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

[Spinal Tap]

Echoing what everyone else has said, this game world is brilliant.

You've made it a location rather than just a gaming board.

[blacksoilbill]

Wow, your tables just get better and better! This one is brilliant. I'm definitely bookmarking it for inspiration.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Grumpy Gnome, Doug ex-em4, snitcythedog, Vagabond, ced1106, Spinal Tap and blacksoilbill, very many thanks for your kind comments. Apologies for the delay in replying, I have been away on holiday on the Borderlands!

ced1106, no specific rules for the civvies, they were just set dressing. The intention was they would run away if any monsters entered the market! Not sure who makes the ghouls I have.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

...to bring us up to date and ready for next week's encounter, I publish an updated map and some more diary pages from the Annals of Ye Compagnye.

[Doug ex-em4]

A heartfelt hope that Barney and Cuthbert are safe on their travels (and that they don’t decide to take the reward and disappear). In the meantime, bring on the Gnawlings….!

A splendid diary update, Martin; it really ties the off-game threads together beautifully. Great read and great work.

Doug

[Mister Frau Blucher]

The immersive terrain is incredible, as is the story-telling. Thanks for the great reads!

[syrinx0]

Wonderful diary and map update. 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Doug ex-em4, Mister Frau Blucher and syrinx0, many thanks. The encounter set in the Dijabringabeeralong Desert takes place this afternoon.

I was cutting it a bit fine, only just finished the 12 Gnawlings required for this afternoon!

[ced1106]

Good luck!

Where did you get your models? Are they the Frostgrave Gnolls set? I ransacked my Reaper Bones KS for gnolls and D&D prepainted for miscellaneous beastment, and couldn't come up with enough ranged units, much less an elite. I think you need four slingers for one of the enemy groups! Ended up proxying some Conan Picts led by a Pict-looking monster.

fwiw, Journey of the West, sometimes seen at a Miniature Market sale, has a set of minotaur miniatures, with melee, ranged, and elite units suitable for minotaur enemies that would work as some of the Threats (Gnawlings, Dusklings, or that beast totem army...).

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

ced1106, they are indeed the Frostgrave Gnolls. I bought them specifically for 5LftB. I made 5 ranged weapons and the other 15 melee. For this afternoon's game (just finished) we needed 12 Gnawlings, 4 of which were slingers, so no problem.

[Doug ex-em4]

Just having a beer and a bowl of pretzels to recover from the excitement, fear and, ultimately, exhilaration of today’s game. No spoilers here but I am looking forward to the photos…..!

Doug

[FramFramson]

I just noticed... February? 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

I just noticed... February? 

Yes, indeed it is February. After the sixteen-day month of Ick and the thirty two days of Offle, we come to the thirty two days of February in the Annals of Ye Compagnye!   

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

The attack on the Gnawling’s scout camp in the Dijabringabeeralong Desert. As the Compagnye surreptitiously approach the Gnawling camp, they come across a grim reminder of the brutal nature of their opponents. The Gnawlings have erected a grim warning to intruders!



The set-up. The Compagnye can enter from the left-hand edge.





The Gnawlings are deployed in three groups of four. They have a slinger in each group and a second slinger in the centre group, led by a sergeant.











The Compagnye were able to seize the initiative and went to the high ground. The dice shows progress climbing up a djubblies, as the figures wouldn’t stand there!



As the Gnawlings move to the offensive, Bara Brith and Ilsa take out two of them with longbow and crossbow.



Hugh Pugh gains the high ground and surveys the approaching horde.





The Gnawlings, seeing Hugh poncing about on top of a djubblie, take the opportunity and one of their slingers hits and wounds Hugh. Another takes a pot-shot and stuns him, the third, luckily for Hugh, misses completely.



Bara Brith and Ilsa have remained in the wadi and this is the fearsome sight that greets them, as they resolutely stand their ground.



Meanwhile, Lew Pugh climbs the djubblies to their left. Lew is stunned by a stone from a Gnawling slinger.



As the Gnawlings charge (and they have a frightening rate of advance, 10” at a run), arrows and quarrels whirr through the air.







Tiffany with her sling, manages to take out the Gnawling sergeant.



One of the Gnawlings sneaks up a parallel wadi to try and shoot Tiffany in the back.



It’s carnage in the main wadi, as more Gnawlings charge in, their anger aroused by the death of their repulsive fellows.



In their rush to get at their foe, the Gnawlings trample over their dead.



Lew takes out another one with his bow.



Ranged weapons are raining down death in the wadi.



As the Gnawlings take more casualties…



…their morale breaks and the remaining survivors break and run.



Thorvald surveys the grisly remains as the desert grows quiet.



It was a difficult game, as the Gnawlings were able to advance so swiftly across the table. There wasn’t time to shoot at them all, the rules only allowed a warband of six, for this encounter. Another good game in our campaign.

[Elk101]

Another great tale with lovely scenery and miniatures.