Dean’s 5LB Campaign

[Dean]

Thanks Freddy!

[Plynkes]

I once played a dungeon crawl at the Tactica in Hamburg that had a beautifully detailed tabletop of the surface world which lifted off in sections to reveal the tunnels beneath, as the players discovered them. Maybe the most impressive tabletop I ever played a game on. While I'd love to do the same myself, I am way too lazy and inept to build something like that.


So when it comes to Five Leagues dungeoneering, I have chickened out and will be going the floorplans route if we ever do any. I like your solution, though. Like Freddy said, a good way of getting a game in at short notice if the random tables throw a dungeon at you.

[Dean]

Wow that does sound impressive, but yeah I plan to make some room and corridor tiles for Delves, l was indeed caught on the hop when the Site Battle came up, but that for me is part of the fun to then tie what the tables give you back into the story arc. 

For anyone not playing 5LB, each ‘turn’ has some dice rolls to generate what happens leading up to the battle, of which there are six types each with a different table layout, enemy positioning, special rules, and victory conditions.  This combined with random encounters along the way, a whole host of different foes and bosses, and then alternative options for getting into trouble like riding patrol, fulfilling a contract, or a linked set of events for a Quest, are keeping me amused of a weekly basis.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a short tabletop skirmish (2 to 3 hours from setup to putting away) and an excuse to paint a variety of minis, or indeed just dust off stuff you already have.

[Dean]

I’ve been having some fun with filling out the figures I need, so here are some cultists, various individual enemy characters, and a captive for the next part of the quest - all Vae Victis sculpts rendered by 3DEN Prints. Also some Giant Rats - Tytan Troll sculpts.

[Plynkes]

Oh nice. I have some giant rats and cultists to do myself. 


Well, not that much of a coincidence, actually, as I also have giant spiders, gargoyley imp-type things and a bunch of other stuff too.

[Dean]

  Yeah but it’s fun matching stuff up to the lists, and I’m trying to restrain myself and re-use things from the Saga armies as much as I can, but it’s giving me a great excuse for some other purchases 

[Pattus Magnus]

One must be careful about excuses for new purchases, it’s a slippery slope! The results of your existing purchasing and painting certainly look good, though, so I’ll desist with being a voice of reason. Carry on buying and painting, I will enjoy seeing your next set of figures!

[Dean]

  Thanks mate, yeah I know what you mean, I already have my eye on a box of the North Star Gnolls, and I love their new Human Light Infantry, both should give me plenty to play with

[Plynkes]

As you don't need so many figures for Five Leagues, I've found a good way to keep things from getting out of hand is to buy single sprues or pairs of sprues. I just got some gnolls myself. 


You can get all the Frostgrave sprues from sellers on eBay (at least on eBay UK you can). You might end up spending a little bit more per individual figure, but you aren't forking out fifteen to twenty quid for a box full of figures, most of which you don't really need.

Edit: Though you are playing other games too, so maybe you DO want those extras figures (not familiar with AoM and how many figures it needs).

[Dean]

A good point well made sir 

[Dean]

“Rather than return straight to Freefield we decided to check out the source of the camp fire at the forest edge we spotted the evening before.  So we made Ivar comfortable and set off again, unprepared for the strange sights we were to behold.  Twisted men who had clearly fallen under the influence of an insidious cult, and needed to be purged!”

The team managed to get into pretty good positions before the enemy realised, and as soon as they were spotted, Miyago shot one.  Spreet missed though, and drew too much attention, and the returning crossbow bolt didn’t miss!  Then Gunnar found himself facing something other than a simple cultist and a tough battle ended with both of them down! Leonidas faired better and took down his opponent.

Taking no chances, Dorothea cast Distract on the enemy archer, giving the rest of the gang time to close in and get the initiative. Leonidas struck first and killed the threat. Spreet and Miyago both scored wounds.  Miyago went to fire again, found just one arrow left in her large quiver, but made it count (and Dorothea cast Darts to refill her quiver). Erik also killed a cultist, but it seems the remaining two felt no fear and kept coming. Leonidas meanwhile looted the enemy camp, finding a very nice new staff for Dorothea.

Leonidas killed another cultist and then the final one rashly decided to attack him and that didn’t end well, the battle was over. Finally the team could rush to Gunnar’s aid, and found him sitting shaking his head groggily, he’d just been knocked out!

“I found myself in combat with a dangerous enemy agent, somewhat more skilled than the average cultist.  A hard fought battle, I finally bested him, but in a counterattack with his last dying breath, he rendered me unconscious!  Thankfully the gang were successful without me and a search of the enemy alerted us to the location of their secret hideout.”

[Plynkes]

Grrrr, cultists are a pain! And what is more of a pain is when your idiot warband members turn up for a fight with only one arrow in their quiver! 

[Dean]

8 - “Back in camp that night we realise Ivar is not doing too well and we decamp first thing in the morning for Frostfire Ford.  Along the way we meet a travelling bard to finishes the journey with us and promises to sing of our great deeds in the future.”

“We get Ivar to a healer, and plan to spend time training, but then word reached us from the monks that one of their number has been captured by Slave Raiders nearby, and the next part of their quest is to rescue him. The slavers intended to make their way through the Dark Marshes, but had camped before moving too far in and that is where we came upon them.  They were clearly preparing to move and some of their number were already scouting the best path through the marsh, we must hurry before our chance is lost!”

The team, especially Gunnar with his Scout’s Cloak, manage to get quite close before being spotted, the race is now on to rescue the captive before the enemy can get him away.

Spreet downed a slinger, Miyako started firing on the troops in the Marsh to hold them at bay, and the rest of the team charged out of the trees.  Sadly the enemy were over their surprise, but Dorothea distracted the remaining slinger and the slaver who attacked Gunnar payed the ultimate price for his courage, and Gunnar was free to get close enough to the lead slaver, though could not yet defeat him.  The remaining slinger was now fighting for his life and proving to be a tough little beggar, LeoNidas was fought to a standstill and Erik took a wound!  At this point a couple of the slavers in the marsh decided they had had enough.

Gunnar still couldn’t kill the enemy leader but did manage to push him away from the captive, but now the slinger took out Erik and the last two slavers had made it back out of the marsh! 

Leonidas finally took out the slinger and Spreet shot another slaver, leaving just two on the field. Leonidas killed one, freeing the prisoner again, while Gunnar finally bested the leader.  The day was theirs!

“Having rescued the captive, one Brother Marcus, and got him back to Frostfire safely, we install Erik at the same healer as Ivar, both will need a couple of weeks before they can rejoin us, at which point we will need to escort the monk back to his brethren in Freefield”.

[Dean]

Grrrr, cultists are a pain! And what is more of a pain is when your idiot warband members turn up for a fight with only one arrow in their quiver! 

  Yeah, there has been a discussion about that rule on the Facebook Group, but I like it, a little jeopardy adds to the game 

[Plynkes]

Oh yeah, we like it too, always makes us laugh when it happens on a character's first shot of the game. We're not going to house-rule that away, it's fun.