Saturday Night SwordAndSorceryRPG Fun (21Feb SGK#53-Battle of Hellgate Pass)

[Jevenkah]

Can you talk a little bit about how you set up the big set piece battles for play? Does the DM set it up ahead of time and reveal it at the appropriate moment, or set it up while the players are taking a break?

Very interesting site, thanks.

Sure! Even though we have epic battles up on the website, our RPG focuses on politics, intrigue and our characters' ambition. Having said that, we like to play true to feudal societies and the old tales where many of these elements can lead one to the edge of a blade. 

In the case of huge set-ups, that is done ahead of time. For example, in #40 "The Battle of Skarken River" we had ended the previous adventure with the intention of bringing our army to bear on Valden and his orcs. The day before we played, Teshub set out the orc encampment on our 4 X 4 ft table and populated it with about 140 orc & urog miniatures that would be used in the battle as Valden's forces. It looked a living camp, with the most of the units vaguely grouped so when our players walked into the gaming space they could see what their characters might observe on a successful, basic scouting sortie (no infiltration into the camp). If we had chosen to, we could have run any kind of mission into the camp as well, and Teshub would have taken a few minutes to re-arrange minis while we players made a plan. Once it came time for the battle, we deployed our forces on the 6x 4 ft table as per the wargaming rules we use (Fantasy Warriors) while GM Teshub marched his units into formation rather theatrically.

For a non-battlefield major set-up check out our Made With Minis comic "Lords of Timlin" which tells the tale of the Sagas of the Gautrian Kings #12. (I know it's big but those are the only pix I have posted for that adventure, sorry.) On page 1 we have the North Gautrian army being escorted into the outer fences of Timlin Town. A segment of the town itself filled the left side of the 4x4 ft table and the right side of the table had the refugee camp that our forces marched through. On game night, we had the Keep set up on another table.

We're always willing to wait and plot for 5 or 10 minutes when specific minis or models come out and need to be arranged. It's worth it

Jevenkah

[SgtHulka]

Very cool, thanks. So it sounds like when you anticipate a big battle you use multiple tables, potentially a normal rpg small(ish) table, a big wargame table, and potentially a small(er) set piece table if a specific mission is required. I was intrigued by the web comic about the PC's heading into the walled town and a few of them getting captured by the bastard guy who ruled it. I wasn't sure if that town was set up for the game or if it were merely set up to stage photographs after the fact. It sounds like your DM will sometimes set up a sort of diorama that the individual PC's can play through (like the orc camp you described...if the PC's tried to disguise themselves and infiltrate it, for example) the way that some DM's will set up dwarven forge dungeon scenery for a more "typical" dungeon delve. But you also have a regular table so the game can go on if/when the PC"s take the game in an unexpected direction. Is that a (fairly) accurate description?

I'm interested in adding big wargame style battles to my D&D game with my kids, so that's why I'm asking so many questions =)

[Little Odo]

Every time I read your blog and the entries here on LAF my jaw drops further to the floor in awe. Absolutely stunning stuff - keep up the good work. 

[Jevenkah]

Very cool, thanks. So it sounds like when you anticipate a big battle you use multiple tables, potentially a normal rpg small(ish) table, a big wargame table, and potentially a small(er) set piece table if a specific mission is required. I was intrigued by the web comic about the PC's heading into the walled town and a few of them getting captured by the bastard guy who ruled it. I wasn't sure if that town was set up for the game or if it were merely set up to stage photographs after the fact. It sounds like your DM will sometimes set up a sort of diorama that the individual PC's can play through (like the orc camp you described...if the PC's tried to disguise themselves and infiltrate it, for example) the way that some DM's will set up dwarven forge dungeon scenery for a more "typical" dungeon delve. But you also have a regular table so the game can go on if/when the PC"s take the game in an unexpected direction. Is that a (fairly) accurate description?

I'm interested in adding big wargame style battles to my D&D game with my kids, so that's why I'm asking so many questions =)

I'm laughing cause my husband has said for years, "Think of the diorama as my dungeon." You have very accurately described our game-night set-up. We tend to wrap up our adventure nights late, so we talk during the month to determine where we want to go to start off the next game. Many times we'll have scenes set up that we never get to, it was simply a likely place to go and looked really cool on the counter. My husband will often use the models to think story elements through and spend some time before an adventure putting out a scene as well as just terrain and buildings.

In our comic that you mention, there were a couple of scenes involving the residents of Timlin that were photographed game night and used as-is. There were shots like those of the face-off between Kvig and Reinhard that were taken on game night and just weren't quite right so we re-staged the shot. We ordered new knights, so when those were done, we re-shot the scene again. Then Teshub finished the wooden roofs for the stone buildings so we shot it one more time. And one of the re-shoots had to be scrapped in the middle and begun again because I forgot to put the impaled guys back in the scene. (We take them off the table when our kids have friends over.)

Have fun with the kids, our 13-yr-old just got her group scheduled for August and they are excited! Keep the questions coming, and pictures as well would be great!

Every time I read your blog and the entries here on LAF my jaw drops further to the floor in awe. Absolutely stunning stuff - keep up the good work. 

Thanks so much! It's your encouragement that keeps me blogging away!
Jevenkah

[SgtHulka]

Very inspiring stuff! I love the diorama approach.

[Teshub]

Very inspiring stuff! I love the diorama approach.

You have so accurately described how I structure my game and gaming world I only wish you could come over and play some with us. It is great fun for me as the DM because the players are the ones responsible for 'driving' the story with their intentions and interactions, this leaves me free to roleplay the various diorama 'encounters'. It does take alot of preparation but that is something I have a great deal of help with from all my brilliant players.

[SgtHulka]

I only wish you could come over and play some with us.

You're not the only one!

[Jevenkah]

The long awaited, epic conclusion to Sagas of the Gautrian Kings #40 "The Battle of Skarken River" has been told on the website.

Our story left off with Bleddyn Yorath in single combat with an urog champion.

The orcs formed up on the hill to watch the event.



And when it had ended, the humans marched.



We all were on the edge of our seats, even at 4:13 am, when this photo was taken.



Come witness the battle in its full glory:
http://swordandsorceryrpg.com/game-nights/sagas-of-the-gautrian-kings-40-preview-2/

Jevenkah

[SgtHulka]

Another inspiring read. Thanks!

[DeafNala]

WONDERFUL STUFF! I even overcame my early morning tendency to merely stare at all the pretty pictures. That is the way War Gaming should be. VERY WELL DONE!

[aggro84]

Nice!
It looks like you all had a great time!
 

[Machinegunkelly]

Thank you again for this thread. It is so fun and inspiring reading it and the blog.Keep it up.

[Gibby]

I love this thread and your website. It's one of my favourites on the LAF because you can really tell you all love your hobby and enjoy the story telling it can bring. Inspirational stuff!

[PatrickWR]

Man, I can't remember the last time I stayed up until 4 a.m. playing wargames! Great stuff!

[Ironworker]

Great Stuff!  My wife and I are doing similar things with our sci-fi setting.  We have also started an epic Conan project recently.  Lots of inspiring stuff on your page!