Five Leagues from the Borderlands - The Gentlemen of Much-Piddling

[ced1106]

@Mad: How did you build the table? I'm seeing floors and walls that were molded, alongside handmade cavern walls.

How well does not knowing the layout affect the "sneaking around" bit of the site, where you avoid setting off all the alarms?

Good luck on the adventure! The limited movement and range (?) in delves keeps me away from them! (:

[blacksoilbill]

That mine looks outstanding!

[syrinx0]

What a beautiful table to game on.  The set up for a remote miniature game is a great idea.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Blimey Snappers your mine is a work of art. I know I've seen it in the flesh but I was well oiled at the time and you kept most of it hidden with sheets of paper.

Thanks, we were somewhat splifficated at the time of the great mine reveal!

I got the impression that the game was almost finished but it seems you've cut short your narative if not I want my money back.

The game is to conclude online this afternoon. I'm a bit behind with the AAR, plenty of photos but no time to write it!

How did you build the table? I'm seeing floors and walls that were molded, alongside handmade cavern walls.

ced1106, blacksoilbill and syrinx0, many thanks for your kind comments. Here are a few photos of the mine under construction.

The moulded mine sections are from Ainsty Castings, the Yakkum Mines range. When I put in a second big order, they very kindly sent me some free pieces with the order. I started building it for the Old West but of course it can fit many genres, even I suppose, Scooby-Doo!



The outer walls are tree bark, the gaps between tunnels and rooms are filled by polystyrene. The small rocks are aquarium gravel. All sprayed black, then dry-brushed. To be honest, there is a bit more painting to do. It's all glued to a 4' x 2' MDF board with some bracing underneath.



First order of sections glued to the base.









Second order of sections glued to the base.

[FramFramson]

Wait... how do you get into the completely closed-off room? 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Wait... how do you get into the completely closed-off room? 

Ah now, that is a very good question! Very perspicacious of you, Fram! You should be able to see a few circles in the floor, in the early photos. In the last photo, they have manhole covers. There are some special rules (not to be revealed yet) but one of those manholes leads into the secret room.

[Tom Dulski]

fantastic work

[snitcythedog]

Now this is well cool.  Very nice job all around and it is always nice to see a terrain project that is not normally built. 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Tom Dulski and snitcythedog, many thanks.

...and now...

Trouble in the Lady Garden (Part 2)

Hugh begins to search the room and sets off an alarm. The marker turned out to be a trap and alerts the guards for some distance.









The three alerted skeletons (who entered from the adjoining room) were disposed of after a fierce fight.



Ilsa and party continue to explore the dark and gloomy mine tunnels…



Doug did not have this view as I used two cameras to track the two parties. It shows the relative locations of the two parties as they penetrate deeper into the Lady Garden Mine.



Ilsa and fellow adventurers move doggedly forward, ever deeper into the dank and dripping tunnels. The arrows on the concealing papers show Doug the possible routes forward.



Three skeletons guarding an exploration marker are alerted to Ilsa’s presence as she moves into their field of vision.





Ilsa’s compatriots struggle to keep up with her as she sets a cracking pace, having sighted the enemy!



Meanwhile, the other party move cautiously into the next room. In the Stygian gloom, Thorvald discerns a marker on the floor and moves forward to investigate. Bara and Hugh move forward. The marker turns out to be a trap and Thorvald is wounded by an iron dart, which hits him in the chest. By a stroke of good fortune, he stumbles into a dark corner and discovers a very fine crossbow. Every cloud etc. he thinks to himself.



Ilsa takes out the first skeleton with a well-aimed shot from her longbow. The two remaining skeletons charge and with her loud and frightening ululating war cry, Ilsa charges to meet them in hand-to-hand combat.





In a closely fought melee, Ilsa emerges as the victor. She steps over a sea of broken bones to investigate the marker the skeletons were guarding.







Unfortunately, it’s an ambush. Ilsa hears the distinctive sound of crepitation and another skeleton appears.

To be continued…

[Doug ex-em4]

Great photos, Martin - they certainly capture the breathless dash-and-dammit approach of fearless adventurers like wot we are. And they show off your brilliant scenery. I hadn’t realised until I saw your WIP photos above, how much work you had to do on them.

Those old skellies were a lot harder to subdue than most of the opponents we’ve met so far in our rampage through Defnascir. A very enjoyable game.

Doug
(aka Bara Brith ap Cyffylliog)

[Citizen Sade]

Great thread and unpaid advert for the rules. I'm very tempted.

You chaps approach to gaming is right up my street.

[Vagabond]

Ilsa takes out the first skeleton with a well-aimed shot from her longbow. The two remaining skeletons charge and with her loud and frightening ululating war cry, Ilsa charges to meet them in hand-to-hand combat.


Is that the undulating war cry when she sings "la la, la la.....la la, la la.....la la, la la" up and down the scales and her enemies run away fearing the madness might be contagious?  Or is it a different one.

Another great installment My Lord well done. It's good to be able to keep up with the story from an unbiased view point. I'm a bit surprised that an iron dart was able to penetrate Thorvalds chest. As a man of steel I would expect the dart to have been deflected, it must have been flung by an infernally strong device.

All the bits and pieces add to the atmosphere of the pictures but I'm curious, in the 3rd picture down, what are the black and white pebbles on the barrel in the bottom left.

As they say "Carry on at your Convenience"
Cheers

[FramFramson]

EDIT: Oops wrong picture. I suppose I have the same question as Vaggers then!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Great thread and unpaid advert for the rules. I'm very tempted.

You chaps approach to gaming is right up my street.

Glad you are enjoying the madness! Yes, I don't think you'll regret purchasing the rules, great fun.

As a man of steel I would expect the dart to have been deflected, it must have been flung by an infernally strong device.

A nasty business, that! Still, I'm certain a man of your calibre will shrug it off!

in the 3rd picture down, what are the black and white pebbles on the barrel in the bottom left.

I suppose I have the same question as Vaggers then!

The adventurers have disturbed a game of Tafl. I don't think skellies play Tafl, so some other entity must have been disturbed when yon mob barged in.

[Vagabond]

Cheers, I  obviously had to look up Tafl, never heard of it in the pubs round where I live. Darts, domino's and crib are the order of the day.

I know you sling balls down alleyways in your pubs but I think that sort of game would get out of hand in a less civilised part of the country.