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Author Topic: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)  (Read 2863 times)

Offline Pil

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The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« on: August 16, 2022, 10:09:49 PM »
On this BOYL I played an awesome game of Helsreach hosted by Curtis Fell of Ramshackle Games, using his awesome terrain and our own miniatures. Here is a report from mostly my perspective.


The table before setup, the gate features promimently. Before it lies the wasteland with an outlaw trading post and a massive broken statue. Behind it lie the merchants and the enforcers who protect the mayor of Helsreach.

The players:
Curtis: umpire, games master and controller of all forces present on the table before setup (Squat enforcers and Ramshackle figures)
Pablo: controller of three tooled up bounty hunters (Strontium Dog figures)
Alex: controller of the hermit crab defiler (massive walker figure)
Chris: controller of the militia (Catachan figures and bikers)
Arjen (me): controller of the savages (Future Wars figures)

The game in a nutshell:
Helsreach is played using classic Necromunda rules, with the addition of basic vehicle rules. The vehicle rules mostly accomodate for transportation and to a lesser extent destruction.

The game is a sandbox with the only objective to maximise the amount of Helsreach Victory Points (HVP).

Helsreach Victory Points are earned by completing minor or major objectives. They can be spent to respawn fallen figures and vehicles and to buy healing and ammo, and anything else the umpire allows. This allows the game to continue indefinitely.


Rebuilding the statue is one of the major objectives of the game. The three missing pieces are scattered about the settlement.

The setup:
I place my savages in the wasteland, ready to collect loot for pay.

The other players place their models inside Helsreach.


The inside of Helsreach, the defiler is deployed next to half a head of the statue in the foreground.

Stage 1: wall breach and first money earned.

Alex' defiler starts the game by picking up a piece of the statue (the head), and breaching the wall to get to the statue instead of going though the gate. This immediately gains him the attention of the squat enforcers.


My savages collect loot and load it in their vehicles. Being declared an outlaw I have to bring it to the outlaw trading post rather than to the market.

Chris' militia take similar action but inside Helsreach.


Some 'loot' is plant or animal life, and has to be fought to take. This isn't always easy but fallen comrades are respawned at the outlaw trading post which is nearby.


The outlaw trading post with my warriors going in and coming out.


Chris rides out of the town with his settlement and earns money by running over poor helpless dungers and killing the farmer herding them.


A sandworm appears while the squat enforcers come to investigate the deaths of the dungers and the farmer. Chris attempts to kill the sandworm in order to sell the meat.


Part of Chris' militia have brought a missing piece of the statue and are climbing the scaffolding to repair it.


Meanwhile Alex' defiler tries to mend the head of the statue, however, it is protected and he had to battle the defender before he can mend the statue.

Chis takes advantage of this diversion by bringing in the first arm to help mend the statue.

Stage 2: going to town

The bloodthirsty deaths of the farmer and the dungers gets Chris' perps outlawed. A hefty bounty is placed on the heads of the murderers (only the guys in the yellow truck).

I surround the yellow truck and board it with as many warriors as I can fit on. I also empty my heavy stubber on it, to no avail.

I decide to move into town but find the main gate to be closed. A punitive action to keep the outlaws out no doubt.

I strike a deal with the defiler to break the gate open but find it's not neccesary in the end...



...because Chris' truck with my fighters on it rams open the gate.



Before the gate a queue has formed.



The defiler opens the second door.



My cars follow while the gate is still open, while Pablo's bounty hunters (with purple bases) follow to grab a piece of the bounty.



After three cars get in the gate is quickly shut again.



Meanwhile Chis' militia fight off all my boarders.



Having run out of ammo and hearing outlaws can't trade, my men head for the weapons dealer to have a word.

A quick chat later and it turns out buying ammo is not so hard if you ask nicely.

Also, Chris' yellow truck is finally blown up by the squat enforcers. I send in my fighters to clean up the survivors. The squat enforcers also come in to arrest the militia. I hand them off for three coins after some haggling about the bounty, and to not get arrested as an outlaw myself.



After getting my ammo and the militia are turned in, I decide to visit the Mayor's house, an armoured brothel, to have a chat. He won't open the door.

Meanwhile, Chris' retrieves the final piece of the statue with two bikers.

Alex' defiler heads for the slots and starts a long lasting gambling addiction, hoping to win a Chaos sword. Presumably to use instead of TWO MASSIVE POWER CLAWS.

Stage 3: alliances are wrought and goals are set

With the statue nearing completion and my men knocking at the mayor's door. It seems the time is ripe for an endgame.



My men form an alliance with the defiler, who picks up a massive bomb to use as leverage.



I gather my men in front of the mayor's door and ask him kindly to have a chat. I have an offer he can't refuse.

The mayor opens the door, fearing nothing, and my men move in.

Stage 4: coup

Proposal: the mayor hands over the power to me and he will be spared. If he refuses, his enforcers will be bombed.



The defiler standing ready with the bomb.



The mayor refuses.

The defiler hurls the bomb at the command outpost of the squat enforcers...



...wiping them out completely.

The mayor immediately reveals himself to be an alien snake monster and my men move in to take him down.



After taking some punches my warrior Typo uses his buzzsaw to hack the alien snake monster mayor into four pieces.



Without their commanders, the squats do not interfere.

Stage 5: settling down

In the meantime Chris' bikers have completed taken the death defying feat of running their bikes up the gate and down the rocks, carring a heavy bronze arm (which incidentally fell on the head of a bear, killing it).



Chris' militia carrying the arm up the scaffolding.



The statue is complete!



My leader ends the day comfortably as the new mayor of Helseach.

Chris claims the prize as the richest militia of the day.

The rest of the game saw the defiler taking on some squat tanks and me getting my wounded warriors patched up. Before we collectively decided to call it a day.

Details of the game

The game was played on the first day of BOYL 2022, Friday 5th of August.

The rules can be found here: http://downloads.ramshacklegames.co.uk/Helsreach/

Helsreach, the largest settlement on Logan's World, was first described in Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader (1987) pages 224-228.

Link to the announcement post: http://forum.oldhammer.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=29242

Link to Ramshackle games: https://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/

The Heavy Metal Hatched Headz:


[/img]

Vehicles from left to right:
Carnivore, Jag Panzer, Manowar, Dream Evil, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate

Crew from left to right (in front of the vehicles and in the seats)
Dio, Popefister, Manowarrior, Exumer, Pantera, Leppard

Passengers from left to right
Firehead, Spandix, Ozzy, Shark, Snyder, Steeler, Priest, Typo

Pictures by me and Chris.
Let me hear the battle cry
Calling on the wind
Let me see the banners fly
Before the storm begins

Offline Blackwolf

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2022, 10:29:54 PM »
Now that looks like a fab game :)
May the Wolf  Walk With You
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Offline JollyBob

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2022, 09:21:23 AM »
That is one fantastic looking game!  :-*

Was about to comment on the awesome ruined observatory in the first picture, then realised its a swing-bin standing behind the table...  ;D lol

Offline Giger

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2022, 10:16:16 AM »
The Helsreach table never ceases to impress each year.

Offline Grumpy Gnome

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2022, 02:02:35 PM »
Brilliant table! So much to love…. but for me the ultimate piece is the giant The Hermit Crab. Bravo! 👏🏻
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Offline has.been

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2022, 02:08:00 PM »
Just so much to admire & take in.  :-*
Looks like you had fun as well.

Offline hubbabubba

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2022, 02:33:19 PM »
Excellent write up.

I spent a couple of enjoyable hours playing on Curtis's table on the Saturday, Curtis puts on a fun game.

I'm guessing you're the guy with the long hair and cut off denim jacket with the patches. On the Saturday I think you were playing the Chaos dungeon game. If I'd had known you were Pil, I would have said hello.

Maybe next year.

Great work on the road gang.

Offline Golgotha

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2022, 02:34:32 PM »
It's all just so crazy and creative that one has to love it. I had to laugh at the A-Team van and love bed...

That statue has to be the crowning achievement.

Online OSHIROmodels

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2022, 03:47:20 PM »
Proper old school cool 8)
cheers

James

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Offline Michi

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2022, 04:11:03 PM »
One who paints Manowar's sign of the hammer on a vehicle is my friend!  :D

« Last Edit: August 17, 2022, 04:14:30 PM by Michi »

Offline Daeothar

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2022, 09:33:01 AM »
That is one brilliant looking game!  :-*

And Sign of the Hammer, be my guide!  8)
Miniatures you say? Well I too, like to live dangerously...
Find a Way, or make one!

Offline Sgt_T

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2022, 01:09:30 PM »
Great looking table and game.
Love the references to Metal bands.

Offline Raedwald

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2022, 05:10:53 PM »
Thanks so much for sharing this Pil! I dream of one day attending BOYL and playing a game on this table… until then I just have to feast on wonderful photos and write ups like yours. Thanks!

Offline blacksoilbill

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2022, 12:29:05 PM »
Helsreach looks as amazing as ever, and that sounds like a brilliant game.

Offline LouieN

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Re: The battle for Helsreach, BOYL 2022 (Friday)
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2022, 02:16:58 PM »
That is epic for sure.  A amazing setup

 

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