/w400-h368/Halloween%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN NINE</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie double moves, ending up at L10 and facing down the street at K10. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis double moves to E8, facing towards E7. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie double moves to O8, Exerts to move one more space onto P8 and then faces west back to the space she just left.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Infiltrates through the window at D3 and Pursues all the way over to I3. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aWRCsMfFPd1bUXafyms-6il4aJc1qan9zzzE6yt6ve9WtDsmDldmTqjG1aEVaU2hdQy59cUWci-29lbFK73ttGFQIHivytfjhIRdEHMOyBuF7cNF97g13Jidf4u1JaAWznuyeJi7ERYtuQKEL5gmbicpCj5jeWxuj-z8DcWEbhFAdxcdrV9FNs01fJ4/s1024/Halloween%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aWRCsMfFPd1bUXafyms-6il4aJc1qan9zzzE6yt6ve9WtDsmDldmTqjG1aEVaU2hdQy59cUWci-29lbFK73ttGFQIHivytfjhIRdEHMOyBuF7cNF97g13Jidf4u1JaAWznuyeJi7ERYtuQKEL5gmbicpCj5jeWxuj-z8DcWEbhFAdxcdrV9FNs01fJ4/w366-h400/Halloween%209.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN TEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie double moves to O5 and faces towards the door she just passed through.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis moves, Exerts to push himself to G5 and then Searches, finding "Coffee." He then changes facing towards G6. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie Searches twice, finding "Blue Car Keys" and "Bed Sheets." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael does a double Infiltrate, first passing through the hedge and then through the window at K3. He also picks up a brand new card.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN ELEVEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie makes it to P4, faces towards the east door and then Searches, locating "Bandages." This puts her at her six-Item limit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis Searches G5, locates a "Blanket" and then Exerts to reach G8, facing H8. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie double moves to L4, coming to rest facing M4. She has no clue that Michael is lurking in the room just a few spaces away!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Stalks to M4 and (in an on-brand move) Attacks Laurie! Reflexively, Miss Strode clobbers him with her copy of <i>Twilight Imperium</i>. By some miracle, this doesn't kill him outright, he just flips his card to the "Staggered" side. Undeterred, Michael continues his assault, now rolling only two dice. Despite this handicap, he still manages to dial up two Knives! <i>Yikes!</i> Laurie would love to use her re-roll special ability, but unfortunately she’s capped out for Exertion. Monsieur Bogeyman then flips his Action card back to its "Ready" side. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eNdIFnqO3VXP9EKdAEu1hJwLaoy5cXkcLj5IyjWLvibpP3aT5rlwBMWxkInQHXdEW8vpbQIpeWUk9zxzZ-RgA9CgguJs5lgxv5WoHVDwEXFEx6FdpK3e2ZefQ3mMtTpEhyRHe7PBsRRviwPDht1TejCVQrIaQ0ZpTJrSoppAx_-RrtyjrBSwqFbcIIg/s1024/Halloween%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="975" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eNdIFnqO3VXP9EKdAEu1hJwLaoy5cXkcLj5IyjWLvibpP3aT5rlwBMWxkInQHXdEW8vpbQIpeWUk9zxzZ-RgA9CgguJs5lgxv5WoHVDwEXFEx6FdpK3e2ZefQ3mMtTpEhyRHe7PBsRRviwPDht1TejCVQrIaQ0ZpTJrSoppAx_-RrtyjrBSwqFbcIIg/w381-h400/Halloween%2010.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN TWELVE</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie Searches and finds a "Coat Hanger" but immediately trashes it since she’s at her max capacity. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, she then runs screaming out of the house and ends up on R2, facing the direction she came from.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis drinks his Coffee for a free Action and turfs his two Exert Tokens. He then searches G8 twice, finding "Bandages" and - WOOT!!! - "Tommy", who - I guess- decides to go with this slightly-less-creepy stranger! He immediately discards the Blanket to accommodate his hand limit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Burdened with three Exert tokens, Laurie is forced to Rest! She then Moves four spaces to L2, Exerts to move one more space (ending up on K2) and wisely looks back behind her. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Stalks to K3 and then Infiltrates through the window, ending up on J3.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN THIRTEEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Knowing that Michael is uncomfortably close, Annie double Moves from R2 to R10, facing down the street towards Q10.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hearing the screams coming from the blue house, Loomis Exerts twice to double move onto J11 and face north along the hedgerow. This reveals Michael on J3! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the Shape now revealed, Laurie runs in the opposite direction! She Exerts on her second Move to get to N8, glancing back over her shoulder towards N7 in an effort to keep tabs on her pursuer. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael does indeed Pursue (in a straight line from J3 to J10)...but he's now intent on Loomis! He Attacks...but rolls all blanks! He then spends a card to re-roll a die, finally getting one Knife!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IlBQbWfCVfJtneXYFYzSxuXQs3pZnA1XlWlpuXyGfKjQU5y1XgOUV0c9rAUTUkMjcmBzp2MkJJFpTR5-IIybyBdcJYOm5rqZm4ejj2iUrtR11_5R7MxgUwV6hVj5i6J4ea8JyfzJUPIAhnkdhzjqKiShFW6LjPkq9TppiSVKOGV4u4-80N2Vwlyo4GA/s1024/Halloween%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IlBQbWfCVfJtneXYFYzSxuXQs3pZnA1XlWlpuXyGfKjQU5y1XgOUV0c9rAUTUkMjcmBzp2MkJJFpTR5-IIybyBdcJYOm5rqZm4ejj2iUrtR11_5R7MxgUwV6hVj5i6J4ea8JyfzJUPIAhnkdhzjqKiShFW6LjPkq9TppiSVKOGV4u4-80N2Vwlyo4GA/w432-h640/Halloween%2011.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN FOURTEEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Seeing the Shape lunge at Loomis, Annie bravely surges ahead four spaces, uses Matches to light up her Hair Spray...and promptly rolls only one measly Knife worth of damage! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis retreats four spaces to M10, facing towards Michael and guarding Annie! He then uses a Trade action to shot-put Tommy towards her in exchange for the Kitchen Knife. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Laurie moves to N9 and spends her second action to hand the Blue Car Keys and Lindsey over to Annie, simultaneously swapping them for the Frying Pan and Bandages. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Pursues and Attacks Loomis, who Exerts to use the Kitchen Knife. Unfortunately, he blanks out! Michael is equally unlucky, scoring only one Knife hit on three dice! The good Doctor is still in it! The Shape ends his turn by scoring a new Myers card!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCes051IQoiKgRwgKSiEmMSTI-jARzptyhkbiCowOcNQBeuiVXeIAvHJI1siDpy2wbxnCKVbGHVpLBb-qRZXQ8RFIB2xb4U39YN7CV9bsCroindUA3yJ7MmMzHyJsyK1rn1V2b6VWF8bLXTeto7ue54xM0OJ6V9ZH3i9A9TdEZHMeUvE8yy-RroqqyiM/s1024/Halloween%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1024" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCes051IQoiKgRwgKSiEmMSTI-jARzptyhkbiCowOcNQBeuiVXeIAvHJI1siDpy2wbxnCKVbGHVpLBb-qRZXQ8RFIB2xb4U39YN7CV9bsCroindUA3yJ7MmMzHyJsyK1rn1V2b6VWF8bLXTeto7ue54xM0OJ6V9ZH3i9A9TdEZHMeUvE8yy-RroqqyiM/w400-h371/Halloween%2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN FIFTEEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie scrambles to P11 and unlocks the van, facing towards P12! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Loomis is forced to reset his Exertion. He then unloads his revolver, rolling four dice in total thanks to his special ability. Unbelievably, he only scores a single hit!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Urged on by Annie, Laurie Exerts to move five spaces into the back of the van at O11. She then uses her second action to flush all of her Exertion. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael does one final gambit, playing a card that lets him move an extra space! He breaks away from Loomis, moves to P12 and attacks Annie! Unfortunately he only scores one hit!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg124koK2Qqz9gDHjpblzlmf7Uvt2oGLa5AAraZUPUUt3J-Ea9pDTBN0W-9rtjgACKz49OAr3JQJhdhF61sW2j8496Qxli137CjpdC8Q3M7Ba-mQ5dZrOVbCJBMATGlGbxVk-GnT-sZvFZDGLFBSQWNbx1kjtotjxGnROh_98fzqsstW08PtKxP-2FUPdc/s1024/Halloween%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1024" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg124koK2Qqz9gDHjpblzlmf7Uvt2oGLa5AAraZUPUUt3J-Ea9pDTBN0W-9rtjgACKz49OAr3JQJhdhF61sW2j8496Qxli137CjpdC8Q3M7Ba-mQ5dZrOVbCJBMATGlGbxVk-GnT-sZvFZDGLFBSQWNbx1kjtotjxGnROh_98fzqsstW08PtKxP-2FUPdc/w400-h370/Halloween%2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>TURN SIXTEEN</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Annie and Loomis use their actions to join Laurie in the van and drive off, leaving the Shape stewing in mute rage. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER</u></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">As per the game rules, make sure you split the Search cards into four stacks and then seed one Key Item Card - the two car keys as well as Tommy and Lindsey - randomly somewhere in the bottom four cards. Full disclosure: I'm pretty sure I just shuffled and dealt all of the cards randomly into four piles for this play through. Whoopsie!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Hedges are completely impassible to Victims...only Michael can pass through them!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Myers Cards can't be spent on the turn you acquire them. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If Victims have three Exert tokens their next action <i>must</i> be a Rest.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Every time a Victim causes damage to Michael, he is Staggered. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If Michael is Staggered, you can move through his space freely.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Line of sight is only checked when facing is chosen at the end of Victim movement. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">You can Attack through Doors and Windows. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There are three specific spaces on the Van and two on the Car that you can unlock and then enter. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Dead Victims place their Item cards back on the top or bottom of the Search deck in the quadrant they died in. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Refresh all of the Search Tokens in the house where the Victim died.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Victims don't block LOS of each other.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Only starting Victims begin the game on their co-ordinates. Replacement Victims start out either on A12 or R12.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">REVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It makes sense! Whereas the rulebook for <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> was brief and kinda confusing, I felt like I could jump into this one right away without a lot of questions. Even though I did screw up a few things on my first play, I wasn't constantly rooting around in the manual to figure out how to resolve something. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's tense! Sure, a hidden movement mechanic for this kind of game is a no-brainer, but it's the execution that impresses. At first I thought the rule where characters can only see in an orthogonal straight line right in front of them didn't make a lot of sense. But, as the game progressed, I realized that, not only was it easy to adjudicate, it was also thematically relevant. Don't believe me? Just re-watch <i>Halloween</i> and take note of how dimly lit all of the rooms are, to the point where Michael just emerges out of the darkness like he's a part of it. This really amps up the game's tension. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's quick! Turns fly by with no fuss or muss!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's faithful! The special abilities are all pretty solid. Annie can hold a bunch of crap, Loomis is a crack shot, Sheriff Bracket is a meat-shield, Laurie can off-set damage, Bob's a bit tougher in a fight and Lynda is a good searcher. With his ability to pass through windows and hedges like Homer Simpson and haul ass like the mama dinosaur in <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/jurassic-park-board-game-raptor.html" target="_blank">Raptor</a></i>, Michael's in-game capabilities are equally well-realized. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's moody! The board alone is a phreakin' work of art. The mats actually summarize player actions very nicely. Michael's hidden movement mark n' wipe board is a vast improvement over the wasteful ream of paper in <i>Spectre Ops</i>. Not only is it easy to use and clean up, it actually clarifies some "not-so-obvious" geographical elements on the game board. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's adjustable! Props for the designers providing ways to tweak the difficulty for both the survivors and Michael. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's genuinely co-operative! My play-though exemplifies how important it is to fan out, search thoroughly, protect each other and co-ordinate trades. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's variable! With its big board filled with lots of challenging obstacles and lotsa mechanically-clever items scattered all over the four locations, there's plenty to contend with in each match. </span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Less CONS, more CON-cerns</u></b></div></span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">More plays will reveal just how punishing the Exertion system is for players. I can see characters like Laurie being constantly awash in the stuff, since she has to take a token whenever she wants to re-roll one of Michael's hits. Forcing fully exhausted characters to Rest before doing anything else also seems unnecessarily harsh. (UPDATE: after two more plays I think the Exertion is quite manageble) </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Towards the end of the late, lamented <i>Friday the 13'th</i> online vidja game, the councilor characters were so jacked up on perks that packs of them would often band together to "bully" the Jason player. I'm thinking that this might also be possible to do in this game, but I'm just speculating. At any rate, I'm hoping that the in-game Michael is sufficiently tough to the point where he won't become a laughing stock as he's poked with knitting needles, covered in percale sheets and then unceremoniously bludgeoned with a copy of <i>Foundations of Rome. </i>I mean, he's supposed to be Michael Myers...not friggin' Ghostface. (NOTE: after two more games I can safely say that this is <i>definitely</i> a concern. Sadly, the "Murder Myers" strategy is a very, <i>very</i> valid option, especially when compared to splitting up and painstakingly searching the four decks of cards. Having said that, there's nothing preventing Michael from vanishing for awhile, healing, performing quick "hit and run" attacks and anticipating where Victims will go next. Hell, feel free to run out the clock if you think the Victims won't find the cards they need to escape in time! A few more plays will be required before cranking Michael's Health Points to 14 or more.) </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though I love the art design of the board and the characters, the item cards look kinda cartoony. Please note that's a very superficial complaint since the overall package is ridiculously slick. Also, I know this is petty, especially considering how amazing Nathan Milliner's art is, but the portrait of Michael on the cover looks like production designer Tommy Lee Wallace gave up half-way through converting a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/william-shatner-capt-kirk-michael-myers-halloween-mask-joke-1235033482/" target="_blank">Shatner</a> mask. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The standees are fine but this game really, <i>really</i> should have included the "sold separately" <a href="https://trickortreatstudios.com/products/halloween-1978-miniature-characters" target="_blank">miniatures</a>. </span></li></ul><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">FINAL THOUGHTS</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the release of <i>Halloween,</i> I think we may be entering a Golden Age for horror-themed board games. This particular title is what happens when a publisher has enough respect for the IP to hire a real game designer as well as a top-notch graphics teams to give both movie and gamer fans what they want and expect.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77W0MQh5ndwOqYbxYd1kcaietreDTDPqltfzHgy30HuSpLxwsV8lAQAT45MeloFK4NBrD2MCbUj0YFOBX0DM-SRRo_oq_-DE6jKqg79t4ttRVnHc9c53OLWJmb___L0k1iJJyWrIDzCq7uQ-vaNpHjaL7F9kyG25hPp4iZcN3HtDDjwcqltG8NP5N5Jk/s1024/Halloween%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77W0MQh5ndwOqYbxYd1kcaietreDTDPqltfzHgy30HuSpLxwsV8lAQAT45MeloFK4NBrD2MCbUj0YFOBX0DM-SRRo_oq_-DE6jKqg79t4ttRVnHc9c53OLWJmb___L0k1iJJyWrIDzCq7uQ-vaNpHjaL7F9kyG25hPp4iZcN3HtDDjwcqltG8NP5N5Jk/w396-h400/Halloween%202.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Halloween</i> scores five pips out of six with a big ol' tilt up to the balcony that Mikey just fell off of. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrLoON1Iwp72aV0chHhM2sc2jAQ-hE8BsFn3VnlY3aZIL0Ve37MoWahEsuewMVtFoPJ704neoICM0BoZmo4zFI1A6Th9pgFErXQI9CMWzLBnoSQjyeexJP6wucrENZlBp7tBkpyulWSU0OKxvJeW4ZI0HHiu6dk8w8-bPkgX5zVBZjcTFTgQ_Z2fir5w/s200/4%20pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrLoON1Iwp72aV0chHhM2sc2jAQ-hE8BsFn3VnlY3aZIL0Ve37MoWahEsuewMVtFoPJ704neoICM0BoZmo4zFI1A6Th9pgFErXQI9CMWzLBnoSQjyeexJP6wucrENZlBp7tBkpyulWSU0OKxvJeW4ZI0HHiu6dk8w8-bPkgX5zVBZjcTFTgQ_Z2fir5w/s1600/4%20pips.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, and if you're listening Trick or Treat studios...can you please do <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1773/dawn-dead" target="_blank">this one</a> next?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-3137613921007283552023-11-27T15:18:00.000-08:002024-01-29T12:19:49.159-08:00Chainsaw Battle - Part Two - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have no ides what "Saturn in retrograde" cosmic madness led to both Funko Games <i>and</i> Trick or Treat Studios producing games based on <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> this year, but it kinda brings to mind the following classic confrontation in the 1986 sequel: </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ykGsGTuHljM?si=gtNStnYcydFfjEcd" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually think <i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 </i>doesn't get enough love. If the producers of the film <a href="https://screenrant.com/texas-chainsaw-massacre-2-movie-leatherface-recast-why/" target="_blank">properly recognized the immeasurable contributions of Gunnar Hansen to the first movie</a> and brought him back as Leatherface, I think it would have been the perfect sequel.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sorry, <i>I digress</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyhoo, rather than <i>a-fussin'</i> and <i>a-feudin'</i>, I decided to pick up both games. But what if you can't? What if you have to choose between the two? Well, I'm here to compare both of them and help you make an informed decision RE: which one you should add to your <strike>bone</strike>, er, <i>game</i> collection.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I tackled Trick or Treat's <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Board Game</a></i> last time out and on this occasion I'll be exploring the Funko Games offering: <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393910/texas-chainsaw-massacre-slaughterhouse" target="_blank">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse</a>.</i> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaplbDTxHTwfWuGR6-wGZd_qQrQN_2856Qzv9ZZV_OB_w1MhuZSa4aPYhO6UUMuyRcNcLqWdt4_QHs-dCSXR6Pm78PLj71b2IzTyoFRcmKiFuXzXdhVJeTKxx5oifye5U2Ggymy_zhlDQQl40QOxIzjATAuLRrCgHabZhgA97yo1jl4hfGfYyB4WduDI/s1872/Slaughterhouse%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="1864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaplbDTxHTwfWuGR6-wGZd_qQrQN_2856Qzv9ZZV_OB_w1MhuZSa4aPYhO6UUMuyRcNcLqWdt4_QHs-dCSXR6Pm78PLj71b2IzTyoFRcmKiFuXzXdhVJeTKxx5oifye5U2Ggymy_zhlDQQl40QOxIzjATAuLRrCgHabZhgA97yo1jl4hfGfYyB4WduDI/w399-h400/Slaughterhouse%201.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what's the grave-robbing scuttlebutt on this one? Well, feel free to read the following opening crawl in John Larroquette's stately voice, taken directly from <a href="https://funkogames.com/games/the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-slaughterhouse-game/" target="_blank">the source</a>:</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">One person plays as the deranged Sawyer family, dragging victims to their farmhouse and harvesting their meat for a grizzly barbecue. The other players are the unwitting trespassers, doing everything they can to escape a hideous fate. But in this game, there are no winners—there are only survivors. Will you make it out alive, or end up on the menu? </span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking for the full police report? Then click on the following <a href="https://funkogames1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/69944_TCM_Instructions_230718.pdf" target="_blank">rulebook link</a> for all the gory details! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">TURN OVERVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Trespassers</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(NOTE: Trespassers can take their turns in any order)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1. Take Actions</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Take up to four Actions, including:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Move: Move into an adjacent space. Generate Noise if you move through a Door.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Run: Make Noise and move two spaces. For each Door you Run through, add one Noise token.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Search: In any space with a Question Mark, you can produce Noise and roll two Dice. For each Success, draw one card from the location-appropriate Item Deck. Keep one and Bury the rest at the bottom of that same deck.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Swap: Exchange any number of Items with one other Trespasser in the same space. This doesn’t generate Noise.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2. Roll two Dice. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For each success, discard one Noise Token.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3. Give Fear </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Flip all remaining Noise Tokens to the Fear side and give them to the Sawyer Player.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After all Trespassers have performed their own four Actions, reset all of their Actions to four. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sawyer Turn Overview</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1. Draw Sawyer Family Cards </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One or two for free, dependent on Panic Meter. Additional Cards can be purchased for two Fear apiece.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2. Take Sawyer Turns</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One at a Time in any order. Possible Actions:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Move one space.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hunt a Hidden Trespasser in your space. Roll one die and reveal the Trespasser with a Success. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Attack or perform a Character-Specific Action as detailed on their individual boards. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3. Reset Actions </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to the Character's full amount. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Who Will Survive?" Scenario "A" Play Through</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSgyOqHjnIL8ZrkqC3YOvDXXPH1VcDXImeah9xfObPFytPeLSNVD7mKzK0SNbZ27lkWdhKng2RCeo8JmHxiB5TmdiZl4FbUTLHubkJQVxFjfZaOURhM86wWSESrt8G8qiLqXazRmIPy5vsTHW2_0H0-BId4fzdE5C0iefySb35RAIGHfSK90at5ASj_o/s2048/Slaughterhouse%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSgyOqHjnIL8ZrkqC3YOvDXXPH1VcDXImeah9xfObPFytPeLSNVD7mKzK0SNbZ27lkWdhKng2RCeo8JmHxiB5TmdiZl4FbUTLHubkJQVxFjfZaOURhM86wWSESrt8G8qiLqXazRmIPy5vsTHW2_0H0-BId4fzdE5C0iefySb35RAIGHfSK90at5ASj_o/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round One</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Gray Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Gray Moves out into the Foyer and into the Nook, making a Noise in the process since they moved through a Door. They then Search (generating another Noise), rolling two dice and get one Slash / Success. This allows them to reveal a single card from the Downstairs Item Deck, getting Bandages, which they pocket. A Searched Token is placed in that spot. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">RULES NOTE: Trespassers can only hold four Items, Personal Items don’t count towards this limit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They then move northward into the Study and Search again, with this combo generating another two Noise. They roll zero Successes, so nothing is found! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KOr5OvORLiM4KN8gDoeKCMmtAGMlkWhZCH6Ruy_m1ozRqHvSPiRu7Wm8AiFxLp2chYtbbXtOr2Ue88khJtHbfPQiMPYD-LqvaRNheYae0yV713ORr2QBB3gJVx38Yr1mCFHGWZjNrbc_tTUzx6vkbVr7SLM3x-425YLjx3HoPfV5UTGJ6JIeiGtD0KY/s2048/Slaughterhouse%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KOr5OvORLiM4KN8gDoeKCMmtAGMlkWhZCH6Ruy_m1ozRqHvSPiRu7Wm8AiFxLp2chYtbbXtOr2Ue88khJtHbfPQiMPYD-LqvaRNheYae0yV713ORr2QBB3gJVx38Yr1mCFHGWZjNrbc_tTUzx6vkbVr7SLM3x-425YLjx3HoPfV5UTGJ6JIeiGtD0KY/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse%203.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: One Slash rolled, so one Noise is returned. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: The remaining three Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue creeps into the Dining Room, making a Noise in the process since they moved through a Door. They then Search (generating another Noise), roll two dice but get zero Slashes / Successes. A Searched Token is placed in that space. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They then move westward, further into the Dining Room, revealing the Horror Token! It’s a "Secret Passage", which lets the Cook pop up in that space! (NOTE: a Trespasser’s “move immediately ends” when they reveal a Horror Token) The Blue Trespasser still has one Action left, so he swings at the Cook with his Pocket Knife! He gets two Slashes...and the Cook loses two Actions!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes are rolled, so both Noise Tokens are returned to supply! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green uses the creaky Stairs to move from downstairs to upstairs, which makes Noise. They then venture from this upstairs landing into the Old Man’s Room, generating Noise when they move through the Door. They then Search (making another Noise), roll two dice and get one Slash / Success, with their Flashlight adding another result! This allows them to reveal two cards from the Upstairs Item Deck, turning up Gasoline and a Bone Shard. After keeping the Gas and Burying the Shard, a Searched Token is placed in that space. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They then back out into the hall again through the Door, generating one more Noise. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Since no Slashes are rolled, no Noise is returned! The Sawyer Player then pays three Fear to play “Should Be More Careful.” Since the Green Trespasser had four Noise before rolling, the Panic Meter goes up by one and each (!!!) Trespasser draws a Desperation Card! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: Four Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man tries a Wallop on the Blue Trespasser, but misses! Since he only has one Action left, he tries again! This time he scores two hits, drawing a Head and Arm injury. He opts for the Head, forcing the Blue Trespasser to throw out their “Through Broken Glass” Desperation Card! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yRCmIBnrsDbi5THRZekL-dDaDW1i_H6qXDSdXTBW5IWTvzfg-ksJ4bC2Xjn_BjWBFifoeBg3QIWWG_v9v2yzTXJ5q8UuTZjtxdAhlT_uQMS2Fo6IdvWxt1_cC7tPZYAIKNxKMSJIyQYRaOU6ABaQ9kj1OKFFJE9zJHCUylVvT_RYSvgupfk8fvJVH7A/s2048/Slaughterhouse%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yRCmIBnrsDbi5THRZekL-dDaDW1i_H6qXDSdXTBW5IWTvzfg-ksJ4bC2Xjn_BjWBFifoeBg3QIWWG_v9v2yzTXJ5q8UuTZjtxdAhlT_uQMS2Fo6IdvWxt1_cC7tPZYAIKNxKMSJIyQYRaOU6ABaQ9kj1OKFFJE9zJHCUylVvT_RYSvgupfk8fvJVH7A/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse%204.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>ROUND TWO</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey inches into the northern side of the Study, through the Door (making a Noise in the process) and into the Wash Room. In reaction to this, the Sawyer player spends two Fear to table “Unexpected Horrors”, dropping an unused Horror Tile onto their space, which turns out to be “Putrid.” They’re forced to “go back one space”, which I interpret to mean that they have to go back the way they came, I.E. into the Study. I also assume it generates another Noise when they go back through the Door. Since they only moved one space, they still have three Actions left, so they exhaust this to cross the other half of the Study, through the Nook and finally back into the Foyer. This generates two more Noise! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes are rolled, so no Noise Tokens are returned to supply! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: The remaining three are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue once again attempts to shiv the Old Man with his Pocket Knife. He rolls one Slash, so his target loses one Action. He then flees into the Kitchen for an Action, with passage through the Door making a Noise. They then Move into the western half of the Kitchen and Search (generating another Noise). After rolling two dice and getting one Slash / Success, they turn up a phreakin’ Machete!!! Finally, a Searched Token is placed in that space. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes are rolled, so both Noise Tokens stay!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: They're flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: From the hall, Green uses their first Action to move into Leatherface’s Room (generating a Noise) and then uses another Action to Search (for a second Noise). They get a single Slash, but the Flashlight adds one additional Success! A Flask and Gasoline is revealed, so they keep the Flask and Bury the Gas. The Sawyers shift a Searched Token from the Dining Room to that spot. In response, the Green Trespasser plays “Scrounge” which lets them get a free Item from the Upstairs Deck if there’s a Searched Token present! By some good fortune, they reveal and pick up a Green Car Battery!!! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOJt7bwgKpPh4ZtnKFqieR3CIRMOZkgBezS3PVdcE2EFJhEpwQk_W30djAvhpqGtj4i4fs4ihNOAEin0JZhcZ55V3SClAArqTlesqD05yqarg3-Tz660KktVt0iO1I9-uKgaBC3OTDOyW5sDQtTjYJ5a7NsbZmeiVxIHm2p_0F0DUHZpUGHdwireBX4c/s2048/Slaughterhouse%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOJt7bwgKpPh4ZtnKFqieR3CIRMOZkgBezS3PVdcE2EFJhEpwQk_W30djAvhpqGtj4i4fs4ihNOAEin0JZhcZ55V3SClAArqTlesqD05yqarg3-Tz660KktVt0iO1I9-uKgaBC3OTDOyW5sDQtTjYJ5a7NsbZmeiVxIHm2p_0F0DUHZpUGHdwireBX4c/w400-h400/Slaughterhouse%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For their third Action they leave that room and enter the hall, generating a third Noise. Action four sees them move into the southern part of the hallway. Continuing this momentum, they drink from the Flask to get a free Action and use it to move into Grandpa’s Room, which adds a fourth Noise. Since there’s a Hide symbol in that room, the Green Trespasser immediate goes into stealth mode. In response to this, the Sawyer player tables “Skeletons in the Closet” for two Fear to raise the Panic Meter! This adds Grandpa to any space in the house, so the Sawyers place him in the southern half of his own room! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y2SzL4vfmrrDrCc80JETGMb4mqJisETN24LPaI8rUhO2ZeC0aO-LAxrqtGoxUPv1wuH0RVCsAo7QfbgJCJq4VhN3KrOM-dKZaUFXESV6sx7HQYqhjX4tcQeAqYT_Uk3uK67zQwQWdDZgGAb7GKZTwTyEz0BJZw0dHsdU5rYPRCtUouhyphenhyphenlbqEy-g8K5o/s1799/Slaughterhouse%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1799" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y2SzL4vfmrrDrCc80JETGMb4mqJisETN24LPaI8rUhO2ZeC0aO-LAxrqtGoxUPv1wuH0RVCsAo7QfbgJCJq4VhN3KrOM-dKZaUFXESV6sx7HQYqhjX4tcQeAqYT_Uk3uK67zQwQWdDZgGAb7GKZTwTyEz0BJZw0dHsdU5rYPRCtUouhyphenhyphenlbqEy-g8K5o/w400-h266/Slaughterhouse%206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Three Slashes are rolled, so only one Noise remains! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: One Token is flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. They then spend two Fear to pick up another! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man moves into and through the Kitchen for two Actions and then uses his last Action to try and Wallop the Blue Trespasser. They get a single Slash, augmented by one because of the "Bloody" room! After drawing a Heart and Leg injury, they decide to go for the Heart! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>ROUND THREE</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Intent on scouting the house surroundings for a working vehicle, Grey Moves out onto the porch, generating a Noise in the process. Then they move onto the path space leading up to the front door and strike off two spaces east.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: They roll a Slash, so the single Token is returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue hacks at the Old Man with his Machete! They roll three Slashes (!!!), so the Cook loses three Actions <i>and</i> three Fear! He then flees into the backyard through the Door, making Noise in the process. Next they Move one space east and through the Barn entrance, generating another Noise. In response, the Old Man plays “Unexpected Horrors” for two Fear. It reveals “Picked Clean”, which moves a Searched Token from the Old Man’s Room to the Barn! He’d love to play “Out of Nowhere” for four Fear, but they aren't in the same Region, with Blue “Outdoors” and the Old Man still “Downstairs” in the House. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes rolled, so both Noise Tokens stay!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: Both Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green emerges from their Hiding place and risks moving close to creepy Grandpa for an Action. Thinking that this interloper is intent on his stash of Pokemon cards, the crusty ol' fuck rolls one die and gets a blank...no damage! Green then uses their second Action to Search in the same spot, making Noise. They get one Slash...but the Flashlight adds one additional Success! They get a Flask and an Orange Car Part, so they hedge their bet, keep the wheel and Bury the Flask. This prompts the Sawyers to move a Searched Token from the Study to that same space. She then moves north one space and out the Door for two more Actions, adding a second Noise. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ9E6FOJRGY2qiLWjfAlo8IWDq3PrF6Cu2wNBZF6SFV7m7kT7j1p-4BG__-afkNRzh0nnIFtSHqwr3xV9UVNQ6BnGlCdt_GrRKTdyQDO5MMUW8qIBNAfl_h2LdPu8GviI0za7eRId995CwDWjDq-DjBAhbmbpUhx2eFpIGTM_rQuqdKasnWYqcbgOcmI/s2048/Slaughterhouse7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ9E6FOJRGY2qiLWjfAlo8IWDq3PrF6Cu2wNBZF6SFV7m7kT7j1p-4BG__-afkNRzh0nnIFtSHqwr3xV9UVNQ6BnGlCdt_GrRKTdyQDO5MMUW8qIBNAfl_h2LdPu8GviI0za7eRId995CwDWjDq-DjBAhbmbpUhx2eFpIGTM_rQuqdKasnWYqcbgOcmI/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse7.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: One Slash is rolled, so only one Noise is remains! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: One Noise Token is flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free then pay two Fear for a bonus card!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his one remaining Action to chase after Blue. He then discards “Look What Your Brother Did!” for a free Move Action to get in front of the Barn Door. After discarding “Despair” for another Move, he then chucks out “Out of Nowhere” for a free Attack Action. The resulting Wallop dials up two Slashes, but Blue lucks out when the Old Man reveals a Brain and a Heart Injury, both of which get Buried!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">ROUND FOUR</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey uses all of their Actions to enter the Junkyard, generating a single Noise. Whenever a Trespasser ends their Move or Run in the same space with a face-down Vehicle Card, they reveal it. It turns out to be the Blue Truck! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: They roll two Slashes, so the single Token is returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue lashes out at the Old Man with his Machete! He rolls an insane three Slashes (!!!), so the decrepit creep loses three Actions and three Fear! He then flees out the front door, making Noise in the process and then barrels east for his third Action. For his final Action, he Runs into the Junkyard with Grey, generating two more Noise, one for the Action and one for the Door.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: With one Slash rolled two Noise Tokens stay!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: Two Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers! As Blue ends its turn, the Cook pays four Fear to play “Out of Nowhere” (since they are now all in the same “region”) and basically teleports to the Junkyard. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>1. Take Actions: Green Moves into the Hitchhiker’s Room for an Action, making Noise as the Door creaks open. For her second Action, she rifles around the room, netting “BBQ” and a Hammer. She keeps the latter and Buries the mystery meat. After </span><span>using her third Action to Move one space deeper into the creepy boudoir, she makes Noise with her final Action to Search, turning up a whopping three Slashes! This lets her chose between Orange Keys, a Bone Shard, Gasoline and a Flask. She takes the Keys and Buries all the rest, including the Green Car Part. Both of the spaces in this room are now covered with Searched Tokens taken from the first floor of the house. Since this space has the Hidden Icon, Green vanishes into darkness!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Three Slashes are rolled, so all of the Noise is returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: No Fear for the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his one remaining Action to Wallop Blue, but he rolls blanks on both die! He then discards “Home Sweet Home” for a Free Attack Action, rolls again...and whiffs again!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Devoid of both Fear and - apparently - luck, the Sawyer player folds for the time being, resetting their Actions to four.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQ_RXs8e5TQvqnIP02uv0WFf7qkGdYqhB_0ZGXKHWnVw3-Qe6cIUBkB1FTEe8S4gpmJQYx4_oFyV5CqGmTr8DlxYMZ-b0XMm2n9jJXqfljFLUiMThE6rCPNtYDpczW1Iuo_PLmJgErm3c044899YArjhfESrHogBBOWNUITt9Z9KRSlvEp6JtI5Pxsro/s2048/Slaughterhouse8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQ_RXs8e5TQvqnIP02uv0WFf7qkGdYqhB_0ZGXKHWnVw3-Qe6cIUBkB1FTEe8S4gpmJQYx4_oFyV5CqGmTr8DlxYMZ-b0XMm2n9jJXqfljFLUiMThE6rCPNtYDpczW1Iuo_PLmJgErm3c044899YArjhfESrHogBBOWNUITt9Z9KRSlvEp6JtI5Pxsro/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse8.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>ROUND FIVE</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey uses an Action to move into the other half of the Junkyard. Unfortunately, there's no Vehicle there, just a Search-able spot. They then use two more Actions to Run through the Junkyard through the Door, making two Noise. Their last Action is spent arriving at the Vehicle space to the east of the property. By a stroke of good fortune they reveal the Orange Car! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: They roll two blanks, so no Tokens are returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: Both Fear Tokens go to the Sawyer Player!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue swings at the Old Man with his Machete and rolls two Slashes, forcing the Cook to lose two Actions as well as the Fear he just received! After fleeing out the front door (making Noise <i>en route</i>) he then uses his third Action to Run towards the Orange Car in the southeast. His last Action is ignored. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes rolled, so two Noise Tokens are returned!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green emerges from Hiding, Runs two spaces into the upstairs hall for two Actions, generating two Noise. She then Moves to the Stairs for one Action and then down the Stairs for their last Action, making one more Noise. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes are rolled, so all but one Noise is returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: One Fear for the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his two Actions to close in on Blue and Gray. Discards “I Got Ya” for a free Move Action, entering their space. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0hbp3sVB5Zr8Thmd65aymMfVwUzBYPyeCJzm12PnLfebrE1dZM7HmyG_-IVHdsux3LVkH31cRjwAHgsfARmZ8sBGf0El2xxFOHBmdlH_ZrBh1YCVc65e_plJLhvfA35dCIqAGaWmAgMihK-sJ7gn1rTry5BuuoHhkMalfamyHH54Oin-PnilwtK5Efs/s1915/Slaughterhouse%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1915" data-original-width="1878" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0hbp3sVB5Zr8Thmd65aymMfVwUzBYPyeCJzm12PnLfebrE1dZM7HmyG_-IVHdsux3LVkH31cRjwAHgsfARmZ8sBGf0El2xxFOHBmdlH_ZrBh1YCVc65e_plJLhvfA35dCIqAGaWmAgMihK-sJ7gn1rTry5BuuoHhkMalfamyHH54Oin-PnilwtK5Efs/w628-h640/Slaughterhouse%209.jpg" width="628" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. The Sawyer player resets his Actions.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>ROUND SIX</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey spends an Action to use their Bandages to Bury Blue’s Brain Injury. Next they use the Swap Action to take the Pocket Knife from Blue! Finally they use an Attack Action to stab at the Cook, getting one Slash, so the Old Man reduces his Actions down to three! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue lunges wildly at the Old Man with his Machete, rolling one Slash. The Cook loses one Action and his remaining Fear! He then holds his three remaining Actions. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green bursts through the front door of the house via a Run, generating two Noise. She then Runs towards the Orange Car, making a third Noise, using a final Move action to reach the Vehicle and their fellow Trespassers. Their last Action is wasted since it takes two Actions to try and start the car! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: One Slash is rolled, so one Noise is returned! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: Two Fear is given to the Sawyers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his Sweet Talk Ability to roll three Dice, getting two Slashes which equals two Fear. He does this again with his final Action, getting two more Slashes for two more Fear. He then discards "Easy Pickins", spends six Fear and raises the Panic Meter by one! This finally brings the Hitchhiker into the southeast corner of the map, one space away from the Orange Car!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE393gTNkp06MIy9ntAYdHMit9WZ0bFvKPQSiYmAKN0X1j9mkPwpoiSbVRDoWG54Sm54q9AUa3cTF0_qb95mxBwnwK7OxTiqy07_wSw6bP2C2s7-q1dNjlPknUKCDVSvYfJclYPSEKfQg3lDZ2_bV5qaqU9NrWvfgVJYq-r31ml3grXqWmlf25ED8wNVw/s2048/Slaughterhouse%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE393gTNkp06MIy9ntAYdHMit9WZ0bFvKPQSiYmAKN0X1j9mkPwpoiSbVRDoWG54Sm54q9AUa3cTF0_qb95mxBwnwK7OxTiqy07_wSw6bP2C2s7-q1dNjlPknUKCDVSvYfJclYPSEKfQg3lDZ2_bV5qaqU9NrWvfgVJYq-r31ml3grXqWmlf25ED8wNVw/w480-h640/Slaughterhouse%2010.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. The Sawyer player resets his Actions.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND SEVEN</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey uses an Attack Action to stab at the Cook and rolls two Slashes, so the Old Man reduces his Actions down to two! After using the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Green, he uses his last two Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a blank!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blue Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Blue hacks away at the Old Man with his Machete! He rolls three Slashes, so the Cook loses his remaining Actions. He has no Fear right now, so that penalty doesn’t even apply. After using the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Gray, he then uses his two remaining Actions to try and Start the Car, but - once again - rolls a blank!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green uses the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Gray. She then uses two more Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a blank!<i> FFS!!! </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sawyer Player</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man might be out of Actions, but he plays “Home Sweet Home” for a free Wallop on Blue! Unfortunately he pulls two Brains and a Heart... duplicate Injuries which are all Buried! He decides on a different tactic, playing Despair to get a free Move action and using Hogtie to haul Green out of the car one space north! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Hitchhiker moves one space for an Action and joins the fray, slashing at Blue with his Straight Razor with his second Action. He gets a Brain, a Foot and an Arm, so he applies the Foot Injury. For his last Action he slashes again...getting three more Slashes!!! This time it’s a Brain, a Heart and an Arm. Naturally, the Hiker picks the Arm, killing Blue and increasing the Panic Meter by one! Both Gray and Green get a Desperation Card! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-Bqc5ubv4yofqry-ptmxy0g5Fc0aabivMRHpaXKy1PkDk31vMk0FlP7AkXKnSWl4tEgUf2J_ZCgkSun71ih33H3nrZyMuZXWV1dhpTKru2yZx6Ww_CFXy2GeFaH8zFAq2ZrgCxQPsQKMcDQSrBo2qM9OUnYBUWd1BQD_HgImshbOWNAMaLlwBJ9yp7c/s2048/Slaughterhouse%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-Bqc5ubv4yofqry-ptmxy0g5Fc0aabivMRHpaXKy1PkDk31vMk0FlP7AkXKnSWl4tEgUf2J_ZCgkSun71ih33H3nrZyMuZXWV1dhpTKru2yZx6Ww_CFXy2GeFaH8zFAq2ZrgCxQPsQKMcDQSrBo2qM9OUnYBUWd1BQD_HgImshbOWNAMaLlwBJ9yp7c/w400-h400/Slaughterhouse%2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. The Sawyers reset their Actions.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>ROUND EIGHT</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>(NOTE: Trespassers can take turns in any order!)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Green Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Green uses one Action to break away from the Hogtie and get back into the car! He then uses two Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a f#@&ing blank! Again!!! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Roll for Noise: n/a </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Give Fear: n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grey Trespasser</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Take Actions: Grey uses a Swap Action to pick up the Machete and attack the Hitchhiker. He gets two Slashes, so the Hiker reduces his Actions down to one! He then uses the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Green, then his uses his last two Actions to try and Start the Car.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This time he rolls one Slash and the car's engine finally turns over! They speed away, leaving the livid Sawyers in the dust! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Green and Gray escape!!!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmDha8Ewo7WgyKraWA_bWYLs65ew-R4NJfGmlV_JMIcKPjuwq9RG8-3l41_rUusxJWLlORjsBVs9uOaN160Pt44BfvLiYeFSOqCllN8DPHvAzuHDAIyWuNSB1sIHq5pk-AM2kt005XH5-EBQy0n96gVWeZwU8uAmJ6UUdjOURKhMsDN2CA_eKOeTif7Y/s2048/Slaughterhouse%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmDha8Ewo7WgyKraWA_bWYLs65ew-R4NJfGmlV_JMIcKPjuwq9RG8-3l41_rUusxJWLlORjsBVs9uOaN160Pt44BfvLiYeFSOqCllN8DPHvAzuHDAIyWuNSB1sIHq5pk-AM2kt005XH5-EBQy0n96gVWeZwU8uAmJ6UUdjOURKhMsDN2CA_eKOeTif7Y/w640-h640/Slaughterhouse%2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">REVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>THE GOOD</u></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's innovative! There are so many clever ideas on display here, all adding up to a tense and immersive horror game. The first edition of <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/if-i-stumble-zombicide.html" target="_blank">Zombicide</a></i> is the first time I encountered the concept of "noise" in a game, but its use there seemed more ham-fisted than harrowing. Here, adding Noise Tokens from Searching, Running and passing through Doors, and then trying to offset said Noise, is actually kinda fun. What remains is flipped to Fear which, in turn, is the currency the villains use to play cards and get extra Actions. It's simple but brilliant! Using a finite pool of five Search Tokens also prevents spamming the same spot over and over again with an elegant "cool down" system.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's thematic! I can't describe how many little touches from the film are baked right into the game's mechanics. For example: the Old Man can "Hogtie" Characters and drag them away, but then the Trespassers can break away on their own turn, just like Sally did during the movie's dinner scene. I also love seeing Trespassers try and creep past a dead-looking Grandpa, only to have him "come to" and vulpine hammer them in the noggin. All of the Items, especially the Personal Items, work in a very sensible intuitive manner and the Injury / Death card system is appropriately gruesome. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's tense! I've only played the first scenario twice, but both times came down to a panic-filled finale where the Trespassers were frantically trying to start the car with a pair of lunatics bearing down on them. Sorry, but certain horror movie cliches exist for a reason and this game celebrates that!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's narrative! All of the scenarios link together, essentially acting as a prequel to the 1974 film! Hey, all of those abandoned cars and human remains had to come from somewhere...clearly these previous Trespassers didn't have that patented Sally Hardesty's will to live! </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's final! As I've previously mentioned, horror games like <i><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-scream-at.html" target="_blank">Alien: Fate of the Nostromo</a></i> really suffer because it eschews player elimination. <i>Welp</i>, this one actually had the balls to follow through on that premise and - for that - I give the designers a respectful * slow clap*.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's mad <i>and</i> macabre! The Horror Tokens - as well as the game's grisly production design - really set the tone. Sure, the art in the Trick or Treat studios version is wonderful but, save for the hideous bag prop, it isn't particularly <i>horrifying</i>. This game's artwork, board, Sawyer minis, Panic Meter, Desperation Cards, Injuries...hell, even the friggin' <i>dice</i>...all adds up to a psychologically-discordant experience. Honestly, the only game that's more unconsciously creepy is the 70's version of <i><a href="http://emblogificationcapturedevice.blogspot.com/2010/07/thats-how-i-roll-part-i-early-years.html" target="_blank">Clue</a></i>. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's engaging! Whereas the Trick or Treat studios game is more light strategic, this one is downright tactical, with a lot more minutia to consider. Which Trespasser should take their turn first? Should you split up? Should I seek out Hiding spots? How do I deal with Injuries? The Sawyers are equally challenged. Should I burn Sawyer Cards for extra Actions and Attacks or try and time things perfectly for their main game effect? Should I drive the Panic Meter for reinforcements or just multi-task with the Old Man? There are a lot of interesting and surprisingly immersive choices here. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's snappy! Turns fly by and using cubes to count down Actions really helps to keep things organized and clipping along! </span></li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6PQEY6m4kvbMxDzvb06jLkhpFX-3N3eNI-YgxFODabXv_j4vRgXlDrzuW_LXScpp5IteQQpVfpTagBAXrYoLpMDLD5_8N4UH-QfkaOmZpdrXsru56cKlH3ckRZ4C2lswHZsAU3alQLY-tDHp0u96LJsgynbhUvIMWYidYkjPhoZzwx5HPYwzudWa7EE/s2048/Slaughterhouse%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6PQEY6m4kvbMxDzvb06jLkhpFX-3N3eNI-YgxFODabXv_j4vRgXlDrzuW_LXScpp5IteQQpVfpTagBAXrYoLpMDLD5_8N4UH-QfkaOmZpdrXsru56cKlH3ckRZ4C2lswHZsAU3alQLY-tDHp0u96LJsgynbhUvIMWYidYkjPhoZzwx5HPYwzudWa7EE/s320/Slaughterhouse%2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">THE BAD</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Nothing to report...at least not at this stage. My only niggling concern is over game balance. In my solitaire play through, the Machete kept the Sawyers Fear-poor and the Cook couldn't hit a cow in the ass with a shovel, resulting in two of the three Trespassers getting out alive. In my follow up game with Chad, all three Trespassers survived. Now, that's not entirely surprising, since Chad's a wily dude <i>and</i> he also started the car on his first attempt! As I get a few more plays in, I'll be sure to update this space.</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGsP4UHQaBx8zz08WBpY37QgDfPIxXxovgGB7J3nUAJQHBjjJN8bW2tB6AJdVb4F1-hzNVh1Tt8gYKYm7ug-svb1eNdhuB-wjlDcW1DRc0bYN4iEBwA9TXQX7NgFNkhLwZN27U2fInIB_FOjPtKgZ6-ziIsJ_P7Kia_Ymc-1RQizgYPvR7fD5CrST9QY/s2048/Slaughterhouse14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="2048" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGsP4UHQaBx8zz08WBpY37QgDfPIxXxovgGB7J3nUAJQHBjjJN8bW2tB6AJdVb4F1-hzNVh1Tt8gYKYm7ug-svb1eNdhuB-wjlDcW1DRc0bYN4iEBwA9TXQX7NgFNkhLwZN27U2fInIB_FOjPtKgZ6-ziIsJ_P7Kia_Ymc-1RQizgYPvR7fD5CrST9QY/w400-h249/Slaughterhouse14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>THE M'EH</u></b></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The Trespassers (and their lame, one-sided standees) are completely generic and have no asymmetrical powers to speak of, which will surely disappoint hard-core gamers. Given my theory that this game is actually the spiritual prequel to the 1974 film, I just view the <i>Slaughterhouse</i> Trespassers as generic walking sausage links, while <i>The Board Game</i> features the iconic characters we all know and love! </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">From this day hence, my meta-game is just to get Leatherface out on the board. I really tried to drive the Panic Meter in my game against Chad, but Ol' Junior still didn't show his apron-ed ass on the battlefield. And, trust me, there a lot of motivation to get him out there since he's exactly the sort of murderous juggernaut that you'd expect him to be. </span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPk4Z2nI9ZyJEk3y544HpYp07crRRb2Jz0SB2WeaPHAJZ3LEj4Z5sReIWB66u2ka7iY5N0Ag8CT9jHlQ60WD1nOpLjXqHYh5VnIWgdhUsbB2_mskaDuPKDHiMN6_a2I2XlEAbU19RaH6D_w1xvK4AkYxnHC46KbU4Tl3XxtmPnQQeiSzbU5ohSThU0uQ/s2084/Slaughterhouse%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="2084" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPk4Z2nI9ZyJEk3y544HpYp07crRRb2Jz0SB2WeaPHAJZ3LEj4Z5sReIWB66u2ka7iY5N0Ag8CT9jHlQ60WD1nOpLjXqHYh5VnIWgdhUsbB2_mskaDuPKDHiMN6_a2I2XlEAbU19RaH6D_w1xvK4AkYxnHC46KbU4Tl3XxtmPnQQeiSzbU5ohSThU0uQ/w400-h210/Slaughterhouse%2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>"So...What Game Do I Get?"</u></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Are you a casual or inexperienced gamer and you just wanna experience the general vibe of the OG 1974 film? Then get <i>The Board Game</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you're a veteran of the hobby and you wanna pick up a well-designed, tactical, horror-themed game that delivers the goods on the creep-factor while presenting players with interesting choices, then snag <i>Slaughterhouse</i>! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As for me, the two are different enough from one another that I plan to keep both. In fact, </span><span>I can't wait to play both back-to-back for a </span><i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i><span> double feature!</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuJXyOTchW1Mmk-vXkHALokfWGZh7BOxGek1wGcjSl9Yy8andE2kMCBjmxX2RNnYQeOE_cNbhK4X55ifyegeioD-EsK_IkzHntjEa20mBJFDDDsVkepoVsmnu_m2DtdVDtp7-KU0oadQx0nizDKc_7FqTx2sWGLhwgATA01oNl1jTz9P4XJgOSc-aSEI/s1835/Slaughterhouse%2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="1835" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuJXyOTchW1Mmk-vXkHALokfWGZh7BOxGek1wGcjSl9Yy8andE2kMCBjmxX2RNnYQeOE_cNbhK4X55ifyegeioD-EsK_IkzHntjEa20mBJFDDDsVkepoVsmnu_m2DtdVDtp7-KU0oadQx0nizDKc_7FqTx2sWGLhwgATA01oNl1jTz9P4XJgOSc-aSEI/w400-h399/Slaughterhouse%2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>FINAL SCORE</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse </i><span>scores five pips out of six with a slight tilt down into that dodgy-looking "storm cellar". </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqqtsOclp_dOWn41zM_oHkOmZB9t_85z8xRJy8am9-54q59K0PkjXYoy-LhAg2WKEzgiBWAOhzZxSS1OWSk3qz9g9fL9s0crMttH_ILsrkP_lDahc72cC3Kwf1DaW9Kv9PPScUSfsvj1dxFVJdjy_AxLyfaUk74imt-seCR7QWFCT2ZNhtYgRrZWf54s/s207/5%20pips%20(Edited).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqqtsOclp_dOWn41zM_oHkOmZB9t_85z8xRJy8am9-54q59K0PkjXYoy-LhAg2WKEzgiBWAOhzZxSS1OWSk3qz9g9fL9s0crMttH_ILsrkP_lDahc72cC3Kwf1DaW9Kv9PPScUSfsvj1dxFVJdjy_AxLyfaUk74imt-seCR7QWFCT2ZNhtYgRrZWf54s/s1600/5%20pips%20(Edited).jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-72820454259544158022023-11-15T11:25:00.000-08:002024-01-29T18:44:44.532-08:00Chainsaw Battle - Part One - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Board Game <p><span style="font-size: medium;">In case you haven’t noticed, I kinda like horror movies. Hell, I wrote an entire dissertation on the subject in my <a href="http://emblogificationcapturedevice.blogspot.com/2010/10/obligatory-halloween-post.html" target="_blank">OG blog</a>, starting with embarrassingly-innocuous, unintentionally scary stuff that terrified me as a kid to more heady fright fare. For ten years I paid homage to the horror films that scared me spitless during the formative years of my life. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>One of those movies was Tobe Hooper's seminal 1974 horror film <i><a href="http://emblogificationcapturedevice.blogspot.com/2013/10/son-of-obligatory-halloween-post.html" target="_blank">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</a></i>. Between the grimy production design, documentary-style cinematography, seamless performances and unrelenting pace, i</span><span>t's a flick that you don't so much <i>watch</i> as <i>endure</i>.</span><span> </span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, when it was announced that renowned online horror retailer <a href="https://trickortreatstudios.com" target="_blank">Trick or Treat Studios</a> was producing a <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7411952/texas-chainsaw-massacre-board-game" target="_blank"><i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> board game</a> designed by the same dude who brought us the promising-but-flawed <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-scream-at.html" target="_blank">Alien: Fate of the Nostromo</a></i>, I added it to my pre-order list quicker than ol' Leatherface dropped Kirk like a bad habit. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0FsUAryIoLoJpbEbaoD3SbrDXP9r3CF1p9vPqSazZ8CWxdZMwlWTRmTEFohdUpEawnwVwnO4gXpWL47-xjgsYFllWEP3POdoyuISDjj0mT4jnTvGkCuL-1-SaAjW6xkyYtLR-WK-HEvOrVkuK77HdB_Zasr1RI-d4S5U6Uf9NI3LX5TlDYoR-0GHp9k/s2048/TCSMTBG%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2042" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0FsUAryIoLoJpbEbaoD3SbrDXP9r3CF1p9vPqSazZ8CWxdZMwlWTRmTEFohdUpEawnwVwnO4gXpWL47-xjgsYFllWEP3POdoyuISDjj0mT4jnTvGkCuL-1-SaAjW6xkyYtLR-WK-HEvOrVkuK77HdB_Zasr1RI-d4S5U6Uf9NI3LX5TlDYoR-0GHp9k/w399-h400/TCSMTBG%201.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The game's gnarly art, provided by Terry Wolfinger, is nothing short of spectacular. </span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what's the (meat) hook with this one? Well, I'll let the cooks at the ol' <a href="https://trickortreatstudios.com/products/texas-chainsaw-massacre-game?_pos=2&_psq=texas%20chainsaw%20massacre%20&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank">T&T roadside diner</a> grind it out for me:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre<i> is a game of horror </i>(Editor: Really? You don't say! LOL!)<i> from designer Scott Rogers. The players' van has run out of gas, leaving them stranded and at the mercy of the Slaughter family! Work together and push your luck to escape. In this cooperative game, all players win or lose as a group. Pull tokens from a gruesome bag to take actions - but be careful, pulling too many may antagonize the Slaughter family! Player Count: 1-4, Play Time: 60 Minutes, Age Range: 14+</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb_k8TuWLjo_wBI_CGuDuYTD2IhrJlrTZ9SHU0bI418XgRBx43qmSflfT9bpniLcpVGtF674HgG_L2LkhScdj0cy6youyVA5zqGaFyWgmWGxiU6wKtDSwiiVEHGQCJV8odpIUgpq1YDIDUcZY7-shuDGlRPWsDEESOyLkxm61hE3bJ3i5mDK9odsJuqA/s2048/TCSMTBG%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb_k8TuWLjo_wBI_CGuDuYTD2IhrJlrTZ9SHU0bI418XgRBx43qmSflfT9bpniLcpVGtF674HgG_L2LkhScdj0cy6youyVA5zqGaFyWgmWGxiU6wKtDSwiiVEHGQCJV8odpIUgpq1YDIDUcZY7-shuDGlRPWsDEESOyLkxm61hE3bJ3i5mDK9odsJuqA/w360-h400/TCSMTBG%203.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dog will hunt.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Need to read the fine print on that dodgy-looking menu? Then click on the following link to find out if the "Franklin Fricassee" is gluten free via the game's lean rulebook, (sausage) linked right </span><a href="https://issuu.com/trickortreatstudios/docs/texaschainsawmassacre_rules?fr=sMTU1ZjQ2NDIyNTI" target="_blank">hur</a><span>. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">TURN OVERVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>MOVE </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Take up to two free Move actions.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>DRAW</b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Draw tokens from the "Hideous Bag" until you choose to stop or you draw three of a kind of the same token, which ends your turn immediately.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>ACTION</b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perform one Action for every Action Token drawn. Actions include Move, Search, Push a Character or Pick Up a revealed Token on your space or an adjacent space.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>CLEANUP </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Place all Scavenged and drawn tokens back into the bag. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">PLAY-THOUGH</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">NOTE: I played the game without "Slaughter Mode" but with one Objective per character.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnh1U9KrH4zeu47Y_mQqwde1zmhk1YSvEVP9F7psBvvBbGN7ac3MAb-QzOVfhar0oHVzNREYGt-Xi9ttI-59OgCgrd9ahrROjn7HB-IWVvwX_D6_8SynVe6v6-4CwCzeS2owaJ_s3_VTLQRHeL6tHFrrsFJUhF1CeMkI_A85FmE2Wd-ny9W50hpTLhYQ/s2048/TCSMTBG%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnh1U9KrH4zeu47Y_mQqwde1zmhk1YSvEVP9F7psBvvBbGN7ac3MAb-QzOVfhar0oHVzNREYGt-Xi9ttI-59OgCgrd9ahrROjn7HB-IWVvwX_D6_8SynVe6v6-4CwCzeS2owaJ_s3_VTLQRHeL6tHFrrsFJUhF1CeMkI_A85FmE2Wd-ny9W50hpTLhYQ/w400-h400/TCSMTBG%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>"It is all the more tragic in that they were young." Franklin, </span><span>Sally and Big Ed about to embark on a nightmare.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn One</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Franklin wheels out of the Van onto the right-most entrance point. He proceeds onto the shoulder of the road, adding one Bones tokens to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He gets one Action, two Leatherface and two Bone Tokens. Leatherface tears through the Metal Door space and into the Hall, “breaking through” the intact door there and flipping it to its damaged side.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - Franklin uses his Action token to wheel one more space, revealing another Bone pile. Since he’s now stuck in the Brambles, he takes a Blood Splatter. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn One</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - She follows in her brother’s wheelchair tracks, moving two spaces right behind him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She ends up pulling two Bones and a single Action. Also Leatheface moves twice, wrecking the front door in the process. The Cook’s gonna be <i>pissed</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - Sally spends her Action token to move into Franklin’s space. Unfortunately, she’s also stuck in the Brambles and takes a wound. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed Turn One</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Our boi crosses the road by the Truck, Scavenging another Bones token. (NOTE: as far as I can tell, the Truck is only harmful if <i>it</i> moves into a Character’s space, not vice versa.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He pulls a Leatherface token and the ogre moves southwest. He then gets three consecutive Bones tokens, ending his turn and resulting in a Blood Spatter from those persistently-thorny Brambles. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Franklin Turn Two</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - As Franklin pushes himself eastward, the Hideous Bag’s complexion gets even worse, with a Leatherface and a Bones token being added in.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - A Leatherface token is drawn, so he moves to the crossroads. Soon he’s gonna hafta choose between chasing Sally or Ed. Next he pulls an Action token, so he decides to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - He moves one space to the Graveyard and adds an Eye token to the tray.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Two</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Sally books it two spaces towards her brother, ending up one space behind him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She retrieves a Bones token and then one for ol’ Bubba. He moves a space towards Ed and is now literally just one space away. She draws an Action then stops! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - Our heroine moves one space to the Graveyard.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>*** OBJECTIVE COMPLETE ***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Franklin’s “Reports of Grave Robbing” Objective, which requires him to get to the Graveyard with one other Character, is done!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU39Tm-S6r43TZAIlVe2UYD5tW-UJOyLhWeynys0bLyRRQ95IMvbWsjUHNYSYdZeJAUT9H63x7qo_ZdgJVzej8CltHWuzyA5pEQvU8Gj_yeZxcVlUj3oZjVLjBWnbeSsw-Qc8JYezz7Is6szvHZWU_J_T4VRIqRLhLeUYF4qRveWRbKLuaGsVr4XcYdsg/s2048/TCSMTBG%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1629" data-original-width="2048" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU39Tm-S6r43TZAIlVe2UYD5tW-UJOyLhWeynys0bLyRRQ95IMvbWsjUHNYSYdZeJAUT9H63x7qo_ZdgJVzej8CltHWuzyA5pEQvU8Gj_yeZxcVlUj3oZjVLjBWnbeSsw-Qc8JYezz7Is6szvHZWU_J_T4VRIqRLhLeUYF4qRveWRbKLuaGsVr4XcYdsg/w400-h319/TCSMTBG%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trio of terror: the Hitchhiker, the Cook and Grandpa.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed Turn Two</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Ed runs screaming off to the northwest, leaving Junior in the dust, adding a Slaughter Family Token and an Eye Token to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He pulls two Bones tokens and a Leatherface, so Bubba falls into hot pursuit. Next he gets an Eye token and checks the Dining Room, revealing a Slaughter Family Token, which just adds another big dollop of "NOPE" to that miserable warren. Finally he gets an Action token and stops!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - Ed runs towards the Diner, stumbling upon some Gas, which he promptly snags. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Three</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Monsieur Hardesty stays put, looking to use his Special Ability to Search the Graveyard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Leatherface, two Bones and yet another Leatherface...yikes! Ed’s in trouble! Franklin doesn’t want to risk pulling a third Leatherface token, so he stops!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHouueUBvUU76XIBwgG0wKzQ8DEYWJpsK0852kUQGC3pgak47Bv4AdZu_8niFL_fIZ-J0nES66JSAVscsppUPGC8hMMWDg3i1V1mCrVNz_ZQv6VeMK4XGdCuIIVC6RGcfBvpdklQ7Z4dYr4STHjP_TzQEk9zZGyCgRL7UweW7uGHOQz01RvxHvBG6-p7Q/s2048/TCSMTBG%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHouueUBvUU76XIBwgG0wKzQ8DEYWJpsK0852kUQGC3pgak47Bv4AdZu_8niFL_fIZ-J0nES66JSAVscsppUPGC8hMMWDg3i1V1mCrVNz_ZQv6VeMK4XGdCuIIVC6RGcfBvpdklQ7Z4dYr4STHjP_TzQEk9zZGyCgRL7UweW7uGHOQz01RvxHvBG6-p7Q/w300-h400/TCSMTBG%205.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know it looks like Ed is chasing Leatherface here, but - trust me - it's the other way around!</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Three</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Sally strikes off by herself, heading northeast towards the Generator and Scavenging a Photo and an Action Token for the Tray!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She gets two Bones and a Leatherface! The maniac moves into Ed’s space, wounding him in the process. Since he now has two Blood Splatters, Ed Flees two spaces east. Now that there's a bit of space between Leatherface and Ed, Sally keeps drawing. She gets an Eye, so she looks at the Dry Lake, revealing Photos. She gets another Eye and looks at the space just south of the Lake and reveals an Action! <i>Hmmmm</i>...veddy tempting! She then pulls a Slaughter Family Token, which is placed on Grandpa’s first space. She finishes up by pulling her third Bones token, thus ending her turn. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed Turn Three</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Ed motors two spaces past the pile of Abandoned Cars, revealing a Slaughter Family Token and an Action Token for the tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He removes two Bones then a Leatherface token, so Junior moves one space, still pursuing Ed. (NOTE: I assume the rule where Leatherface has to change focus to a new victim after causing someone to flee only applies if he moves again on the <i>same</i> turn) A Photo Token is pulled, allowing him to look at the top card of the Search Deck. It’s a “Flashlight”, which he returns to the top of the deck. After he moves the Truck one space along the highway, Leatherface moves again...<i>damn!</i> Ed decides to end it there. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Four</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Knowing that the Draw Bag is absolutely toxic right now, Franklin heads north two spaces, adding a badly-needed Action Token to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Leatherface moves...again he’s one space away from Ed! Franklin then pulls Bones and a badly-needed Action. He decides to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - Grande Edward moves one space north, revealing an Eye for the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Five</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE- She moves past the Generator and approaches the house, somehow collecting two more Bones en route! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Sally gets a Bones, an Action and a Slaughter token in quick succession, the latter of which adds Grandpa to the Dining Room! She doesn’t want to endanger Ed any further, so she decides to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - She chooses to go north one space, which reveals and adds another Leatherface token to the Tray! <i>FFS!!!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBRtWj1N9AMQs4SLwLs9CXnpozTNrpYbWlVGujC3w4D5xa1lm2WcGn7FwcjGOjO7vhuwfNtYedIcyU638Rz1Fq00BrPBLYXJTLMCd5ftx9mu2PmPdfsojKaek1T16Xn8l4auTcqnJ66pjGu4OdyktCYyqYONtCewrmAj6XbGqrwLhNKq1-IUZKOq7Y5U/s2048/TCSMTBG%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1840" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBRtWj1N9AMQs4SLwLs9CXnpozTNrpYbWlVGujC3w4D5xa1lm2WcGn7FwcjGOjO7vhuwfNtYedIcyU638Rz1Fq00BrPBLYXJTLMCd5ftx9mu2PmPdfsojKaek1T16Xn8l4auTcqnJ66pjGu4OdyktCYyqYONtCewrmAj6XbGqrwLhNKq1-IUZKOq7Y5U/w360-h400/TCSMTBG%206.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Why, old Grandpa was the best killer there ever was!"</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed - Turn Five</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE- The big man bolts along the northern hemisphere of the map, turning up two Slaughter Tokens for the tray! Seriously, can the contents of this bag possibly get any nastier?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He pulls two Bones and an Action and decides to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - Ed uses his Action to move, finally adding a precious Action Token to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Six</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Hoping to dilute the wretched contents of the Hideous Bag, Franklin doggedly maneuvers two spaces along the front of the house, adding Bones and an Action token to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He pulls one Action, one Leatherface (who moves towards Ed), one Photo (which lets him look at the "Flashlight" and move the Truck), one more Action, Bones and a <i>third</i> Action. Impressive!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - Who would have thought the wheelchair-bound dude would also be the speediest Character? Maybe these three Moves represent his roll down the hill at the start of the film? Whatever the rationale, Franklin adds a Slaughter Token and two (!!!) more Actions to the Tray! Unfortunately, this also puts him precariously close to Leatherface!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Six</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Sally back-tracks two spaces and gingerly opens the window leading to Grandma’s Room. Since that’s supposed to be on the second floor I can only assume that she climbed up a rain gutter like a rhesus monkey? (NOTE: unbroken Doors can be treated like a normal space or “broken through” for a free move, incurring a Blood Spatter. As a corollary, moving through a previously-broken portal automatically results in a Blood Splatter.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She gets an Action, a Slaughter Family Token (placed on the Cook’s first space), Bones, an Action, Bones and a Leatherface. With Franklin and Ed equidistant, they opt for Leatherface to continue after Ed. Sally stops drawing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>ACTIONS - Sally bombs through the house, hitting up Grandma’s Room, the Stairs and the Hall. </span><span>This reveals two Leatherface Tokens and an Action for the Tray.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>*** OBJECTIVE COMPLETE ***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sally's "The Old House" Objective, which required her to Scavenge the Token on the Stairs is now complete! </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed Turn Six</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Ed hustles two spaces south, intent on reaching the Generator and Searching. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He reveals a Leatherface token (moving the goon towards himself), an Eye (which lets him flip the token in the Killing Room - revealing an Action), an Action, another Eye (revealing a Slaughter Family Token near the Metal Door), Bones and another Action. He stops.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - He moves a single space to get to the Generator, searches and retrieves a "Flashlight"! The Truck moves. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Franklin Turn Seven</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Franklin continues to be an MVP, moving towards the Diner and unearthing two more Actions for the Tray! Wow!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Action, Bones x 2, Leatherface (moves towards Ed), Photos ("Help!" revealed and placed back on the top of deck, Truck moves), Eye (reveals Keys in the Bone Room!), a Slaughter Family Token (added to second Cook space) and a Leatherface (the brute moves one space towards Ed). He then decides to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - Moves one space northwest of the Diner, adding Bones to the Tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Seven</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - She tip-toes two spaces into the Bone Room. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She pulls out a Leatherface (he moves towards Ed), some Bones, an Action, an Eye (revealing a Slaughter Family Token at the Diner, sparing Franklin a trip there), another Action and a second Leatherface! He attacks Ed, causing a Blood Spatter and the trucker flees three spaces! Sally stops drawing! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTION - She picks up the Keys and gingerly starts to open the Bone Room window. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Ou5hiHOjdV8l6SdpgZoU4cT3nUyEb-JVq1TGLlcFdb5jKei4QQsyioiJIx8iu9eici4NT0KYzSCIv6CCqdjPKGd3pHmJYvsdb6WKg9PHo3jHPz-3SOcMaOOKf2ZCZjIR9nlNs5APwOqw52fWElc9w4nhzDJTEdezR3y4eOXJ49L9mKUJTreidCSSrE/s2048/TCSMTBG%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1089" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Ou5hiHOjdV8l6SdpgZoU4cT3nUyEb-JVq1TGLlcFdb5jKei4QQsyioiJIx8iu9eici4NT0KYzSCIv6CCqdjPKGd3pHmJYvsdb6WKg9PHo3jHPz-3SOcMaOOKf2ZCZjIR9nlNs5APwOqw52fWElc9w4nhzDJTEdezR3y4eOXJ49L9mKUJTreidCSSrE/w340-h640/TCSMTBG%207.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sally can't escape the feeling that she's being watched.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Big Ed Turn Seven</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a, since has three Blood Spatters.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Ed uses the "Flashlight" and draws Bones and an Action. Naturally he keeps the Action and throws the Bones back in the Hideous Bag! He then draws four more Actions (!!!) in a row and then stops!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - He tears through the Brambles and emerges in front of the house, adding a Slaughter Family and an Action Token to the Tray and picking up a second can of Gas! Now that the survivors have everything, Leatherface becomes Enraged, and the matching token is added to the leftmost track on his board! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Eight</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Franklin moves two spaces towards the Van.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He reveals two Actions, one Eye (in turn revealing a third Gas can in the Brambles by the Road!), Leatherface (who lopes towards Sally), Action x 2 and a Leatherface (he closes in on Sally). He decides to stop drawing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - Franklin motors four spaces, emerging from the Brambles onto the Road next to the Van. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Eight</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - She extricates herself from the window and moves onto the path directly by the front door of the house.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She pulls Bones, Action x 2, Leatherface (he jogs towards Sally), Action, Bones x 2...the latter of which ends her Draw phase involuntarily.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - Sally moves three spaces, right in front of the Road, adding an Action Token to the Tray and taking a Blood Spatter from the Brambles. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70W4I2oh5EzOoABwm-W0b871QF041MOhhyphenhyphenAWJRrZbp_63IsfaaAsMYculw1Dg2DKi1w_tNT-gBKWqrOMq08oEnofb1kIAJU__9h2vY-koYd7s5OcfsAdKemGuy3bdpnNZMMawIDxGMkdU7PbdxLkpQB5AsGovlm1gmtjPS3ubwdB89BL-d4LKpk05zQ0/s2048/TCSMTBG%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70W4I2oh5EzOoABwm-W0b871QF041MOhhyphenhyphenAWJRrZbp_63IsfaaAsMYculw1Dg2DKi1w_tNT-gBKWqrOMq08oEnofb1kIAJU__9h2vY-koYd7s5OcfsAdKemGuy3bdpnNZMMawIDxGMkdU7PbdxLkpQB5AsGovlm1gmtjPS3ubwdB89BL-d4LKpk05zQ0/w400-h300/TCSMTBG%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's not looking good for our boi Ed.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Big Ed Turn Eight</span></u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - opts not to draw. Whenever this happens, Leatherface moves 1 Space, closing in on Ed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - n/a</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Nine</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - He moves one space, somehow propelling himself Evel Knievel-style into the Van.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - He opts not to draw. Leatherface moves onto Ed’s space. Instead of taking a “fourth” Blood Spatter, the Gas is dropped on the spot and Ed immediately moves onto the Meat Hook in the Killing Room! Ed is killed and turned into brisket! As a result, Kirk finally decides to haul his chicken-shit ass out of the van! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - n/a</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAibx6aR4T7UZf675_WEK55mXchBzNNqKGi9T3-iJ3xSu1hk3jQD5qTrwVx9frwt7tCqqsGIKiXeZfIAmH6G8D0K2go_DfaOCC0voqEsHPYX15iku3KEFAD6bHrLGu1UE5nJdxjjENERb4AfrSdLVSp-qUp5kls3NrAIJx7nC0kVj-tK17Zr_tQp_huEA/s2048/TCSMTBG%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1576" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAibx6aR4T7UZf675_WEK55mXchBzNNqKGi9T3-iJ3xSu1hk3jQD5qTrwVx9frwt7tCqqsGIKiXeZfIAmH6G8D0K2go_DfaOCC0voqEsHPYX15iku3KEFAD6bHrLGu1UE5nJdxjjENERb4AfrSdLVSp-qUp5kls3NrAIJx7nC0kVj-tK17Zr_tQp_huEA/w492-h640/TCSMTBG%209.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I hope they had the decency to at least give him a good dry rub.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Nine</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - She backtracks one space towards the fuel, hoping to draw enough Actions to shove Leatherface away from the Gas! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpDoayPcXg5VlQYoKnntWuxskcMxiAIID_tlOoZht30RpoXu_2CC9UBGmp6rVrHQcc5KJXYhIDe-xe-9z3b_JIT15nU5Vtql1W9JdqKFt7_O5M15c85oOLqWR8AS4MuKr_jsE3X69UHyrFzr66lQzQBWG7e2ybMGMAj4w32H1Svh4kj6zYi8KAapGI28/s2048/TCSMTBG%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1793" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpDoayPcXg5VlQYoKnntWuxskcMxiAIID_tlOoZht30RpoXu_2CC9UBGmp6rVrHQcc5KJXYhIDe-xe-9z3b_JIT15nU5Vtql1W9JdqKFt7_O5M15c85oOLqWR8AS4MuKr_jsE3X69UHyrFzr66lQzQBWG7e2ybMGMAj4w32H1Svh4kj6zYi8KAapGI28/w350-h400/TCSMTBG%2011.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sally seems pretty calm here, all things considered. </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Instead, she draws a Bones Token and a Leatherface! The lunatic moves into her space, she takes a Blood Spatter and Flees three spaces into the Van! It’s all up to Kirk now! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vUg0UkojV-V2tIltPVx4fyIg9O0kiVUFbpoc146KKhZRJa31ObPadSvU12E1F0_sAlB_RZ41PVyKXbIvWNIUBS3U9vP9MP7w0B3HKEwVjUbCExcPnmtIvXl6hJRdeiK5wQeBjn1zXsWiqlmeoH6afPEXUzSc3g6tIrkpAvskmTPZbIONSLj5kprbYUQ/s2048/TCSMTBG%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1825" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vUg0UkojV-V2tIltPVx4fyIg9O0kiVUFbpoc146KKhZRJa31ObPadSvU12E1F0_sAlB_RZ41PVyKXbIvWNIUBS3U9vP9MP7w0B3HKEwVjUbCExcPnmtIvXl6hJRdeiK5wQeBjn1zXsWiqlmeoH6afPEXUzSc3g6tIrkpAvskmTPZbIONSLj5kprbYUQ/w356-h400/TCSMTBG%2010.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Let's hope Kirk doesn't end up as dead as that denim look he's sporting.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Kirk Turn Nine</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - He moves two spaces, crossing the Road and entering the Brambles. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Leatherface moves onto his space, causing a Blood Spatter and causing him to Flee one space towards the Gas. He continues to Draw...getting Photos (he looks at "Help!", top-decks it and then moves the Truck), a Slaughter Family Token (the Cook enters play at the Diner!), Bones...and three Actions! He decides to stop. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - He uses two Actions to fetch the two Gas (you can Pick Up stuff in adjacent spaces), then moves one Space, revealing a Photo which is placed in the tray. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Ten</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - To prevent an auto-move from Leatherface he pulls a single Token. He gets Bones and immediately stops!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Ten</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>DRAW - She draws a single </span><span>Token just to prevent an auto-move from Leatherface. Unfortunately, it's a Leatherface, so he still closes in! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Kirk Turn Ten</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - He moves two Spaces through the Brambles.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - After revealing one Action he then proceeds to pull three successive Bones, forcing him to stop! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - He moves one Space onto the Road...literally right in front of the Truck!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Franklin Turn Eleven</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - Again, he removes a single Token from the Bag just to prevent an auto-move from Leatherface. He gets an Action and stops!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Sally Turn Eleven</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DRAW - She opts not to draw, so Leatherface closes in a single space! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">ACTIONS - n/a</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">CLEANUP - All tokens go back into the bag.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Kirk Turn Eleven </u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MOVE - Kirk moves into Van.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>*** OBJECTIVE COMPLETED ***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Kirk only has one Blood Splatter, so his "Mostly Bloodless" Objective is complete!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Victory for the survivors!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8KtYbKXL8EaZq0_GtsXlZoDklZ4xeN-QG6jBgsOGOWlaBJkq7o536xD2uCkZ7QHexOF8-a6GXVKZFDxbeDazp3ymUXCIBLv-drRGdYmLypzfHr47WGf3LiNv9DUcwwrjmU7hm7MhGY4rQhIBh-AunaU3oOcxXQ-S1apCLRh__e0rr0XW8Fx9yA2FErI/s2048/TCSMTBG%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1406" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8KtYbKXL8EaZq0_GtsXlZoDklZ4xeN-QG6jBgsOGOWlaBJkq7o536xD2uCkZ7QHexOF8-a6GXVKZFDxbeDazp3ymUXCIBLv-drRGdYmLypzfHr47WGf3LiNv9DUcwwrjmU7hm7MhGY4rQhIBh-AunaU3oOcxXQ-S1apCLRh__e0rr0XW8Fx9yA2FErI/w440-h640/TCSMTBG%2012.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">EASY-TO-MISS RULES</span></u></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If your Character currently has 3 or more Blood Spatter tokens, you don't get your two free start-of-turn moves.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">You may move through fellow Characters or even Slaughter Family standees but not into a space containing the Truck.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If both Gas and Key spaces on your Character Card are occupied, you have to leave the Gas / Keys you picked up in the space where you found it.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If you don't draw tokens during the Draw Phase, Leatherface moves based on his current movement rate.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Place Slaughter tokens <i>face down</i> on the Family Tracking Board, first on Grandpa then on the Cook and then on the Hitchhiker.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Whenever you look at the top card of the Search Deck (either because you drew a Photo Token or you Search during the Action Phase), you move the Truck. Characters "hit" by the Truck (I.E. the Truck moved into their space or they were pushed into the Truck's space), they take one Blood Splatter Marker and move one space in any direction. If the Truck hits Leatherface, put him back in the Killing Room and discard the right-most token on his track. If the Truck hits any other Slaughter family member, permanently remove them from the game!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If you draw three Leatherface Tokens on your turn, put one of them on the left-most uncovered space on his track of the Family Board and then end your Draw Phase.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Slaughter Mode: if you draw a Leatherface Token you <i>must</i> draw another token.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">After taking damage from Leatherface you Flee equal to the number of Blood Spatter tokens on your Character Card.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">You don't reveal Scavenge Tokens when Fleeing from Leatherface or if you are Pushed.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If Leatherface still has movement left after attacking someone he goes after the <i>next</i> closest Character.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If you already have 3 or more Blood Spatter Tokens on your Character Card when Leatherface attacks you, place any Gas and Keys on your current space and move to a Meat Hook space.</span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">REVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">PROS</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's right some <strike>purdy</strike>...er, hideous! I meant <i>hideous</i>! *A-<i>hem</i>*, sorry, I mean that the production values are absolutely amazing. Artist Terry Wolfinger totally knocked it out of the park! Not only is the board a masterpiece of design elegance, the portraiture for all of the characters is stunningly realistic. Plus, it's the only game in my entire library with a "Hideous Bag" of stitched together flesh, so that's worth something.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's mechanically appropriate! The press-your-luck, bag-building mechanic - riding a wave of hotness now thanks to games like <i>Orleans</i> and <i>The Quacks of Quedlinburg</i> - is perfectly suited to a horror game. Using the game's parameters to mitigate bad odds by tactically seeking out and adding positive tokens to the bag is a very interesting part of the game's strategy. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's immersive! Between the environments depicted on the map, the inclusion of the entire Slaughter Family, your thematic Character Powers and the fun Item Cards, the game does evoke the mood of the original film surprisingly well. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's easy! Move, add new Tokens to the Tray, press your luck by drawing Tokens, resolve 'em as you pull 'em and then put all the Tokens back in da sack! The fact that the Slaughter Family A.I. is automatically run on a player's turn is ingenious. As a result, the game play feels quick and breezy!</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a roller coaster! Look at the match I played: at first I pulled so many bad Tokens I thought I was sunk. I managed to overcome that and rally, but even at the very end, there's no guarantee that you're gonna pull only Actions. I really like the game's unpredictability.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's actually co-operative! Working together to problem solve is key to survival! </span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>CONS</b></u></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a bit too easy. Veteran gamers won't be challenged by the the default settings, so activating "Slaughter Mode" (which forces you to keep drawing Tokens from the Bag if you get a Leatherface token) is a <i>must</i>. Also, IMHO, you need to have at least one Objective per player.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a tad convoluted. In addition to the aforementioned questions that I posed during the play-through, there are a host of other in-game scenarios that don't have a conclusive FAQ in the rules. For example: when Leatherface moves into a space with a Character who already has three Blood Splatters they go to the Killing Room Meat Hook. But what happens when you take your "fourth" damage from another source like the Brambles? Hey, I understand that game publishers don't want to freak out casual gamers by including a big honkin' rule book, but I'd rather that than end up with a vague-ass pamphlet that doesn't anticipate questions. To illustrate this: the unique Character abilities, as printed on the Character Mats, really begs for elaboration and examples. The reference card text that summarizes Token effects during the Draw Phase is also so murky (not to mention vaguely contradictory to the rulebook) that it probably shouldn't even have been included at all. Add in some unforgivable spelling mistakes ("meet" for "meat" anyone?) and you have an instruction manual that screams out for a final pass.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's counter-intuitive. In my match, it actually made sense to let Big Ed, saddled with the "Mostly Bloodless" Objective to just die so I could switch to an un-wounded Character. I don't know about you, but that kinda seems at odds with the game's survival theme! </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">FINAL THOUGHTS</span></u></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After my play-through I couldn't help but think back to the unmitigated disaster that was the <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/look-what-you-did-to-him-review-of.html" target="_blank">Friday the 13'th game</a></i>.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The funny thing is: both employ the draw tokens / press-your-luck mechanic, but whereas <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Board Game</i> has a Character Mat with a thematically-appropriate Character Power, the <i>Friday the 13'th </i>game gave players a generic portrait and a math calculator. See how this works? </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL4S1x6uVnJ7aWoPkd4JImQb4BU_59yNXsm1XQrx0-gJ-2fJkFiba_oLZTJ-PaplTdUvTuBzA7tAdKCBMMLjlKyr74vuYXbT1dbytLxqCTn2f0lLXb8IFp22TfRWdn_q5rPydViN82fHDWbC_zseCqlb9rY_i1Kw9y0TRUw7EqAEVbK8EgMpJFJ1vTK8/s2048/TCSMTBG%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1857" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL4S1x6uVnJ7aWoPkd4JImQb4BU_59yNXsm1XQrx0-gJ-2fJkFiba_oLZTJ-PaplTdUvTuBzA7tAdKCBMMLjlKyr74vuYXbT1dbytLxqCTn2f0lLXb8IFp22TfRWdn_q5rPydViN82fHDWbC_zseCqlb9rY_i1Kw9y0TRUw7EqAEVbK8EgMpJFJ1vTK8/w363-h400/TCSMTBG%2013.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Sure, this new title </span><span>might have some rules vagaries and challenge issues, but at least it lovingly honors the original source material and evokes shades of that original classic film.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>All told, </span><i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Board Game </i><span>scores 4 pips out of 6, with a slight tilt down into that shallow grave the Hitchhiker's been rooting around in.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpw1Db3V9FZePNIcroM_gcWi4nfrzOP01qvSFxnz4sTOw0p4uAHi-K5prD1kxGEjrZOLTkVKZEvSM-ZwF8DhRVAGyfgNvNEO6naif4g6J5cRzrPAsnlM2eUNxFGBW2SSz6_66eNi78NVOjCOaxI5NW1xW0GaduCk7erK7YNUcsWg6er70VRyAkuKCk2I/s200/4%20pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpw1Db3V9FZePNIcroM_gcWi4nfrzOP01qvSFxnz4sTOw0p4uAHi-K5prD1kxGEjrZOLTkVKZEvSM-ZwF8DhRVAGyfgNvNEO6naif4g6J5cRzrPAsnlM2eUNxFGBW2SSz6_66eNi78NVOjCOaxI5NW1xW0GaduCk7erK7YNUcsWg6er70VRyAkuKCk2I/s1600/4%20pips.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">NEXT UP: I do a play-through and review for Prospero Hall / Funko Games rival offering <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393910/texas-chainsaw-massacre-slaughterhouse" target="_blank">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse</a></i> game! </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-57641062027878493202022-06-28T09:30:00.005-07:002022-06-29T17:55:22.657-07:00"Star Trek: Fleet Captains" - " ̶F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four Year Mission" Solitaire Mode <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There have been quite a few <i>Star Trek</i> board games produced over the years, but, IMHO, the one that's come closest to the spirit of the concept is <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/79127/star-trek-fleet-captains" target="_blank">Star Trek: Fleet Captains</a></i>.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEom5CheagY8A_Mjtfezzda6g7fGX3_MEi8EU4VoYCKn00u5NS7U6a5ZEgO2L8pWZqLuNSMT30O9_iBAqxB8O8RCiOn2dCyZUkCar_CQSiJ03cWefxpYgLz4errdAhVo-Ej1uCMMdLda8GJ7h95-GZiGPSVVfYHNS130-8iArV1-5e582HRHggYp8/s2048/STFC%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="2048" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEom5CheagY8A_Mjtfezzda6g7fGX3_MEi8EU4VoYCKn00u5NS7U6a5ZEgO2L8pWZqLuNSMT30O9_iBAqxB8O8RCiOn2dCyZUkCar_CQSiJ03cWefxpYgLz4errdAhVo-Ej1uCMMdLda8GJ7h95-GZiGPSVVfYHNS130-8iArV1-5e582HRHggYp8/w640-h184/STFC%201.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've already expressed my love of this game three times in the past, first in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjUYprBKpy8" target="_blank">"gameplay"-style video</a> that's racked up 45,000 views (!) and in two session reports, one featuring the <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/everything-went-to-baktag-star-trek.html" target="_blank">Klingons</a> and another showcasing the <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/menage-troi-star-trek-fleet-captains.html" target="_blank">Romulan</a> expansion.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Despite a vague <a href="https://www.fgbradleys.com/rules/rules4/Star%20Trek%20Fleet%20Captains%20-%20rules.pdf" target="_blank">rulebook</a> that's generated a veritable WikiPedia of FAQ, both <a href="http://wizkidsgames.com/wp-content/uploads/fleet/StarTrekFleetCaptainsFAQ-11-10-2011.pdf" target="_blank">formal</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/79127/star-trek-fleet-captains/forums/66" target="_blank">informal</a>, I still completely adore this game and it will never leave my library. Unfortunately, it's long since fallen off the "hotness" list, so it's a tough sell whenever I wanna get it to my gaming table.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Because of this, I'm trying to develop </span><span>a solitaire mode where you control a single ship, discovering the board as you go, dealing with random threats, completing Missions and contending with ever-encroaching Klingon influence. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, if you have a copy of the game, give it a whirl and let me know what you think!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Live long and prosper, folks!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Star Trek Fleet Captains (Solitaire Mode)</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>“</u></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span><b><u> </u></b></span></span><span><u><b>F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four </b><b style="font-family: inherit;">Year Mission”</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Goal of the game: collect as many Victory Points as you can in five “years”, with 12 turns per “year” and a total of 60 turns. Game is lost with a score of "0" if your ship
gets destroyed! Henceforth, one Federation turn is referred to as a “Stardate.” </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingon sphere of influence starts
adjacent to their Command Post and expands outward by one Location fer “year.” Whenever the Enterprise enters Klingon space (or moves out), they must roll % dice to see
if they are interdicted by a random Klingon ship of the same era, I.E. either equal, one size lower or no more than +2 higher in ship size. Chance of a Klingon
encounter depends on how deep the Federation ship is in Klingon “territory”:
20% one hex deep, 40% two hexes deep, 60% three deep, 80% four hexes deep. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After a random Klingon ship is drawn, draw four
cards from the Klingon Command Deck and “crew” the ship from any available
cards (I.E one Captain, one Officer...etc). If the ship has Cloaking technology it will attempt a surprise attack, nullified by the Federation vessel succeeding at a Level 15 Sensor check. Klingons attack on sight
and pursue your ship until they either destroy you or you destroy them.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All other rules are identical to the
original game. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Here's my take on this scenario. NOTE: for "brevity's" sake, I just did four years not all five. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Year 1</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 1 - The <i>USS Enterprise</i> leaves
spacedock, using her one Action per Turn to Scan ahead and discover a “Protostar Nebula.”
She proceeds into the system and completes a Level 12 Sensor check to complete
the “Nebula Probe” Mission.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 2: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans the “Empty
Space” ahead and “Investigates an Anomaly”, discovering an Abandoned Outpost
just one sector away from Earth. The Federation recovers it for themselves,
transforming it into <i>Starbase 1</i>. This earns another Victory Point.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 3: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans a sector
close to Earth and discovers a “Black Hole.” They give this sector a wide
berth, choosing instead to enter a “Dark Matter Nebula.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 4: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans a new
region two sectors away from Earth and discovers a “Subspace Rift.” Like the the “Black
Hole”, they decide to navigate around it and, in turn, they discover a "Class D Planet."</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 5: The <i>Enterprise</i> discovers a "Class
M Planet" two sectors away from Earth and they do an Influence Action to Control
the region.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 6: The <i>Enterprise</i> presides over
the construction of an Outpost on this new "Class M Planet", dubbed “Vanguard
Station.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 7: The <i>Enterprise</i> continues to
monitor the development of Vanguard Station. With another Influence Action, the Outpost becomes a Colony, since
this "Class M Planet" requires one less Control token to build it. This completes
the “Colonization” Secret Mission for 1 more Victory Point.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7bhLrXtjuCWXCfxKZCCoXMoBrco6GmBCB0pRD5n1ON4jkGbQYKHwRAxscI8U1PNZygPQHH4jv7Sjg3hRskBpJnLFJApmtVQRXOy4L9LC4_NL9LYVjM8lCYglJdLRDtE_Dfmg1YsiBcKUtsQo0qx0SUKx6UI3m6fPQdXUXWAgB9dBoyVfGpoUmqRH/s2048/STFC%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1884" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7bhLrXtjuCWXCfxKZCCoXMoBrco6GmBCB0pRD5n1ON4jkGbQYKHwRAxscI8U1PNZygPQHH4jv7Sjg3hRskBpJnLFJApmtVQRXOy4L9LC4_NL9LYVjM8lCYglJdLRDtE_Dfmg1YsiBcKUtsQo0qx0SUKx6UI3m6fPQdXUXWAgB9dBoyVfGpoUmqRH/w588-h640/STFC%202.jpg" width="588" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 8: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans ahead, ventures towards a newly-discovered "Class H Planet" and places their Scan Token on their “Exploration” Mission Card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 9: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans ahead and
then passes into "Empty Space." This scan token is placed on their
“Exploration” Mission Card, completing it for a Victory Point! They discard the "Exploratory Advantage" Mission Card and draw another Influence Mission. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 10: The <i>Enterprise</i> moves into an “Emission
Nebula” and rolls a "1" for an Encounter, namely the “Aldeans”. Since
they have no Crew Cards onboard to Trash, the <i>Enterprise</i> is sent all the way
back to Earth! As a consolation prize, they complete the “Localized Survey”
Mission for a Victory Point!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stardate 11: The <i>Enterprise</i> passes through
the "Protostellar Nebula", scans ahead and discovers yet another "Class M
Planet"! There is no Encounter as t</span></span><span>hey enter orbit</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 12: The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans ahead and
detects a "Class T Planet", but changes course to fly through a sector of previously-unexplored "Empty Space." On a roll of "1", an Encounter occurs. The “Rebellious
Influences” Encounter is discarded and another is drawn: a “Supernova”! They
need to perform a Level 10 Engines Test, and they’re already at 9, it’s an
automatic success. That Location, and all adjacent locations, are replaced by
new, face down Location Tiles! Yikes!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN88Hy5tB7RBI-DiP0uysT1R_4xLCADKtEIRgYxNBJOC0EfOxgPNdHGhYS5ndigQ1UxMdY4LLkGCpA3fJwOJFCVOWz3HFpcrq5ePm0w1Q2F7OI_PLbH-OprmHZuggnl0mRa6UR3F-EY6nF1hQe3E-t6QnnREFaTfVDPGGWQ7lN4kG96r5MoZiWhVh/s2048/STFC%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN88Hy5tB7RBI-DiP0uysT1R_4xLCADKtEIRgYxNBJOC0EfOxgPNdHGhYS5ndigQ1UxMdY4LLkGCpA3fJwOJFCVOWz3HFpcrq5ePm0w1Q2F7OI_PLbH-OprmHZuggnl0mRa6UR3F-EY6nF1hQe3E-t6QnnREFaTfVDPGGWQ7lN4kG96r5MoZiWhVh/w640-h640/STFC%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>Year 2</b><b> </b></u> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingon sphere of influence moves forward one hex!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 13</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Taking advantage of the forced return home,
the <i>Enterprise</i> undergoes a minor refit, improving its Shields permanently by +1
via “Yellow Alert.” After performing a Scan to discover an “Inversion Nebula,” they discard the “Nebula Exploration” Card and draw a new Influence Mission,
which turns out to be a “Rescue Mission.” An Away Team marker is placed on an unexplored
planet deep in Klingon territory! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 14</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> warps past a "Class Y Planet" and then enters "Empty Space." On a roll of 2, there’s an Encounter: “Shockwave.”
The ship must perform a Level 10 Shield Test. They play an Interrupt Ops card,
“Red Alert”, increasing their Shields by +2. Current Shields level is 5 base +1 for the "refit" and +2 for the "Red Alert." Roll is "3" so total is 11...success! RULES NOTE: Encounters
end movement!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 15</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They move on to a “Class L Planet.” With a
roll of "1" there’s yet another Encounter, which is revealed as “The Nexus”! The resulting roll is “3”, so the <i>Enterprise</i> narrowly avoids destruction!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 16</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Nexus moves one Location Tile to the
right. The <i>Enterprise</i> continues into deep space, encountering a "Class L Planet." They roll a "6", so there's no Encounter. Now at maximum warp (speed 9), she proceeds on to the
next Location, which turns out to be "Empty Space." The resulting roll is "3"...also no Encounter. They assume a standard orbit
around this "Class L Planet" where the Away Team is marooned. An Encounter roll of "6" means that they're in the clear! There's also a 20% chance that they might encounter a Klingon ship, but a roll of 77 means they're safe! </span></span><span>This completes the “Rescue Mission”! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(RULES NOTE: Transporter actions end turns! Plus: the Klingon encounter roll should occur just as a Federation ship enters their space, possibly interrupting their intended action.) </span><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 17</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Nexus moves one tile off to the right and a roll of 82% means that there is no Klingon encounter to start the Federation turn. The <i>Enterprise</i> Scans a nearby Location, finding "Empty
Space." She then enters a "Class 2 Nebula", but with a roll of "5" there's no Encounter. Now out of Movement, the Feds discard their “Morale Blow”
Mission Card and draw a new one. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 18</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Nexus moves one tile off to the right. The
<i>Enterprise</i> crosses through "Empty Space" and then observes a "Hyper-Giant Star." A
roll of "3" means no Encounter, but the ship is now out of Movement.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 19</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Nexus moves off the board. The
<i>Enterprise</i> backtracks to the "Class D Planet" and sends down an Away Team. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 20</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> beams up the Away Team,
completing the “First Contact” Mission. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 21</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> warps off to Vanguard
Station and does an Influence Action to place a Control Token. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 22</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> presides over the construction
of a Starbase at Vanguard Station, completing the “Militarization” Mission.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 23</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Staying in orbit, the <i>Enterprise</i> does a
Power Adjustment to maximize Sensors and then plays “Emergency Power” to
auto-succeed on a Level 12 Sensor Test. This completes the “Planetary Survey”
Mission.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 24</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Enterprise warps off to the "Class D
Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Year 3</u></b> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingon Border moves up 1
sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 25</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> heads out to the nearby "Class H Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 26</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> ventures off to an sector of "Empty Space" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there. This
completes the “Establish a Hold” Mission. They discard the "Eject Warp Core”
Command Card and draw a new one. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 27</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After scouts determine that an invasive, aggressive
and militaristic alien race is encroaching on Federation territory, the
Enterprise enters the "Class 2 Nebula" and performs an Influence Action to remove
the Klingon Control token there, which completes the “Disrupt Influence” Mission.
They are met with no resistance. They then discard the "Code 47" Command Card and draw
a new one. Finally, they promote Owen
Paris to the Captain role and draw a new card!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 28 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> goes to maximum warp to try
and reach a new sector of unexplored space. This requires three percentage die rolls for
possible Klingon encounters and they get "57", "90" and "14." With this last roll they
are interdicted by a Klingon ship in orbit around a "Class L Planet"! They get a free Scan
attempt to notice the cloaked ship by succeeding in a Level 15 Sensor Test. Unfortunately, the <i>Enterprise</i> has nothing to
modify its current base Sensor setting of 10, and with a roll of "3" they fail to detect the encroaching ship. The Klingons
de-cloak and immediately fire on the <i>Enterprise</i>, playing a “Surprise Attack”
Card. Their total is 10 Base + 1 for Captain Kang + 4 for "Surprise Attack" + a roll of "1" for a total of 16 versus “All
Power To The Shields” base 5 + 1 for Refit +1 for Paris + roll of "5" = 11. With a difference of "5", the Enterprise is hit, but since the Shields weren't doubled, the <i>Enterprise</i> only takes one tier of "Yellow Alert" damage! Both factions then draw new Command Cards.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga51tFivn3h0Sizhsy2-RTlU5RH-zdm2G-6DK-rcHfBf1fjA7HB3lt05QvvMqRUhJ9vNdJUgBlnJRxRtO68Nx3BUM3-LemXTKrGMkPV-t0h9eVemFv7oot0VfVkXnqSyXlAYf7_JkuOKLVDvdJBVtfnucNiAcyq-AO_MMt12OWyiDxj-Achn0F8kOL/s2048/STFC%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1733" data-original-width="2048" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga51tFivn3h0Sizhsy2-RTlU5RH-zdm2G-6DK-rcHfBf1fjA7HB3lt05QvvMqRUhJ9vNdJUgBlnJRxRtO68Nx3BUM3-LemXTKrGMkPV-t0h9eVemFv7oot0VfVkXnqSyXlAYf7_JkuOKLVDvdJBVtfnucNiAcyq-AO_MMt12OWyiDxj-Achn0F8kOL/w640-h542/STFC%205.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 29</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Damaged and outmatched, the <i>Enterprise</i>
attempt to warp away from the fight. The Feds roll "3" + Ship Size 2 =
4 versus 4 + 4 = 8. The escape attempt fails, so they can either fight back or flee
and suffer an attack of opportunity! They try to fire back, playing “All Power
To The Weapons” but that only gets them to 5 (!). Roll is "1" for a total of 6, so the Klingon Shields easily hold! The Feds throw out “Reinforce” and draw a
new Command Card. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingons strike back, playing “Battle
Rage”, giving their Weapons a permanent +1 and Shields a permanent -1. That’s
10 + 1 for Kang +1 for "Rage" + 1 for their roll = 12 versus 5 base +1 Paris +1 refit +
5 roll = 12...the <i>Enterprise’s</i> Shields barely hold up under this vicious battery! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 30</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Another escape attempt...the <i>Enterprise</i> rolls 6
+2 = 8 versus 4 +1 = 5...this time they manage to break away! First they play “All Power
To The Engines” to get up to 8 Movement on the dial + 1, then they play the “Geordi
LaForge” card as an Interrupt. This lets the Engineering team add +2 to the
Engines this turn, for a total of 8 + 1 + <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2 = 11.
They manage to get all the way to the "Class H Planet", destination: Vanguard
Station! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingons crank their engines up to 9
and fall into pursuit! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 31</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After the <i>Enterprise</i> does a hasty Repair Action,
she takes on a new Captain: one James Tiberius Kirk! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Kronos One</i> arrives at Vanguard Station
and attempts to finish off the <i>Enterprise</i>. They fire a “Photon Torpedo” but the
Feds play the “Orion Slave Girl” card for its Combat Ability by throwing out the “Command Support” Ops Card to pay for it. This cancels the Combat! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 32</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now with Hikaru Sulu at the helm, the
<i>Enterprise</i> fires back at their Klingon rivals! Base 5 then +2 for Kirk + 2 for Sulu (in
the Officer role +2 Weapons) and they also play “Tasha Yar” as a Combat Card for
another +4. Add in a roll of "3" and the total is 16!!! The Klingons are at Shields 10
but -1 due to “Battle Rage”. Roll is "5" for a total of 14. The <i>Enterprise</i> damages the
Klingon ship, which immediately Cloaks by playing “Hit and Run” and discarding “Wariness.”
The Feds throw out the “Admiral Hanson” card and draw a new one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The
Klingons play their “General Chang” card as an Interrupt. This lets them Trash
a card (namely “Opportunist”) to attack while still Cloaked! Their combat value is 4 base +
1 for Kang +1 "Battle Rage" +3 for “Heavy Armament” + 5 for the roll = 14! The <i>Enterprise</i>
Shields are 5 Base + 1 for Refit then they play “System Bypass” to Disable
their Engines (!) to add 1/2 value (9 / 2 = 4) + roll of "1" = 11. The Klingons
still hit and the <i>Enterprise</i> is damaged again! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stardate 33</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With the Klingon ship still Cloaked and reeling from the exchange,
the <i>Enterprise</i> hastily affects repairs! They opt for the special Starbase rule that
lets them sacrifice Movement to repair without using an Action! By doing so, Montgomery Scott
distinguishes himself as Chief Engineer! They attempt to locate the Cloaked Klingon
ship...but they need to succeed on a 15 difficulty level Sensor Check. They get 10 + roll of "3"...15. Nope! The
Feds throw out “Dramatic Victory” to draw a new Command Card. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingon ship de-cloaks, does a Power
Adjustment to Deactivate their Sensors and then they divert all power to their Weapons and Shields. Then they fire: 9
Weapons + 1 Kang +1 "Battle Rage" + 4 "Surprise Attack + roll of "1" for a total of
16!!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This is compared to </span>5 base + 1 refit + 6 roll =
12. The <i>Enterprise</i> is damaged once again! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
throw out “Cause Uncertainty” to draw a new Command Card. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 34 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> discards “Diplomacy” for a
new Command Card and then attacks! Base 5 +2 Kirk +2 Sulu +<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a roll of "3" = 12 versus 8 - 1 for Battle Rage
+ roll of "3" = 10. Once again, they Klingons are bested and knocked down to the "Red Alert" damage
level!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingons discard “Battle Challenge” and
Klag joins the bridge crew! They fire again, 8 base + 1 Kang +2 Klag +1 "Battle
Rage" + roll of "1" = 13 versus the Enterprise's base 5 Shields +1 for the refit but then Kirk sacrifices himself
for his Combat ability, adding +4 to Shields! Roll is "2"...total is 12. Unfortunately, the <i>Enterprise</i>
is still damaged!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 35</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> discards “Pushing the Limits”,
draws a new Command Card and then attacks. The ship must first do a Power
Adjustment to activate their Sensors to play a "Modified Torpedo." Attack value
is 4 +2 Sulu and + 4 "Torpedo" + roll of "4" = 14 versus Klingon Shields base 8 -1 "Battle Rage" + 2 Klag + roll of "2" = 11. They lose and the <i>Kronos One</i> is destroyed,
earning a Federation a Victory Point for the “Death Blow” Mission! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 36</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> pulls into Spacedock for
some badly-needed repairs! They discard the “Dramatic Defeat” Card and get a new
Command Card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also jettison the “Dominant
Power” Mission to draw a new one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Year 4</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingon line of influence expands to
five sectors, eliminating the Federation Influence marker in "Empty Space" close
to the "Class 11 Nebula." <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 37</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> jets out, with maximum Engines (9
+ 2 for Scotty). They manage to get all the way over to a region of "Empty Space" between the "Class L" and "Class Y Planets" and then Scan an adjacent Location. They also
throw out the "Nebula Research" Mission. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 38</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> moves through unexplored
Empty Space, but a "5" means no Encounter. They then move into a new location, discover
a "Class J Planet" and then roll a "1" for an Encounter! It’s “Conditional Friendship”
and the random Mission is “Colonization.” They then play “Command Authority" to
place a Control Marker in that space (and every adjacent space) as their
Action. Finally, they discard “Zero
Losses” to get a new Mission. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 39</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> moves into a new quadrant,
discovering a "Class T Planet", but there is no Encounter. They then travel
towards a previously un-examined "Class 1 Nebula." They Encounter "Ferengi 'Traders'”
and, on a roll of "1", get a permanent +2 Weapons Token! They then play “Command
Authority" do an Influence Action in this Habitable system and build an Outpost!
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 40</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> takes advantage of the Nebula’s
ability to build a Facility with 1 less required Control Token, so they construct a
Colony! They throw out “Resource Extraction” for a new mission and “Battle
Challenge” is discarded for a new Command Card.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 41</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> returns to the "Class J Planet" and they complete “Conditional Friendship” by finishing the “Colonization”
Mission! Mr. Spock is then promoted to the bridge crew! They immediately head back out into "Empty Space."</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOf9zHK1Pmf5QZtMLjTF6TvaNd1ahfm1VaoRgoqQYh_zZ-TQLqeXPPOKQsxJ1dENqUYVmglX0dL89zo_4DpS_sRdKoivHIURp7mGhp8atYjbesxTkGnoBveN50MluFME2P7gMpUdnVohiDRkv1xEde32j7JK7O4-6AI_HQWs7uvPgTYEytr0DwYgTG/s2048/STFC%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOf9zHK1Pmf5QZtMLjTF6TvaNd1ahfm1VaoRgoqQYh_zZ-TQLqeXPPOKQsxJ1dENqUYVmglX0dL89zo_4DpS_sRdKoivHIURp7mGhp8atYjbesxTkGnoBveN50MluFME2P7gMpUdnVohiDRkv1xEde32j7JK7O4-6AI_HQWs7uvPgTYEytr0DwYgTG/w568-h640/STFC%204.jpg" width="568" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 42</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> reaches the "Hyper-Giant Star." 20% for a Klingon encounter, but they roll "40." Thanks to Spock at the science
station (and a Power Adjustment to get a base 10 value on their Sensors), they easily complete the “Stellar
Survey” Mission.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 43</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Klingon encounter? 86...no! The Feds do an Influence
Action to remove the Klingon Control Marker, letting them complete the “Disrupt
Influence” Mission. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 44</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> does a Power Adjustment to
ramp up its Engines and then enters the Klingon-controlled "Class 2 Nebula." Encounter?
Roll 17...yes! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Gr’oth</i>, captained by Koloth, enters the
region and fires on the Enterprise. Base 7 +1 Koloth + 3 for "Heavy Armament" + roll
of "3" = 14 versus <i>Enterprise</i> Shields 5 base plus roll of "2" = 7. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally the ship would take two damage, but
they discard the "Leonard McCoy" card to prevent one damage!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 45</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> attempts a break-away! 2 + a roll of "3" = 5 versus 3 + a roll of "1"...success! The ship does a Power Adjustment for maximum
Engines and then warps off to Vanguard Station.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Gr’oth</i> falls into pursuit. Under the pretense
of proposing peace talks, the two factions meet at Vanguard Station. During the
negotiations, the Klingons sell some innocuous furballs to some undiscriminating members of the <i>Enterprise</i>
crew...furballs who turn out to Tribbles! Pretty
soon, the pests are breeding at warp speed and two of the ship's systems have been Disabled...namely Weapons and Engines!
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5Ry955hweZiKjHuXsbhGId9lVZnEAeVQISO9PGO9oD5K9Qqg6Xrp0u1MXU9xlAgAyXwa78M6A18Zau22eE-WOip8M5AM_orOixOBf3oxI1xLZxvVdEdKN99IctrXImDLTO3wSnPceyPna_P0EpE4F-0rLIxHVy0KtkVMKEEHsClppylsRjbAjukU/s2048/STFC%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="2048" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5Ry955hweZiKjHuXsbhGId9lVZnEAeVQISO9PGO9oD5K9Qqg6Xrp0u1MXU9xlAgAyXwa78M6A18Zau22eE-WOip8M5AM_orOixOBf3oxI1xLZxvVdEdKN99IctrXImDLTO3wSnPceyPna_P0EpE4F-0rLIxHVy0KtkVMKEEHsClppylsRjbAjukU/w640-h564/STFC%207.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 46</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With the Tribbles quickly swarming the
ship, the <i>Enterprise</i> attempts to beam them back to the Klingons, using Sensors
base 8 + 3 Spock + roll of "3" = 14 versus Shields 7 + Koloth's +3 then + 3 for the roll
for a total of 13. The Klingons fail to block the mass beaming, forcing them to Deactivate Sensors and Engines!
The <i>Enterprise</i> then warps away with 10 movement, off to "Empty Space"! They also turf “Masterful
Bluff” for a new Command Card and complete the “Sector Survey” Mission
since they’ve explored 9 adjacent Locations! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Gr’oth</i> Disables Sensors and Weapons and limps after the <i>Enterprise</i> with 8 movement. They also discard “Wariness” for a new
Command Card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 47</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In a sneaky little diversion, the <i>Enterprise</i> doubles back back to Vanguard
Station and does a Repair Action! They also complete the “Stake a Claim”
Mission. The Feds discard “All Power To The Shields” and draw a new Command
Card.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The Klingons doggedly pursue. Since they
need Engines to move and Weapons to fire, they are forced to de-activate their Sensors and
Shields! After catching up to their foes, they fire with 7 base + 3 "</span>Honorable<span> Warrior" +1 for Koloth + 2 for the roll = 13 versus <i>Enterprise</i> Shields base 5 +2 "Yellow Alert" card + roll of "5" = 12. One
level of damage! </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stardate 48</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Enterprise</i> battles back. Base 5 +2 Sulu
+ 5 "Command Scrutiny" + 2 Ferengi Weapons upgrade + roll "1" = 15 versus 6 +3 Koloth (lone ship advantage) +
roll "5" = 14. The Klingon ship takes a hit! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Klingons fire back. They have a base of
7 +1 Koloth +1 "Battle Rage" + roll of "3" = 12 versus base 5 +2 Sulu’s Interrupt /
Discard Ability +1 refit + roll of "6" = 14. Their Shields repel the attack!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game is called! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4u7qR2ag3UMGNOoTeojCXcGzzNsR0UIzBEASvRMTKK2filYyfRtFoipPukFXnSShNtwpK7dzYjasa3ONF8ZWHl4kBO1H3-DE_U3yFrL4oUcS0So3A7o21UmdGu5FJj_3mRFgXS6BM811VFOYrUy4FSnT-QDTTJ1YVnyFdHvQafFfgIh_QAA7T0DGv/s2048/STFC%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="2048" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4u7qR2ag3UMGNOoTeojCXcGzzNsR0UIzBEASvRMTKK2filYyfRtFoipPukFXnSShNtwpK7dzYjasa3ONF8ZWHl4kBO1H3-DE_U3yFrL4oUcS0So3A7o21UmdGu5FJj_3mRFgXS6BM811VFOYrUy4FSnT-QDTTJ1YVnyFdHvQafFfgIh_QAA7T0DGv/w640-h476/STFC%206.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Victory Point Tally</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">+1 for constructing a Starbase </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">+1 for Destroying an Enemy Ship</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Missions Completed: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Death Blow - 1 VP,
Colonization (Secret Mission) - 1 VP, Colonization - 2 VP’s, Militarization - 1
VP, Localized Survey - 1 VP, Disrupt Influence x 2 = 1 VP each, Sector Survey -
2 VP’s, Stake a Claim - 1 VP, Establish a Hold - 1 VP, Stellar Survey - 1 VP,
Nebula Probe - 1 VP, Planetary Survey, Investigate Anomaly - 1 VP, Exploration
- 1 VP, First Contact - 1 VP and Rescue Mission - 3 VP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>22 Total Victory Points on four turns!</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As you can see by this session report, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Fleet Captains</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is pure </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Star Trek</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. You </span>explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no one has flipped a Location Tile before!<span style="font-family: inherit;"> There's exploration, adventure, missions, random complications, planetary settlement and conflict with hostile alien races. To me, it easily eclipses games like <i>Star Trek Ascendancy</i>, which felt more like Romulan ale-flavored <i>Twilight Imperium</i> to me.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In fact, the only other game that genuinely feels like <i>Star Trek</i> is <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3095/star-trek-adventure-game" target="_blank">The Adventure Game</a></i>.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But that's a story for another time!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">P.S. what follows is a handy summary to clarify and underscore the most important and frequently overlooked rules in the game. I hope it helps you navigate through that big, wide, wonderful galaxy! </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>IMPORTANT RULES REMINDERS FOR <i>STAR TREK: FLEET CAPTAINS</i></u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>NON-ACTION ACTIVITIES </u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">During your turn, you get to do all of the following in any order you choose:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Move each ship in your fleet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Make one Power Adjustment with each ship in your fleet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Take 3 Actions. (1 per ship)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Play Command Cards.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Cycle a Mission Card (discard an uncompleted mission card for a new one).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Discard 1 Command Card.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ACTIONS</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Each turn you can take up to three Actions with your ships. Actions are your main way of interacting with the game. Normally, each ship can </span><span>only take one action per turn (some Command Cards may allow a ship to take an extra action). There are seven types of Actions you can </span><span>choose from:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Cloaking Actions—engaging Cloaking Devices to make your ships undetectable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Combat Actions—attacking opposing starships.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Influence Actions—taking control of locations and building installations.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Reinforcement Actions—replacing lost ships in your fleet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Repair Actions—removing damage from a ship at an installation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Scan Actions—examining unexplored Location Tiles.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• Transporter Actions—moving crew or cargo between ships and planets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• System Tests — when voluntary, such as when completing a mission (see ”Missions”).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>MOVEMENT STOPPAGE</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You must stop moving your ship if any of the following occur:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• You draw an Encounter Card when exploring a new location.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• You try to Evade an enemy ship and fail.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>• The ship (or any other ship) takes an Action.</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span> </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• You run out of movement points.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• You make a Power Adjustment on any ship.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">• You begin moving any other ship.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>OPPOSED TESTS / COMBAT FLOW</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1. Declare the action. If it is a combat declare your attacker(s) and your target.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>2. Active player may make a Power Adjustment to his ship(s) as long as the ship(s) have </span><span>not had a Power Adjustment this turn.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3. The active player may play a single command card.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Note: Combat cards may only be played during Combat or Weapons or Shields tests. If the </span><span>test is not one of those, only Ops cards are allowed. Ops cards may also be played during a</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Weapons or Shields test that does not involve attacking another ship. Crew cards cannot be </span><span>assigned to ships once the test has begun.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>4. If this is an opposed test, the Target player may play a single command card. If it is not </span><span>opposed, each other player, starting with the player to the active player’s left, may play </span><span>an Interrupt card. As soon as one opponent does so - no other cards may be played </span><span>(this will make more sense with 3-player rules as teams can work together to decide </span><span>which card to play).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>5. In an opposed test, if the active player did not play a Command card and the Target </span><span>player does, the Active player may play a Command Card now.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">6. Add up all assigned crew on the ship(s) that apply to the test.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">7. Roll your die and add it to the total for the test</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">8. For the active player;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">a. For System tests, the total must be greater than or equal to the number.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>b. For Opposed System tests the final total must be greater than the opposed </span><span>system.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>9. You can discard/trash crew members that were previously assigned to ships at this time </span><span>if they have a red Combat or a special blue discard or trash ability (like Data). If you </span><span>discard or trash a crew, remember to ignore their bonus that you applied earlier (top of </span><span>page 27 in the rules). Your opponent may also play on their own initiative or in response </span><span>and discard or trash crew of their own. As this is rare we do not recommend a specific </span><span>phase as there would be a majority of “Pass/Pass” results but if you wish for clarity - </span><span>then use the same timing for playing command cards (steps 3 and 4 above) except that </span><span>you can play more than 1 crew affect (and must play all crew you wish to use) during the </span><span>time you are allowed to.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-54603341127971607252022-04-17T11:18:00.005-07:002022-04-18T17:25:43.901-07:00Solo Quest: "Return to Dark Tower"<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In previous posts, I've talked at length about how I "outgrew" the board gaming hobby in the late 80's / early 90's, thereby missing out on some amazing fantasy-themed titles like <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/hamburger-hole-dungeonquest-third.html" target="_blank">DungeonQuest</a></i>, <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/heroquest-1989-versus-heroquest-2021.html" target="_blank">HeroQuest</a>,</i> and <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/whats-in-box-episode-three-wiz-war.html" target="_blank">Wiz-War</a></i>. </span><span>But how in Bahamut's name did the original </span><span><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30/dark-tower" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Dark Tower</a><i> </i>pass me by</span><span>? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I think it just comes down to timing. I was only 11 years old when the game was released in 1981, and <i><a href="http://emblogificationcapturedevice.blogspot.com/2010/04/creative-force-part-i.html" target="_blank">Star Wars</a></i> was still the alpha and omega of my imagination. In fact, if you were to show me the following two-page spread in a catalog back then, the only thing I would have noticed is the stuff on the left hand side.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNnbYl6FOgCqSFntJP6hXqhwWIDW6kyzyTpxj7JW5uGtAnqn1zCQlD3ayBWCryx28U_Jo7kAqTeggPxnBPnfJclbtIm-momdW-N2zmhT1U_qWkiObyIqNmB92NxSG_292u8B2mRD9zYBqMT6MnPeOEtRknqP1PrIUAcErcGjRyBeB8cpQh02h9I1z/s1496/1981.xx.xx%20Montgomery%20Ward%20Christmas%20Catalog%20P469.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1496" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNnbYl6FOgCqSFntJP6hXqhwWIDW6kyzyTpxj7JW5uGtAnqn1zCQlD3ayBWCryx28U_Jo7kAqTeggPxnBPnfJclbtIm-momdW-N2zmhT1U_qWkiObyIqNmB92NxSG_292u8B2mRD9zYBqMT6MnPeOEtRknqP1PrIUAcErcGjRyBeB8cpQh02h9I1z/w640-h445/1981.xx.xx%20Montgomery%20Ward%20Christmas%20Catalog%20P469.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>Image source: <a href="http://jimsmash.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-catalogs-1981-1982.html">http://jimsmash.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-catalogs-1981-1982.html</a></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It would be another two or three years before the <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/dungeons-dragons-spark-in-tinderbox.html" target="_blank">Mentzer <i>D&D</i> Basic Set</a> would detonate a second forty-megaton nuclear warhead in my imagination and lure me into the realm of fantasy for the first time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ergo, by the time I was predisposed to something like <i>Dark Tower</i>, it was likely already out of production and / or I was spending every cent I had on <i>AD&D</i> hardbacks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Enter Restoration Games, who've built an entire business model on delivering organic, farm-to-gaming-table 'Memberberries. They gave us a re-vamped <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3284/star-wars-epic-duels" target="_blank">Star Wars: Epic Duels</a></i> in the form of <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/unmatched-buffy-vs-dracula.html" target="_blank">Unmatched</a></i> and roped in a massive group of nostalgic gamers via their faithful reprint of <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/233020/fireball-island-curse-vul-kar" target="_blank">Fireball Island</a></i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But sequel-cum-remake to <i>Dark Tower</i>, logical titled <i>Return to Dark Tower,</i> represents their most ambitious project to date. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Luv62Am4BfELgCGCXqc9TlTQtGAA-ONGjT-G0UYdkTt3C2jOMh9KqATOUnEBwwX6LwZTpQE73VQRz_tPWYv83dVvPlkBhfcko6KOHjm-byvaJCqMISxkRwKLDGCOE21qbuhQ0_D21h3eXNTQb_Mb2gtFyw573ILuoyfdjSQh399EOEJjKVI7XOiL/s2048/RTDT%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1823" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Luv62Am4BfELgCGCXqc9TlTQtGAA-ONGjT-G0UYdkTt3C2jOMh9KqATOUnEBwwX6LwZTpQE73VQRz_tPWYv83dVvPlkBhfcko6KOHjm-byvaJCqMISxkRwKLDGCOE21qbuhQ0_D21h3eXNTQb_Mb2gtFyw573ILuoyfdjSQh399EOEJjKVI7XOiL/w570-h640/RTDT%201.jpg" width="570" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Here's the elevator pitch for this one:</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Long ago, the sorcerer-king Azkol built a Tower at the </span><span>crossroads of the Four Kingdoms. Behind its ebon walls, </span><span>he practiced dark sorcery in his search for power. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>As Azkol’s madness grew, his apprentice, the sorceress Nimet, </span><span>plotted against him. She stole his wondrous treasures and fled the </span><span>Tower, then recruited heroes from the Four Kingdoms to stop him. </span><span>One hero prevailed. Azkol was defeated, and the Tower lay vacant.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>But now a new adversary has taken up residence. It grows in </span><span>power, spreading corruption and calling forth wicked creatures </span><span>from afar. This foe cannot be defeated alone. The heroes of the </span><span>Four Kingdoms must unite and return to the Tower.</span></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Return to Dark Tower<i> is a cooperative game where heroes of the </i></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Four Kingdoms join forces, with the aid of a helpful companion, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">to defeat the adversary in the Tower. You all win or lose together. </span></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Your companion will guide you in your quest to breach the Tower </span><span>and engage the adversary in battle. But beware! The Tower’s </span><span>influence is ever working to corrupt the heroes. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>You have six months before the Four Kingdoms fall and the </span><span>adversary’s reign is absolute. Can you repel the gathering darkness?</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Still questing to breach the bleak walls of ignorance? Then click on the following magical link to glean all of the eldritch secrets in the form of yon <a href="https://restorationgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/RtDT_Rulebook.pdf" target="_blank">rulebook</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">*** </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Recover Azkol’s Treasures and Defeat Ashstrider</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Solo Play-through as the Relic Hunter</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Month 1</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 1</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn: I use my </span><span>Banner Action to gain a "Golden Sun" Potion. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: </span><span>I Move 2 spaces to Dayside and take a Heroic Action to Cleanse the Bazaar there and remove 2 Skulls. I then Reinforce, paying only 1 Spirit (thanks to my "Prepared" Virtue) to buy the "Golden Mace of Azkol." My Spirit count started at 1 then + 2 for the Heroic Action = 3 but then - 1 to buy the Treasure, so I'm currently at 2.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When the Skull is dropped, the Tower tells me to add a River of Fire to the board, so I place it between the East and South borders! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwASoLPUixkRGkrmRV-wKIyhvrv2UA2bcYUUiUvro9Zd3t7g5guVdTPQG2i4qx8omtSi7Ii1RGvVVg06T1ZnA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>MONTH 2</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 2</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">New quests added to the board! Companion Quest: Miras appears in The Emerald Expanse. Adversary Quest: venture to the Upper Ice Fangs to prevent more rivers from catching aflame! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability to gain a Potion and spend the "Golden Sun" elixir to gain a Spirit, bringing me back up to 3. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Middle of Turn: I travel to the Upper Ice Fangs, remove 3 Spirit (reducing me to 0) and successfully Quest there to prevent any more fiery rivers from being placed. This Heroic Action gets me 2 Spirit back. I then take a free Sanctuary Reinforce Action to get a single Spirit, so now I'm back up to 3. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the subsequent Skull drop, it rolls out into the South Kingdom and I place it on the Citadel there. A Seal is removed on the Tower’s West side, revealing an anti-Quest Glyph there. Zaida’s ability kicks in, letting me draw a random card from the Treasure Deck. I get the "Axe of Soul Rending" and add it to my tableau. Then all of the Treasure Cards are put at the bottom of the deck and 3 new options are revealed. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyAqVFNME3VmwevHFxDSqA4F3OnVZYWPhfSiE7I8I5qG3pCyhgkNZb6rOhc2PNORN6qa8Ui15tU7tT5-sy2lg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 3</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability to pick up </span><span>a "Golden Sun" Potion, which I immediately drink to get back up to 4 Spirit. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn:</span><span> I M</span><span>ove 3 spaces to get to the Plains of Plovo and do a Cleanse Action there to remove the Skulls and gain 2 Spirit. I'm now back up to 6! I then spend 1 Spirit to Reinforce the Bazaar and gain the "Crown of Azkol"! </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZKW-EFDyp3qDOGmx3RWt8dOBYZPMIOGPw--oZ_HIYQz7m2J1iNc4zYbdIChpHxK-UmNndAiJU_huraJjLdZOu-OuFkr4blXo2jm75Bv4CzrZf9qk02HKGcgQaD3a9wLrWVcZYQAcO7ypj65ncrXstQzs8jOm3oYwKylZjyoHYlzS6_FcFapMaN7A/s2048/RTDT%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2014" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZKW-EFDyp3qDOGmx3RWt8dOBYZPMIOGPw--oZ_HIYQz7m2J1iNc4zYbdIChpHxK-UmNndAiJU_huraJjLdZOu-OuFkr4blXo2jm75Bv4CzrZf9qk02HKGcgQaD3a9wLrWVcZYQAcO7ypj65ncrXstQzs8jOm3oYwKylZjyoHYlzS6_FcFapMaN7A/w630-h640/RTDT%202.jpg" width="630" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p>After I slam-dunk a Skull in the Tower, rumors begin to swirl that a gout of flame from the Tower will soon rain down on a Citadel! Then the Brigands on the board lash out! Normally, I’d lose an Item, but since no Brigands are near me I dodge this theft! Finally, a Frost Troll appears in the Big Sister space to the East!</p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 4</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn: my Banner ability lets me d</span><span>raws a "Siren's Song" Potion for free. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: </span><span>I spend 1 Spirit to move up to 6 spaces, putting my Spirit count down to 4. Upon arrival, I perform a Quest Action, using Zaida's special ability to spend the "Axe of Soul Rending" to generate 3 Wild Advantages. I then use these Wilds in place of the 3 Stealth required to complete the Quest and gain another companion: Miras! This Heroic Action gives me 2 Spirit, so I'm back up to 6. Finally, I spend 1 Spirit, taking me down to 5, and buy the "Lamp of Hope" via a Reinforce Action at the Bazaar there. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop...a Seal is removed on the South side of the Tower, revealing an empty space. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 5</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I g</span><span>ain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion as part of my Banner Action. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I use my "</span><span>Siren's Song" Potion to move a Troll to the Hissing Groves and then spend a Spirit to boost my Movement to travel onto that space. I still have 2 moves left and 4 Spirit. I Battle the Frost Troll there with 2 Humanoid and 1 Wild Advantage. Fortunately, I defeat the Troll without using the Wild. After collecting 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I then spends 5 at the Citadel to unlock the “Crafty” virtue. I then use my</span><span> remaining 2 Moves to enter Tower Scar Desert! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop: Miras misleads the Trolls, luring the remaining one from the Big Sister 2 spaces into the Decaying Wilds!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 6</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> </span><span>I gain, and then immediately spend, a "Purifying Breath" Potion, which lets me remotely remove 3 Skulls (+2 due to "Crafty"!) from the village in Anza! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: </span><span>I then journey 3 spaces into the Decaying Wilds Grasslands region and Battle the Troll there. Going into this I have +2 Humanoid Advantages, +2 Wild Advantages in the Grasslands (thanks to Miras!) as well as a "Fortunes Favor" Potion. The fight is pretty brutal and I'm forced to spend all of these Advantages, including the Potion, which is doubled to 2 Wilds thanks to me being "Crafty"! I then recruit 6 Warriors for ending my turn on a Grasslands space, again courtesy of Miras! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I can't Reinforce 'cuz </span><span>I'm not on a Building space, so I just drop a Skull. With a mighty roar, the Tower signals that a Troll appears in the Irontops to the South.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 7</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> </span><span>I draw a "Thousand Strides" Potion with my Banner Action and then spend it to move to the Three Rivers</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn:</span><span> I then perform a Cleanse, using the "Lamp of Hope" to remove 3 Skullerydoos from Duwani Village. After gaining 2 Spirit, I spend 1 to gain "Kameria’s Carpet" and then use my remaining move to get to Duwani Village. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop! It rolls out into the North, so I place it on Egan’s End Village. Two Skulls also pop out in the South, which I place on the Sanctuary in the Sands of Madness. Then a giant fireball strikes the Citadel in my current Kingdom, I.E the Inner Kinghills. The Brigands also increase in power, unlocking "Savage" mode! Yikes!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 8</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> </span><span>I gain another "Thousand Strides" Potion and spend it to generate up to 6 movement since it's doubled by "Crafty"! I then move 4 to get to Egan's End.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn:</span><span> I perform a Cleanse Action to remove the 3 Skulls from there. This gets me 2 Spirit, one of which I spend to recruit 12 Warriors! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On the subsequent Skull drop, nothing happens and the Month ends!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxbbJUdEqf8wIvzfNKCSaNgytvgvB6m2Zk2kEr-DEMSB3bCQe3msSLr_VuEzPd8essxxapod8I7N2Vd888qqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">New quests: Smuggler’s Coin in the Three Rivers and Arsonists threaten the Emerald Expanse down South!</span></p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>MONTH 3</u> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 9</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> </span><span>I draw a free "Fortune’s Favor" Potion.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I s</span><span>pend 1 Spirit to gain 12 more Warriors! I then play my "Thousand Strides" Potion to move up to 6, which is exactly what I need to reach the Three Rivers. I then spend 18 Warriors to complete this Quest, gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. Then I move 3 spaces to the Southern Wastes! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop: 1 rolls out into the East, which I place in the Three Rivers Bazaar. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 10</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I draw a random "</span><span>Golden Sun" Potion. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I</span><span> spend a Spirit to gain 12 Warriors in the Southern Wastes Village and I also have a supply of 6 Spirit. I then Move 2 spaces to reach the Emerald Expanse. The resulting Quest Heroic Action gains me 2 Spirit back! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Skull tumbles out into the South, which I add to the Howling Desert Citadel. The Tower rotates, the power of the Frost Trolls increases and Brigands also appear up in Greenbridge!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 11</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> After drawing a free P</span><span>otion for my Banner Action, I use a "Purifying Breath" to remove up to 2 Skulls from any Building, which is doubled by "Crafty." I choose to return the 3 Skulls tainting the Three Rivers.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I decide to </span><span>Battle the Brigand in the Emerald Expanse. I go in armed with 2 Humanoid Advantages, an additional + 2 Wild Advantages (thanks to Miras's Grasslands connection) and a Wild via a Potion, so 5 in total. I manage to defeat them, at the expense of 2 Warriors and the Potion as well! This scrap earns me 2 Spirit! After getting a free Longsword from my Reinforce Action in the Bazaar, I use the "Smugglers Coin" to flush the market and,by some miracle, turn up both "Azkol’s Idol" and also the "Horn of Azkol"!!! I then spend 1 Spirit to take a red-eye Air Carpet flight to the Dayside Bazaar. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop: it pops out in the West and I place it on the Hissing Grounds Citadel. A Banner Glyph is revealed in the East and rumors start to swirl about a fireball from the Tower headed for a Bazaar! To make matters worse, a Titan rises out of the Weeping Waters!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0bYQSgdFFS0vIiQa1DNK6yYcf7PXGtKj-jrudNxYk5tlPRe0nD0pIwuT60LuVvNLx7z9z1nh3S6Vu8TgxrLPiSNEqQ_nmzzelh-v7La5XbNzkTnlaVe_r3lMDQjtYREaBD03KiVZgUidCIYxKkjoAHyW9PtkaQAwiCJwHImwLroKHom90Qnn9Lf4/s2048/RTDT%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1695" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0bYQSgdFFS0vIiQa1DNK6yYcf7PXGtKj-jrudNxYk5tlPRe0nD0pIwuT60LuVvNLx7z9z1nh3S6Vu8TgxrLPiSNEqQ_nmzzelh-v7La5XbNzkTnlaVe_r3lMDQjtYREaBD03KiVZgUidCIYxKkjoAHyW9PtkaQAwiCJwHImwLroKHom90Qnn9Lf4/w530-h640/RTDT%203.jpg" width="530" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Turn 12</b></div></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I pick up a random "</span><span>Dragon Teeth" Potion!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: After s</span><span>pending 1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar, I gain "Azkol’s Horn." Then, after paying another Spirit to Carpet off to the Titan’s space, I spend 4 Spirit to remove the dirty big bastid from the game by smoking it right in the noggin' with my "Golden Mace." I then Move 3 to the Howling Desert, where I perform a Cleanse action to remove the 2 Skulls there. This gives me 2 Spirit back and now I'm back up to 4. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I drop a Skull but it mercifully produces no Events!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 13</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I </span><span>Gain another "Dragonteeth" Potion and spend both of them for 12 Warriors! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I invest </span><span>5 Spirit at the Citadel to Unlock my “Inventive” Virtue via a Reinforce Action. I then use 1 Spirit to fly to Greenbridge and take on the Brigands there, armed with 4 possible Advantages. After defeating them and gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I Move to the Dayside Bazaar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Skull drop: 2 Skulls pop out in the East, which I add to the Village and the Bazaar. Another one is dropped in the Southern Citadel and a Seal on the Tower’s North side is removed! Miras goads 1 Brigand into Greenbride and the other into the Forest of Shades. Then the Brigands strike and I'm forced to lose 1 item, so I turf the "Smuggler’s Coin" since all of the Treasures I need are already in the Market! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 14</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> My Banner Action gives me a free "S</span><span>iren’s Song" Potion. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I spend </span><span>1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar and gain "Azkol’s Doll." </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1cYaJcTtLx6bJElHQBg-lWz-HsMGS3aIdGmIMTyvuZiiVDLSY-N7DWFZuvomOc67vh2k7afU2LKkJ6QpHI5ikaEmqlfQ5fuTKmWE6cO2dhtU_hfx4lYTHKTk8y5RXTkZNFXICfJMrXHz-fKy95F3tXvlFD5dSMBvF_Q52SJNhqCUNdbzuknlYK2U/s2048/RTDT%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1878" data-original-width="2048" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1cYaJcTtLx6bJElHQBg-lWz-HsMGS3aIdGmIMTyvuZiiVDLSY-N7DWFZuvomOc67vh2k7afU2LKkJ6QpHI5ikaEmqlfQ5fuTKmWE6cO2dhtU_hfx4lYTHKTk8y5RXTkZNFXICfJMrXHz-fKy95F3tXvlFD5dSMBvF_Q52SJNhqCUNdbzuknlYK2U/w640-h586/RTDT%204.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p><span>I now have all of the Treasures </span>and Virtues I need, so I Move 2 spaces to the Radiant Mountains to complete the "Azkol’s Treasures" Quest! Ashstrider then emerges from the Tower, appearing in the Weeping Waters, and I collect 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. </p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZU_c9HgOiPh7dH61baLXsQWjj3cXX8FMmjdDpMBkVAqz9ktlGWVSKXFUnItKt7hRHzsrWFQenG-i1srsp9e4iQL7LkvhfNNlslL9lgETHmPnkiTQiPxIAAY0z9VUDJB1PlE-4ds-78IPYHZC_rvb66kGVyQKNcpE1fLgdmQKhjY8CfaYgWCQqBgj/s2048/RTDT%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZU_c9HgOiPh7dH61baLXsQWjj3cXX8FMmjdDpMBkVAqz9ktlGWVSKXFUnItKt7hRHzsrWFQenG-i1srsp9e4iQL7LkvhfNNlslL9lgETHmPnkiTQiPxIAAY0z9VUDJB1PlE-4ds-78IPYHZC_rvb66kGVyQKNcpE1fLgdmQKhjY8CfaYgWCQqBgj/w640-h640/RTDT%205.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 15</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I </span><span>gain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion and blow it immediately </span><span>to remove 2 Skulls from the Emerald Expanse.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: </span><span>I also spend a "Dragonteeth" Potion to gather up 6 more Warriors and a "Golden Sun" Potion for another Spirit. I then drop 1 Spirit to double-Move 5 spaces to Anza Village, where I spend 1 more Spirit to recruit 12 Warriors via a Reinforce Action. I then use my very last move to wade into the Weeping Waters and confront Ashstrider! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The resulting skirmish is intense. The first combat card forces me to lose 18 warriors per adjacent Skull...but I've been doing a good job tamping them down so there's only 1 nearby! I decide to spend my Crown to generate 3 Wild Advantages (thanks to Zaida's special ability) and then spend 1 to reduce my cost to 12 Warriors per Skull, which I pay! The next card is lose 12 Warriors per Skull, so I pay the cost again! But the next card is a real doozy: lose 30 Warriors (!), 1 Gear and 1 Treasure. I spend an Advantage to Reduce this to 20 and 1 Gear, so I lose my remaining Warriors as well as the Sword and then take a Corruption. The next card requires me to lose 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit, so I spend my remaining Advantages and reduce it to a loss of just 5 Warriors, but since I don't have that, I take another Corruption and then Retreat! Bloodied but unbowed, Ashstrider moves off to the Broken Lands! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOakrckIngNauVu2G-P9IWY96NmfNRJVlV87VH451F_VnetXoMMpKoOzduo9H-iih0rutQIY8A4z_JXHIeneAHBt410daC2mXvlb-ScbioTzxRAT3G1i9NTL8VELKdDT7YTovX01EccbprqsTxVJ1qDy2Y1NrFqaEx6f4cs3_JsRL3ve076i3QoAZh/s2048/RTDT%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOakrckIngNauVu2G-P9IWY96NmfNRJVlV87VH451F_VnetXoMMpKoOzduo9H-iih0rutQIY8A4z_JXHIeneAHBt410daC2mXvlb-ScbioTzxRAT3G1i9NTL8VELKdDT7YTovX01EccbprqsTxVJ1qDy2Y1NrFqaEx6f4cs3_JsRL3ve076i3QoAZh/w480-h640/RTDT%206.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the resulting Skull drop, three Skulls pour out into the East, a Titan appears in Azkol’s Bane in the South and an Ice Troll emerges in the Radiant Mountains. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 16</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I draw a "F</span><span>ortune’s Favor" Potion. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I </span><span>Move 1 space to the Hissing Groves Citadel to remove a single Skull with a Cleanse and gain 2 Spirit. I then get a free "Golden Sun" Potion via my Reinforce Action there. Finally, I use the rest of my Move to travel 2 more spaces to the Akartus Citadel.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Skull rolls out in the South, which I add to the Emerald Expanse. The Month ends and new quests appear, namely Vasa in the Ash Hills and the Smuggler’s Den Dungeon in Dayside. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn 17</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Start of Turn:</span><span> I pick up a new "</span><span>Golden Sun" Potion.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Middle of Turn: I s</span><span>pends 5 Spirit to remove my two Corruptions. Then, after spending the "Golden Sun" Potions to gain 2 Spirit, I Move 3 spaces to tackle Ashstrider again! </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu6zKvPbTqPXIbgTRHOF7X2uamjxL6tZdThomnu94CC2V9iGVgWUu1aKzV-PnkVOIxJyBb9R9K_vSSQUq6OGtNup5KMC2rl9fkRHThTROA8WdAeEQ5nabiDpIrIKEQPq8tOIiHGyriQVnVKF9TXtX5EJvA6VsSYZHd4h_jPVG6Y7bQoNXZy1sOlrZ/s2048/RTDT%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu6zKvPbTqPXIbgTRHOF7X2uamjxL6tZdThomnu94CC2V9iGVgWUu1aKzV-PnkVOIxJyBb9R9K_vSSQUq6OGtNup5KMC2rl9fkRHThTROA8WdAeEQ5nabiDpIrIKEQPq8tOIiHGyriQVnVKF9TXtX5EJvA6VsSYZHd4h_jPVG6Y7bQoNXZy1sOlrZ/w640-h640/RTDT%207.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The first combat card requires me to lose 12 Warriors per adjacent Skull...but there are none! The next card requires me to lose 20 Warriors and 1 Gear., leading to my first Corruption of the battle! The next one is even worse, requiring the loss of 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit. After taking the Spirit hit, I have to accept another Corruption! The next card is clearly one that I reduced in the previous skirmish: Lose 5 Warriors. So, I spend a Beast Advantage to reduce it and incur no losses! The last card is a scary Critical Hit...requiring me to place a Skull in every Building in my current Kingdom. But since there are none, I can clear this card with zero issues! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Victory!!!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yuNE01BbtXQm9ylfoAIIuAibvr9AKdoKp0wQOxo4_2oJZDPbajW0n_xLIGCTTpINMz9EQHgZiYkzyn3tU1j2LptnsM3jwUeyrgbl-lkb2hZCSBkq5XoDghSnZVIa9uLxTeN7yKWW1pmtPmNs7HX_KEH5RTDOLiHGVWkIs2_YzgUp54fwcCOynpsO/s2048/RTDT%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yuNE01BbtXQm9ylfoAIIuAibvr9AKdoKp0wQOxo4_2oJZDPbajW0n_xLIGCTTpINMz9EQHgZiYkzyn3tU1j2LptnsM3jwUeyrgbl-lkb2hZCSBkq5XoDghSnZVIa9uLxTeN7yKWW1pmtPmNs7HX_KEH5RTDOLiHGVWkIs2_YzgUp54fwcCOynpsO/w510-h640/RTDT%208.jpg" width="510" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">REVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The strategy starts even before the game begins, since you can choose you foes based on the collective Advantages of your Character group. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Turns are clearly delineated and they fly by very quickly. Execute your Banner Action, then do Moves, Heroic Actions (Battle, Cleanse or Quest) and perform Building-specific Reinforce Actions in any order. I also like how you can split up your Movement to make for a very productive turn.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Throwing Skulls into the Tower to end your turn is insanely gratifying. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Between the app and the unpredictable antics of the Tower, the game experience is really immersive.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This is truly a co-operative game. Juggling priorities RE: foes on the board, end game goals and various Quests is critically important. You can't all dogpile the main Adversary as soon as it appears because ignoring other elements on the board might case them to spiral out of control <i>really</i> fast. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Character "classes" are all pretty distinct from one another.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As evidenced by the photos, this is clearly one of the best productions in the history of the hobby. The Tower, cards, Character sheets and the board are all top notch, but the "Dark Hordes" expansion really ramps up the game's curb appeal by adding the amazing foe minis seen pictured here.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm going to be playing this game <i>a lot</i>. Even though there's no shortage of options in the core game RE: Characters, Foes, Adversaries, "gritty" difficulty settings and competitive mode, the "Alliances" expansion adds even more content. This is "desert island" game territory, folks.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's challenging. I won this solo run after two prior failures, the first being a 3-player game and the second being a 4-player game. I won this time out because I picked the optimal Character and tried not to waste a single action. I.E. I won because I learned from the mistakes of the two previous matches. Having said that, I imagine more players = greater difficulty. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></div></span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The app and the Tower might be great for ambiance and moving the game along, but I think there's definitely a learning curve when it comes to integrating all of these unusual assets together. Only after this third game did I have a real handle on how it all worked properly in tandem.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Tower takes 3 AA batteries, so you might find yourself running out of juice mid-game. The app will certainly pause while you swap out your batteries, but the first time I had to deal with it, it was a giant pain in the knutz with Skulls popping out everywhere. I really wish there was an onboard battery and you could just charge the damn thing by just plugging it in. Of course, that might have driven up the cost even more, limited the life expectancy of the Tower and eventually turned it into a very odd-looking accent piece for your coffee table. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Because this game is so unusual, and the rule book is criminally brief, rules minutia questions abound. Normally this would piss me off, but the experience of playing the game is so friggin' immersive that I'm willing to put in the ground work. In light of this, check out my handy-dandy bonus FAQ / Rules Clarification summary at the end of this post. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I was lucky, 'cuz I got this sucker on a deep discount...and at the Kickstarter price. As for anyone else, I highly suggest that you have a mitt-full of nitroglycerin pills handy before you even so much as glance at the price tag. </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There's nothing in my game library right now that even vaguely approximates the experience of playing <i>Return to Dark Tower</i>. I think its a must-have for fantasy adventure game nerds, fans of the original title and folks who appreciate truly immersive and team-based gameplay.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But it ain't perfect. It took three dry runs and a thorough FAQ scouring to tease out all of the game's vagaries. For a lot of games, all of that effort really isn't worth the bother. But in the case of something truly special like <i>Return to Dark Tower</i>, the extra work will yield dividends and result in countless memorable tabletop experiences for you and your fellow adventurers. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game rates 5 pips out of 6 with a decent tilt up to the highest point on yon ominous ebon spyre.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyxiRhFfROhlVt8-SRhbP6SToYPi_4sFr6b2agvjRGFp_8Pc23J2uqnfIkHmjZ4oODZkRjT-XIwUr7vdomWnmZwEKMXbFRmIkRqYytuxpST-JXwaMEANnMjhN0lSbRKayzdv1qHhWeUY02N5vXLs7G0deyjidoLdM80fKk-BeEHUhQ1PdZiwptlK5/s207/5%20pips%20(Edited).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyxiRhFfROhlVt8-SRhbP6SToYPi_4sFr6b2agvjRGFp_8Pc23J2uqnfIkHmjZ4oODZkRjT-XIwUr7vdomWnmZwEKMXbFRmIkRqYytuxpST-JXwaMEANnMjhN0lSbRKayzdv1qHhWeUY02N5vXLs7G0deyjidoLdM80fKk-BeEHUhQ1PdZiwptlK5/w171-h166/5%20pips%20(Edited).jpg" width="171" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BONUS!</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Return to Dark Tower - Collected FAQ / Rules Clarifications</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Version 1.2</span></u></b></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><div><b><u>Quests</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• For the “Find Azkol’s Treasures” Quest, only one player can take the Quest Action to complete the main goal, so they need to meet all the requirements, I.E. possess all of the Treasures and have 5 Virtues. This includes your starting 3.</div><div><br /></div><div>• Trees. During the mission where you must move Trees, sometimes enemies burn them down. Once they are burned they move to the nearest Forest, but what if the nearest space is the one they were already on? Do they need to move to a different space altogether? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>No, just keep them on the space that they're on.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Heroes</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Brutal Warlord</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• When the Brutal Warlord reinforces at a Citadel, and gains the "Inspiring" Virtue, can the player use the Virtue on that turn? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. Anything that has an "after you Reinforce" effect triggers the turn you get it by Reinforcing.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Spymaster</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• The Spymaster's "Fortunate" Virtue lets you Reinforce twice per turn at the same Building. Does that count as 2 separate uses of the Reinforce Action, or is it still just 1 Action, but I get to resolve the effect twice? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>It’s considered to be two separate Reinforce actions.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Potions</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• If you’re forced to discard Potions can you use them first? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes, you can spend something before you would have to lose it, but only if it's currently your turn and not during Event resolution.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can Potions be used at the “end of turn”? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>No. Once you’ve dropped a Skull into the Tower, you can’t use Items anymore on that turn, even to deal with Skulls or Events.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• Do Adversaries count as "Foes" for the purposes of the Potions that let you move Foes around? What about the Treasure that lets you spend Spirit equal to the level of the Foe to remove it? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Yes," to moving them via Potions but "No" to that particular effect since Adversaries can only be defeated by Battling them.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Specific Items</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lamp of Hope</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Do you have to be on a space with Skulls to use the "Lamp of Hope"? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>You can use the Lamp in any space, even one without a Building. To be more technical, you can take the Cleanse action as if you were on any space.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oakstone Bow</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can you use the Oakstone Bow on an Adversary at a distance? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. Adversaries are considered to be Foes and you get the terrain Advantage from the adjacent space that you're attacking from.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can you combine the Bow’s effect with the Companion Hakon? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>If you're on a space with a Building, you'd get the Companion's Advantages too. Just like with the terrain Advantages, if the Foe is on Advantageous space but you're using the Bow on an adjacent space you won't get those particular Advantages.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lamp of Darkness</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can you use the Lamp to remove a foe from the board mid-battle? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>No.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Adversaries</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• How do Retreats work in Adversary battles? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Adversary battles works the same way as any other battle against a Foe. Their deck is shuffled, you draw cards equal to their level and then you try to resolve those cards. The only difference with the Adversary is that you can retreat after resolving a card and any Advantages you applied to a particular card remain, i.e., if you upgrade a card, it stays upgraded. Note that the Adversary’s cards start at "Lethal" level. If you apply Advantages to a card, they are tracked by the decrementing dots. So, when you draw a Battle Card in a future battle, you can immediately tell the card’s level and whether or not it was improved just by looking at the dots.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Companions</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can you have multiple Companions? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Specific Companions</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Zaida</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Are you able to use Zaida the Efreet ability to spend 1 Treasure to gain +3 Wild Advantages in the middle of a Battle, or in the middle of a card? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. You can actually do it in response to a card because you don't resolve the card until after you are done upgrading it. So, if you had a Battle Card that said "Lose 1 Treasure", you could spend a Treasure to gain 3 Wild Advantages and then spend those to upgrade that card. In fact, that's a great strategy since you're going to be forced to discard the Treasure anyway. By using Zaida's ability to get 3 Advantages for it, you can upgrade that card and potentially gain something if you fully upgrade it.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Grigor and Yana</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• When I best them, do I then gain them as Companions? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yana</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Does Yana’s ability mean that you never lose more than one Corruption over the course of an entire Battle, regardless of how many cards you can't fulfill? I.E. you can't gain more than one Corruption? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Correct. Take note that this ability only applies to level 2, 3 or 4 Foes.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Isa</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Isa offered us a deal where one of the choices was to “collectively” lose Warriors. What happens if we don’t have enough Warriors altogether? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Players lose all of their available Warriors, and then each player who couldn't satisfy the entire requirement gains a Corruption. Note that this is a rare special occasion which involves “collective” losses.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Dungeons</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can you use your Kingdom Virtue in a Dungeon if it's on your terrain type? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• You can spend only 1 Advantage per Dungeon room and terrain Advantages apply as per the keyword on the Dungeon tile.</div><div><br /></div><div>• Dungeon rooms do not count as Battle Cards for the purpose of Gear effects, etc. I.E. you can’t use Leather Armour to reduce Hero loss in a dungeon, only against your Foe's Battle Cards.</div><div><br /></div><div>• In the dungeon exploration example on page 9 of the rulebook, it shows you losing your Longsword in the first room, but then using its Advantage in the second room. Is this a typo, or am I missing something? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>You always calculate your Advantages before taking your Heroic Action. If you spend or lose the source of an Advantage in the middle of an Action, the Advantage still applies until the end of the Action. In fact, some game effects allow you to gain more Advantages in the middle of a Heroic Action. You can spend up to 10 Advantages during a Heroic Action.</i></div></span><span><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Heroic Actions</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cleanse</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• You can only Cleanse in a space with Skulls.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Moving</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• What happens if a Hero's base Move changes, say by gaining or losing their "Trusted Maps" partway through their Move? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>This effect does not apply until your next turn.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Advantages</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• What's the difference between Spending Advantages and Spending Items? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>When you spend an Advantage, you don't return the Item that created it. For example, if you have a Quest which requires you to spend 4 Magic Advantages, you just need the Advantages when you perform the Quest Heroic Action. If the source of the Advantage requires you to spend the Item to receive the advantage, then return that item back to its appropriate place. If the Advantage is automatic (indicated by a black arrow on cards), you don't need to spend (or discard) the source of the Advantage in order to get it. Another example: if a Companion grants +2 Wild Advantages while in the Hills, and the Quest is in a Hills space, you automatically have those 2 Advantages to apply to the Quest's requirements. Example #3: if a Treasure card says: "Spend to gain +4 Magic Advantages", and you need those Magic Advantages to complete your current Quest, you can spend (I.E. discard) that Treasure to gain those 4 Magic Advantages.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>Foes, Adversaries and Battling</b></u></div><div><br /></div><div>• Even if you don’t have enough of a resource, remember to remove as much of that resource as you can. For example: if a card requires 1 Potion and 15 Warriors and you have a Potion and 12 Warriors, remove the Potion and the 12 Warriors and then take a single Corruption. Please note that you can only gain one Corruption per failed card. </div><div><br /></div><div>• Adversaries can’t be removed with a “Remove a Foe” effect. They can only be defeated in Battle. </div><div><br /></div><div>• When Moving monsters do you have to move them towards buildings? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>No, it's the player's choice.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• If a Battle Card gives me an Item that provides an Advantage that I can used against that type of Foe, can I use it in the current battle? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. You can use Advantages you gain during a battle in that battle.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• If a Battle Card causes me to lose an Item that gave me an Advantage against that current foe, can I still use that Advantage in the current battle? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. You calculate your Advantages when you take the Heroic Action. If you lose the source of an Advantage, you do not lose the Advantage and can still spend it on a subsequent Battle Card in that Battle.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Specific Foes</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dragons</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• "The Dragon Strike!" Event says "lose a Treasure if the Dragon is in your Kingdom." It should read: "Each Hero with a Dragon in their current Kingdom loses a Treasure."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Shadow Wolves </b></div><div><br /></div><div>• How do I resolve their “Strike”? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>If a Shadow Wolf is adjacent to a space with a hero, the Wolf moves to that space. Then, each Hero loses 3 Warriors for each Shadow Wolf on their space. If there were no Shadow Wolves on or adjacent to a Hero then no Wolves are moved and nothing happens.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Corruption</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Can I gain a Corruption from an effect that does not make me lose Items or resources? For example, if an Event requires me to place 2 Skulls on a particular Building and that Building is destroyed, do I gain a Corruption? What happens to the Skulls? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The two most common ways you gain a Corruption are : when a Battle Card, Dungeon room, Event, or other game effect causes you to lose things that you don’t have or when a Building is destroyed by the placement of a fourth Skull. You cannot gain more than 1 Corruption from a single Battle Card, Dungeon room, or Event. Take as many losses or place as many Skulls as you can, and then take a Corruption. Any Skulls you cannot place are removed from the game. You gain a Corruption each time a Building in your Home Kingdom is destroyed. So, in the example above, you would gain a Corruption because you needed to place Skulls on a destroyed Building. Even though there were 2 Skulls to place y</i><i>ou only gain one Corruption </i><i>and they're removed from the game.</i></div></span><span><div><br /></div><div>• You gain a Corruption when you cannot fully resolve an Event, Battle Card, or Dungeon room. Some effects affect multiple players. Each player who can't fully resolve it resolves as much as they can and gains a Corruption.</div><div><br /></div><div>• During a Battle with a Foe, I gained a Corruption card that limits you to spending 4 Advantages per turn. Would this take place immediately? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Yes. If you've already spent 4 or more Advantages, you can't spend any more for the rest of that turn, including the rest of a Battle that you're already in. It's true that you don't lose Advantages you've already generated, but this Corruption limits how many you can spend. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Virtues</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• When you are instructed to lose a Virtue, does that mean remove one from the game or flip an active Virtue tile to its inactive side? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>You have to select either your Champion Virtue, or one Character Virtue that you've already unlocked, and remove it from the game.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Seals</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• When the app tells me to remove a Seal on the Tower, how do I know which Seal to remove? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Tower will do a brief light animation and then a set of lights will stay lit. The two lights on the edge of the Tower show you which face of the Tower the Seal is on. Then, look to see which specific Seal is lit up from behind to know which one to remove. The lights on the edge are near the bottom Seal, but that might not be the specific Seal to remove. The Seal light might be harder to see if your room is very brightly lit or you're looking at the Tower from a higher angle.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• The rules state that you suffer the penalty of the Seal if it’s facing you, but sometimes it's lit up and other times it's not. Does the penalty still apply if it's not lit? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The lighting is not relevant to the rule but merely for show (and to make them easier to see). That said, revealed Glyphs should be lit. Make sure you’re removing the correct Seal when that Event pops up. Also note that the -1 Spirit Seal penalty is specific to the player seated facing it and location of that player's Character on the board is irrelevant. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Skulls, Building and Events</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• What if there are no Buildings to place Skulls on when they come out of the Tower? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>If a non-active player has no Buildings in their Kingdom already, and Skulls come out in their Kingdom, then the active player (the one who drops the Skulls) gets a single Corruption and all the Skulls are removed from the game. The non-active player will only get a Corruption for each Building destroyed in their Kingdom. If there are no Buildings, then no Corruption for the non-active player.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• You can resolve Skull placements in any order you choose.</div><div><br /></div><div>• If a structure is destroyed in a Dormant Kingdom after a fourth Skull was placed on it, no one gets a Corruption. But what happens to the fourth Skull? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The structure and the three Skulls on it are removed from the game and the fourth Skull gets put back into inventory.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• You end your turn with a Skull drop into the Tower and an Event triggers. Who does the event apply to? You or the next player? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The player who dropped the Skull into the Tower makes any required choices.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• Events are the last part of a player's turn, i.e., the player who just went.</div><div><br /></div><div>• Does an effect that places a Skull "in every building in the Kingdom" result in Corruption if one or more Buildings in that Kingdom are already destroyed? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>These effects now say "4 Buildings" instead of "each Building". So, under the Corruption rules as clarified, you would get a Corruption because you would be required to place a Skull on a destroyed Building. Remove that Skull from the game and take a Corruption.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Haggle Die</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Glyph Cost: You pay for the Glyph when you decide to take the Reinforce action. Then you can roll the Haggle Die. If it's cancelled, you still lose that Spirit. You do not need to pay for the upgraded Reinforce if it's cancelled.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>End of Game</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>• The game ends only when a player can’t throw a Skull in the Tower at the end of a turn, not when the supply runs out!</div></span></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-38387134349772402352022-01-29T10:00:00.005-08:002022-01-29T10:00:49.070-08:00The Story for Far - Part 14 - "Accidental Allies" <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing
series recapping the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign
that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found
here: </i><br />
<i><br />
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Prologue</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 1</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 2</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 3</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 4</span></a> </i></span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 5</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 6</span></a> <a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 7</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 8</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-nine-vermin.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 9 </span></a></span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-ten-death-in.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 10</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-story-so-far-part-eleven-sometimes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part 11</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-story-so-far-part-twelve-running.html" target="_blank">Part 12</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-story-so-far-part-13-crisis.html" target="_blank">Part 13</a> </span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;">I've
"fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make
them more "entertaining." </span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And
now, our story continues...</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><span lang="EN-CA" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Earthday,
Earthlife 1st, 1492-supplemental</span></u></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the Fellowship made their way through town, they got to know their guide a little bit.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Kirbin Thornn</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">played by Mark</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Race: Human</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Class: Ranger</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Height: 5'10'</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Weight: 185 lbs</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eyes: Brown</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hair: Brown</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOuWnzdyr0OlO3CM50eDFPHmtqElbyxZMXfdCmFrHYp7PGMq1Pkpud-HJdQgDhIoMIRQtavqt9xkrEL3VFz-RJK7N8sFyk76O8Rw1cX5xisA-O6FotdzV7b4av3Goca8ogvCG9QmWVUS3ab2BTHPC6Mn3LeS5OQMPXeoHvSHG4IPtDM5QXch-laC0-=s912" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOuWnzdyr0OlO3CM50eDFPHmtqElbyxZMXfdCmFrHYp7PGMq1Pkpud-HJdQgDhIoMIRQtavqt9xkrEL3VFz-RJK7N8sFyk76O8Rw1cX5xisA-O6FotdzV7b4av3Goca8ogvCG9QmWVUS3ab2BTHPC6Mn3LeS5OQMPXeoHvSHG4IPtDM5QXch-laC0-=w323-h400" width="323" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />"So, Kerbin," Lorelei began, her voice leaden with equal parts hangover and suspicion. "What exactly do you do at this camp?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Whatever needs doing," the ranger replied, his furtive eyes appraising every passer-by for a hint of threat. "Mostly I'm a chopper, cutting roads to new clearing sites, but lately I've had my hands full defending the camp from orcs...and trying to deal with all of these accidents."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Has it always been that way?" Pol inquired.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kerbin stifled a chuckle before responding to the warrior.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, I'd be lying if I said that the boys weren't naturally rough and accident-prone. But lately it's been terrible, with three or four mishaps a day. If it keeps up, we won't have anyone healthy enough to work."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"When did this start?" Roman pursued, nimbly dancing out of the way of a matronly old woman carrying a brace of rabbits.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"A week or two, I suppose." the ranger replied, distracted by their sudden diversion away from the market. "Where are we headed, by the way?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"The abbey," Roman replied. "I need to check on someone before we leave."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the group entered the infirmary, they were taken aback to see Elster speaking to another dwarf. At first glance, they thought that Giran Oakenshield had experienced a miraculous overnight recovery and was now up and about. But, upon closer inspection, the adventures saw that the lord of Kiras Toth was still lying in state and this new dwarf had a conspicuously-absent facial feature. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Korrick the Beardless</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">played by Matt</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Race: Hill Dwarf</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Class: Paladin</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Age: 42 </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Height: 4'4"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Weight: 210 lbs</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eyes: Brown</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hair: Black</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUZUAi5ALQZiAH9xRPfFUONUBkYU1fC8eOiVhTHXKtsGL6IKz1kkYIpL3mEOJTpND8zLQEcoYkVQMmvZXEi9nIvtsemcUG5g5oMua5KiN4rF7mzS_Gw9CNKHUgFEDAqHJqOC8WNq6odTDJG3ramIx6DQuvj-A9D6khQXTt7vPRTLWUJU_oP5EnZKwC=s748" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="748" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUZUAi5ALQZiAH9xRPfFUONUBkYU1fC8eOiVhTHXKtsGL6IKz1kkYIpL3mEOJTpND8zLQEcoYkVQMmvZXEi9nIvtsemcUG5g5oMua5KiN4rF7mzS_Gw9CNKHUgFEDAqHJqOC8WNq6odTDJG3ramIx6DQuvj-A9D6khQXTt7vPRTLWUJU_oP5EnZKwC=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Elster looked surprised and relieved when his allies appeared in the doorway. This was replaced by mild panic as the Fellowship instinctively started to back away, assuming that they'd interrupted something. Seeing this, Elster frantically gestured for them to come in and, when they hesitated for a second, he rushed over and physically ushered them into the room, as if desperate for reinforcements. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Good day, my dear friends!" he entreated. "Come in, come in...you simply must meet this fascinating young man. I'd like to introduce Ser Korrick of Deepdelve!"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The adventurers slowly coalesced around the wide-eyed stranger, shaking his hand and exchanging names when prompted.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"So, what brings you here, Korrick?" Roman asked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The dwarf suddenly looked like he'd been caught in a bullseye lantern while trying to a filch an apple. He looked sheepish and stammered for a bit before answering. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, my master, Father Aeolyn, gave me a quest to go away from him and check up on things down south. But, when I got there, I saw that everything was all wrecked. So, after about a day or so, the guards gave me a new quest...to leave where they were and come here to check up on Mister Oakeyshield. So here I am!"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the resulting gulf of awkward silence that followed, the Fellowship exchanged quizzical looks. Elster chuckled awkwardly. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, that's quite the noble quest," the dwarven cleric said. "<i>Aaaand</i>, now that you've completed it, perhaps you should go back to Kiras Toth and update everyone there on his condition."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Or," Roman said. "You could come with us. We've got a new quest and you're welcome to come along..."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All too late, Roman noticed that Elster had melted into the background and was desperately miming what appeared to be a stark warning. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"...that is, if you're, <i>um</i>, interested." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Upon hearing this, Korrick's eyes got as big as saucers and he exchanged excited looks with all of his new friends. When the new arrival happened to glance backin Elster's direction, the dwarven cleric's facial expression instantly flipped from vague horror to a nailed-on smile, followed by a spontaneous thumbs-up.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When Korrick looked back to the group, Roman actually felt the flurry of daggers that Elster launched from his eyes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman watched intently as Elster puttered about his temporary quarters, preparing himself for departure.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I'm sorry," the priest lamented. "I just though he could be of help."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The dwarf gave a world-weary sigh as he shoved a tinderbox into his backpack.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I should be the one apologizing, lad," Elster said. "I only spent a few hours with the boy this morning, so I shouldn't be so quick to judge him." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman scuffed the toe of his boot on the flagstone floor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Do you trust him?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Elster spluttered in reaction to this question.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Moradin's Beard, Roman!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air. "You were there! You met him! What do you think?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The dwarf pointed vaguely towards at a multi-pouch belt hanging from a clothing rack in the corner of the room. Getting the signal, Roman retrieved and delivered it to his friend as Elster kicked off his sandals and dug his adventuring boots out from underneath his cot.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I'd say that he's as transparent as an Unseen Servant."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Precisely!" Elster replied. "He's just young and green...and he's got a tongue on him like a clapper on a cow-bell. He never shuts up! Told me his entire life story this morning. Apparently he comes from a long line of talented masons in Deepdelve but he failed his apprenticeship and was effectively exiled from the city. Eventually he fell in with some transient human hermit and became a devotee of Heironeous, of all things."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman chuckled as he helped Elster into his chainmail tunic.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"He must be confused," the priest said. "No human being has ever traveled that far north. He probably mistook this Aeolyn character for a really tall dwarf." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I can only tell you what he told me," Elster returned, donning his tabard of silver and earthen hues. "Sounds like his mentor was a bit of an ass to him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he sent the boy out here all alone on a quest just to get rid of him." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman's whistle was cut short by a grunt as he tried to heft his friend's backpack up and nearly bowled over from the weight.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Wow, that's pretty cold. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">What do you have in here, gold bullion?</span><span style="font-size: medium;">"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Poor lad didn't fare much better at Kiras Toth. He actually told me that the guards 'liked him so much there that they gave him a nickname'."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Oh, no," Roman winced. "What was it?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"<i>Ore-for-brains,</i>" Elster said with a sour expression. "Sure, the lad might be a bit dim, but that's just plain cruel."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman clucked his disapproval and handed Elster his shield, emblazoned with the sigil of a hammer and anvil.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"So, do you really think you can find this unicorn?" the dwarf quizzed. "And, more importantly, do you think it can actually help Giran?" </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman scrubbed his jaw with the palm of his hand, alarmed by the amount of stubble on his face. When was the last time he had a moment to himself, let alone to shave?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, if you believe this ranger, the creature might as well be the camp's mascot. And I've seen the healing power of the unicorn first hand."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, that's good enough for me," Elster pronounced, patting his ally's arm as he <i>clinked</i> and <i>clanked</i> towards the door. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As they passed by a familiar cell, Roman was suddenly reminded of something. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Hold up, I'd better check in with Moira. Something seemed to be bothering her the last time we spoke..."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Good luck finding her," Elster replied. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of her. For all intents and purposes, Regis seems to be running the show here right now."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Troubled to hear this, Roman made a silent vow to sit down with Moira upon his return and extract the truth from her. Like an abscessed tooth, if need be.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a shared look of resolve, the pair left the abbey and headed off to the shopping quarter to find their allies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Wait, how much did you say it was?" Lorelei asked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Two <i>thousand</i> crowns!" Bria raged, kicking a rock out of her path. It clipped a fern and disappeared into the lush undergrowth.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"That's pretty steep." Pol observed, looking over Kerbin's shoulder to keep a sharp eye on the trail ahead.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Right?!?" the thief replied. "What really galls me is that it would be at least half that price in Footholde, but Salim says it's because it costs so much to ship it to Castebridge. <i>Blah...blah...blah</i>...I mean, twelve-hundred, maybe, but double the price? That's highway robbery!" </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"<i>Hmmm</i>," Lorelei sneered, taking in a deep lungful of air in an effort to offset her lingering headache. "I would have thought that you, of all people, would appreciate a bit of 'highway robbery'." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bria glared at before before resuming her rant.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"So, I tells him, how about five-hundred? And then he just freaks out...ranting and raving about how I don't understand, how I'm trying to ruin him financially and make his kids go hungry and blind. I asked him to be reasonable but he just started waving his hands in front of my face and saying 'No! No! I'm done with you...you talk to my wife!' and then he just walked away!"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"And that's when she got the broom out, huh?" Roman asked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Yup," Bria said, picking up and throwing another pebble, this time at a nearby tree. "Barely got out of there with my life."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"So what are you going to do now?" Pol quizzed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Upon hearing this, Bria merrily skipped over to the fighter, as if everything she'd been saying up to that point was an elaborate set up for what she did next. Pol half-watched as the thief started counting off her digits as she unfurled them one at a time from a tight fist.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Five finger discount," she announced proudly, holding up and waving her open hand.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All of a sudden, Korrick stopped walking, plugged his ears with two chubby fingers and started singing at the top of his cracking voice. Everyone turned and stared at him, wondering if their new foundling was having some sort of mental breakdown. As soon as all eyes were upon him, the beardless dwarf stopped his caterwauling and tentatively spoke up. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I'm sorry, Miss Bria," Korrick said, his face looking dire. "But it's not very nice to steal from people. If you do that, Mister Salim's kids really would go hungry."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The thief blinked at the dwarf as if he were speaking in some foreign language.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Um, yeah," she said, dismissing Korrick's intense gaze with the wave of her hand, which she now looked at awkwardly. "I mean, I was, um...I was just kidding."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After sharing a hushed conversation with a clearly-irritated ranger, Roman cleared his throat and gestured for the Fellowship to resume walking.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Sorry, but can we just pick up the pace a little bit here?" he asked. "Between all of the dawdling and yodeling, it's a minor miracle that we haven't been set upon by orcs...or something worse. Come on, Kerbin tells me that the camp is just around the next bend."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Thank Khalreshaar," Lorelei proclaimed, casting her eyes skyward to the canopy of trees overhead. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As they resumed their march, Korrick sidled over to Roman and Pol. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Notwithstanding the obvious impact on the wronged merchant, the concept of theft being a victimless crime is actually a myth since shop-keeps are often forced to increase their mean prices in order to compensate for such attrition." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With this critical footnote now delivered, the young dwarf double-timed his pace in order to catch up to Elster. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"He's a special one," Pol observed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman nodded aggressively as Kerbin led them around the bend. All at once, the group found themselves strolling towards a cluster of six building. As they drew closer, they could see that every structure was constructed from large, stacked timber logs sealed together by some sort of crude mortar. Thick boards made up the roofs and and gable ends. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidjMYO7jhO4JuU3WO8YiBcia8IH29JY7MR7Vc5OZ6tXEVBbTDIV20mo2szQDd7WbnfpAaoPhM2U8-Dyw6F-LuUM7r6uWgf13pgN6tFl6nL8iRcV3yXxhUyK2JBqf8sxoNbnVOY5-oboxOQepFvFiGHmK-4R6DzeV_MwZJ1qyeLYSJnatdIAX52x7DW=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidjMYO7jhO4JuU3WO8YiBcia8IH29JY7MR7Vc5OZ6tXEVBbTDIV20mo2szQDd7WbnfpAaoPhM2U8-Dyw6F-LuUM7r6uWgf13pgN6tFl6nL8iRcV3yXxhUyK2JBqf8sxoNbnVOY5-oboxOQepFvFiGHmK-4R6DzeV_MwZJ1qyeLYSJnatdIAX52x7DW=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Let me give you a quick tour," Kerbin said, pointing to each structure in turn. "That small one in the middle there belongs to Beren, the foreman. He lives there with his wife, Wilhemina. That other small hut is the van, or general store. It's run by Vestine, the camp's medic. She's the one who's partnered up with the unicorn."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The ranger paused before showcasing the larger buildings.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"That long house is the men's camp, where everyone sleeps. And, if you're wondering where all of those tantalizing smells are coming from, that would be the cook camp, over there. Likely that's where everyone is at this late hour."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pol's stomach growled audibly and Lorelei hoped that her mild nausea might actually be a sign of hunger. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Finally, over there you'll see the smithy, run by Denn. And, that's the barn, obviously."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The collective eyes of the Fellowship fell upon a large message painted on the latter structure's proverbial broadside. It read:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">4 </span><strike style="font-family: georgia;">Days</strike><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Hours Since Our Last Accident</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just seconds after digesting this, a ramshackle cart driven by a lone teamster suddenly whipped into view, blazing towards the cook house. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"<i>Oi!</i>" yelled the driver. "You falking bastiges bedder not 'ave eat all the beans on me!"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Without warning, the hub rivets suddenly popped out of the flange on the right wheel of the cart, sending it skipping off towards the cook house. With the horses still in full gallop, the cart immediately twisted, launching the lumberjack face-first into the dirt as the rogue wheel careened through the front door of the cookhouse like it was made out of paper.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roman, Elster and Korrick immediately ran over to the teamster laying face down in the dirt and managed to stabilize him, although they could do precious little for his missing orthodontics. As the dust settled, the camp's inhabitants slowly began to filter out of the shattered cookhouse door, brandishing cutlery and faces heavy with resignation. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead of looking shocked by either the carnage around them or the presence of strangers in their camp, the lumberjacks just stood around and sighed. Eventually one of them, whom the adventurers recognized as Beren, shuffled warily over to the barn, went inside, emerged with a paint can and brush and then proceeded to make an addendum to the message on the clapboard. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">4 </span><strike style="font-family: georgia;">Days</strike><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <strike>Hours</strike> Minutes Since Our Last Accident</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Next up: the adventurers try to solve the mystery of the camp's misfortunes and attempt to find the unicorn before time runs out!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kerbin: <a href="https://oldschoolroleplaying.com/rangers-in-dungeons-and-dragons/">https://oldschoolroleplaying.com/rangers-in-dungeons-and-dragons/</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Korrick: <a href="https://fextralife.com/forums/p3266928/attempt-at-a-pretty-dwarf--an-exercise-of-minmaxing-sliders/">https://fextralife.com/forums/p3266928/attempt-at-a-pretty-dwarf--an-exercise-of-minmaxing-sliders/</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Logging Camp: <a href="https://www.mainewoodlandowners.org/articles/writing-on-an-old-logging-camp">https://www.mainewoodlandowners.org/articles/writing-on-an-old-logging-camp</a></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-54798632877346189032022-01-24T12:28:00.006-08:002022-02-01T18:34:32.758-08:00The Eurogame Theatre of War - Undaunted: Normandy<p><span style="font-size: medium;">In the past, I've talked about how I was born a bit too late for the <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/oop-1-axis-allies-europe-first-edition.html" target="_blank">wargame fad of the 60's and 70's</a> but my interest in World War II drove a life-long obsession to find the best game in that category. <i>Axis & Allies</i> (and its various permutations) whet my appetite but, in the intervening years, I've also test-driven titles as varied as <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258210/blitzkrieg-world-war-two-20-minutes" target="_blank">Blitzkrieg!</a></i>, <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/slaying-private-ryan-combat-commander.html" target="_blank">Combat Commander: Europe</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/132028/conflict-heroes-awakening-bear-operation-barbaross" target="_blank">Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10630/memoir-44" target="_blank">Memoir '44</a></i> and <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22825/tide-iron" target="_blank">Tide of Iron</a></i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The latest contender for this prestigious title is the </span><i>Undaunted</i><span> series of games. Full disclosure: I actually picked up </span><i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/290359/undaunted-north-africa" target="_blank">North Africa</a></i><span> first because the sequel boasted more varied game play than </span><i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/268864/undaunted-normandy" target="_blank">Normandy</a>...aaaand</i><span> I'm also sick and tired of game designers and film-makers trying to convince everyone on the planet that 'Murica single-handedly won World War II all by themselves.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAn4RzwBIQ7tFCHD14QeBO4aw9f5bXC4vDZGPPY-mrDPmcfLJi6IAfaPM43AtACIubdbilrhUdeggOQZ7pcCdmIurdjx7IHnoh0w3Pjzi0pTcNtBOPl4xZcA7wsuRfW7SZnZPxFtC6fKJptGt2imJXTRrOOrnvFCEkKVrP09Dl_mMJObLxtdvqXlMB=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1405" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAn4RzwBIQ7tFCHD14QeBO4aw9f5bXC4vDZGPPY-mrDPmcfLJi6IAfaPM43AtACIubdbilrhUdeggOQZ7pcCdmIurdjx7IHnoh0w3Pjzi0pTcNtBOPl4xZcA7wsuRfW7SZnZPxFtC6fKJptGt2imJXTRrOOrnvFCEkKVrP09Dl_mMJObLxtdvqXlMB=w440-h640" width="440" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what does this one bring to the table? Well, here's the mission briefing straight from the General's bullhorn:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>June, 1944. Through the D-Day landings, the Allies have seized a foothold on the beaches of Normandy. Now you must lead your troops forward as you push deeper into France and drive the German forces back. You will face intense resistance, machine gun fire, and mortar bombardment, but a great commander can turn the situation to their advantage!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Undaunted: Normandy<i> is the best-selling World War II deck-building game, placing you and your opponent in command of American or German forces fighting through a series of missions critical to the outcome of the war. Use your cards to seize the initiative, bolster your forces, or control your troops on the battlefield. Strong leadership can turn the tide of battle in your favour, but reckless decisions could prove catastrophic, as every casualty you take removes a card from your deck. Take charge amidst the chaos of battle, hold fast in the face of opposition, and remain undaunted. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking for the full campaign battle plan? Then click on the following <a href="https://tesera.ru/images/items/1566862/LR_Undaunted_Normandy_Rulebook.pdf" target="_blank">link</a> to hit the landing beach full-force! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Undaunted: Normandy Play-Thorough</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Scenario 1: La Raye</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibzGjMR3llYaGVetnlgYXJVqSiZfhltZHOUVZFDaXRZRlPikpCktjGVEoPeD4PvQGfBBdcHGEyBy7Re_jjjS8xR0H7Cxo9-3BD6YK74AtMpyMoPRwv0U3NdNCnvNO7_VF9W92M2hMLANR4fEtNm5JxlnAdGXjJYi73ellhvQUM8DOi8LRFB1ujomTg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="2048" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibzGjMR3llYaGVetnlgYXJVqSiZfhltZHOUVZFDaXRZRlPikpCktjGVEoPeD4PvQGfBBdcHGEyBy7Re_jjjS8xR0H7Cxo9-3BD6YK74AtMpyMoPRwv0U3NdNCnvNO7_VF9W92M2hMLANR4fEtNm5JxlnAdGXjJYi73ellhvQUM8DOi8LRFB1ujomTg=w640-h620" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 1</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: The American's start with Initiative. In the first face-off, the U.S. reveals a 5-point Rifleman and the Germans reveal a 1-point Fog of War. Since the Americans played the higher value, they retain the Initiative token. Both cards are then discarded.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The American Platoon Sergeant does a Bolster Action and, since it doesn’t specify a certain unit, he adds a Company-A Rifleman as well as both A and B Scouts from Supply to his discard pile. He then plays the A Scout to...<i>um</i>, Scout, moving the matching token to tile 16B. He adds a Control Marker, binoculars side up, to that tile and also takes a Fog of War card from Supply and adds it to his discard pile. Finally, in an effort to cover the Scout, Rifleman B uses Suppressive fire on his German rival on tile 5B. He needs to roll a Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 2 = 7 and gets a “0” - I.E. a “10” - and the German token is flipped to its “Suppressed” side.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The German player counters with his own Platoon Sergeant, this time using his Command Action to draw 2 more cards! After playing a Rifleman B to shake off that unit's Suppression, he tables a Squad Leader B for his Inspire Action, which let's him pick up and re-play the newly-rallied unit for an Attack on the American A-Scout lurking on 16B. He needs a "10" to hit (</span><span>Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus 2 + Range Bonus 3) and, b</span><span>y some miracle, he actually rolls a “10”. As a result, the U.S. player is forced to remove one of his A-Scout cards from his deck and discard it from the game. The German player then drops a Scout B to do a Conceal Action, which lets him take a Fog of War Card from the U.S. supply and add it to their discard pile! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 2</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Initiative: </span><span>It’s a 1-value American Fog of War versus a 5-point German Rifleman, so the Germans seize the Initiative.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">German Squad Leader A does a Bolster Action, letting him add a Company-A Rifleman and Scout to his discard pile. Next up, he plays a Scout A and B card to Move both of their matching Combat Tokens to tile 8A.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Americans play their own Scout Leader A, taking a Bolster Action to add a replacement A-Scout and a Rifleman A card to their discard pile. Scout B then does a Recon Action to throw the Fog of War in his hand out of the game. (NOTE: </span><span>After doing this, you're supposed to draw a replacement card from </span><span>your deck, which can be played as normal on that same turn!)</span><span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 3</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: The revealed cards are a 7-point US Squad Leader B versus a 1-point German Fog. The Americans take the Initiative back!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first U.S. Rifleman A card tabled gets him to tile 2B and a second matching card helps him Control that site! The Americans now hold their first Objective Point! Meanwhile, Scout A considers firing at his rival approaching from the east, but since the odds of rolling a "9" are a bit too remote, he just does a Conceal action, adding a Fog of War card to the German discard pile!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The German Platoon Sergeant Commands for a Rifleman-B card and another Fog of War! Via a Bolster Action, </span><span>Squad Leader B adds a B-company Scout and Rifleman to the discard pile</span><span>. Rifleman B then uses a Move Action to join the two Scouts on 8A.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 4</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Initiative: </span><span>Both factions reveal a Fog of War. With this tie, the Americans retain the token! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The American Platoon Sergeant Commands for 2 more cards, picking up a Squad Leader-A and a B-Company Scout. Scout B then reaches 13B with a Scout Action, adding a (stage one) Control Token to that space and a Fog of War Card to their discard pile. Rifleman A then uses a Move Action and re-positions to 16B. Squad Leader A then uses an Inspire Action to replay the same Rifleman for a Control Action, securing that tile and their second Objective Point! Finally, Rifleman B uses a Move Action to join the Scout on 13B.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>German Rifleman A Moves from 8A and then plays another matching card to fire at Rifleman B, hoping for a kill. He needs to roll </span><span>Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1 = 6. He dials up a "</span><span>4", which is a miss! Scout B also fires at the same target, attempting Suppression this time. He gets a "7", which successfully flips the matching Combat Counter to the "Suppressed" side. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJoRl3Ai74paBEvbtkpleqhimm8w4jU9ed6zFWgVf70Jtp5aFyo7uCT7xUaflnc_AibtjyBY5i6rtkHEdAv12OgWLyIxKJ97p30GQ8JL0buZhZSRgIPEqVHCudLjfMwWnR02etaG_zRQDz5MI-nLPSS4OBxn9x8o45zsTjbgH2XGhFnXZ4jA_4o2po=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="2048" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJoRl3Ai74paBEvbtkpleqhimm8w4jU9ed6zFWgVf70Jtp5aFyo7uCT7xUaflnc_AibtjyBY5i6rtkHEdAv12OgWLyIxKJ97p30GQ8JL0buZhZSRgIPEqVHCudLjfMwWnR02etaG_zRQDz5MI-nLPSS4OBxn9x8o45zsTjbgH2XGhFnXZ4jA_4o2po=w640-h488" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 5</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: The Americans reveal a Fog of War while the Germans flip over a B-Scout to take the first turn of the round!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Germans lead with a Bolster Action from their A-Company Squad Leader. This lets them take two A-Riflemen from their Supply and add them to their discard pile. Scout A fires at Scout B, who's hunkered down on 13B. They need a 7 to hit (</span><span>Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1 = 7</span><span>) and get a 2. They fire again and get another 2! Both misses!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">American Scout A sneaks onto 6A, placing a binocular-side Scout marker down on the tile while adding a pesky Fog of War Card to their discard pile. They then use a Recon action to turf the Fog of War card that's currently in their hand. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 6</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: Both factions play a Fog of War so the Germans retain the lead! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Squad Leader B takes the Bolster Action and adds a B-Company Scout and a Rifleman to his discard pile. Rifleman A then fires at Scout B positioned on tile 13B rolls a “10”...a hit! The U.S. player doesn’t have a Scout B card in hand <i>or</i> the discard pile, so he’s forced to remove it from his deck!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The American Platoon Sergeant uses a Command Action to draw 2 more cards, picking up Rifleman A and B cards. He then uses a Rifleman A card to Move onto 6A then plays a Squad Leader A to Inspire, replaying the Rifleman to Control that tile! The Americans now have 4 Objective Points! He then plays a Rifleman B card to rally from Suppression and follows this up with a Rifleman A card, which lets him Move from 6A to 16B.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 7</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: Again, 2 Fog of War cards are revealed, leaving the Germans with the first moves of the round! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Germans play their own Platoon Sergeant for his Command Ability, drawing a B-Company Rifleman and Scout. They play the Scout to enter 13B, also placing a Control Marker (on the stage one / binoculars side up!) and then adding a Fog of War card to their discard pile. Rifleman A then takes a pot-shot at enemy Rifleman B and, with a </span><span>Base Defense of 4 plus a combined Cover and Range Bonus of 2, </span><span>the number to hit is "6." </span><span>He gets a “4”...a miss! The first Rifleman B tabled then Moves his Combat Counter onto 13B and a second matching card lets him fire at his rival. He needs a 5 to hit (</span><span>+1 Cover , 0 Range and +4 Base Defense) and gets a “3”...another miss!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">U.S. Scout A does a Recon Action, eliminating one of the Fog of War cards in his hand from the game. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 8</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: Again, 2 Fog of War cards are played, leaving the Germans with the jump on their rivals!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">German Scout B attacks American Scout B. He needs a “6” or more and get a “5”...a miss! German Rifleman B shoots at American Scout B and gets a “1”...another miss! <i>Dafuq?</i> Squad Leader B then does an Inspire Action, letting Rifleman B fire again. This time he finally hits with a “10”! Since there isn’t a Scout B card in the American player’s hand or discard pile, he's forced to remove it from his deck!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For the U.S. forces, Squad Leader B adds both a B-Company Rifleman Scout to his discard pile with a Bolster Action. He then uses Rifleman A to fire at German Rifleman B on 13B. He needs a 6 or more to hit (Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1) but scores a “4”... a miss!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 9</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: With a face-off between a U.S. Fog of War versus a 7-point German Squad Leader, the Axis retain the Initiative!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>German Rifleman B fires at US Scout B. He needs a 6+ to hit (</span><span>Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus +1 Range Bonus </span><span>0) and rolls an "8"...success! A Scout B card is removed from the American’s draw deck! Sensing a <i>coup de grace</i>, Scout B fires at the same target and gets a “10.” With no other Scout B card to excise from his deck, the American player is forced to remove the Scout B Combat Counter from the board! Finally, the Scout A Rifleman spends his card to Move onto 13B. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>After performing a Scout Action to re-enforce 13B, </span><span>American Scout A </span><span>then uses a matching card to Attack German Rifleman A. He needs a "5+" to hit (Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus +1 Range 0) and gets a "3"...a miss! Rifleman A fires from 16B at the same target, adding +1 for Range. He needs a "6+" but gets a "5"...another miss! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 10</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: The Germans reveal a Fog of War and the Americans flip a 7-point Squad Leader, so the Yanks take the lead!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The U.S. player leads off with his Platoon Sergeant, drawing another B-Company Rifleman and a Fog of War. Rifleman B targets the German Rifleman A and fires, looking to meet or exceed a </span><span>Base Defense of 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range 0 = 5. They score a "</span><span>5"...a hit!!! The German player is forced to throw the matching card in hand out of the game! The American player then drops another B-Company Rifleman and targets the same foe, rolling a “6”...another hit! This time the matching card is located in the German discard pile and thrown out of the game! Rifleman A on 16B piles on, shooting at the same target, but he needs a “6” to hit due to his Range of 1. Nevertheless, he gets an “8” for another hit! Yet another matching card is thrown out of the game, this time from the German draw deck! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With that, the Germans are suddenly thrown back on their heels! Only a B-Company Rifleman can return fire, aiming for his American twin. He gets a “7”...a hit, and a matching card is retrieved from the U.S. discard pile and thrown out of the game!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 11</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: Both the Americans and the Germans reveal Fog of War cards...so the Americans will kick things off again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">First up, Squad Leader B uses a Bolster Action to add two B-Company Rifleman to his discard pile! Rifleman A then fires at German Rifleman A on 13B and rolls an “8”...a hit! The German player is forced to discard that matching card from his and out of the game! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The German Platoon Sergeant uses a Command action to pull 2 new cards, getting two Scout from A-Company. He then plays an A-Scout card to move onto 13B then plays another card to Attack the American B-Rifleman. He rolls a “2”...a miss! Scout “B” fires at the same target, needing a “5” and rolling a “5.” The U.S. player turfs a matching card out of the game from his discard pile. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 12</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: Yet again, the Americans and the Germans both reveal Fog of War cards...so the Americans continue their momentum!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The U.S. plays their Platoon Sergeant to draw two new cards, getting both Squad Leader A and B. The Rifleman-A card Moves his Combat Counter onto 13B and Squad Leader A’s Inspire Action lets him pick-up and replay that same card to Attack German Rifleman A. He gets a “7”...a hit! The German player has no Rifleman A cards left...so the matching Combat Counter is removed from the board! Squad Leader B then Inspires the matching Rifleman to fire on the German B Rifleman...hitting again with a “9.” The German player is forced to select the Rifleman B card in his hand and throw it out of the game! That's another neutered turn!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">German Scouts A and B both target U.S. Rifleman B, rolling a “9” and an “8”...both solid hits! Taken aback, the American player is forced to remove 2 of these matching cards from the game!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 13</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: With both factions revealing Fog of War cards the Americans go first again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Given their mediocre draw, the American player uses his Scout to do a Recon Action and discard one of the two (!) Fog of War cards in his hand out of the game! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, German Rifleman B targets the U.S. Rifleman B and hits with an “8.” Since there are no more Rifleman B cards in his deck, that Combat Counter is removed from the board! Scout A then Attacks U.S. Rifleman A, scoring a hit with a “10”, requiring a matching card to be eliminated. Squad Leader A Inspires him to fire again, but this time he misses with a “2.” </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Round 14</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Initiative: With a 1-point American Fog of War facing off against a 6-point Scout, the Germans take the lead! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">German Rifleman B fires at American Rifleman A, scoring a hit with an “8.” This forces the U.S. player to select a matching card from their hand and eliminate it from the game! Squad Leader B lets him replay that same card for another Attack, rolling a “5”,which is just enough to hit. <i>Boom</i>...another matching card is turfed! Scout B piles on, rolling a “6” for a third coordinated strike! Unfortunately, the American player has no more matching cards in their deck, prompting the removal of the Rifleman A Command Counter from the board. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi5aP41WMlkI6MB8YrMlb4qzCBaJbiOkDl6nj80saylm6iO7Lp27_ernldmJfp55o8c0eHARY7OUQrPd9eaIKK6upxlr3aGjx5J8pdsqxj3_UXRWt7_F2qKYlQOabYhZzu2x1ezWbzUPTr0F4F5fDH0DoVxKVAgSDR4NEHjbtpxSf0sLe8NJSpLrye=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1856" data-original-width="2048" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi5aP41WMlkI6MB8YrMlb4qzCBaJbiOkDl6nj80saylm6iO7Lp27_ernldmJfp55o8c0eHARY7OUQrPd9eaIKK6upxlr3aGjx5J8pdsqxj3_UXRWt7_F2qKYlQOabYhZzu2x1ezWbzUPTr0F4F5fDH0DoVxKVAgSDR4NEHjbtpxSf0sLe8NJSpLrye=w640-h580" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the loss of his last Rifleman, the American player can no longer Control tiles and is considered to be "Pinned." </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Germans win!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">REVIEW</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>PROS</u></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's pretty! The game's components are all top-notch, particularly the terrain tiles and the cards. The artwork by Roland MacDonald is both striking, evocative and very effective.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's fast! Skirmishes can be played out as quickly as 45 minutes. I love how Attacks boil down to the target's Defense, the Cover provided by the tile itself and the Range. Easy-peasy. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's tense! As attrition thins your deck out and time begins to run out, things can get pretty desperate. The maps are quite small so every move and die roll feels super- impactful.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's varied! The introductory play-through introduces the basics: I.E. Move, Attack, Scout, Bolster, Inspire, Command, Conceal and Recon Actions. Additional cards like the Platoon Guide, Machine Gunners, Snipers and Mortar crews really open the game up by layering on Guide, Stalk and Target Actions. There's also a lot of variety in the twelve different scenarios included in the game. NOTE: <i>North Africa</i> has even more options and the recent <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/313441/undaunted-reinforcements" target="_blank">Reinforcements</a></i> release really shakes things up. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's strategic! Do you want to race for the Objectives by Suppressing the enemy and Concealing your movements? Or do you want to muscle your way to victory by Bolstering your forces and Controlling every tile as you go? </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's clever! Even though I can't even remember what I had for lunch, I do like the light card-counting aspects of the game. If you deal damage to your opponent and they neglect to address those losses, you start to sense opportunities to disrupt or even destroy units. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It's thematic! The deck-building aspects of the game really make you feel like you're rallying your troops. Conversely, it's super-tense to go for a win with a unit that's stretched to the breaking point. I also like how the Fog of War cards make turns less efficient as you spread your forces out or your opponent starts being super-sneaky. You might be tempted to ignore this, but eventually it will bite you in the ass. It's a great example of how a modern game mechanic does a pretty decent job simulating what older games would spend a big chunk of rules trying to do.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Undaunted</i> is definitely more abstract than a lot of other wargames I've played. Yes, the central conceit of the deck-building mechanic does a pretty decent job replicating battlefield chaos, but it feels very impressionistic compared to <i>Combat Commander's</i> Fate Deck and moving your individual counters around on a hex map.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">As slick as the deck-building mechanic is in simulating the growing effectiveness of a unit, it's also a tad clunky when you experience losses since you have to take a pause the game and root around for the matching card. New players also need to be super careful not to put casualties in your discard pile versus eliminating them from the game.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Since literally only Riflemen can secure an area, you can still lose the game with a ton of material left on the board. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes the win feels like a bit of a random dice-fest. </span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>FINAL SCORE</u></b></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For its thematic nods, artfully-designed components, entry-point ease and tense, quick game-play, <i>Undaunted: Normandy</i> rates five pips out of six with a mild tilt up.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqCll3DyLMAjYefDahJyUlnjkSLSypfhleza4fHeWjT_9MxMdb1YfdouNkZDj6OCguwf9i91izUIwPLa0zlQDk-hCzMUZisdArxXc7t_2I_UWZaXzAnvSvImHe47vdZWbiVGaIvVVohNuhzCn8pEddAhDF6txynGV5MV4J39Iu_ET0rMx-KlMQPGtW=s207" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqCll3DyLMAjYefDahJyUlnjkSLSypfhleza4fHeWjT_9MxMdb1YfdouNkZDj6OCguwf9i91izUIwPLa0zlQDk-hCzMUZisdArxXc7t_2I_UWZaXzAnvSvImHe47vdZWbiVGaIvVVohNuhzCn8pEddAhDF6txynGV5MV4J39Iu_ET0rMx-KlMQPGtW=w169-h168" width="169" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-16649026798114811912022-01-17T12:43:00.009-08:002022-01-18T16:30:31.073-08:00The Story So Far - Part 13 - "Crisis & Callbacks" <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing
series recapping the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign
that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found
here: </i><br />
<i><br />
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Prologue</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part I</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part II</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part III</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part IV</span></a> </i></span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part V</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part VI</span></a>
<a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part VII</span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part VIII</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-nine-vermin.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part IX </span></a></span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-ten-death-in.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part X </span></a>
<a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-story-so-far-part-eleven-sometimes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Part XI</span></a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-story-so-far-part-twelve-running.html" target="_blank">Part X11</a></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;">I've
"fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make
them more "entertaining." </span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And
now, our story continues...</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><span lang="EN-CA" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Earthday,
Earthlife 1st, 1492-supplemental</span></u></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgd21VBNHr9h0CrK3cEwV66DC08BkFqrgZxmZ6j9bOjSql7ktDzul8vzO_0Xma38pAWAUxumLc9YwqQ1vqiS59KB5Kf3rw0r3QH2jOD3DApdKCP89m9GEBuWtnS0_q2xFvGKTN_ufAM83ptmrYiKZChpWPyZWQWSXMIJqNrbU6QWDg2tqjVT17pzWRa=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgd21VBNHr9h0CrK3cEwV66DC08BkFqrgZxmZ6j9bOjSql7ktDzul8vzO_0Xma38pAWAUxumLc9YwqQ1vqiS59KB5Kf3rw0r3QH2jOD3DApdKCP89m9GEBuWtnS0_q2xFvGKTN_ufAM83ptmrYiKZChpWPyZWQWSXMIJqNrbU6QWDg2tqjVT17pzWRa=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Later, over drinks at the Rambling Rogue
tavern, the Fellowship decried the arrest of local farmer, Stefan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Itsh iddy-ottic!” Lorelei slurred.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Noticing that she’d drawn looks
of annoyance and curiosity from other patrons seated nearby, the druid made a conscious effort to adopt her indoor voice before proceeding. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Look, I can unnerstan' Stefan bein' ang'ry 'bout the town spendin' money on us instead of a wall arroun' his farm..but that’s ain't no motive to kill someone!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I know what I saw, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dammit</i>,” Roman
muttered, his gaze lost at the bottom of a nearly-empty flagon of ale. “And what I saw was Duran with those orcs. And, as soon as he saw me, he turned tail and bolted
out of there.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sadly, it doesn’t matter what you saw,”
Pol replied, throwing her meaty hands down on the table in a sign of
frustration. “Denneth is convinced that the note is in Stefan’s handwriting.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Well, I don’ truss, Denenth!” Lorelei
enunciated, her voice a slushy and scarcely-audible hiss. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"><span>Once again, the druid was distracted by the sight Veronique, the barmaid, flitting around Barant.</span><span> When </span><span>the wench "fell" into his lap and giggled, the druid immediately became incensed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>“</span><i>Ugh</i><span>,
are you guys seein' thish? She’s suppos' to be workin'! That is </span><i>not</i><span> profeshnal behavior...</span><i>what does he see in that twit?!?</i><span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Focus, Lor, ” Roman scolded, finally noticing the number of empty glasses clustered around her with vague alarm. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The druid tore her gaze from the
spectacle and took a healthy quaff of cider before proceeding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Tha Mayor’s prolly in cahoots with
Duran! If he said the note was written by the phreakin' King o' Allamain, we still coulddent say nuttin'!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Actually, that’s not quite true,” Bria
said, from out of no-where, instantly earning herself a monopoly of eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A few beats passed as the thief took an
extended sip of wine, relishing the universal attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Well, <i>shpillit</i>!” Lorelei shouted, clearly
bereft of patience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Bria swirled the dregs around in her cup before
answering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sure, Castebridge is corrupt, but they
still have to prove that Stefan wrote that note in court.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lorelei immediately seized upon this. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yer right...if we can get our mitts on some papers dat Stefan, Duran and Denneth wrote, then we can compare 'em it to tha note we found on those friggin' orcs.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Nice,” Pol chimed in. “That way, at the
very least, we’ll know if Denneth is lying to us.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sounds like a plan,” Roman returned,
swaying slightly as he got to his feet. “We’ll hash out the details tomorrow...but now we all need to get some rest. <i>Some more than others</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He looked down at Lorelei, who was preoccupied with shooting invisible daggers out of her bleary eyes and into Veronique's perfectly-coiffed skull.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yeah, I’d better get ‘miracle boy’ over
there back to Legacy Tower before he burns this place down,” Pol responded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She vaguely gestured towards Rincewind, who was standing on a chair and intensely studying a hanging lamp in the
corner of the pub. Just as he started batting it around like a cat, Pol jumped
up to prevent a possible fire.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Goodnight all!” she said to her
companions as she hastily ushered the “WIZZARD” out the door. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Hold up!” Roman said, tossing some
coins down on the table. “I’m going to go back to the abbey and check on Giran.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After they’d left, Lorelei and Bria
sipped their drinks in awkward silence together until the thief suddenly
performed a poorly-mimed stretch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Wow, I’m <i>totally</i> bushed, too!” she
announced. “I’m going to go straight to the guild and get some much-needed shut-eye.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lorelei took another big gulp of cider
and snorted her derision.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Wow, you gotta be tha' realm’s worst
liar,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now sporting an ear-to-ear smile, Bria
winked, added a pair of coppers to Roman’s contribution and scooted out of
sight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With no other distractions available,
Lorelei settled her gaze on the far corner of the bar. She watched in disgust
as Veronique finally extricated herself from Barant’s lap, lifted the warrior’s
chin and kissed him deeply. She retrieved her empty serving tray, turned on her
heel with a swish and immediately caught Lorelei’s furtive glance. The druid
quickly looked away and cursed as the barmaid sashayed over to her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“’<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ello</i>,
my dear,” she purred as she drew near. “Can I get choo anudder cider?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yeah,” Lorelei heard herself say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tres
bien</i>,” Veronique replied. Before turning to leave, a thought seemed to
occur to her and a sly smile suddenly lit up her features.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I don’ believe I ever properly t’anked you,
Lorelei,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Oh, yeah?” the druid replied, suspicion
dripping from her voice. “Wha' for?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“For coming 'ere, to
Castebridge. If not for dat, I would never have met Barant, ze love of my
life!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With a wink and a flourish, the barmaid
spun about and headed towards the bar. Half-way there she paused, turned back
towards Barant, and blew a kiss. Lorelei stared in disbelief as her former bodyguard and travelling
companion mimed getting hit in the cheek by the invisible gesture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>As Lorelei ran-staggered out the front door of
the Rambling Rogue in a failed bid to find a reasonably-close latrine, she told herself that </span></span><span>it was this sickening display, and not the six ciders she’d put away, that caused her to get sick. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdGojBmFGZz84hRzHOT0Gp9k_D-NdvX1VfPU0XnW-WNKYGdkEIhtv4MAf7OEZaT_w86QCfmOPEL1ms7X-3AJ8GsFr5PN7jjRHKCQ3MnHwj8K8sqkAkkINnwjplNDxKoEK-Qnu92O-i7LVAs76wHsOlVvMFH809BJAEyonxfheM5Ld-nsg8M97x5ECO=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdGojBmFGZz84hRzHOT0Gp9k_D-NdvX1VfPU0XnW-WNKYGdkEIhtv4MAf7OEZaT_w86QCfmOPEL1ms7X-3AJ8GsFr5PN7jjRHKCQ3MnHwj8K8sqkAkkINnwjplNDxKoEK-Qnu92O-i7LVAs76wHsOlVvMFH809BJAEyonxfheM5Ld-nsg8M97x5ECO=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You seriously don’t remember anything?
The dragon, the floating, the rocks...nothing?” Pol quizzed as she effortlessly
opened the heavy iron front door of Legacy Tower.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I remember the dragon,” Rincewind said, sounding slightly dazed and very tired. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I remember seeing the dragon getting to
its feet and flying away. I wanted to do something about it, but I couldn’t
remember what I wanted to do...or how to do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Weird,” Pol replied, making a beeline for the spiral staircase. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Before the pair reached the steps, they
were interdicted by a somber-looking woman in her late thirties, her hair arrayed
in a long, elaborately-braided ponytail. She was clad in blue and grey flowing
robes which were covered in white mystical shield symbols.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Greetings, Rincewind,” the magic user said.
“The sight of your safe return is a balm for my heavy heart.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">At this, the WIZZARD leaned over to Pol
and whispered loud enough for everyone within earshot to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“HEY, POL...WHO IS THIS PERSON?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pol was quick to assuage the woman’s vaguely
hurt look. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“My apologies,” she began. “Rincewind
experienced an...<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incident</i> at Kiras
Toth that seems to have affected his memory. In fact, I as kind of hoping that you might be able
to help him...”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’m very sorry to hear that,” the
female mage replied. “I suppose some introductions are in order, then? My name
is Layah Tremaine, I’m the head of the school of Abjuration here.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’ve seen you around when I was here before
with Rincewind,” Pol replied. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pol and Layah exchanged hand-shakes,
followed by an awkward moment where Rincewind also offered his hand. Clearly
thrown by the implication, Layah hesitated a moment before taking his hand in
hers. She then turned and began to lead them up the steps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’m afraid I have some dire news,” she
said, glancing back towards the duo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Well, that’s a pleasant change,” Pol
muttered under her breath.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“The morning after you left town, we
found Marlak dead in his chambers.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pol halted in place and Rincewind looked expectantly back and forth between the two of them. Seeing this, Layah put a
hand on her friend’s arm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You really don’t remember anything, do
you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Rincewind shook his head, his expression
now distinctly fearful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“He’s our leader here. You two
were...quite close.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“What happened?” Pol demanded. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“There was no sign of a struggle,” Leyah
said, continuing their ascent. “Berowne seems to think that he was poisoned.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Let me guess,” the amazonian fighter
replied, “Andred is missing and so is the cloak we <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html" target="_blank">recovered from the Hanan family crypt</a>?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The sorceress didn’t reply, she just turned
and nodded with grim confirmation. Upon seeing this, Rincewind suddenly put a hand up to his brow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Um</i>,
I don’t feel so good...”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In an effort to steady himself, the magic-user reached for the stairwell railing but missed it completely.
Mercifully, Pol and Layah were there to catch his fall as everything went
black.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT-aeBfFQbTK55PhUnCTQIU6psuw0LTXwU3lGMwZ0FJDp3ofLAtr6RpVzoZTxb85HjrfXE4K3Cg6aGtFtJKCmHfWwIqwBJyNtrLQzYhAv64sVXgwPD3HDkG9npEdebB1VcRnjfp6EarAv3KfkJYzkuRreilOJTWIZVvuT6R8df9IdQeY_-UQC_jak1=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT-aeBfFQbTK55PhUnCTQIU6psuw0LTXwU3lGMwZ0FJDp3ofLAtr6RpVzoZTxb85HjrfXE4K3Cg6aGtFtJKCmHfWwIqwBJyNtrLQzYhAv64sVXgwPD3HDkG9npEdebB1VcRnjfp6EarAv3KfkJYzkuRreilOJTWIZVvuT6R8df9IdQeY_-UQC_jak1=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>“Thanks for staying with
Giran, </span></span><span>Elster</span><span>...how’s he doing?”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>The dwarven cleric looked up from his ministrations a</span></span><span>s Roman entered the infirmary. </span><span>His morose countenance did not look promising.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“That good, huh?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Moira says she’s done everything in her
power to help him,” the dwarf replied, exhaling his frustration. “But, to be
honest, he seems to be in worse shape now than ever. I really don’t know what
else to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman put a reassuring hand on the
dwarf’s shoulder. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I’ll talk to
Moira. I’m sure she has some ideas.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman was barely out the door when his
fellow priest ran to catch up to him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I don’t have a good feeling about this,
Roman,” Elster gravely intoned. “I’ve seen this sort of thing before and I
think he’s close to giving up. For us dwarves, it’s in our nature to pass on rather
than languish.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman nodded soberly and immediately went
in search of the head abbess. Her found her in her cell, immersed in prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You might as well come in,” she said.
“I can feel you skulkin’ around out there.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman sheepishly crossed the threshold into
Moira’s chambers. In spite of her direct invite, a cleric’s cell was a private
place and entering someone else’s room always made him feel ill-at-ease.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sorry,” he said. “I was just talking to
Elser and he says that Giran is hanging by a thread.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Moira blessed herself, stood up, removed
the devotional stole she customarily wore in prayer and hung it up in her small
wooden closet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“He wasn’t felled with simple poison,”
she said, puttering around the room, seemingly avoiding eye contact with Roman at
all costs. “It was something truly evil, truly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fiendish</i> that did this to him. So, it’ll likely take something
equally extraordinary to counteract it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Upon hearing these words, a realization
struck Roman like a thunderbolt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Bless you, Moira!” Roman said. “I think
you’ve given me an idea!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’m glad I could help,” she intoned,
still not bothering to look at him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Noting her dour countenance, Roman felt the
demon of worry bite into his stomach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Moira, are you okay? I know I haven’t
been around much lately, but I didn’t know what else to do. The town asked for
my help and I really couldn’t refuse...”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When the abbess finally met his gaze,
Roman was taken aback. Moira could be caustic and ill-tempered at times, but he’d
never seen her look so tired and world-weary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“It’s fine, lad. Nothing for you to be
concerned with,” she said, patting him on the arm as she resumed her preparations
for bed. “I’m going to try and sleep...and you should too. By all accounts, you’ve
earned it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman wandered out of the room in a daze.
It was wildly uncharacteristic for Moira to give him a compliment and to touch his arm. It was even
stranger that she'd encouraged him to rest. Normally she’d be getting him to dust
the scriptorium or scrub the parlor floor by now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He soon settled into bed, but the
mystery of Moira’s mood, and his recent epiphany, kept him tossing and turning
late into the night. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With cat-like skill, Bria scaled the side
of the town hall, opened the shutters to Denneth’s office and crept inside.
Even though her eyes were particularly adept in low light, she kept the
shutters open to ensure that she didn’t bump into or break anything. Besides, she needed as much reading light as possible for this particular caper.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She made her way over to the Mayor’s
desk and, within a few moments, had the lock on the main drawer jimmied open.
Feeling fairly confident that the building was unguarded, the young footpad
took her time rifling though the reams and reams of parchment contained inside the desk. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Eventually she found the documents she
was looking for. Feeling a rush of surprise, she rolled up a select few papers, put them
into a scroll case, re-secured the desk drawer, tip-toed across the floor and then slipped back out the window.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span><span>The Rambling Rogue was bustling with the
breakfast crowd t</span></span></span><span>he following morning</span><span>. This gave the Fellowship a sense of anonymity as they openly discussed
the events of the prior evening and pored over the documents that Bria had “liberated.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sorry,
guys, but it really looks as if Stefan wrote these letters to council <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> the note we found on the orcs.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lorelei groaned, blew on her spoonful of
scalding-hot porridge and took a tentative bite with her teeth. The facial expression that resulted suggested that she was trying to choke down a mouthful of
wallpaper paste. Gingerly she set the spoon back down on the table. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I
agree,” Roman said as he scanned through the leafs of parchment. “The note definitely
doesn’t match either Denneth or Duran’s hand-writing,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“It still doesn’t make any sense,” Lorelei
managed to say between gulps of water. “As much as Stefan hates us, it’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the orcs who are raiding his farm! They’re the
main reason why he wants the town to build a defensive wall in the first place!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Could it be a forgery?” Pol asked,
scooping a fork laden with sausage, egg and spicy potatoes into her mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’ve seen a lot of forgeries...even
made a few,” Bria beamed proudly, before the committee of collective frowns spoiled her mood. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“And, in my opinion, it really looks legit.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Roman silently took all of this in while
relishing every sip of his steaming hot ghava. The dark drink’s stimulating
effects and rich aroma were finally beginning to wake him up. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Maybe we can take a closer look at the
note later,” he said. “But right now we’ve got bigger fish to fry. Marlak is
dead, Rincewind is in a coma and Giran is at death’s door.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“So, what do we tackle first?” Pol
inquired, sopping up her egg yolk with a piece of hearthstone bread. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Giran,” Roman declared conclusively. “If
we don’t help him soon we’re going to lose him.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“But how?” Bria asked plaintively. “Didn’t
Moira say that he’s under some sort of curse?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Basically,” the cleric conceded. “When
she described the effect as ‘fiendish’ and said that we need to find an 'otherworldly' source for the cure, only one thing sprang to mind.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“The unicorn!” Lorelei gasped, incrementally
raising her head up from her makeshift pillow of folded arms. “The one we rescued during
our <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html" target="_blank">very first adventure together</a>!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>“Precisely,” Roman said,
draining his mug. “</span></span><span>If Moira thinks that Giran’s under the thrall of some truly evil magic, then the
celestial powers of the unicorn might be just what he needs.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Might
save my life too</i>...” Lorelei muttered, putting her head back down. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Where can we find this unicorn?” Pol
inquired.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
can help with that!” a voice declared, cutting through the din of the busy room. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This nearly caused the Fellowship to leap out of their
collective skins. As they turned to face the source, Bria
scrambled to gather up the stolen documents that were scattered all over the table. As if under a "Haste" spell, she rolled
them all up and tucked them back into the scroll case just as the figure spoke again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“My apologies,” he said. “I promise that I wasn't eavesdropping. I guess my
ears are just a little bit more sensitive than others.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No apologies necessary,” Roman said, standing
up to properly introduce himself and his peers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The bearded, brown-haired stranger made
his way around the table, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. During
this, the group took note of his leather armor, short sword and double daggers, as well as the impressive-looking composite long bow that was slung over his shoulders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“My name is Kirbin Thorn,” he said. “I work
as a ranger in a lumber camp to the east of town. We actually see the
unicorn quite frequently.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Unlikely,” Lorelei scoffed, drawing a
dirty look from Roman. “They’re highly shy creatures who wisely avoid humans
like the plague.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“That may be true,” Kerbin replied, his
brown eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “But things have been very strange in the
camp lately. There’s been an unusual number of accidents, and the woman who
runs the van, er, the <i>store</i>, has seemingly befriended the creature. She gets the unicorn to come out of the woods
and heal the workers who’ve been injured in these accidents. Needless to say,
she charges a tidy little sum in the process.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"Wow, that's a pretty slick little operation," Bria whistled. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You know what?” Lorelei intoned. “That
story is so weird I actually believe it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Could you bring us to the camp?” Pol
asked, towering above Kirbin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Absolutely!” he enthused. “When do you
want to leave?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Immediately!” Roman shot back. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He hastily snatched up his things, signaled a server over and practically threw some coins at him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“We don’t have a moment to lose!”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Next time: the adventurers visit a unique logging camp where it’s been <s>3 </s>... <s>2 </s>... 1 ...day since their last
accident! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; mso-spacerun: yes;">***</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Image Credits</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>The Rambling Rogue</b>: <a href="https://www.quora.com/How-were-medieval-taverns-and-inns-owned-and-operated">https://www.quora.com/How-were-medieval-taverns-and-inns-owned-and-operated</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Legacy Tower</b>: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NS-00091_-_Dingle_Tower_(26678732241).jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NS-00091_-_Dingle_Tower_(26678732241).jpg</a></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>The Abbey of Pelor</b>: <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/church-stone-architecture-medieval-4764781/">https://pixabay.com/photos/church-stone-architecture-medieval-4764781/</a></span><p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-27067394462113299392022-01-12T10:25:00.002-08:002022-01-12T10:44:05.971-08:00Introduction to MurderHobo-ing 101 - HeroQuest (2021)<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hey, all you OG dungeon crawlers, check out my own personal history with <i>HeroQuest</i>, as well a visual comparison between the 1989 and 2021 versions right <a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/heroquest-1989-versus-heroquest-2021.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, for those of you in the dark out there <i>sans</i> infravision, here's the scoop on this hoary old classic right from the mouths of <a href="https://hasbropulse.com/products/heroquest-game-system-1" target="_blank">'Borgs</a>:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>In the </i>HeroQuest<i> dungeon crawl board game, heroes work together to complete epic quests, find treasures and defeat the forces of evil. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>This semi-cooperative board game has one player taking on the role of Zargon, the Game Master, while 4 mythical heroes--Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard--team up in their quest for adventure in a maze of monsters and eerie dark dungeons. Players can immerse themselves in the fantasy with the stunning artwork, and 65+ detailed miniatures. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The game comes with 14 quests, and has limitless re-playability because players can also build their own quests and create their own stories. Gather friends together for an exciting night of tabletop gameplay in an epic battle of good and evil.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking to attend Mentor's full TED Talk? The click on the following <a href="https://www.hasbro.com/common/documents/60D52426B94D40B98A9E78EE4DD8BF94/98F182D542EF4C82A63E1A446009C31D.pdf" target="_blank">link</a> to read his book of lore from cover-to-cover!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>What follows is my full play-through of "</span><span>QUEST 1: </span><span>The Trial." As such, spoilers for the scenario abound, so if you don't wanna know what's behind them doors, feel free to skip to my review at the end of this entry.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Full disclosure: I decided to use the game's <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hasbro.HeroQuest&hl=en_CA&gl=US" target="_blank">companion app</a>, </span><span>to preserve a sense of mystery for myself. </span><span>I'll talk about the pros and cons of this later on during my review. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>PLAY-THROUGH for </span><span>QUEST 1 </span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Trial</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mentor's guidance:</span><i> <span style="font-family: georgia;">"You have learned well, my friends. Now has come the time of your first trial. You must first enter the catacombs that contain Fellmarg's tomb. You must seek out and destroy Verag, a foul gargoyle that hides in the catacombs. His quest is not easy, and you must work together in order to survive. This is your first step on the road to becoming true heroes. Tread carefully, my friends."</span></i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLCXGts_m8tpCGnoIHdJ8F-E-0MP0dCv356a2qe5-jbRqCIa8Ha6q2xG13i6T61aBChzV96VrR_PY1eT49J1ZeF0vjlxjc06_5Ken67-dNn7lOSTyVhXtgQhh1vsuhBtRQNaGF_aQb6bAefxDz4pAYv7ImHt6F9XNlIkYs95GrZ2Pki-o3IGWzvjxn=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLCXGts_m8tpCGnoIHdJ8F-E-0MP0dCv356a2qe5-jbRqCIa8Ha6q2xG13i6T61aBChzV96VrR_PY1eT49J1ZeF0vjlxjc06_5Ken67-dNn7lOSTyVhXtgQhh1vsuhBtRQNaGF_aQb6bAefxDz4pAYv7ImHt6F9XNlIkYs95GrZ2Pki-o3IGWzvjxn=w550-h640" width="550" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">First off, I’m assuming that the stairwell
counts for a single space.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian uses his 4 points of movement to venture through the closed door and into the hallway.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf’s moves 6 spaces, so he ends
up 2 squares in front of the Barbarian.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf rolls a “6” and sidles in just behind
the Dwarf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard gets a “10” and jogs down the
hall past the unopened door. He’ll let the Barbarian open that one!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNgetCFO2A_SkPpfGLGJviNzZQrjIrT_dptT-9QZv5qFnJNvbhGU9SOJoaZKQlak2QiN9WDCRnJcsUuKJZFC7qarExB9nByrysM74AHldT2wIyabRrwShVzon9IKE3bMNSS0QMMf9w8_0qQ42lCe-RdXWmPT-LdtEyeTg0ZpBMscUmAKLvSzb0OohB=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1557" data-original-width="2048" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNgetCFO2A_SkPpfGLGJviNzZQrjIrT_dptT-9QZv5qFnJNvbhGU9SOJoaZKQlak2QiN9WDCRnJcsUuKJZFC7qarExB9nByrysM74AHldT2wIyabRrwShVzon9IKE3bMNSS0QMMf9w8_0qQ42lCe-RdXWmPT-LdtEyeTg0ZpBMscUmAKLvSzb0OohB=w640-h486" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With 7 movement points, the Barbarian whips opens the door,
spots 2 Orcs and immediately charges towards them, swinging his Broadsword.
Unfortunately, he rolls 2 White and 1 Black Shields, so that’s a miss. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite his best intentions to rush in and help his burly pal, he roll a "3" for movement and stumbles just inside the door! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using a her 11 movement points, the Elf flanks and attacks one
of the Orcs. Sadly, she also misses with 2 White Shields.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rolls an "8" for movement, moves next
to an Orc and jabs at it with his Dagger, but rolls yet another White Shield! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The first Orc lashes out at
the Barbarian, scoring a hit, but the warrior gets a White Shield and defends
himself. Unfortunately, he fails to repeat this feat on the second Orc’s strike, and he takes 1 point of Body damage.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian whiffs again, rolling 2 White
and 1 Black Shields. <i>Ruh-roh! </i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using a surplus of 11 potential movement points, the Dwarf gets all up in the grill of the Orc standing by the door...and promptly rolls 1 White and 1 Black Shield. <i>WTF?!?</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf rolls 1 Skull, but the Orc rolls 2
Black Shields and ignores the damage. <i>This ain’t good.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rolls a White Shield and also
misses. <i>Sweet Jebus.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian defends
himself against a point of damage from one Orc, but takes a hit from
the second! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Hero's Turn</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian rolls 2 White and 1 Black
Shields. <i>I’m literally defying the odds at this point!</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf finally puts down the Orc
guarding the door! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The second Orc successfully parries the
Elf’s attack!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard misses with his Dagger.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Orc strikes back, dealing 3 potential
hits to the Barbarian...all of which he fails to defend against! Three more points of
damage and he’s dead...<i>and they haven’t even cleared the first room yet!</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXTgs2hrEiAilar9WMs8aeYPnjJ0H8M9VlfImPGKBksa8tyEW5i-Lr82NWf7ZqwlcHoiqeSiibf0K4U-PgyimzSWS5QzyXxKS5dsdj0HJRxJO8fxiQ05Hi_7K2NH46_xgkaLCeAfQU5WUA9WF_pdYjBus6zcc3YoMnjZkO2sG-g_BUjEIQg7qjC6kj=s1955" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="1955" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXTgs2hrEiAilar9WMs8aeYPnjJ0H8M9VlfImPGKBksa8tyEW5i-Lr82NWf7ZqwlcHoiqeSiibf0K4U-PgyimzSWS5QzyXxKS5dsdj0HJRxJO8fxiQ05Hi_7K2NH46_xgkaLCeAfQU5WUA9WF_pdYjBus6zcc3YoMnjZkO2sG-g_BUjEIQg7qjC6kj=w640-h576" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian finally kills the Orc he's been dancing with. <i>Yikes! </i>He then moves 5 squares, through the east door and into the next room. Clearly, impulse control
isn’t this dude’s strong suit! This next chamber is guarded by a Goblin and an
Abomination.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Frantically trying to keep up with the
Barbarian, the Dwarf rolls a “9” for movement and flies into the Abomination,
but gets 2 Black Shields on his Attack roll. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">After rolling a paltry “4” for Movement,
the Elf decides to Search for Treasure in the first room. She's
delighted to find a "Potion of Healing"!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using some of his 7 movement points, the Wizard moves
next to the Abomination and casts "Ball of Flame." The Abomination rolls one “6” on its Body “saving throw”, so it only takes 1
point of damage.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian rolls 2 White
Shields, defending against the Goblin attack. The Abomination also charges at
the Barbarian and deals 2 Damage, 1 point of which is parried. He only has 2
Body Points remaining!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Barbarian dials up 1 Skull but </span><span>the Abomination rolls 2 Black Shields in defense.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf rolls a “9” to move and harries the
Abomination, but his 1 Skull is blocked by a Black Shield.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf a portion of her 7 movement points to move next to the Barbarian and cast "Heal Body" on him. He instantly regains 4 Body Points. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rolls a "3" for movement, moves next
to the Goblin and tries to attack it with his Dagger. He misses with a Black
Shield, which seems to be the order of the day. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian shrugs off the Goblin’s single hit with a White Shield and then skillfully avoids 1 point from the Abomination.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian’s single point of damage is deflected by the Abomination.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><span>With 2 Black Shields, the Abomination also bats away t</span><span>he Dwarf’s single damage with authoritah!</span><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf moves next to the Goblin and finally drops the pesky thing with 1 unopposed Skull!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wanting to put an end to this protracted brawl, the Wizard casts “Fire of Wrath” on the Abomination.
With a roll of “4”, the creature fails its “saving throw” and takes another point of damage,
finally laying it low. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">After Searching for Treasure, the Barbarian finds
his own "Potion of Healing"! He then rolls a "4" for Movement, opens the door to
the north and strides down the corridor. Nothing stops his guy, not even common
sense!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf also Searches for Treasure, but finds nothing. He then scrambles to match the Barbarian's juggernaut pace. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span>The Elf </span></span><span>draws a Hazard during her Treasure </span><span>Search, losing a Body Point and ending her turn.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses his 5 movement points to play catch up with the Barbarian and the Dwarf. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijNn-o4ZFXfOpGGFSUiNWwKPbpEibv9jOpTqccXY2Ku1DW0WA-fOQuATSnBdaEy4YQ8N_DmXqZUkeERvpshGAgXTcUo2WiDY0b1a2MNjUjfh_Pmgtyq0SQf0_cj5LeWBbdX_5wLgvvHdwvAwmJJUaWQZQbcP69zjhFxS68lqpX1EA1i4ZN6CSfb0JU=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2048" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijNn-o4ZFXfOpGGFSUiNWwKPbpEibv9jOpTqccXY2Ku1DW0WA-fOQuATSnBdaEy4YQ8N_DmXqZUkeERvpshGAgXTcUo2WiDY0b1a2MNjUjfh_Pmgtyq0SQf0_cj5LeWBbdX_5wLgvvHdwvAwmJJUaWQZQbcP69zjhFxS68lqpX1EA1i4ZN6CSfb0JU=w640-h386" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian rolls a “4” for movement, boots the door open and barges in. He spies two Goblins and immediately charges
at them. He rolls 3 hits on his attack roll and kills one of them outright. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf rolls a “5” for Movement and
launches himself at the remaining Goblin. He rolls 1 Skull, which the creature fails to defend against. Seems
like the early jitters have passed and the team is now firing on all cylinders!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a movement of only 3, the
Elf barely gets out of the last secured room.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">A 9 is plenty enough to let the Wizard meet up with the Dwarf and Barbarian. His subsequent Treasure Search triggers an unseen Hazard, causing him to lose 1 Body Point!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGwoh6dn7AwSyujAe3L9jjQyOIILYh8lQfokIkcSwVzb00YWEBCLSaz3pbSaM-N5ENGJxA2hoQhdzH9SVJadun6h-HBhwQ6LqvO0bqEnBQAkUclNy-JLdWm-vfsbHY1PtL-7K2epiZcQR7Qjc3_EoZGb0L2uWrGVdIJTZC0uCb5kuLSh16BAy32Wlv=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1310" data-original-width="2048" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGwoh6dn7AwSyujAe3L9jjQyOIILYh8lQfokIkcSwVzb00YWEBCLSaz3pbSaM-N5ENGJxA2hoQhdzH9SVJadun6h-HBhwQ6LqvO0bqEnBQAkUclNy-JLdWm-vfsbHY1PtL-7K2epiZcQR7Qjc3_EoZGb0L2uWrGVdIJTZC0uCb5kuLSh16BAy32Wlv=w640-h410" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a turn that now feels decidedly on-brand, the Barbarian uses his movement roll of “10” to kick open another door and rush the surprised Goblin and Orc inside! He rolls three
Skulls, ganking the stunned Orc in one vicious chop.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
Dwarf throws snake eyes and barely gets out the door.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf rolls a “10” and makes it to the doorway
of the newly-revealed room.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also armed with a 10 for movement, the Wizard moves next
to the Goblin and pokes at him with his Dagger. The resulting White Shield is a miss!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian takes 1 hit
from the Goblin.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian responds with a 2-point strike,
chopping the Goblin in half like Conan the Librarian. He then throws a “5” for
movement. Finally listening to the Wizard's pleas for some modicum of restrain, this time he doesn’t
immediately whip the door open. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With his 10 points of movement, the Dwarf tucks in behind the Barbarian and then Searches for Treasure. He finds some
Gold, which is kind of on-the-nose, dontcha think, <i>HeroQuest</i>? </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">After dicing up a “10” for Movement, the
Elf shifts 6 squares to the right of the Barbarian and also Searches for
Treasure. A Wandering Monster, specifically an Orc, was apparently hiding
behind that stack of old newspapers. Fortunately the Elf expertly defends the resulting 1-point sneak attack with a White Shield. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rolls “7”, moves next to the Orc and attacks it with his
Dagger, rolling a Skull! Incredibly, the Orc rolls 2 White Shield symbols, so
it’s felled! Nice one, Poindexter!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7iSKJzSmo8eD5qNnG4pyedm2SlsXIILi3RM5hyPQ3-uBve0gTICoJoMt1UX91W1V_2INjb3O7XGRElhIXuRyXifJ2B_g1G73HBY1XpHFr5IorbxNDuhsGmCrfnWTrRcWTunYhG1noJqo7KXfW-JCWbUQuOvhuAmERZ5U44UQSXJvuawVitol-DRby=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1846" data-original-width="2048" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7iSKJzSmo8eD5qNnG4pyedm2SlsXIILi3RM5hyPQ3-uBve0gTICoJoMt1UX91W1V_2INjb3O7XGRElhIXuRyXifJ2B_g1G73HBY1XpHFr5IorbxNDuhsGmCrfnWTrRcWTunYhG1noJqo7KXfW-JCWbUQuOvhuAmERZ5U44UQSXJvuawVitol-DRby=w640-h576" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a meager 3 movement, the Barbarian opens
the door to the north, moves into the new chamber and immediately hacks at the Skeleton he suddenly finds himself in melee with! He rolls 2 hits and, since it’s not defended, the Skelly is smashed
into a pile of inert bones!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using all 5 of his Movement Points to positions himself just north of the Skeleton, the Dwarf d lands 1 potential
hit. The Skeleton rolls 2 Skulls in defense, so it’s history.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a movement roll of “9”, the Elf nimbly
shifts into the room, ending up just north of the eastern door. She Searches
for Treasure, but finds only an Arrow Hazard, taking 1 Body Point in damage from the trap. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard gets an “8” for Movement,
positions himself next to the Barbarian and also Searches for Treasure. Another
Wandering Orc springs out of the latrine (presumably) and levels a
potential hit on the Wizard. Fortunately, the mage throws a White Shield and
blocks the attack!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn </u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Orc shifts up to attack the Barbarian,
but his one hit is nullified with a successful defense roll. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy3BDddlv9aGa0AWaO_3IlBrIdMFSNYHx9WvM_oy63dfcr5FeQ-rN1grfQwhfmMv2z6g59GOa0HsYh7xagVQcONPyGcHQjZotBtVdsLDXCisXrRpsPBQfCb7u-qWPdELJLXhdReH-Tr6XUSMB0xJFYDIw1bmR6XqqbFbtoCTgmmyZbSwjtf-tE6DuI=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1826" data-original-width="2048" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy3BDddlv9aGa0AWaO_3IlBrIdMFSNYHx9WvM_oy63dfcr5FeQ-rN1grfQwhfmMv2z6g59GOa0HsYh7xagVQcONPyGcHQjZotBtVdsLDXCisXrRpsPBQfCb7u-qWPdELJLXhdReH-Tr6XUSMB0xJFYDIw1bmR6XqqbFbtoCTgmmyZbSwjtf-tE6DuI=w640-h570" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal">After the Barbarian deals 2 unopposed damage and drops the Orc, he rolls a “9” for movement and opens the eastern
door, which is guarded by two Zombies...and a Mummy! He immediately dodges
to the right to clear a path for his allies!</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">On a roll of “5”, the Dwarf runs into the
room and chops at the closest Zombie, rolling 2 Skulls. Since the Zombie rolls all
Skulls for defense, it takes 2 damage and is destroyed. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a mediocre movement roll of “3”, the
Elf occupies the doorway and casts “Rock Skin” on the Barbarian. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">A roll of “7” lets the Wizard move into the
room, right in front of the still-sealed eastern door. He casts “Tempest” and
the Mummy misses its next turn!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Zombie misses! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a movement roll of “6”, the Barbarian
manoeuvres around behind the Mummy and gets two potential hits. Since his quarry generates no Black Shields, he takes 2 damage and crumbles away into a cloud of dust and gauze!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf rolls “6” to move, which is more
than enough to get him in behind the last Zombie. He rolls 1 Skull, but its
countered by 2 Black Shields.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf rolls a “2” for Movement, just
enough to get her next to the Zombie. Unfortunately, her attack turn up all
Shields, so she misses. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using 5 of his 6 movement, the Wizard moves
next to the Zombie, but he telegraphs his attack.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Zombie misses the Dwarf!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglpMl8ULtEyvzAGosn-KjWrExOErOKw-LN4J31dkfAcQW2XEwwddvrXXu3aLcCvaSVk0FwJ7sh4XZ9od5LZGXPxh_U_7Y4apiW28ZvHb_IWlUFWKdd6099Ow8DCtjEWr2FErc5pKe0oqc87lTOzySDMTMRhsFhXcEG-xTI2Otp1x665jdfj-7FTRND=s1979" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1979" data-original-width="1851" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglpMl8ULtEyvzAGosn-KjWrExOErOKw-LN4J31dkfAcQW2XEwwddvrXXu3aLcCvaSVk0FwJ7sh4XZ9od5LZGXPxh_U_7Y4apiW28ZvHb_IWlUFWKdd6099Ow8DCtjEWr2FErc5pKe0oqc87lTOzySDMTMRhsFhXcEG-xTI2Otp1x665jdfj-7FTRND=w598-h640" width="598" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a whopping “12”, the Barbarian has no
problem occupying the last space adjacent to the Zombie. Unfortunately,
his follow up swing goes wide. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf stays put and attacks the Zombie,
getting 2 potential hits. The Zombie rolls 1 Black Shield, but since it only
has 1 Body Point, it’s defeated! He then
moves 2 squares and opens the door to the next room, which features a
Crypt and a Chest guarded by 2 Skeletons and another Mummy! He decides to remain
in place and bottle-neck the doorway. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heeding the Barbarian's plea to get into the fight, the Elf holds in place and casts “Pass Through Rock” on him.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With a roll of “10”, the Wizard moves just
north of the Dwarf and casts “Courage” on him.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Skeleton deals one point of
damage to the Dwarf. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Armed with 6 points of movement, the Barbarian strolls right through the wall and ends up standing next to the Mummy! He
attacks...and gets 3 Skulls! The Mummy does a fine job defending, however, getting
2 Black Shields! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf hacks at the Skeleton, rolling 2
extra die thanks to “Courage.” He gets 1 Skull and the Skeleton’s defense fails, so his foe clatters across the floor in a rain of bones and armor. He then uses 4 of his 7 movement points to flank the Mummy.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">With 10 movement points, the Elf enters the
room and targets the Skeleton, but she rolls no hits.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses a segment of his 9 movement
points to position himself in the south east corner of the room, next to the
Treasure Chest! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Skeleton deals one point
of damage to the Elf. The Mummy goes after the Barbarian, scoring 1 hit, which
goes undefended...even with "Rock Skin" providing extra Defense Dice! With that damage slipping through, the spell fizzles! He now has 4 Body Points remaining!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian hits the Mummy with 2 Skulls
and the creature rolls 4 Skulls in response! It’s annihilated!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses one of his 9 movement points
to shift next to the Skeleton. He gets 2 Skulls on his 4 dice
(juiced thanks to “Courage”) and his foe only rolls a single Black Shield, so
he’s destroyed! Since there are no longer any visible enemies in the room, the “Courage”
spell ends. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf searches the room for Treasure and
finds 84 Gold in the chest! She then moves 10 spaces back into the room with
the altar. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard searches the room and finds a
Gem, then moves 4 spaces towards the
door.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian moves 9 spaces and Searches for
Treasure, stumbling into an Arrow Trap for a point of Body damage. Now looking
pretty beat up, he decides to drink his
Potion of Healing, but a crap roll results in him only getting a single Body Point back. FFS! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf moves 7 spaces and is now just a few
strides behind the Barbarian.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf moves 6 spaces out into the “T”
intersection in the west side of the dungeon, revealing a door just a few feet
away to the south!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses 7 movement points to catch
up to the Barbarian and the Dwarf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiElu08kl9yAEnXJKQC7bm_qYlyTLDUssG3IndkyB0sspKjNBNog2zwsTykWNX5H3ijU_gMMW5Aa2vxwEAbbPzctOcylpCM7tEOer-JbF-K-LGH4hwGDS9N7ACmZINpvMNZQwLXfwK6RrFzxHM7dAYKQ_SzB-owaN21_cg9EsMXxY8c2BTGkf2HQNVp=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="2048" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiElu08kl9yAEnXJKQC7bm_qYlyTLDUssG3IndkyB0sspKjNBNog2zwsTykWNX5H3ijU_gMMW5Aa2vxwEAbbPzctOcylpCM7tEOer-JbF-K-LGH4hwGDS9N7ACmZINpvMNZQwLXfwK6RrFzxHM7dAYKQ_SzB-owaN21_cg9EsMXxY8c2BTGkf2HQNVp=w640-h454" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal">The Barbarian uses 6 movement points to
exit the altar room.</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses 10 movement points to catch up
to the Elf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf uses some of her 10 movement
points to open this new door, revealing a Goblin and Orc presiding over
a Torture Rack. She immediately quaffs her Healing Potion, recovering 2 Body
Points, and then rushes inside to attack the Goblin. Her one hit is not blocked
and the Goblin is killed! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hearing the renewed sounds of battle and concerned that he’s lagging behind, the
Wizard casts “Swift Wind” on himself, moving 1 + 3 + 2 + 4 = 10 squares! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Orc hit the Elf for 2
unopposed damage! She's in trouble!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian uses all 10 of his movement points
to rush to the Elf’s defense, but his attack misses!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses a portion of his 10 movement
points to flank the Elf, but his 1 Skull is blocked by the Orc.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf attempts to defend herself, rolling
2 Black Shields...a miss! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rushes in and attempts to stab
the Orc with his dagger. He rolls a Skull and the Orc rolls a White Shield and
a Skull...he’s killed! Wow, someone's gunning for MVP!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian Searches for Treasure but, instead of finding anything valuable, an
Orc jumps down from the chandelier, threatening 2 points of damage. Fortunately, the
fighter rolls 2 White Shields, blocking the hit. He then moves 6 spaces away. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses a few of his 6 movement
points to counter-attack, getting 1 Skull and 1 White Shield to the Orc’s 2
White Shields. It’s killed! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf moves 5 squares, trailing the
Barbarian. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses his paltry 3 movement to fall
in step behind the Elf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Zargon’s Turn</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s an all-movement turn, with the Barbarian
travelling 4 spaces, the Dwarf trailing 2 squares behind with an 8, the Elf
jumping past everyone with 6 and the Wizard taking the vanguard with a 10.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian moves 8 spaces to explore the
northeast passage. He doesn’t find any doors, but he does notice that the north
branch is sealed off. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Huffing and puffing, the Dwarf enters the "T" intersection.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf blows past with a 6, taking the
south-east corridor. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses 4 movement points to leap-frog past the Elf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no monsters on the board, so this phase is skipped.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian uses 9 of his 10 movement
points to loop around, finally locating what he thinks is the last door! In an uncharacteristic show of restraint, he
opts to keep it sealed, waiting for his companions to catch up.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses all 9 of his Movement Points
to round the south-east corner, noting another closed door on the branching
path off to the right. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf uses 9 movement points to approach
the Barbarian at the door.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard uses his 7 movement points to
tuck in between the Barbarian and the Elf. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWcMWFAZbGYYZDqH87-48mc5BSfRmtw9NLmzMR2w-qubi0w8cBjzyFawIS0y0oOMhdmMwOAUf_cufHmO4_9Y8iduvOoCNCPFnfWUl88eHRqMlHbQaJJB4vOTU8QyRf-Mn8-hV-aMcuHoICxuDxJwaPztYqVdG3sW0pyTKUoUv--Vc3LYo0LVGdwqSn=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1858" data-original-width="2048" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWcMWFAZbGYYZDqH87-48mc5BSfRmtw9NLmzMR2w-qubi0w8cBjzyFawIS0y0oOMhdmMwOAUf_cufHmO4_9Y8iduvOoCNCPFnfWUl88eHRqMlHbQaJJB4vOTU8QyRf-Mn8-hV-aMcuHoICxuDxJwaPztYqVdG3sW0pyTKUoUv--Vc3LYo0LVGdwqSn=w640-h580" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal">The Barbarian gingerly opens the door, revealing Verag the Gargoyle, guarded by two Orcs and a Dread Warrior! He charges
at the Dread Warrior (using a portion of his 10 movement) and attacks, but only
rolls Shields! <i>Here we go again!</i></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf uses some of his 10 movement
points to go after the Orc. Unfortunately, he rolls 2 Shields as well! <i>Is history repeating itself? </i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf only rolls a “3” for movement, but
it’s just enough to get next to the Orc. Unfortunately - you guessed it - she
only rolls Shields on her attack. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard rushes in (with 9 movement
points) and uses “Water of Healing” to restore the Barbarian to full Health!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian shrugs off one
potential hit from the Dread Warrior. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Orc leaps over the table at the Elf,
dealing 2 damage to her. She’s nearly dead!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Orc fighting the Dwarf deals 2 damage
to him, but he somehow manages to avoid 2 strikes from the Gargoyle! <i>Things are
looking dire!</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span>The Barbarian strikes the Dread Warrior for
2 damage, but 1 is defended. He then uses 5 of his 8
movement points to </span></span><span>breaks through the scrum and </span><span>distract the Orc menacing the Elf.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dwarf deals a point of undefended damage to the
Orc he’s fighting and he’s defeated! He then moves to
challenge the Dread Warrior. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Elf gets a hit on the Orc, but it’s
blocked with a Black Shield. She then wisely retreats next to the Barbarian.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a “Hail Mary” move, the Wizard summons a
“Genie” to attack the Gargoyle...and gets 5 Skulls!!! Verag's defense
roll only yields a single Black Shield, so he's defeated in a single hit! Amazing!
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwrN0whtlgtVDHoxDe3sFes1ALTc123qVOqHG3F4qCzXAfkCbey-qW7aHgkjpS5fBbCRm9TkcV52Qbgu4t2awiICNVKve6d3aBeZoCKszsuD-G7zk-RHfmnbkuilKj5b7BfcDtunIpMKtlTMYyouAueal4Jtvm5-BO8Ys53-m4fQhlFu1VpAXCi3O7=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwrN0whtlgtVDHoxDe3sFes1ALTc123qVOqHG3F4qCzXAfkCbey-qW7aHgkjpS5fBbCRm9TkcV52Qbgu4t2awiICNVKve6d3aBeZoCKszsuD-G7zk-RHfmnbkuilKj5b7BfcDtunIpMKtlTMYyouAueal4Jtvm5-BO8Ys53-m4fQhlFu1VpAXCi3O7=w253-h320" width="253" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsc0f9yR2GTPyXMfTLHDKwxrMeOwgYc3GR9xT4PeLIxmcncuO2XlshFjEMwNwnH-8sniHnt2prsHc6G9CZWzAw-jZRySXnYx2DdRzWbLmBWb_mq_x_5kmKeDfsqYyk7jlBqyZ4HIc731TwHFG1VxTbmfl2l-Dm-TePdw2F2HCNgC9l5D0VnRGtzhWa=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1978" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsc0f9yR2GTPyXMfTLHDKwxrMeOwgYc3GR9xT4PeLIxmcncuO2XlshFjEMwNwnH-8sniHnt2prsHc6G9CZWzAw-jZRySXnYx2DdRzWbLmBWb_mq_x_5kmKeDfsqYyk7jlBqyZ4HIc731TwHFG1VxTbmfl2l-Dm-TePdw2F2HCNgC9l5D0VnRGtzhWa=w320-h309" width="320" /></a></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Zargon’s Turn</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span>The Dread Warrior charges at
the Barbarian and gets 2 hits on him! </span></span><span>He then takes another smack from the Orc.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Hero's Turn</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Barbarian lashes back, causing a single
point of unblocked damage to the Warrior. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sensing victory, the Dwarf uses a
portion of his 12 movement points to leap off the table at the Dread Warrior,
scoring a single Skull. The Warrior throws 2 Skulls and a White Shield for defense,
so he takes another damage and is killed!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stunned that the battle’s momentum has completely turned around, the remaining Orc rolls 2 White Shields again the
Elf’s one Skull. He’s also toast! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Wizard searches the area for
Treasure..and finds 120 Gold Coins in the Treasure Chest! He then moves 7
spaces out of the room. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">I actually played out the movement required
to escape, but with no traps or Wandering Monsters in this scenario, the Hero's escape was inevitable. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">By some minor miracle, all four of the
heroes managed to get back to the surface and win the day!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>VICTORY!!!</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Recovered Treasure</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gold! - 25 Gold</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gem! - 35 Gold</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Treasure Chest - 84 Gold</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Treasure Chest - 120 Gold Coins</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">REVIEW</span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">As if this wasn't already blatantly self-evident...the game's production values are uniformly amazing, making for a really immersive experience. </span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike most modern dungeon crawl board games, this one is lean and mean. There aren't a lot of anal-retentive rules to slow down the aspiring murder-hobo.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The game is truly co-operative. If you don't work together you might as well kiss your collective asses goodbye.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The game is surprisingly tactical. In a way, it kinda feels like an intro version of <i>Space Hulk...</i>and that's high praise.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span>There's a nice variety of Spells and, n</span></span>ot unlike <i>D&D</i><span>, you can use them in a lot of creative and fun ways. </span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The custom dice represent a nice, easy way to simulate combat. They also provide a healthy dollop of luck, which can result in some really goofy and memorable gaming moments.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Whereas movement in other dungeon crawls is a foregone conclusion, it's a genuine source of tension here. Will my character leap to the the defense of their allies...or will they carom uselessly off the door frame and nearly knock themselves out cold? </span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike say, MARK I <i>Descent</i>, <i>HeroQuest</i> actually feels like an adventure game. Sure, there isn't a huge variety of foes, but the designers did a great job giving players a variety of interesting goals to achieve from Quest to Quest. As such, there's genuine anticipation whenever you're about to boot a new door in. </span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">I like the fact that you can spend Gold to upgrade the Hero's weapons, armor and equipment, making your team more effective as the challenges get tougher.</span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly, the Heroes and Monsters are nothing more than a boring collection of numbers. That's fine if you're a ten year old kids that's new to fantasy gaming, but if you're a <i>D&D</i> veteran like me, the whole thing feels woefully vanilla.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Sure, the props look right some purdy<i>,</i> but it scarcely has any impact on game play. In fact, the only time the presence of furniture in a room affected my turn is when I'd Search for Treasure whenever a Chest was in the room. Furniture isn't even really discussed in the rule book, making me assume that you can have a knock-down, drag out melee between three figures on top of a bookshelf.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To that last point, I can understand how the original version of the game had some rules vagaries, but there's absolutely no excuse for this version to be confusing. For such a simple game, I still have lingering questions about the aforementioned Furniture, Spells and even the Stairwell! </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">As tense as random movement can be, it's also patently stupid and frustrating at times.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Sure, your equipment improves, but the Heroes never do. As such, the game really cries out for new combat skills and Spells to unlock. </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>THE APP</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The app did a decent job providing ambiance, keeping the rooms a mystery to me and tracking damage to Monsters. Unfortunately, it also reeks of half-assery. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can't roll Hero attacks in the app, but that didn't bother me, 'cuz why would you even play a game like this if you can't roll a massive mitt-full of dice? On the other hand, moving your Hero around in the app is a genuine exercise in frustration, since your path tends to veer all over the place like a drunken bard that just got paid for a gig. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And perish forbid that you switch to another app while you're playing. The first time I tried to take a photo, the <i>HeroQuest</i> app collapsed and I lost my game. Mercifully, I was only one room in so I didn't lose a ton of progress. My advice: save often!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps the app's biggest issue is Monster AI. Unless it physically can't move, Monsters will always attack the Hero with the most Body Points. Translation: they tend to ignore the squishy Wizard in lieu of tapping the Barbarian on the shoulder like a drunken frat-boy challenging a power-lifter to a fight. This might be a good feature for beginners, but it's also not very smart from a tactical standpoint. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll probably keep using the app to preserve the mystery of the scenarios, but I wouldn't say no to a few updates if it made the thing more user-friendly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">P.S. bonus points for hiring a voice actor for Zargon that sounds suspiciously like Mark Hamill at his most flamboyant. </span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>FINAL VERDICT</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">At first, I was really disappointed that Avalon Hill / Hasbro didn't bother to spruce up the rules. In light of decades worth of board game evolution, this new version of <i>HeroQuest</i> is more stubbornly lodged in the '80's than a University English professor.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, honestly, that ain't so bad. I legit had fun using the app to do my solitaire play of this game. After a nigh-disastrous start, my plucky band of Heroes finally got their collective shit together and, despite the odds stacked against them, they managed to pull off a surprising win. Sorry, but snatching victory from the jaws of defeat is the very definition of fun to me.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a way, <i>HeroQuest's</i> simplicity is also its greatest strength, since you can enjoy it perfectly fine right out of the box or slowly mix in some of your own house rules (see below). Despite the sticker shock that inherent with this version, I really hope that the game ends up in the hands of as many 10-year-old kids as possible. Not only will it spark their imagination for fantasy...it might also turn them into aspiring game designers!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>HeroQuest</i> scores four pips out of six with a tilt down into Zargon's unfinished basement.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi--TnwQgsRAastvIE4g9cjOuxu1sGiNQpd51nZTyRRWOwPjFXxfWT6l4eMVx2eKjKrDcBOo45z3O7RNZO50DveBLtJal2JtKLGMZU6bjVrkM3TvVn7I5HC_BXdyHunARff6GIbS0KN8Gteu1NBZ5M_Td7zn8u9BUuurYzrRDZcvHx7e68I5BQTrX8J=s200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi--TnwQgsRAastvIE4g9cjOuxu1sGiNQpd51nZTyRRWOwPjFXxfWT6l4eMVx2eKjKrDcBOo45z3O7RNZO50DveBLtJal2JtKLGMZU6bjVrkM3TvVn7I5HC_BXdyHunARff6GIbS0KN8Gteu1NBZ5M_Td7zn8u9BUuurYzrRDZcvHx7e68I5BQTrX8J=w160-h165" width="160" /></span></a></div><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span>BONUS: POSSIBLE </span></span><span>HERO AND MONSTER HOUSE RULES</span></span></u></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Alternative Hero Movement</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dwarf d6 + d4</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Barbarian and Wizard d6 + d6</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Elf d6 + d8</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Starting Hero Features and Powers</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Barbarian</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Berserker Rage: Re-roll one attack and defense die until there are no visible living enemies. Can only be used once per Quest. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dwarf</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Detect Traps: Upon seeing a newly-revealed room or corridor, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-2 Zargon immediately reveals trap locations without the Dwarf spending an action. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Disarm Trap: as per the regular rules.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trap Avoidance: Whenever you encounter Pit or Falling Block Traps, roll d6's equal to your current Mind value. If you roll at least one 6 you avoid the effects. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cleave: If you cause at least one Body Point of damage to a Monster, roll an attack against an adjacent enemy with 1 fewer die.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Resistant to Poison: Roll d6's equal to the Dwarf's current Body Points. If you roll at least one 6 the Dwarf is unaffected by the effects of poison. (NOTE I don't think there are any Monsters or Dread Magic Spells that currently use poison, but it might happen in an expansion.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Elf </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Immune to Sleep spells.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Resistant to Command: Re-roll Mind Point dice when trying to Resist this Spell.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nimble: you can move through Monster's spaces. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Wizard</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Magical Resistance: Re-roll one Mind Point Die when defending against Dread Magic. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Monster Special Abilities</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Goblins</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Evasive: Goblins can move through spaces occupied by Heroes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Swarm: Goblins can re-roll one Attack die if at least one other Goblin is adjacent to the same enemy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Orcs </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brute Force: Re-roll one attack die. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Abominations</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eldritch Horror: Roll a Mind check whenever you encounter one or more Abominations. If you fail to roll at least one "6", your attacks against Abominations are performed with -1 die. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dread Warriors</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heavily-Armed and Armored: Re-roll 1 die when attacking and 1 die when defending. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Skeletons</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Smashy-Smashy: Re-roll 1 Skull when attacking a Skeleton with bladed or piercing weapons. If attacking with a blunt weapon (Staff, Hammer or a Mace), re-roll one miss.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">NOTE: Magic bladed / piercing weapons do normal damage against Skeletons.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Zombies</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!?": Instead of removing a Zombie from the board when defeated, roll a die. On a roll of "1" it stays on the board with 1 Body Point.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mummies</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Rotting Touch: A</span><span>fter you've taken at least one point of damage from a Mummy, r</span><span>oll d6's equal to your current Body Point level. If you fail to roll at least one "6", take one point of Body damage at the start of your next turn.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Gargoyle</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stone Skin: When attacking a Gargoyle with bladed or piercing weapons, re-roll one hit. Magic bladed weapons do normal damage against Gargoyles.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dread Sorcerer </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dark Magic: Re-roll one die on Mind Point checks when attacking with your spells.</span></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-32935818260498103882022-01-08T11:11:00.007-08:002022-01-11T12:56:35.342-08:00HeroQuest 1989 versus HeroQuest 2021 - A Visual Comparison<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">In 1989, the year </span><i style="background-color: white;">HeroQuest</i><span style="background-color: white;"> was first released, I was heading off to university. I had a lot on my plate at the time and, sadly, my formative interest in board / role-playing games had plummeted to the bottom of my priority list. It was a different time, when admitting to liking such things out loud earned you a self-inflicted scarlet letter. If had a hope in hell of appealing to girls, I had to abandon such things and do my best to impersonate someone vaguely "normal."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>As </span><span><span style="background-color: white;">it turned out, my efforts were a mixed bag and all I really succeeded in doing is missing out on some friggin' cool games. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">I distinctly remember talking myself out of buying <i>HeroQuest</i> when it was first released. The illustration on the back of the box, showing kids half my age enjoying the game, really made me hesitate.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEu_GFB3uJJ4re-7pg1ayVBJ9fAjd2G5TBoucGLR7PtEo5ruPEF_xVicIfp2r5MYTRM5z3iRdKZFQKHlQ_aznL_8nJUQeywAs3HuuLm9FEh-I70UHG4p5_D_m7aKyjnLBIalEYCzJxsQ0WkzKKRZy8wp2Pbx6IQQWNAfKgJ_C1qK5w0gAzMn5edw_t=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="2048" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEu_GFB3uJJ4re-7pg1ayVBJ9fAjd2G5TBoucGLR7PtEo5ruPEF_xVicIfp2r5MYTRM5z3iRdKZFQKHlQ_aznL_8nJUQeywAs3HuuLm9FEh-I70UHG4p5_D_m7aKyjnLBIalEYCzJxsQ0WkzKKRZy8wp2Pbx6IQQWNAfKgJ_C1qK5w0gAzMn5edw_t=w400-h361" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p>I was a veteran <i>AD&D</i> player by that point, so I told myself that I was <i>waaaay</i> too long in the tooth to enjoy a game designed for ten-year-olds. Even still, the board, props and minis were so appealing to me that an invisible devil permanently parked itself on my shoulder and incessantly whispered in my ear to buy a copy. Even when it went out of print, that persistent l'il frigger begged for me to look it up on Ebay.</p><p><span>Back in 2011, I finally broke down. After scouring through our local online marketplaces, I finally found a decent-looking copy on Kijiji for $45.00. I brought it home, played it for a little bit and...decided that it was kinda underwhelming. </span></p><p>Had I been right about the game all along? Board games, particularly "dungeon-crawl" board games, had certainly evolved quite a bit over the intervening years. In light of this, old skool <i>HeroQuest</i> now felt like a relic of the past and, as such, I hucked it into the closet and just kinda forgot about it. </p><p>That is until two years later when a grass-roots movement began to bring a "new and improved" version of the game back to fans for it's 25'th anniversary. Soon, a Spanish company called Gamezone launched a Kickstarter to much fan-fare. Unfortunately, there was just one small problem: <a href="http://www.polyhedroncollider.com/2013/11/news-collider-heroquest-cancelled-due.html" target="_blank">they hadn't bothered to secure the rights to the name HeroQuest</a>. As a result, this nascent effort to revive a formative classic soon withered on the vine. </p><p>I'm sure that Hasborg...er, <i>Hasbro</i> quickly took note of how this ersatz Kickstarter for a new <i>HeroQuest</i> managed to raise $540.000 in <i>four phreakin' days</i>. I'm also pretty sure that's why the massive toy and game company began its own quest to re-acquire sole rights to the title and re-launch it under its own banner. </p></span><p></p><p><span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a particularly-icky turn of events, Hasbro decided to re-launch the game through their own in-house crowd-sourcing channel, HasLab. In doing so, they managed to raise </span><a href="https://hasbropulse.com/products/heroquest-game-system" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">$3.7 million dollars</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in pre-sales. That right, this huge corporation (which made $5.1 </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">billion</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> dollars in 2021) made fans beg for their favorite </span>squeak<span style="font-family: inherit;"> toy like dogs doing tricks to get a morsel of bacon.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Since, to me, crowd-sourcing equals </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">rushed production, </span>exorbitant<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">conversion rates, obscene shipping, and under-baked stretched goals I typically don't jump at them. Besides, I get a pretty healthy retail discount, so I opted to wait until this sucka showed up at my FLGS. Expecting that they wouldn't get a copy until well into February, I put one on pre-order back on December 26'th...and was shocked to learn that they'd already received one the day before (!) and set it aside for me. A genuine Christmas miracle!</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What follows is a superficial comparison between <i>HeroQuest</i> old and new. Just the components...nothing else. My play-through and review will follow at a later time. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Okay, let's start with the most obvious thing...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BOX ART DESIGN</span></u></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-r7YGEBXIvKf_z5n9R1NTi_Y7HUn3xjKBbfMuBLy0nxuMEr9DnQeFEI81QSyEykn1MYLUmIxGmVoO8xCOps_MBhi_FszeSWfYf7QrSkorQ3_ZcVZpjJCen1fnrXbsoZh0qD0yn4jVkUgLqm27SfGHjw159QBzbqeqTwFnlUeuvme2LMDNrA9YxHLW=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1509" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-r7YGEBXIvKf_z5n9R1NTi_Y7HUn3xjKBbfMuBLy0nxuMEr9DnQeFEI81QSyEykn1MYLUmIxGmVoO8xCOps_MBhi_FszeSWfYf7QrSkorQ3_ZcVZpjJCen1fnrXbsoZh0qD0yn4jVkUgLqm27SfGHjw159QBzbqeqTwFnlUeuvme2LMDNrA9YxHLW=w472-h640" width="472" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The cover art for the older edition, by <a href="http://www.lesedwards.com/galleries/vintage/heroquest/1024" target="_blank">Les Edwards</a>, has that classic Larry Elmore-esque vibe to it, while the new art is more angular and stylized. Also the color separation for the new cover art is ridiculously dark and murky.</span></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPN9h8TUxrm1mXQ_FxUU1V8NZwOevNvgV0i4E8mvEdhiLihNG22yPszYdLJGxgrroPYDQM8Z3nH3qskqsj4fcctN-q5yxcUW6bq58kW6CPjKk_wl_AjGyzpxK83u9xpiuQuoW5G7mWW1JdZ2M52ks_q78ZAcQUSfiEAsL7lcloAExB4jFBOh65hbtr=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPN9h8TUxrm1mXQ_FxUU1V8NZwOevNvgV0i4E8mvEdhiLihNG22yPszYdLJGxgrroPYDQM8Z3nH3qskqsj4fcctN-q5yxcUW6bq58kW6CPjKk_wl_AjGyzpxK83u9xpiuQuoW5G7mWW1JdZ2M52ks_q78ZAcQUSfiEAsL7lcloAExB4jFBOh65hbtr=w476-h640" width="476" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The back of the new edition box is designed to assuage arrested-development-types (such as myself) that they didn't just buy "baby's first dungeon-crawl." </span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sorry, but I'm a sucker for the brighter art style. Plus, my heart goes out to the poor kids on the back of the box who, like me, were probably king shit on the gaming table, but woefully hopeless when it came to chatting with girls. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">WINNER: 1989</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BOX PRACTICALITY</span></u></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxtSaaign_gbSKwHChCd5HJKhYLskSS7tDD84uhUi-WMzl-gxgMp8TVZdC-vuDbvLM6r5Gqt-Adj5rPsdoMjbSxEdJQNj7kUVPo8REnHx9Oe0yPLhHRo1KEijvUBnjMDkUFxfnQzG9bYzTcjpBu3Ri7mVS-zpx1sb2bI5hBCGTVcv07JC_Slhva0f2=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="2048" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxtSaaign_gbSKwHChCd5HJKhYLskSS7tDD84uhUi-WMzl-gxgMp8TVZdC-vuDbvLM6r5Gqt-Adj5rPsdoMjbSxEdJQNj7kUVPo8REnHx9Oe0yPLhHRo1KEijvUBnjMDkUFxfnQzG9bYzTcjpBu3Ri7mVS-zpx1sb2bI5hBCGTVcv07JC_Slhva0f2=w640-h126" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The new box isn't as long but this thickness, gurl, you gotta witness! This is designed to house the (much appreciated) figure inserts and give space for theoretical expansions.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The new box is also a <i>helluva</i> lot more durable and likely won't get crushed flat as a crepe just as soon as box of tissues is stacked on top of it.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>GAME MASTER'S SCREENS</u></b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNYkyW9Eom0U6M0TYEIZB9fr7Wlm2Rdgx2Sn0tU_GmS9DPa9rIsqVRgWaSB_yKlXMm7EDVbM3rSv-iU8xEuRCpdBbAb7DoLdZVZqMp0VhwcvGliYKQodjqOWwvP7D_4nvXYWS1FI93HJWAVtzW_ISnFkyh5qJtm7LcaIbEWQ4Tn5lp9E7-ruRrd7Gc=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1860" data-original-width="2048" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNYkyW9Eom0U6M0TYEIZB9fr7Wlm2Rdgx2Sn0tU_GmS9DPa9rIsqVRgWaSB_yKlXMm7EDVbM3rSv-iU8xEuRCpdBbAb7DoLdZVZqMp0VhwcvGliYKQodjqOWwvP7D_4nvXYWS1FI93HJWAVtzW_ISnFkyh5qJtm7LcaIbEWQ4Tn5lp9E7-ruRrd7Gc=w640-h582" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">The new one is bigger and, IMHO, the art is better.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl8kBwkWNCHqA6BpvPeUbYfSm3xMdHV_2gBwp-wMClnB6ifDncVxwmglxZpEJD8-kGtkh8cM61NF8oxFrIJqoBEB_gThb-sz6X0EUA6bCsW61jMo_waGb_PnGo1cwm-SstsMmmIs5cxquC8oE857HcchOEfbh1x9LL61oghQDPzlyFUVDCxaPVJa5s=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1803" data-original-width="2048" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl8kBwkWNCHqA6BpvPeUbYfSm3xMdHV_2gBwp-wMClnB6ifDncVxwmglxZpEJD8-kGtkh8cM61NF8oxFrIJqoBEB_gThb-sz6X0EUA6bCsW61jMo_waGb_PnGo1cwm-SstsMmmIs5cxquC8oE857HcchOEfbh1x9LL61oghQDPzlyFUVDCxaPVJa5s=w640-h564" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Sorry, but I gotta give the duke to the new kid on the block here.</span><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>RULE BOOK & QUEST BOOKS</u></b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcF7OcYLgoXEhy_8XzBoX38KOuchR7xy19HETR-cglDIO1i8YMht95ckJHUJOrY23A1lG10jtvyCK1eto5CHQJDgnR-gyey08gSL65WY4m50fzSFM1m7kUlhOYTHt_A-uIs35Pg8gZ_YkJEuDoxrgQe7QeFiFn3VM_DLdhPpd7zY5UkZQd4U7SfaJ1=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="2048" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcF7OcYLgoXEhy_8XzBoX38KOuchR7xy19HETR-cglDIO1i8YMht95ckJHUJOrY23A1lG10jtvyCK1eto5CHQJDgnR-gyey08gSL65WY4m50fzSFM1m7kUlhOYTHt_A-uIs35Pg8gZ_YkJEuDoxrgQe7QeFiFn3VM_DLdhPpd7zY5UkZQd4U7SfaJ1=w640-h474" width="640" /></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The reprint definitely has the slicker production values.</span></div></span><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIf_YAvyriOWoBwZ6nczNsiR-wvXZovoY9uBTg3km7Raxdm-UVkyZeDbXxL3kXhYa6KTmE9gTpScrCJMUZHqYo8SUo5X9HvYsmFeH9P4EH-JHMKNFkK-1J5_01SJ1Ym3l8CqTKdYaq0ZTF_dYz9cBuj-37NaMIxT0OdjsOrBMFaHDV0sJGQ331qELb=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1607" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIf_YAvyriOWoBwZ6nczNsiR-wvXZovoY9uBTg3km7Raxdm-UVkyZeDbXxL3kXhYa6KTmE9gTpScrCJMUZHqYo8SUo5X9HvYsmFeH9P4EH-JHMKNFkK-1J5_01SJ1Ym3l8CqTKdYaq0ZTF_dYz9cBuj-37NaMIxT0OdjsOrBMFaHDV0sJGQ331qELb=w502-h640" width="502" /></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></div><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>THE GAME BOARD</u></b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Again, this one's a no-brainer:</span></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQjhgxsiNNZhgn4qcSl9v14bYRdt17TH9LxXJ5cjtOEA10oUsZUOAiRNKc9x5F0vaR6Yth0vOmRNhMXlIjdcmcQlQ5fYXYUwMIZKF54e10zNNRLgTxrmRoFvtKetoH7NwLwUgiLMJCpWmKRD2kf6yrRTI2u0sezXV7o1Y9PcfrP7AKcTIfzwZSf27Q=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQjhgxsiNNZhgn4qcSl9v14bYRdt17TH9LxXJ5cjtOEA10oUsZUOAiRNKc9x5F0vaR6Yth0vOmRNhMXlIjdcmcQlQ5fYXYUwMIZKF54e10zNNRLgTxrmRoFvtKetoH7NwLwUgiLMJCpWmKRD2kf6yrRTI2u0sezXV7o1Y9PcfrP7AKcTIfzwZSf27Q=w640-h480" width="640" /></b></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The new board is bigger, with tweaked color and details and a border space to place props, figures or decks of cards. Fan will attest that the older board was nightmarishly-impractical when it came to moving figures around on, especially in rooms with a lot of furnishings. So, this is a very welcome change. </span></div></span><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>TOKENS</u></b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihnlkz7CoWpEWOw3H3PZtTr6cdsi-FdoG5OorXWnyrSDIIirSM025A8JusHsqkP0zYslO_Jwv35Ac0QsJLqvXTfxHMHyxXtf44uNmamZmEJKCQYHNFciNQQV7qMmwO8-7n5FEQrwpL-NN5Oao0VrcTAVr-tMabz1J3a1jm8Xs1f7g5m-81t5wb8OJU=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="2048" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihnlkz7CoWpEWOw3H3PZtTr6cdsi-FdoG5OorXWnyrSDIIirSM025A8JusHsqkP0zYslO_Jwv35Ac0QsJLqvXTfxHMHyxXtf44uNmamZmEJKCQYHNFciNQQV7qMmwO8-7n5FEQrwpL-NN5Oao0VrcTAVr-tMabz1J3a1jm8Xs1f7g5m-81t5wb8OJU=w640-h292" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one's close, but the new tokens are more realistic and less cartoonish-looking. Also, at this point, I'm starting to suspect that my '89 wasn't quite as complete as that Kijiji seller said it was!</span><p style="font-family: inherit;"></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>CHARACTER CARDS</u></b></span></p></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi39YsrDH25Als7BByqMOQCt5N8vddg39ISlJa6HO9QhH92-04iWgaV3yMJFE7Is-av5Cv2_cjapB92N2TdpwFxLzhC9ekQq-1ckGM9eokqGhPmYqNM_JYo3Mv3AXFihK1WEo_dakngcNUykhzreBV67gBws3bao51j-DNYkJpc2eznRbvo3WnM4CKZ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="2048" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi39YsrDH25Als7BByqMOQCt5N8vddg39ISlJa6HO9QhH92-04iWgaV3yMJFE7Is-av5Cv2_cjapB92N2TdpwFxLzhC9ekQq-1ckGM9eokqGhPmYqNM_JYo3Mv3AXFihK1WEo_dakngcNUykhzreBV67gBws3bao51j-DNYkJpc2eznRbvo3WnM4CKZ=w640-h420" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The new Character art may be vastly superior, but the olde skool cards are bigger, chonkier and they even have a l'il character class write-up that evokes fond memories of the first few pages of the Red Box <i>D&D</i> Player's Manual. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 1989</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>CHARACTER SHEETS</u></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPMQm56lH1N1yUCTxM64Bu6aHS8aTaowMu38fWV798iDm6sRZYCaQe_nTNnxjNiOp5FB_v8IChY4I-oJXQGjYoRCRMk9X_nCIEd60sr6LbN3EGOt_JmfsEMwzKO2RjjLd71YiCZVDXg5fwIY3wY2-BQjvBD8Xi4bIW16TAMvKRw5K2OBhiD2SO40hg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1578" data-original-width="2048" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPMQm56lH1N1yUCTxM64Bu6aHS8aTaowMu38fWV798iDm6sRZYCaQe_nTNnxjNiOp5FB_v8IChY4I-oJXQGjYoRCRMk9X_nCIEd60sr6LbN3EGOt_JmfsEMwzKO2RjjLd71YiCZVDXg5fwIY3wY2-BQjvBD8Xi4bIW16TAMvKRw5K2OBhiD2SO40hg=w640-h494" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The newer Character Sheets are virtually identical, just bigger. In this kinda race, that's plenty enough to win!</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>TREASURE CARDS</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig4MJubGdI3oTOL98sDUJhL8Ju7wWMEq1Kv-cvNY_9WId1AWGZJywX5LDU_w5-e_WtAhKZXw-P3sAQIrnapQu422wuE3jX0z0Kedvg86bVtlaP2rL4aaw0NI0wdzffv3OZPXseWjAQbHF4C6q8m3qSEz4ELDhb2eji-bJdpLMNIFMf-wnGmTFjunmi=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="2048" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig4MJubGdI3oTOL98sDUJhL8Ju7wWMEq1Kv-cvNY_9WId1AWGZJywX5LDU_w5-e_WtAhKZXw-P3sAQIrnapQu422wuE3jX0z0Kedvg86bVtlaP2rL4aaw0NI0wdzffv3OZPXseWjAQbHF4C6q8m3qSEz4ELDhb2eji-bJdpLMNIFMf-wnGmTFjunmi=w640-h454" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The art on the newer card backs may be more realistic but I really dig that 80's / TSR-style aesthetic on the originals. It's the other side of the card that clinches it for the newer version:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrbUZkV9MuCPLsJLJGcbFMvhc7ulVfO-4BjVIpr2G9AXYH77l6BQE-hc-OLXcPUyktk72pDX3kWVusIe9Vq5_l0PLoVgsMGT3lSJbJIjmJ0u1rKnqoUzFnzrKP-umfmc_9X38ZzXWhbLBA5cVN_kK0A_Y4NW1MM4aGhKW_BTGf9U65WGWUemnfPDLo=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="2048" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrbUZkV9MuCPLsJLJGcbFMvhc7ulVfO-4BjVIpr2G9AXYH77l6BQE-hc-OLXcPUyktk72pDX3kWVusIe9Vq5_l0PLoVgsMGT3lSJbJIjmJ0u1rKnqoUzFnzrKP-umfmc_9X38ZzXWhbLBA5cVN_kK0A_Y4NW1MM4aGhKW_BTGf9U65WGWUemnfPDLo=w640-h358" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />Between the dark borders, "parchment" style card face and vastly superior illustrations, the re-do comes out on top here! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Side note: the dude on the '89 "Potion of Defense" card looks like he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>MONSTER CARDS</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually prefer the older, goofier card backs because the style reminds me of <a href="https://russnicholson.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Russ Nicholson</a>, </span>one of my all-time favorite fantasy artists<span style="font-family: inherit;">! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinb_rzydxjLPbGBjZaz2ie22wm11UY429j_f-8Di4CGL2fuXo_3Ode09UIPQZ8kdIf1CGeRJ8BEt17PZst9hUsyX9mmFhKwVmDxMKt1hih4iyGHpeM1lnnwqWi9P-LwtucB02kOO4Tq8uAFDEeK_wFZMwIQEWpS0CZOLfcWj9ZgThxHj3F97DKE7HV=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="2048" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinb_rzydxjLPbGBjZaz2ie22wm11UY429j_f-8Di4CGL2fuXo_3Ode09UIPQZ8kdIf1CGeRJ8BEt17PZst9hUsyX9mmFhKwVmDxMKt1hih4iyGHpeM1lnnwqWi9P-LwtucB02kOO4Tq8uAFDEeK_wFZMwIQEWpS0CZOLfcWj9ZgThxHj3F97DKE7HV=w640-h444" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />But, once again, the back side of the cards are objectively <i>soooo</i> much nicer...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtTuHcXKLaia0YSNNSZxeMJJHUOE8kAj2t0yQ1_RKBdJyO2e1I4dITPp4FvpruGx1h5-qwtRzkD3kpBHcOOGIJWvywjJP4fgjVz-1xDUOj71LSzd37Z_hP48MIhk3zZjUi_00AuTehAMWTznJd8_eiKBvqFfNyTFxmnydnE8cGAhygkJgjp1H9kW74=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="2048" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtTuHcXKLaia0YSNNSZxeMJJHUOE8kAj2t0yQ1_RKBdJyO2e1I4dITPp4FvpruGx1h5-qwtRzkD3kpBHcOOGIJWvywjJP4fgjVz-1xDUOj71LSzd37Z_hP48MIhk3zZjUi_00AuTehAMWTznJd8_eiKBvqFfNyTFxmnydnE8cGAhygkJgjp1H9kW74=w640-h234" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I hear you folks saying out there "Hey, Dave, where's your new 'Orc' card?" to which I'd reply "I dunno...your guess is as good as mine." It was missing from my copy, but don't fret. After contacting Hasbro Consumer Care (</span>hasbro_new@mailmw.custhelp.com)<span style="font-family: inherit;">, they're gonna mail one out to me. <i>In theory</i>. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just a few more quick points. Since this new edition of the game was produced without the co-operation of Games Workshop, all references to "Chaos" (Warriors and Warlocks) as well as the "Fimir" (the name </span>GW gave to their original crocodilian race) <span style="font-family: inherit;">have been excised. Now we have "Dread" subbed in for "Chaos" and the very Lovecraftian "Abomination" taking the Fimir's place. More generic? Kinda, but </span>definitely<span style="font-family: inherit;"> not a deal-breaker. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ARTIFACT CARDS</span></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">My remarks about the Treasure Cards also apply here.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPKMgjS4E1X9dxutZjUlFf1dUlBvtJBLM13c3Bzl4AYZwZQyX3mO6ljF7udTa_qDu-5TFILaflsPOxq6bIHtiJ-sFzQUmJNcV4ImouLKaib553qnkUMRHm1XaHS7lU0gzP80mC__hwJnEUEkvdkArw-22ApcS4aZPSouEuj5664SteBYuXqKn2KDob=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="2048" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPKMgjS4E1X9dxutZjUlFf1dUlBvtJBLM13c3Bzl4AYZwZQyX3mO6ljF7udTa_qDu-5TFILaflsPOxq6bIHtiJ-sFzQUmJNcV4ImouLKaib553qnkUMRHm1XaHS7lU0gzP80mC__hwJnEUEkvdkArw-22ApcS4aZPSouEuj5664SteBYuXqKn2KDob=w640-h450" width="640" /></a></div></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1l5oXguNzaValHfP_bfvfVf-iTE87XCcZm6BKetq7iuLFdFrNwLLJVoucBOUIHWtO0bRMwZxbQpjcbZdmpGlTkm3cBnvuoEFv7MdC9eQSzxykzrnoYNmMw_T52ZcZE4gl9JdDDT2LiLa9mh03RX1tuLtfiD_-6tX1o3m3gg_UA_VU1nYeikt6fxtp=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1702" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1l5oXguNzaValHfP_bfvfVf-iTE87XCcZm6BKetq7iuLFdFrNwLLJVoucBOUIHWtO0bRMwZxbQpjcbZdmpGlTkm3cBnvuoEFv7MdC9eQSzxykzrnoYNmMw_T52ZcZE4gl9JdDDT2LiLa9mh03RX1tuLtfiD_-6tX1o3m3gg_UA_VU1nYeikt6fxtp=w532-h640" width="532" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">SPELL CARDS</span></u></b></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike the previous two card types, I unequivocally prefer the art on the back of the new Spell Cards. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg324zKTUKvBVpNB-AGpgcmtLC58cbRczF6Awuf1syedR0qi2uFZXcysP4Mk6vEPXi554X8gs5xTLcy9AppSzXLGny40i1kXC-3wD4XnzdTi3t9AtxaMlwcRdYJPpstUHz0OESn0D5zNDEHsgGu7KKMvRBphVp4hSOtIR4yXGZfEh0IjNU4tdQDKHwt=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1471" data-original-width="2048" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg324zKTUKvBVpNB-AGpgcmtLC58cbRczF6Awuf1syedR0qi2uFZXcysP4Mk6vEPXi554X8gs5xTLcy9AppSzXLGny40i1kXC-3wD4XnzdTi3t9AtxaMlwcRdYJPpstUHz0OESn0D5zNDEHsgGu7KKMvRBphVp4hSOtIR4yXGZfEh0IjNU4tdQDKHwt=w640-h460" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Whoof,</i> those older elementals are pretty goofy-looking, particularly the djinn on the Air Spell Cards. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_pJPKXCrS4rpWCSiambjSLqGeLZ94qpfPGt0XOJGGp5NxxP-dy-MkbbpuAGAPhOCGGtMxSfoskbI4y4z4zXOZhdYBMhaQAjZAmBflSNB0gPeDLbC98IW3rzwhUt2fTnnK9EVwby78Tr3ZJxjBqQDCgfKrj7epDZVONc0Zf_Sb7ggO9aYsB8wXxowZ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="2048" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_pJPKXCrS4rpWCSiambjSLqGeLZ94qpfPGt0XOJGGp5NxxP-dy-MkbbpuAGAPhOCGGtMxSfoskbI4y4z4zXOZhdYBMhaQAjZAmBflSNB0gPeDLbC98IW3rzwhUt2fTnnK9EVwby78Tr3ZJxjBqQDCgfKrj7epDZVONc0Zf_Sb7ggO9aYsB8wXxowZ=w640-h616" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>CHAOS / DREAD SPELLS</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's another thing altered by the separation from Games Workshop. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghjB8hRaESuILtQVSUYEubQ5-0SB2gqVvySr0rU3SNVBEFjQKftrvp0MXlljDdcpSYXkAdnAnk85KXgnjGVtxChfxq_q-v1fMgElib4VwSrQ_pm4GHurQKk0vbKjlH7OQYqMdMWzqszKPdhcQWSA86GOaiMhw4WeNAOjQ3r4KpaFnGAUL_g20b2T7s=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2048" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghjB8hRaESuILtQVSUYEubQ5-0SB2gqVvySr0rU3SNVBEFjQKftrvp0MXlljDdcpSYXkAdnAnk85KXgnjGVtxChfxq_q-v1fMgElib4VwSrQ_pm4GHurQKk0vbKjlH7OQYqMdMWzqszKPdhcQWSA86GOaiMhw4WeNAOjQ3r4KpaFnGAUL_g20b2T7s=w640-h460" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGPtwZLfBWvtqbNrA6wwNmyXGMo2_gPazxcokhaUHtNlC8fJ_9iHQ90bbc300fjAFjOEiImYzRcfrrHQnkA3ncONu0ddXDDLPtHYa5w1R40575_TQXRv37lozKhBOD8_y2OGjBm2BbU9qBJx7C-aoYWp5oaGYyq1-vJZ1Bk-omU3K0L7gf5M7HEnNP=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1708" data-original-width="2048" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGPtwZLfBWvtqbNrA6wwNmyXGMo2_gPazxcokhaUHtNlC8fJ_9iHQ90bbc300fjAFjOEiImYzRcfrrHQnkA3ncONu0ddXDDLPtHYa5w1R40575_TQXRv37lozKhBOD8_y2OGjBm2BbU9qBJx7C-aoYWp5oaGYyq1-vJZ1Bk-omU3K0L7gf5M7HEnNP=w640-h534" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Basically, my opinion about all of the cards boils down to this: as charming as the art is on the card backs, the superior look of the text side of the cards sways me towards the newer versions!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 2021 </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>EQUIPMENT CARDS / INSERT </u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This comparison is kind of interesting, since the OG version didn't have an Equipment Deck, it just summarized everything on the insert, which I kinda liked.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMW7o1HRfr2LFY8HElW7GMmz69VYSVmB3NjOWLSx2UwcaOwZpDSFBxBiFMlp_JI_9D4-zEKouo6A_K66HkTri5HStAPGJjcbOeBWds9tTrCZl0C9eED9rjIwBUvunmWuyzCY6LvlENRaAQpDJKWzJqz2K3Ec4GueYQ_sQ3h37Zvhn2kW38xPrJ7V-u=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="2048" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMW7o1HRfr2LFY8HElW7GMmz69VYSVmB3NjOWLSx2UwcaOwZpDSFBxBiFMlp_JI_9D4-zEKouo6A_K66HkTri5HStAPGJjcbOeBWds9tTrCZl0C9eED9rjIwBUvunmWuyzCY6LvlENRaAQpDJKWzJqz2K3Ec4GueYQ_sQ3h37Zvhn2kW38xPrJ7V-u=w640-h536" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's what the new Equipment Cards look like:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNQ7BmIzJU-pIv5Qq7WrwcpphGzX5josAavLWXc0Q29NR2jphin_REhfHTaedMdQvzzO4f7jyZAqew5LzeOPGLxVb9iN_w7kBUJaPadngYckMFJMJ_miEmXev9mShjqwUkhdyEyBpW0RgZyQ-1MUG8rqwJEju6TSTYckYN9zhfxzXx2iqIpz85vyM5=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1491" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNQ7BmIzJU-pIv5Qq7WrwcpphGzX5josAavLWXc0Q29NR2jphin_REhfHTaedMdQvzzO4f7jyZAqew5LzeOPGLxVb9iN_w7kBUJaPadngYckMFJMJ_miEmXev9mShjqwUkhdyEyBpW0RgZyQ-1MUG8rqwJEju6TSTYckYN9zhfxzXx2iqIpz85vyM5=w466-h640" width="466" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The flip-side:</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3vfK2jt1LnFzQ3YLl89FRArRFANwUtR0htnUsOu5PnNRcdIGKpOwS6dcczDNPVnDV3WOGytHgmt-q90MebTeJjbLgKbL_b7DsgWSLBICtR1eRi-QmOdwZGbWNc4aTpwZfHxfZhuCFtcwhW_C2gxKUtl_gyvfLKAtsQhRzohgssXlTWmqKIMZoyw4C=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1502" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3vfK2jt1LnFzQ3YLl89FRArRFANwUtR0htnUsOu5PnNRcdIGKpOwS6dcczDNPVnDV3WOGytHgmt-q90MebTeJjbLgKbL_b7DsgWSLBICtR1eRi-QmOdwZGbWNc4aTpwZfHxfZhuCFtcwhW_C2gxKUtl_gyvfLKAtsQhRzohgssXlTWmqKIMZoyw4C=w470-h640" width="470" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm sure the cards are more practical for game-play, but, damn, I really like that Armory insert, which also neatly summarizes the terrain and furnishings in the dungeon.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 1989 </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Side note: this shiny new version also includes some rules summary cards, which are always a welcome addition!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7N8NtLId7RYV9IXhzfhCZGFUZ84XjvfA1o5dwMZ_fX87VswGV9N-OLvhUgUK77TkYWFQ2m8XhMJhkr6GDzdQCLBSBP8v6ZMYJ6AYJFQUYWqmmAkvtNmy0IS9lEY3Vn44gjIlNlqsWIiy0VH1tf6Ye4Q3Zfe93zegRU2wYVIOK-1CuW-_9zpHDFQ0H=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="2048" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7N8NtLId7RYV9IXhzfhCZGFUZ84XjvfA1o5dwMZ_fX87VswGV9N-OLvhUgUK77TkYWFQ2m8XhMJhkr6GDzdQCLBSBP8v6ZMYJ6AYJFQUYWqmmAkvtNmy0IS9lEY3Vn44gjIlNlqsWIiy0VH1tf6Ye4Q3Zfe93zegRU2wYVIOK-1CuW-_9zpHDFQ0H=w640-h366" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>THE DOORS</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Um, I'm talking about the furniture in the game, not the band.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5rkd9PFXAoKM9WnYl8fDJiRDBk0EBEKAKHE47WuR8PGp27KsgKVnJEC4YtD4dbJyTz5ypAjvqEmbaZwEnlGcf4Q9Jk-Mzd8v411Q5U_n-6_uBOsTOQk_2W1hBgkPDFWkLMBNdNs42g-jeHioKNMemI0Ldp7Nz7RYmAWCkjPe3KgtvTmusrgltozGR=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5rkd9PFXAoKM9WnYl8fDJiRDBk0EBEKAKHE47WuR8PGp27KsgKVnJEC4YtD4dbJyTz5ypAjvqEmbaZwEnlGcf4Q9Jk-Mzd8v411Q5U_n-6_uBOsTOQk_2W1hBgkPDFWkLMBNdNs42g-jeHioKNMemI0Ldp7Nz7RYmAWCkjPe3KgtvTmusrgltozGR=w640-h230" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Easy win for 2021 here, since the original portals were easily-bendable cardboard mounted in a featureless plastic base.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROPS AND FURNITURE</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There some examples in this category where the new edition is <i>vastly </i>superior. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">For example, even though the OG Tomb had a fair amount of detail, it was also saddled with a cardboard base. Besides, the new one has a removable top! <i>Whaaaat?!?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0dsRz5TfhNXJ2ohMGyJEsOITsYRe16vrbAsLnrfUbwTEwQv6z0giLyAONf02A58HyCxP8OW4cjJz_SDrXoZKL-NYQpcOUMlTVbkjSwtqjKsiWJ-XcU83xCgLwcZC1Ge9mdbZteXXfzwhHQhlE2MWXy3zWGHyyTob3Db0pzdDvGoMcWxwW0zdD33DE=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="2048" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0dsRz5TfhNXJ2ohMGyJEsOITsYRe16vrbAsLnrfUbwTEwQv6z0giLyAONf02A58HyCxP8OW4cjJz_SDrXoZKL-NYQpcOUMlTVbkjSwtqjKsiWJ-XcU83xCgLwcZC1Ge9mdbZteXXfzwhHQhlE2MWXy3zWGHyyTob3Db0pzdDvGoMcWxwW0zdD33DE=w640-h334" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The "wood" look of the cardboard art on the original Tables is nice, but the plastic bands holding them together are <i>waaaay</i> too chonky. As a single piece of plastic, the new ones are clearly more durable and also look more proportionate.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX6yIaG8q50xqUTiCV8v2S9UP1ySWg86hGHKzII4hH6enYM3J4AllBJFRGz1M4x8652o6wcPrnCGltAvpaUip13zzCH_2vNHfDMQgZS-hMzxxqHb0pMXEXKdKVn-8XEDSfsqC-_eOmpJMLbWhhUEOo0Q_NoyctjOqwZ3xwJIWKlvVeALIRphTxziwM=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="2048" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX6yIaG8q50xqUTiCV8v2S9UP1ySWg86hGHKzII4hH6enYM3J4AllBJFRGz1M4x8652o6wcPrnCGltAvpaUip13zzCH_2vNHfDMQgZS-hMzxxqHb0pMXEXKdKVn-8XEDSfsqC-_eOmpJMLbWhhUEOo0Q_NoyctjOqwZ3xwJIWKlvVeALIRphTxziwM=w640-h184" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This goes doubly-so for the Thrones, Treasure Chests, Bookcases and Cupboards.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5e2F0WFQEc8g2KDCw--6gyR2kRIICvmw4guBl3OsuJADRRGAmyUYsj2bRWnFSUCEI0HZeIux7hEAABLZHxSJQuKKtVky7NWEohiCsJfmIxsXSQqaG7o-3PMu3VRkwRiLzqiBOmrEcaddKEbbEqDT5ojLqnntP9rPK5_e7ycVajkYN0jiL7XqmLL8q=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="2048" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5e2F0WFQEc8g2KDCw--6gyR2kRIICvmw4guBl3OsuJADRRGAmyUYsj2bRWnFSUCEI0HZeIux7hEAABLZHxSJQuKKtVky7NWEohiCsJfmIxsXSQqaG7o-3PMu3VRkwRiLzqiBOmrEcaddKEbbEqDT5ojLqnntP9rPK5_e7ycVajkYN0jiL7XqmLL8q=w640-h198" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Granted, the cardboard is much more susceptible to damage, but it's also not a singular, monochromatic hunk of brown plastic like the newer version. I also like the fine details on the original Cupboards and Bookshelves, namely the skulls and rats.<br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoxdpuPH_I91r0zjFH6jfXrIF2SklT6dlmRBYvgB6g3HtSeiQaQq6ZbAe7w3Gy7ivqa5b7tuX2VEX2oOLqvaGNxy-65s6otnPlP-YnSpXyNV7yDk2FtrFjZlwSuGHhyVceAaH5HzycDqZGNMkrhOLBcxnqnf1chbPXsDDZG9qiN86DQr4EejVVk4Hs=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="2048" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoxdpuPH_I91r0zjFH6jfXrIF2SklT6dlmRBYvgB6g3HtSeiQaQq6ZbAe7w3Gy7ivqa5b7tuX2VEX2oOLqvaGNxy-65s6otnPlP-YnSpXyNV7yDk2FtrFjZlwSuGHhyVceAaH5HzycDqZGNMkrhOLBcxnqnf1chbPXsDDZG9qiN86DQr4EejVVk4Hs=w640-h160" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Full disclosure: the new version actually includes a smattering of separate skulls and rats that you can just sprinkle around all over the place like some deviant Salt Bae. It's a nice touch. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMbKzMoZPcbH4vObRfWm9DqV-hn6iDHTBaJsLCBPrNkdYD1MH6ffEgzTGe0ynaCQPu05VfLsjuUph1Eerg6uivPeTJzPVz3vjY3gsVcUrHU3P0p0xVFCSRh3ywWZ0XUKeiADGbWkt-woEW3y_B2nTTP5XwlYdW_9tHUjbJiIFxYfz2tbwWtwZ2unLh=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="1440" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMbKzMoZPcbH4vObRfWm9DqV-hn6iDHTBaJsLCBPrNkdYD1MH6ffEgzTGe0ynaCQPu05VfLsjuUph1Eerg6uivPeTJzPVz3vjY3gsVcUrHU3P0p0xVFCSRh3ywWZ0XUKeiADGbWkt-woEW3y_B2nTTP5XwlYdW_9tHUjbJiIFxYfz2tbwWtwZ2unLh=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />To give credit where it's due, there's a ton of surface detail on the new sculpts and I think they'd look incredible with even the most basic application of paint. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Still, when you look at these things right out of the box, I actually think that the originals are more visually appealing. Take the Fireplace, for example. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgga6ylbmspNC4GqZ4Kdj-5azaOHks90zQG5sO3oi-ZMr8oDKgWKiJY5ah478StO39tSNgUICETeUihtJduDI9HU4sHscgtkvkHqKYm0PJQECrm_4w6UTdAiGY0s-Yy1Owkzf5adzqqwe3sV5VYXykUsQJNpsAkD3EU8QGfBYDQ16O_JpZlWc8E6CZa=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="2048" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgga6ylbmspNC4GqZ4Kdj-5azaOHks90zQG5sO3oi-ZMr8oDKgWKiJY5ah478StO39tSNgUICETeUihtJduDI9HU4sHscgtkvkHqKYm0PJQECrm_4w6UTdAiGY0s-Yy1Owkzf5adzqqwe3sV5VYXykUsQJNpsAkD3EU8QGfBYDQ16O_JpZlWc8E6CZa=w640-h338" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div><br /></div><div>But, hey, I gotta be realistic. Even though it offers a pop of color, there probably aren't very many original Fireplaces still intact out there.</div><br />In some ways, the OG Sorcerer's Table is superior. It may not have the same surface detail on the top of the altar, but the spell book is actually covered in detailed runes! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkCgDbQgB-j5HT_OSSrAOMhArK7j_5zBLlz6mvcnGRISeGSs-AFx0wLKpD1xf7S8FEfPclvCAg3CMdJNK5AwoFqVutYhy5mudSDJBo3UwsKdUiOVhCTOEJ_Of-GZ2dTYpDuJjHFpAzYtK_Bl_XXryQKerUNfBM7afpMOHG2GcJHS8wFua4D-WWv-xP=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="2048" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkCgDbQgB-j5HT_OSSrAOMhArK7j_5zBLlz6mvcnGRISeGSs-AFx0wLKpD1xf7S8FEfPclvCAg3CMdJNK5AwoFqVutYhy5mudSDJBo3UwsKdUiOVhCTOEJ_Of-GZ2dTYpDuJjHFpAzYtK_Bl_XXryQKerUNfBM7afpMOHG2GcJHS8wFua4D-WWv-xP=w640-h246" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, if it wasn't hampered by the cardboard base, the original Alchemist Bench is comparable to, if not better than, the new version. In fact, the '89 Bench has different colored details, a movable set of scales and, once again, writing on the papers! Pretty impressive. </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUaDZI6D-ygNA-K_4fhDs3Zr91XmdsIa_pg9W4OMzkJDo0JHYWMyPVB1JK0kbih9g8skyenuUjR6o1qFrEKpoUNIFteAJdT1tN65SElZ96ndZ1bBpfQ12IwviOFpr1A0FxmBfljwzEolB-byeOweT0FxfiGM9zlolU8H1N3jVzTBH5GFt8Gqfieb4T=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="2048" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUaDZI6D-ygNA-K_4fhDs3Zr91XmdsIa_pg9W4OMzkJDo0JHYWMyPVB1JK0kbih9g8skyenuUjR6o1qFrEKpoUNIFteAJdT1tN65SElZ96ndZ1bBpfQ12IwviOFpr1A0FxmBfljwzEolB-byeOweT0FxfiGM9zlolU8H1N3jVzTBH5GFt8Gqfieb4T=w640-h290" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Conversely, the new Rack looks legit scary. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5lPO7F3hF-6kFEHsM3XWZ4vSTDh4xZGEVeQFgAtgSFKCpqZ0Hws_CL91IOqx9XafZ60ke0cTrfnB1cyiEvrh1UhYLbuA5SCAQPmk4YP83dXPdZRxuTGNAG29OknXYDDewO5VaKol1UvMQ6rpG7M9A1JMw4ioeLExKhJRUz7-2ObwfNGU2pEeHQLPy=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="2048" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5lPO7F3hF-6kFEHsM3XWZ4vSTDh4xZGEVeQFgAtgSFKCpqZ0Hws_CL91IOqx9XafZ60ke0cTrfnB1cyiEvrh1UhYLbuA5SCAQPmk4YP83dXPdZRxuTGNAG29OknXYDDewO5VaKol1UvMQ6rpG7M9A1JMw4ioeLExKhJRUz7-2ObwfNGU2pEeHQLPy=w640-h272" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It's worth mentioning that the plastic used for the props and minis in the original <i>HeroQuest</i> was made from a more rigid, and subsequently fragile, material. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In some ways, that's good, but in other ways it kinda sucks. Take the Weapon Rack, for example. The new one has more detail, even going so far as to include the Black Defense symbol on one of the shields. Unfortunately, my newer weapon rack is bent to shit and really a hot water bath to do some adjustments. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfBgy5VOmjg1rVWMYrTH2FX2N2fuJjzBsqMYWcVsm87ifGEn4_IBMpLnpTemOKER_GJiW3q0wbFaoFP0jTd8rC7Wz3TWjxqS3KOksiP1n-nyB8Z7HLsMEmqVxgjkp1aOom7ZOGVXVd8rMYrQ6i6n-OBg32LjnIKrMEGdX9_ujl1EOBcaIq3GUFcp5m=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfBgy5VOmjg1rVWMYrTH2FX2N2fuJjzBsqMYWcVsm87ifGEn4_IBMpLnpTemOKER_GJiW3q0wbFaoFP0jTd8rC7Wz3TWjxqS3KOksiP1n-nyB8Z7HLsMEmqVxgjkp1aOom7ZOGVXVd8rMYrQ6i6n-OBg32LjnIKrMEGdX9_ujl1EOBcaIq3GUFcp5m=w640-h230" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In summary, even though a few of the older bits look more visually appealing straight out of the box, the new Furniture sculpts are all universally impressive. Then, when you factor in just how easily the cardboard elements can be damaged, I gotta give the win to the new blood.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>MINIATURES</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm a sucker for those chunky, 80's-era Games Workshop sculpts. The knock-kneed Zombie (second in from the left in the pic below) really cracks me up.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The new figure poses are a lot more dynamic, with the mummy resembling Iron Maiden's Eddie from one of the <i>Powerslave</i> promotional posters.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6lYR4zCnAoPEGV8ZVseiNKB0Mm5WuQNztv4TaC4BshIuFjYjM0bs-OjiuHOwm7erXfZv4e1rLbRBqvLSBvU256_C7Lk9pGdU_LTmRcKnYIEJ3hJUXAaK4lRyopFKV_Lto1IFJ66X-ARmR1Q7iQeMSd-N1meEtywYah7iDEsQOZjR1VOt1OsmcDTdm=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6lYR4zCnAoPEGV8ZVseiNKB0Mm5WuQNztv4TaC4BshIuFjYjM0bs-OjiuHOwm7erXfZv4e1rLbRBqvLSBvU256_C7Lk9pGdU_LTmRcKnYIEJ3hJUXAaK4lRyopFKV_Lto1IFJ66X-ARmR1Q7iQeMSd-N1meEtywYah7iDEsQOZjR1VOt1OsmcDTdm=w640-h178" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Notwithstanding the fact that the new figs are hella-detailed and posed more naturally, those GW figs are pretty iconic. I really dig the Chaos Warlock, pictured below on the far right. Just look at the ham-hocks on him. He's all like: "Come here, my beamish boy...and give us a hug!" </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikraM_uciSIpWIFCnc8DtkdgkGnK2ZEjMPR_J49mnkThOcx75J_yfEXcR5yF3SMUS8pRemu0dLSU9V_QA3hJzRKP2HDvhjKhaZaLng7T1lwGZsQbdJIyNqFjB7qLiF7EEofMHzmQLIDOX4_CCXAgay4Pk4KUEMmJqY0yOqbsR4Z8QT8rIgjMHl-uyM=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikraM_uciSIpWIFCnc8DtkdgkGnK2ZEjMPR_J49mnkThOcx75J_yfEXcR5yF3SMUS8pRemu0dLSU9V_QA3hJzRKP2HDvhjKhaZaLng7T1lwGZsQbdJIyNqFjB7qLiF7EEofMHzmQLIDOX4_CCXAgay4Pk4KUEMmJqY0yOqbsR4Z8QT8rIgjMHl-uyM=w640-h180" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Speaking of iconic, is there anything more recognizable in fantasy gaming than a Games Workshop Goblin or Orc? I absolutely love these l'il guys.</span><span> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkv2FWs-IdfsffJJkJjjZAiE2qlgaz-T-QVrrm-t-jYZ0NQiHk4XIP2gCf14YhPz1U5sr6bBgWM24ggDWrO-kag6bKIbLw6MEbqQTIRCfmdCBQvGgO4KiCiY8tY9Bx7OP_y7RFdjVWFFDZHaTRmI2A1aFc7r7ApDWZe6BRs1GgAqByusf_omqgHH4l=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="2048" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkv2FWs-IdfsffJJkJjjZAiE2qlgaz-T-QVrrm-t-jYZ0NQiHk4XIP2gCf14YhPz1U5sr6bBgWM24ggDWrO-kag6bKIbLw6MEbqQTIRCfmdCBQvGgO4KiCiY8tY9Bx7OP_y7RFdjVWFFDZHaTRmI2A1aFc7r7ApDWZe6BRs1GgAqByusf_omqgHH4l=w640-h172" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As for the new Goblins, they look decidedly </span><i>Pathfinder</i><span>-esque. I really like the dude on the far left who's lunging at the heroes. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Sure, the older plastic was brittle and would easily break if you stepped on it, but at least it retained it's shape. Made from the same sort of pliable plastic used in modern board games such as <i>Descent,</i> m</span><span>any of my new Orc figures are</span><span> warped as hell.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, and props to Hasbro for including some female sculpts for the monsters as well. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQMYOpnZWK7ZzaCOl5i5CUNSO17v5eUszMX6PloY79X-mnKVKucoIBMuMmSMCv4ecjHlOkFyeytW0XAwf1hgNAAnHuydC7Tzlutnv852FkJ46owfJ5JaELPU_CxCZnxL1bQlfE42SwadWJUGJwE-8G7RBx5e1LabFKmwFmv6s7abL_l52MG6_rSZdL=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="2048" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQMYOpnZWK7ZzaCOl5i5CUNSO17v5eUszMX6PloY79X-mnKVKucoIBMuMmSMCv4ecjHlOkFyeytW0XAwf1hgNAAnHuydC7Tzlutnv852FkJ46owfJ5JaELPU_CxCZnxL1bQlfE42SwadWJUGJwE-8G7RBx5e1LabFKmwFmv6s7abL_l52MG6_rSZdL=w640-h192" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Can't say that I miss the Fimir all that much...they're pretty bland-looking creatures. The Abomination, on the other hand, looks positively bad-ass, even though it's clearly Deep One with the serial numbers filed off. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNACOok8q7mEHZDol54h2gloTib_ty9GopCyyRMTct3Uu-nkxaMp7WQDgQE_T5JUmOd0CzgogxK2Va4gzuKYPtc36FbA8i7bnV08tgpIAKjzC3DBFPjhLamfOkKB7UF4wQP0VCSf-nnPSMQaSKlv8Vi2vRdUHgPORUFuq188gvUJzZtUfRX7XzKmVm=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="2048" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNACOok8q7mEHZDol54h2gloTib_ty9GopCyyRMTct3Uu-nkxaMp7WQDgQE_T5JUmOd0CzgogxK2Va4gzuKYPtc36FbA8i7bnV08tgpIAKjzC3DBFPjhLamfOkKB7UF4wQP0VCSf-nnPSMQaSKlv8Vi2vRdUHgPORUFuq188gvUJzZtUfRX7XzKmVm=w640-h372" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Man, those older sculpts really do conjure up fond memories of looking pictures of Games Workshop, Citadel and Ral Partha minis in <i>Dragon</i> magazine. As a kid, I didn't have a lot of cash and chose to buy the manuals instead of minis, so I didn't own very many figures. I think I've been overcompensating for that ever since!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdYd8U37l4fEHBW0sAelqqykTKGfFf8RhB0DwPuq_-bAnGpm9WeDugv2jrLahv6ZayVxy1kAgBkKKwoGPr15oNwRktreSh_pmMkspyxYcZpCpzlOZcpdRt8MXQB87x2yDjcmLbNgntbJSdGwy0-8A0ZlGNrJMF3LeHRIahBkEonf8RuAo_XGw6Y8ae=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="2048" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdYd8U37l4fEHBW0sAelqqykTKGfFf8RhB0DwPuq_-bAnGpm9WeDugv2jrLahv6ZayVxy1kAgBkKKwoGPr15oNwRktreSh_pmMkspyxYcZpCpzlOZcpdRt8MXQB87x2yDjcmLbNgntbJSdGwy0-8A0ZlGNrJMF3LeHRIahBkEonf8RuAo_XGw6Y8ae=w640-h204" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, I'm not thrilled about the bendy plastic, but even I have to concede that the new minis just look more realistic and dynamic. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WINNER: 2021</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL WINNER: HeroQuest 2021</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Let the record show that I absolutely adore 1989 <i>HeroQuest's</i> aesthetic charms. I love the retro art design and the Mark-I miniatures. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But, nostalgia goggles aside, I have to give the overall win to new <i>HeroQuest</i>. Though I'm loathe to admit it, Hasbro did a great job in bringing this venerable classic back to life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, so, that's the look of the game...but how does it play? Next up: my play-though and review of this spruced-up revival. Will it be worth the effort or was it all for naught! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Stay tuned, kiddies!</span></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-47534565411871211412022-01-02T07:34:00.002-08:002022-01-03T13:05:39.750-08:00Full Play-Through - "Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar" <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgp2Rs9D8LBQJ8PNsjXV8H9K5mG3Dhupt2IC_9H2PUfHQ0Ta62-Sr-WV4QDQ4g2bpoLd8u4mTW7nKxnhjASAScXVt98HKij_KZwvAUMcGybz0U3TX1W4qsNn4KLlGSVSE5u9SG3cFqgPTtQ55jzdNaNc5Qm-744SsQlQvMHSWmtw08z9ZusFCMq8SPS=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2019" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgp2Rs9D8LBQJ8PNsjXV8H9K5mG3Dhupt2IC_9H2PUfHQ0Ta62-Sr-WV4QDQ4g2bpoLd8u4mTW7nKxnhjASAScXVt98HKij_KZwvAUMcGybz0U3TX1W4qsNn4KLlGSVSE5u9SG3cFqgPTtQ55jzdNaNc5Qm-744SsQlQvMHSWmtw08z9ZusFCMq8SPS=w394-h400" width="394" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, I’ve already sung the praises of this amazing
game right </span><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/apocalyptically-good-tzolkin-mayan.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, but I wanted to do a full </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Tzol’kin</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> play-through, mainly to lock the rules into my brain and give me the ability to table it whenever I want to.</span></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’ll start off by showing (and explaining)
the random Monuments (along the top row) and Buildings (on the bottom row) that I drew for this match, pictured down below from left to right:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u>Monuments</u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Score VP’s based on the total
number of Monuments built by all players. In a 4-player game, that’s 4 points
per Monument.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Score VP’s equal to the total
number of Workers you have in play.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Score 3 VP’s for every step
you’ve taken beyond the starting space on one Temple of your choice.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Score 4 VP’s for every
gray-bordered Monument and Building you’ve built.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Score
points </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">based on when you built it in: first
quarter of the game – 40 points, second quarter – 31 points, third quarter – 22
points, fourth quarter – 13 points. </span>(special promo tile) </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Score
points based on how many Technologies you managed to get to Level Three.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWhTIjp07jMKU8_EJXZrp-auPkiqfqCG2SJDMxHZyY9E9CTgKP3VMU5bf3PgzdectvxUCciTLCTN4wGaBzH85z8N2h3ATs6l7Zyw4k6mkgtR2pz7FDDRqHye7WhQoz7HFtriSrwHFLCDXEuk6KxAnYpiczUEgXtDormwXRza63D0Oaw05p2Pw0xtzC=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="2048" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWhTIjp07jMKU8_EJXZrp-auPkiqfqCG2SJDMxHZyY9E9CTgKP3VMU5bf3PgzdectvxUCciTLCTN4wGaBzH85z8N2h3ATs6l7Zyw4k6mkgtR2pz7FDDRqHye7WhQoz7HFtriSrwHFLCDXEuk6KxAnYpiczUEgXtDormwXRza63D0Oaw05p2Pw0xtzC=w400-h191" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Buildings</span></u></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All of your Workers require one
less Corn to feed.</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of your Workers needs no
Corn.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Advance one Theology (Blue)
Tech Space and go up one step on the Green (<span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Kukulcan)</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Temple.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Go up one step on both the
Brown (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chaac) </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">and Yellow (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Quetzalcoatl) </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Temple.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">See #1.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gain one level in the Red / Yellow Architecture
Technology.</span></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And here are the starting Resources for all four players:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV8UnaM-wxmU0V8YqSJ8YHB8DQke8NvATuhQy8aFgvn2KXLy2IF-5JCBPDNeVlG4tINl7leTkiGXRckqCTMbrRUokJMD9zOomB4Riv8B53He776qdX7h_RFIgPLOdt9lroJv5qtl-M0MOfI8pnXpbat2LCtTVv6WfC7zZVuwf0agnFagCursJyUVis=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="2048" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV8UnaM-wxmU0V8YqSJ8YHB8DQke8NvATuhQy8aFgvn2KXLy2IF-5JCBPDNeVlG4tINl7leTkiGXRckqCTMbrRUokJMD9zOomB4Riv8B53He776qdX7h_RFIgPLOdt9lroJv5qtl-M0MOfI8pnXpbat2LCtTVv6WfC7zZVuwf0agnFagCursJyUVis=w640-h269" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">RED gets 3 Corn, 1 Wood and 1 extra starting Worker. To counter-balance
this, he also takes an improvement that covers the Corn requirements for 1 Worker.</span></span></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">YELLOW starts with 9 Corn, 2 Stone, 1 Gold and 1 advancement on the
Green (Agriculture) Technology Track.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">GREEN begins the game with 8 Corn, 4 Wood, a 1-step drop on the
Brown (Chaac) Temple space... mitigated by a 1-step advancement on the same
track! He also gets 1 advancement on the Red / Yellow Architecture Technology
Track.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">BLUE kicks things off with 9 Corn, 4 Wood and 1 advancement on the
Green (</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Kukulcan)</span><span lang="EN"> </span><span lang="EN-CA">Temple.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOGYMyw_opd2WrLgLhlYxz3GyyZnA57N8jld8h9VDYNMzwPAzyCn6Pn1bclE1Z4k3E39UiHuVL3N8qmKhLnvDCw8NXyoJL7FPwmLoDBfk6SoCxwZuLvFh43BgxokRR1ywX6owOmY11Bz7fba9rwesh5E-qgAiZ8lTGd0z53Ql4f2m__kL8P7E3tTqk=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOGYMyw_opd2WrLgLhlYxz3GyyZnA57N8jld8h9VDYNMzwPAzyCn6Pn1bclE1Z4k3E39UiHuVL3N8qmKhLnvDCw8NXyoJL7FPwmLoDBfk6SoCxwZuLvFh43BgxokRR1ywX6owOmY11Bz7fba9rwesh5E-qgAiZ8lTGd0z53Ql4f2m__kL8P7E3tTqk=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>ROUND 1</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Red pays a single Corn to place a Worker on the “0” space of the
Green (</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Palenque) </span><span lang="EN-CA">and Red (Tikal) Gears.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow places a Worker on the “0” space of the Yellow (Uxmal) Gear
and on the 1-Corn Red Gear for a total of 2 Corn. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Green drops 1 Worker on the “0” space of the Brown (</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yaxchilan) </span><span lang="EN-CA">Gear as well as the 2-Corn Red Gear for a total of 3 Corn spent. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue plays one Worker on the 3-Corn Red Gear and 1 Worker on the 1-Corn
Yellow Gear for a total of 5 Corn!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 1</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token
wasn’t taken. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>ROUND 2</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red hops a Worker off the Red Gear, pays a Wood cube and advances his Green Agriculture Technology by one. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Yellow takes his Worker off the Red Gear and builds a Building for 1
Stone and 1 Gold, advancing both his Blue Theology Tech and the Green </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yaxchilan </span><span lang="EN-CA">Temple by one step each. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green adds his last Worker to the Yellow Gear for free.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue takes his Worker off the
fourth Red Gear space, letting him build two Buildings. Unfortunately, he can only
afford one, paying four lumber for a structure that will reduce his Worker’s
Corn requirements by half! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 2</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token
wasn’t taken. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 3</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red places two Workers for 1 Corn, 1 each on the “0”
space of the Brown and Red Gears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow spends a Corn to place Workers on the “0”
space of the Green and Yellow Gears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green hops a Worker off the Red Gear and buys two
Buildings, one of which covers the Corn requirements for one Worker and the other
advances his Green Agriculture Tech and gives him a Stone. Since he also has
the first Red / Yellow Architecture Tech advancement unlocked, this also earns
him a Corn. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue hops off the Yellow Gear, scoring a new Worker!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 3</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Corn is added to the Gear since the First Player token wasn’t
taken.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ROUND 4</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red places his last Worker on the “0” space of
the Brown track.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow leaps off the Yellow Gear for a new Worker!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pulls a Worker off the Brown Gear for 1
Gold and 2 Corn. After removing a Worker from the trading space of the Yellow Uxmal
Gear to get a Wood, he then hops off the Red Track, spending a Wood to go up on
the Brown and Green Temple spaces! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue places Workers on the “0” spaces of the Red,
Yellow and Blue (Chichen Itza) tracks, spending 3 Corn!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 4</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;">A Corn is added to the central Gear since the First Player token
wasn’t taken.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ROUND 5</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red removes two Workers from the Brown Gear,
getting a Corn, a Wood and a Stone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow pays a single Corn to place Workers on the
“0” spot of the Brown Gear as well as the First Player space, letting him collect the 4 accumulated Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green retrieves his Worker from the Yellow Gear
and nets a new Worker. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue spends 1 Corn to place a single Worker on
the second Brown Gear space.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 5</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yellow takes the First Player token. They’d</span><span lang="EN-CA"> like to rotate the central Gear twice, but since this would bump a Green
Worker off,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s only advanced a single
space. No Corn is added to the Gear since the First Player token was
taken.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 6 </u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow places a Worker on the “0” space of the
Red Gear for free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green hops his Worker off the last action space
of the Red dial, paying 1 Stone to advance on the Brown and Green Temple spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue removes a Worker from the Brown Gear for 1
Corn and 1 Stone and then pulls one from the Yellow Gear to trade 4 Corn for 2
Wood. Next up, they hop a Worker off the Red Gear to buy a Building for 2 Wood
and 1 Stone, which advances him on both the Brown and Yellow Temple tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red collects a Worker from the Red Gear,
allowing for 2 Technology improvements. Sadly, he can only afford one, spending<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a Wood and Stone to go up one on the Green
Agriculture Track. He then removes his Worker from the Palenque Corn Gear and,
thanks to his new Technology, he collects <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>9 Corn, even though it’s still covered by Wood.
He also gets a bonus Corn from the previous improvement, for a total of
10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 6 </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, a </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">Corn is added to the Gear. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ROUND 7</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes from the Brown Gear for 1 Stone
and 1 Corn. He then hops off the Red Gear, spending 2 Stone to advance on the
Green Agriculture Tech track, making the Wood-covered Corn accessible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then removes a Worker from the Green Gear,
getting 8 Corn (7+1 for the Tech improvement). Next up, he hops off the Yellow
Gear, letting him buy a Building for 2 Corn per regular resource. He returns 6
Corn to the bank, buying a Building that gives him a boost on the Green and
Brown Temple track. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pays 1 Corn to place a Worker on both the “0”
Green and Brown Gear spaces. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue spends a single Corn to place on the 1-Corn
Green Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red spends 4 Corn to place on the “0” and “1”
Yellow Gear spaces and on the “0” Red Gear spot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 7 </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First Player token wasn’t
taken.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>This next round will conclude the first quarter of the game! As such, this is a Feeding
Round, with Bonus Resources coming from Temples.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow pays 3 for placing Workers on the “0” spaces
of the Brown, Red and Yellow Gears. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green spends 2 Corn to place a Worker on the
2-Corn Brown Gear. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue removes a Worker from the Agriculture wheel,
takes a Corn tile and gets 4 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red plays their last Worker on the First Player
space, taking the two Corn on the Gears!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Middle of Age I - Food Day</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red has 4 Workers, but only pays 6 since one doesn’t
eat Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow also has 4 Workers, but no efficiencies,
so he pays 8 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green has 4 Workers, but pays 6 since one doesn’t
eat Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue has 4 Workers and a Building that reduces
food costs by -1 per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Temple Resource Rewards</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green, Blue and Yellow both get 1 Stone a piece.
Yellow, Green and Blue get 1 Wood each. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 8-9</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red opts to advance the Gears by two spaces,
flipping their player card to signify this!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 9</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red takes a Worker off the Yellow Gear to get a
new Worker!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes from the Red Gear and buys a
Building that advances his Brown Resource Extraction Tech and also gets him a
free Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green places a Worker for free on the “0” space
of the Red Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue plays 2 Corn to play on the Brown Gear’s “0”
space and the 1-Corn Red Gear. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 10 </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t
taken.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 10</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red removes from the Fifth Yellow Gear space, letting
him choose any other non-Chichen Itza space. He opts for the fifth Brown Gear
spot, which earns him 1 Gold, 1 Stone and 2 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow fills up the first 2 slots of the Green
Gear, paying 2 Corn to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green removes from the Red Gear and pays 1 Wood
and 1 Stone to take the Green Agriculture Tech advancement, making the Wood-buried
Corn accessible. He then gets 8 Corn for hopping off the Green dial, adding +1
for the prior advancement. Finally, he retrieves both Workers from the Brown
Gear, getting a Crystal Skull, a Gold, a Stone and 2 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue places their last Worker on the “0” Brown
Gear slot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 11 </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;">Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, a Corn is added to the central
Gear tooth.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ROUND </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">11</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red hops off the Red Gear, paying 1 Stone to take
two different Temple steps, namely Brown and Green. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes both Workers from the Green wheel,
getting 4 Corn for Fishing and then another 5 from the Corn field next door. After
recovering a Crystal Skull from the Brown Gear, they finish up by removing a Worker
from Yellow and paying 4 Corn to buy a Building that advances any Temple Track.
He chooses the Brown Temple. This same tile gives the option to buy another
Building at regular cost, but he’s out of Resources. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pays 3 Corn to drop Workers on the "0" spot of the Red,
Yellow and Blue Gears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue removes a Worker from the double Tech
Improvement space of the Red Gear, paying two resources (Stone and Wood) to
advance on the Brown Resource Extraction Tech and Blue Theology Tech tracks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 12 </b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token
wasn’t taken.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>12</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pays 2 Corn to place Workers on the first 2
Green Gear spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow spends 1 Corn to play on the Brown and
Blue Gear’s “0” spaces. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pulls off the Yellow Gear, paying 3 Corn to
advance on the Brown Temple Track. He also
hops off the Red Gear and pays 1 Stone to advance on the Blue Theology Tech
track.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue places their last Worker on the First Player
spot, helping themselves to 3 Corn!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 13 </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">No Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First
Player token was taken by Blue. They can’t move the Gears twice, since it would
launch their own Worker off the </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Chichen Itza</span><span lang="EN"> </span><span lang="EN-CA">Gear!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ROUND</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">13</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>The completion of this round represents the end
of Age I and the mid-way point of the game. Not only is this a Feeding Round,
players will also score Victory Points from Temples!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Using good timing, Blue removes from the Brown Gear
to get a Crystal Skull and then removes a Worker from the very last Blue Gear
space, choosing the play on the previous slot for 13 VP’s, a Gold and a step up
on the Gold Temple!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pulls off two Green Gear spaces, collecting a
grand total of 9 Corn, 4 from the Fishing space and 5 from the Corn fields.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow hops off the Blue gear, placing a Crystal
Skull 1 spot higher...thanks to his Tech improvement. This nets him 5 VP’s and
a bump up on the Brown Temple space!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green does the exact same thing, placing a
Crystal Skull one slot higher thanks to his Tech improvement. This nets him 6
VP’s and a bump up on the Brown Temple space!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>End of Age
I - Food Day</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one doesn’t
need to be fed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow also has 4 Workers, but no efficiencies,
so he pays 8 Corn. Unfortunately, he only has 6 so he takes a -3 VP hit! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green has 4 Workers, but pays 6 since one doesn’t
eat anything. Unfortunately, he only has 4, so he also takes a -3 VP hit! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue’s Building reduces food costs by -1 per Worker
so, with 4 Workers, he pays a measly 4 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Temple Victory Point Rewards</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green gets 7 points from the Brown Temple,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellow gets 6 while Red and Blue each get 2
apiece. Bonus points: Green gets 6 more points!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Only Blue gets points from the Yellow Temple: 2
for the space and another 2 for the bonus for a total of 4! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green Temple: Green and Yellow get 3 points
apiece. The same players get half the bonus: 2 points apiece! Finally Red and
Blue get 1 point apiece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 14</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;">Corn is added to the central Gear since the First Player token
wasn’t taken.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 14 </u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Age II begins and new Building Tiles replace the ones from Age I</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue takes a Crystal Skull from the Brown Gear!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red places on three “0” spaces: Brown, Red and
Blue, which costs a total of 3 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow places on the “0” Green Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green places on the “0” Yellow Gear.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 15</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, another Corn is added to
the main Gear.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 15</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Also devoid of Corn, Blue places on the “0” space
of the Green wheel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pulls off two Workers from the Green Gear,
getting a whopping 6 Corn from one space and 8 from the other!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow hops off the Green Gear to Fish, taking 3
+ 1 for his Tech Improvement for a total of 4 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green adds a Worker to the “0” space of the Brown
Gear for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 16</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token
wasn’t taken.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 16</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue adds a single Worker to the “0” space of the
Yellow gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pays a single Corn to place on the 1-Corn
Yellow Gear space.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes to get a Crystal Skull.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green plays on the 0-Corn Green Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 17</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Another Corn is placed on the central Gear since the First Player
token wasn’t taken.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 17</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue pulls off the Green Gear, getting 4 Corn,
then hops off the Yellow Gear, spending 3 Corn to advance on the Yellow Temple
track! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pulls off the Yellow dial, trading 12 Corn
for 3 Gold. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow places Workers on the “0”-level Green,
Brown and Blue Gears, costing them 3 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green places a Worker on the First Player space
and gains all of the Corn that’s been piling up there!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That Worker immediately comes back and Green
gains the First Player Token. Green then decides to move the Gears twice, flipping their player card over to signify this! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 18-19</b> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Of course, no
Corn is added to the Gears.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 18</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green leaps off the Yellow Track, paying 1 Corn
to do any action on any Gear, save Blue. He decides to do the fifth action on
the Red track, spending a Gold to go up on both the Brown and Green Temple
spaces! Since he just reached the top level of the Brown Temple, he flips his
Player Board back over to the lighter side, re-setting his ability to move the
gears twice! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue spends 1 Corn, placing Workers on the “0”
space of the Green and Blue Gears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red spends 2 Corn to place on the 1-Corn Green
Gear and the “0” Brown Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow places on the “0” Yellow Gear for free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 20</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">No-one took the First Player token, so 1 Corn is placed on the Gear.
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 19</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pulls off the Green Gear, getting 8 Corn
and then removes from the Brown Gear for 2 Corn, 1 Stone and 1 Gold. After
leaping off the second-to-last Yellow Gear, he pays 1 Corn to tap into the 5’th
Red Gear space. This lets him return 1 Stone to progress on both the Yellow and
Green Temple spaces! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue pulls off the Green dial to Fish for 3 food...I.E.
Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For 2 Corn, Red removes from the Brown Gear, fetching
1 Stone and a Gold. He also takes a Worker back from the Red dial, letting him
choose any space of any Gear. He decides to advance his Green Agriculture Tech
to the top tier and move the Blue Theology Tech up once, for a total of 4 Resources. Then Red removes from the Green dial, getting 8 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow jumps off the Green dial, getting 8 Corn. He
then uses his Blue Theology Tech to remove from the Blue Gear, letting him place
a Crystal Skull a level higher than normal, netting him 7 VP’s and also helping
him advance on the Green Temple space. He then hops off the Yellow dial to
advance on the Green Temple space again! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Mid-way through Age II - Food Day </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one has a
Corn allergy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow has no farming efficiencies, so he pays 8
Corn for his 4 Workers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green has 4 Workers, but pays only 6 since one is
on a Corn-free diet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue has a Building that reduces food costs by -1
per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn for his 4 Workers. Unfortunately, he only has 3,
so he loses 3 VP’s! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Whoopsie!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Temple Resource Rewards</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green and Yellow both get 2 Stone while Red and
Blue get 1 Stone apiece! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue is the only one to get a Gold from the
Yellow Temple. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow and Green both get a Crystal Skull and 2
Wood while Red and Blue each get 1 Wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 21</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;">A Corn is placed on the big ol’ Gear since the First Player token
wasn’t taken.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ROUND 20</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green spends 3 Corn to place Workers on the “0”
spaces of the Brown, Red and Blue gears. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue is woefully Corn-poor, so he places a Worker
on the “0” space of the Green Gear. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pays to place on the 1-Corn space of the Brown
wheel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow pays 2 Corn to play 2 Workers, one on the “0”
space of the Yellow wheel and one on the 1-Corn<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blue Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 22</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">No one went to the First Player space, so Corn is added to the Gear.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 21</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green places a Worker on the 0-Corn space Brown
Gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue drops another single Worker on the “0” space
of the Green dial.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red places a single Worker on the 0-Corn Red Gear
for free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow pulls off the Brown Gear for 2 Corn, 1
Gold and 1 Stone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 23</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Corn is dropped on the central Gear Tooth since the First Player
token wasn’t selected.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 22</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pulls off the Red Gear to buy a Building
which will completely feed 3 more Workers! Since he also has the Level 1 Red / Yellow
Architect improvement, he also gets a free Corn. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue places on the lowest rung of the Brown Gear
for free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pulls off the Brown Gear, gaining a Crystal
Skull. Thanks to his Blue Tech, Red can also remove one level higher from the
Blue Gear, opting for the 11 VP level, which also gains him a bump on the
Yellow Temple track and a free Wood. He then removes his last Worker from the
Brown Gear for 1 Gold and 2 Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes from the Trading space of the
Yellow Gear, trading 1 Stone for 3 Corn and then 2 Corn for a lumber.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 24</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">The First Player space was left alone, so one Corn is added to the
Gear tooth.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ROUND 23</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green places on the “0” space of the Red Gear for
free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue hops off the Green dial, cutting down the
forest for 2 lumber!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red pays 1 Corn, placing 2 Workers on the “0”
space of both the Green and Brown Gears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow pulls off the Blue dial, using their Tech
to place one level higher...specifically on the 8 VP space, which also earns
him a climb up on the Green Temple space.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 25</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">A Corn is placed on the Mega-Gear since the First Player space wasn’t
selected. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 24</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green pulls off the Brown wheel for 1 Gold and 2
Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue removes from the Green wheel, picking up the
now-revealed Corn tile for 5 Corn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red removes from the Brown Gear for 1 lumber.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yellow spends 3 Corn to place on the “0” Space of the Green and Yellow Gear, as well as the First Player space! He promptly collects the 6 Corn that’s been piling up on the wheel.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7HKy3LIogdnBPJvejI1BRqscZVkRp4cEZ2Ix94YFClDXQf7EkFIMAwXr0BRWw8alll5lO6v9RVMn24yoXsbaCehWl6_ylPXDjl2U5ybDmGwVTNtwkqqhQZLjUizrNdWk_Ds0MmTqPaFKMwiN1pAvwaotAHGl9XzBKIWBxFqUdCmO8CD4TH6aPzUz-=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7HKy3LIogdnBPJvejI1BRqscZVkRp4cEZ2Ix94YFClDXQf7EkFIMAwXr0BRWw8alll5lO6v9RVMn24yoXsbaCehWl6_ylPXDjl2U5ybDmGwVTNtwkqqhQZLjUizrNdWk_Ds0MmTqPaFKMwiN1pAvwaotAHGl9XzBKIWBxFqUdCmO8CD4TH6aPzUz-=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotation 27</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First Player token was
taken. Yellow gets the first player token and no additional Gear move is
performed.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>ROUND 25</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow removes from the Green dial and catches 4 elusive Corn Fish. He pulls back from the Blue dial, getting 4 VP’s and a
step up on the Brown Temple space. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green retrieves from the Red dial, letting him construct a Building which
gives him a step up on the Blue Tech track and a 1-tier improvement on both the
Brown (capped out) and Green Temple tracks, the latter of which locks in the
top spot for him! Green then removes from the Blue dial, using his Theology
Tech to place a Crystal Skull on the 8 VP space, gaining him 1 Gold and letting him move up on the Green temple track. Since he just unlocked the second tier
Blue Tech track, he pays 1 Stone to go up 1 space on the Yellow Temple.
Finally, Green spends 1 Corn to take a step backwards to do the Crystal Skull
action on the Brown gear! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since he doesn’t have a Crystal Skull, Blue’s Worker on the Blue
Gear is stranded. So, he just pulls off the Brown Gear for 2 Corn and 1 Gold.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red removes from the Red Gear and pays 3 Wood and 3 Gold for the Monument which gives VP’s for Workers. He then removes from the Green dial for 7
Corn.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq-uyB00pzq5FIDC-SmTNhhsG3EAs-3GaxJNqjZsG8fphWVhrEF_e-3BBiF0WPCwm5-uEClejpeP1ZbeEE_gQGSXQt1uTU5IcrlNKR0WEvbfK6SUM8yB3c1uhZwme-lS5IrxqJ1qhgdjumoSj_feq4WCft9P5PasHWMsxrQqmbcy9ikF_T6Bo15hbG=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq-uyB00pzq5FIDC-SmTNhhsG3EAs-3GaxJNqjZsG8fphWVhrEF_e-3BBiF0WPCwm5-uEClejpeP1ZbeEE_gQGSXQt1uTU5IcrlNKR0WEvbfK6SUM8yB3c1uhZwme-lS5IrxqJ1qhgdjumoSj_feq4WCft9P5PasHWMsxrQqmbcy9ikF_T6Bo15hbG=w400-h400" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>End of Age II - Food Day</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one doesn’t
need any Corn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow also has 4 Workers with zero efficiencies,
so he pays 8 Corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green has 4 Workers, but pays “0” because his
Buildings cover the food costs for all of them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue has a Building that reduces food costs by -1
per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn for his 4 Workers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Temple Victory Point Rewards</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_RFO1fN2r06c1g9xrxfekXlxget89UJBEJwbIKn4Bmzigc-hlPKbTV2eYS-eGMlxhmKBDhGWXEgPJHitlt0ZONHlClNAofXFyt42nwZL-_GqHGxjRMABuRhtddsP2LCAPqUrlARb8DFTssp3aUD5xpHIqbEPqZTvBsYHvVfOw3OP59uwgAPf3EYbJ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_RFO1fN2r06c1g9xrxfekXlxget89UJBEJwbIKn4Bmzigc-hlPKbTV2eYS-eGMlxhmKBDhGWXEgPJHitlt0ZONHlClNAofXFyt42nwZL-_GqHGxjRMABuRhtddsP2LCAPqUrlARb8DFTssp3aUD5xpHIqbEPqZTvBsYHvVfOw3OP59uwgAPf3EYbJ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brown Temple</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green - 8 points <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow - 7 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red and Blue - 2 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Bonus: Green - 2 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Yellow Temple</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue - 4 points <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green - 2 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red - 1 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Bonus: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blue - 6 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Green
Temple</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green - 10 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow - 9 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red and Blue - 1 point<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Bonus: Green - 4 points<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Goods Conversion </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: medium; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSdbhUxLMptAnBY6Vpk-alLodL-2SktkFNk7h8xrkfA_ro1C9SYI3IU-vIO5aic0sOgesoSDPOAwvpJ2UIDNNioLHsDpoXX2E5z3dTS_7qPVwGmcqX6Se1vljYA8Zb2R_LQ7g-o9sZqFNPD1sz7vsM3TgKYG17vsSIzqPEy95fezeLhecKJS5Lw2-d=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2048" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSdbhUxLMptAnBY6Vpk-alLodL-2SktkFNk7h8xrkfA_ro1C9SYI3IU-vIO5aic0sOgesoSDPOAwvpJ2UIDNNioLHsDpoXX2E5z3dTS_7qPVwGmcqX6Se1vljYA8Zb2R_LQ7g-o9sZqFNPD1sz7vsM3TgKYG17vsSIzqPEy95fezeLhecKJS5Lw2-d=w400-h268" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red 4 / 4 = 1 point</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow 20 / 4 =
5 points</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green: 10 / 4 = 2 points</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue 24 / 4 = 6 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Crystal Skulls</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green - 3 points <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Monuments</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red - 13 points</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">FINAL SCORES</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Green 60</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yellow 53 </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blue 40</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Red 31</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGfbUlO9G6dXt7xxXWgvOcgG_aVE56aI5apbvKfFZUQXtf1mLwQyWcg8ed_4b5VjrwUqR0du0r90tUqdBQ0g4tjfjqfi6u6Ap8t9ADFd2idLoikv0VCA3KaFgIjiSMmC5DyY4tVpp154Ezbyab7XjwXwqUCQDszHu5dFxjzIPKPUx5rrHbx7qffPGs=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGfbUlO9G6dXt7xxXWgvOcgG_aVE56aI5apbvKfFZUQXtf1mLwQyWcg8ed_4b5VjrwUqR0du0r90tUqdBQ0g4tjfjqfi6u6Ap8t9ADFd2idLoikv0VCA3KaFgIjiSMmC5DyY4tVpp154Ezbyab7XjwXwqUCQDszHu5dFxjzIPKPUx5rrHbx7qffPGs=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span><b><span> *** </span></b><span> </span></span><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">Key rules to remember:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Golden Rule: you can only either place Workers by paying the Corn cost based on the how many you played and their gear position or remove Workers in whatever order makes the most sense to you.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">When you remove a Worker you can take a lower action space by paying 1 Corn per step back.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">During Food Days, you lose -3 VP's per Worker you can't feed.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">If completely out of food you can Beg For Corn. Lose all of your current Corn and take 3 from the bank. Unfortunately, this pisses off the Gods and you have to take a -1 step down on any Temple track. Pro-tip: if you have to Beg for Corn, do it when you have 0 Corn and not 1 or 2. </span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you place a Worker in the First Player position you collect all of the accumulated Corn, get the Worker placed there back at the end of the round and collect the First Player token. If you currently hold the First Player Token, pass it to the player on the left. You can move the Gears twice if you want, but only if it won't throw a Worker off the last space of a Gear. </span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>So, clearly I absolutely adore </span><span><i>Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar,</i></span><span> to the point where it might have a permanent home in my top five favorite games of all time. I love the Mayan theme, the aesthetics, the efficiencies</span><span> you can create and the unique combination of worker placement combined with the timing involved with removing them from the gears to what you need to pursue a strategy. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By performing and recording this complete play-through, I'm hoping that the fundamental rules will be permanently locked in my brain. If not, I can just pop back here for a quick refresher. Hopefully there are a few like-minded out there who will find this somewhat handy as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Before I go, I suppose I should address a point related to this game or, more accurately, its designer. Apparently </span><span>Daniele Tascini has said some pretty <a href="https://www.thefandomentals.com/daniele-tascini-dropped-by-publisher/" target="_blank">stupid shit in the past</a>, which he received well-deserved criticism and repercussions for. </span><span>This, in turn, makes my love for this game a wee bit...</span><i>complicated</i><span>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I firmly believe that there comes a time when a popular work of art ceases to be the sole domain of its creator and the general public takes partial ownership of it. </span><span>Daniele Tascini isn't the only person to work on</span><span> </span><i>Tzolk'in</i><span>, after all, </span><span>it was co-designed by Simone Luciani, beautifully illustrated by </span><span>Milan Vavroň and published by the lovely folks over at Czech Games Edition. T</span><span>he hard work of these people shouldn't jettisoned merely because of the stupid comments of one person. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Above all, I firmly believe that </span><span><i>Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar</i></span><span> is a genuine work of interactive art. And, as such, it's a baby that I'd rather not see cast out with the bathwater. </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-70525477707638248852021-12-13T11:55:00.006-08:002022-01-18T09:40:58.636-08:00The Story So Far - Part 12 - “Running The Gauntlet”<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recapping the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part I</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part II</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part III</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part IV</a> </i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part V</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a> </i></span><i><span><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank">Part VIII</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-nine-vermin.html" target="_blank">Part IX </a></span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-ten-death-in.html" target="_blank">Part X </a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-story-so-far-part-eleven-sometimes.html" target="_blank">Part XI</a> </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining." </i><br />
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now, our story continues...</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>***</b></span></div><div><span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u>Moonday, Solstice 28, 1492</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Rincewind might have been restored to life
but, but between his erratic behavior and memory loss, his friends were left
wondering if the cost of his revival was already too high. As for the group’s
primary mission, Kiras Toth had been liberated, but the threat of enemy reinforcements arriving at any moment was a very real concern. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Operating on just enough sleep for the
magic-users to regain their spells, the Fellowship made<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>preparations for their journey back to
Castebridge. After putting the recuperative powers of the Spirit Well to good
use, everyone was in perfect health by the time they departed the dwarven
fortress at the crack of dawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Ulfgar and the other dwarven survivors had
done a fine job trussing Giran Oakenshield up in a sturdy travel pallet.
Although short of stature, the dwarf’s comatose form was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>heavy to lift and awkward to carry. Only
Roman and Pol were strong enough to heave the dead weight and carry for any
length of distance across the treacherous ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria was the first one to peek her head out
through the exit. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the presence of an ogre hunter, waiting patiently
just outside to play a game of “whack-a-dwarf" and she was immediately grazed
by a brutal sneak attack from the monster’s massive club. So
towering and muscular was her assailant that the dazed rogue first mistook the behemoth for a small hill
giant! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_9F4w5gGhUgdYTMdQJeIitSDp4z77EO31O-c13Gbnmtd4F_D8YxGmjKIsDLTGJDMGlYB0V-Y84R31r5qajhSkLwe2eRf-VGjHb41_MlU1WqpZAFmLstpRkw3HL5upnH7mAAqxKPMub7uUDr5mVd7FyuCJU9ZuGF7Xb2B3wY3RDiCFMgNru3P82fBa=s315" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="242" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_9F4w5gGhUgdYTMdQJeIitSDp4z77EO31O-c13Gbnmtd4F_D8YxGmjKIsDLTGJDMGlYB0V-Y84R31r5qajhSkLwe2eRf-VGjHb41_MlU1WqpZAFmLstpRkw3HL5upnH7mAAqxKPMub7uUDr5mVd7FyuCJU9ZuGF7Xb2B3wY3RDiCFMgNru3P82fBa=w492-h640" width="492" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Trapped like rats, the group was forced to
scramble away from the exit as a massive hand came grasping into the confined space. Somehow, Rincewind
managed to blast the monster square in the jaw with an unerring, and completely
random, “Magic Missile.” Lorelei attempted to distract the beast by summoning a
badger, only to have it scamper a few feet before it was popped like a furry blister underneath the creature’s massive club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As the ogre turned back towards the entrance,
several of the adventurers plugged it in the flank with some well-placed
missile-fire. When Rincewind cast an incidental “Open / Close” spell, the hinge-less
hatch flew up off the ground and smashed the beast just under the jaw. With
that, the creature flew into a rage and started jamming its club down the
corridor. This caught Bria square in the ribs, sending her flying into the wall
and knocking the wind out of her. After Lorelei deftly used a spell to “Daze”
their foe, Roman and Elster immediately piled on. Finally, Pol spun her
greatsword in her hand and delivered a dramatic <i>coup de gras</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The adventurers immediately searched the
ogre’s leather sling-pack, finding 331 Gold Crowns and an oily phial of liquid that
felt oddly “sharp” and hot to the touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As if that wasn’t a
rough enough start, the weather above ground was absolutely terrible. It was
unusually cold for a late Solstice day, with driving rain, wind, thunder and
lightning. Knowing that Giran’s condition was only getting worse, the
Fellowship decided to grit their collective teeth and move out, carefully trying to pick
their path through the Broken Lands. Given the steep decent, treacherous
terrain and jagged rocks underfoot, this was certainly no easy task.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">At one point, Roman lost his grip on the pallet and it slid out from underneath him, bowling him over. Bria
tried to snatch the wooden stretcher as it slid towards her, but she missed it.
Elster bodily leapt onto the litter but his limbs weren't long enough to anchor
it. Eventually it came to rest at the foot of a hill, leaving Giran with an
additional bump on the noggin as a silent testament to this wild ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Mercifully, the rain tapered off around
noon and the rest of the day’s travel was largely unremarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually the group broke for camp, finally giving
them a chance to talk to Rincewind about his resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a short conversation, the “WIZZARD”
confessed that he didn’t really trust the group, but he was going along with them
because he thought it was his only chance to regain his memory and make it
back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u>Godsday, Solstice 29, 1492</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The early-morning dampness soon gave way to
vibrant sun and, by mid-day, it was hot and humid. After reaching the bottom of
a gully, the heroes promptly began a new ascension. Eventually the stone
underfoot got a bit smoother and now large boulders were littering the
path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As the broken ground gave way to light scrub
and trees, the climb got decidedly steeper. To the west: impenetrable forest.
To the east: the shimmering expanse of a lake could be glimpsed just beyond the tree line at
the bottom of a rocky embankment. Directly ahead, the shrubs and rocks divided the path into three possible routes. The crusaders decided to take the left
route, and soon found themselves in a rocky clearing formed by a relatively-flat
patch of tableland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahead they could see
an inviting, but narrow, path leading back into the thick woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Unfortunately, between the loud, lingering debate
about which route to take next and their dense, overgrown surroundings, the group
failed to notice the approach of their stealthy pursuers. Suddenly, the
underbrush behind the Fellowship exploded in a wave of snarling, barking, and
howling as a pack of four wolves bearing diminutive goblin riders charged at
them. Taken by surprise, the adventurers were momentarily caught flat-footed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1Ppe5dUJQkJ4y-zIc9xx-sSHBYxQfSsToQ_-5iFwPF3vjP4aAyvtcj5qq5h5-WydzaxX4tGYIhDCafWfVKEwJ4eVPfv4cLKClITPcDFD9AXt-vZxdDIuy3mecKmcsnae7pItoar9wnp8Hhan4EPP3q5JQgdTe_blHKqBFSYIAwzOXmkLAAxK-cqoT=s634" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="375" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1Ppe5dUJQkJ4y-zIc9xx-sSHBYxQfSsToQ_-5iFwPF3vjP4aAyvtcj5qq5h5-WydzaxX4tGYIhDCafWfVKEwJ4eVPfv4cLKClITPcDFD9AXt-vZxdDIuy3mecKmcsnae7pItoar9wnp8Hhan4EPP3q5JQgdTe_blHKqBFSYIAwzOXmkLAAxK-cqoT=w378-h640" width="378" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Two of the riders circled around the rocks
to try and cut off the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
back of the pack, Lorelei and Rincewind were pounced upon by two more of the
beasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After having his arm crippled by
a Goblin’s morning star, Rincewind attempted to swig one of his healing potions.
Unfortunately he ended up drinking a tiny amount of
poison that he was also keeping in his backpack by mistake. Instantly, the “WIZZARD” became
violently ill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Lorelei cast "Burning Hands", charring the
goblin rider and wolf duo intent on her blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She took a nasty bite in retaliation but, just as she was about to
have her throat ripped out, Elster came to the rescue. At the same time, Pol launched
herself from the top of a large boulder at the lead goblin rider, impaling it spear-style
with her greatsword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Bria
managed to perforate one of the wolves before she got pounced on by another. Roman
performed double-duty, healing her while fending off his own feral
opponent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Lorelei blasted the now rider-less wolf
with a "Ray of Frost." That same wolf received a sound smash upside the head as Elster
tried to ward the beast away from Rincewind’s prone form. Pol then rushed up
from behind and split the animal’s hind quarters abroad with a double-handed chop,
just as Roman subdued the wolf intent on chomping down on his
neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Deciding that discretion was now the better
part of valor, the last goblin expertly leapt from his dead mount and
scampered away. At that same moment, Bria got mauled by the wolf stalking her
and Roman rushed in to try and distract it. Now a whirling dervish, Pol jumped
in to finish the deed as Elster attempted to stabilize the poisoned
Rincewind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After recovering from this unexpected battle,
the group found 87 Gold Crowns on the dead goblins, as well as a pretty blue
quartz gemstone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Thankfully, the rest of the day was
uneventful. That evening, while settling in for the night, Lorelei noticed that
Rincewind wasn’t studying his spell-book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pffft</i>,
I already read it,” he said dismissively while scrutinizing an odd-looking
rock. “Why would I want to read it again? It’s not exactly a page-turner!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Lorelei settled into her bedroll, but had a
hard time sleeping as she pondered the dark implications of Rincewind’s seemingly-effortless new displays of power and knowledge.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u>Waterday, Solstice 30’th, 1492</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Although it clouded over and threatened rain
early the next morning, the mid-day sun emerged triumphant and burned away the
gloom. The Fellowship made its way through a well-worn path with tall trees to
the left and right, waist-high ferns and needle-covered roots and boulders
underfoot. The air was humid, but fresh, with the smell of pine, peat and
plants still in full bloom.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“How in Pelor’s name do the dwarves get
horses through these trails to transport goods?” Roman growled.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“We dwarves don’t typically trust horses with
such precious cargo,” Elster reminded. “More often than not, we just carry the
goods to Castebridge on our backs.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After getting whacked in the face with a
half-dozen tree branches, Bria insisted on moving to the front of the marching order. Not long
after, she halted the procession after an orange length of rope lying across the path
suddenly started moving! Upon closer inspection, she realized that the
“rope” had beady eyes and was sampling the air with its flicking black tongue! After
spooking the snake as much as it spooked her, the creature turned tail and
wriggled back into the woods, allowing the group to press on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Although the path was reasonably clear, at
one point the heroes were forced to leap across some rocks to cross a small
river. During the crossing, Rincewind’s luck went from bad to worse as he
sprained his ankle, further hampering the group’s travelling speed. Roman also
stumbled, losing a few items out of his backpack in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Close to dusk, the group approached a
river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they broke into the clearing,
Bria and Lorelei heard an alarming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“PFFFFFTT!”</i>
sound.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“DUCK!” Lorelei yelled.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“Ambush!” Bria echoed. “Take cover!” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">A platoon of orc archers sprang up out of
concealment and launched a coordinated sniper attack, but thanks to the keen
ears of the thief and the mage, they all missed their marks. A pitched ranged
battle quickly ensued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Knowing that she’d be more effective in
close combat, Pol slid down the bank and began
to wade across the river, all the while dodging a deadly hail of bow-fire.
Unfortunately, she was so preoccupied by her quarry that she failed to notice a massive black-and-grey river spider lurking just under the
bridge. As soon as the creature spied her, it skittered down to the base of the
stone bridge to intercept her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKJhVNdq1W8I6RQSq01y0VGexfsCfQqmAJP15PI_8LTD6eeSyamGAQ4xtqfmIeJEcHy138cgBWOzA7Ln8NNGrk_uq2rylytyavIqWY6YdBBeZi27cmaq913zgc01lMBnPzwPEtgUjcrHAkJ91B5q9BzQcIwT4x1fOmWKgW61AekEtGchAGQxdSCC4i=s1536" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1536" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKJhVNdq1W8I6RQSq01y0VGexfsCfQqmAJP15PI_8LTD6eeSyamGAQ4xtqfmIeJEcHy138cgBWOzA7Ln8NNGrk_uq2rylytyavIqWY6YdBBeZi27cmaq913zgc01lMBnPzwPEtgUjcrHAkJ91B5q9BzQcIwT4x1fOmWKgW61AekEtGchAGQxdSCC4i=w640-h346" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></p>After casting a completely random
“Truestrike” spell on himself, Rincewind got into a long-range shootout with the orc commander, first
softening him up with a "Magic Missile" to the face and then nailing him with a
couple of crossbow bolts. Elster’s aim also proved true as he hit another orc
right between the eyes. Bria got clipped with an enemy barb, but diligently returned
fire, covering the approach of her allies. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">While attempted to cross the rocks, the
spider got swept up by a sudden surge of rushing water and was promptly carried
downriver. With its eight spindly legs displacing its body out of the water,
the critter spiraled close to some shoals, secured its footing and
then skittered up onto the bank. Her path now unopposed, Pol completed her
crossing and surged up the hillock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After casting a quick “Bless” spell, Roman charged
across the river after the warrior. Although he stumbled when the water got
waist-deep, he still managed to keep his footing in the roiling waters. Just as the cleric
crested the hill, he spied a figure on horseback half way up the trail.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait, is that Duran?" Roman muttered to himself, stunned by the incongruous sight of the </span>Chief Bailiff of Castebridge. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As
soon as the horseman recognized the heroes, he immediately turned his mount around, spurred it into a hard gallop and raced back up the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman moved to give chase but was forced to
deflect a point-blank arrow and then close with his assailant. Focused
only on the closest orc, Pol hurled herself into combat, surprising one of the
creatures with her unerring speed. It tried to cast down its bow and draw its sword,
but by the time its blade cleared the scabbard, it was already too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">When the spider arrived at the top of the
hill, it spied motion from the orcs and immediately charged at them. Within
moments, the massive arachnid had poisoned one and was dragging the hapless creature back into the underbrush! Adding to the chaos, Lorelei cast “Summon
Animal”, and the conjured mystical badger immediately charged into the fray. Assailed
from every angle, the orcs soon collapsed into a rout. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Among their dead assailants, the Fellowship
found 46 Gold Crowns, 4 longbows (identical to the ones used by the Castebridge
town guard!) and a note written in common which read:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Destroy
the bridge and guard the pass.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Ambush
and kill any dwarf refugees, survivors and merchants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Above
all, make sure that the humans don’t get across the river alive. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The group noticed that these orcs also bore
the standard of the bloody crescent moon, the same brand that Bria had been
tagged with as a child. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After recovering from the battle, the
Fellowship decided to move off the main trail and break camp for the
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u>Earthday, Earthlife 1st, 1492 </u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The following morning the adventurers
pressed on to Castebridge, anticipating an arrival before noon. As the sun
crept up overhead, it became blazingly-hot on the forest trail, and soon
everyone was sweating profusely under their heavy cloaks and armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Eventually the canopy of trees overhead cleared
and the group emerged out of the hills and into light scrub. This soon gave way
to knee-high grasslands, which could be seen swaying in the distance right up
to the town walls. Feeling the warm, reassuring heat of the sun on their bodies
and the cool breeze coming across the field, the crusaders suddenly felt
refreshed and fortified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">But half-way to the gates, the sky clouded
over and the heroes felt a loud gust of wind above their heads. They looked up
to see a massive, bat-shaped creature diving straight towards them: presumably the same young
red dragon that destroyed Vanguard Tower at Kiras Toth! The Fellowship watched,
terror-stricken as the dragon shot back up into the air, banked sharply and
dove down again for another pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvriOMWOZ5Ih9Mdk7ReqExJ_YUbYZiEEdmv6u0hhxtM8fPxFw9ULa_HTuAp1nsNtLL7WECRo_9YkL50g3o2CI1EBogIjQdEn0f4LlnfHNEcrHUs1fUxFckOxyXzM-WwqifExYSJXhjh1uYHrXIb6WCipLfkI1HslbjmSKXucAbroteU9VJhvFeWsU5=s332" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="332" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvriOMWOZ5Ih9Mdk7ReqExJ_YUbYZiEEdmv6u0hhxtM8fPxFw9ULa_HTuAp1nsNtLL7WECRo_9YkL50g3o2CI1EBogIjQdEn0f4LlnfHNEcrHUs1fUxFckOxyXzM-WwqifExYSJXhjh1uYHrXIb6WCipLfkI1HslbjmSKXucAbroteU9VJhvFeWsU5=w640-h608" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Sensing that their only chance for survival
was to reach the town’s defensive perimeter, the adventurers charged into a
flat-out sprint, which quickly degenerated into a marathon endurance run. The
dragon strafed down again and again amidst the pack, badly clawing up both Lorelei
and Rincewind. Tired of being used as the creature’s plaything, Elster stopped
running and decided to take a stand, but got mercilessly slashed up for this act of
valor. </p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Half-way to the north gates, the group could
see a small handful of longbow-armed guards manning the battlements, led by
Berowne, the Captain of the Guard, and Fellowship alumni Barant des Apres. They
were clearly readying their weapons and preparing to cover the town’s champions
as soon as they made it within range. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As they got closer, they witnessed Duran de
Montford appear from out of nowhere and order the guards to seal the gate and
take cover behind the wall. Berowne and Barant immediately ignored this and commanded the guards to stay put. During
the heat of battle, Duran slunk away down below, only to re-appear in a
successful bid to get the north gates locked up tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Watching helplessly as the portcullis
slammed shut, the group decided to join Elster in a brave last stand. After the dragon
pitched down between the Fellowship and the town wall, the crimson wyrm began to toy with its human prey. Rincewind and
Lorelei gamely hammered the creature with "Magic Missiles" and "Frost Rays", but
the damage seemed akin to insect bites. All the while, Bria fired off a
constant barrage of crossbow bolts, also to little discernible effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">When Pol managed to bury her sword in the
creature’s leg, the dragon’s attacks immediately went from play-time to murderous.
The warrior woman was the first to experience the beast’s genuine wrath, slashing her with such force that she was launched into the air. Frustrated
by his inability to reason with the beast and seeing his brave ally nearly
eviscerated, Rincewind’s eyes suddenly filmed over. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">To everyone’s shock, the "WIZZARD" stretched his hand out and three massive boulders lying nearby flew through the air, striking the dragon full-bore, knocking it back into the gate and breaking it off
its hinges. Try as he might, the “WIZZARD” attempted to duplicate this
remarkable feat, but this unexpected wellspring of mystical energy seemed to be
spent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Peppered by arrows and wounded by the stony projectiles, the creature launched itself skyward, its wings frantically beating at
the air, propelling it back north in a hasty retreat. After taking an inventory
of this miraculous turn of events, the group limped through the shattered town
gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Berowne and Barant scrambled down off the
wall to offer concern and congratulations. Denneth, the town Major, suddenly
materialized from out of nowhere to pepper the heroes with a constant barrage of rapid-fire
questions. All the while, Duran de Montford was skulking around in the
background and scowling at these unpredictable turn of events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">With Giran still at death’s door, the group
was forced to ignore all of these theatrics and bring cart him off to
Moira at the abbey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Within minutes, she'd</span> stabilized the poisoned dwarf with her healing arts, all the while directing a
few acerbic barbs towards Roman for his long absence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">When quizzed about his sudden. magic-based
flex, Rincewind once again claimed to have no memory of what had happened. In
fact, he didn't even seem to believe his friend's first-hand account of the battle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">When</span> the
Fellowship turned on Duran, he claimed that he was just acting in the
town’s best interest, insisting that it’s standard procedure to seal the gates
and get the sentries off the wall when the town “eez attacked by so formidable
a foe.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Accusing the Chief Bailiff of plotting against them, the heroes presented their evidence to Denneth. Not only did Roman testify that Duran turned tail and ran away during the ambush, they presented the longbows, the
severed head of the orc chieftain and, most importantly, the note.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Seeing that the longbows were
indeed Casterbridge town guard standard issue and swayed by Roman’s conviction, the Mayor quickly turned a critical eye
on the Bailiff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Duran swore up and down that he no-where
near the battle. Before anyone could ask him for an alibi. Denneth gasped
audibly at the note:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“Your right...this note was indeed written
by a trusted member of the town. But this isn’t<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Duran’s hand-writing...it’s <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Stefan's</a>!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The adventures stood in shocked silence as the town guard were ordered out to his home and instructed to escort the fiery young farmer straight to the stockade! </span></p><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Ogre</b>: <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/ogre">https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/ogre</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Goblin Warg-Rider</b>: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/bruumbaraztarag/art/Yellow-Goblin-Worg-Rider-144208053">https://www.deviantart.com/bruumbaraztarag/art/Yellow-Goblin-Worg-Rider-144208053</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>River Spider:</b> <a href="https://dmdave.com/flying-spiders/">https://dmdave.com/flying-spiders/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><u>Young Red Dragon</u></b>: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/young-red-dragon</p></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-51504695238929016672021-12-02T07:50:00.004-08:002022-01-29T10:03:09.769-08:00"The Story So Far" - Part 11 - "Sometimes They Don't Come Back Quite...Right"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recanting the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part 1</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part 2</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part 3</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part 4</a> </i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part 5</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part 6</a> </i></span><i><span><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank">Part 7</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank">Part 8</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-nine-vermin.html" target="_blank">Part 9</a></span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-ten-death-in.html" target="_blank">Part 10</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining." </i><br />
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now, our story continues...</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"No!" Pol screamed, bringing her
sword down in a deadly arc.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">This alerted her quarry, and
the potentially-deadly strike resulted in little more than a superficial flesh
wound as the creature twisted around to face its assailants. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman swore under his breath as events continued
to spiral out of control. Given the creature’s preternatural speed and agility,
their strategy of flanking the beast and killing it quickly was now completely in the wind. Backed into a corner, the beast was fortified and lashing out viciously.
Roman’s wild swing drove it sidelong
into Elster’s reach just as the dwarf rounded the corner. The priest’s glancing
blow only served to push it back into a coiled defensive stance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">As Bria moved up, swapping her crossbow for
her staff, Lorelei’s Frost Ray managed to thread through the wild scrum and
strike the beast. As it recoiled from the icy sting, Pol moved to the
forefront. Failing to anticipate the speed of the creature, the fighter
suddenly found herself on the receiving end of two barbed tentacle strikes. The
first pierced the fine links of her mailed forearm and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the second shredded the clasp of her cloak,
taking metal links and flesh along with it. Her peers gasped collectively as
the mighty warrior fell to her knees.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP1Sc8Atrinm5SPzx_y7qWGDAUtaKaREMZj_1oAco7hkX0A3_3OkVmlM3N5-YsM4A7UypecfTzyEFm2V8fD-ilWLhyphenhyphena7cCNn9qqg5fKIg51wwK0FlbjuajBQqEgCne3QfwlMsELEjpNg/s829/Displacer_Beast_MM_4e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP1Sc8Atrinm5SPzx_y7qWGDAUtaKaREMZj_1oAco7hkX0A3_3OkVmlM3N5-YsM4A7UypecfTzyEFm2V8fD-ilWLhyphenhyphena7cCNn9qqg5fKIg51wwK0FlbjuajBQqEgCne3QfwlMsELEjpNg/w494-h640/Displacer_Beast_MM_4e.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Channeling her pain into rage, Pol stabbed
forward, catching the displacer beast in its taut, muscular shoulder. The
creature spat out a savage snarl in response and slunk back, looking for
another opportunity to lash out. Both Elster and Roman delivered what they
thought were well-placed follow up swings, but both came up short. Bria’s
next attack also looked to be perfectly gauged, but she was stunned when her
battlestaff missed by a mile.</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Thinking that an indirect route might be
wiser, Lorelei began the process of conjuring up a creature to fight at her
behest. Intrigued by the tasty-looking morsel offering itself up, the displacer
beast lashed out at Elster. The dwarf took a vicious slash to the right
shoulder and back, but managed to bat away the second tentacle.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">As Roman healed the now worse-for-wear Pol, Elster surprised himself when a blow intended to fend off
his attacker actually struck the displacer beast in the snout. Bria cursed
audibly as she telegraphed another attack. Lorelei watched helplessly as her
temporary familiar flailed uselessly at their quarry and the beast skillfully
avoided being blinded by her "Flare" spell.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Temporarily fortified, Pol grasped her two-handed
sword like a spear and launched herself at the creature. Just before colliding
with her opponent, she caught a lightning-quick tentacle strike to the neck and
head, stunning her. Her strike still landed true, and she managed to pin the beast
to the floor. Elster piled on, bringing his hammer down on the monster’s iron-coiled
haunch over and over. Roman, seeing Pol fall unconscious, launched himself at the
displacer beast and delivered the killing blow to the creature’s skull. It
howled and spasmed into a violent series of death throes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The fracas finally over, Bria tried to drag
Pol free of the mayhem but slipped in a pool of blood underfoot and went down. After
wiping the gore from their respective weapons, Roman and Elster rushed over to
aid Bria in her efforts to revive Pol. Eventually the warrior came to and sat
up. Without saying a word, she got to her feet, swayed in place, pushed away several
offers to help and then staggered over to where Rincewind was felled. Lorelei
was already there and immediately their worst fears were confirmed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Poor bastard," Roman lamented.
"He didn’t even know what hit him."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"At least it was quick," the
sorceress added.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Pol breathed a wavering sigh, wiped blood from
her eye and began to weep. The sight was so incongruous, it took her peers by
surprise.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"It’s my fault," she managed to
say, her voice leaden with emotion. “I couldn’t get to him in time.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman shook her out of her reverie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"No, don’t think that for a second! We
had no idea that it was going to be so fast and agile!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Sniffing back her tears, Pol bent down and
gently picked up the fallen wizard. She turned towards Elster, who was
observing the scene in respectful silence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Your people owe us," the amazon
said to him </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster nodded solemnly and soon his cheeks
were stained with tears as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Aye, Milady. The weight of your sacrifice isn’t
lost on us and our people will forever be in your debt.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Pol suddenly towered over the diminutive
cleric, striking such an imposing presence that the dwarf shifted back a step.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Then it’s settled," she said in
reply. "You’ll bring him back."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The fighter marched out of the room on
pillar-esque legs, leaving her fellow heroes standing around in stunned
silence. After exchanging quizzical looks, they all began to chase after her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Pol, where are you going?" Roman
yelled, wincing as his voice reverberated down the stone passageway. He
couldn’t decide if he was more fearful now of goblin patrols or his friend’s response.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"We’re taking him to the Soul
Forge," Pol intoned, her stride back to the smithy inexorable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaBwn_eKjkGrTau2FNDaxb5hxs8P3DhomdFca8-8c_HmSEs4yOoA4_qLSjRYIgjfr_D-3JLmgPfl_u9MTZWOEJY6qNd_Wco2YfFvkiwc5QaOJt5RbdsbabICc6806Ts_Vp2F-IyZBmgg/s1920/nic-hawkins-highresscreenshot00025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaBwn_eKjkGrTau2FNDaxb5hxs8P3DhomdFca8-8c_HmSEs4yOoA4_qLSjRYIgjfr_D-3JLmgPfl_u9MTZWOEJY6qNd_Wco2YfFvkiwc5QaOJt5RbdsbabICc6806Ts_Vp2F-IyZBmgg/w640-h360/nic-hawkins-highresscreenshot00025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Upon arrival, the warrior kicked the door open
and then delicately laid Rincewind’s body on a table by the bellows. Elster marched
over and grabbed her by the arm as the others crowded in.</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"It’s not that simple, Pol. The Forge's power is exclusively the domain of Parn Golddelve, under the direction of Moradin himself.
Others have tried to use it and...well..."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, what?" Roman demanded.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster shuffled nervously in place before responding.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"A few years ago, one of nobles from
the Undercity was killed in a freak mine accident not far from here. His aides
had heard tales of the Soul Forge and demanded that the priest presiding over
Kiras Toth in Parn’s absence use the device to bring him back. Things...didn’t
go according to plan."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"What do you mean?" Pol demanded.
"Did it or did it not bring him back to life?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Oh, it did," Elster replied,
looking ill-at-ease. "But sometimes they don’t come back quite...right."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The dwarf’s words hung like a bat in the
air, ready to take wing amidst the stony silence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Lets put it to a vote," Pol
said. "If the majority of us say that it’s the right thing to do, then we’ll
do it."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Pol’s hand shot up at once, followed
quickly by Bria’s. Lorelei’s vote to act followed not longer after and Roman’s
tentative hand make it nearly unanimous.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Do it," Roman told Elster in a
tone that didn’t invite debate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The dwarven priest heaved a world-weary
sigh.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Let the record show that this is against
my better judgment. I need you to leave me alone with him. Go back to Ulfgar’s quarters and
recover what you can while I make the preparations."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman pondered this for a moment and
decided not to press his luck. He herded everyone out of the smithy, but this
time Pol didn’t let herself by moved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"I’m staying here," she said
emphatically.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Look, if we run into anything nasty,
we’re going to need our best fighter with us," Roman insisted. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Pol managed to tear her gaze away from Elster’s
puttering. Instantly, her expression softened and Roman reciprocated with a
smile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Do you trust him?" the fighter
asked as they left the room to join the others. "If no-one’s there to keep
an eye on him, he can just say it didn’t work and that’ll be the end of
it."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Let’s face it, even if we were all
staring right over his shoulder, none of us would have a clue what he was up to,"
Roman replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Taking stock of the crestfallen looks on his
friend’s faces, the cleric tried to boost their spirits on the trek back to
Ulfgar’s quarters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Do you think it’s going to
work?" Bria asked plaintively.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Honestly, I have no idea,” Roman confessed.
"The dwarves aren’t exactly renowned for their healing arts. But we’ve all seen some pretty bizarre stuff down here, so I guess anything
is possible."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Aware of the constant threat of enemy
reinforcements, the group did a hasty pass on the sergeant’s quarters. Even
though the displacer beast prevented the invaders from sacking the room, its
struggles to escape created a spectacular mess. From the chaos, the group
managed to salvage Ulfgar’s masterwork warhammer, a striking-looking
greatsword, a silver necklace, a potion of some sort and a painting depicting a
grand battle between dwarves and goblins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">When the Fellowship returned to the Soul
Forge, Elster quickly hustled everyone through the smithy and back into the
corridor leading to the Forgemaster’s quarters. His shushed everyone as a
flurry of questions started to fly.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Be silent!" he implored, pushing
everyone out of the room.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">He shut the door behind them and then led
them down the hall.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"So?" Pol demanded, no longer
able to contain herself. "What happened?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yeah!" Bria chimed in, getting
in Elster’s path. "Is Rincewind alright?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes, yes!" the dwarf replied,
sounding testy. "We just need to let him rest right now."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">As the sound of jubilation filled the tight
quarters, Elster winced, dropping his arms to his sides in resignation. He promptly
maneuvered around Brea and entered the next room, his compatriots trailing
after him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Once inside, the Fellowship saw that Ulfgar
and his ally had not been idle. The group's unexpected return distracted the sergeant
from his finishing touches, and everyone crowded around to admire his
handiwork. Giran was now securely trussed up in a cot and ready for transport. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Ulfgar was also delighted to have his items
returned to him. He went on to explain that the warhammer was a gift from the
forgemaster, and getting it back seemed to fortify him considerably. At the
sight of the still-intact painting, his eyes lit up, and he proudly told
everyone within ear-shot that he painted it himself. But, just as quickly, the
sergeant’s mood turned somber when he noticed Rincewind’s absence. He then
listened in rapt silence as the group recounted their fight with the displacer
beast.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"You’ve saved us all," Ulfgar
declared. "If Giran could speak, he’d offer heartfelt thanks as well as a
great reward. I don’t believe I speak out of turn when I offer these tokens of
appreciation to you."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">After presenting the greatsword, the silver
necklace and the unidentified potion to his human allies, Ulfgar invited the Fellowship to
help themselves to the contents of the vault.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"We appreciate the gesture,"
Roman replied. "But you’ll need that gold to rebuild. Keep it."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait...whut?" Bria blurted,
sounding desperate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Besides</i>," Roman emphatically stated, pausing momentarily to fire a stern look over his shoulder at the
thief, "we’re going to have to travel lightly and we can’t be laden down
with a bunch of heavy chests."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, I insist on this, at the very least,"
Ulfgar interjected. "When everything is back to normal, I’ll personally
delivery a masterwork weapon to each of you, crafted straight from the Soul
Forge. As adventurers, the value of such things will easily eclipse any trinket
and bauble that you’ll find lying around here."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pffft,</i>
doubtful," Bria mumbled, crossing her arms and drifting away. She continued to mutter this diatribe under
her breath until Lorelei poked her in the ribs with an elbow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, we should get going,"
Roman said, sounding unconvinced by his own words.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"No, my friends," Ulfgar insisted.
"The hour is very late and you’re exhausted. Get some well-earned sleep."
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"But what if reinforcements show
up?" Lorelei asked.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"We’ll just have to chance it,"
Elster spoke up. "Besides, we can’t move Rincewind yet. I’ll go back out
to the Soul Forge and stay with him to make sure everything is okay."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">With that, the members of the Fellowship
settled down into a restless night of elusive sleep. Bria dreamt of a shower of gold coins, none of
which she could catch or pick up. Roman had a nightmare about surviving the trip home, only to be cast out of the church by Moira for
being absent for so long. Lorelei tossed and turned, imagining a walk through
a beautiful wooden glade ending in horror as she fell into a
pit and the earthen walls closed in on her. Pol had a dream about Rincewind coming
back...but then suddenly turning on her and strangling her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Solstice
27'th, Moonday</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">That morning, Pol excitedly woke up her
allies and soon they were all crowding the entrance to the Soul Forge. Roman
knocked on the door and a sleepy Elster opened it, blearily rubbing his eyes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Are you ready to go?" the priest
of Pelor asked.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"As ready as we can be, I
suppose."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"How’s Rincewind?" Pol quizzed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"See for yourself," Elster
replied, gesturing for his friends to enter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Once inside, they saw that the “WIZZARD” was
sitting hunched over a cluttered workbench, curiously examining the entire
contents of his back pack and spell pouches which he’d poured out onto the
table. Still clad in the torn and blood-stained
remnants of his robes, he seemed nonplussed by his near-nudity. Despite
his<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>threadbare state, everyone was surprised
to see that the exposed skin underneath was perfectly healed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGqSlmgNxKqMYFle0A0v02YZ7_J8AgGX6Eiwsz_9j5ajzQsoU0oUH3lhFQheXpuO0mgHoD8cF8hyphenhyphenV0ZQkS97feKYDOxFYlf6YCXVkFXZrQnYJVMVpQL4EqAPe33dzDSLwrXsuHqf6QmU/s359/rincewind-butterfly.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="359" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGqSlmgNxKqMYFle0A0v02YZ7_J8AgGX6Eiwsz_9j5ajzQsoU0oUH3lhFQheXpuO0mgHoD8cF8hyphenhyphenV0ZQkS97feKYDOxFYlf6YCXVkFXZrQnYJVMVpQL4EqAPe33dzDSLwrXsuHqf6QmU/w400-h213/rincewind-butterfly.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">As the group approached, Rincewind suddenly
looked up in surprise, grabbed a tiny steel bar from his tinder kit and
brandished it as if trying to defend himself.</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Hey, buddy" Roman ventured, holding
up his hands in a calming gesture. "How are you feeling?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes," Lorelei echoed. "Are
you okay?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The magic user blinked violently, spinning
his head around as if surrounded by phantoms.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Who...?" he began.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes?" Roman said, leaning closer
to hear.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Who...?" Rincewind repeated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes?" Lorelei replied, silently
imploring more words out of him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Who are all you weirdos?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">With that, the heroes turned and exchanged glances
with each other, suspecting that their flight back to Castebridge might be the
least of their immediate challenges.</span></p>Next up: </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I</span><span style="font-family: arial;">n a desperate, time-sensitive bid to save Giran's life, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the group tries to run a deadly gauntlet from Kiras Toth to Castebridge...now</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">with a loopy </span><i style="font-family: arial;">wizzard</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in tow! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Image Credits</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Displacer Beast</b>: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Displacer_beast</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The Soul Forge</b>: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/XBmA9l</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Rincewind</b>: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Rincewind.png</span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-70835301154797961322021-11-24T11:51:00.005-08:002022-01-12T15:52:32.456-08:00The Story So Far - Part 10 - "A Death in the Family"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recanting the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part I</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part II</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part III</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part IV</a> </i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part V</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a> </i></span><i><span><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank">Part VIII</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-nine-vermin.html" target="_blank">Part IX </a></span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining." </i><br />
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now, our story continues...</span></div><div><span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Are you taking us to where
this...creature is?" Roman ventured, giving voice to the question on
everyone’s mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"No," Elster replied. "Not
yet. Before we face the beast, I thought we might seek an audience with the
Lord of Kiras Toth."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"You mean..." Lorelei began.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes, I'm going to take you to see Giran
Oakensheild."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster led the group past the guard room
protecting the treasure vault. The corridor narrowed suddenly and the adventurers
found themselves inching through the claustrophobic gloom, looking out for enemy
reinforcements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"I cling to two faint hopes,"
Elster continued, his hushed voice still sounding revelatory in the stone
corridor. "If Moradin should bless us, Giran has survived this ordeal and
the Soul Forge remains intact."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What’s the Soul Forge?" Roman
asked.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster smiled wistfully as he peeked around
an approaching corner.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Merely our most inspired creation. Under
Moradin’s divine inspiration, Parn Golddelve constructed the finest forge ever
built by mortal hands. Not only are the weapons born from its blessing undaunted
by the stoutest armor, it also has the capacity to knit together the broken
bonds of body and soul."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait a minute," Roman said,
holding up a hand in protest. "What exactly are you saying?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Simply put, the Soul Forge has the
power to bring the dead back to life."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman snorted his derision and Pol
immediately smacked him in the back of the head. The priest stopped dead in his
tracks and rubbed his pate, wearing an expression that communicated more shock
than injury.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What was the hell was that for?"
he growled just under his breath.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Don’t be snide," the warrior
chastened him. "You of all people should show a little faith."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After muttering a litany of curses, Roman
moved back to the top of the marching order. By the time he got there, Elster
was already standing by a door and gesturing for everyone to fall silent. As
soon as Roman was confident that
everyone was ready to act in tandem, the dwarf threw open the door to reveal a
large smithy. Two large anvils sat in the center of the chamber, a huge forge
and bellows filled up the northwest corner, and tools, scraps of metal and
half-made suits of armor were scattered all over the floor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Standing near the door at the south side of
the smithy were four hobgoblins, arguing about something in their guttural
language. As soon as the Fellowship burst through the door, they immediately
looked up, drew their weapons and charged. Stunned by this sudden flood of skilled
opponents, the hobgoblins were quickly overwhelmed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD4JhmKZV-cJjGkhlOxa03QTYmJmwYQ_12bD7kg0SdOe5CvJnmHeqiLRwvFcfn9l6k3dKUODnxT7XyHyCX9Z7-56ZodCuaTiwrNJPwzjTxAieP_JUMJs23zGjaWlF83bqLwaqPOSulUE/s772/Hobgoblin-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="436" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD4JhmKZV-cJjGkhlOxa03QTYmJmwYQ_12bD7kg0SdOe5CvJnmHeqiLRwvFcfn9l6k3dKUODnxT7XyHyCX9Z7-56ZodCuaTiwrNJPwzjTxAieP_JUMJs23zGjaWlF83bqLwaqPOSulUE/w362-h640/Hobgoblin-1.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><span><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">After looting the scant few coins found on the dead hobgoblins, the group forged on into the L-shaped passage beyond, which was filled with racks of metal-working tools, molds and other equipment for the forge. A dead hobgoblin lay sprawled out in the crook of the passage, a crossbow bolt protruding from his left eye.</span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Here, let me go first!" Elster
said, maneuvering around Roman.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Just as the priest edged out around the
corner, another crossbow bolt, obviously gauged for someone considerably
taller, flew just above his head. As a flurry of frantic dwarven bluster and
oaths were exchanged, the rest of the Fellowship rushed in to help.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait!" Elster yelled, gesturing
for his human allies stay back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Roman and Pol quickly backed off, but not
before noticing the glitter of fleeting armor ten feet down the hall as a door
slammed shut. This was followed by the squeal of metal on metal as a door jamb
was driven home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Hold up back here until I make sure
it’s safe!" the dwarven cleric shouted back to his peers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster began shuffling down the corridor, his
shield held high, all the while speaking soothing words in his native tongue. The
sound of the door bolt re-opening tempted Rincewind and Bria to take a peek,
but Roman quickly shot them a dirty look. A second dwarven voice joined the
parley and quickly the tones changed from warning and belligerent to penitent
and dismissive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> "You can come out now!" Elster
called back over his shoulder. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Our heroes rushed out of concealment to see
another twitchy-looking dwarf warrior standing by Elster in a doorway at the far
end of a corridor, his heavy crossbow resting on his shoulder and pointing up
towards the ceiling. As the group closed up ranks, they managed to catch the tail
end of the conversation, but Bria was completely distracted by the presence of a
large key dangling from a thin chain around the guard’s neck.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HGacZXHACzaYrLy6NYnTPp2Ym_mQN2qOgwCagEjAzpitsGUhCzMQMFE7r4Uf_KnOf0kGgHrD59m6oV80Ig5NRIw5aJAn_Yu8AZT4W1fSouAhMbOdo2XhapDJ5MBi60FPmOo4iiCZ1sg/s266/Dwarf_crossbow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HGacZXHACzaYrLy6NYnTPp2Ym_mQN2qOgwCagEjAzpitsGUhCzMQMFE7r4Uf_KnOf0kGgHrD59m6oV80Ig5NRIw5aJAn_Yu8AZT4W1fSouAhMbOdo2XhapDJ5MBi60FPmOo4iiCZ1sg/s16000/Dwarf_crossbow.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: arial;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Kadre</i>,
my apologies," the dwarven warrior said, still eyeing the humans warily.
"The last face that came around that corner was not nearly so
friendly."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Speak nothing of it," Elster
replied. "Given everything you’ve
been through, you were well within your rights to perforate me. I shouldn’t
have barged out without announcing myself first."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster introduced the dwarven fighter as
Ulfgar, sergeant-at-arms to Giran Oakenshield. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“It’s to his credit that Kiras Toth hasn’t
completely foundered under this invasion,” Elster whispered to his peers as
Ulfgar turned back towards the door. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“He looks like he’s on the verge of
collapse,” Roman observed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“Likely a symptom of running on stress
instead of sleep for the past three days,” Pol replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Ulfgar heaved open the stout portal and
invited the Fellowship to follow him. The room inside was a sparsely-decorated
chamber that appeared to be the living quarters of a single dwarf. There was a
table cluttering the middle of the small room, with a heavy crossbow and a case with six bolts sitting on
top of it. Two chairs were positioned just askew. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">In the southeast corner of the room, a
dwarf stood next to a bed, holding a wet cloth to the forehead of its
unconscious occupant. Ulfgar quickly led the Fellowship over to this morose
scene, his finger still resting on the trigger of his weapon, as if ready to respond
to another incursion at a moment’s notice. When the group clustered around the
wounded dwarf, Elster stifled a gasp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Giran Oakenshield, I presume?"
Lorelei muttered.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Aye," replied Ulfgar. "We
were trying to hold back a swarm of goblins when a column of their archers
appeared down another corridor. Giran was grazed by one of their arrows and
dropped like a stone. We fell back here, to the Forgemaster’s Quarters, since
we knew we could bottleneck the entrance."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster paused to examine the comatose
dwarf.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"He’s barely wounded," the dwarf
cleric noted. “Poison?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The dwarf tending to Giran nodded solemnly.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Thankfully this room has proven to be
quite defensible," Ulfgar sighed, collapsing into one of the chairs. "But
we’ve been trapped here ever since you left."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Both Roman and Elster turned their healing
arts to the dwarven Lord, but this yielded no perceptible results. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"We need to get him out of here,"
Roman concluded. "Only a cleric blessed by Pelor’s highest favors can purge this toxin from his body. And trust
me, my favors from Pelor a few and far between..."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What are you proposing?" Elster
quizzed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"We’ll bring him back to Castebridge.
The head of my order, Moira, will help him."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Ulfgar sprang up, grabbed the priest by the
arm and spun him around.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"You can’t move him in this condition.
He’ll die!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"I don’t think so," Roman
replied. "It’s not like he’s bleeding out. Whatever this poison is, it
seems to have put him into a state of hibernation. Moving him isn’t all that
risky but, if he stays here, you’ll lose him for sure!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yes, but he’ll be vulnerable!"
Ulfgar shot back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Not while <i>we’re </i>guarding him," Pol suddenly thundered, moving to the
forefront.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Besides, your defenses are shattered,"
Lorelei piled on. "Do you honestly think you can protect him if another
wave of hobgoblins and ogres comes through here?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Between the titanic fighter’s confidence and
the elf’s cold logic, any remaining opposition melted away. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Alright then," muttered the
dwarven fighter. "I’ll let you take him out of here, but before we move
him, we need to make sure the fortress is completely secured."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"We’ve very nearly accomplished that,”
Elster said. “We just need to deal with whatever is locked up in the barracks.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Actually, I think it’s locked up in
my chambers," Ulfgar replied. "The last time I walked by, I heard it
clawing at the door, so it’s probably only a matter of time before it breaks out
and runs amok."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Um</i>, so, what exactly is this thing
that’s all <i>amok-y</i> and such?"
Rincewind spoke up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"It’s called a displacer beast,"
Ulfgar offered. "Nasty little bugger. Vicious in a fight and virtually
impossible to land a strike on."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Hey, if this thing’s so dangerous
maybe we should just leave it locked up?" Bria ventured.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"I won’t take that chance,"
Ulfgar said, shaking his head. "I don’t want to get halfway to the exit and
have that thing pounce on us from behind."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Alright,
alright</i>," Roman shouted. "We’ll take care of it. I’ll need you
two to stay here, break down his bed and make some sort of pallet out of it so
we can carry him out of here. Come on, let’s get this over with."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait, I have something for you,"
Ulfgar said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">He took the chain with the key off of his
neck and handed it to Roman.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"This key opens the door to the armory.
You might be able to use something in there against the beast. At the very
least, having access to my quarters from another direction could give you a few
more tactical options."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Their determination now re-forged, the
Fellowship ventured back out into the main hall and made their way towards
their final challenge. After leaving the chamber housing the Soul Forge, they
turned a sharp right and Elster led the group forty feet north before veering ninety
degrees left into a small alcove. Suddenly the heroes were confronted with the
choice of two doors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What are our options?" Roman
whispered.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"The door on the left here is for the
barracks. Just ahead on the right is the door to Ulfgar’s quarters,"
Elster replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"And that’s where there this thing is
supposed to be, right?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">A stern nod was all the dwarf could muster.
In response, Lorelei crept up to the door and placed her ear to the portal.
Roman glared at her as she elbowed past him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What are you...?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The sorceress put a slender finger up to
her mouth to silence his protests.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Just be careful," the cleric
added, barely above a whisper.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">A tense moment passed as Lorelei strained
to hear anything beyond the door. Finally satisfied, she backed off towards her
peers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">“There’s definitely something not human in
there."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What does it sound like?"
Rincewind asked, his pained facial expression hinting that he didn’t want to
hear the answer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Honestly, it sounds like...purring,"
Lorelei replied, looking slightly puzzled.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Roman, let me go in," Bria
suddenly blurted, gesturing towards the door on the right.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"No, absolutely not," the cleric
said. "It’s too dangerous."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"No, listen, I’m just going to sneak
in and have a look. Just to see what the situation is."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"And what are you going to do when that...<i>thing</i> wakes up and tries to rip your
face off?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria snorted her derision and moved past
the group.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, I just won’t let that happen,"
she said, smiling from ear-to-ear.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wow, she’s completely insane,"
Rincewind whispered to Pol, loud enough for everyone to hear.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria snuck up to the door, took hold of the
handle and gently tried to open it. Try as she might, she couldn’t budge the
portal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Damn, it’s stuck," she hissed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Slowly everyone turned to look at Pol. The
amazon sighed, shook her head and edged up to the door. Seconds after bracing her
ample frame up against the barrier, she managed to open it up a crack. Everyone
winced and readied their weapons as a faint scraping sound reverberated around
the bare, stony hallway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What?" she angrily demanded.
"I’d like to see any of you do better."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria felt the taste in her mouth suddenly
turn sour and metallic. After making a final attempt to rally her courage, she tip-toed
into the dark, narrow corridor, the aperture of her hooded lantern muted as
dimly as possible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Twenty feet down the hall, the passageway
opened up into a tiny room. Bria quickly took stock of the place, spying a small
desk, an overturned chair, a scattering of papers, clothing and personal items,
an empty armor / weapon rack and a dwarf-sized bed...<i>with a massive panther curled up on it</i>. To the thief’s horror, the
creature cracked open an eye and the two large tentacles attached to its
shoulders began to twitch.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The footpad immediately backed off,
quickening her pace towards the door, hearing the bed creak as she rounded the
bend. Suspecting that she only had seconds to live if she maintained the same
pace, Bria made the decision to turn and bolt towards the doorway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Guys! The door! <i>Shut the door! NOW!</i>" she screamed as she cleared the threshold.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">After bringing the door to, Pol and Roman put
all of their weight behind it. Despite their best efforts, the hinges nearly flew
off as a powerful force brought up hard against it on the other side. The
fighter and priest backed off only when they were convinced that the door would
weather the flurry of hissing, banging and scratching coming from the other
side.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yeah, we aren’t going that way,"
Bria said, puffing out short breaths, shaking her hands and hopping from one
foot to another in an amped-up jig. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Pol assumed a combat stance and drew her
sword.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Open the door, Roman...let’s be done
with it!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"No, wait!" Elster protested.
"There’s another way through the barracks!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The dwarf gestured for his allies to follow
him, and they practically fell over each other in their haste to get away from the awful cacophony coming from
behind the door. Pol lingered, allowing herself a moment of amusement as Roman
tried vainly to drag her away. Chuckling at the futility of his efforts, the
warrior slapped the priest across the shoulders and let herself be guided away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster led them back down the corridor to
the door they’d passed on the left. Beyond this was a large room lined with a
dozen dwarf-sized bunks, all of which in a similar state of destruction. Twelve
empty footlockers were also scattered across the floor, their contents torn to
shreds. A dead goblin lay near a door to the north, its body scorched and
burnt.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_q4dUYz5-Mjw-NkK5zMz7N1Q65gUcfZsZ_zsxFuxtMdOC6QT3AIhbT7IEryF09P0uG27uDouAlwMWAXVPkHKwsFNfGqR9_oI8NzgQy1P_HRCgqmK5pFd8i1eeeYeaYW6RMU4ov6Qw6Y/s768/Goblin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_q4dUYz5-Mjw-NkK5zMz7N1Q65gUcfZsZ_zsxFuxtMdOC6QT3AIhbT7IEryF09P0uG27uDouAlwMWAXVPkHKwsFNfGqR9_oI8NzgQy1P_HRCgqmK5pFd8i1eeeYeaYW6RMU4ov6Qw6Y/s320/Goblin.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The room yielded little of value, and eventually
the Fellowship began to coalesce around the northern door to the north, the charred
corpse of the goblin deterring even the curious Bria from going any further.</p><p style="font-family: arial;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"I believe there’s a flame trap above
the door," Elster recalled. "Do you see it?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yep," Bria replied. "Thanks
for the head’s up. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anything like that before,
but I should have it deactivated in a moment."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The thief proved true to her word, and soon
the door was cast open, revealing a small chamber beyond with racks filled with
weapons and dwarf-sized armor. Although many of the items were clearly
missing, the room didn’t look ransacked like the rest of the fortress.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The adventures took a quick stock of their
surroundings, locating four war axes, two crossbows, two cases of bolts with
twenty missiles in total, two suits of mail and two shields, each of the latter
bearing the same warhammer-and-anvil
insignia as Giran Oakenshield’s signet ring. And while a few of the heroes helped
themselves to the crossbow bolts and back-up weapons, the armor was only helpful
to Elster.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"There’s no other door in here,"
Pol observed after the inspection had ended.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Like the vault, there’s a secret door
in here somewhere," Elster replied. "Unfortunately, I don’t know
where it is; I have so little cause to come in here."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"I’ll find it!" Lorelei
proclaimed brightly, going to work immediately.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria pitched in and, within minutes, the
secret door to Ulfgar’s quarters was revealed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Now what?" Pol inquired.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Good question," Bria echoed.
"It doesn’t matter what direction we approach in, we’ll still have barely
any room to maneuver when we fight that thing."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Right," Roman said. "We
need to lure it back into the barracks. Even the corridors outside won’t give
us enough space to flank the thing."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Yeah, well, my luring days are
over!" Bria laughed. "I only
brought one change of pantaloons!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait a minute!" Lorelei said,
snapping her fingers. "I’ve got a new spell that just might help. Let’s go
back out to the barracks."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Once there, the sorceress began chanting in
earnest. The group braced themselves for something dramatic, but were soundly disappointed
when her verbal stylings ended in dead silence. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wow...spectacular," Bria said
sarcastically.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Before Lorelei could reply with a healthy
dose of vitriol, Rincewind came to the defense of his fellow magic-wielder.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What’s wrong with you idiots?"
he chided. "Can’t you see it? It’s standing over there plain as day!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"See what?" Pol replied, a hint of
irritation in her voice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Get him to do something cool,
Lor," Rincewind enthused, clapping his hands together like a pleased
infant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Despite being slightly disturbed that Rincewind
could actually see her “Unseen Servant”, the mysterious sorceress instructed
her creation to pick up a nearby blanket and cloak itself, instantly defining
its shape and form.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"What the hell is it?" Roman
asked.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"That’s not important," Lorelei
replied. "What matters is that it can open the secret door and lure that
creature out. As soon as it’s in the room we’ll all jump out and swarm the
thing!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Her peers mulled over the plan and seemed
to approve. Soon Roman made it official.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"Okay, it sounds crazy enough to work.
Everyone hunker down...let’s go!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Fellowship scrambled around the room,
trying to find suitable hiding places. After settling in, Elster cast a “Blessing”
on his fellow heroes. The mounting tension was relieved somewhat as Pol audibly
swore as she struggled to find suitable concealment close to the door.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As the Unseen Servant slowly turned the
bolt to open the secret door, everyone felt their innards turn to ice. This feeling
only intensified when the sound of grinding stone signaled that the door was slowly
being pulled open. Tense moments passed before the group began to hear
sniffing, growling and the unmistakable sound of claws scratching on flagstone
as their foe padded into the armory.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Now revealed in the half-light, the creature
lived up to its fearsome reputation. Resembling a lean but muscular panther, the
displacer beast had a sheen of purple-black fur, six powerful legs and a pair
of tentacles sprouting from its shoulders which ended in barbed, ridged pads.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aMoMwARh4njz_jpo4v7iNPxoFzDnnARH1P-MN9ETNC0tqSF1QyXkT0cKawoy8XsVdx6vOsksVLsXHdX_mcBKesxvLyLsagYCvZrLL1b8EV0SHr7UxvoyPFgzOO3zd_j6twwaHH0ozdI/s1000/Monster_Manual_5e_-_Displacer_Beast_-_p81.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1000" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aMoMwARh4njz_jpo4v7iNPxoFzDnnARH1P-MN9ETNC0tqSF1QyXkT0cKawoy8XsVdx6vOsksVLsXHdX_mcBKesxvLyLsagYCvZrLL1b8EV0SHr7UxvoyPFgzOO3zd_j6twwaHH0ozdI/w640-h378/Monster_Manual_5e_-_Displacer_Beast_-_p81.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">More out of shock than careful aim, Bria
let a crossbow bolt loose and it completely telegraphed the stealthy target. Throwing
caution to the wind, Lorelei stepped up and blasted the creature with a fan of
flames from her fingertips. The beast sprang away from the fire as if stung, landing
uncomfortably close to Rincewind, who hastily fired off an unerring magical
energy bolt from his fingertip, striking the creature flush in its snarling
face.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The monster immediately arched its back,
spat out a sibilant hiss and then lashed out with its two tentacles, pinning Rincewind’s
spindly arms to his torso. Before Pol could slash at these bonds, the tentacles
pulled back, spinning Rincewind like a human top as it sawed effortlessly
through his cloak and skin. The barbed pads at the end of the tentacles
completed the kill, tearing away fabric and flesh in one awful motion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Ouch</i>," Rincewind muttered before
falling to the floor, dead as a stone.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Next up: With one of their numbers already lost, the Fellowship find themselves in a life-or-death battle that threatens to claim them all!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b>Dwarf Crossbowman<span>: </span></b></span><span><a href="https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Crossbowman">https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Crossbowman</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Goblin: </b><a href="https://the-avocado.org/2017/12/03/dd-inaugural-campaign-day-one/">https://the-avocado.org/2017/12/03/dd-inaugural-campaign-day-one/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b>Hobgoblin<span>:</span><span> </span></b></span><span><a href="https://chroniclesofarn.fandom.com/wiki/Blackspear_Tribe">https://chroniclesofarn.fandom.com/wiki/Blackspear_Tribe</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b>Displacer Beast</b><span>: </span><a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Displacer_beast">https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Displacer_beast</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"></span></p></span></div></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-28855901703574980782021-11-17T10:27:00.006-08:002022-01-12T15:50:09.684-08:00The Story So Far - Part 9 - "Vermin & Vitality"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recanting the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part I</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part II</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part III</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part IV</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part V</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a> </i></span><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-eight-darkness.html" target="_blank">Part VIII</a></span></i><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining." </i><br />
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now, our story continues...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Reacting to Bria’s warning, Pol hit
the dirt just as a massive guillotine-like blade stabbed down from above. Even though this prevented the fighter from getting <i>waaaay</i> too much taken
off the top, she still felt the blade bite
into her armored shoulder. Wounded but unbowed, she then used her impressive
strength to woman-handle the razor-sharp blade out of the path of her peers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The way now clear, the explorers pressed on
into the vault. At first glance, the chambers appeared to be nothing more than
a storage room with three chests sitting along the far wall. Contrary to the
sparse decor, Elster seemed to be relieved by the state of the place.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"The hobgoblins must not have gotten this far...nothing looks disturbed. That's good...most of our wealth
is contained within these four chests."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"It doesn’t look like much," Bria
sniffed, clearly disappointed that they weren't about to take a dip in a swimmable level
of gold coins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Despite tall tales of great dwarven
riches, there is relatively little treasure here at any one time.” Elster explained.
“Much of our gold is actually kept outside the stronghold, buried deep in the vaults of Deepdelve or in the possession of traveling merchants. In fact,
several shipments of dwarven weapons and armor have yet to be paid for, and likely never will be, unless we recapture the fortress."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Sensing the proximity of more treasure than she’d ever encountered in her hard-scrabble life, Bria made the snap decision to start
multi-classing as a rogue / accountant. Before Elster could warn her that the chests
were likely trapped, she’d already disabled the device protecting the smaller,
iron-bound box and thrown it open. As soon as everyone was assured that nothing would explode, they
clustered around, peeking inside to find a “Potion of Haste” and three-hundred
glittering gold Crowns.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The second chest was slightly larger, about
two feet long, eighteen inches wide and one foot deep. This time the thief was
reckless in her haste and a poisoned needle sprang from the
case and penetrated her armor. Fortunately, Roman had been anticipating just
such an occurrence, and he was quick to rush in and batter the rogue with a
flurry of cure spells. After a few tense moments, the crisis was averted.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNcG2oYNsEYn59AkE319OAezsC6FHbC3X3phYJ2Lv-OZPp72PYaqXU-t4unLEd6Bd1Clikcoy62cmb3EHMquX5BGnbskCThu_3pghdcSqBWQt9UonyZBHRD6akYOnzE-YfLX8P08Uw5g/s1500/chest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="1500" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNcG2oYNsEYn59AkE319OAezsC6FHbC3X3phYJ2Lv-OZPp72PYaqXU-t4unLEd6Bd1Clikcoy62cmb3EHMquX5BGnbskCThu_3pghdcSqBWQt9UonyZBHRD6akYOnzE-YfLX8P08Uw5g/s320/chest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Inside, the Fellowship discovered a veritable
mother-lode: five-hundred gold Crowns, a small cloth pouch
holding four small sapphires and a “Cure Moderate Wounds” scroll, which Roman
quickly confiscated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Good things come in small
packages," Lorelei said, eyeing the final chest and rubbing her hands
together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Undaunted by her near-death experience mere
moments ago, Bria threw herself into the task, but was immediately flummoxed when she failed to crack the lock on this chest. After much hand-wringing and
debate, the group concluded that this was a sign to move along. Begrudgingly, they doubled back out the same way they'd come, completely oblivious to the catastrophe they'd just unwittingly avoided.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">After guiding everyone back outside, Elster
led them down to the end of the hall and into the now-ironically-named “living
quarters.” This large chamber was lined with ten dwarf-sized bunks, most of
which were pulled apart and destroyed. As the Fellowship crept inside, they
took note of a door leading out of the right hand side of the chamber and the nearly-ceiling-high pile of dirt, smashed furniture
and torn fabric piled up in</span> the south-west corner.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"The dragon attack caused a foundation
crack, which breached the wall in here," Elster narrated for his
team-mates. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">As the group approached the mound of refuse
in the corner, they noticed two dead hobgoblins, their faces fearful and
rigor-set. That’s when Roman was alarmed to notice that the creatures looked as
if they’ve been "gnawed upon.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Before he could shout a warning, Rincewind
and Bria dove into the pile, rooting around for anything of value. The thief
recovered a small lock box, but before she could open it, the disturbed trash
exploded outwards as two giant, vile centipedes wriggled out of the filth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmob8RzACHVgnaFEw0uca9r3a87FbTF_ZEo91_tLwp61qL9cbSvSJA9EkAv51nazD3G3orPyM3UchU9RfRaYnbf8EWt7OvafnINn-AzIlsxS8pXI4SaRncTm7sWQsHIwk363AGha7_u1w/s521/Centipede_GiantCentipede.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="521" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmob8RzACHVgnaFEw0uca9r3a87FbTF_ZEo91_tLwp61qL9cbSvSJA9EkAv51nazD3G3orPyM3UchU9RfRaYnbf8EWt7OvafnINn-AzIlsxS8pXI4SaRncTm7sWQsHIwk363AGha7_u1w/s320/Centipede_GiantCentipede.png" width="320" /></a></div>The group reflexively launched into frantic
action, as if the vermin had fallen down from the ceiling and onto their
shoulders. The manic beating and smashing with a chorus of deadly weapons
only let up after the screaming died down. Rincewind was the last one to fall
silent.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Let’s not do that again," he muttered, as Bria cracked open the lock box and started to distribute the one-hundred-and-fifteen
gold pieces contained therein.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"<i>Pffft</i>,
it was worth it," the thief shrugged dismissively.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster then escorted his allies into the
second living quarters, located in the northeast corner of the complex. This
room was lined with eighteen bunks and, once again, most of them had been
pulled apart, as if someone or <i>something</i> had diligently searched the room for
treasure and / or hidden dwarves. One other door led out of the room.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Finding precious little of value, the Fellowship
moved on into the dining hall. As expected, this chamber was dominated by a
long table flanked by a pair of benches. Twelve place settings, including plates,
cups and silverware, were all still laid out on the table, completely undisturbed.
As our heroes explored the room, they couldn’t help but notice a conspicuous-looking one-foot-wide hole chewed through the bottom of the southern door, as well as
the powdery-white, dog-sized paw prints tracked all around the hole.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Despite these omens, the group proceeded to move into the kitchen, finding it in borderline-unsalvageable state. A worn table stood
in the center of the room, with pots and pans strewn about, utensils scattered
across the floor and a dusting of white powder all over the floor.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">After determining that the white powder was
actually flour and not evidence of a recent goblin executive power meeting, the heroes followed the tracks to the southwest corner of the room. As they
ventured inside, four dire rats concealed within the debris scrabbled out into
the dim light to strike out at the interlopers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Like a coiled spring, Bria launched herself
at the lead rat, nearly crippling the creature with a strike from her
battlestaff. Elster surged around the table, but his subsequent hammer fall only stirred up a puff of flour on the floor. Lorelei let loose with a crossbow
bolt, hoping to skewer the rat that danced away from Elster’s attack, but the
creature instinctively twisted out of the way. The dwarf priest suddenly cried
out in pain as that same rodent viciously bit him back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Another rat latched onto Pol’s leg and immediately started to gnaw and tear away. With a well-measured, potent swing, she caught her
assailant with the tip of her sword, cleaving it in two with an abbreviated <i>squeak</i>. Meanwhile, Roman ran around the room like a
decapitated chicken, striking out at anything hairy and fleeting underfoot, his
armor giving him a distinct disadvantage in this deadly game of
"whack-a-rat.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">After Bria made short work of her maimed
victim, Elster managed hold off the rats long
enough to heal up his own nasty wound with a spell. Rincewind snuck up behind
the same critter and smashed him across the spine with a quick strike. Lorelei
cursed under her breath as she missed her intended target, breaking an urn half-filled with beer (?) instead. She did succeed in driving the rodent right into
Pol’s range of attack and the warrior's subsequent sword strike rang true. Almost too true, since Pol
was now forced to pry her sword free of a crack in the flagstone floor. Finally,
Roman was rewarded for his diligence by liquefying one of his more agile
quarry.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Bria continued to
be a whirling dervish, felling another rat with her staff. Completely on the
defensive now, Elster could only shoo the biggest rodent back with some wild
hammer swings, while Rincewind telegraphed a strike on the same determined creature.
Reacting to the crush of humanity converging on it, the rat flew right into
Elster’s bearded face. After ripping her greatsword free, </span>Pol swore audibly when she saw that she was standing too far away to help her dwarven
compatriot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeOh3gyQMspOJsB_vBE9A09Namj1wil3M6jwGZiXYujSjxxiKbAsiMszeBNBjxrDXBicPnfULqqIlaGai6ENqZsGlP5lXTPm5OfaCn39lHNyzPPc1gBpYtEoBoh9A2oGxHaJ5iShXBUI/s434/dire+rat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="434" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeOh3gyQMspOJsB_vBE9A09Namj1wil3M6jwGZiXYujSjxxiKbAsiMszeBNBjxrDXBicPnfULqqIlaGai6ENqZsGlP5lXTPm5OfaCn39lHNyzPPc1gBpYtEoBoh9A2oGxHaJ5iShXBUI/s320/dire+rat.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Running on pure instinct, Elster dropped
his hammer, brought his arms up to guard his throat, seized his ratty assailant
and then hurled it into a pile of debris in the corner of the room. Bria,
Rincewind, and Roman all converged on the spot where it landed, but only
succeeded in subduing a pile of pots, pans and other refuse. After vainly rooting
through the trash for some conclusive signs of a kill, the Fellowship concluded
that the final rat had likely retreated through a hole in the wall.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Hoping to justify their choice to enter this grief-stricken room, our heroes proceeded to tear the chamber apart looking for
anything of value. But, after spending a good fifteen minutes searching high
and low, they were crestfallen to discover that all they’d found was a fresh
coat of flour on their hair, clothes and armor. The one encouraging discovery was that the small chamber to the south east, the entrance to the Spirit Well according to Elster, was still
locked up tight as a drum.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Thank Moradin, but it looks like the
invaders didn’t find the key to the Well," Elster observed, dusting his cloak off and checking for residual wounds. "Had it been defiled like the
shrine, it would have signaled the death knell for our people."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Wait!" Bria blurted out.
"Did you say ‘key’? I actually found this back in the practice area, where
we fought the ghoul."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The adventurers gathered around Bria as she
produced a large iron key from one of her numerous belt pouches.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Okay, when the hell were you going to tell us
about that?!" Lorelei snapped, snatching the key away and turning towards
Elster.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"When the time was right,"
muttered the thief, crossing her arms and pouting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">His eyes alight, Elster accepted the item as if it were part of some elaborate religious ceremony. He then beetled his way over to the
portal, put the key in the lock, opened the door and then ventured into the
Spirit Well, with the rest of the Fellowship trailing after him. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Even though,
by now, the group was acutely aware of the dwarves' penchant for modest wonders, they still couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the sight just
inside the door. At the end of this tiny alcove was a nondescript well standing about
two feet high, with a bucket and a rope sitting nearby.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZTELjEheuHtFFxk1lIT_-YqZ0SgdD6XT7RVrSii-K4DPknUGbzIy6Z21igINA8nGpUu8pjkKA_ytI8Q5dmE4MJrxhzG5PGVghilWKpWiURRLSbwf-F8Qtb1M9p-wWcfLLPNT7cpaJ-E/s851/fountain-2635754__480.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="851" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZTELjEheuHtFFxk1lIT_-YqZ0SgdD6XT7RVrSii-K4DPknUGbzIy6Z21igINA8nGpUu8pjkKA_ytI8Q5dmE4MJrxhzG5PGVghilWKpWiURRLSbwf-F8Qtb1M9p-wWcfLLPNT7cpaJ-E/s320/fountain-2635754__480.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"I don’t know if it was random good
fortune or the favor of Moradin himself, but we discovered this magical spring
while tunneling out these corridors. Anyone who partakes of the well will be
refreshed. Come, <i>have a drink!</i>"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">After everyone bathed their wounds and
indulged in a quick sip, they were stunned by the water’s healing properties.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Amazing!" Rincewind sputtered.
"I’m gonna lug off as much of this stuff as I can carry. Quick. everyone give me
their waterskins! Uh...Lorelei, </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;">little help</span><span lang="EN-CA">?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster smiled as the elf mage leveled a
withering glare at her human counterpart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"I’m afraid the healing properties can
only be used daily...and the water seems to lose its magical influence whenever
it’s taken too far away from the well."
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"What!? Really? Stupid conditional
magic water!" Rincewind muttered. He then sprung up, dropped the bucket,
kicked it into the corner and then wandered off.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Laughing in spite of himself, Roman got to
his feet and tried to dust himself off.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, we’ve been through everything,
haven’t we? Looks like the place is secured."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">This time it was the dwarf’s turn to laugh,
but the sound was conspicuously devoid of any mirth. If anything, it was a nervous reaction,
pregnant with fear.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">"If only that were true, my friend.
I’m afraid that our greatest challenge still lies ahead of us."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"What do you mean?" Pol demanded,
palming the hilt of her sword anxiously.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster looked around the chamber as if his
thoughts were suddenly very far away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Well, in case you haven’t noticed, there
are a lot of dead goblins and hobgoblins in here...and they didn’t meet their
end at the hands of dwarves."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Then what was it?" Roman asked, unable
to prevent his voice from wavering.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"The sentries at the door told me
something in dwarven before we left. They said that something was trapped in the
sergeant-at-arms’ quarters...something vicious, something magical..."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"Vicious <i>and</i> magical," Roman
muttered. "<i>Wonderful</i>."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">"I suspect that, before we’re done, we’ll
be needing even greater <i>magiks</i> than the Spirit Well can provide," the dwarf sighed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Elster heaved himself to his feet, slung
his hammer over his shoulder, gestured for the other to follow and started to shuffle down the hall. Unbowed, but still
burdened by a fear of the unknown, the group reluctantly fell into
formation, unwilling to let their guide stray too far away into the stifling murk
of the once-great dwarven hall.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Next up: the Fellowship is forced to confront
its greatest challenge yet...and one member of the group will fall! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><i>To be continued...</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b>:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Treasure chest</b>: <a href="https://forgedgaming.com/products/mimic-chest-dice-storage-box-container?variant=31196150497411">https://forgedgaming.com/products/mimic-chest-dice-storage-box-container?variant=31196150497411</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Centipede</b>: <a href="https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=77">https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=77</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dire Rat</b>: <a href="http://www.electric-rain.net/2015/03/10/menace-manual-dire-rat/">http://www.electric-rain.net/2015/03/10/menace-manual-dire-rat/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Spirit Well</b>: <a href="https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/TJwoTh_fountain-old-stone-wall-old-well-water-pick/">https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/TJwoTh_fountain-old-stone-wall-old-well-water-pick/</a></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div></div></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-64848057983090446152021-11-15T13:37:00.003-08:002022-01-12T15:47:36.778-08:00The Story So Far - Part 8 - "Darkness and Defilement"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recanting the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part I</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part II</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part III</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part IV</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part V</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a> </i></span><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-story-so-far-part-seven-into-abyss.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a></span></i><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining." </i><br />
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now, our story continues...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div>Just seconds before the last vestiges of Pol’s life slipped away, Roman and Bria stopped trying to spring the ghoul’s vice-like grip on her neck and switched to delivering measured blows to the creature’s head. With one mighty, double-handed swing of his mace, Roman smashed the fiend’s cranium open like an over-ripe melon, showering everyone standing nearby with bits of rotting flesh, fragments of skull and putrid brain matter.</div><div><br /></div><div>The two priests immediately went to work, battering the mortally-wounded fighter with cure spells in an effort to bring her back from the brink. Hearing a collective sigh of relief from her allies, the warrior woman’s eyes fluttered open and she slowly came to. As her peers helped her to her feet, the fighter expressed gratitude to her saviors and relief to be still counted among the living. </div><div><br /></div><div>From that point on, her friends noticed a bit of a sea change in Pol. Instead of charging head-first into battle at the first sign of trouble, she now paused, as if conflicted. Was her reckless rage now tempered with thoughts of her own mortality? Had she finally come to the realization that it was impossible to single-handedly shield all of her team-mates from harm? Or had her self-confidence in battle been irreparably shaken? </div><div><br /></div><div>Although the Fellowship found no treasure in the room, they did manage to salvage a nice collection of weapons and armor. Burdened by every miserable second spent inside that horrible abattoir, the group quickly pressed on. Not long after, they stumbled upon a door resembling a hinged grate in the north-east section of the fortress. Feeling a slight breeze coming through the bars, Elster explained that this was a fresh air vent leading to the surface.</div><div><br /></div><div>The explorers passed through the grate, finding themselves at the bottom of a ten-foot-wide shaft with a well of impenetrable darkness overhead. After expertly finding some hand and foot holds, Bria quickly scampered up the wall, which soon narrowed into a claustrophobic, three-foot-wide vent. Detecting looks of concern coming from down below, the rogue climbed thirty more feet until the passage vomited her out onto a hillside. Another grate lay near the opening, clearly ripped from its hinges. After taking note of the scene, and savoring a few heady gulps of fresh air, Bria carefully descended back down the shaft and reported her findings to the group.</div><div><br /></div><div>"So, that’s how they got into the fort," Elster surmised. "While the dragon distracted us with its attack on the tower, the goblins broke in through the vent and took us all by surprise!"</div><div><br /></div><div>With a major piece of the puzzle now in place, the group sought out a reasonably-secure part of the maze to pause and plot their next moves. During this cold, dark, fitful rest, every guard tasked to keep watch over the camp couldn’t shake the unmistakable feeling that a dozen set of eyes were trained on them the entire night.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Sunday, Solstice 26'th, 1492</u></div><div><br /></div><div>That "morning", the heroes gathered up their gear and continued to venture deeper into the fortress. Elster led his allies to a shrine dedicated to the glory of the Forge-Father, all the while expressing concerns that, most likely, the site had already been defiled by the invaders.</div><div><br /></div><div>His prediction proved to be all-too-accurate. The Fellowship soon found itself peeking into a large, T-shaped chamber, dimly lit by a pair of flickering black candles half-melted onto the corners of a stone dais at the far end of the room. Lying on the ground in front of the platform was a golden chalice, with two motionless dwarves standing on either side.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Bria made a motion to hail the sentries, Roman and Elster quickly stopped her. Just as soon as everyone was inside the room, the two dwarves started shuffling towards them, arms outstretched, their breathing sounding like a chorus of death-rattles. Two more unseen figures emerged from the darkened corners of the chamber, effectively boxing our heroes in. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbmj-kntfmTMRiqizVlHbYTZ-UTeUVxw9xbLRCMaoD1MaGJVhhWA7KAo3_IlKtr8xlT-F6pgCEOkbN-TMa-kq59MHqHQBygH2onCOVYqhtyGjuTpUZDtUf83lQHK_MCVpfYUw5EhdQIY/s1200/devin-platts-zombie-dwarf-horde.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbmj-kntfmTMRiqizVlHbYTZ-UTeUVxw9xbLRCMaoD1MaGJVhhWA7KAo3_IlKtr8xlT-F6pgCEOkbN-TMa-kq59MHqHQBygH2onCOVYqhtyGjuTpUZDtUf83lQHK_MCVpfYUw5EhdQIY/w400-h400/devin-platts-zombie-dwarf-horde.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Brandishing the sun sigil of Pelor, Roman tried to drive the undead horde back, only to sense that some malevolent force was impeding his efforts. As the Fellowship recoiled from the exploratory pawing of the zombie dwarves, their initial strikes were tentative at best. Roman stumbled into one of the fiends approaching from the corner and got clawed for his clumsiness. Pol simultaneously stabbed the priest's assailant and then pulled him away from a storm of grasping, filthy claws. Now steadied, Roman tried to follow up with his own strike, but it failed to deter the creature’s unrelenting advance.</div><div><br /></div><div>After deftly warding away one of his tainted brethren, Elster cast a protective circle around his peers just as an epiphany dawned on him.</div><div><br /></div><div>"The candles!" he shouted. "They aren’t ours! They must be the source of the evil influence in this room. We have to put them out!"</div><div><br /></div><div>Reacting quickly to this, Lorelei summoned a hawk from out of thin air and dispatched the creature to snuff out the flames. Bria boldly stepped up and delivered an impressive battle-staff hit to one of the zombies, but it was largely unfazed. Almost immediately, the thief found herself overwhelmed by the creature. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rincewind sprang to her aid, landing two successive blows with his own staff, finally felling the abomination. Unfortunately, in doing so, he inadvertently broke the seal on the zombie’s putrefying skull. Immediately the entire chamber was flooded by a vile miasma, promptly incapacitating the “WIZZARD” as he struggled to retain the contents of his own stomach.</div><div><br /></div><div>Her confidence still shaken by their last encounter with the undead, Pol once again found herself locked in another death-grip, but this time she had the presence of mind to start sawing away at the arm holding her fast with her sword. As the walking corpse stumbled backward from this impromptu surgery, the fighter was repulsed to see that the disembodied hand was continuing to claw its way across her shoulder to her exposed throat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Noticing this, Roman viciously beat down one of the ghouls intent on stalking them, but his concerns were unfounded as Pol calmly plucked the vile appendage from her neck like a pesky bug and hurled it across the chamber.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like a house ablaze, Elster healed Pol in one moment and then dispatched another zombie in the next. Rincewind managed to compose himself just in time to brain the final shambling horror reaching out for him, resulting in yet another self-inflicted shower of oxidized blood and rancid ichor. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDc-Tez5-OXkIrGqNdSsehsl7TFWcigNRJ5zE2VvgdYpaKiuYA1nuPatSKXm70go9YA5BBRwxtxKIhWgUWPPseYUvi0nX1-dDRgtArZ4Dxz8X1iv-laQnfSFxUeh_SDtuLSZrwGmTUFcw/s604/candles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDc-Tez5-OXkIrGqNdSsehsl7TFWcigNRJ5zE2VvgdYpaKiuYA1nuPatSKXm70go9YA5BBRwxtxKIhWgUWPPseYUvi0nX1-dDRgtArZ4Dxz8X1iv-laQnfSFxUeh_SDtuLSZrwGmTUFcw/s320/candles.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>"I have no idea where those candles came from," Elster said, panting for breath in the fetid chamber. "As for the chalice, it’s always supposed to be on the altar, filled with water from the Spirit Well."</div><div><br /></div><div>After the dwarven priest thanked Lorelei and her familiar for extinguishing the flames, he retrieved the chalice and it back in its rightful place.</div><div><br /></div><div>"What’s the Spirit Well?" asked the mage in return.</div><div><br /></div><div>"A naturally-occurring holy spring of water," he replied, surveying the room for additional signs of tampering. "The water that springs from it heals wounds both spiritual and physical. As our quest nears its end, I’ll bring you there. Given what we’ve faced thus far, we’ll most certainly need its aid."</div><div><br /></div><div>As the group left the Shrine and headed back out into the pitch-black corridor, Elster’s demeanor seemed to darken considerably. They headed south, towards what the dwarven cleric described as the quarters he once shared with his fellow clerics. As they crept inside, the group noticed that the narrow room was furnished with three modest bunks, all of which were now pulled apart. Various broken items of religious significance were scattered about the floor.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Parn was the head chaplain of the Great Hall for the past forty-four years, while Girsta and I served as his acolytes for the past ten,” Elster lamented. “You could never find two souls so well-forged and true; they’ll be sorely missed."</div><div><br /></div><div>Elster made his way over to an open closet, its ornate doors ripped from their hinges. He flipped through several torn robes hanging inside to retrieve one particular garment that, at face value, looked identical to all of the rest. As he brought the robe back to them, the explorers all noticed black bands along the hem and lines of ancient runes. Amidst a crossfire of inquiring eyes, the priest proceeded to answer the unspoken question.</div><div><br /></div><div>"The runes tell the tale of Moradin’s first words to our people. This particular robe belonged to Parn. It’s especially precious, since it safeguards the wearer from dark <i>magiks</i>."</div><div><br /></div><div>After donning the garment, Elster led the pack onward. Back out in the hall, the heroes continued to inch their way through the crushing darkness, pausing occasionally to listen for competing footsteps. After passing by several semi-inviting doorways, Roman finally asked the dwarf where he was leading them.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Before I left the Hall to seeks your help, the guard room was one of the last holdouts against the goblin tide. After seeing the state of priest’s chambers, I now fear the worst."</div><div><br /></div><div>As if on cue, the adventures hung a sharp turn south and spied a smashed-in door just to their left. Elster surged ahead, stricken by a sudden panic for his brethren.</div><div>Inside, the heroes discovered yet another scene of absolute carnage. Two massive hobgoblins and four dwarf fighters were sprawled dead on the floor in pools of red ochre. An overturned table lay along one wall of the room, along with four dwarf-sized chairs and a scattering of what appeared to be playing cards. The door on the far wall was covered with scratches, as if repeatedly scored by a flurry of weapon blows.</div><div><br /></div><div>"The Treasure Vault of Kiras Toth lies beyond,” Elster intoned, his voice echoing eerily in their stony womb. “It’s the culmination of all of our hard labors and, as such, Giran ordered four of his best men to guard it with their lives. It appears as if their sacrifice became necessary..."</div><div><br /></div><div>To everyone’s surprise, Elster went on to point out that the damaged “doorway” was actually a clever fake, revealing it to be a solid granite wall magically enchanted to resemble a wooden portal. No matter how hard the hobgoblins pulled on it or tried to break it down, they could never breach it!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSBNwOOdLCz_45fsWUvidvTGqWFUhI-QjytPJuoU0I2lf0mz5VcHcJK-B3G06q6DD8AQUc1JJPVs5JRbmMDG3KeimPLkOKduiB_SR4iKNzomozkFeMa9Ntf8gZzXto8zZdX1O3zT8XAc/s280/Hobgoblin.JPG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="280" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSBNwOOdLCz_45fsWUvidvTGqWFUhI-QjytPJuoU0I2lf0mz5VcHcJK-B3G06q6DD8AQUc1JJPVs5JRbmMDG3KeimPLkOKduiB_SR4iKNzomozkFeMa9Ntf8gZzXto8zZdX1O3zT8XAc/s0/Hobgoblin.JPG.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>"Giran told me that there’s a secret door in here somewhere which leads to the vault," the cleric narrated as he started running his hands along the walls. "Unfortunately, he was quite cagey about exactly where it was. I think he only told Parn and a few of his closest advisors..."</div><div><br /></div><div>As if the gauntlet of challenge to solve this puzzle had just been thrown down, the members of the Fellowship made a beeline to the closest patch of wall and began to study it intently. Eight or ten minutes went by before the group collectively jumped in reaction to a shout of delight from Lorelei, who’s rummaging in an alcove in the south-east corner of the room yielded dividends.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It’s here!" she cried. "I can’t believe it didn’t notice it right away; it’s <i>so </i>obvious!"</div><div><br /></div><div>After the heroes clustered around her, Elster and Bria side-stepped to the forefront to inspect the secret portal.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I can’t find a lock, catch or a trigger," the thief said, blowing an unruly wisp of red hair out of her eyes. "Which is weird, especially if there’s as much treasure behind this door as you say there is."</div><div><br /></div><div>Ignoring the curious glint in the young rogue’s eye, Elster turned to address the group.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I think it just needs to be pushed."</div><div><br /></div><div>"Leave that to me," Pol announced, cracking her fingers dramatically.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this proclamation, the Fellowship practically trampled over each other in their haste to get out of her way. Still wary, Bria kept close, keeping her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. </div><div><br /></div><div>In an impressive show of strength, the statuesque fighter managed to shove the massive stone block deep into the recessed wall. But, just as the space opened up, Bria spied something glint just above the warrior’s head.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Look out!” she screamed, her clarion warning coming just a fraction too late.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>To be continued...</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Dwarf Zombies</u></b>: <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/mvE3v">https://www.artstation.com/artwork/mvE3v</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Black Candles</u></b>: <a href="https://witchcraft101.medium.com/candle-color-meaning-in-witchcraft-detail-guide-for-beginners-518ff881becf">https://witchcraft101.medium.com/candle-color-meaning-in-witchcraft-detail-guide-for-beginners-518ff881becf</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Hobgoblin</u></b>: <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Hobgoblin">https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Hobgoblin</a></div></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-85926974995763219982021-11-11T14:00:00.007-08:002022-01-12T15:51:05.402-08:00The Story So Far - Part 7 - "Into the Abyss"<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The Story So Far"<i> is an ongoing series recanting the details of a </i>Dungeons & Dragons<i> campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-prologue.html">Prologue</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-one-abduction.html">Part I</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-story-so-far-part-ii-unwanted.html">Part II</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-story-so-far-part-three-against.html">Part III</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-story-so-far-part-four-magic-statue.html">Part IV</a> <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-story-so-far-part-five-captured.html">Part V</a> </i><i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-story-so-far-part-six-captured.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a></i></span><div><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining". </i><br />
<br />
And now, our story continues...<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Like a calm before the storm, the trek north to Kiras Toth was largely uneventful and, even as the sun began to wane, the heroes had no trouble spotting the partially-destroyed Sentinel Tower in the distance. Upon arrival at the base of the structure, the Fellowship noticed charred stone rubble laying scattered all about, and pronounced scorch marks covering huge swaths of the surrounding area.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefanad2_sAnJ518DUu7vs6zNllt4-jgW5NIRyB0s3zuGlz2_H8ny_IZBhbftSDvhk-JaYZYUnnWjd-VHEdOEzyILlwiawJe9clQrIAS4wzo29z-KBxCGhw-u8BXa538BCcgDf5ZaMpN0/s500/ruined_tower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefanad2_sAnJ518DUu7vs6zNllt4-jgW5NIRyB0s3zuGlz2_H8ny_IZBhbftSDvhk-JaYZYUnnWjd-VHEdOEzyILlwiawJe9clQrIAS4wzo29z-KBxCGhw-u8BXa538BCcgDf5ZaMpN0/s320/ruined_tower.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Elster led his allies over to a pile of debris and, after a hasty communal effort to clear it away, the Fellowship discovered a trap door leading underground. After bidding farewell to the dying sunlight, the group ventured into the stifling darkness. While stepping down the precarious stone ladder, the heroes couldn't help but note the a distinct smell of death in the air.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>At the end of their descent, the Fellowship found themselves standing in an elaborately-carved entrance way, guarded by two dwarf survivors armed with crossbows. At the far end of the chamber, the two sentries </span><span>had piled a table and four chairs up in front of the door leading from this room into the next. Giving a quick whistle of recognition so as not to alarm the guards, Elster rushed over and introduced the adventurers to the dwarven defenders: </span><span>Angmarr Stonehaven and Klen Trollhammer. Both looked decidedly relieved to see the wayward priest in the company of some back-up.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"<i>Kadre!</i>" yelled Angmarr. "Good to see that you've brought some re-reinforcements. They may be a scrawny lot, but at least there's plenty of them!"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The two then hastily proceeded to recount what’s been happening since Elster left for Castebridge. They explained that this room, normally used to keep enemies out of the stronghold, was now being used to keep the goblin interlopers and their larger ilk from getting out! They went on the explain that the section of the fortress just beyond the door is now completely over-run with goblins.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After vanishing for a bit, Klen re-appeared with a clinking burlap sack, which he passed over to Elster.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyImsXz1H1XX5eW8e5WfHiJxjNPmRQMqFL3iXBdLn1jid_Fz2VXjKwOcneaRvjeDPU8XF3vCPU6QOGCd-W8eplt2AcZ40a9MWaeQ7sp7T8T5LD02W8wGt1drpZUMREB0LCqBxyK3VyRsE/s300/dwarf-fighter-300x252.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="300" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyImsXz1H1XX5eW8e5WfHiJxjNPmRQMqFL3iXBdLn1jid_Fz2VXjKwOcneaRvjeDPU8XF3vCPU6QOGCd-W8eplt2AcZ40a9MWaeQ7sp7T8T5LD02W8wGt1drpZUMREB0LCqBxyK3VyRsE/s0/dwarf-fighter-300x252.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /></span><span>"Grimm recovered these potions from the chapel, </span><i>Kadre</i><span>. Most of ‘em was smashed, but he managed to salvage three or four."</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>After passing out the </span><span>healing potions to his new human allies, t</span><span>he priest helped his kin dismantle the barricade. After the two guards ushered the heroes into the corridor beyond, they wished them luck, warned them to stay alert and vowed to hold the line at all costs. As the Fellowship hunkered close together just beyond the threshold, the two sentries went back inside and closed the door. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>The sound of tables and chairs being piled up against the portal did little for the group's morale. One gruesome thought hung in the air like a bat threatening to take wing: how </span><span>quickly could the guards get that barrier down if something huge and vicious suddenly started chasing them?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Unnerved by unbowed by this unspoken question, the adventurers began to inch their way down the passageway. Now deep underground and cloaked in stultifying darkness, the heroes cast nervous sidelong glances as their lamp-light cast eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling all around them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>The adventurers eventually stumbled into a room with a few overturned benches scattered about. As warned, they also encountered four snarling goblins dressed in leather armor and wielding cruel-looking morningstars. For a moment the creatures looked disappointed - perhaps they were expecting more dwarves? - but they also seemed more than content with murdering the Fellowship as a consolation prize! A</span><span>las, the over-confident goblins soon found themselves outmatched and, after a short and decisive scrap, t</span><span>he heroes pressed on to the next chamber.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBj2V87iD3Vo4Hi1JTJM8hSwmvuBV-ysvCjINa_73B0gDcuJOY2rIcesp-ydE2tTJQD6461_sNP_xJDcLSi0wIWbQgvnEWXF_fV0YV_d1eUZv8yzTXu9R1sXRhNEvd_seXf7msFXihQA/s488/Goblin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBj2V87iD3Vo4Hi1JTJM8hSwmvuBV-ysvCjINa_73B0gDcuJOY2rIcesp-ydE2tTJQD6461_sNP_xJDcLSi0wIWbQgvnEWXF_fV0YV_d1eUZv8yzTXu9R1sXRhNEvd_seXf7msFXihQA/s320/Goblin.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This turned out to be the reception hall. Once used by the dwarves to entertain visitors, this once-lavish chamber had been reduced to a depressing shadow of its former grandeur. Torn and filthy tapestries hung from the walls, which, in turn, were streaked with blood and filth. An overturned throne lay propped against one wall, it’s lavish cushions torn to pieces. Bookshelves were overturned everywhere, their ancient, priceless tomes scattered about and ripped to shreds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But, by far, the room's most startling feature were the four hobgoblins lounging around the chamber, each clad in studded leather armor and equipped with a longsword and shield. As the door of the room swung inwards, the creatures looked up at the heroes and immediately raised their swords. Unfortunately, this aggressive posture was cut comically short when Rincewind knocked them all out with a well-timed "Sleep" spell!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Elster then directed his allies to a concealed door in the corner of the room, which led to what was clearly once a fine dwarven bedchamber. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>"</span><span>This is the lord’s quarters," whispered the priest.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>As expected, the chamber was </span><span>a complete mess, with torn clothes and shredded books scattered all around the room. Even the bed was torn apart, reduced to </span><span>little more than a large pile of broken wood and dirty fragments of cloth. </span><span>Lounging atop these remnants was a huge, hairy creature, at least seven feet tall! Standing near this behemoth were two timid-looking goblins </span><span>holding trays of raw meat, who immediately started to tremble and scream as soon as </span><span>the heroes appeared in the doorway.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Undaunted by this odd sight, Bria immediately let a crossbow bolt fly, striking the massive creature in the shoulder even before it could get to its clawed feet. Pol followed this up with a savage charge, bull-rushing the beast head-over-heels back over its crushed bed. Now reeling, the bugbear swung wildly, but the amazon expertly parried the creature’s weapon and brought down the killing blow. By now, the two goblin servants were running around the room in a frenzied panic, forcing </span><span>Roman and Elster to end their panicked riot as quickly and mercifully as possible. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKP8RsUD5NjlSf3KEa1QCc2jPCCaf-cUpFLsisHxGU6YVvWb17pxiRIS3_hvPzcXZiJWfuY1cQaOEXke5UW14Nsu4mMIb2jmc3MjDcn_RDad6POhOT2VXDMijP_vA9QbVeeMdA9elH04/s474/Bugbear_-_Wayne_Reynolds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKP8RsUD5NjlSf3KEa1QCc2jPCCaf-cUpFLsisHxGU6YVvWb17pxiRIS3_hvPzcXZiJWfuY1cQaOEXke5UW14Nsu4mMIb2jmc3MjDcn_RDad6POhOT2VXDMijP_vA9QbVeeMdA9elH04/w295-h400/Bugbear_-_Wayne_Reynolds.jpg" width="295" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After this brief but vicious fracas, Elster encouraged his compatriots to gather up anything of value to use in the coming struggle. They quickly managed to locate a decent pile of gold crowns, a few pieces of topaz, Giran Oakenshield’s signet ring, a wizard's "Fireball" scroll and a "Potion of Fire Resistance." Flushed with this initial success, the heroes ventured onward.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Elster then led the group into what he called the "Meeting Room." In addition to a large table and several chairs pushed up against the far wall, several piles of shredded tapestries and clothing were s</span><span>cattered about the floor, being used as </span><span>beds by four sleeping hobgoblins. Passed out after a long day of guarding and patrolling, they were still dressed </span><span>in their armor, with their swords and shields lying nearby. Given the expected element of surprise, the group made </span><span>short work of these intruders and, after the fight was over, they recovered all of the dwarf's stolen topaz and gold.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The explorers then pressed on into the dining hall of Giran Oakenshield. Prior to the hobgoblin invasion, it's quite evident that this would have been a finely-decorated hall, but now the tables were all shattered into pieces, garbage lay strewn about the floor and shredded tapestries were scattered about in thick piles. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the heroes slowly shuffled slowly about the room they began to realize, to their horror, that snoring noises were coming from underneath the piles of fabric! Upon closer examination, they discovered that each stack contained a sleeping goblin. After pausing for a second to observe how oddly endearing all of this was, the group then proceeded to slaughter the vile invaders wholesale!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Now moving with considerable swagger, the adventurers proceeded on to another large chamber which Elster explains was once used for sparring and military drills. But, as the Fellowship enters the room, it quickly becomes evident that it was recently the site of a very real and very major battle. The group's bold mood was instantly dampened when they saw a</span><span>t least two dozen bodies - </span><span>dwarf, goblin and hobgoblin - s</span><span>trewn around the chamber, </span><span>their weapons lying nearby. </span><span>To Elster’s consternation, his two peers, Girsta Highhammer and </span><span>Sonnlinor high priest </span><span>Parn Golddelve were counted among the dead. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That's when Bria noticed a human-sized figure crouched over a body in the middle of the chamber. Drawn by a macabre sense of curiosity to this odd sight, as well as the faint crunching sounds, the heroes were completely horrified when their lamp-light washed over the scene and to reveal the figure’s arms completely soaked in blood.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YDvLCqMEdBBcV4pIUq79bctdngyU8dNQHcsqlI-kPyTpEwhg0bc19oTHjJw25W1oYZ7YTiPOc7nklBBkMFHLGGPxqnCxg40aNAxtuPg72PVtMJlEov7G4FjiLnYxvpTTu57sIr4eZ74/s836/Ghoul_-_David_Griffith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YDvLCqMEdBBcV4pIUq79bctdngyU8dNQHcsqlI-kPyTpEwhg0bc19oTHjJw25W1oYZ7YTiPOc7nklBBkMFHLGGPxqnCxg40aNAxtuPg72PVtMJlEov7G4FjiLnYxvpTTu57sIr4eZ74/w306-h400/Ghoul_-_David_Griffith.jpg" width="306" /></span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Fellowship edged closer, intent on swarming the vile creature all at once, but Roman’s clanking armor gave them away. Reflexively, Bria landed a solid hit, driving their foe into a frenzy, while Lorelei summoned a mystical badger to assist in the imminent fracas. Committing to a risky, two-handed overhead swing, Pol underestimated the speed of the creature and her sword got lodged in a stout wooden weapon rack, throwing off her recovery time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Seeing the amazon wounded and vulnerable, Elster took a moment to heal her. Taken aback by the agility of something supposedly half-dead, Rincewind completely telegraphed his swing, while Roman failed to drive the abomination back through sheer divine will.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sensing an easy target, the ghoul lashed out, seizing Pol by the neck. Instantly paralyzed, the warrior dropped her sword and immediately started to black out. Seeing this, Roman and Rincewind rushed forward, but could do nothing to break the creature’s rigor-grip on her throat. At the same time, Lorelei’s mystical pet latched onto a decrepit leg and Elster’s panicked attempt to turn their enemy failed as badly as his human counterpart’s.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Like a statue made of flesh, Pol could only stand there and watch as that leering, decrepit visage drew closer, it's gaping maw about to bite down on her own face, frozen in a rigor mask of genuine terror. It was a terrible final thing to see before everything went completely dark.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>To be continued...</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><u>IMAGE CREDITS</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ruined tower: <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295647/Fantasy-Art--Tower-Ruins">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295647/Fantasy-Art--Tower-Ruins</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Klen: <a href="https://entropymag.org/dd-with-entropy-an-introduction/" target="_blank">https://entropymag.org/dd-with-entropy-an-introduction</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Goblin: <a href="https://d-d-3-0-tales-from-mystara.obsidianportal.com/wikis/goblin-army">https://d-d-3-0-tales-from-mystara.obsidianportal.com/wikis/goblin-army</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Bugbear: <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Bugbear">https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Bugbear</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ghoul: <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Ghoul">https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Ghoul</a></span></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-24399056716336683362021-11-10T09:54:00.002-08:002024-01-24T06:49:05.895-08:00"They're Coming to Get You, _______!" - Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The original <i>Zombicide</i>, which I reviewed <a href="https://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Zombicide" target="_blank">here</a>, sadly had some truly baffling design decisions that were impossible for me to reconcile. Namely:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It made zero sense that you were forced to damage your allies first whenever you fired a ranged weapon into a melee.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Not only do zombies automatically hit characters, they always steal an item away from them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You have to add extra zombies to the board whenever you can't split packs of them up evenly. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If you run out of minis for a certain zombie type, you have to activate the matching zombies a second time! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>T</span>he "Manhole Cover" cards are fiddly, they slow the game down and they add a completely unnecessary extra level of difficulty to the game.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The sliding clips used for tracking Experience points damage the Survivor cards. </span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>More the pity, since there were a lot of things to like about the game. The components were amazing, the weapons and </span>equipment<span> options were myriad, turn-by-turn decisions were tense, co-operation was essential and the level-up process was fun. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, the game lingered with me long after I sold it, to the point where a trailer for the Second Edition really made me sit up and take notice:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JPJ2QItLTHY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Entranced by the dulcet tones of Machete himself, I immediately placed a pre-order for it. And then I waited. And I waited. <i>And then I waited some more</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Thank the gaming gods for this self-inflicted patience, since it prevented me from making another "buyers remorse" misstep. My extended wait gave me the time to realize that something else about <i>Zombicide</i> really bugged me. Something more superficial, namely:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The generic characters. As it turns out, I didn't want to Hobocop, some anime chick, a chainsaw-wielding (?) waitress on roller skates (!) or, <i>um</i>, Michael Douglas in <i>Falling Down. </i>Dafuq?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The stylized, Kabuki-style art, which does nothing to set a spooky, atmospheric mood.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The ridiculous, over-the-top carnage, which feels felt more like an action movie and less like a horror film.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What I really wanted was something darker and grittier, something more grounded and thematic. And, as it turned out, the solution to this was putrefying right under my nose the entire time.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu27wfNQIs9fPz9of4GWYsPpthbFk9s-AHVr2vhWG91yUsN-xaPoXRjLu4ju8C_dFIz4ksRIUicdOndRPqrC8qVlIlmoPhAflztBezU-v9TceOunhmkvx6qjfSvd6S8jRExPbjcptl-c/s2048/NOTLD+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu27wfNQIs9fPz9of4GWYsPpthbFk9s-AHVr2vhWG91yUsN-xaPoXRjLu4ju8C_dFIz4ksRIUicdOndRPqrC8qVlIlmoPhAflztBezU-v9TceOunhmkvx6qjfSvd6S8jRExPbjcptl-c/w640-h640/NOTLD+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, I'd seen </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/264164/night-living-dead-zombicide-game/expansions" target="_blank">Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> lurking on store shelves plenty of times before but, for no logical reason whatsoever, I always wrote it off as some sort of dumbed-down knockoff of the original game</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. After seeing it on store shelves again recently, I finally took a closer look and, to my delight, it appeared to be the zombie game of my nightmares. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>First off, i</span><span>t's </span><i>Night of the Living Dead</i><span>; the first legit horror movie that </span><a href="http://emblogificationcapturedevice.blogspot.com/2010/10/obligatory-halloween-post.html" target="_blank">scared the crap outta me as a kid</a><span> and made me a life-long fan of Romero's zombie flicks. I'd </span><span>much rather be Ben or Barbra than "Rick-Grimes-with-the-serial-number-filed-off." Plus, there are n</span><span>o "runners" or "abominations", just </span><i>olde-skool</i><span>, single-space-shufflin' zombies. And for all you slow-movin' zombie haterz out there: woe to you who </span><span>underestimate</span><span> them...they're still crazy-deadly when they attack in packs!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The <i>NOTLD</i> </span><span>art style (by Karl Kopinski) is also ten times more appealing to me as well. It's the difference between this:</span></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidplD5oEABu9gn99DNxZDHVSR3Z3SEIG4Y_5CBd3Yot32Hoce-M7EB5G2H_wlt-Yqmbp7MhrQQqnAcdjd0f6ol0JzwYR3FqOOiVXzLvZCZIzyj5Ie5l37bxh4Qur-TES_ytvo6gT07lPw/s600/NOTLD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidplD5oEABu9gn99DNxZDHVSR3Z3SEIG4Y_5CBd3Yot32Hoce-M7EB5G2H_wlt-Yqmbp7MhrQQqnAcdjd0f6ol0JzwYR3FqOOiVXzLvZCZIzyj5Ie5l37bxh4Qur-TES_ytvo6gT07lPw/w640-h252/NOTLD.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>And this:</span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBxxxbN2o_-Oc5zm3Gczyxsoxe3kOzDuRO4PBuy6r6BN-25CFI-yL2SGrfqkkZhy5WTU2a_0LMwpq30fgprDC3JyRSJXNdciAP5TJSEkdGMx30uPfOnSVlNLH3-lPXT2AxN-22XyzcoQ/s557/Zombicide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="557" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBxxxbN2o_-Oc5zm3Gczyxsoxe3kOzDuRO4PBuy6r6BN-25CFI-yL2SGrfqkkZhy5WTU2a_0LMwpq30fgprDC3JyRSJXNdciAP5TJSEkdGMx30uPfOnSVlNLH3-lPXT2AxN-22XyzcoQ/w640-h334/Zombicide.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Yes, the original game's art is stylized, colorful and undeniably "bad-ass", but that painting of L'il Ghoul Karen is downright haunting to me. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Side note: out of the following five options, what's your favorite description of Wanda, shown here on the cover of <i>Zombicide</i>? </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VYX1Dtple0FDtKR9qsKgbW_0EihwSHXnszHkgVhm2LOK5yYiVvQZ9FY5a1liKNsAbbz8YXKgiQTJxB6XXo_yxfteJ7d0libjnczExc0OV4iQanSsWvBMzScRRSeaaY4ywYRbc-VwzYs/s127/Wanda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="111" data-original-width="127" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VYX1Dtple0FDtKR9qsKgbW_0EihwSHXnszHkgVhm2LOK5yYiVvQZ9FY5a1liKNsAbbz8YXKgiQTJxB6XXo_yxfteJ7d0libjnczExc0OV4iQanSsWvBMzScRRSeaaY4ywYRbc-VwzYs/w320-h280/Wanda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She's got a face like a catcher's mitt. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She's got face like a half-chewed caramel. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She's got a face like a beat-up water bucket.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They had to tie a pork chop around her neck to get the zombies to play with her.</span></li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpY8u4ckmhLm8bxwwK4EfHT4NuuoU9esqwUhYbXvTW9rVDD6Jefl-DKTeG1_uPjkH_PJAlqm0sjqNHhyuXTqIs5asBlGyhhU9wdnjAgPnc3RVqXQUOROoyel_EG4NySy5yo73uVcWaxs/s127/Wanda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sorry, <i>I digress</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, aside from superficial aesthetics, what else is it about this itiration that inspired the cancellation of my eternal pre-order? Well, as it turns out, there's a pretty slick little promotional vid for this version as well. Here, have a look, <i>if you dare</i>...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W934NL4bO04" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Anyhoo</i>, the bottom line is that I picked this one up and immediately got down to running the first scenario, appropriately titled "What's Happening?"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND ONE</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ben uses his first Action to move into the house, his second to pick up the Barricade Token in the same room and his final Action to spend the Token to board up the southwest window. As per the scenario details, this immediately earns him five Experience Points.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbra moves into the same room, locking the door behind her for her second Action. She then picks up the Barricade Token in the northeast corner of the room.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry uses his first Action to open the basement door, then hustles through the living room and then into the kitchen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Helen uses all of her Actions to move onto the Stairs Zone on tile 3R. Her shocking discovery of the "corpse lady" at the top of the landing would normally see all of the Survivors switching back to their default "Romero" Mode but, since no-one has progressed to "Zombicide" Mode yet, this effect is ignored. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tom uses two of his Actions to get into the stairwell hallway and then his final Action to pick up the Barricade Token located there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Judy uses all three of her Action points to move into the living room.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>GHOULS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Step One - </b></span><b>Activation: Attack or Move</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since there are no Ghoulies on the board yet, we immediately move to...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Step Two: Spawn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A single Breaker appears at the first Spawn point. An "Open Doors and Barricades" Card is drawn for the second Spawn point but, since everyone is still in the Blue level of Experience, nothing happens. Unfortunately, three Walkers spawn at the third entry point. <i>Ruh-roh!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND TWO</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbra uses her first Action to build a Barricade across the window in the south west corner of the dining room, earning five Experience Points. She then Searches the room, coming up with a Flashlight. She opts not to take her final Action.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry uses his first Action to pick up the Barricade material in the north east corner of the kitchen. He then uses his second Action to Barricade the window next to the same spot, earning five Experience Points in the process. Finally, he Searches the kitchen, coming up with a "Plenty of Bullets" card.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Showing considerable fortitude, not to mention a strong stomach, Helen spends two of her Actions to dispose of the body on the upstairs landing. With this accomplished, the Zone beyond this point can now be searched by anyone in "Zombicide Mode"! She then uses her last Action to pick up the debris piled up in the east side of the stairway hall.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tom moves one space into the northwest room of the house, presumably the rec room. He then spends an Action to Barricade the window to the north, earning five Experience Points. His final Action is spent Searching. Unfortunately, in a nasty twist, instead of finding a helpful item, a zombified Karen pops up from out of nowhere!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hearing Tom scream like a little girl, Judy picks up the Winchester 94 for one Action and then immediately fires a shot into the rec room. She needs a 3+ and rolls a "3", which obliterates Karen and earns her an Experience Point! Spying an approaching pack of Ghouls through the window, she immediately pivots and fires towards them, rolling a "5" for another hit! This expert marksmanship earns her a second Experience Point!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Ben searches the dining room and finds a </span><span>Mason Jar. With precious little time right now to indulge his beloved hobby of making preserves, he moves into the kitchen and opens the door to the attached pantry / shed.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3nR2yau3ytGbgxNaNidgODRakCicwSRNdobWAuRXsJ5-2tzwAHosoaI2bT4kap9IvLv702920x0ho1VzZ64aPnT7Ccw3v2mt69d_bORFr9uhQqiDi0vB9MAH_N2n_MONhKyfflMx9SE/s2048/NOTLD+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="2048" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3nR2yau3ytGbgxNaNidgODRakCicwSRNdobWAuRXsJ5-2tzwAHosoaI2bT4kap9IvLv702920x0ho1VzZ64aPnT7Ccw3v2mt69d_bORFr9uhQqiDi0vB9MAH_N2n_MONhKyfflMx9SE/w640-h616/NOTLD+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>GHOULS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Step One - </b></span><b>Activation: Attack or Move</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Breaker spends its entire turn ripping off the Barricade on the window and tearing open the adjacent door. The two Walkers on the east side of the house pile in through the window to menace Judy in the living room!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Step Two: Spawn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">New Ghouls appear… including a Fatty at the first spawn point, one Walker at the north Spawn point and a Relative card is drawn for the third point. Since no one has progressed beyond the first level of Experience, this card is ignored.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND THREE</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry moves into the living room for one Action, gives Judy the "Plenty of Bullets" Card and then moves back into the kitchen. Damned sporting of him, don't ya think?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Helen spends two Actions to move into the dining room with Barbra, then uses an Action to Barricade the window, getting five Experience Points for her efforts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tom searches the room and finds some Boards, which he immediately discards for a Barricade Token. He then uses said Barricade Action to seal up the western window in the same room, gaining five Experience Points in the process. This moves him into the Yellow Experience level and unlocks the "Shove" special ability! He then moves into the dining room to help defend Helen and Barbra.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Judy attempts to club one of the Ghouls in her space with a table leg! She needs a 4+ in order to be successful and rolls a "5" - which is a hit, giving her a third Experience Point. She then moves into the kitchen and spends her final Action aiming at the Breaker who's now on the threshold of entering the house! She needs a 3+ to hit and rolls exactly "3"… success! This gains her her a fourth Experience Points for yet another zombie kill!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ben decides to use his first Action to rush in and help Judy, taking a swing at one of the Ghouls with his Tire Iron. He needs a 4+ in order to hit and gets a “2”, a miss! His second swing, however, is a "5" which is a solid hit, giving him an Experience Point!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Frantically looking around for any useful items, Barbra uses her Flashlight to Search the room. She finds two sets of Boards, I.E. plenty of material to shore up the defense of the room! She immediately discards both of these cards, gains two Barricade Tokens and then invests both of them to block both off the southern windows in the dining room. This earns her a whopping ten experience points! Now in the Yellow Experience level, she unlocks the "Slippery" trait!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7i7R45ZvjA1uoMqx_okOttpXUnYBncvTWQ1jNWviSBV0DA9fCkq8LaRc7YTsugnZQ7OiNUhpKLB50OCpA1Y9zWqqTb6gWXpMmpKjXzGxWGQlkPmzh7EZ54OLiDf2h1vqaRTWZDSwySE/s2048/NOTLD+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1638" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7i7R45ZvjA1uoMqx_okOttpXUnYBncvTWQ1jNWviSBV0DA9fCkq8LaRc7YTsugnZQ7OiNUhpKLB50OCpA1Y9zWqqTb6gWXpMmpKjXzGxWGQlkPmzh7EZ54OLiDf2h1vqaRTWZDSwySE/w512-h640/NOTLD+3.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>GHOULS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Step One - </b></span><b>Activation: Attack or Move</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Fatty lopes through the open door into the dining room, threatening Tom, Helen and Barbara! The Walkers to the north start scrambling around the house, looking for an open window or door. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Step Two: Spawn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since we're now in the Yellow Experience level, five (!) Walkers appear at the southwestern Spawn point! Five also appear in the northern entry area. Finally, a Relative, specifically Johnny (I guess?), appears in the easterly Spawn zone.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND FOUR</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Knowing that she has no weapon effective enough to take out the looming Fatty, Helen moves into the kitchen, spending an extra Action Point to do this. She then searches the kitchen and finds more Boards, which she immediately converts into a Barricade Token. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tom uses his freshly-unlocked (and free to use!) "Shove" ability to push the Fatty back outside! He then uses his first Action to shut and lock the door, his second to do a room Search (finding "Plenty of Shells") and then he exhausts his third Action to join the others in the kitchen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Judy uses her first action to move into the living room and then she takes a pot-shot at Johnny, getting a “5”, which vaporizes his undead melon! She now has five Experience Points! Finally, in a moment of trust, she gives the Winchester 94 and bullets to Ben, which lets her transform into "Zombicide Mode"!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben uses his first Action to Search the room. Unfortunately, instead of finding anything practical, Karen pops up again! Ben then proceeds to use his two remaining Actions to try and cave </span><span>the indomitable l'il scamp's</span><span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">skull in with a tire iron. He rolls a "1" on his first swing but "5" on the second, taking her out and gaining another Experience Point, which brings him up to six!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbra uses her Flashlight to Search the room and finds gas! She immediately moves two spaces to meet up with Ben, intending to give him this new-found fuel!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry uses his first Action to Search, finding Boards, which he immediately converts into a Barricade Token. He then spends an Action (and the Token) to seal up one of the windows in the kitchen. This gives him five more Experience Points, bringing him up to ten and unlocking the "Taunt" Skill. He then uses his final Action to move into the living room.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>GHOULS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Step One - </b></span><b>Activation: Attack or Move</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The lead Walker at the north side of the house shuffles a single space towards the open window, leading a pack of five more Ghouls shambling right behind him. Deterred by all of the restored Barricades </span><span>in the south west corner of the house</span><span>, the single Fatty and his entourage of five Walkers amble one space south, looking for a new way in.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Step Two: Spawn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Another "Relative" appears in the first Spawn space, yet another one appears in the north Spawn zone and one Breaker appears in the east.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND FIVE</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tom spends his first Action searching the kitchen. He scrounges up some Boards, which he immediately converts into a Barricade Token. He then moves into the living room and uses his final Action to hastily Barricade the window that the Ghoul horde is approaching. This gives him five more experience points, putting him at 15!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Judy searches the living room and finds a rifle Scope, which she immediately hands off to Ben. She then chooses to ignore her final available Action.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On Ben’s turn, he uses a Re-organize / Trade Action to give Barbra the Mason Jar, forcing her to huck the "Plenty of Bullets" card to make room for this. Ben follows suit, discarding the Scope and the Winchester 94 to gain the Scoped Winchester. He then takes a shot at the Breaker who just appeared in the easterly Spawn point. Unfortunately, he rolls a "2" which is a miss but, thanks to "Plenty of Bullets", he re-rolls, this time getting a "4." It’s a hit, killing the Breaker, giving him his seventh Experience Point, putting him into the Yellow zone and unlocking his "Hawk-eye" Skill. For his third Action he Searches the room, getting another "Plenty of Bullets" card.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbra begins her turn by discarding the Mason Jar and Flammable Fluid to make a Molotov. She then discards the Molotov to do a one-space Ranged attack Action at the eastern Spawn point, which moves it over to the northern Spawn point. Now the Ghouls won’t be able to approach from the east! Barbra then uses her second Action to search with her Flashlight, finding another Scope and more Flammable Fluid. She passes the latter off to Tom, giving him the ability to make a Torch out of his Table Leg if need be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry Searches the living room and finds "Plenty of Shells." At a loss for what else to do, he exhausts the rest of his Actions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Helen spends her first Action searching and finds a Flashlight. For her second Action, she places the Barricade Token that's in her supply on the remaining window in the kitchen. Beyond this, there’s little else she can do, so she exhausts her other two Actions.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOs5skkvDrKHOusj_nc_cth2f49cy2bv4cvYXgN09PpGRECl2p5SX1pdF9fehItFqqcZb64l3IPUwM55waslB5GRD_3k9Kr8N37AHoBwHF6Kvs_oNs35UB3TG4eEK0NFOxYVwyhL3W84/s2048/NOTLD+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="2048" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOs5skkvDrKHOusj_nc_cth2f49cy2bv4cvYXgN09PpGRECl2p5SX1pdF9fehItFqqcZb64l3IPUwM55waslB5GRD_3k9Kr8N37AHoBwHF6Kvs_oNs35UB3TG4eEK0NFOxYVwyhL3W84/w640-h614/NOTLD+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>GHOULS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Step One - </b></span><b>Activation: Attack or Move</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Walkers continue their inexorable march around the outside of the cabin. (NOTE: I think I'm doing their movement properly. The rules state that the Ghouls choose a Destination Zone based on two factors: the most visible group of Survivors in a single Zone or the Zone with the most unseen Survivors. They then "move 1 Zone towards their Destination Zone by taking the shortest available path." I can only assume that open doors and windows are an indispensable part of that "path.")</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Step Two: Spawn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In an alarming twist, a new Breaker appears at the first Spawn point to the southwest. One of the northern Spawn points reveals another "Relatives" Card but, since both are already in play, there's no effect. The other northern Spawn point receives three Fatties. Yikes!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>ROUND SIX</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><u><b>PLAYERS' PHASE</b></u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Judy does a search Action, picking up another Mason Jar, which she immediately passes over to Tom for an Action. She ops not to use her third Action for the round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Paranoid that the Breaker may tear through the barriers at the southwestern corner of the house, Ben dashes off to the dining room. Thanks to his Hawk-eye ability, he can perform a Ranged attack Actions through Barricades, so he uses his last Action to fire his Scoped Winchester at the Breaker. He hits with a "6", giving him one more Experience Point and bringing him up to eight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbra keeps scanning the house with her Flashlight, drawing two House Equipment Cards and revealing "Plenty of Shells" and <i>friggin</i>' Karen again, who pops up like an undead Mormon! Barbra uses her second Action to try and make the poor, innocent girl look like a rabbit, intent on driving her Claw Hammer up through the roof of her mouth. With a roll of "5" she succeeds, and Barb's Experience-O-Meter goes up to 16.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Harry Searches as well, drawing yet another "Karen, Poor Baby!" card, which translates to a "Johnny-on-the-spot." Harry instinctively swings his crowbar at Johnny's noggin', nicely ventilating it with a roll of "5" and getting him up to eleven Experience Points. He then ignores his final action.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On Helen‘s turn she uses her Flashlight to draw two Cards, gaining a Scope and Boards, the latter of which she immediately converts into a Barricade Token. She then moves one space into the living room and then uses her final Action to Barricade the remaining window in that room.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>With all the windows blocked with Barricades and no Ghouls in the house, the </span>Survivors win the Scene! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBrWi5mrfUXCz6Sb_rgWTA-xWleq086TKbBLKL8hS_E_T0pDoFknfYlwxlgsjeFMjx9UzqSR3NWdpwt7PLGK5oCKlFIV0fIH5u8XqiPXCJiXg-MFPXSv7-ljC6e9Anu1iaoRkWydgb9c/s2048/NOTLD+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2036" data-original-width="2048" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBrWi5mrfUXCz6Sb_rgWTA-xWleq086TKbBLKL8hS_E_T0pDoFknfYlwxlgsjeFMjx9UzqSR3NWdpwt7PLGK5oCKlFIV0fIH5u8XqiPXCJiXg-MFPXSv7-ljC6e9Anu1iaoRkWydgb9c/w640-h636/NOTLD+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">***</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>REVIEW</b></span></u></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>PROS</b></span></u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">See previous comments RE: how amazing this thing looks and how it finally feels like a horror game to me.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's hard to believe, but the first <i>Zombicide</i> was released almost a decade ago and, since then, the designers have made a lot of evolutionary developments to the concept, the high water mark arguably being 2015's <i>Black Plague</i>. As a newer version of the game, released just last year, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Night of the Living Dead </i>incorporates<i> </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">many of these welcome improvements. Chief among these spruce-ups has to be the friggin' <i>amazing</i> Survivor Dashboard, which use tracked sliders to record Experience and pegs to keep a tally on damage and unlocked skills. Pure genius!</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The game does a great job simulating the action of the film. You actually feel a palpable sense of </span><span style="font-size: medium;">desperation</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> as you're running around the house, trying to bolster your defenses before endless waves of marauding undead start pounding on the doors and tearing at the shutters!</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As such, I think this version is even more reliant on co-operation. Sure, I kinda cruised through this scenario, but my dice luck was decent, I was playing all of the characters and I was optimizing their Actions. I can see this being a completely different experience with six players all controlling their own Survivors.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Some of the dumber rules have been eliminated or refined. For example: if you shoot into a melee now, you only hit allies if you miss! Thanks, designers...gold stars all around! In other rule improvements: zombies don't steal shit from people, there are no stupid manhole covers and packs of Ghouls don't split up. Also the clever, but not-so-practical, concept of in-game "Noise" has been replaced by a much easier and intuitive A.I. system for the zombies.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Combining items into Scoped Rifles and Molotov cocktails is just plain fun. Props for the nice variety of items and weapons!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Skills are well in-step with the film characters, I.E. Ben and Judy become better shots, Barbra turns into an escape artist, Tom transforms into a rugby player, Helen gets resourceful and Harry get, um...bossy. I also like that players evolve into their adrenaline-fueled "Zombicide" Mode when they work together and share key items. Mercifully, the Survivors feel unrealistic, even while sporting this upgrade. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The rule book alone is a work of art, with lots of amazing illustrations, examples, a glossary and <b>* swoon * </b>a phreakin' <i>index</i>! </span></li></ul><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">CONS</span></u></b></div></b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I approve of the inclusion of Relatives, but the execution seems a bit off. In the movie, Barbra and Helen pretty much freeze up like headlight-stricken deer when </span>cannibalistic<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Karen or undead Johnny show up. The game's rules simulate this by having a "Relative" pop up during a room Search or Spawn, which forces Survivors to drop from dynamic "Zombicide" Mode down to frightened rabbit "Romero" Mode. That's both shocking and on-point...</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">the first two times it happens</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Between Searches and Spawns, Relatives appear so frequently that unlocking "Zombicide" Mode is kind of a pain in the ass, since you're constantly flipping your Survivor Card over. Maybe there are four "Karen? Poor Baby" Cards in the House Equipment Deck to encourage folks to search in the other two decks, who knows? Whatever the reason, I can't square these corners off thematically. I mean, are Karen and Johnny just popping up over and over again or is </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Night of the Living Dead</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> really the story of how a massive, organized, group Thanksgiving dinner at a quaint, isolated farmhouse went horribly awry? My solution: Karen and Johnny can only pop up once per Scene, permanently reducing folks to "Romero" Mode until (A) they're eliminated and (B) the Survivors perform the same the scenario-specific instruction to power back up again. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The rule book is great, but there are still a few times where the designers muddy the waters for no good reason. For example, Page 11 reads: "In exterior Zones, movement from one Zone to another has no restrictions. However, Actors must go through an open door (or opening) to move from an interior Zone to an exterior one and vice-versa. In interior Zones, Actors may move from one Zone to another as long as their Zones are linked by an opening (such as an open door or open window)." Why use "opening" as your chosen verbiage? Why not just say "open door or window?" <i>Oi.</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Although I really dig the idea of the game rewarding co-operation with the "Zombicide Mode", I really hafta ask: what's in it for the rat bastard around the table? In other words: the game gives you every reason in the world to co-operate, but zero incentive to look out for number one! My suggestion: regardless of a win or loss, give out an individual winner award to the player with the most Experience Points. If there's a tie, the person with the Rifle wins! With this house rule, you can use an Action to take the rifle away from someone by force. Roll a d6 and add +1 for every difference in Experience Level between the two. The high-roller takes the rifle and also has the option of inflicting a point of damage on the loser! If there's a tie, it turns into a good, old-fashioned tug-of-war! You can also flat-out attack another Survivor bare-handed, using the rules above (and inflicting a mandatory point of damage) or you can just snap and use a melee weapon! This might help replicate the open conflict between Ben and Harry at the end of the film!</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All told, <i>Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game</i> is a vast improvement over the original and avoids the stylistic personal objections I'd presumably have over the Second Edition. Even though there are still a few rules vagaries, and the execution of some of the new, thematically-relevant conditions left me scratching my head, the game itself does a fantastic job re-creating the tension, synergy and camaraderie of a real survival horror experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game</i> scores five pips out of six with a slight tilt down towards that deathtrap of a basement!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJyTBVK6zk-4V-vu-Ul8DYVf30m_MnSDWiE0RIJhqyRDQg3vTGkogI3d1xWUuqOUB0czSrFYEowVlcCPW6Om7kc4kQY4Q4OwykHUPOTmmJohyphenhyphenY0u7gmxOeMmsU6jvnrHCanKrpkdGTkM/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJyTBVK6zk-4V-vu-Ul8DYVf30m_MnSDWiE0RIJhqyRDQg3vTGkogI3d1xWUuqOUB0czSrFYEowVlcCPW6Om7kc4kQY4Q4OwykHUPOTmmJohyphenhyphenY0u7gmxOeMmsU6jvnrHCanKrpkdGTkM/w170-h166/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><br /></div></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-11846943331827049082021-10-18T09:41:00.001-07:002021-10-18T09:46:33.611-07:00Unmatched: "Buffy vs. Dracula"<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In much the same way that <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/consolation-prize-star-wars-queens.html" target="_blank"><i>Queens
Gambit</i></a> was one of the better things to come out of the otherwise-dreadful <i><a href="https://rantandroarentertainmentreviews.blogspot.com/2015/12/movie-review-star-wars-episode-i.html" target="_blank">Phantom Men-Ass</a></i>, <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3284/star-wars-epic-duels" target="_blank">StarWars: Epic Duels</a></i> was a rare silver lining when <a href="https://rantandroarentertainmentreviews.blogspot.com/2015/12/movie-review-star-wars-episode-ii.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Attack of the Clowns</a><i> </i>was released in 2002. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>Epic Duels</i> sees twelve different iconic <i>Star Wars</i> characters battle
against each other on four possible battlefields, including Bespin, Kamino,
Geonosis or the Emperor’s Throne Room. </span>Every character (and their allies) are brought to life by a unique deck of
cards which are used for attack and defense. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They also showcase special powers
that really make the characters distinct from one another. For example, Boba
Fett actually plays surprisingly different form his pappy, Jango. Add in
different match types, like one-on-one death matches, team battles or even a six-player free-for-all, and you had a quick-n'-easy <i>Star Wars</i> game that was actually surprisingly good. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sadly, with so many fans already dust-binning their prequel merch to a landfill, the game quickly went out of print. But, in the intervening years, game geeks in the know referenced <i>Epic Duels</i> with the same sort of hushed reverence that Indiana Jones
used when talking about the Lost Ark.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After a very long wait, Restoration Games got the rights to republish the game. around 2018. Unfortunately, it would be devoid of that sweet-ass (not to mention expensive!)
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars </i>license. Hoping that gamers
would still gravitate to the fast n’ furious, card-driven miniatures
combat, Restoration decided to task Mondo Games with building new sets around open source IP’s, starting with King Arthur, Alice in Wonderland, Medusa and Sinbad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I won’t lie to you, when that first set released, I was super curious. But, since I
already owned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epic Duels</i>, I couldn’t justify
buying it, even when Restoration piled on new characters like Bruce Lee, Robin
Hood, Bigfoot, Little Red Riding Hood and Beowulf. Regardless of this growing awesomeness, I still managed to resist.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But then, they went and announced a <i>Buffy
the Vampire Slayer</i> set and I crumbled like a bloodsucker perforated by Mr.
Pointy. I’d been a die-hard fan of the show ever since Charisma Carpenter’s Cordelia
told Alyson Hannigan’s Willow: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Willow...nice
dress! Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yeah, did I mention that I actually worked for Sears at that time? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhRTSu6Z_14i-s2BVHsbBmg_FK1DY2zYSHT-NWweGhqIo-NmvbvPbjAcwB0Yh-19FkuTmDbO11OOT28shHmcYK2877clD_J7Gt9tWcxYMbOauMo3aEoQ_4ABrHuFSFvq7DYyA66AimUk/s2048/Buffy+Drac+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1555" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhRTSu6Z_14i-s2BVHsbBmg_FK1DY2zYSHT-NWweGhqIo-NmvbvPbjAcwB0Yh-19FkuTmDbO11OOT28shHmcYK2877clD_J7Gt9tWcxYMbOauMo3aEoQ_4ABrHuFSFvq7DYyA66AimUk/w486-h640/Buffy+Drac+1.jpg" width="486" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Not that I needed any more incentive, but here’s the games sales pitch,
presumably right from the Watcher's Council (I.E. <a href="https://mondoshop.com/collections/unmatched" target="_blank">Mondo Games</a>) itself:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Unmatched: Buffy the Vampire Slayer<i> features four
heroes. Buffy will hit you with Mr. Pointy or summon her Slayer's strength for
a cartwheel kick. When it's time for backup, she'll take her pick between
insightful Giles or reliable Xander. Spike, a relentless hunter, seeks the
shadows and calls on Drusilla's Sight to let him know just where and when to
strike. Willow, a peerless witch, dabbles in black magic and risks her darker
self, potent but dangerous. At times, only Tara can bring her back from the
brink of the abyss. Angel, once the Scourge of Europe, is cursed with a soul,
conflicted by his victories and taking solace in his losses. Faith is there to
make sure things stay "Five by Five".<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Unmatched<i> is a highly asymmetrical miniature
fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique
deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck
combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise, but
just when you've mastered one set, new heroes arrive to provide all new
match-ups.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Looking for more eldritch lore on the subject? Then crack open the Slayer’s
Handbook (you know, that big, leather-bound tome with “VAMPYR” embossed on the
front) to learn all the deets right <a href="https://cdn.1j1ju.com/medias/45/17/a9-unmatched-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-rulebook.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, needless to say, I snapped this one up just as soon as I could get my claws into it. Fast forward to now and I really wanted to do a review for this one during the Halloween season, but who would I pit the titular hero against? I'll always see Angel as more of a brooding detective than the
murderous Angelus, so that was out. Willow and Buffy are best buds, so I couldn’t
bring myself to see those two tangle, even if it was Dark Willow. And then there’s
poor Spike, who I just see as the undead version of a punching bag. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">S</span>o, I did the only logical thing I could do: I picked up the <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/294484/unmatched-cobble-fog" target="_blank">Cobble & Fog</a></i> set just to make this
clash thematically perfect!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizt_y4TRwJ0UsSFlPXIbJ7lXRhrHZXU2mQhz-xQGEGlGkNMTBY65TlnmEfwBpbmG7XDlF5H3TCgG5Qv-Zs96hHDtE85phZMcsLJ2vYQWLVmxqaSyHSSrV_rPpSLiPG8teLt7t3MHDvg64/s2048/Buffy+Drac+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizt_y4TRwJ0UsSFlPXIbJ7lXRhrHZXU2mQhz-xQGEGlGkNMTBY65TlnmEfwBpbmG7XDlF5H3TCgG5Qv-Zs96hHDtE85phZMcsLJ2vYQWLVmxqaSyHSSrV_rPpSLiPG8teLt7t3MHDvg64/w510-h640/Buffy+Drac+2.jpg" width="510" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, for completion’s sake, here’s
the penny dreadful on this one:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Unmatched: Cobble & Fog<i> features four new heroes for the </i>Unmatched<i>
system. Invisible Man uses fog to dart around the board and strike without
warning. Sherlock, with the trusty Watson by his side, schemes and calculates
to ensure victory. Dracula and the sisters slowly drain you of your power.
Jekyll & Hyde uses the former's cunning and the latter's brute strength to
win the day.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And here’s the full Victorian novel (I.E. the <a href="https://cdn.1j1ju.com/medias/db/c3/08-unmatched-cobble-fog-rulebook.pdf" target="_blank">rulebook</a>), guv’nah!
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And, so, without further ado, I present to you:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>BUFFY VS. DRACULA</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMnvvqvaGaum6d2YLxJ35bPnu7V0MMSmW-7oJGzj-7sq_4xxA94rueA0kxD16m1sD6laCbpMtTFinqD-suLOHz7Jj8UVII1m5iGEbnE21pkcZsATFd29htmkSpH-vSP9Lxvvp4XqcMOk/s2048/Drac+and+tha+Sistahs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1263" data-original-width="2048" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMnvvqvaGaum6d2YLxJ35bPnu7V0MMSmW-7oJGzj-7sq_4xxA94rueA0kxD16m1sD6laCbpMtTFinqD-suLOHz7Jj8UVII1m5iGEbnE21pkcZsATFd29htmkSpH-vSP9Lxvvp4XqcMOk/w640-h394/Drac+and+tha+Sistahs.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drac takes the Maneuver Action, first drawing a card and then moving one of his Sisters two spaces towards the secret passage. He then turfs a “Feint” card for a two-point movement boost, so now she’s standing adjacent to Giles! Another Sister uses the secret passage to follow
right behind and then Drac and his final companion form up close by.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For their second Action, the Sister closest to Giles Attacks by playing a
face-down Action Card. The Watcher quickly replies with a card of his own. They’re revealed to
be “Ambush” and “Feint”, the latter of which cancels
out the Sister’s “During Combat” text. Since it’s a tie, the exchange is a push. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8ahp6sCfLGXxI6EulQUH2vwzofETy5pN6afYH-EK6WsHw7A_esTmrlhGk6jagssavX9BASeICjNHdIUxZnX5mGfe3ziMETsWOUh8QLK1BfDsmdBeCnfqciolswR-WS7ZBJIXlfyMDIc/s2048/Buffy+and+Giles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="2048" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8ahp6sCfLGXxI6EulQUH2vwzofETy5pN6afYH-EK6WsHw7A_esTmrlhGk6jagssavX9BASeICjNHdIUxZnX5mGfe3ziMETsWOUh8QLK1BfDsmdBeCnfqciolswR-WS7ZBJIXlfyMDIc/w640-h616/Buffy+and+Giles.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy starts her turn with a Maneuver Action and draws a new card. She then jogs three spaces and gets within staking distance of the Sister that’s threatening Giles.</span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She Attacks for her second Action, tabling an Action combat card and the Sister plays a card too. They're then flipped simultaneously, revealing a
three-point “Swift Strike” versus the Sister’s four-point “Exploit.” The Attack
is defended, and Buffy decides to use her After Combat ability to move four
spaces into the mansion and get all up in Drac’s grill. The Sister’s After Combat
ability also kicks in, and she draws a new card.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dracula signals his intent to Attack Buffy* by placing an
Action Card down on the table and she counters with one of her own. Dracula’s
card is revealed as a three-point “Dash” and Buffy flips a three-point “Rapid Recovery.” Once again, this tie results in a wash, but then the After Combat
abilities kick in. Buffy would normally recover one Health, but she’s already at her
maximum. Dracula opts to back off, imposing one of his Sisters in the way!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For his second Action, Dracula Schemes with the “Ravening Seduction” card.
After one of the Sisters moves two spaces south, Giles loses one Health because she's adjacent to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy responds with a Maneuver Action, drawing a new card and then rushing two
spaces outdoors to aid Giles. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For her second Action, she Attacks the Sister
that’s trying to pounce on Giles, who, upon closer inspection, looks like he's kind of enjoying being "attacked." She plays an Action Card, and the Sister
has no response. Buffy’s card is revealed as a “Rapid Recovery”, which does
three points of damage and dusts her quarry! Giles reacts to this by shedding a lone tear. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI83w-3Fu92XrLOlngA_RGyxEaxB6SCJgMVXFX_sc_N8VmVJGLNQqF0POawp_qQUo_2v-yntuZGPW3ZL1yBNRgp4KRFsznor8FK04O1k1bE6xZuviirOpGGRLZ8pFY7j14nef4gUn_xEc/s2048/First+Sister+Dusted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI83w-3Fu92XrLOlngA_RGyxEaxB6SCJgMVXFX_sc_N8VmVJGLNQqF0POawp_qQUo_2v-yntuZGPW3ZL1yBNRgp4KRFsznor8FK04O1k1bE6xZuviirOpGGRLZ8pFY7j14nef4gUn_xEc/w640-h640/First+Sister+Dusted.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dracula decides to be conservative, declaring a Maneuver as his first Action.
After he draws a new card, the Sister that
was trying to flank Giles retreats two spaces back inside the mansion. The second Sister takes point at the top of the staircase while
the Count himself lurks at the bottom. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They perform the Maneuver Action again, drawing another
new card, but this time the trio hold in place, clearly in a defensive
posture. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sensing an opportunity, Buffy decides to advance. First, she performs a Maneuver
Action and draws a new card. She then charges two spaces into the
mansion, intent on tackling the closest Sister, while<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giles sneaks in the back entrance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy then drops an Action Card, but the Sister can’t defend herself! The Slayer’s card is revealed to be a two-point “Feint”, which stakes the second Sister.
Another one bites the dust!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJPgoLni3rvA0GTY-zS69bKqNu-WUCIRDd2iR3OrW29wj6PdSpPB3D4A-y30hDhM55y_R78YI1msN-F37gh_WA1l6ypLjmBds-pZRu9mt2oT1gkqUbJuhyEJ-yX3jGYgYwdkxUTP3ZjI/s2048/Second+Sister+Dusted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJPgoLni3rvA0GTY-zS69bKqNu-WUCIRDd2iR3OrW29wj6PdSpPB3D4A-y30hDhM55y_R78YI1msN-F37gh_WA1l6ypLjmBds-pZRu9mt2oT1gkqUbJuhyEJ-yX3jGYgYwdkxUTP3ZjI/w640-h640/Second+Sister+Dusted.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Snarling with rage, Dracula starts off with a Maneuver Action and draws a
new card. Both ghouls pivot two spaces to
confront Giles.</span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Their second Action is an Attack. Dracula tables an Action Card but Giles
responds with his own. They’re revealed to be a “Regroup” from Giles and a
“Feeding Frenzy” from Dracula. The During Combat ability of Dracula‘s card kicks
in, giving it a +1 bump for each Sister in the same zone as Giles. This results
in a three point Attack versus “Regroup's” defense of one. As a result, Giles
loses two Health points! Post combat, the “Regroup” special ability kicks in and
Giles draws a new card for his team!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Acting selflessly, Giles bolsters his Slayer with a powerful “Training” card, letting Buffy draw three (!) cards to add to her roster. He decides to Scheme again, this time playing
“Insight.” Giles looks at Dracula’s hand and forces him to throw out a “Do My Bidding”
card.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For Dracula‘s first Action, he decides to play a “Ravening Seduction” card.
Giles takes one point of damage from the Sister standing adjacent to him. For
his second Action, Drac performs a Maneuver and draws one Action Card, but neither
he nor his Sister decide to move.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy performs her own Maneuver, first drawing a new card and then moving three
spaces adjacent to both Dracula and the lone remaining Sister. Deciding that discretion is the
better part of valor, Giles flees three spaces. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For her second Action, she signals
an Attack by playing an Action Card face down and Dracula decides to defend
himself by following suit. Buffy flashes “Mr. Pointy” and Dracula counters with “Do My Bidding." The Immediate nature of Dracula's card kicks in, so he peeks at Buffy’s hand,
looking to swap out this powerful Attack card for something lame. Unfortunately, the vampire lord quickly realizes that all of Buffy's cards are pretty durned good, so he keeps things as-are and takes two points of damage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On Dracula‘s turn, he decides to play a “Prey Upon” Scheme
card. This deals one damage to Buffy and Dracula heals a point*. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For
his second Action, he Maneuvers, draws a new card and then moves two spaces
towards Giles, with his Sister trailing along.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy uses a Maneuver Action to draws a new card and then jog two spaces,
catching up to the lone Sister. Meanwhile, Giles moves two spaces back into
the mansion via the secret tunnel. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For her next Action, Buffy Attacks the
remaining Sister by placing a face-down Action Card on the table, but she responds with a defensive card. They're flipped to reveal a four-point “Daring Strike” versus a three-point “Dash.” Since the
difference is still one in Buffy’s favor, she stakes the final Sister into a cloud of dust! As if that wasn’t
good enough, Buffy’s After Combat ability kicks in and she draws two new cards!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sensing that he’s legitimately in trouble, Dracula performs a Maneuver Action,
picks up a brand new card and then rushes at Buffy! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He Attacks
her with his second action, playing a face-down Action Card, and Buffy responds with one of her own.
Dracula reveals a nasty, six-point “Beast Form” card and decides to huck out “Look Into
My Eyes” to bolster the Attack up to seven. Buffy reveals a “Cartwheel Kick” for two
defense. After taking a net five points of damage, she opts not to trigger her own
card’s “After Combat” ability, since she
has no other target. In retrospect, I suppose she could have looped back to Drac and hit him with a Chun
Li-style spinning side kick. Oh, well, she's doin' more than okay without it! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After noticing that Dracula is completely out of cards, Buffy Attacks. Dracula has no reprieve, so Buffy just reveals her “Mr.
Pointy” Action Card and clobbers him for five points of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unopposed damage to. Sensing the kill, Buffy performs a display of “Slayer Strength”, which inflicts four more damage. This launches the vampire into the adjacent space, causing an additional point of damage!
Dracula’s down to only two points of Health now...yikes!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dracula takes a Maneuver Action, draws a card and then retreats two spaces
towards the secret passage. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He does this one more time, drawing a second card
and leaping out to block Giles as the Watcher stealthily creeps down the hallway of the mansion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Spooked by Dracula’s sudden appearance, Giles Schemes up an “Insight.” He
looks at Dracula’s hand and forces him to throw out his only Defense card:
“Exploit.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He then Attacks Dracula, playing a face down Action Card. Now
defenseless, Dracula can only except the damage, which turns out to be a
four-point “Daring Strike"...more than enough to polish off the
vampire lord!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ-RDmT1OUTRyfwW7L8ZP67kdf8idxd-JkPlwPMzH2HSDLl4chfhBsQEUl2uIPj0X3tlPJOLsJLvY4UZ51YyNQ4tK0SZEdjMX8saRjIuTK7qiTGnEZqO5bGbpemJWVZdOV9r184ab4tc/s2048/Giles+Kills+Drac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ-RDmT1OUTRyfwW7L8ZP67kdf8idxd-JkPlwPMzH2HSDLl4chfhBsQEUl2uIPj0X3tlPJOLsJLvY4UZ51YyNQ4tK0SZEdjMX8saRjIuTK7qiTGnEZqO5bGbpemJWVZdOV9r184ab4tc/w640-h640/Giles+Kills+Drac.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>FINAL TALLY</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buffy’s Remaining Health: 8<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Giles’s Remaining Health: 2<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>POST MATCH COMMENTARY</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">I can just picture the veteran
<i>Unmatched</i> players out there practically tearing their own hair out seeing how poorly I played Dracula. </span>There were at least two occasions (marked above with an *) where good ol' Vlad started his turn next to an adversary but didn’t use his Special Ability,
which would have seen him gain back a Health point and draw an Action Card. <i>Je suis le dumbass. </i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-CA">Having said that, Buffy and Giles are a
pretty amazing duo and I’m skeptical that Drac n’ company would have survived much
longer against their onslaught. With </span>Giles’s ability to keep Buffy well-stocked with an insanely-powerful spectrum of attack
and defense cards, not to mention their overall maneuverability, I’m at a loss as to how the vampire lord could have countered this.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Granted, he did kind of charge at Buffy right out of
the gate. In retrospect, he’s probably better suited to a more defensive
posture, with the Sisters providing an anti-Buffy buffer and swarming in when they see a weakness. Next time I’ll hold
off and try to keep them in a tight-knit Drac pack.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Generally speaking, the rules are pretty clear and the game is easy to get into. </span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I love how each deck is
radically different and each one does a great job thematically simulating the
powers and abilities of the characters. Buffy is a whirlwind of kicks, blows
and stakes, Giles keeps the Slayer whip-smart with options and can analyze
threats, Drac is super-sneaky and can enthrall targets and the Sisters are
dangerous in a pack. </span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The combat cards make you
actually feel like you’re in a scrap. There are punches, feints, ducks and
kicks. Running out of cards also nicely simulates being winded during the
battle.</span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game board is very well-designed and the colored spaces ensure that you never have to worry about determining line of
sight ever again! </span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The art design is sort of
sketchy, but it’s also strangely atmospheric. The miniatures are also
wonderful! </span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One you start getting slapped around, it might be tough to stop the bleeding and rally for a comeback.</span></span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: -24px;">It’s a damned shame that the Sidekicks are just lame flat plastic chips.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I'm thinking that there's a pretty big power disparity between some of these characters. That's not the worst thing in the world, since more experienced players can pick more challenging characters.</span></span></span></li><li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I think it's kinda stupid that Sidekicks have the same movement value as the Heroes. </span></span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Unmatched</i> scores five pips out of six with a big ol' tilt up towards that bat-filled belfry!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlVyc_Cmaoad31uSQODHeD3e0DxxyH34VDN090JnHjohLulhStqq0D_tV3yGhyfOX8_0OWOsS-MGj4L0eDKMYMuI7RjgNpdSDi1Wwhvco3pB2acqHakh9iQuJb-lHX46inM6PHqRo-BM/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlVyc_Cmaoad31uSQODHeD3e0DxxyH34VDN090JnHjohLulhStqq0D_tV3yGhyfOX8_0OWOsS-MGj4L0eDKMYMuI7RjgNpdSDi1Wwhvco3pB2acqHakh9iQuJb-lHX46inM6PHqRo-BM/w170-h169/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-51336179545528585922021-10-17T10:46:00.005-07:002021-10-17T10:50:25.064-07:00"This Is Really Gross!" - Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYNtK2A_3uq6msGhRt5Zk8vRWz7OOmxj2RNvnvvoXfywHa5bZ7JSNOjMXNdnlTGULSbqnVp9kn6H5ar6y7XmlZCHL6tdyBvDValJfLYy69ilB05uF0WBzkQMeHLSgR0oHnxBf3Whw-1Y/s2048/Abomination+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1943" data-original-width="2048" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYNtK2A_3uq6msGhRt5Zk8vRWz7OOmxj2RNvnvvoXfywHa5bZ7JSNOjMXNdnlTGULSbqnVp9kn6H5ar6y7XmlZCHL6tdyBvDValJfLYy69ilB05uF0WBzkQMeHLSgR0oHnxBf3Whw-1Y/s320/Abomination+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/239472/abomination-heir-frankenstein" target="_blank">Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein</a></i> succeeds where <i><a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-scream-at.html" target="_blank">Alien: Fate of the Nostromo</a></i> fails. If you’ve ever wanted to be Peter Cushing in an <i>olde skool</i> Hammer <i>Frankenstein</i> flick, this is the game for you!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Unlike </span><i>Alien</i><span>, which shies away from its dark subject matter, </span><i>Abomination</i><span> really leans into it. We played an epic four-player game last Thursday and the general </span>consensus<span> was that the game was gloriously and </span>apologetically<span> “gross." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And that's the way it should be! Designer Dan Blanchett serves up a playable, macabre, step-by-step, “how to” manual on assembling and animating a dead body! That means you’ll find yourself robbing graves, visiting execution sites, harvesting flesh, blood, bones and organs, cheekily subbing in animal parts (!) and even murdering people for their tender bits! If you have an issue with pickling organs for sale or putting body parts on ice to prevent decomposition, then you may want to give this one a wide berth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game is insanely ambitious. You have to balance your scientist’s Humanity, Expertise and Reputation in order to harvest your optimal...um...<i>materials</i>, get your lab ship-shape and then try to animate every individual body parts with electricity. As if that wasn’t enough detail, Event Cards drawn at the start of every new round will constantly tweak the game play and some will even add in cool thematic story elements to shake things up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If anything, the game is a bit <i>too</i> ambitious and could use some streamlining and focus. From a design standpoint, I’d just have players assemble the body pasts in a single stage and activate it in one fell swoop, awarding bonus victory points for speed and quality. Not only would this be a slicker gaming experience, its actually more in step with the theme. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8ID1dHw3qtk4_2eakRcI7Z1mly2BdkEDgISbeYsvWu5gk1iu4vX-UEa8mv1UdYBhJN7fPKBeoKHyq_MgNNxQbfN75L9mqhVrJZJANHZ4uv5ib1VwpNYXa8kCJdXFLEJzz5kCe6hNZgE/s2048/Abomination+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1973" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8ID1dHw3qtk4_2eakRcI7Z1mly2BdkEDgISbeYsvWu5gk1iu4vX-UEa8mv1UdYBhJN7fPKBeoKHyq_MgNNxQbfN75L9mqhVrJZJANHZ4uv5ib1VwpNYXa8kCJdXFLEJzz5kCe6hNZgE/s320/Abomination+2.jpg" width="308" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sadly, as it is out of the box, <i>Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein</i> is unnecessarily lumbering and takes <i>waaaay</i> too long to play. Our four player game went from 7 pm to 11:30. The game also commits the cardinal sin of including a “take that” elements, which usually boils down to forcing people to discard precious “building materials” just as they're on the cusp of creation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, rolling dice to activate your individual body parts is incredibly annoying. With his uncanny ability to just dial up exactly what he needed at clutch times, Andrew eclipsed me by rolling well. Despite a </span>deliberate<span> effort to boost up my scientist’s Expertise and collect Research Cards designed to mitigate bad luck, I still ended up getting hosed by the fickle dice on several occasions.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span>By including numerous setback opportunities, luck-based mechanics which can stymie and infuriate and a rule set that makes the game feel </span></span><span><span>like a bloated cadaver fished out from the Seine, </span></span><i>Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein</i><span> is its own worst enemy at times.</span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>But between its amazing production values and full commitment to such grim subject matter, </span><span>I'm still sorely temped to buy it! Just like the titular obsessed mad scientist, horror phreaks like myself will be hard pressed to resist the opportunity to play God, albeit in a very "gross" way. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein </i>scores four pips outta six, with a massive tilt up towards the top of that castle's craggy tower, which, curiously, always seems to be getting struck with lightning! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3TnN0QaSmvzEdf33o8R6kUQI1WZRdM-T4ha7xU35eP2hDnkBpTbt8aiN_GPI_Zr818Aqze-pJYnHYB1RyAeFmsxhUNFAwhO-5JF2gujuz6sKpo54UswQ0iguFIHvBDc6EM3GGA7jB7U/s200/4+pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3TnN0QaSmvzEdf33o8R6kUQI1WZRdM-T4ha7xU35eP2hDnkBpTbt8aiN_GPI_Zr818Aqze-pJYnHYB1RyAeFmsxhUNFAwhO-5JF2gujuz6sKpo54UswQ0iguFIHvBDc6EM3GGA7jB7U/w162-h163/4+pips.jpeg" width="162" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-18516381639262653372021-10-13T06:47:00.001-07:002021-10-13T14:58:20.265-07:00In Space No One Can Hear You Scream (at a rulebook) - "Alien: Fate of the Nostromo"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclGI4_8yYxXdJr3ABvqcCHGCnSM94ondvwj_oCroWli5A_20kn_L0ELvfGNK5Bp_g1WY-YaEVnD5phibvvjaYikvjeTgU3DodU2r5ydAIxudcTQshgCswQj-6-xAblKDeo_brhrrImEQ/s2048/Alien+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclGI4_8yYxXdJr3ABvqcCHGCnSM94ondvwj_oCroWli5A_20kn_L0ELvfGNK5Bp_g1WY-YaEVnD5phibvvjaYikvjeTgU3DodU2r5ydAIxudcTQshgCswQj-6-xAblKDeo_brhrrImEQ/s320/Alien+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>So, as soon as <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332321/alien-fate-nostromo/ratings?pageid=1&comment=1" target="_blank">ALIEN: Fate of the Nostromo</a></i> was announced, I immediately ordered it. As a fan of the <i>olde skool</i> Universal monsters, I was quite impressed with Ravensburger's lite-n'-spoopy co-op <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/282524/horrified" target="_blank">Horrified</a></i>. I also dug </span><i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/272738/jaws" target="_blank">Jaws</a></i><span> for similar reasons, even though the poor, sad, under-powered shark generates more pathos than fear in the game. </span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Anyhoo, here's the mission briefing on this new release, presumably from Weyland-Yu...er, Ravensburger itself:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I<i>n </i>ALIEN: Fate of the Nostromo<i>, players take the role of </i>Nostromo<i> crew members Ripley, Lambert, Parker, Brett, or Dallas. Over the course of the game, they collect scrap, craft items, and fulfill different objectives. The crew will lose and gain morale as they encounter the Alien and other situations. If crew morale reaches zero, players lose the game.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Each turn has two phases. In the Crew Action phase, players creep through the </i>Nostromo's<i> halls, gathering scrap, crafting items, trading scrap and items with other players, and using items and their special abilities. Brett, for example, can craft items with one fewer scrap than other players. If the Alien is within three spaces of the player with the incinerator, that player can use the incinerator to send the Alien back to its nest.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>In the Encounter phase, players draw and resolve an Encounter card. The Alien could be lurking behind any corner...</i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Once the players fulfill their initial objectives, they face one of five final missions, each with a unique set of requirements. Players must fulfill the final mission's requirements simultaneously to win the game. Players can also introduce Science Officer Ash for a more challenging game. Ash moves through the ship, removing scrap and forcing the crew to lose morale.</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8b-iMZhZIwYxCVgOCH2DkhwnDL1V3gg-lBHr7DpvwiwgKjrsFaCoVuQdNJORPO7P94etvNauNkhHnwtAvzdHmwb-bY0ch6L1pJuPqzBqe_9g5lZDz_udzFzUJZBqrF3HwErh0aNJcWY/s2048/Alien+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2042" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8b-iMZhZIwYxCVgOCH2DkhwnDL1V3gg-lBHr7DpvwiwgKjrsFaCoVuQdNJORPO7P94etvNauNkhHnwtAvzdHmwb-bY0ch6L1pJuPqzBqe_9g5lZDz_udzFzUJZBqrF3HwErh0aNJcWY/s320/Alien+2.jpg" width="319" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Looking for the full transmission? Then just slip into </span><span>MU-TH-UR 6000's interface room and get all the Special Order deets right </span><span><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/geekdo-files.com/bgg307410?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D"ALIEN_Fate_of_the_Nostromo_Instructions_%28Web_Friendly%29.pdf"&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJYFNCT7FKCE4O6TA%2F20211011%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20211011T232029Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=48bcadc496945e414c5ca29c0ee1ffe8ff24d19e29e5ffe82e6f10f165f4c614" target="_blank">hur</a>. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">SAMPLE PLAY-THROUGH</span></u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Lambert</b> uses her Special Ability to take a peek at the top card of the Encounter Deck. It’s “Order 937 - Collating Data.” Since this card isn't </span>particularly<span> scary right now, she decides to put it back on top of the Deck. She then uses her three remaining Actions to move into Equipment Storage. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Order 937” is revealed. Since nobody has any Scrap, that part of the card is ignored. Instead of moving, Ash just discards the two Scrap in the Medbay. (RULES QUESTION: Does Ash only turf Scrap when he moves into, or “Encounters”, a space? In other words, would he first have to move out of the Medbay and then move back in if he wanted to discard the Scrap?) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brett</b> decides to move three spaces towards the Hypersleep chamber. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He then draws an Encounter card: “Order 937 - Meet Me In The Infirmary.” This immediately moves Brett to the Medbay. Since Brett is now keeping Ash "under observation”, he doesn’t move.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dallas</b> moves four spaces into the MU-TH-UR space.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He then pulls a “Quiet” Encounter card. After the Alien moves one space out of the Nest, two Scrap is added to the Docking Bay along with a Concealed token.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Lambert</b> spends an Action to peek at the top Encounter Card. Since it’s a powerful Alien “Stalk” card, she decides to bury it at the bottom of the deck. She then uses her second Action to pick up a Coolant Canister, the third to move into Suit Storage and her final Action to drop the Canister.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Her Encounter card is another “Quiet.” After the Alien moves one space, a Scrap and a</span><span> Concealed Token are both </span><span>placed on the Bridge.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Even though there’s a Concealed token in the Docking Bay, <b>Brett</b> decides to risk it and move three spaces to get there. Unfortunately, the token reveals an Alien attack! (STRATEGY TIP: build a Motion Detector ASAP to mitigate going into rooms blind like this!) The Crew Morale takes one damage and Brett is forced to flee three spaces. (RULES QUESTION: between the vague rule book and the forums on BGG, it looks like you have to "flee" exactly three spaces if you can. But I still don't have a conclusive answer as to whether or not you can voluntarily choose a shorter route or into a room with a Concealed Token, which halts movement. Honestly, I have no idea!) He decides to gamble again, moving down into Maintenance, and flipping another Concealed token, which is marked “Safe” this time. Since this happened on Brett’s turn, his Encounter step is skipped.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Dallas</b> uses an Action to pick up a Coolant Canister. (ERROR: looks like </span><span>I might have also snapped up the two Scrap in this room, but that would have required its own separate Action) He then uses two Actions to move onto the Bridge, forcing him to reveal the Concealed token there. Jones the cat immediately leaps out at Dallas, causing a one-point Crew Morale loss before the token goes back into supply. Dallas then decides to take a Craft Action, spending two Scrap to make a Flashlight and then uses his final Action to pick up the single Scrap on the Bridge. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBPKAKMaMxs_aGMbgpN4JrecMV2PbKTBed-JiUZjAvZE1K8dLCKhYa56KDNeIw_nYHSfrPY6ACubQycw3wLwa8lM1utKfzSzZN0t87LUTBSBDtto-aGGn1S5Pb2DK04GASH_GlinHWOk/s2048/Alien+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBPKAKMaMxs_aGMbgpN4JrecMV2PbKTBed-JiUZjAvZE1K8dLCKhYa56KDNeIw_nYHSfrPY6ACubQycw3wLwa8lM1utKfzSzZN0t87LUTBSBDtto-aGGn1S5Pb2DK04GASH_GlinHWOk/s320/Alien+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dallas draws an Encounter card, which turns out to be an Alien “Stalk.” Brett is the closest target, so the Alien moves into Maintenance with him. This result in a three-point Crew Morale loss and Brett is forced to flee three spaces, so he decides to run into the Garage. Since there’s a Concealed token in there, it’s revealed...but it’s declared “Safe.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">(RULES CLARIFICATION: only drawing a "Surprise Attack" Concealed Token prematurely ends a player's turn)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Lambert</b> starts her turn by revealing the top Encounter Card, which turns out to be another “Quiet.” She then spends the rest of her three Actions moving towards the Docking Bay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Encounter Card is then resolved, and the Alien moves one space into the corridor. (ERROR: it should have moved into the Docking Bay since it would be within one space of Lambert versus two spaces away from Brett.) Also Equipment Storage receives two Scrap and a Concealed Token.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brett </b>spends his first Action to pick up the two Scrap in the Garage, then use a free Action to construct a Grapple Gun (which only costs him two Scrap) and then fire his new toy, pushing the Alien all the way back to the Workshop. He then uses his final Action to pick up a Coolant Canister.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He draws another “Quiet” card. After the Alien moves one space back into the corridor, away from the Workshop, two Scrap and a Concealed Token is then placed in Suit Storage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dallas</b> spends four of his Actions getting to the Suit Storage area. Since there’s a Concealed Token in there, he’s forced to turn it over, revealing that he’s “Safe.” He then uses his final Action to drop the second required Coolant Canister, completing the “Prep Suits” Objective Card.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He then turns over an Encounter Card, which is another “Quiet.” After the Alien moves one space back into Maintenance, one Scrap and one Concealed Token is placed in the Airlock.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Lambert</b> uses her first Action to look at the next Encounter Card, revealed to be another “Quiet.” She puts it back on top of the deck and then spends an Action to move one space into the Docking Bay. She uses her third Action to pick up the two Scrap and then her final Action to Craft a Motion Detector.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She then reveals and resolves the “Quiet” card. This reveals a serious miscalculation, since Maintenance and the Docking Bay, where Lambert is standing, are adjacent. So, the team suffers a two point Crew Morale drop and Lambert is forced to flee three spaces towards the Suit Storage area. (ERROR: I'm not sure if I placed the new Scrap and Conceal token from this card! <i>D'oh!</i>)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brett</b> decides to move three spaces towards Equipment Storage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His Encounter card is another “Quiet”, so the Alien moves just one space. Since there’s an equal distance between Lambert and Brett, they decide to move the xenomorph into Maintenance. Two Scrap and one Concealed token also appears in the Hypersleep chamber.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dallas</b> uses his Actions to pick up a Coolant Canister, gather up two Scrap and move from Suit Storage into Equipment Storage, where he’s forced to reveal a Concealed token. It’s Jones again, but since Dallas has a Flashlight, the Morale loss is reduced to zero. After Dallas picks up two more Scrap in the Equipment Storage room, he then uses his final Action to craft an Incinerator.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His Encounter card is “Order 937 - Crew Expendable,” forcing Dallas to lose his single Scrap token. (NOTE: This is likely karma kicking in, since I illegally picked two up earlier.) Then all of the “Order 937” cards are shuffled back into the deck. Finally, Ash leaves the Medbay and slinks two spaces towards Lambert.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On <b>Lambert's</b> turn, she decides to spend all four of her Action points to get from the corridor just north of Suit Storage to the corridor just off the the Hypersleep chamber.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She didn’t bury an Encounter Card this turn and, unfortunately, it turns out to be an Alien “Hunt” card, which moves the creature two spaces. It spooks Brett (again), resulting in a massive four-point Crew Morale loss. He then runs three spaces away, ending up in the corridor between Maintenance and the Workshop.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brett</b> then moves two spaces into the Docking Bay and spends his last Action to drop a Coolant Canister there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Encounter Card he draws is another Alien “Stalk.” The creature springs at Dallas and the team loses two more Morale points, a point of which is mitigated by the Captain’s Flashlight. The heroes are just two Morale points shy of losing the game! Dallas then flees three spaces into the Maintenance room.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxr3YmyqT5ULFTbGDJ2WQlVTZyMVCfQe6sFIFuXZ9lpzSucQLoGS5bOYYovmeqoZa_NzOaH2T27jCBYtbZD4Ikg45i7UWLn9M1aDrzwheF5aytAbs3d_WL5VAuchVnvJNdrA7HHq6bm0/s2048/Alien+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxr3YmyqT5ULFTbGDJ2WQlVTZyMVCfQe6sFIFuXZ9lpzSucQLoGS5bOYYovmeqoZa_NzOaH2T27jCBYtbZD4Ikg45i7UWLn9M1aDrzwheF5aytAbs3d_WL5VAuchVnvJNdrA7HHq6bm0/w640-h270/Alien+3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dallas</b> spends Action points to pick up Scrap in Maintenance, move into the Docking Bay and then drop a Coolant Canister there. This completes the “We’ll Take Our Chances in the Shuttle” Objective. He then spends his fourth Action to pass one Scrap to Brett, and then uses his final Action to move one space down the corridor towards the Airlock.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His Encounter card is “Order 937 - Meet Me In The Infirmary”, which forces Dallas to move to the Medbay. This also moves Ash two spaces into the same room, forcing Dallas to discard one of his Scrap back to the pile. (RULES QUESTION: Can you voluntarily lose Morale instead? Not really an option for me, since I'm perilously close to losing!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Lambert</b> scans the Hypersleep chamber with </span><span>her Motion Tracker, </span><span>detects Jonesy, and shuffles the token back into the pool. For her second Action, she moves into the Hypersleep chamber, fulfilling the “Check the Hypersleep Chamber” Objective. For her third Action, she picks up the two Scrap lying there, and then spends her final action to look at the top Encounter card. It’s “Order 937 - Collating Data”, which would force each crew to lose one Scrap! She decides to gamble and bury it at the bottom of the deck.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She then draws in a Encounter card and gets a “Quiet.” The Alien moves via the ladder from the Equipment Storage room to Suit Storage. Three Scrap and one Conceal token is then placed in the Garage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Brett</b> moves two Spaces, enters the Galley and then uses the Grapple Gun to force the Alien back three spaces. The creature ends up in the central Sub Deck corridor, two spaces away from its Nest. With this second use, the Grapple Gun is now exhausted and the token goes back into supply.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He then draws an Encounter Card which is another “Quiet” result. The Alien moves one space into Maintenance, while two Scrap appears in MU-TH-UR as well as one Concealed token.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dallas</b> moves three spaces into the Docking Bay and then uses an Action to activate the Incinerator, driving the Alien back to its Nest. He then moves one space down the corridor towards the Galley.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since the Incinerator was just used, Dallas avoids drawing an Encounter Card.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Lambert</b> uses all four her Actions to move into the Galley, joining Brett.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She then draws an Encounter Card, getting “Order 937 - Crew Expendable.” Sadly, this forces her to lose all of her Scrap Tokens. (WORTH NOTING FOR NEW PLAYERS: Scrap is never completely discarded from the game...it just gets “tied up” in Inventories or on the board) After all of the “Order 937” cards get reshuffled back into the deck, Ash moves two spaces down the hall towards the Docking Bay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With plans to complete the “Crew Meeting” Objective now completely dashed, <b>Brett</b> decides to venture two spaces to the Suit Storage room to pick up a Coolant Canister.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the equivalent of getting a nice, big paper cut and pouring lemon juice all over it, the Encounter Card that Brent draws is “Order 937 - Collating Data”, which forces every crew member to throw out a Scrap! Ash then moves two spaces and freaks out Dallas. The Captain doesn’t have any Scrap, which would normally result in a loss of Crew Morale, but he still has his Flashlight which (I assume) mitigates that loss. Again, I can only assume that the Flashlight prevents Morale regardless of the source. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now completely devoid of any Scrap, Dallas is forced to backtrack three spaces to the Airlock and flip the Concealed Token there. This reveals an Alien Encounter, causing a loss of three more Crew Morale, which ends the game!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRXzcQqa4JFwWglP9HuDGbsJvaUD_Ya1tnV8eXLpMUw9eX5wXYXaFSUlxPSATk_tvD-eaTO-b3uAHafwL1FpL6jc75hB1R36RhEEBqn2kGVB4yAEBZDBr2EpxvQ4-D8zg3R1AEo2RA-E/s2048/Alien+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1796" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRXzcQqa4JFwWglP9HuDGbsJvaUD_Ya1tnV8eXLpMUw9eX5wXYXaFSUlxPSATk_tvD-eaTO-b3uAHafwL1FpL6jc75hB1R36RhEEBqn2kGVB4yAEBZDBr2EpxvQ4-D8zg3R1AEo2RA-E/s320/Alien+5.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>***</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's pretty! Again, Ravensburger completely knocks it out of the park regarding the game's production. The board, minis, tokens and cards are all top-notch. The art alone on the Player Reference Cards is downright suitable for framing!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's tense! Flipping over those Concealed Tokens can be super-stressful. It's a solid mechanic that elegantly replicates the cinematic device of some threat just kinda poppin' out at ya. Side note: this would also be well at home for, say, a <i>Friday the 13'th</i> board game. <i>* hint, hint * </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's easy! At it's core, the game is pretty simple: spend your Action Points on Moving, Crafting, Trading, Picking up stuff or using your Special Ability. Then draw an Encounter Card and follow the directions. Super simple!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's crafty! I like how crafting weapons and equipment can mitigate the effects of the Alien. Going straight for the Objectives may be tempting, but spending some of those early Scrap gains on helpful tools might be a smart future investment. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's sneaky! You always have to be paying attention to where you are in relation to the Alien. A whopping sixteen Encounter Cards move the creature, with eleven moving it a single space, two moving it two spaces and three moving it three spaces. This makes it really challenging to keep your distance from the xenomorph. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Ir's on point! The Character special abilities are </span>straightforward<span> and make thematic sense. Warrant Officer Ripley is good at giving orders, Dallas is a generalist, Chief Engineer Parker can generate Scrap and Engineering Tech Brett can make gadgets from that Scrap. Only Navigator Lambert's ability to peek at the top card in the Encounter Deck seems like a bit of a stretch.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's reasonably varied! There are ten Objective Cards and five Final Missions, which will give you a unique combination of challenges with every game! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>It's genuinely co-operative! The odds are </span>definitely<span> stacked against you, so you really hafta work together if you have any hope for survival.</span></span></li></ul><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></span></div></span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's lame. Sorry, I know that player elimination is an unfathomable concept in games nowadays, but if any title needed it, it was <i>ALIEN</i>. I'm going to see if I can house rule a nominal combat system that pays a modicum of respect to the film's nihilistic theme. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>It's a bit too simple. I can't shake the feeling that the producers of this game wanted it to be a lighter, even family-style game in the style of <i>Horrified</i>. God, I hope I'm wrong. <i>Alien</i> was, and still is, one of the most terrifying movies ever made, and the content is </span><span>definitely</span><span> not for kids. Besides, the only people who actually care about this IP are crusty old fucks like myself, ergo, this game should be geared towards adult fans and should have been more substantial. Sure, the designer has an informal "Director's Cut" list of rules suggestions, but this (and much more) should have been included of the core rules</span><span>. Speaking of <i>that</i> particular rag... </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's confusing. To prep for this solo session, I watched a how-to-play vid, a YouTube play-through, I ran a two-player game with Chad last Thursday night and then I re-read the rule book from front to back. And I still have plenty of questions about rules vagaries and how to adjudicate certain things. Seriously, game publishers, <i>get to know me</i>. I'm a veteran gamer, writer and editor, who also happens to be a stickler for a clear and comprehensive rule set. I'll play test the crap outta your design and make sure that the rule book that ships with the game has all of its bases covered and won't immediately inspire a <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332321/alien-fate-nostromo/forums/66" target="_blank">massive rules thread on BBG</a>. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's scaled all wrong. One day, I'm going to try and play this thing with a full compliment of five-players, and I fully expect it to be a complete shit show. Given the size of the map, I have no idea how the Alien <i>can't</i> bump into players on every friggin' turn.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm happy that the game looks great and has a semblance of the movie's original feel, but I'm also sorely disappointed that it's missing some substantial chrome, pulls its punches and the anemic, eight-page rule book would inspire even the most casual rules lawyer to stick their head in an airlock. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Sadly, of all the games I've played lately, this one virtually </span><span>screams out for house rules, like a space jockey cornered by a biomechanical nightmare creature.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The </span><i>ALIEN: Fate of the Nostromo</i><span> scores 3 pips out of 6 with an M-class starfreighter-sized tilt up.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0XbLxmEQyfrXHSkpKaLKnFMvV-XxUAB842wZLGRN4dY8ywmR6TAU7fCV-ScOUiP5JybyKfIiJr7q8j3P9xTm_YJr268ap3Oj0Lo5R_QSGuq1IjayJmp8GYnDskCekW-kI1R55B284oU/s206/Three+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="191" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0XbLxmEQyfrXHSkpKaLKnFMvV-XxUAB842wZLGRN4dY8ywmR6TAU7fCV-ScOUiP5JybyKfIiJr7q8j3P9xTm_YJr268ap3Oj0Lo5R_QSGuq1IjayJmp8GYnDskCekW-kI1R55B284oU/w159-h165/Three+pips.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-3073967368020246132021-05-22T08:32:00.001-07:002021-05-22T08:32:19.636-07:00OOP # 2 - How Leading Edge's "Aliens" (1989) Proved That Licenced Games Didn't Have To Suck <p><span style="font-size: medium;">After <i>Axis & Allies</i> turned me and my squad of High School nerds into <i>Yahtzee</i> armchair generals, another major cultural juggernaut soon came down the pike to stake a claim on our free time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In 1987, we all saw the movie <i>Aliens</i> together at our local theater. It was the headliner in a double-bill with <i>Near Dark</i>, which, in retrospect, was a pretty cool tie-in since both films featured Bill "Hudson" Paxton, Lance "Bishop" Henriksen and Jenette "Vasquez" Goldstein. And while Kathryn Bigelow's southern fried vampire flick was one of the best of its genre, we all hailed <i>Aliens</i> as a modern-day sci-fi /horror / action masterpiece. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One member of our group of gaming misfits, Stuart, always seemed to have the 80's equivalent of the BGG "Hotness" list on hand. In addition to <i>Axis & Allies</i>, he also owned two other Milton Bradley "Gamemaster" titles, namely <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/99/fortress-america" target="_blank">Fortress America</a></i> and <i>Shogun</i> (now <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221/ikusa" target="_blank"><i>Ikusa</i></a>), as well as <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27/supremacy-game-superpowers" target="_blank">Supremacy</a></i> and <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/699/heroquest" target="_blank">HeroQuest</a></i>. Of course, this was back in the day, when only twenty notable games were released per year as opposed to per month.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, you can well-imagine our collective excitement when Stuart invited all of us over one Friday night and we saw this sucka on the table:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXpaBu2am4nLxHCOJi177nEFy6MJYlD0TvB504nQ-BWzAoH5izC0FKzg6Pzjz3esqwZqu-DtJBXMpY8nCNx2RJ8BNgXIvL-V3byd2_t82z22mdP2p_5OGoHeO2txXxGZcWAeIE3NhEbk/s2048/Aliens+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1635" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXpaBu2am4nLxHCOJi177nEFy6MJYlD0TvB504nQ-BWzAoH5izC0FKzg6Pzjz3esqwZqu-DtJBXMpY8nCNx2RJ8BNgXIvL-V3byd2_t82z22mdP2p_5OGoHeO2txXxGZcWAeIE3NhEbk/w510-h640/Aliens+%25231.jpg" width="510" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm not sure how a wee l'il game publisher like Leading Edge managed to snag such a lucrative licence at the time, but these guys really took the ball and ran with it. And even though the matching <a href="https://rpggeek.com/rpg/624/aliens-adventure-game" target="_blank">RPG </a>they produced was pretty unmemorable, we all had an absolute blast with the board game. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's the game's blurb from the back of the boit:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUqpW8DhujdqITdqoDbcby2MGeF3lupvAo8VdsVeK-qCpDzTWvGNm9cPly7uxHyV_Obik6t_brHChKQBpV7yyfdn-jMbCmNWoSbzJioQFCBEGG-v6JH9Y7fZ3JpsUYAxtqWBx0t1tmuI/s2048/Aliens+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUqpW8DhujdqITdqoDbcby2MGeF3lupvAo8VdsVeK-qCpDzTWvGNm9cPly7uxHyV_Obik6t_brHChKQBpV7yyfdn-jMbCmNWoSbzJioQFCBEGG-v6JH9Y7fZ3JpsUYAxtqWBx0t1tmuI/w494-h640/Aliens+%25232.jpg" width="494" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And here's an old play-through of the game that I stumbled across recently:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Aliens - Reactor Room </u></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHEDkT8o9Rk8Gw560XqHat3FKF68T-oU9hFc6V-k75g33WH2Dmmt57jhpFWT-rOahcfpjxyfDwgWWfVnsLRmuQacOUGD1-r6y-FXRZ2leJXKlPtMxZvp1c_CN2CTq88y22FDJJA8K8E0/s2048/Aliens+%25239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="2048" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHEDkT8o9Rk8Gw560XqHat3FKF68T-oU9hFc6V-k75g33WH2Dmmt57jhpFWT-rOahcfpjxyfDwgWWfVnsLRmuQacOUGD1-r6y-FXRZ2leJXKlPtMxZvp1c_CN2CTq88y22FDJJA8K8E0/w640-h358/Aliens+%25239.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn One</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no "Bonus Bugs” (which are added to the placement pool whenever you roll doubles) but five Aliens enter the pool, arriving at co-ordinates 1-9, 3-4, 3-5, 7–7 (which jumps on Drake!) and finally 8–8. Drake attempts to snap-fire his Machine Gun. He needs anywhere from a "0" to a "2" to hit but rolls a “4”! The Alien attacks Drake with roll of “3”, so he’s both “Wounded” and “Grabbed.” Yikes! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone moves one space and tries to knock the Alien off of Drake. He needs a "0" or a "1" to hit but rolls a “2”! He tries again and rolls another “2” - no luck! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez performs a double aim...she needs a “7” or less to hit the lead Alien to the north, which is five columns away. She rolls a “2” which hits and kills her target! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The currently “Grabbed” Drake can’t do anything and </span><span style="font-size: large;">Frost moves up two spaces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Crowe takes a pot-shot with his Pistol at the Alien approaching Wierzbowski from the south. It's three spaces away, so he needs to roll a long shot "0" and the resulting “3” is a miss! He then moves up one more space.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dietrich moves up one space and then tries to melee the Alien on Drake. She needs a “0” but rolls a “3”, a miss! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Wierzbowski double-aims his flame unit at the Alien bounding towards him from the south. He needs a “9” or less and rolls a “0”, success! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hicks moves up three spaces and Hudson moves up two. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Two </span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Aliens appear at 1-5 and 6-5. The Xenomorphs lurking by the stairwell and in the corner close in, while the one on Drake drags him off! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone moves up one space, and then double-aims his Flame Unit at an Alien approaching from the west. He needs a “9” or less to hit and gets a “2” - that critter is TOAST! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez double aims at the wave of Aliens approaching from the rear and fires! She needs an “8” to hit and rolls a “1” - success! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Frost moves up two spaces, Crowe maneuvers two spaces next to Apone and both Dietrich and Wierzbowski also move up two spaces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hicks moves two squares to flank Vasquez, then fires at the Alien in the stairwell. He needs to roll anywhere from a "0" to a "2" and scores a “2” which pastes his target! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hudson then hustles up two spaces.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcbJoWBKoBD24H8QbEw2rVNpNr6PCYdxKGEPDP0VF67EJTJceFN507Ql-PUxRmXheV2qmu0fzB1MG8b6ntwbBgzLcEZ8OJlGCFmX3fYn-nKxYJeoz2wol4tNMBaIMXvLKR9mZcqT_uog/s2048/Aliens+%252310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1222" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcbJoWBKoBD24H8QbEw2rVNpNr6PCYdxKGEPDP0VF67EJTJceFN507Ql-PUxRmXheV2qmu0fzB1MG8b6ntwbBgzLcEZ8OJlGCFmX3fYn-nKxYJeoz2wol4tNMBaIMXvLKR9mZcqT_uog/w382-h640/Aliens+%252310.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Three </span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, there are no “Bonus Bugs”, but the lone Alien approaching from the north moves up and new Xeno’s appear at co-ordinates 7-2, 9-8 and 3-2. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone blazes ahead three spaces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez takes a single aim action at the northern Alien, which is only two spaces away. She needs a “6” or less and rolls or “2”, which is a hit! She then moves up a single space. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Frost moves two spaces and flanks Apone, while Crowe moves up two spaces to trail the Sergeant. Dietrich moves two spaces, just behind Crowe. Wierzbowski also moves two spaces, squeezing in between Dietrich and Vazquez. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hicks moves two spaces and shoots at a nearly-concealed Alien, requiring a die roll range from "0" to "2" to hit. He throws a “0”...success! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hudson maintains formation, moving up two spaces.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Four </span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Two Aliens in the western part of the room move four spaces towards the Marines. Mercifully, no “Bonus Bugs” appear, but new Xenomorphs pop up at 3-5, 5-2 and 8-5. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone double-aims his flame unit at an Alien that’s three spaces away. He needs “9” or less to hit and scores a “0”...resulting in a BBQ'ed Xeno! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vazquez double aims at the stairwell Alien, which is four spaces away. She needs an “8” and scores a “5”, which mulches her target! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Frost double-aims his Pistol at an Alien two spaces away to the south. He needs to roll anywhere between a “0” and “6” but he misses with a “7”! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Crowe, Dietrich and Wierzbowski all keep pace, moving two spaces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hicks also moves up two and single-aims at the Alien menacing Frost. His target is three spaces away, so he needs a "2" or less...and gets a “2”, scoring a hit! Unfortunately, there’s a chance that Frost or Crowe might get caught in the resulting Acid Splash! They roll a “2” and an “8” respectively, which means Frost is Wounded! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hudson move two spaces and then Hudson catches up to the pack by moving two spaces. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWe6kUAIoAFw_UIfEkwqcndXRvGakJLDy86X7wqUfDgijuAQbdPzu8hUlWCaYVtWxSQq8FkwvvMzGie2muW7c0WnyE9U9OXNWe7vM2INNLlw32L1gbjw6S0kDSVPr_auN_P7fqdzfOlE/s2048/Aliens+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1574" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWe6kUAIoAFw_UIfEkwqcndXRvGakJLDy86X7wqUfDgijuAQbdPzu8hUlWCaYVtWxSQq8FkwvvMzGie2muW7c0WnyE9U9OXNWe7vM2INNLlw32L1gbjw6S0kDSVPr_auN_P7fqdzfOlE/w492-h640/Aliens+%25236.jpg" width="492" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Turn Five</u></b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Aliens rush the Marines! One bug, lurking behind the pillar, is exactly three spaces away from both Apone and Crowe, so a random roll sends it charging at Crowe. The Private tries to perform a double-aim snap fire at his assailant. He needs “6” or less and rolls “4”...a hit! The resulting Acid Spray rolls are: “6” for Apone, “8” for Crowe, “4” for Dietrich and “7” for Frost, so, by some miracle, no one is affected. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The one Alien in the west side of the room charges towards Apone and Crowe, while new bugs appear at coordinates 3-9 and 3-8. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sergeant fires a flame burst at this encroaching western threat and then moves two spaces. He takes a single aim action, which means he needs to roll anywhere between a "0" and an "8." He rolls a “0” which is a hit! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez and Frost both move two spaces and Crowe nestles in between Apone and Frost. Dietrich then shifts up two spaces, clustering in with the rest, along with Wierzbowski. Hicks moves up three spaces and Hudson closes up ranks, trailing two spaces behind Vazquez.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Six </span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Aliens nipping at the Marine’s heels move up, leaving one standing right next to Vazquez. New bugs then appear at 6-1 and 1-4. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone charges ahead two spaces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez fires point-blank at the Alien about to pounce on her. She needs an “8” or less to hit...and an “8” is exactly what she rolls! Her Acid Spray roll is “6”, so she’s fine. She then pivots to fire at an Alien that’s three spaces away. She needs a range of "0" to "3" to hit and scores a “2”...success! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This gives Frost, Crowe, Dietrich, Wierzbowski and Hudson the freedom to move two spaces towards their exit point. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In a characteristically-heroic move, Hicks holds back to help Vasquez cover the rear.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIPreKbb5XuvFwIKhlnVFK1P7ZHKYpyH6BlcI-hMSwWpZDoaUAVVNR9-AsPDPZrhTRoAmGLJZIUu-Am8BKB6HF9iklEKiRGfp58j3LHDmX07Dju-MEEHm10V2-qFojE5HeT38MNCabTo/s2048/Aliens+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1605" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIPreKbb5XuvFwIKhlnVFK1P7ZHKYpyH6BlcI-hMSwWpZDoaUAVVNR9-AsPDPZrhTRoAmGLJZIUu-Am8BKB6HF9iklEKiRGfp58j3LHDmX07Dju-MEEHm10V2-qFojE5HeT38MNCabTo/w502-h640/Aliens+%25235.jpg" width="502" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sharp eyed readers will notice that a certain member of the cast was pretty protective over their likeness rights at the time! </div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Seven</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Aliens in the north and the west section of the room all converge on our heroes. Although no bonus bugs appear, new Xeno’s pop up at 6-1, 4-0 and 4-0. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone fires his flame thrower at the Alien reaching out to grab him! He needs an “8” or less and scores a “6” - a hit! He then moves up one space and fires a burst at a target four spaces away. He needs anywhere from a “0” to a “4” and rolls a “2” for another hit! He's literally a house on fire! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Both Vazquez and Frost hustle up two spaces. Crowe also moves up two, now leading Apone and Frost. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dietrich double-aims at an Alien that’s three spaces away. She needs to roll anywhere between a "0" and an "8" to hit, throws a “2” and fries her target. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Wierzbowski leap-frogs past her. Hudson moves up two behind Dietrich while Hicks moves up three spaces.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Eight</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Two Aliens loitering by the exit move up, leaving one close enough to give Crowe a <i>not-so-friendly</i> hug! New bugs appear at 3-9 and 1-9...both charging in from the rear. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone shifts up one space and flames the closest Alien. He needs an “8” or less and rolls “0” which is a hit! He then targets an Alien that’s two spaces away. He needs a “6” or less for this shot and scores a “1” for another kill! #MVP</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lagging behind, Vazquez moves up two spaces and so does Frost. Ditto for Crowe, who now leads the pack. Dietrich pulls in behind Apone while Wierzbowski closes up ranks with Frost, Apone and Dietrich. Hicks then scrambles three spaces and Hudson moves up 2. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CE1K8abZEOVG4NjnoDyVEmxvNUoLCFhFGGVp_TOcxtJe6HjVO1dxQelMDpPJYTCK4Yze-jrKtlH7AkCscXJsCU5ze_4DKaKImZ2OCP_SZ3BG9heIB95i4POEKvfgNmk6yCbj4QSAH1U/s2048/Aliens+%25237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1579" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CE1K8abZEOVG4NjnoDyVEmxvNUoLCFhFGGVp_TOcxtJe6HjVO1dxQelMDpPJYTCK4Yze-jrKtlH7AkCscXJsCU5ze_4DKaKImZ2OCP_SZ3BG9heIB95i4POEKvfgNmk6yCbj4QSAH1U/w494-h640/Aliens+%25237.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Nine</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Aliens congregating in the east corner of the room move up. The closest is seven spaces away from Vasquez, so the Marines have a temporary reprieve, but new Xenomorphs also appear at locations 9-6 and 9-8. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone surges ahead three spaces and Vasquez moves up two. Frost pulls up next to Apone while Crowe jumps ahead of the pack. Still playing catch up, Dietrich moves into the middle of the group. Wierzbowski jumps in between Frost and Dietrich, while Hudson moves up to trail the medic. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Knowing that Vasquez is in danger of being overrun from the rear, Hicks comes to a screeching halt to guard her.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Ten</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Four Aliens move, the closet now just three spaces away from Vasquez. New bugs appear at 2-3, 2-1 and 4-6 but at least there are no "Bonus Bugs"! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone shifts one space, close to the 2-3 Alien and takes a double aim action. He needs a "9" or less to hit and roll a “6” - smoked ‘em! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vasquez backs two spaces away from the slavering horde. After moving, Frost is two spaces away from the exit, Crowe one, Dietrich four, Wierzbowski three and Hudson is just behind Dietrich. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Exhibiting nerves of steel, Hicks holds the line to guard his escaping comrades. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Eleven</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Alien wave rushes towards the back ranks! New Xenomorphs appear at 5-4, right in front of Vazquez, and 7-9, <i>waaaay</i> behind the pack. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone also holds up, intending to cover his platoon’s escape. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vazquez then uses her Machine Gun’s special ability to target two Aliens adjacent to one another. This is hella-risky because they’re both standing right next to her! She needs an “8” or lower to hit and she throws an “8”...success! Her first acid splash roll is “7”, which is a miss, but her second is “0”...which means that she’s killed outright! Yikes! Even worse: the adjacent Hicks also rolls a “0” and he's also killed! Double-yikes! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Frost and Crowe both escape the board, but Dietrich is still two spaces away from the exit. Wierzbowski is one space away from deliverance and Hudson is three away.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MDHmTJr-Km35fmwFlzhahtuIuwzHS7YfCnHGRf4XSd39T-pYai4p9on0L9EA1g7xOvkMziBqmJBRQeTTQuRce7qgQA7CHuB6BG3I8rE9hHkXo4hCfYhBeq3bgFrnbF_yqarBq1xx19E/s2048/Aliens+%25238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1532" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MDHmTJr-Km35fmwFlzhahtuIuwzHS7YfCnHGRf4XSd39T-pYai4p9on0L9EA1g7xOvkMziBqmJBRQeTTQuRce7qgQA7CHuB6BG3I8rE9hHkXo4hCfYhBeq3bgFrnbF_yqarBq1xx19E/w478-h640/Aliens+%25238.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Twelve </span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Alien pack is now nipping at Hudson’s heels! New bugs also appear at 4-5 and 2-0. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone needs anywhere from a “0” to a “4” to </span><span style="font-size: large;">flame the new arrival dropping into 2-0</span><span style="font-size: large;">. He rolls a “1”, turns his foe into a briquette and then moves two spaces towards the exit. Both Dietrich and Wierzbowski leave the map, while Hudson retreats two spaces.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Turn Thirteen</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Alien swarm bounds forward and one tries to hop on top of Hudson! He snap-fires with his Pistol, needing a “6” or lower and rolls a “0”, which is a hit! His Acid Splash roll is “7”, so he’s safe! A new bug then appears at 2-1. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Apone quickly scrambles off the board and Hudson is right behind him, which ends the scenario!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_sMhAOe687Fxj0rMRyNnXJM6CdV0yCSsswH-IMfS3r3HzP_K9iKzk1TRzSpc6KNfd0RFaAx7s1BMWzuleMys2bLb3eQpDQ7hyIq-LO5oFzmAySc3UcQO9kwc0KvZhsMIMIiYQJnFk-4/s2048/Hicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1616" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_sMhAOe687Fxj0rMRyNnXJM6CdV0yCSsswH-IMfS3r3HzP_K9iKzk1TRzSpc6KNfd0RFaAx7s1BMWzuleMys2bLb3eQpDQ7hyIq-LO5oFzmAySc3UcQO9kwc0KvZhsMIMIiYQJnFk-4/w504-h640/Hicks.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Secure that 'Game over' crap, Hudson! Wait...<i>whut?</i>"</div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's my <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/9679/do-evolution-baby" target="_blank">Board Game Geek-list</a> observations about this one from <i>waaaay</i> back in 2007:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"My love affair with licenced games continued when a buddy of mine introduced our gaming circle to this beauty. I can't think of too many games that do such a fantastic job replicating the action of the movie it’s based on. This game also taught me that board games can devalue due to poor quality components or appreciate because they've suddenly gone out of print. As soon as I heard about E-Bay years later, this baby had to be mine!" </span></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here's the breakdown:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">PROS</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The action point system makes everything super simple, allowing you to move, fire and aim with ease! Whereas <i>Another Glorious Day in the Corps</i> uses a complicated deck depletion system (oddly reminiscent of another defunct game, Decipher's clunky <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1270/star-wars-customizable-card-game" target="_blank">Star Wars Customizible Card Game</a></i>), <i>Aliens</i> just uses those lovely, elegant little action points. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The unique combat charts (flipped to a reduced side for Wounded characters) nicely distinguished the top-billed characters from the grunts. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The A.I. used to run the Aliens is foolproof. Their movement is fixed, their attacks are resolved with one die throw and you have a round to knock them off your squad-mates before they get abducted.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Acid spray! It's baffling to me that such an important combat risk in the movie is virtually non-existent in <i>Another Glorious Day in the Corps. </i>Here it's simulated elegantly and simply here.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Co-operation is key. Not unlike <i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/165838/space-hulk-fourth-edition" target="_blank">Space Hulk</a></i>, the odds are really against the Marines. If they don't co-operate or foolishly fritter their actions away, they're going to get decimated. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Just enough crazy random stuff happens to simulate the chaos of the film. I mean, look at this play-through for example! With Drake, Hicks and Vasquez all eliminated, it makes me wonder how the rest of the scenarios would play out with minor characters thrust into the forefront! P.S. my money's on Apone! </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To that last point, the Expansion lets you play out an alternate history of the entire film, from the attack on Ferro and Spunkmeyer on the dropship right up to Ripley's Power Loader battle with the Alien Queen. Bonus: just like every set piece of the film, each scenario feels distinctively different.</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BnVpz7e-1_Un9OcNLriR29hDL_zGdmKOAtCcTfaDYMVZwSedBW8xGXQI5-Xg1TNPxJm-t_UACnesMn9u3YYZ8UUHlb8WHOUN6jjJ7MsIHxpKP4ymKPUtAto9qvOvlTnSu5FY8YnE4G8/s2048/Aliens+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1561" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BnVpz7e-1_Un9OcNLriR29hDL_zGdmKOAtCcTfaDYMVZwSedBW8xGXQI5-Xg1TNPxJm-t_UACnesMn9u3YYZ8UUHlb8WHOUN6jjJ7MsIHxpKP4ymKPUtAto9qvOvlTnSu5FY8YnE4G8/w488-h640/Aliens+%25233.jpg" width="488" /></a></div></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">CONS</span></u></b></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The rules aren't perfect, which led to some great, fan-designed articles in Avalon Hill's sadly now defunct <i>General</i> magazine and various online resources. Various fixes include imposing aim penalties on characters carrying Incapacitated Marines, introducing the ability to snap-fire at Aliens when they're about to pounce on characters, improving the practicality of Pistols, scaling down the insanely-lethal blast radius of Grenades and giving Ripley the opportunity to come to the rescue in the Reactor Room Scenario. </span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEMRek-41Bvk3CAbtTbcWKFUvAkCdgs4DSraF385LnOED9ydtAjmQk_G8FShcOimSo69h9DxngMUJQ7J8-RTJKDW1H-i-_ESgc4CSZ4vq9dYXLOLkP7V5kMJ24qO5ZklUA7HMq5K39Ps/s2048/General+Aliens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEMRek-41Bvk3CAbtTbcWKFUvAkCdgs4DSraF385LnOED9ydtAjmQk_G8FShcOimSo69h9DxngMUJQ7J8-RTJKDW1H-i-_ESgc4CSZ4vq9dYXLOLkP7V5kMJ24qO5ZklUA7HMq5K39Ps/w334-h640/General+Aliens.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although I loved <i>The General </i>magazine, it was clearly a "house organ." I can forgive the begrudging praise for <i>Aliens</i> and the snotty "we-would-have-done-better" attitude here, but comparing Aliens to their hot garbage <i>Starship Troopers</i> game is unforgivable. </div></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">At a single glance, you can tell that the game was produced in an era <i>waaaay</i> before companies like Gale Force Nine, Fantasy Flight and Days of Wonder turned the hobby into a visual delight for the eyes. The production quality here is rock bottom, with bland, monochromatic rule books, easily-worn paper maps and crappy punch out character cards and stand ups! Sadly this sucka is not built to last!</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGv5eIGztAgQsq7COS8qh0BXWeTkyvDpnzOzp2p6QmWvqa6QrZOJQ21o4MWhi4eAy61wKb3IC7XXKxZvUwuL3ZqN9EKFWiR-D1sKxDVAjiPMNCkv2eD3vQk1IO2BpugjrecK6GCc_H5Q/s2048/Aliens+%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1590" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGv5eIGztAgQsq7COS8qh0BXWeTkyvDpnzOzp2p6QmWvqa6QrZOJQ21o4MWhi4eAy61wKb3IC7XXKxZvUwuL3ZqN9EKFWiR-D1sKxDVAjiPMNCkv2eD3vQk1IO2BpugjrecK6GCc_H5Q/w496-h640/Aliens+%25234.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">All told, this game is one of my all-time favorite out-of-print games. No disrespect to what Gale Force Nine tried to do with the licence recently, but I kinda wanna upscale the maps in this original game so I can just use the miniatures from <i>Another Glorious Day in the Corps</i>. Or, maybe I'll just use all of the components from the newer version and use the rules from the Leading Edge game.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So, in closing, I'll just leave you now with my Board Game Geek "capsule review" of <i>Aliens</i>: </span></div><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"Awesome movie tie-in nicely replicates the frantic action of the film. Easy to play, with just enough chrome and the expansion allows you to recreate the entire story. The co-operative gameplay is well-realized. One of my all-time faves!" </span></i></p></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Aliens</i> scores five pips out of six with a massive tilt up towards the orbiting <i>USS Sulaco</i>! </span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tMVoyvVvD2NeuEUr3hkzu5r9GJz0pkjAWAgm524GaHsaJlq5NIbuiNDKGCZwRkDVZGcDiOuv1NfYRcymGc5wC2jINFvle1cVj0SDntEzR6xFsKQLwfRPe1detXCNglfjS8xF6as5fi8/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tMVoyvVvD2NeuEUr3hkzu5r9GJz0pkjAWAgm524GaHsaJlq5NIbuiNDKGCZwRkDVZGcDiOuv1NfYRcymGc5wC2jINFvle1cVj0SDntEzR6xFsKQLwfRPe1detXCNglfjS8xF6as5fi8/w170-h169/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-65077775206759065852021-05-13T08:51:00.005-07:002021-05-13T08:53:21.349-07:00OOP # 1 - "Axis & Allies: Europe" (First Edition) and the Demise of Avalon Hill<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the titles that revolutionized my view of boardgames and transformed me into a life-long wargamer was Milton Bradley's "Gamemaster Edition" of <i>Axis & Allies,</i> released back in 1984. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QOYNRBrQO-D_UuvZlYVEWj0ecxNLYUf8NwZlf7VsRa73lwW1LZ8Ccf0O17i6vKS5iD9Fg3pR9As3qMWxcEg7pB12_CloPOodlcl4e1u-Jx59Uku-WPw5onWnUzyxqlz-qJC4RQWoSVI/s300/AxisAndAllies1984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QOYNRBrQO-D_UuvZlYVEWj0ecxNLYUf8NwZlf7VsRa73lwW1LZ8Ccf0O17i6vKS5iD9Fg3pR9As3qMWxcEg7pB12_CloPOodlcl4e1u-Jx59Uku-WPw5onWnUzyxqlz-qJC4RQWoSVI/s0/AxisAndAllies1984.jpg" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span>So what inspired that fourteen-year-old kid to buy this thing in the first place? </span></span><span><span>Well, given my budding interest in both chess and World War II, a compelling case could be made that it was already well within my wheelhouse. But these </span></span></span><span>vague </span><span>predilections</span><span> soon blossomed into full-fledged mania after I encountered the following book at the local library:</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjUYd2QLzW4USqVoS4R3hd3YiVLu0ecp6L9DHDX1Jh0LDgDQKeMNRQRqte125WA3VRsmZn5hUxmKkK3EyM4foth_bDJXWm2PySd-kARsNmNSCN8uGLUFCl0efS6kCx4OxY6G9ajnk68M/s2048/Complete+Book+of+Wargames.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjUYd2QLzW4USqVoS4R3hd3YiVLu0ecp6L9DHDX1Jh0LDgDQKeMNRQRqte125WA3VRsmZn5hUxmKkK3EyM4foth_bDJXWm2PySd-kARsNmNSCN8uGLUFCl0efS6kCx4OxY6G9ajnk68M/s320/Complete+Book+of+Wargames.jpg" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>The Complete Book of Wargames</i> chronicled the history and biggest titles of the war-gaming fad, which hit the apex of its popularity back in the 60's and 70's. Even though the book was a tad late to the party when it was published in 1980, it was still a bonafide revelation to me and the hobby was far from dead. After discovering that there were games out there which simulated famous historical battles, well, that just blew my fragile eggshell mind!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>But my immediate o</span><span>bsession quickly turned to crashing disappointment. Sure, it was great to read about all of these cool games, but, as a kid growing up in small town in Newfoundland in the 80's, I no place to buy them! We were decades away from online shopping and even researching possible mail order options was a non-starter! So, unless the Sears catalog started carrying <i>Panzer Leader</i>, I was shit outta luck! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I sought out <i>Risk </i>as a consolation prize b</span><span>ut, even as a kid, that venerable "classic" really failed to impress me. It was unrealistic, abstract and players could turtle down in Australia. Where were my amphibious landing craft and columns of marauding tanks, dammit?! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And that's when I saw an ad for this </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">delectable snack in <i>Dragon</i> magazine:</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietD58VRExoTf8CCTCM33DNOn3XAzEpsOV0J81Ku_khgh7eXTMYrFmvDtoUv10necq0PzgLOmZmokxENqG-34ZHWcggaG2MloafrAC-oZpbHfllO0umoF4GA-DTzM2dRIBV5uQ7M82uv8/s2048/A%2526A+DRagon+Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1572" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietD58VRExoTf8CCTCM33DNOn3XAzEpsOV0J81Ku_khgh7eXTMYrFmvDtoUv10necq0PzgLOmZmokxENqG-34ZHWcggaG2MloafrAC-oZpbHfllO0umoF4GA-DTzM2dRIBV5uQ7M82uv8/w492-h640/A%2526A+DRagon+Ad.jpg" width="492" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Oh, Milton Bradley...why do you torture me so? These Gamemaster titles looked tailor-made for me: they were historic, deeper than <i>Risk</i> and had a toy factor that my prepubescent brain still found very appealing. Unfortunately, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I had no way to get it into my hot l'il mitts. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Mercifully, I soon discovered that a hobby and craft store in Corner Brook called </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Leisure World</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">carried a host of cool games, including some that were actually featured in </span><i style="color: #222222;">The Complete Book of Wargames!</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> As it turned out, they also carried <i>Axis & Allies</i>, so, after </span><span><span>saving up </span><span>every last penny of my meager allowance, I decided to splurge on this </span></span><span>extravagant beast.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In hindsight, taking the lid offa <i>Axis & Allies</i> for the first time was akin to cracking the cellophane on the "Red Box" Mentzer <i>D&D</i> set. It immediately set the fire the tinderbox of my imagination aflame. The unprecedented quality of the production design was all the incentive I needed to diligently digest the innovative rule-set.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Via some crusty ol' Geeklist entries from back in <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/9679/do-evolution-baby" target="_blank">2005</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/27432/wargaming-baby-steps" target="_blank">2007</a>, here are </span><span>my recollections </span><span>about that first version of </span><i>Axis & Allies:</i><span> </span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Finally I had my columns of tanks! We played the hell out of this one. Some games would get really heated. In fact, two of my oil n' water best friends often came close to blows over this one, even when they were supposed to be allies! </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Also:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Ah, the game that ruined me for all other wargames!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>As a kid with a surplus of time to spend on the complete consumption of a single game, this ruled my life for a few years. At the age of 14, I thought this game had everything: distinct economies and resources for each individual nation, mind-blowing components, co-operative game play, technology development and characteristic unit combat.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Then we played it to death. In doing so, the game continued to reveal it's flaws. Where were paratroops? Artillery? Why didn't the game start in 1939? Where were the Free French and the Italians? Why were the all of the unit's combat values generic? Why did the strategies seem so scripted?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I think I've been looking for </i>Advanced Axis & Allies<i> ever since.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After I went to university, <i>Axis & Allies </i>pretty much fell off my radar. For me, the 90's were all about livin' life large...that is until <i>Magic: The Gathering</i> and <i>The Settlers of Catan</i> pulled me, Michael Corleone-style, back into my beloved hobby.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Around that same time, I became aware of the trials and tribulations of Avalon Hill, a venerable </span><span>wargame publishing company that I'd learned about in </span><i>The Complete Book of Wargames.</i><span> CCG's and computer games were really eating into Avalon Hill's sales and, in 1998, they </span><span>were bought out by Hasborg, er...Hasbro. </span><span>It immediately became apparent that their new corporate overlords had zero interest in crusty, grognard-y, hex n' chit wargames...so they promptly </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050206091542/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/013/137/avalon_hill_bought_by_hasbro.html" target="_blank">laid off the entire development staff.</a><span> </span><i>Gross.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Granted, the lion's share of Avalon Hill's titles were too complex for my pea-brain, but I always had a deep respect, appreciation and genuine interest in what they did. I even bought lighter fare like <i>Diplomacy</i>, <i>Blackbeard</i> and <i>Hitler's War </i>at one point. Unfortunately, as soon as Hasbro bought them out, their entire catalog went out of print. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I can only imagine what the post-acquisition convo sounded like behind those Hasbro board room doors...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">HASBRO EXEC: "Awrite, it sez here that we just bought something called 'Avalon Hill'? What the hell is that...some sorta retirement community?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">DRONE #1: "No, sir, they make wargames."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">HASBRO EXEC: "What, they made <i>Wargames</i>? Like, the Matthew Broderick movie?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>DRONE #1: "No, sir, <i>wargames</i>. You, know, like...<i>Risk</i> and stuff..." </span><span>(looks pleadingly around the room for help)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">DRONE #2: (takes opportunity to pile onto vulnerable rival for promotion) "Well, I'd say more <i>complicated</i> games than that, sir."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>HASBRO EXEC:</span><span> "Complicated? Whaddaya mean 'complicated'? What games have they published?"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">(spate of nervous chatter and uneasy shuffling in chairs) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>DRONE #3: (locates a specific piece of paper and starts reading) "<i>Um</i>, let's see here...we've got </span><span><i>Advanced Squad Leader, </i></span><span><i>Titan, Hannibal: Rome versus Carthage</i>...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>HASBRO EXEC:</span><span> (muttering) "Jesus Christ..."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>DRONE #3:</span><span> "<i>Republic of Rome, </i></span><span><i>We the People, Advanced Third Reich, 1</i></span><span><i>830</i>..."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>HASBRO EXEC:</span><span> "Okay, <i>hold up, hold up, hold up</i>...lemme just stop you right there. Why the fuck did we buy these guys?!?"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">DRONE #1: (nervously) "Well, you see, sir, studies show that the library of games we recently acquired through our purchase of Parker Brothers has very limited appeal to the <i>um</i>...thirty to sixty-year-old demographic."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>HASBRO EXEC: (massaging brow) </span><span> "Good gawd. Okay, so, forget about all of that other crap. What can we crap out under this banner to tric..er, I mean <i>entice</i>, these basement dwellers into opening their wallets?"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">(dead silence for a beat)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">DRONE #2: "Well, we also own Milton Bradley, and they've got <i>Axis & Allies</i>. We could do something with that!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>HASBRO EXEC:</span><span> "Finally, somethin' I actually recognize! Quick, get Larry Harris on the horn! DRONE # 2, you're promoted! Now, <i>walk along behind me for awhile</i>..." </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Even though I was still a year shy of that key demographic back in 1999, I'm ashamed to admit that I fell for this fictional, exaggerated, cynical, and yet <i>likely-100%-accurate</i> business plan, hook, line and sinker. I bought the very first thing that this new, <i>definitely-not-improved</i> Avalon Hill cranked out with the words <i>Axis & Allies</i> stamped on the box: I.E. </span><i><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/520/axis-allies-europe" target="_blank">Axis & Allies Europe</a>.</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcRwZ45yCxbposCD0exaJXA7YqQyr88w95yditgGE4hyphenhyphenP48thwVlcC56X23BMJEB30F4LfpwUG46GmePdop_2iwQGNlK9-OO5JPn8UAt4RZB1FCwwLGHEl91sbyO3hAOgzlkvNt1JgiI/s900/A%2526A+Europe+Box+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcRwZ45yCxbposCD0exaJXA7YqQyr88w95yditgGE4hyphenhyphenP48thwVlcC56X23BMJEB30F4LfpwUG46GmePdop_2iwQGNlK9-OO5JPn8UAt4RZB1FCwwLGHEl91sbyO3hAOgzlkvNt1JgiI/s320/A%2526A+Europe+Box+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As someone who desperately wanted to have the brain power to decipher complicated grand strategic games like <i>Rise and Fall of the Third Reich</i> or the unnecessarily-convoluted rules of <i>Hitler's War</i>, <i>Axis & Allies: Europe</i> seemed to strike a middle ground. Not only was the focus on the European theater appealing to me, the fresh new <a href="https://axisallies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/axis-allies-rules-europe.pdf" target="_blank">rule-set</a> also promised some evolutionary thought.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I came across this old </span><span>play-through for </span><i>A&A:E</i><span> the</span><span> other day. It's not very long or detailed, but it does convey the game's thematic flavor:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>AXIS AND ALLIES: EUROPE</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Current IPC’s:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>United States 40 Germany 41 United Kingdom 26 Russia 22</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn One</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Looking to wipe out all sea-borne opposition before challenging the Allied shipping lanes, the Germans manage to eliminate all but one American transport and destroyer, one Canadian transport and destroyer and one Russian sub. It's a costly operation that results in the loss of six out of their ten subs! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After making some effort to reinforce North Africa, the Germans then turn their attention to the Russian Front, where things initially go in their favor. A pincer move isolates East Poland and they capture the Ukraine, Bessarabia, the Baltic States and Karelia all in one fell swoop. After witnessing this startling success, the German High Command decides to divert all armor to the Eastern Front and then heavily invest in offensive hardware like tanks, artillery and fighter aircraft.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn Two</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Germans lose another two U-boats in the Atlantic. The Russian counterattack in Karelia is brutal and doubly-so in the Baltic States, which is left virtually unoccupied after the battle of attrition there. Once again, the Germans opt for a powerful offense, producing four armored units, one bomber and one transport; a wise move after losing a bomber and fighter squadron while sinking a Canadian destroyer and transport! At sea, a U-boat attempts to snare a Russian sub, but it narrowly escapes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>After German </span><span>troops successfully land on Malta, the </span><span>buildup in the east is finally unleashed, leading to a massive assault of armor and aircraft in East Poland. The Russians are completely overrun in the first wave, leaving a whopping ten German armored divisions behind to garrison East Poland. Army Group North, consisting of four infantry and two artillery units, moves into the Baltic States, while two more artillery shift from Germany to Poland. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In a few more key strategic moves, infantry in Hungry and Bulgaria move to defend the southern flank, while two infantry units are diverted to bolster the defense of Finland. T</span><span>here’s more offence on the way a</span><span>t the end of Germany's turn, with four armor and one bomber produced in the homeland and a transport launched into the Adriatic Sea.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn Three</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The Germans put up a stout defense on the Eastern Front. A</span><span>fter enduring a massive Russian offensive, </span><span>Army Group Center still has three armored divisions remaining. Meanwhile, the escaped Russian sub attempts to double-back on its pursuer, but the German U-boat turns the tables and sinks them! </span><span>There's more bad news for the USSR as the Finns drive the Russians back even further. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Not long after, t</span><span>he remaining British destroyer in the Mediterranean wrecks the new German transport. The British press in North Africa, routing the nominal German garrison in Tunisia. A significant American force makes landfall in Morocco and promptly digs in. Both the Americans and the Brits have virtually re-constituted their navies, which means that the next turn will feature some critically-important offensives for Germany. This is further underscored when the British engage in a risky, but very punishing, air raid on Axis production.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Current IPC’s:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Germany 43 Russia 15 United Kingdom 26 United States 41 </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn Three, continued</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">While unopposed German U-boats help themselves to a Soviet convoy route, a destroyer-supported invasion of Tunisia from Malta is proposed. Two Wehrmacht battalions storm Tunisia with scarcely any resistance and the British presence in North Africa is completely eliminated. A battleship and a U-boat pack engage the same British destroyer (and its accompanying transport) that eliminated Germany’s newly-minted transport on the previous turn. The battleship is heavily damaged in the action, but all of the enemy units are destroyed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Four infantry units, supported by bombers, then surge into the Ukraine. Again, there is negligible resistance. Karelia, on the other hand, is soundly defended, leading to a long, drawn-out battle and the loss of two Luftwaffe squadrons. Because of this, the German land units in that region are forced to retreat, leaving High Command worried that something similar might happen in Leningrad. Sure enough, they’re met with heavy anti-aircraft fire and two more squadrons are lost. The region is captured, but at a very high cost. Only two armored divisions are left to defend from the inevitable Russian counter-attack. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Germans intend to keep pounding away on the Russians and hope that the U.S. and the U.K. don't produce an insurmountable fleet in short order. Unsure as to how long they’ll be able to keep supplying their forces in North Africa, the Germans opt to invest heavily in armor and aircraft during their build phase. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Turn Four</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Things look fairly promising in the Atlantic for the Allies. The Americans have landed in North Africa with a diverse invasion force of armor, infantry and bombers. The British continue to rebuild their Navy, choosing Canada as their base of operation for this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Russians try to strike back, but they’re essentially a house of cards. German forces defend well in Leningrad, leaving only a single armored division left to hold the city. Their victory in the Baltic States is considerably more decisive, with two armor and one artillery unit left to hold the newly-captured ground there. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Again, the Germans invest heavily in new armor and aircraft, hoping to deal the knockout blow to Russia. This leads to a three-pronged assault, with Army Group South (consisting of two armor and three infantry divisions) poised to strike at Stalingrad, which is currently defended by four infantry corps. After they were badly stung by anti-aircraft fire last time out, a risky decision is made to eschew air cover for this attack. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Army Group Center, consisting of one infantry, one artillery and one fighter division, attacks Belarus, which has just a single infantry brigade defending. Army Group North, boasting four armored divisions and a flight of bombers, assaults the Baltic States, defended by two armor and one artillery. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In the resulting battles, Army Group South scores a decisive victory, with the infantry fighting particularly well. This results in two infantry and two armor left to garrison the freshly-conquered territory. Army Group Center experiences a blitz victory with no major losses. Army Group North, on the other hand, is completely routed by the wily Russian defenders in the Baltic States. De</span><span>spite this, the fall of Russia now looks like a foregone conclusion. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In an effort to lean heavier into this strategy, the Germans decide to withdraw troops from North Africa, at least for the time being.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Confession time: <i>Axis & Allies: Europe</i> wasn't my only dalliance with this "new" Avalon Hill. I also bought <i><b>Star Wars: Queen's Gambit</b> </i>(2000)<i>, Axis & Allies Pacific </i>(2001),<i> <b>History of the World</b> </i>(a 2001 reprint of an original Avalon Hill title), the revised <i>Axis & Allies </i>(2003),<i> Axis & Allies D-Day </i>(2004),<i> <b>Betrayal at House on the Hill</b> </i>(2004)<i>, <b>Axis & Allies Miniatures</b> </i>(2005),<i> <b>Monsters Menace America</b> </i>(2005),<i> <b>Nexus Ops</b> </i>(2005)<i> </i>and<i> RoboRally </i>(2005). For the record, the games in bold are still in my game library. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If anything, this list is proof positive that the company should be abbreviated as AHINO, or "Avalon Hill In Name Only." It's pretty obvious that the current incarnation of Avalon Hill is scarcely interested in wargames, they don't publish anything particularly deep and they have zero interest in reprinting their classic games. They even released this <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/302809/betrayal-mystery-mansion" target="_blank">Scooby-Doo themed <i>Betrayal</i> game</a>, fer Chrissakes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, what do I think of <i>Axis & Allies: Europe</i>? Honestly, if I had my time back, and more space, I probably wouldn't have sold it. Sure, it's since been completely eclipsed by its <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/61692/axis-allies-europe-1940" target="_blank">deeper, sexier, younger brother</a>, but there's something to be said for the simplicity of this first incarnation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It should be noted that <i>Europe </i>was the first <i>A&A</i> game to feature the following changes and innovations, which I've divvied up down below:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>PROS</u></b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Artillery, which augments infantry, and destroyers, which target subs, are both wonderful new additions.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Battleships can take two hits and be repaired. Finally!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Submarines can't even be targeted unless an enemy destroyer is in their space. Smart! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>German ships can occupy </span><span>Allied shipping zones to </span><span>reduce their IPC's, elegantly simulating the Battle of the Atlantic.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Each nation has a variable amount of IPCs at the beginning the game. This is actually a really good idea, since it makes the game feel less scripted right off the jump. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Germany goes first, followed by the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and then the United States. In the 1984 game, Russia went first, so I think this change makes sense given <i>Europe's</i> start time and setting. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fighter can escort bombing runs and defenders can scramble enemy fighters to attack bombers! Awesome!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There's something resembling an Allied / Soviet Lend Lease program! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>To simulate the economic impact of the Axis controlling the oil-rich </span><span>Middle East, the Allies must pay IPCs to Germany if they control those regions.</span><span> </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>CONS</u></b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Players can't build any new Industrial Complexes. <i>Lame</i>. You should be able to build minor Complexes over the course of several turns with reduced production. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There are no tech advances. Really?!? I really wish Larry Harris would have come up with something, since the game's unit feel very same-y and never evolve at all. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Neutral countries are completely impassible, even by air units. I've always hated this rule and I'm glad the 1940 version of the game finally addressed it. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Notwithstanding these "1-HIT!" versus "6-MISS!" </span><span> </span><span>alterations, </span><span>as well as some niggling balance issues, the original </span><i>Axis & Allies: Europe</i><span> looks great and also plays in a fraction of the time needed to table it's heftier brethren to completion. So, I'll just leave it to 2007 me to deliver the final verdict:</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm partial to this game despite the cries of it being scripted and heavily-weighted towards the Germans.</i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I want to take this thing and cross-breed it with </i>Hitler's War<i>. I'd like to add hexes, weapon development, re-set the clock to 1939, customize national units and add a bit more chrome.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All told, let's give her four pips outta six with a tilt down with that depth charge! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnIWcskJ6W3Gs5mcChiWvk511dliwZHvysmmocpOLa0dJ8GgXsJXBeH1TPpacAY1MKTVc52MTAZizSZk6wFV3GJmhzmmPGK8QWG6WINujDpRQmAUp_tn6USs33rWPR1zrj0Y6SBGXbdg/s200/4+pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnIWcskJ6W3Gs5mcChiWvk511dliwZHvysmmocpOLa0dJ8GgXsJXBeH1TPpacAY1MKTVc52MTAZizSZk6wFV3GJmhzmmPGK8QWG6WINujDpRQmAUp_tn6USs33rWPR1zrj0Y6SBGXbdg/w162-h163/4+pips.jpeg" width="162" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p>Photo credits: </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Axis & Allies 1984 </i>Game Box Cover: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_%26_Allies" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Axis and Allies: Europe 1999 </i>Game Box Cover: <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/6050812/axis-allies-europe" target="_blank">Board Game Geek</a></span></p>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-28843382680835730672021-05-04T12:21:00.005-07:002021-05-25T16:59:49.680-07:00Explaining my Cock-Eyed Game Rating System (plus my review of a certain "edgy" card game)<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Okay, so, by my calculation, this post is about, <i>ummmm</i>...I dunno, almost a decade overdue!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, at the end of all of my game reviews, I usually post a pic of my over-sized six-sided die turned to a number. Sure, it fits in with the theme of the blog, but what heck does it mean?!?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Some folks (Andrew) have been asking me to switch to a different scoring method, like maybe using a ten-sided die, but until someone (Andrew) buys me a novelty set of polyhedral dice, than those people (Andrew) will just hafta shut their cake-hole and be content with the following breakdown of my admittedly-oddball rating system.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alright, are y'all sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin at the top!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qvoewHaX2JhtOExznwJmgg_ZNr8TWhUD8SMR4j490g4ZvtvjZH_BT1lM-aVzzKeoNW3ouhNXumquR44N5rwtGNRQYtCne3Ewg8dcxQm8Iaxz9LAfA4C4b9asquIKDo4E6PPAEZQ2jNs/s206/six+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="203" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qvoewHaX2JhtOExznwJmgg_ZNr8TWhUD8SMR4j490g4ZvtvjZH_BT1lM-aVzzKeoNW3ouhNXumquR44N5rwtGNRQYtCne3Ewg8dcxQm8Iaxz9LAfA4C4b9asquIKDo4E6PPAEZQ2jNs/w164-h172/six+pips.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Six pips outta six, I.E. the best possible score that I can give to a game. To earn a "6", a game either has to...</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Do something wildly original OR</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Do what it does, really, <i>really</i> well OR</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alter my very existence in some fundamental way. <i>No pressure.</i></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>A good way to tick off that first criterion is to design a wholly original mechanic that truly elevates the game's overall theme and enjoyability. </span><span>For example, <i>Dominion</i> might have introduced the concept of deck-building, it's always felt more mechanic than game to me. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Conversely, the second edition of </span><i>A Few Acres of Snow</i><span> uses the mechanic of deck-building efficiency to mirror the logistical challenge of colonizing / warring over a vast overseas nation. </span><i>Orleans</i><span> also gets a perfect score from me because it's highly innovative, compulsively playable and I'm a huge sucker for the medieval art design.</span></span><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then there's <i>T'zolkin,</i> which certainly didn't invent worker placement, but the whole roundel / wheel timing system is so clever that the game easily earns a "6" from me. Also, despite being in a crowded market of similar games, both <i>Rajas of the Ganges</i> and <i>Champions of Midgard</i> distinguish themselves by being tight like a tiger. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And I'm sure this is no surprise to anyone, but condition #3 is the toughest to meet. In fact, this hallowed pantheon currently includes a mere five games, namely <i>Axis & Allies, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, The Settlers of Catan</i> and <i>Puerto Rico</i>. Are all of these games perfect? NOPE. Do they all get perfect scores because they revolutionized board games and literally altered the trajectory of my very existence? <i>You bet yer sweet ass.</i>..</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Some games I've given 6 pips to include: <i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Above and Below, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 20.7px;">A </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 20.7px;">Feast for Odin, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Combat Commander: Europe, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Francis Drake, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Le Havre, </span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><i>Orleans</i>, </span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Puerto Rico</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">, </span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Scoville, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Settlers of Catan </span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">(purely for its life-altering effect on me, more
realistically it's a "4" tilted up)<i>, </i></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><i>The Princes of Florence </i>and<i> </i></span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">T'zolkin.</span></i><i> </i></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblm2fGPaEv0noaP3L09s0WtzB2e9QhA8fTqGeJhCamybV7gBxhZMjHjg9NjzaY9D4Gq683rRTxNVAqqxSGxlDDHoAEXUXFzQ0Z7BaFv1f6KJjSs899ARnmDnz6dlgf9hOYfSAKD7kQK0/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblm2fGPaEv0noaP3L09s0WtzB2e9QhA8fTqGeJhCamybV7gBxhZMjHjg9NjzaY9D4Gq683rRTxNVAqqxSGxlDDHoAEXUXFzQ0Z7BaFv1f6KJjSs899ARnmDnz6dlgf9hOYfSAKD7kQK0/w168-h167/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A five-pip game might not re-invent the wheel or result in some personal epiphany, but it still deserves top marks. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So why give it a "5" instead of a "6"? Well, here ya go...</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Honestly, it might be due to some very stupid and / or superficial reason. For example, I'd love to give </span><i>Clank!</i><span> </span><span>a perfect score but I just can't get over its uninspired art design. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Maybe the game is just missing that key bit of chrome to launch it into the stratosphere of perfection. No word of a lie, I legit </span><i>crave</i><span> playing </span><i>Wingspan </i><span>because it's a very pretty-looking, engine-building game sporting a unique bird theme. But, when all is said and done, I'm forced to admit that the base game is kinda shallow.</span></span></li><li><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game is great but the theme is completely bland to me.</span></span></li><li><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I have concerns about re-playablity or game length. </span></span></li><li><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A particular element of the game just doesn't resonate with me.</span></span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, basically, I think these games are great, but maybe there's some niggling irritant or lingering concern that's holding me back. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Games I've rated five pips: <i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">7 Wonders: Duel, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Battlestar Galactica, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Betrayal at House on the Hill, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Blood Bowl, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Castles of Burgundy, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Castles of Mad King Ludwig, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Clank!, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 20.7px;">Dead of Winter, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Descent: Second Edition, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Eclipse (First Edition)</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">,<i> </i></span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Eldritch Horror, Euphoria, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Glenmore II: Chronicles, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Hallertau, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Imperial, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Lords of Waterdeep, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Lost Ruins of Arnak, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Mice and Mystics, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Mysterium, </span></i></span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 20.7px;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Parks, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Power Grid, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Rex: Final Days of an Empire, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Robinson Crusoe, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Root, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Seven Bridges, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Shadows Over Camelot, Sonora, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Space Alert, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Specter Ops, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Trek: Fleet Captains, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: Imperial Assault,</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: Outer Rim, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: X-Wing, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: Destiny, </span></i><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Steam, </span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><i>Wildcatters </i>and<i> </i></span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Wingspan.</span></i></span><span><span> </span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJHVZt6hVThg0J6d4HVf63CfBXnyyK0lzZUqpBS93m9n3gwIwZepyuttiUN3BBiEEQ-OghCDdn0E4sz-g8rc7-jhauL8HRU0ks9-1GF_TW_8BkIByGGij_vrKBZoAOdbnNQDdwHpD-pI/s200/4+pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJHVZt6hVThg0J6d4HVf63CfBXnyyK0lzZUqpBS93m9n3gwIwZepyuttiUN3BBiEEQ-OghCDdn0E4sz-g8rc7-jhauL8HRU0ks9-1GF_TW_8BkIByGGij_vrKBZoAOdbnNQDdwHpD-pI/s0/4+pips.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If I rate something a "four", it means that it's a good game, but not something that'll blow you away. A game falls into this bracket for the following reasons:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chicken-or-the-egg vagaries abound in the rules,<i> a la</i> <i>Godzilla: Tokyo Clash</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You really enjoy the game but suspect that there may be some balance issues. <i>Jaws</i> is an<i> </i>example of that.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Maybe you recognize that the game is perfectly fine but it's not the deepest experience in the world. <i>Ticket to Ride: Europe</i> springs to mind here. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My initial experience with the game was poor but I suspect that there's still some promise in there, I.E. <i>Spirit Island</i>. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game is good but the set up / tear down time is ridonkulous, like <i>Heroscape</i>. </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Needless to say, most of the games I review fall into the "4" category, including <i>1</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>10 Days in Europe, 5 Minute Dungeon, Among the Stars, Batman: Gotham City Strategy Game, Brewcrafters: The Travel Card Game, Carcassonne, Cave Troll, Century: Spice Road, Dicemasters, Drakon, DungeonQuest (Third Edition), Eight-Minute Empire, Elder Sign, Firefly: The Board Game, Forbidden Island, Gloom, Godzilla: Tokyo Clash, Tokyo Clash, Heroscape, Indian Summer, Infiltration, Kemet, King of Tokyo, Kingdom Builder, Kingsburg, Love Letter, Martian Dice Marvel Legendary, MegaLand, Merchants & Marauders, Merchants of Venus, Middle Earth Quest, Midgard, Pandemic, Paperback, Paper Tales, Quantum, Raptor, Rise of Empires, Road Kill Rally, Small World, Spirit Island, Star Trek Panic, Star Wars: Original Trilogy Risk, Survive: Escape From Atlantis, Takenoko, Telestrations, The Downfall of Pompeii, The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31, The Resistance, Through the Desert, Thunderstone Quest, Timeline, Tokaido, Tsuro, Warband: Against the Darkness, Worm Up </i>and<i> Zombicide.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSNVdQb71YrjQFCPa1qC_cbC62jILQKZqgBx6cLOQgBhNz0Ggn4BabGJ4p2HCqUFtV8QXKLc9IXdckJ2dfomk4JRqrEHgBm9R6EMOpyZJzAO-ifnrGr71UQIue086KadEflgV9279n8E/s206/Three+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSNVdQb71YrjQFCPa1qC_cbC62jILQKZqgBx6cLOQgBhNz0Ggn4BabGJ4p2HCqUFtV8QXKLc9IXdckJ2dfomk4JRqrEHgBm9R6EMOpyZJzAO-ifnrGr71UQIue086KadEflgV9279n8E/s0/Three+pips.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A level-three game ranges from "fine" to "m'eh", with varying mileage based on the reader's own level of interest. These games aren't terrible by any means, but they may have a noticeable flaw that affects game play in some detrimental way. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Here are some tell-tale signs of a "3" boi:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It BASIC as all get-out.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The game overstays its welcome.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Poorly-written rules make it feel unnecessarily complicated. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It provides no interesting choices from turn to turn and game play is kinda repetitive.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Things happen arbitrarily despite your best efforts. </span></li></ul></div><div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Games I've given a "3" to include: <i>DungeonQuest (Revised Edition), </i><i>Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft, </i><i>Fallout Shelter, </i><i>Fallout, Walk the Plank, </i><i>Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars (with new rules), </i><i>Photosynthesis, </i><i>Sentinels of the Multiverse, </i><i>Star Fluxx, </i><i>Zombie Dice </i>and<i> </i><i>Zombies!!!</i> </span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcEIVlCrnzsHDf33-Ikv1T0Z8BBx35__MyodGrOlp8trzqEs5MukId5RbVwzKForT9ZSOejPZsbF2KcN-rNGd1ZUxAlawpMbHaIlO9uIi3HQgohTX5BOD5gwJSf-WI9wp5EB1lrkj6JI/s206/two+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcEIVlCrnzsHDf33-Ikv1T0Z8BBx35__MyodGrOlp8trzqEs5MukId5RbVwzKForT9ZSOejPZsbF2KcN-rNGd1ZUxAlawpMbHaIlO9uIi3HQgohTX5BOD5gwJSf-WI9wp5EB1lrkj6JI/s0/two+pips.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Everything I said about level "3" games can be repeated with a "2"...but the problems are often numerous and a lot more pronounced. A short descriptor for this rating is: <i>buyer beware!</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What makes the game a "2":</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's downright brain dead or more activity than game. <i>Apples to Apples</i>, I'm looking in your direction. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's an IP game that totally fails to delver on its theme. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The rules are so bad that it would require a ton of FAQ's, hacks and / or house rules to get it to vaguely work and, even all of that effort, <i>it still kinda sucks.</i></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Games I would give two pips to include <i>Apples to Apples</i>, <i>Crappy Birthday, Friday the 13'th: Horror at Camp Crystal Lake, </i><i>Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars </i>(out of box) and <i>Marvel Heroes.</i> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRzE3j-Hl6tYnSNRymLC4TYYXXHvJjx-qHFK-g0xaTDWuUpmIKQoJtB52_mZ-qG6ftfya-YEt83rvLlhPtmAa9uKLJM2Dp8PwtCEgr633yj2CnoHp_VqK-V9gQTY2P-3qKl9S7yaTofo/s206/one+pip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRzE3j-Hl6tYnSNRymLC4TYYXXHvJjx-qHFK-g0xaTDWuUpmIKQoJtB52_mZ-qG6ftfya-YEt83rvLlhPtmAa9uKLJM2Dp8PwtCEgr633yj2CnoHp_VqK-V9gQTY2P-3qKl9S7yaTofo/s0/one+pip.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The "1" rating exists in case I lose control of my faculties and agree to play something that looks awful at face value. This might happen if I get outvoted amidst a group of people who have all the gaming taste of a cardboard </span>Popsicle<span>. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In order for a game to earn this dreaded Scarlet Number it must be:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Completely broken.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Really boring.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Deliberately stupid, insulting or<i> try-too-hard</i> "edgy."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barely a functioning game.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Complicated to the point of being unplayable. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I've only recorded a single "1" here, mainly due to the fact that my blog's by-line ("Because life's too short to play crap games...") is advice that I also live by. Let's face it, </span><span>our beloved hobby is a veritable minefield of awful "1's". If you don't believe me, then just visit a Calendar Club store or hang out at a board game cafe on a Friday night. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Case in point, this fucking dreck... </span></div></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>So, if you've ever played </span><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/74/apples-to-apples" style="font-style: italic;">Apples to Apples</a><span> you can probably recall a time when someone either deliberately or </span>inadvertently<span> made a pervy or inappropriate card combo. Maybe some weirdo in your group played "Hot" in response to "Helen Keller", <i>I dunno.</i> </span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>You just know that this is the </span><i>Cards Against Humanity </i><span>origin story, since the designers built an entire "game" around making people think '</span><i>Tee-Hee-I'm-SOOOO-bad-for-playing-this-card!'.</i><span> If anything, it kinda makes you wish that mechanics could be trademarked after all. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><i>Cards Against Humanity</i> isn't really a game. At best, it's a social activity a</span><span>nd, as social activities go, it generates its laughs in exactly the same way an expired gas station egg salad sandwich inspires regularity. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Essentially</span><span style="font-size: medium;">, <i>CAH</i> is a simple and easy way to boiler-plate a pre-fab sense of humor onto a group of basics. Sure, some of the surreal language and combinations are engineered to crack people up, but, if you're anything like me, you'll probably feel like a bonafide POS after doing so. And that's not because the game is "edgy", it's because it goes out of its way to insult entire swathes of people in the laziest manner possible.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Now, I'm not gonna sit here and righteously claim that I've never laughed at a </span><i>Cards Against Humanity</i><span> combo or even claimed that it "completely killed" the aforementioned </span><i>Apples to Apples</i><span>. I also recognize that it's long past trendy to crap on this ancient, </span><span>scarcely</span><span><span>-</span>relevant<span> artifact and that this "hot take" is about as bold and insightful as coming out as "anti-COVID." </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>But I also think it's telling that </span><i>Cards Against Humanity</i><span> is literally the first thing that popped into my head when I wanted to illustrate the sort of garbage that would earn my lowest possible rating. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>As such, <i>Cards Against Humanity </i>scores a generous 1 pip out of 6</span><span>.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1frUVG_muhz9nV2CA9o-Emt7B3vruTtl7e7uNKJKPWSbIe0XdCCnTNVPIX1u73RhKTJJCiMGH2tp0aFCO5J1uvOzPfDbJ5IDCqX-pmSHQVvfeVPkI-gziSUPkJxuTND7BGX_Rj6nB6c/s206/one+pip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="198" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1frUVG_muhz9nV2CA9o-Emt7B3vruTtl7e7uNKJKPWSbIe0XdCCnTNVPIX1u73RhKTJJCiMGH2tp0aFCO5J1uvOzPfDbJ5IDCqX-pmSHQVvfeVPkI-gziSUPkJxuTND7BGX_Rj6nB6c/w99-h103/one+pip.jpg" width="99" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">***</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Let's face it, Andrew is absolutely right; my rating system <i>is </i>idiotic...<i>but so is every single other rating system</i>. Let's face it, assigning an arbitrary score to a movie, book, concert, television show or game is inherently stupid. There's really no way to encapsulate your thoughts on something via a number, letter or cluster of stars. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>And that's why it's so important to read into the body of the review itself. </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've also taken to giving my scores a "tilt" in an effort to make them a bit more accurate. For example, if I give something a "3" with a tilt up, it's closer to a "4" than a "2". Or, if I give a game a "3" and then tilt it down, you know that's probably a game I don't care to ever play again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Full disclosure, in the process of writing this post I've actually tweaked several of my scores, and I'll likely change more. Maybe I've played a game a bunch of times since my first introduction to it and, in doing so, I've discovered major flaws. Or perhaps an initially off-putting experience has since revealed a hidden gem. Or maybe a new and improved game has come down the pike and eclipsed its original inspiration. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One final point to illustrate how subjective all of this is. I played <i>Terraforming Mars</i> when it was first released...and I thought it was amazing. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But if I was asked to rate it right now, I'd give it "5" pips.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Why? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Because I don't really care for space stuff, the cubes always slide around on your player board and the cards are butt-ugly. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But at least now you know that a "5" for me can also be a "6" for everyone else! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alright, that's all I've got for you today, folks. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Thanks for reading and keep playin' games to keep ya sane! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"></div></div></div>David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3899270403216881587.post-19317565513808797232021-03-09T13:05:00.005-08:002021-03-09T14:31:42.937-08:00Game-Night(s)-A-Palooza!<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, I've been playing a decent l'il panoply of great games lately!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>First up is the new Uwe Rosenberg title, <i>Hallertau</i>. Granted, it's yet another farming-adjacent worker-placement game, but this one </span><span>deviates from the designer's recent fetish for negative points mitigation / tile placement, a la <i>Patchwork</i>, <i>A Feast for Odin</i> </span><span>and <i>Cottage Garden</i>. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJIGIc_hRGKeB09kliBrk-G-Wd3TsMa595s3ciQInzb1Rx9Cl7C3EwCLJSt34rNYohdE_GeJXWrPbbqaoOfSqhBzjOhvmVHlZ_wYLydBVFz0Qbwrnvk_HS78ax5oE-awGE1n8Q-wSmFY/s1158/Hallertau.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1158" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJIGIc_hRGKeB09kliBrk-G-Wd3TsMa595s3ciQInzb1Rx9Cl7C3EwCLJSt34rNYohdE_GeJXWrPbbqaoOfSqhBzjOhvmVHlZ_wYLydBVFz0Qbwrnvk_HS78ax5oE-awGE1n8Q-wSmFY/w400-h249/Hallertau.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span><p style="font-family: times; text-align: center;">Photo by Chad Seward</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In this one, you dispatch workers onto an action board to gain building materials, sheep or crops, the latter of which you can plant to increase your supply. These resources are then used to progress your cottage board, unlock more workers and score mondo veeps at game's end!</span></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>There's a whole lot to admire here. I love how the action cards you acquire can be played at any time and you can leverage them to drive y</span><span>our strategies. I love the components and the art design. I love the game's breezy, six round play time. I </span><span>love the elegant rules RE: planting crops and how it exhausts the land while plots left to fallow are enriched. I love how a</span><span>ction spaces are rarely unavailable, but get more costly to visit the more they're in demand. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>What I don't love about <i>Hallertau</i> is math-ing out everything you need to advance your cottage every round but, hey, that's my </span><span>failing, not the game's. Just because I have the attention span of a squirrel and get distracted by shiny, if not </span><span>altogether practical, action spaces...that's all on me, not Uncle Uwe. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">To bear this, out I've played this game twice and ended up dead last both times just because I miss generating some specific resource. As a result, I invariably end up looking like this during phase nine, circa turn three and beyond:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AL_cP6jZLEtMez2wDAWylPDiT0nN58TmQ20u1blVkPgWeJJaJrw3AeV-a8GwkAwoq29tfBSef_Q0-Am3XDU_6x75z4kXGOxnQ5r6kLRvjMnwlqbdiFay-biccqxDWpKd_gxlCtDSfs/s300/confused.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AL_cP6jZLEtMez2wDAWylPDiT0nN58TmQ20u1blVkPgWeJJaJrw3AeV-a8GwkAwoq29tfBSef_Q0-Am3XDU_6x75z4kXGOxnQ5r6kLRvjMnwlqbdiFay-biccqxDWpKd_gxlCtDSfs/s0/confused.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Anyway you cut it, <i>Hallertau</i> is another example of Rosenberg's design brilliance. Like <i>Caverna</i>, I'll never hesitate to play this one given half the chance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Hallertau</i> scores five pips out of 6 with a mega-tilt up!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjeVBKDnU3bbpMbxnMI0Z65GODFN7dmO39yxuaVXOvVdyhGmadCbKUSYqNFtjROAi8QGcvXGiZ6w4CsOsNZ5TM7mZMlXPZfoCyv49vnZc_sLTfrVoCSrX1EVVAgUsLWSu54TpQNQtq7Q/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjeVBKDnU3bbpMbxnMI0Z65GODFN7dmO39yxuaVXOvVdyhGmadCbKUSYqNFtjROAi8QGcvXGiZ6w4CsOsNZ5TM7mZMlXPZfoCyv49vnZc_sLTfrVoCSrX1EVVAgUsLWSu54TpQNQtq7Q/w104-h106/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="104" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Next up: a pair of titles that share a similar theme, but interpret that theme in completely different ways! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>First up is <i>Spirit Island</i>, a co-op game where players take on the role of godlike entities </span><span>that use their special powers to aid the native population in a bid to stem the tide of foreign </span><span>invasion.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_F9oQ6VPWv6k1Da2ULhZamJczcL_GQi5r3JBrXm_gGp3ylnYzNFWv9qaHurtcL-W6yNWt49umzbn1GnS9zyYGztJ-LQX7UWFh9v38hIDCjZJ5QR98R6h4C0pBtECzmInhyphenhyphenQupT25giM/s843/Spirit+Island.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="749" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_F9oQ6VPWv6k1Da2ULhZamJczcL_GQi5r3JBrXm_gGp3ylnYzNFWv9qaHurtcL-W6yNWt49umzbn1GnS9zyYGztJ-LQX7UWFh9v38hIDCjZJ5QR98R6h4C0pBtECzmInhyphenhyphenQupT25giM/w568-h640/Spirit+Island.jpg" width="568" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>As the anti-</span><i>Catan</i><span>, </span><i>Spirit Island</i><span> a great concept, and it's really fun to chain together </span><span>your destructive elemental powers together in order to wreak havoc on all of those annoying, presumptuous </span><span>interlopers. Having said that, I'm not particularly keen on the game's art design and, like a lot of </span><span>co-ops, it definitely</span><span> suffers from BVS, or Bossy Veteran Syndrome</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">™</span><span>, a phenomenon whereby experienced </span><span>players often play out the turns of less-experienced folks. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Although we won, </span><span>the game is still largely a giant enigma to me, partially because we played with all of the expansions. I wouldn't mind trying just the vanilla game again one day, and within a group where I'm free to make my own catastrophic cock-ups. As it is with all good co-ops, I think you're meant to uncover </span><span>strategies through trial and error, and not worry about getting buzzed out just because you didn't propose the optimal move.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I give <i>Spirit Island</i> four pips outta six with a slight tilt up.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelGWOnXPxj85SRnBJ1nidFFbH8-8JJ1YZxHKfa8UOHhva-7K4yoOoLZqFAIh7FFyIKLVYzNin1Fs83jEhfRswHLBGSefiEUCriO6z4KUhBo1tptRU5IyocQsYuFySAoXMLOznF3jm-ts/s200/4+pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelGWOnXPxj85SRnBJ1nidFFbH8-8JJ1YZxHKfa8UOHhva-7K4yoOoLZqFAIh7FFyIKLVYzNin1Fs83jEhfRswHLBGSefiEUCriO6z4KUhBo1tptRU5IyocQsYuFySAoXMLOznF3jm-ts/w110-h110/4+pips.jpeg" width="110" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Next up: a fairly obscure little title called <i>Warband: Against the Darkness</i>. It's a <i>not-so-co-op</i> game where players take on the role of fantasy races </span><span>that use their special powers to aid the native population in a bid to stem the tide of foreign invasion. Sound familiar?</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-AKr0dEuHtnRVlF-ANxotLUHM7rfkGjelbevv1eElGygOWN5Dyvkbs0Wj8u_WzK3H_Mvsf4aFa32rM7GIzUTDWrDsCFR6rhju2cMy1qnxEP2EV443GSfqFIcld9mzOuJ49IV1sutNn4/s750/Warband+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-AKr0dEuHtnRVlF-ANxotLUHM7rfkGjelbevv1eElGygOWN5Dyvkbs0Wj8u_WzK3H_Mvsf4aFa32rM7GIzUTDWrDsCFR6rhju2cMy1qnxEP2EV443GSfqFIcld9mzOuJ49IV1sutNn4/s320/Warband+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike <i>Spirit Island</i>, however, this one is more straightforward but also more abstracted. It employs evolutionary powers, limited manpower, clever card play and jostling for preeminence among </span>the infantry, cavalry and archery wings of the titular warband in order to score the most prestige points whenever victories occur.</span></p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXVbNxAhtmWgkWVBL0vY5iyai5BlodvmnPp-CG8C3YZIoT-Qd7x_7UgEGpL_2qu9SDSLk0tF5N3IR2WBfRSJT7BhBb92d4US5xL9JQWZHjdvMMrOolusBI05O1gUdbcHNKfe858gKG5Y/s932/Warband+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="749" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXVbNxAhtmWgkWVBL0vY5iyai5BlodvmnPp-CG8C3YZIoT-Qd7x_7UgEGpL_2qu9SDSLk0tF5N3IR2WBfRSJT7BhBb92d4US5xL9JQWZHjdvMMrOolusBI05O1gUdbcHNKfe858gKG5Y/w514-h640/Warband+2.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>At the very least, </span><i>Warband</i><span> is quite unique, offering up some interesting choices and tempting players to pursue disparate strategies based on the wide variety o</span><span>f different races. My main demerit is that the races seem </span><span>wildly unbalanced and the "warband" you end up staffing with your peeps (read: black wooden cubes) is nothing more than a hierarchical chart printed on the board. Needless </span><span>to say, that doesn't do much for the game's theme. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I think I came in third out of four in game one and second in game two. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Warband</i> gets four pips out of six with a mild tilt up!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwVdLC3aqdl7go0v3QybYWc_g6sIJONEQ4PPCSBVGB01jBjgr3ftxRv3TbrKheBlb9tFb5Gr1tu79O9yHdkx3dt_ScgRBR8knrAdgCTWfnP8n_XgnIMKu6pbr_sdyshIVvP8i7A-DINc/s200/4+pips.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwVdLC3aqdl7go0v3QybYWc_g6sIJONEQ4PPCSBVGB01jBjgr3ftxRv3TbrKheBlb9tFb5Gr1tu79O9yHdkx3dt_ScgRBR8knrAdgCTWfnP8n_XgnIMKu6pbr_sdyshIVvP8i7A-DINc/w106-h107/4+pips.jpeg" width="106" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Although I never considered buying <i>Castle Panic</i> 'cuz the OG art design is effin' <i>atrocious</i>, I was all over <i>Star Trek Panic </i></span><span>when it first released back in 2016. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In this version, players take on the iconic roles of the original crew </span><span>and guide the <i>U.S.S. Enterprise</i> in battle against </span><span>iconic threats such as the Romulans, Klingons and the Tholians, all the while muddling </span><span>through various missions based on classic episodes of the original series</span><span>. Curiously, "Spock's Brain" or "The Way to Eden" are not included. <i> </i></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpirOWdXxmgWe-fo7Ykge30VimaR7bIOdD4GbJIVFfyELZa9f9w5em-Kh4kGjWvlA0Ju4KxLVJfuoRP54nANPqnUtTXy-p-ZLmlA6V8aFnfDOHVbdHJd7SixJw0xN9knDKw1OYOUOM8eU/s720/Star+Trek+Panic+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpirOWdXxmgWe-fo7Ykge30VimaR7bIOdD4GbJIVFfyELZa9f9w5em-Kh4kGjWvlA0Ju4KxLVJfuoRP54nANPqnUtTXy-p-ZLmlA6V8aFnfDOHVbdHJd7SixJw0xN9knDKw1OYOUOM8eU/w400-h400/Star+Trek+Panic+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll come right out and say this: I have an irrational love for <i>Star Trek Panic</i>! Unlike <i>Spirit Island</i>, </span>the game's co-op aspects always seem more conversational than dictatorial, although those conversations can sometimes feel like you're trapped in a temporal causality loop. </p><p>I love how varied the missions are, and some of them make navigating <span style="font-size: medium;">the ship just as important as phaser-<i>ing</i> threats. Character powers definitely feel like they're on point and the game's production values are ridiculously good, though arguably a tad impractical, especially as the ship takes damage.</span></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>My only issues stem from a lack of clarity RE: certain mission objectives and the confusion that can sometimes </span><span>result from the movement and attack matrix of cloaked ships and unique enemies. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Mike / Kirk, </span><span>Chad / Chekov and myself (Scotty)</span><span> managed to complete </span><span>our five year mission, which included </span><span>"Outpost Defense", "Distress Signal", </span><span>"The Day of the Dove", "The Deadly Years" and "The Enemy Within." But...<i style="font-weight: bold;">*whoof*</i>, as evidenced below,<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>the ol' <i>Enterprise</i> definitely needed a refit and some </span><span>shore leave when it was all over! </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPuF962vDdoJbEP7P_tzwium06p7o2r0FCKpKe1GaKnSm4wDICeCwSrYIGQ_xSwio6RU8GtK8K6HeGgAQ-jMvvN6WtkxhDRMiGww3FMVaqOfU-hHKbIgI-YWj5UjCZBwsJxEETjxXxbY/s965/Star+Trek+Panic+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPuF962vDdoJbEP7P_tzwium06p7o2r0FCKpKe1GaKnSm4wDICeCwSrYIGQ_xSwio6RU8GtK8K6HeGgAQ-jMvvN6WtkxhDRMiGww3FMVaqOfU-hHKbIgI-YWj5UjCZBwsJxEETjxXxbY/w498-h640/Star+Trek+Panic+2.jpg" width="498" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p>Check out my full review of this one right <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-wheaton-effect-part-nine-star-trek.html" target="_blank">here</a>! </p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The next two games are original mechanical fusions which really illustrate just how varied this hobby can be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><i>Sonora</i> is a "flick and write." Players flick numbered discs, <i>Crokinole</i>-style, onto an illustrated board. </span><span>Wherever your puck lands, you score points in one of the four mini-games. <i>Tha...tha...tha</i>...that's all folks!</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPNvZ_Hy5l42tzN67CgdW9o16RwMh8K3KKUgNNyEJo2Ii7cPNXqB6eTBS4kDVCAm_UjmmRkbggt85CDXUAqqkwZYNQOJ54O7Hm0_hhbJGWm8HlqDhBkQMfolNy2Zmpc8KSQbOW5JMTDs/s750/Sonora.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPNvZ_Hy5l42tzN67CgdW9o16RwMh8K3KKUgNNyEJo2Ii7cPNXqB6eTBS4kDVCAm_UjmmRkbggt85CDXUAqqkwZYNQOJ54O7Hm0_hhbJGWm8HlqDhBkQMfolNy2Zmpc8KSQbOW5JMTDs/w640-h640/Sonora.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Honestly, this one is pretty durned awesome. The four mini-games are gloriously distinct and players with a decent aptitude for flickage will definitely have an advantage over their rivals. In the game we played, I came in first! <i>Huzzah! </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>A part of me wishes that the score sheets were paper, 'cuz the minuscule mark n' wipe mat is not only teeny, it can also be messy and / or inadvertently erase-able, But, hey, </span><span>that's just a minor quibble. I'm seriously tempted to buy this one myself!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This one gets five pips outta six!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8Y5wFKkcyVCpnxtUJoKmY75xYu3KVMhkphiLM9fpdzevp4YwhHSgZg9-6uiOlXYVXptAqraVIoCTRlFjkrr91D8mpSA18t6Jwwyf_Q67t2U6Nvqqq9taD58UR9tq7PCZT_Cpn90kIP8/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8Y5wFKkcyVCpnxtUJoKmY75xYu3KVMhkphiLM9fpdzevp4YwhHSgZg9-6uiOlXYVXptAqraVIoCTRlFjkrr91D8mpSA18t6Jwwyf_Q67t2U6Nvqqq9taD58UR9tq7PCZT_Cpn90kIP8/w99-h105/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="99" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Next up: <i>Lost Ruins of Arnak</i>.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_5s_qcKZziUOqaQ0LDYRnPwDJLIVEp51jd0ZgMnkTKlEbyrjpxlH63b4rHmeo-naD0RKhE1kSv-4ihKvvT9t4ENWXzMoCzvnmlkpgRt_BXzyKuIrHvrAvoFT5PAYDkOquhsm6VqyLfE/s918/Arnak+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_5s_qcKZziUOqaQ0LDYRnPwDJLIVEp51jd0ZgMnkTKlEbyrjpxlH63b4rHmeo-naD0RKhE1kSv-4ihKvvT9t4ENWXzMoCzvnmlkpgRt_BXzyKuIrHvrAvoFT5PAYDkOquhsm6VqyLfE/w522-h640/Arnak+1.jpg" width="522" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Full disclosure: between its marriage of deck building and worker placement and the Indiana Jones-style jungle adventure / </span><span>artifact recovery theme, this one might as well have been called <i>Lost Ruins of Dave's Bank Account</i>. Add in amazing </span><span>art design, the ability to string several actions together, the option to pursue several different victory point paths and a compulsively-p</span><span>layable pace, this one is a legit winner! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I have no idea if it'll hold up to repeat plays but, <i>dagnabbit</i>, it's </span><span>another rarity that actually tempts me to loosen my increasingly-tight purse strings. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw9vMIVw0ryBwiXVfdPQt5SQ6N699NdANuxh8ZQKV6XC_mKsCganoTEfE9ME5rI3Y0UkngIEh0KFnF_4VMuAxK2Fvr-b5jBARDJVNwAOCTRdxFdkaCQbfdgIgPUDyiIbixX9QLYtud9g/s1000/Arnak+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw9vMIVw0ryBwiXVfdPQt5SQ6N699NdANuxh8ZQKV6XC_mKsCganoTEfE9ME5rI3Y0UkngIEh0KFnF_4VMuAxK2Fvr-b5jBARDJVNwAOCTRdxFdkaCQbfdgIgPUDyiIbixX9QLYtud9g/w480-h640/Arnak+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p>In our two-player contest, Andrew was the wiener. </p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Granted the game doesn't do anything wholly original, but the mechanical fusion is perfectly executed!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Arnak</i> scores five pips out of six with a tilt that nearly puts it at a perfect score!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pUuW06qCHu1iNk-4ZAjwvbj4b2aeD5lS34cWZpG-LiI7TuIXh155E5fcsjzUAA-va9BBjJQ2aAU2qx-OE69P6TmLicLdYQCC9wn93O7ocNWdkaaYPLgeYSwH9QU7m9dBRNjijDaJOo0/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pUuW06qCHu1iNk-4ZAjwvbj4b2aeD5lS34cWZpG-LiI7TuIXh155E5fcsjzUAA-va9BBjJQ2aAU2qx-OE69P6TmLicLdYQCC9wn93O7ocNWdkaaYPLgeYSwH9QU7m9dBRNjijDaJOo0/w100-h104/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then there's this goofy l'il filler game <i>Fallout Shelter. </i></span>This one is a lot quicker and less cumbersome than its parent game, which I reviewed <a href="http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/game-night-fallout.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Basically players build up a pool of workers designed to expand their collective environment and protect the shelter from irradiated interlopers. Victory points are doled out for eliminating threats, visiting certain spots in the shelter and building new rooms.</span></p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rh8MLOfp8QNT5Yw9Vz-uwrspPlVsV44tDcsXfZnVEWMi9MLTE0Ki-qsk_cOJSH-V2oM8oKdbraZOMlKgIk2rVApUVO-DX2BbRHroAERpZTkRwfRyC9UoN3-qNrCwzaQKybUPdqGIjcY/s1000/Fallout+Shelter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rh8MLOfp8QNT5Yw9Vz-uwrspPlVsV44tDcsXfZnVEWMi9MLTE0Ki-qsk_cOJSH-V2oM8oKdbraZOMlKgIk2rVApUVO-DX2BbRHroAERpZTkRwfRyC9UoN3-qNrCwzaQKybUPdqGIjcY/w480-h640/Fallout+Shelter.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Andrew and I played this one after <i>Arnak</i> and it proved to be a decent little diversion. There's not a whole lot going on here, </span>but it is a great way to either kick-start a game night or cool down after a brain-burner. With a big push on expanding my worker pool, cranking out new rooms and putting my shotgun to good use, I managed to secure the dubya!</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Fallout Shelter</i> scores three pips out of six, with a healthy tilt up.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqgoXHE0_9tQtrNv3azwwcGhAMhpg20ILQO2j7P_A_MQG_ryW9inEOSHKo-GLzWvQ7Wo9b0nWeUkhVx0OE6SV-L9iV5v1XEQ8tYpM9h4I95tf9pi-X2Of2bfVH4t-R870m5cRFyZj-Qw/s206/Three+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="191" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqgoXHE0_9tQtrNv3azwwcGhAMhpg20ILQO2j7P_A_MQG_ryW9inEOSHKo-GLzWvQ7Wo9b0nWeUkhVx0OE6SV-L9iV5v1XEQ8tYpM9h4I95tf9pi-X2Of2bfVH4t-R870m5cRFyZj-Qw/w108-h112/Three+pips.jpg" width="108" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>I also finally tackled </span><i>Root.</i><span> Given all of the fuss since its release, not to mention my love for asymmetrical, area control war games, this one has been </span><span>at the top of my "must play" list since forever! In fact, the only thing holding me back from buying it outright is the twee </span><span>animal theme and the lukewarm review given to the game by my beloved <a href="https://youtu.be/Gup6lTgGdjI" target="_blank">Shut Up and Sit Down</a> crew. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>So, the most daunting thing about <i>Root</i> is teaching participants how to play the game and <i>then</i> teaching everyone </span><span>how their own unique factions work. For example, a</span><span>t the start of the game, the downright legion Marquis de Cat is looking to set up a Saruman-esque </span><span>military/industrial complex, while the birds of the Eyrie go from zero to 100 with their litany of increasingly-cumbersome programmed </span><span>moves, the Alliance sets up dissent and executes rebellions and the individual Vagabond tries to play nice with all of the factions while trying to foster </span><span>their own secret agenda.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T25dEveR3oXcnwDjvn3nP7pAVCQ4_Lqa9wmbrbqznwhKmbSRjEC5fk8dWlPc0XsObHx4XVDgfBPnM8buRRss8Nt5Exy_Srhq66sdMzcEASMMS1mc7Y8TNYR0X3dO4haLvmh7jt9D_v8/s750/Root.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="750" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T25dEveR3oXcnwDjvn3nP7pAVCQ4_Lqa9wmbrbqznwhKmbSRjEC5fk8dWlPc0XsObHx4XVDgfBPnM8buRRss8Nt5Exy_Srhq66sdMzcEASMMS1mc7Y8TNYR0X3dO4haLvmh7jt9D_v8/w640-h542/Root.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Photo by Samantha Burns</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>D</span><span>espite my initial reservations, I had a lot of fun with this one and, honestly, it really resonated with me. As expected, </span><span>I absolutely loved the asymmetrical elements of the game. IMHO, every decent war game <i>has</i> to be asymmetrical because </span><span>no faction is ever truly equal in a realistic conflict. Things like terrain, resources, economy, political structure, </span><span>secret agendas and initial starting military power are all elegantly simulated here. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In fact, the relative complexity of the different factions actually works in the game's favor since new players can take the relatively-straightforward Marquis de Cat and experienced players </span><span>can choose the Alliance or the Eyrie! </span><span>Granted, I'm still not the hugest fan of the cutesy components, but even I have to admit that they tend to disarm any </span><span>rancor that often starts a-brewin' in most directly-conflict-y games. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>In fact, just about the only flaw I think of is that it shares an unfortunate trait </span><span>with garbage games like <i>Zombies!!!</i> and <i>Munchkin</i> in that, as soon as someone starts to close in </span><span>on their 30'th victory point, the other players dog-pile onto them in order to knock 'em down a peg or two. Then another player makes a bid for </span><span>it and suffers a similar fate. Rinse and repeat until someone makes a move and wins just because everyone else around the table is fresh out of tricks! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Regardless of this inherent flaw, <i>Root</i> has lingered with me more than any other game I've played recently. I'm not sure if it has an audience in any of my game groups or a future home in my library, but I'd definitely be willing to play it </span><span>again sometime down the road.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Root</i> scores 5 pips outta five with a wee l'il tilt down.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe1hf8aO9U4TiLCsfw3W9mbUTiQMdf66vHJMC1rH1GG9gZ9_G5tS8QUFQZ9tMngST4gRuxVC7UFHYe-HzjXRYT03NaLnC2iIC08naqg5Mc7wTr31bjkFOJxf-3ZOhDBKUUsfYHvYOvBE/s207/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="207" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe1hf8aO9U4TiLCsfw3W9mbUTiQMdf66vHJMC1rH1GG9gZ9_G5tS8QUFQZ9tMngST4gRuxVC7UFHYe-HzjXRYT03NaLnC2iIC08naqg5Mc7wTr31bjkFOJxf-3ZOhDBKUUsfYHvYOvBE/w106-h109/5+pips+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="106" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Finally, I recently revisited <i>Above and Below</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>This is another fascinating fusion of worker assignment, world building and "choose your own adventure"-style story gaming. T</span><span>riple threat Ryan Lauket designed the </span><span>game, did all of the amazing art and also wrote the storybook. In the immortal words of Darth Vader: "Impressive...<i>most impressive</i>."</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOalWbtCnJO5d1BOTwdTfjcbVFflQIDmxufVxwhcsNDf8973bl7nU0H3Hn_WljZFIhUhTYzxZr7HF0SsqVd_IHFyHIzDeYAHDs7pZWoFXMTZWS6nKQoPpxybT2iuUn271HQ9f8zO0EUU/s944/Above+and+Below.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="749" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOalWbtCnJO5d1BOTwdTfjcbVFflQIDmxufVxwhcsNDf8973bl7nU0H3Hn_WljZFIhUhTYzxZr7HF0SsqVd_IHFyHIzDeYAHDs7pZWoFXMTZWS6nKQoPpxybT2iuUn271HQ9f8zO0EUU/w508-h640/Above+and+Below.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Just about my only quibble about this one is that it seems to end just as everything gets geared up, but just as strong a case could be made that </span>the game doesn't overstay its welcome. In the game we played the other night, I eked out the win. </p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>F#ck it, I give <i>Above and Below</i> a perfect six pips outta six with the wee-est of tilt's down. Many games have come and gone outta my game library, but this one's got a </span><span>permanent spot on my shelf. </span><span> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vvVaSnmp8mKr2iUIu-OSqomQHXyyCCDgu4WfBJHawaGN-uA28ZgTjfcSFEOn_h2fEsCiky9SQRk-Np2B90nZ_maKLiQmOH1SK7_J9H_5QHRxu-9kZo9Ct7GmcPxZhf-nPyfcrP4fFWc/s206/six+pips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="203" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vvVaSnmp8mKr2iUIu-OSqomQHXyyCCDgu4WfBJHawaGN-uA28ZgTjfcSFEOn_h2fEsCiky9SQRk-Np2B90nZ_maKLiQmOH1SK7_J9H_5QHRxu-9kZo9Ct7GmcPxZhf-nPyfcrP4fFWc/w109-h110/six+pips.jpg" width="109" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Coming up: more micro-reviews including the deck-builder <i>The Taverns Of Tiefenthal, </i>a retrospective look at <i>Caverna: The Cave Farmers </i>and much, much more! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stay tuned, yuz nerds!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></p>
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<br />David Prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223458627724051713noreply@blogger.com0