Shadowgrave? Spellcaster? *grave games crossover potential? GG’s FG rambling…

[Grumpy Gnome]

I see Blaster 3 has come out and with it Shadowgrave 2, the second part of the horror expansion for the *grave series of games.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/359671/BLASTER-Volume-3?%3Faffiliate_id=132096&fbclid=IwAR2h9dpZuJ8DsAL0Db4UQOCqo-nGg_iR0_FSsWvl8lL4Pp1xv2beQWnhsrw

Does anyone have experience with these expansions in Blaster?

What is your opinion of them?

Edit: Over 100 views and no replies? I guess I am not the only one that finds Blaster too expensive to try…

[Grumpy Gnome]

Considering the lack of response to my Shadowgrave question… I have opened this up a bit to cover other questions I have.

Having ordered some second hand Frostgrave books I am now more firmly on the path of introducing the *grave series of Games to my Tarnished Splendor project. I am curious what more experienced players feel of these games and their expansions as I am as always rather late to the party.

At the very least I am keen to add captains and gun powder to the games…

[LiamFrostfang]

  i love all of joes games....and i cant wait for more spellcaster...great stuff!!!!

[Admiral Alder]

I guess I am not the only one that finds Blaster too expensive to try…

Far from it - I'm happy to support the games' creator by buying Spellcaster and other "Rangers of OathGrave" products, however Blaster is a lot of expense when I'm only interested in 10% of the content

[Grumpy Gnome]

Far from it - I'm happy to support the games' creator by buying Spellcaster and other "Rangers of OathGrave" products, however Blaster is a lot of expense when I'm only interested in 10% of the content

Rangers of Oathgrave… ha! I laughed. But yeah, too much in those Blasters that I will not use. The Spellcaster PDFs I will get at some point though. Seems like good value for money.

Any advice anyone has in any regard for a new person getting started in the Rangers of Oathgrave series of games is most appreciated!

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Any advice anyone has in any regard for a new person getting started in the Rangers of Oathgrave series of games is most appreciated!

My one bit of advice:  Don't be afraid to proxy like mad until you're sure what you need/want. 

I know people who tried to get started by going through and making huge shopping and painting lists for every possible randomly-appearing critter, multiples of every soldier type, ambitious plans for multiple tables worth of terrain - and then they never got the mountain of projects done and hardly even played the games.  It's easy to bite off more than you can chew with McCullough's stuff (partly because the figs are so inexpensive) when you're better off tapping existing collections for "close-enough" figs and easing your way into things with more modest projects.

[BZ]

"Rangers of OathGrave"

Thanks for the free advertisement! 

Any advice anyone has in any regard for a new person getting started in the Rangers of Oathgrave series of games is most appreciated!

Take one, which You like at most (I took Frostgrave), they have the same engine (only RoSD is another type of game, not really a skirmish, more like an RPG). What I would recommend, if You want to make new miniatures for it, to plan Your warband. Ity possible to make 2 complete, but basic warbands from one Northstar plastic box (+leaders):
https://oathgrave.blogspot.com/2020/10/9-frostgrave-soldiers.html
Or even to use them in Oathmark, or other games:
https://oathgrave.blogspot.com/2021/04/48-frostgrave-sets-in-oathmark-with.html

And remember, dont get mad on the dice! 

[Grumpy Gnome]

Humanoid character models I have plenty of. Monsters… not so much. And terrain is a constant project with ongoing progress.

So I guess I will be proxying like mad for awhile.

That said, the first set of Frostgrave books arrived today with the last Ghost Archipelago book I needed…. and where I originally had no intention to play a necromancer at any point after seeing you can become a lich I am finding that tempting just for the pure ambitious craziness of it.

I can see myself easily biting off more than I can chew. Mrs. GG just sighed and rolled her eyes when I told her.

Edit: Nice blog by the way BZ. First time I have seen it. Unfortunately blogspot can be challenging to comment on and follow.

[Ogrob]

To be honest I bought the latest Blaster just for Sludge (just I say, it's a complete game) and mythos is not really my cup of tea. Haven't even read the Shadowgrave bits despite being a huge Frostgrave fan. I like almost everything Joe writes, but not everything is going to make it to my game table.

[Grumpy Gnome]

In a game world with various supernatural horrors adding Mythos Horror to the usual demonic line up sounds good to me. Plus additional scenarios are always nice.

Sludge sounds interesting to me but is not Mrs. GG’s cup of tea (neither is Mythos Horror) and I really need to avoid another genre.

Joe does make the Mythos rules sound appealing…

http://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com/2020/11/cthulhu-comes-to-frostgrave-ghost.html

[Darkson71]

Any advice anyone has in any regard for a new person getting started in the Rangers of Oathgrave series of games is most appreciated!

My first question is: are you going to be mainly playing solo, or mainly verses other people?
If solo, I'd say go with Rangers of SHadow Deep, as that is designed as a solo (or co-op) game, rather than being 'bolted on' as it is for *Grave.

2nd question is: what is your preferred type of game - skirmish or unit-based?
Skirmish you want *Grave, unit-based you want Oathmark.

3rd question is: Favourite genre to play - fantasy or sci-fi?
Fantasy - pick up Frostgrave. Sci-fi - pick up Stargrave.

But for all games, never, ever be afraid to proxy and 'counts as'. We played a scenario of Rangers using nothing but strips of paper and stuff we could find in the hall's kitchen (when the guy bringing the terrain forgot), and it didn't detract from the fun of the game.

[Grumpy Gnome]

The plan is to play mainly solo, with some coop.

I realize that RoSD is built from the ground up to do this, unlike FG and GA…. but my wife and I really like the setting for GA and FA has so much interesting material that seems a shame to miss out on. So we will be looking for ways to adjust things to suit our play style.

We will be focusing on skirmish rather than unit.

For sci-fi my current go to skirmish game is Core Space. I am curious to see if there might be things in Stargrave that I can use to enhance Core Space.

We are also wondering how we might integrate The Silver Bayonet (Napoleonic Gothic Horror) when it comes out as we are debating on whether to use these games for our current Tarnished Splendor project (which was already looking at a mashup of Sharp Practice, 7th Sea and Blood & Plunder).

My current thinking is to use the RoSD rules as the core then use FG and GA to create modified expansions for RoSD.

[Chief Lackey Rich]

My current thinking is to use the RoSD rules as the core then use FG and GA to create modified expansions for RoSD.

I'm not positive but the fan community may already be producing those, so you might find inspiration online with some poking around.  The Rangers mechanics are very loosely tied to their own setting, and porting them over for use in (let's call them what they are) adventure modules set in the Archipelago or around Felstad seems pretty effortless.  Probably want to stick to the relatively low-powered rangers as your protags rather than trying to squeeze full-powered wizards or heritors into the game, ore even apprentices and wardens.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the inevitable similar take on Rangers for Stargrave's setting - "Rangers of the Stellar Abyss" or somesuch.  Likely be a fan effort rather than McCullough's own work though.  The teasers so far make it sound like he's working on a semi-co-op "Star Wars Rebellion" style campaign variant where your crews are trying to break up the Pirate Fleets and re-establish galactic civilization rather than just scrapping over loot, but that's probably far off yet.

[Grumpy Gnome]

I have been poking around the internet trying to find things the fan community has already made rather than try to reinvent the wheel on my own. It certainly seems possible but it sounds like it will be hit and miss on balance… which I am fine with.

It will be interesting to see where Stargrave goes but it is The Silver Bayonet that really has me sitting on the edge of my seat.

[Chief Lackey Rich]

It will be interesting to see where Stargrave goes but it is The Silver Bayonet that really has me sitting on the edge of my seat.

That one sounds interesting too, although my figure collection is going to need some expanding to play it.  I've got some historicals that would work for skirmish, but my gothic horror monster selection is a bit thin.