Round bases it is!......The ruins of Krappefortt (MORDHEIM)

[Legionnaire Bert]

Mason

I didn't realise you were adding a higher section to this piece! Is it gonna be separate and removable? Personally I think the low-level halfling building looked perfect as it was. What you are building looks amazing too though mate, just wondered if it would be better as a stand alone piece or as a higher level part of a different building? I really think the halfling dwelling you've made looks best left at low level.

I know we have slightly differing opinions on height in Mordheim. I think' like you, that higher levels are important, but I aslo think it doesn't hurt to have the odd low level building or two as well - and the halfling hobbit hole looks perfect for that.

Looking forward to the game you are running for me and Gav tonight, mate - the Pits Bog Stealers shall ride again!

[DeafNala]

Following along with the other side of the Beasty from Legionnaire Bert, I'm looking forward to seeing the upper levels of the Short Section of the City...I'm a tall building freak.

[Legionnaire Bert]

Skargil Thatchersbane was not a happy dwarf. Granted, this was a general state of being. But he was currently the epitome of dwarven misery as he sprawled amid the camp site the Pits Bog Stealers called home, just outside of the Empire town of Krappefortt. He absently mumbled a string of dwarvish oaths which would make even a trollslayer blush as he rubbed at the bloody bandage enclosing his left knee, stiffly stretched out before him. In fact, young Nosha, one of the warband’s two ‘slayers, had been to see him earlier that morning and had been genuinely a touch embarrassed by the crotchety veteran miner’s profanities, some of which seemed to hint at a vile union between a young dwarf maiden and an energetic pit pony. Nosha’d left the old dwarf with his face crimson from ear to ear.

Skargil’s reverie was interrupted by a burly shadow falling across him, as the warband’s leader, Trugritt Avittsen, came to stand in front of him. Calloused hands on hips, he wore an expression of fraternal concern.

“Ay oop, Skar lad, how bist thee?”

“Bluddy rotten. That little booger gave me one in t'knee wi’ knife! What are those ruddy Empire manlings thinking, arming up a kiddie like that? I never even saw the beggar! Ee were on me sen before I even saw ‘im - rotten little git ‘ad ‘amstrung me before I could do owt about it.”

“Ya daft beggar - that werna kiddie, it worra ‘alfling! Handy booger wi’ a blade, though, I’ll gi’ the little fella that.”

“I don’t care if ‘e were a bluddy midget orc – that un’s going in t’book that is!”

A look of deep puzzlement crossed the craggy face of the dwarf noble.

“What book?”

“And ya call yer sen a dwarf of noble line, Trugritt Avitssen! The bluddy Book o’ t’Grudges, that’s what!”

“Book of t’Grudges…..you great silly sod! What Book of t’Grudges? We don’t ‘ave a Book of t’Grudges! We don’t ‘ave any books at all, not after that cold snap and Smuggrinn insisted on us having t’fire to ease his rheumy neck.”

“Well, you know worra mean, lad! That ‘aflin's gorrit coming fer worree did to us knee!”

The dwarf miner’s expression of misery deepened and Trugritt was almost sure he could see a tear or two enter his old comrade's eyes as he spoke. The dwarf noble suddenly found an interesting piece of ground to examine – dwarves are not good at dealing with masculine displays of emotion. The gnarled old miner’s voice grew thick as he mumbled the next few words.

“Not that us’ll be much use to ya and t’lads now, Tru – us knee’s shot t’boogery thanks to that little ‘alfling beggar and I won’t be able to keep up wi’ lads now. I’ll head back t’hold, see if I can’t find a job down t'pits or summat…”

The dwarf noble’s head shot up, a fiery glint in his eye.

“What are ya talking about Skargil Thatchersbane? Yer daft ‘apporth! Are ya sure that little booger didn’t gi’ yer a smack in t‘ed as well as t’leg?”

“Well, I just thought that I’d only slow you and t’lads up an’ that…”

“I don’t need ya to prance about t’place like a beardling, Skar! I need ya digging ‘oles forrus lads to sneak up on beggars – and thar does that bluddy well! Lets us ‘ave no more talk of leaving; any more of that an’ I’ll shave yer beard off me sen!”

A look of genuine indignation spread across the old dwarf’s face as he glared up at his leader, hands clenching into fists.

“Alf me age you might be, Trugritt Avitssen, but any more talk of shaving beards and you’ll answer to me pick!”

His craggy face crinkling with a rye grin, the noble leaned forward to clap a meaty paw on his friend’s shoulder.

“Now that’s the cantankerous old booger us know and love! You’ll do fer me, lad. Reet, we’d best think about how we’re gonna bash them bluddy humans fer takin’ our gold!”


Great game on the ever-expanding Krappefortt board last night . My dwarf treasure hunters vied with my mate Gav’s Averland Mercenary warband for the right to take on a group of degenerate ghouls and divest them of the four treasure chests they were guarding.

Mason presided over a very entertaining scenario of his own design. He controlled the undead, including a band of roving ghosts who were haunting the graveyard where the ghouls were based, and represented the carrion creatures’ last meal! Anyone within 6” had to take a fear test or run! I am proud to say none of my boys flinched (although they did think about it quite hard on occasion! ).

The ghoulish fiends acquitted themselves well, accounting for one of my trollslayers and my dwarf noble! That was in the second round, and I felt I was possibly in for a bad night. I managed to rally though and very nearly could have snatched victory from the erstwhile Averlanders, despite the further loss of my dwarf miner to leaping charge from a Halfling cook of all things! That little fella fought like a thing possessed, and dispatched my dwarf hero in emphatic style. The injury result was a leg wound, further reducing his movement of 3 to 2! He won’t be going anywhere in a hurry, that’s for certain.

Congratulations to Gav, as by the end we were both on rout tests and it could have gone either way. Victory and spoils go to him – he was in possession of four treasure chests by the end of the game! I’m pretty chuffed it was so close though, Gav’s Averlanders are quite a tidy warband and I was pleased I gave as good as I got. Dwarf of the match had to be my trollslayer Nosha Powelssen – after the early loss of his comrade in arms and fellow trollslayer Moshdef, he went on to take 4 ghouls and an Averlander out of action! Admittedly the last ‘kill’ was a somewhat dishonourable coup de grace as the poor fellow lay stunned from a ghoul’s strike (and sadly for Gav it really was a kill, too ). Needs must though…

Mason took pictures of the action, so you should be able to see this splendid epic in all its glory soon.

Another fine night of Mordheim action, Mr Mason! Thank you, and well done.

[DeafNala]

GREAT piece of narration, Bert...you're a natural story teller. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to Mason's post.

[Mason]

That was a fantastic post, Bert!
I will come back to your narrative later...

GREAT piece of narration, Bert...you're a natural story teller. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to Mason's post.

Sorry if this post is not quite the one that you were waiting for, but I have to sort through the pics and see which are usable first before posting the full report,
I will get around to posting the pics taken last night in the next couple of days and post them then.



Before that, though, I will post a couple of pics of the figures that I painted up yesterday sfternoon to use in the game.

As the game was going to be a three player game, and three way games are notorious for being unbalanced (you normally get two players battling it out and the third just comes in and picks off the survivors!), I decided that we would have to have a GM run side to keep things fair and fun.

The original idea was to have a zombie-fest Precint 13-style game, but I hit a snag with this idea.
I couldnt find my damn zombies!
I searched high and low for a couple of days to no avail, so it was on to Plan B.
I decided to run a game that involved both players raiding a Ghould encampment at the same time, with some Ghosts (the restless souls of the carrion eaters previous meals!) thrown in for a bit of a random element.
Digging out my Ghouls from my WIP Undead warband I hit a snag; They were not painted beyond the undercoating stage!
I was not happy with the idea of playing a game and taking pictures with them in that condition so they had to be finished off.
Very Quickly!
Therefore, yesterday afternoon turned into a frantic painting session, 10 Ghouls and 4 Ghosts to be painted and based in 4 HOURS(!) if everything was going to be in place before the lads arrived!
Heeeelp!
The Ghosts would not be a problem; they would just be painted a dark blue and drybrushed up to white.
The Ghouls would take a little more work.
I decided to try out something that I had considered before but never actually tried; drybrushing and washes to get depth.
I think they turned out OK, not up to the standards usually seen on this forum, but fine for emergency purposes.
I will go back and finish off the detailing on them later, but am pretty happy with how they came out.




The Ghosts






A selection of Hasslefree Villagers that I had in my bits box that I could see no immediate use for.





The Ghouls











GW Crypt Ghouls. They are very fragile, but do take well to drybrushing, and I think they came out fine.
Like I said earlier, they do need finishing off to a better standard, and I will get better pictures of them when they are finished properly.

Please forgive my awful photos, I am still having difficulty with the camera.

Back in the next couple of days with the battle report and photos...


One final note; After I had finished setting up for the game, (in fact I was trying to locate the walkways that I had, rather stupidly, placed in a different box than I usually do when packing away), I found the DAMN ZOMBIES!
I think there is a lesson to be learnt there.............

[Legionnaire Bert]

GREAT piece of narration, Bert...you're a natural story teller. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to Mason's post.

Ah, thanks mate! I like adding a wee bit of narrative from time to time. I definitely see my dwarves as a hybrid of Lord of the Rings and The Full Monty!

[Mason]

Ah, thanks mate! I like adding a wee bit of narrative from time to time. I definitely see my dwarves as a hybrid of Lord of the Rings and The Full Monty!

I have managed to sort out the better photos from the truly dreadful and unusable, no surprise that I deleted more than I kept.
I will post the majority of them later during the weekend when I have the time.
Here are a few of the table set-up before we started, with the Graveyard in the centre of the table.
This is where the Ghoul tribe would begin the game, tucking into their evening meal.
They had a few sentries surrounding their camp who would move randomly until the alarm was sounded.
The alarm would be raised when a Ghoul spotted an enemy, suffered a wound that did not take them out of action instantly, a blackpowder weapon was discharged or a spell cast.
The game would also take place at night, reducing each model's 'spotting distance' to 2D6 x2 inches, rolling for each individual each turn, to see how far it could see.

Here is the set-up, a much more low-level arrangement than we normally use for a change, to help prevent missile fire dominating the game and the Ghouls just being picked off by the raiding warbands. (The night fighting rules would help with this as well.)






(The Averlanders did not set-up in this position, I think they were eager to get stuck in and had to be reined in).




The Ghouls in the Graveyard, settling down for their hard-earned 'supper'. The treasure chests represented their hoard and would be the starting point for the Ghosts, although the players knew nothing of their existence until they appeared!





Be back soon with the rest of the game pictures...

[DeafNala]

OH BABY! COOL PHOTOS!...it takes so little to make an Idiot happy. I really like the Ghosts & Ghouls...VERY NICELY DONE!

[Faber]

AMAZING! 
I really envy you Mason! You have an epic board to play on! 
will my gameboard be ready some day? 
keep going mate! 

[Mason]

OH BABY! COOL PHOTOS!...it takes so little to make an Idiot happy. I really like the Ghosts & Ghouls...VERY NICELY DONE!

Thanks, DeafNala!
The Ghouls DO look better than those pictures of mine portray, I promise.
When I have picked out the small details that need doing, I will get my better half to take some decent photos and post them.

AMAZING! 
I really envy you Mason! You have an epic board to play on! 
will my gameboard be ready some day? 
keep going mate! 

Thanks, Faber!
You WILL get there with your gaming board, and when it is finished it will look spectacular, I am sure.
I have been following your progress in your thread in the Workbench section and it is looking very promising.
There are a few ideas from your project that I will be 'borrowing', have no fear!
You keep going too, mate!
 

[Blackwolf]

The town looks fantastic!!! And the minis are fab too!

[Hubbynz]

Surpeb gaming table. You know what might add a tad to it....a few decaying remains scattered around the place.

[Faber]

Thanks, Faber!
You WILL get there with your gaming board, and when it is finished it will look spectacular, I am sure.
I have been following your progress in your thread in the Workbench section and it is looking very promising.
There are a few ideas from your project that I will be 'borrowing', have no fear!
You keep going too, mate!
 

do not worry mate, I won't stop
I'll be honoured if you use some of my ideas for your project...especially because I'm lurkin this thread since the beginning

[thebinmann]

Yeah That is AMAZING

[Mason]

The town looks fantastic!!! And the minis are fab too!

Thank you, Mr Wolf!

Surpeb gaming table. You know what might add a tad to it....a few decaying remains scattered around the place.

Thanks, Hubbynz!
I will be adding more to it after taking a break in the new year to move onto VSF.
Decaying remains are a possibility as all towns have neglected areas, maybe a few burnt-out houses would be good too.
The buildings that have been made so far have been in keeping with the theme that the town recently suffered from an earthquake, hence some of the buildings in ruin while others remain relatively intact.
As the town is now almost deserted after an outbreak of plague, giant rats and now a zombie infestation, the next phase of building (when I come back to it!) may well reflect more decay.
Thanks for the suggestion!

do not worry mate, I won't stop
I'll be honoured if you use some of my ideas for your project...especially because I'm lurkin this thread since the beginning

Stick with it, Faber, and thanks for lurking!  

Yeah That is AMAZING

Thanks, thebinmann!



Now, on to the pics of the game played the other evening.

The game was a scenario designed to work in such a way as to enable all three of us to play, a raid on a Ghoul encampment, with Legionnaire Bert controlling his stalwart Dwarf warband, the Pits Bog Stealers, Gav running his Averlander Expedition and myself in charge of the Ghoul tribe being raided.
The Ghosts that would materialise during the game would move randomly causing Fear tests to be taken by any model within 6 inches of them at the start of their turn.
Anyone failing a Fear test would have to flee at Running rate in the most direct route possible away from the nearest Ghost.
The Ghouls would be immune to Fear tests, as they would be used to the shades of the restless dead appearing whilst eating their supper!
(It happens all the time, just ask any Ghoul you know!)



As previously mentioned in an earlier post, the Ghouls would satart in the Graveyard with their loot, with four of their number on sentry duty.





The Pits Bog Stealers ahd split into small groups and were advancing from their table edge as silently as possible. There was also a couple of Dwarves with crossbows climbing into the upper level of the Temple ruins and the Miner was leading the two Trollslayers underground, utilising the sewers, cellars and tunnels that run underneath the town in an attempt to appear as close to the Graveyard as possible, and spring a nasty surprise on the feasting Ghouls.









Meanwhile, the Averlanders had split into three groups, attempting to come at the Ghouls from three different directions at once.
The Averlander Captain led the first group, consisting of the two Bergjaeger's, his finest bowmen, and a couple of other missile armed troops, in an attempt to gain an advantage for their bowfire by heading into the other end of the ruined Temple and ascending as quickly as possible.





A second group, led by their allied Priest of Sigmar, made their way towards to the Graveyard at ground level.




The last group consisted of a blunderbuss armed Marksman and his trusty hound, Flop-ears, approaching the cannibals from the other flank.




Both groups advanced as silently as possible until the fervour of the Sigmarite Priest got the better of him and, unable to contain himself any longer, burst out with a lung-bursting rendition of 'Hearts of Steel'!
This Prayer would fill the hearts of those friendly troops within 8 inches of him and cause them to be immune to Fear.
It also meant that the alarm had been raised and the Ghouls now knew they were coming!




At almost the same time that the Priest began his chorus the Dwarf Miner gave the sewer grating above his head a hefty shove and led his two, frothing at the mouth, accomplices above ground right next to the Graveyard!


(Bert had been fortunate. He had attempted to surface on the other side of the Undertakers but had rolled quite a large deviation for their attempt. Had he drifted off in the opposite direction he would have come up in the Docks! Glug, Glug, Glug...)



The appearance of the Dwarf mining party also caused the activation of some of the Ghosts, as they had surfaced close enough to three of the treasure chests.










Their arrival had also been noted by one of the Ghoul sentries, as they had appeared only yards from him





In the meantime the rest of the Dwarves had been advancing, one group trying to gain advantageous positions to provide covering fire for the advance party whilst another attempted to enter the Graveyard from the other side









Whilst the Dwarves were sneaking up on one side, the group led by the Priest had diverted their assault to attempt an attack from the other side of the Ghoul camp.





At this point vicious close combat fighting broke out at all points, with Ghoul fighting Dwarf fighting Human.
The taking of photos had to take a backseat as I was involved in combats with both players and it all got a little frantic. The appearance of Ghosts in the middle of various combats caused even more mayhem!
(And many funny moments as both players thought swearing at them would divert their attentions elsewhere!  )

Here are a few pics that got taken during the chaos that ensued









One of the highlights of these frantic combats was when the Miner felled one of the Averland mercenaries and, about to deliver the final blow, was pounced upon by the Averlander Halfling, who had been sneakily making his way around on the walkway above the combat.
His Diving Charge, armed with his trusty knife and fork, landed atop the bearded pick-wielding Miner and took him out of action!





Other highlights were the Trollslayer making his way into the Graveyard single handed, screaming Dwarven Oaths of destruction (at least that is what Bert said they were, sounded more like swearing to me!), and felling everything in his path, Ghoul and Human alike.



With casualties begining to mount up on all sides, and the eventual destruction of the Ghoul tribe, it started to take its toll on both warbands.
Both players knew that it was going to come down to Rout tests, as neither player was willing to give an inch voluntarily!

In the end, and rather surprisingly, it was Dwarven nerve that broke first, the bearded ones fleeing the field and leaving the Ghouls treasure trove in the hands of the seriously bloodied Averlanders.

A really enjoyable game, and evening, which really could have gone either way, and eventually decided by a failed Rout test.

Well done, both of you. It was great fun to play and I look forward to the next game...

(I hope you enjoy this report, and again, I apologise for the quality of the pictures. Believe it or not, these were the better ones....)