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Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: D. Brownie on November 10, 2019, 02:45:20 PM
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Hy guys,
I recently found this almost unknown set of fantasy skirmish rules: Bladestorm 2nd edition by I.C.E.
http://www.bladestorm.mx/downloads/
Here you can find some free downloads including Quick start rules.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/211086/bladestorm-second-edition/ratings?comment=1
I don't want to go too deep, but it's an awesome set of rules with a strong rpgish and dndish flavour.
I think that the only really bad things Is the setting, but not a real problem since Is very malleable. I'm going to play with a forgotten realms setting, that's my fantasy childhood world.
What I like more, a part of classical dnd PC classes, are the big amount of HP that can be involved.... In many wargames everything has 1HP and it's only matter of doing the right Attack. Here a Red Dragon has 360 HP and a value of 4616 points while my basic 6 Adventurers sum a Total of 1126 pt with a maximum of 12hp. I love it :-*
But with the good campaign rules you can slowly become more and more powerful.
The game Is substantially well balanced, even if some minor adjuststment have to be made. There Is a good point system and you can create every creature you want but some things are not considered (i e. No point for Flight ability - I Simply decided to make It cost 20 pt).
The only big change Is in the turn system that's a bit old school, so I decided to do more alternance between players.
Old/Warhammer School Is the use of Square bases with consequent LoS, but if you treat it in light way Is not a problem (my bases are all round - direction Is where Is pointed the face), but on the contrary has interesting tactical implications.
In conclusion I feel like I was young and playing ADnD with minis, that's awesome... All TSR skirmish wargame rules are a great delusion....
I'm going to do an Adventure campaign with my wife, in which we Will play 1 vs 1, coop vs AI, 1 vs Monsters...
But Firstly I'm going to play a solo game of Bladestorm using the RoSD setting of Mission 1 (the missing). I sincerely don't know how It Will go, but I'll try... ;)
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[looks at first edition boxed set on shelf three feet away] Almost unknown, you say? :? I haven't bothered with the new edition, but I was aware it added significant light roleplay elements to the original game, which was more a small-to-mid sized skirmish wargame and lacked a campaign system. The setting is derived from the Rolemaster Shadow World RPG world, and the game mechanics borrow heavily from Silent Death, which uses the same of attack rolls using polyhedral dice reading high/low/medium for damage and modifying for armor.
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Searching on internet and looking on forums I never Heard about It since Reading the topic about skirmish fantasy games here on LAF. Always in search of THE game (for me obviously) I took informations or bought all of them....
Bladestorm Is my results.
Base game dynamics are the same of 1st edition but the game has been improved from many point of views as you said.
Here my dwarf warband:
From left to right:
Barbarian Thorin Bloodaxe, pt 172
Paladin of Moradin Orsik Ironfist, pt 228
Magician Baelnar Greybeard, pt 162
Rogue Hamlin Goldflair, pt 203
Cleric of Gorm Gulthyn Hagan One-eyed, pt 188
Fighter Vondal Axebite, pt 173
In the second edition there are very few premade Monsters. 1st edition bestiary Is very useful, but you have to calculate by yourself points and adjust some statistics according 2nd edition rules.
In the game I'm going to play there Will be 2 Monsters: zombies (120pt) and giant rats I made by myself (64 pt).
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My bladestorm/RoSD game didn't go well. The magician died soon and other Adventurers have many difficulties to kill Monsters suffering many wounds. A bit too hard and not balanced. Zombies are weak in Attack but strong in defense. I spent all my time killing 8 of them and 3 rats, but I could Discovery only 2 of 5 objective markers....
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I do also have the original 1st edition boxed set (bought second hand) + bestiary supplement in my rules collection. However, they haven't seen much action on the table so far.
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If you like game dynamics 2nd edition has great improvements.
As I said I found It by accident...
Tons of games, Little Company with blog almost all in German, game not perfect with some things not clear to adjust by yourself, Monsters with no point costs from the old book, a questionable setting...
But I like It very much! Great toolbox to translate my ideas of a RPG fantasy world into a miniature wargame.
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I have heard some other people also commenting about not being too fond of the setting, but I actually liked it - though it is certainly quite on the the dark fantasy side. But in any case the rules are not setting specific.
Apparently there was also a small series of figures released by Grenadier - though from the review I have read, they were quite bad by the standards of the time.
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Whats the dice mechanic like?
How much crunch is there?
Being based on rolemaster I'm thinking there's a lot.
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Actually, the dice mechanics are not derived from Rolemaster, but from Silent Death space fighter game released by ICE around the same time.
Essentially, to perform an attack you roll some combination of dice and modifiers (e.g. D6 + D10 + 3) which needs to beat the defense value of the target (e.g. 12). If this is succesful, the amount of damage is determined from one or more of the dice (e.g. the one that rolled highest or lowest) and to this can be then applied a multiplier or modifier. Your basic human combatant might be able to take maybe 10 points of damage before being out of action. (The above is going from memory, I haven't touched the rules for a while.)
As for Rolemaster-level crunchiness, around the same time ICE also released War Law mass battle supplement for RM, which could probably be used as a game on its own.
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Essentially, to perform an attack you roll some combination of dice and modifiers (e.g. D6 + D10 + 3) which needs to beat the defense value of the target (e.g. 12). If this is succesful, the amount of damage is determined from one or more of the dice (e.g. the one that rolled highest or lowest) and to this can be then applied a multiplier or modifier. Your basic human combatant might be able to take maybe 10 points of damage before being out of action. (The above is going from memory, I haven't touched the rules for a while.)
If anyone interested can download for free Quick start rules and Hero and classes cards via RPGNOW....
http://www.bladestorm.mx/downloads/
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As for Rolemaster-level crunchiness, around the same time ICE also released War Law mass battle supplement for RM, which could probably be used as a game on its own.
Thank you kindly, that sounds even crunchier than expected. I'll move along quietly then :)
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Thank you kindly, that sounds even crunchier than expected. I'll move along quietly then :)
It's really not. If anything it's easier and more intuitive than (say) the Song of XXXX stuff from Ganesha, which is about the same "scope" of game in terms of figs and play time. You're making one dice roll (usually 2-3 dice) compared to a static number to determine whether you hit, and the same roll determines damage. Relatively few models have multiple attacks, and gameplay is quick and bloody. I can't speak for game balance or campaign play in 2nd ed, but 1st was always a smooth-playing game and easy to pick up and teach. Biggest handicap was the general lack of support from ICE after release and a rather ugly line of dedicated miniatures.
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I have heard some other people also commenting about not being too fond of the setting, but I actually liked it - though it is certainly quite on the the dark fantasy side. But in any case the rules are not setting specific.
I rather like the Bladelands setting myself, at least for minis skirmish games. The whole idea of a sort-of-lost continent where large armies literally can't be used (they attract the attention of ancient magical defenses that are effectively tornadoes made of swords and other sharp pointy things) with a kajillion small feuding factions felt like a great backdrop and plausible excuse for keeping forces small and fights speedy. Admittedly ICE's writing on the fluff wasn't exactly compelling, but the concept was sound.
Apparently there was also a small series of figures released by Grenadier - though from the review I have read, they were quite bad by the standards of the time.
Our FLGS back in the day stocked them, and they were pretty darned horrible. Not only were the sculpts ugly, they were fairly expensive and lacking in much variety. Neat that the game let you do whole warbands of sea trolls or ogru, not so neat that their were only a couple of sculpts of each. The more normal races were better supported, but because there were so many factions even the main human "nations" generally only had a pack or two of figs. And this was back in 1st ed, when the game was a little more small-army oriented - many scenarios called for 30-60 figs (which admittedly often wound up with everyone fleeing in terror from a descending bladestorm).
But like you said, the rules aren't tied to the setting, and can be used with any fantasy figs and most pre-gunpowder historicals.
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My bladestorm/RoSD game didn't go well. The magician died soon and other Adventurers have many difficulties to kill Monsters suffering many wounds. A bit too hard and not balanced. Zombies are weak in Attack but strong in defense. I spent all my time killing 8 of them and 3 rats, but I could Discovery only 2 of 5 objective markers....
Not familiar with the 2nd ed changes or the scenario you were playing, but zombies are dirt slow. Maybe better to avoid them as much as possible and go do whatever "discovery" objectives the game calls for while your toughest characters stall the bulk of the baddies? Assuming decent armor, defense, and endurance, a single Dwarf warrior type ought to be able to stand there tanking four or more zombies for quite a while. d6+d10-1 for Low damage is fairly wretched offense.
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Thank you kindly, that sounds even crunchier than expected. I'll move along quietly then :)
I loved rolemaster - was always my RPG of choice :-)
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It's really not. If anything it's easier and more intuitive than (say) the Song of XXXX stuff from Ganesha, which is about the same "scope" of game in terms of figs and play time. You're making one dice roll (usually 2-3 dice) compared to a static number to determine whether you hit, and the same roll determines damage. Relatively few models have multiple attacks, and gameplay is quick and bloody. I can't speak for game balance or campaign play in 2nd ed, but 1st was always a smooth-playing game and easy to pick up and teach. Biggest handicap was the general lack of support from ICE after release and a rather ugly line of dedicated miniatures.
Totally agree! Not Easy as Frostgrave, but not very complicated.
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Not familiar with the 2nd ed changes or the scenario you were playing, but zombies are dirt slow. Maybe better to avoid them as much as possible and go do whatever "discovery" objectives the game calls for while your toughest characters stall the bulk of the baddies? Assuming decent armor, defense, and endurance, a single Dwarf warrior type ought to be able to stand there tanking four or more zombies for quite a while. d6+d10-1 for Low damage is fairly wretched offense.
You are right! In fact died only the unprotected magician, but on the other side it's hard for me to kill Zombies...
This was only a test. With my forthcoming campaign I'm going to calibrate Better all the things, but Always starting with Adventurers with no experience
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I remember Bladestorm coming out when I was a teenager; I was quite intrigued by it but never actually bought or played it.
The accompanying miniatures (still available from Mirliton here (http://www.mirliton.it/fantasy-25-28mm/grenadier-classic/bladestorm)) were a mixed bag; I really like the river ogres and sea trolls, and I don't mind the two types of goblins (the mountain goblins are very The Princess and the Goblin). But most of them are fairly grim - and they were certainly much worse than most of the stuff that Grenadier produced.
I read through the free rules a while back. What do those who have played it see as its main attraction? The combined damage/to-hit roll seems quite elegant, with a very wide range of potential damage, but I don't recall anything that seemed particularly striking in the way that SoBH's risk/reward system and Fistful of Lead's card-based activation are. It was a while ago, though ...
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The more normal races were better supported, but because there were so many factions even the main human "nations" generally only had a pack or two of figs.
There certainly were a lot of factions in Folenn. Just the Warring Holds region, which was the focus of the 1st edition sourcebook, had 10 human factions plus at least 7 other races. And then there is the rest of the Folenn, which contained over 40 other less detailed realms. Plus on top of that there are the raiders from other continents, secret factions, animated constructs, beasts living in the wilderness etc.
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I read through the free rules a while back. What do those who have played it see as its main attraction? The combined damage/to-hit roll seems quite elegant, with a very wide range of potential damage, but I don't recall anything that seemed particularly striking in the way that SoBH's risk/reward system and Fistful of Lead's card-based activation are. It was a while ago, though ...
That's kind of a tough one, in part since I haven't tried 2nd ed. 1st appealed to me partly out of familiarity. The dice mechanics are a breeze for Silent Death fans (which I am) and the rest of the rules were very much bog-standard for fantasy wargames of the period, from the slightly clunky formation rules to morale to the general feel of things. Not much innovation there, but effortless to pick up. Probably feels dated today to younger players, but for me it's like going back 2nd or 3rd ed Warhammer or D&D Battlesystem or even Legions of the Petal Throne - homey and nostalgic.
I was also something of a fan of the setting and general premise, and just generally liked ICE products in those days, even they tended to be written rather dryly and the RPG mechanics were rather convoluted. As I said earlier the idea of a magical "weather" effect ("It's raining swords...") restricting fights to at most large skirmish scale was an appealing idea.
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As I said earlier the idea of a magical "weather" effect ("It's raining swords...") restricting fights to at most large skirmish scale was an appealing idea.
Also the threat of incoming bladestorm would force a battle to the halt, as the combatants would rather retreat than face it. Thus after every turn there would be a test to see if such a storm appeared - and the larger the battle the higher the chance of summoning it, thus the commanders of larger forces would have to act more decisively to achieve their objectives. That said, many of the realms in Folenn were relatively small, and would not have been able to muster massive forces in the first place.
Bladestorms also acted as a plot device in another way, as sometimes ancient magical artefacts could be found left lying around afterwards, and a conflict would take place for their control. I think one of the scenarios in the book involved an ancient dwarven helmet that had ended up with new owners this way...