Collaborative Campaign - Northern Front Report

[Mitchelxen]

To: His Heady and Grand Lord Highest and True, Bane of the Lands and Remarkable Leader of the Realm, Duke Theron, Ruler and true Lord among Lords of the Great Empire of Necropolis
From: With All Grace, Trevor the Red, Knight of the Lance.

I hope this letter finds you most wonderful and in good spirits. Once again I report great tidings. Glad murmurings of your greatness fill the land for once again the scourge and evil that is known as the Bone Warriors have been quelled. No longer their mournful and bewildering scowls fowl our land. The people shout of your glory, revealed in the grand form of your Army of the North and its leader who have brought peace to the people of this land.

We have successfully raised fortifications in and about the city of Necropoliston as we prepare to continue a long struggle here in the north. For it seems that the evil that is known as the Dwarves of the Flaming Forge have arrived in force and even now attempt to spy on us. They have sent their ambassadors here to parlay with us, keeping us from training that would hone our blades to invincibility. Alas, the Elven Merchants have sent a vile and repulsive mercenary lizard, known as I am told the Reptiliads, to parlay with us as well. These beings of disrepute simply put themselves at our mercy by forewarning us of their presence in the area.

As a side note it seems that Liz Or the Wise has put his henchmen to good use in the intervening period. His ability to cast spells of an offensive nature has been improved considerably of late and at the most recent gala event he was telling me himself how he can melt a mushroom with the simple snapping of his fingers. The proof was in the pudding, as they say, as he twitched his nose and the Blanc Mange custard shot up into the air with a startling ferocity.

We continue here to keep your Lordships peace and work toward a more vibrant and larger Empire.

Your most doting servant,
Lord Trevor

[Mitchelxen]

Turn #4 Campaign Turn Summary

The Empire of Necropolis Player had 1000PP plus 598PP, which he had saved, to spend in the Production Phase. This gave him a total of 1598PP. He spent 500PP on building a fortification at Necropoliston for 500PP. The player was expecting an attack from the new Dwarf player. The Necropolis player also upgraded his forces expanding his Knightsguard Archers to a 12 figure Unit, added three Knights to the Belzar's Lancers, and two Knights to the Knights of the Garter Cavalry Unit. He then saved 897PP for the next turn. His Army took a Defend Order in the War! Phase.

The Bone Warriors Player
The Bone Warriors had production of 1000PP for turn#4. The player had saved 523PP from the previous turn, giving him a total value of 1523PP. The player took a very conservative turn in order to save for the construction of a Cabal Chapter. He built two ghoul units costing him 110PP each and spent only 220PP total. He saved 1303PP for the next turn. The Bone Warriors army was placed on a Defend Order in the War! Phase, with the idea of observing how the turn played out in terms of alliances.

Both the Dwarf player and the Reptiliad player were allowed to start the game with a Barracks already built and one turn of training for each Unit or Hero in their Army. This was to allow the players to catch up but also give them not quite the advantage that three turns of War! would result in. This was done by mutual consent of the players rather than as a "rule" per say.

The Dwarves of the Flaming Forge
This was the first turn for the Dwarves and they cautiously entered the fray, not having any experience with the Campaign rules. The Production for the Dwarves was 1000PP. He added Henchmen to his Hero at a cost of 100PP. He also saved 900PP for building in future turns as he is interested in getting a Cabal Chapter House and a Military College in upcoming turns. In the War! Phase the Dwarves were cautiously placed on a Defend order.

The Reptiliads
The Reptiliad player also had 1000PP to spend in the turn. This player spent 400PP on Banners, 200PP on Henchmen, getting Henchmen for his Shaman and Hero. He also spent 200PP on Scouts and saved 200PP for the following turn. In the War! Phase this player also placed his Army on a Defend order.

The Political Phase was quiet this turn as the new players seemed to cautiously peer across the table at their more experienced rivals who had already bloodied their Armies in Battle.

The War! Phase was quiet as well because all players had a Defend Order on their Armies. Therefore, no tabletop battles were fought.

The turn ended with the players designating Units to Build and Units to Train and then performing the Aftermath Sequence for any Units that trained. This is the standard process for any Army that does not take part in a Tabletop Battle.

The Necropolis player trained his Knightsguard Men-at-Arms, his Spellcaster, the Knights of the Garter and the Knightsguard Archers. After modifiers were applied the dice were rolled and the Spellcaster Liz Or the Wise became an Offensive Specialist. This skill allows him to increase his to hit number by one on a successful skill check.
The Necropolis player also had several Units and Heroes Build and saved an additional 250PP.

The Bone Warriors Player Trained with the Spears of Anarchy and the Dread Horsemen. The Spears of Anarchy improved their Defense Class to "C" and the Dread Horseman improved their Frenzy skill to an 8+.

The Dwarves of the Flaming Forge had the Ogre Rory Greenzinc Train and the rest of the Units Building. This allowed him to produce 500PP extra. Also Rory failed his training roll and did not improve.

The Reptiliads player had his Hero and His Shaman Train. Both failed their advancement checks. The rest of his Units helped Build and produced an extra 400PP for the Reptiliads.

Finally there were some good ideas to add to the game. One was to have random events occur like double production, or extra training. The second was to allow races some form of specialization, such as the Nomads of the Plain are good at training horses and therefore their cavalry Units cost half price. This idea already exists to a certain degree as the Dwarves and the Blood are the only ones that can forge DemonOre at the beginning of a campaign. We will work on these ideas.

Next on to Turn#5!

[Mitchelxen]

To: His Wonderful and Magnificent, Slayer of Orcs and Super Duper Tyrant Extraordinaire of the Kingdom, Duke Theron, Great and Mighty Ruler of the Most Excellent Empire of Necropolis
From: With All the Grace Afforded, Trevor the Red, Knight of the Lance.

Greetings and Salutations to your most regal sire. Continued good tidings grace the Empire of Necropolis in continued peace. We have managed several political maneuvers to ensure the continued peace, if not expansion, of your magnificent Empire. We have delivered the raw Demon Ore that we have found with the Dwarves of the Flaming Forge, who as you know, have the required foundry to make magical devices from the Ore. The cost of forging these items was free and clear. As would be expected the Dwarves came sniveling and cowering to the feet of your great Empire and your humble servant, myself, and in payment offered not to attack or be attacked by your Mighty Empire. In trade for the new magic items we gladly accepted this payoff.

It was a dark evening when a group of undead Bone Warriors rode into our encampment. They carried a banner of truce. Even though they smelled the sour stench of death I personally came to face these ambassadors. The Bone Warriors themselves have pleaded with me for peace. They bowed their knee beneath our banner in agreement of a cease fire. With all the new movement of troops in the area I agreed to accept their offering of truce. It was no surprise to me when this evil and contemptuous foe marched an army into the Dwarven lands to our south. 

We continued to build fortifications. The men were sent to Ingis where walls were installed in the outer areas of the village, this upgrade will improve our defense of this critical hamlet. A new spear Unit was trained in our new barracks. Men and women were pressed into service throughout the realm and we ended up with twelve solid soldiers in the new Black Band Spears Unit.

The grounds at the barracks rang out with the clang of weaponry training. It makes the heart grow happy to know these men will be of the highest quality when called upon to defend the lands of your Dukedom. We wait and prepare for we know the enemy will be upon us at any time now.

With Kindest Regards and warmest wishes,
Your Servant,
Trevor the Red

[Mitchelxen]

Turn #5 Campaign Turn Summary

The Empire of Necropolis Player had 1000PP plus 897PP saved from the previous turn and an additional 250PP for Units that had a Build order on the previous turn. Therefore the players total production was 2147PP. The player built Fortifications in Ingis for 500PP. The player then built a new spear Unit called the Black Band which cost 419PP. The player had 1228PP left over which he saved for the next turn. In the Political Phase of the game he signed a ceasefire with the Bone Warriors and traded a ceasefire with the Dwarves for the production of his Demon Ore. The Dwarves are the only race in the game that has a forge that can refine raw Demon Ore. Note - You must have Demon Ore in order to forge Magic Weapons of A or B Level.
In the War! Phase the player placed his Army on a Defend Order.

Bone Warriors Player
The Bone Warriors player had 1000PP plus 1303PP saved from the previous turn. The Bone Warriors also had 750PP in Build orders from Units. The total production for the Bone Warriors was therefore 3053PP. The player built a Cabal Chapter costing 2000PP. Also, the player added six miniatures to the Dread Archers bringing this Unit to 12 skeletons total. He also added two Dead Riders to the cavalry Unit bringing this Unit to six skeletons on skeletal steeds. These Units are maxed out according to the Unit List.The player saved 915PP for the next turn. In the Political Phase the player signed a cease fire with the Empire of Necropolis. This opened the door for the player to make an Attack Order in the War! Phase which he did.

Dwarves of the Flaming Forge
The Dwarves had production of 1000PP and had savings of 900PP to carry over into turn#5. The Dwarf player spent 300PP upgrading his Unit of Jagers. The rest of his PP was saved to build in future turns. In the Political Phase the Dwarves (as noted above) approached the Empire of Necropolis and made a deal to forge their Demon Ore for them. The Demon Ore will be shipped to the Dwarven Forge in the Produciton Phase of the following turn. In the War! Phase the Dwarves were placed on a Defend Order.

The Reptiliads
The Reptiliad player had 1000PP for the turn. He had also saved and Built another 700PP bringing his total to 1700PP. The player then spent 1500PP building a fortress in Y'lthas. This means the player saves 200PP for the next turn. His Political Phase was quiet and in the War! Phase he put his Army on a Defend Order.

In the War! Phase one Army, the Bone Warriors, had an Attack Order. The Bone Warrior player could thus challenge any of the other players he wished without fear of retaliation. The Bone Warriors player choose to Attack the Dwarves of the Flaming Forge. A Tabletop Battle will have to be played between these two players. The other two players have an uneventful turn and may choose which Units to Build with and which Units to train.
We will fight the tabletop battle this week and results will be posted here. Stay tuned.

[Mitchelxen]

Turn #5 Tabletop Battle

In this turn we saw a battle between the Attacking Bone Warriors Army and the Dwarves of the Flaming Forge Army on a Defend Order.
The first step in setting up a Tabletop Battle in the campaign game is to determine the scenario. A die was rolled and the scenario chart determined that the battle would be an Attacker Ambushed scenario. Oh no!
The next step is the Terrain Set-up phase. The first random piece of terrain that is always rolled for in a tabletop game is the Special Terrain Feature. The result was Huroth's Cairn which had no effect on either of the Armies in the game as it affects Spellcasters from the Sphere of Nature.
The Terrain for the tabletop battle was then set up in alternating order.
Unfortunately for the Bone Warriors the random set up caused a stream with one ford to be placed at one end of the table with a village behind it. These terrain features became very important in the ensuing battle and thus the battle was called:

AMBUSH at PIGS HAMLET FORD!



This was the initial set up of the forces of the game. The Dwarves are allowed to place 1" of Fortification for every three Dwarves in their Army and placed a fortification across the base of the Ford which the Bone Warriors would have to push through. In this game the Bone Warriors were ambushed and were forced to set up in the village and advance off the board to the far table edge. A tough proposition indeed.



In the initial action the Bone Warriors marched their bowmen up to close range and fired all their ammunition at the Dwarves. They caused several casualties, whittling the Dwarf Unit down to three men, which were supported by the Dwarf Hero and his Henchmen.


A close up view of the Bone Warriors Archers plucking the Dwarves with Arrows. It was a successful Missile barrage which caused twelve casualties to the Dwarf Unit. The Dread Archers then marched away, their work done for this point in the game.


Bring in the Hordes! The Horde Shockers move to the attack trying to force their way across the Ford.


The view over the Dwarves shoulders at the Bone Warriors Horde Shockers advancing across the Ford. The Horde Shockers would be repulsed on the next turn but not before finishing off the Dwarf Unit leaving only the Dwarf Hero defending the Ford.


The Spears of Anarchy into the breach! The Spears of Anarchy and some Heroes try to push across the Ford. This is the high water mark for the Bone Warriors in this game. Vlad Xerxes the Necromancer has worked a Dominate Spell on the Volks Dwarves "convincing" them to withdraw in the face of their "friends" the Bone Warrior Spear Unit.


The Spears of Anarchy get attacked in the flank by the savage Stone Crusher Musk-Ox Cavalry. Not a good position to be in. The Spears would be crushed and have to withdraw back across the stream.


The final cavalry charge by the Dread Horseman attempting to aid their Hero's trapped on the other side of the stream. After watching the their Heroes slain by the Dwarves the Bone Warriors Necromancer Vlad Xerxes loses all hope!


Vlad Xerxes the Necromancer and his henchmen flee the battlefield and the Bone Warriors turn to dust. Vlad was the sole remaining Bone Warriors Hero and failed his Morale Check rolling snake eyes. This caused the Undead portion of the Bone Warriors army to disappear. (Bone Warrior Units do not have to take Morale Tests, but when their leaders fail they take the same results as that leader).
Alas the day is over for the Bone Warriors and the Dwarves have a resounding (Major) victory not allowing one point of the enemy off the field of battle. Truly a great ambush!

Some of the problem with this battle was the Tabletop Setup rules. It was decided that the set up rules need to be more "specific" and we are currently tweaking them to be more decisive. Hey this is what playtesting is for!

On to turn six, however, we will be off for the next couple of weeks due to various commitments. Stay tuned!

[Mitchelxen]

No games are being played this week, due to some of the players having other commitments, so I thought I would add some of the information about the different factions in the Universal Soldier world. Some of you may not have heard or read about these factions in the past.

The Necro-Drake Lord's Bone Warriors
   Many dark and vile factions roam the world of Alioth all seeking their own evil ends. Whether it be wealth, murder, destruction or chaos; none can match the horror of the Undead.  The Undead serve Tandaloor, the Elder God of Death and seek the complete and utter annihilation of the world.  The Bone Warriors and Vampyre Kings are worthy foes indeed. Their legions of the dead wage their war of annihilation with an untiring vigilance that only the dead can muster.
   During the Age of Creation, when the gods were tricked by Tandaloor into creating the races of Alioth the undead did not exist.  When Tandaloor cursed the races with death he saw it as a way to weaken the children of the gods and gain innumerable soldiers for himself.  When the famine and plagues of the Age of Pestilence swept across the lands thousands died; only to be raised in a horrifying mockery of their former selves.  The Legions of Undead were forced to serve Tandaloor held under the spells of the necromantic Vampyre Kings. The multitudes of the dead caused by the plagues fueled the Vampyre King's armies and they grew in immense proportions.  Not only their size grew but the Vampyres began to experiment with necromancy, creating foul offshoots of undead, such as the "Necrodrake", "Liches", and "Ghouls".
        Saraband the Black attacked the Vampyre Kingdoms by surprise and Saraband defeated their armies killing a great many Vampyres and forcing what few were left into hiding. Thus the rule of the Vampyre Kings was broken, only to be replaced by the slavery that Saraband brought. The power of Tandaloor had not been extinguished however; for many mortals had been corrupted by his sickly influence and many secret cults began to form, lured by the sweet promises of power and tempted by the veiled art of necromancy. One such doomed soul was a human mage named Zadok-Kren who studied wizardry, becoming a very powerful mage.  This was not enough for the power hungry wizard and so he turned to necromancy choosing a path that would lead him to greatness. Zadok learned the spell to summon a Necrodrake from a jealous former Vampyre King. Zadok began the rite in earnest speaking the words of power that would forever seal his fate.  Upon its arrival Zadok could not control the will of the mighty Necrodrake and it sated its unquenchable hunger for wizards with the dumbfounded Zadok-Kren. Thus the Necrodrake was released on the world and know rules a mighty army of undead Bone Warriors.

The Elves of The Isles (Using Reptiliads in the Campaign but their information is provided for thoroughness)
   The Elves of The Isles started their humble beginning as the forest children of the Elven Goddess Durandiel and through her shared a strong bond to the forests of Alioth.  Indeed the Elves would be a far different race today if not for the loss of the relic of Durandiel to the Vanir of Kor Blackstar.  For that loss irrevocably changed the Elves; forcing them to tread the path of the future alone without her guidance.
Having fought their own kindred in the Great Elven Wars, their land was sundered into pieces by Durandiel to preserve some of the race. Thus the Elves came to live on a chain of islands off the coast of the Northern Marches. The Elves built a new nation developing their fleet and improving their skill at seamanship.  Once a united nation, the Elves of the Isles were now splintered by the islands that housed them.  They developed the High Council and Triumvirate, which caused the lesser houses to seek more power in the council and the major houses to find new ways to preserve order.  Generations passed and with each one the nature of the elves changed more and more. The splintered Elves had become a nation of divided power mongers; each seeking to gain the upper hand over their rivals.
   When the Great Elven War began the Elves of The Isles were ill prepared to fight it. For although they had become the greatest sailors in all of Alioth their armies were very poor.  The War drew on for decades and the Elves were slowly losing. The High Council began to hire more mercenaries but the quality of the new troops was below standard. The Elves needed a new weapon against the Vanir and found it in the form of the Reptiliads.  Upon hiring the legendary "Legion of The Iron Tanth" Reptiliad mercenary regiment the Elves managed to bring their foes to a standstill and end the war. Needless to say this tradition of hiring mercenaries to fight their wars continues through to the present.

The Reptiliads
   The exact time of the birth of the first of their race is known only to the eldest of the Reptiliad Shaman. It is sung in their legends that their proud people were upon the world since the beginning of time even before the other races came to Alioth when the world was young.
   During the Age of Dawning the land of the Reptiliads was a great and prosperous nation. The clans were many and very powerful indeed.  Upon the arrival of the other races to Alioth the Reptiliads withdrew to the swamps; distrusting of these new creatures they sought to determine the nature of their new neighbors.
   Their first contact was with the Orc hordes of Vrish-Neil who attacked their once glorious cities destroying much of their vast nation and killing off entire clans in their furious onslaught. This was during the Age of Pestilence and the plagues sent to the world by Tandaloor that crippled the Orcs relieving the pressure upon the Reptiliads.  The Orcs soon retreated leaving the Reptiliads to recover from their losses.The Reptiliads would spend the next several hundred years recovering from the damage done by the Orc hordes and would not come into contact with any of the races of Alioth until the Age of Balance.
During the Age of Balance at the height of the Great Elven War the Reptiliads were approached by the Elves of The Isles and asked to send mercenaries to aid them in their conflict against the Vanir.  After many months of negotiations the Elven envoys managed to gain the trust of the Reptiliads and the Legion of the Iron Tanth was sent to help the Elves in their struggle... for a price of course. The Iron Tanth served the Elves well in the war and soon word spread throughout Alioth of the Reptiliads as fierce warriors and of their strange tactics.

Next week, the Empire of Necropolis and the Dwarves of the Flaming Forge, then on to turn #6.

[Mitchelxen]

The Empire of Necropolis
   The Empire of Necropolis was a former member of the Kingdom of High Erish. The city of Necropolis is also the largest city in all of the Northern Marches. It sits at the mouth of the River Styz and controls the trading up and down the river. When the old King founded High Erish and chosen the city of Erish as the capital of the Kingdom, the people of Necropolis were upset. They felt that Necropolis, being the largest city in the north deserved this honor. It did not take the present Duke much to flame this guilt into a proclamation of independence from the Kingdom of High Erish.
         Duke Theron controls the city of Necropolis and the surrounding cities through guile, a group of uneasy alliances, trade and force of arms.  The cities remain loyal to the duke as long as trade flows down the River  are maintained and the wealth that flows through the city is maintained.  The outlying cities are allied with Theron because of his military strength and their lack of the same. The River Styz flows deep into the surrounding territory and brings trade in all the way from Strelski, Voralburg, Altetal and Orenburg in the far north. With no major ports on the western coast of the continent this river is a vital source of power in the territory.
The Duke uses troops trained in the capital called the Knightsguard. These units made up of thugs and bandits are loyal to the Duke as their provider and are little more than paid mercenaries in most cases. However, the lucrative tax collected on the river trade helps the Duke maintain his grip on the locals. Away from the city the Dark Watch keeps the river safe through patrols and maintenance. This organization owes its allegiance to the Duke who created him and it is staffed by bastard sons and disgraced nobles from throughout the Empire.

The Dwarfs of the Flaming Forge
          The Dwarves were created by Kornath the Lord of The Flaming Forge in the age of creation and are one of the eldest races in existence.  From the beginning the dwarves harbored a great loathing and distrust for the orcs of Vrish-Neil who revelled in destruction and chaos and frequently waged war upon the Dwarfs. The Dwarves of The Flaming Forge are a very practical race and place high value on hard work and excellence in their chosen profession.  The Dwarves are led spiritually by the Priests of Kornath and the Forgemasters. Dwarven society is ruled by the ancient line of the Stonefist clan whose lineage reaches back to the dwarves who first inhabited Alioth.  The current ruler, King Asgrim Stonefist, has led the dwarves out of their troubled past and into a very promising future. 
         The Dwafes are experts in the areas of mining and metalsmithing and their armies' equipment reflects this.  All Dwarven troops are given the finest weapons and armour in all of Alioth, many of which are magical in nature.  The Dwarven race as a whole is known throughout the world for its practical attitude and extremely violent temper.  The tactics of the Dwarves rely heavily on defense.  This does not mean that the Dwarves themselves are cowards. Quite the contrary the Dwarves are very brave and when in combat fight with startling ferocity.

[Mitchelxen]

To: His Overly Burdened Lord of Terror the one and only Duke Theron, Great and Mighty Ruler of the Most Excellent Empire of Necropolis
From: Your mildest and meekest servant, Trevor the Red, Knight of the Lance

Greetings and Salutations to your most generous and astoundingly virile Lord. Continued good tidings grace the Empire of Necropolis in continued peace. The last several weeks have been very quiet here on the Northern Front. None of the forces in the area have been offensive in nature. Therefore we continue to train and build your magnificent soldiers into a force to be reckoned with.

Some rumors have come to us about the goings on of war in the area. The Necro-Drake Lords forces of Bone Warriors seem to be reeling from the thrashing they took at the hands of the Dwarfs. As you know their army was ambushed at a small hamlet to the south and both their Heroes were captured. Well the great and glorious news that the Dwarfs are letting be known is that they have burned the two foul beasts at the stake thus breaking the hold of undead life that that those two wretched creatures possessed. Yes it is true the Bone Warriors heroes Nembo Dragontooth and Chrysanthos Yonah are dead! The Dwarfs have also supplied us with a beautiful new weapon, crafted from the very Demon Ore deposit that we have found here in the north. We hope to bring this weapon to bear on, and cleave the heads of many a foe in the name of your mighty and impetuous royalness.

We have not heard or seen anything of the Reptiliad Mercenaries in the vicinity. We believe they are building, reinforcing their territory and troops and growing in size. We do not believe that their continued presence in the area need concern your magnanimous Lordship. There have been rumors brought to us by completely trustworthy vagabonds and brigands that these lizard creatures are scouting into our enemies areas. We will seek further information concerning these cold blooded scoundrels.

I hope the cooler weather finds your abdomen distention waning. As always, with noble bearing and upward dignity to your royal precociousness,

Yours,

Trevor the Red.

[Mitchelxen]

Meanwhile somewhere deep in the Tantalean Wastes...
Amongst the land that has been covered by the blood of the peoples of Alioth and is now the dead soil of the Wastes. Amongst the ruin and decay of this place is a city of bones. Ancient stonework rises among the skulls, spines and bones of thousands of creatures that are its foundation. Deep within the bowels of this city, in the confines of a finely crafted bone tomb lies the remains of Shem Dragontooth. Shem's bones lie in a state of decay, his ghost long past serving in torture on the plane of Tandaloor.
A death column shakes with unholy power this day. Crafted out of the bones and corpses of the slaves whose blood and sweat once drenched the floors of the slaughter chambers of the Vampyre kings. The souls trapped within still call out in unending torture and servitude to the foul god of decay, Tandaloor. A skull breaks off the top of the column and bounces and rolls to the floor of the tomb. Within the skeletal coffin the putrefied form stirs.
"Avenge me my brother...!" The voice is power and on a far away plane the brother hears. His bones stir. The ghost returns to its former shell. Fingers twitch, the head inclines and slowly the torso raises out of the coffin that has been its bed for the past thousand years. The skeleton clenches a bony fist as if for the first time. This body has been sorely missed over the years, but it is somehow...different. Lacking in flesh, the skeletal remains of Shem Dragontooth rises to its feet. Still clothed in the plate armor he was buried in, he clenches the pommel of the sword at his finely polished gaunt hipbone.
The Necro-drake's eyes shine a malignant black, "Join me in unlife and avenge the death of your brother Nembo!"
Shem steps down off the pedestal that his sarcophagus rests upon. His body marches forth to join the army of Bone Warriors that serve the Necro-drake Lord soon to shed blood on the battlefields of the Northern Front.

[LordOdo]

  uh oh....

[Mitchelxen]

Turn#6 Campaign Turn Summary or "Huge Build Up on the Northern Front"

Empire of Necropolis
The Empire of Necropolis Player did not show up for turns 6, 7, 8 as he had another function planned that day, booo hisssss. He will complete his turns later, or perhaps we should not allow him too...hmmmm.

Bone Warriors Player
The Bone Warriors player had 1000PP plus 1015PP saved from the previous turn. The Bone Warriors also lost 200pp (lost a battle -250pp but attack order +50pp). The total production for the Bone Warriors was therefore 1315PP. The player added replacements in the Spears of Anarchy and the Horde Shockers Units, this cost 300pp total. The player sent Vlad Xerxes to the Cabal Chapter to learn a new spell, this will take 3 turns. A new necromancer was purchased at the Cabal Chapter House. Barr Reiqir Sanguis is a "B" Level spell caster with a focus on raising spells. The player saved 500PP for the next turn. In the Political Phase the player tried to bargain for the life of his captured hero's to no avail. The Dwarfs offered to burn them at the stake. This allows the Bone Warriors player to automatically run a Rescue Mission scenario if he places his army on an Attack Order.
In the War! Phase the player opted for a Defend Order allowing his Heroes to perish in the flames of the Dwarven Forges. He felt the danger level too high with the army he currently possessed.

Dwarves of the Flaming Forge
The Dwarves had production of 1000PP and had savings of 100PP. The Dwarf Player also earned 250PP for his major victory against the Bone Warriors. The Dwarf player built a Military College (which allows a discount on producing units, and allows the player to purchase new Heroes). The rest of his PP was saved to build in future turns. In the Political Phase the Dwarves the Dwarves refused to negotiate with the terror that is known as the Bone Warriors. In the War! Phase the Dwarves were placed on a Defend Order.

They trained all their Units that were placed on Defend as they were not attacked.

The Reptiliads
The Reptiliad player had 1000PP for the turn. He had also saved and Built another 700PP during Turn#5 bringing his total to 1700PP. The player then spent 1500PP building a Military College in Y'lthas. This means the player saves 200PP for the next turn. His Political Phase was quiet and in the War! Phase he put his Army on a Defend Order.

The Reptiliads did not have to fight this turn so they trained the Shakes, Shakers, Gilla Worms and Newts Riders. The rest of the Army was put to Building and produced 400PP for the following turn.

A very quite turn of building with no tabletop battles, so onward to Turn#7.

[Mitchelxen]

Turn#7 Campaign Turn Summary or "The Build Up Continues"

Empire of Necropolis
The Empire of Necropolis Player did not show up for turn 7. He will complete his turns this week.

Bone Warriors Player
The Bone Warriors player had 1000PP plus 1050PP saved from the previous turn.  The total production for the Bone Warriors was therefore 2050PP. The player built a Military College (in order to keep up with the escalation). He also sent out an exploring expedition which cost 500PP. For exploration a card is chosen and the number relates to a chart. The result was no effect so the player lost his money as his explorer bumbled around in the wilderness for the turn. The player saved 500PP for the next turn. The Political Phase was very tense between the Bone Warriors player and the Dwarfs. The Bone Warriors lost two heroes that had some good experience levels.
In the War! Phase the player opted for a Defend Order. The Bone Warriors attempted to train his Ghoul Units and the Dead Rider Cavalry. The Red Ghouls were successful and learned the skill Smash 9+. This skill allows them to bust down fortifications, perhaps a useful skill when fighting Dwarfs. The rest of the Bone Warriors Units were placed on a Build Order and contributed +450PP to the coffers.

Dwarves of the Flaming Forge
The Dwarves had production of 1000PP and there savings. The Dwarf player built a Cabal (which allows the recruitment of Spellcasters, allows spellcasters to learn new spells and can build magic weapons). He also built a Bumer Truppen Unit, and a  Mammoth of Terror. This construction left him 86PP for savings.
In the War! Phase the Dwarves were placed on a Defend Order.

The Dwarf trained all his Units that were placed on Defend as they were not attacked. The Bumer Truppen learned the skill Suppression 9+, and the Ogre Rory Greenzinc improved through getting Poisen Skin 9+.

The Reptiliads
The Reptiliad player had 1000PP for the turn. He had also saved and Built another 700PP during Turn#6 bringing his total to 1700PP. The player then built two new Reptiliad Tanth Legionaries Units totalling 1212PP. This means the player saves 488PP for the next turn. His Political Phase was quiet and in the War! Phase he put his Army on a Defend Order.

The Reptiliads did not have to fight this turn so they trained the Shakes, Shakers, Gilla Worms and Newts Riders. The Gilla Worms produced a hero from the ranks (EE Level) (snicker) while the Storm Gatherer War Newts learned the skill Ignores Cover 9+ (so their arrows penetrate cover better). The rest of the Army was put to Building and produced 400PP for the following turn.

Another quite turn of building with no tabletop battles, so onward to Turn#8 titled "The Damn Bursts!"

[Mitchelxen]

Turn#8 Campaign Turn Summary or "The Damn Bursts - Slightly  "

Empire of Necropolis
The Empire of Necropolis Player did not show up for turn 8. He will complete his turns later.

Bone Warriors Player
The Bone Warriors player had 1000PP plus 600PP saved from the previous turn.  The total production for the Bone Warriors was therefore 1600PP. The player built the hero Shem Dragontooth and Maximus Vorkath for a cost of 402PP (after the discount for the Military College). He also sent out an Exploration team which cost 500PP. The result was again no effect so the player lost his money as his explorer bumbled around in the wilderness for the turn. Finally the player added henchman to his new Necromancer, Barr Reiqr Sanguis and for his Hero Shem. The player saved 498PP for the next turn. The Political Phase was very quiet.
In the War! Phase the player opted for a Defend Order but was Attacked by the Dwarfs. Finally a Tabletop Battle!

Dwarves of the Flaming Forge
The Dwarves had production of 1000PP and there savings of 86PP to give them a total of 1086PP. The Dwarf player paid for two scouts (these allow you to see the enemy army on a successful die roll). One scout was killed for his insolence while the other was successful at scouting the Bone Warriors Army. The player also did an Exploration roll for 500PP and got no result. The player saved 386PP for the following turn.
The political turn was uneventful for the Dwarfs.
In the War! Phase the Dwarves were placed on an Attack Order and challenged the Bone Warriors to a Tabletop Battle.

The Reptiliads
The Reptiliad player (boring) had 1000PP for the turn. He had also saved and Built another 988PP during Turn#7 bringing his total to 1988PP. The player saved all his points 1988PP for the next turn. Should we look out or is this player just taking the long view??? Maybe he is going for the demon-ore refinery...His Political Phase was quiet and in the War! Phase he put his Army on a Defend Order.

The Reptiliads did not have to fight this turn so he will again train and build with his army. We will post this update with the Threshold Advancement update after the battle is discussed in the next post.

[Mitchelxen]

Turn #8 Tabletop Battle

In this turn we saw a battle between the Attacking Dwarfs of the Flaming Forge Army and the Bone Warriors Army on a Defend Order.
The first step in setting up a Tabletop Battle in the campaign game is to determine the scenario. A die was rolled and the scenario chart determined that the battle would be an Attacker Ambushed scenario. The same as the last game, same die roll by the same player.
The next step is the Terrain Set-up phase. The first random piece of terrain that is always rolled for in a tabletop game is the Special Terrain Feature. The result was Holy Shrine which causes a Terror Morale Test in all "Evil" Units that come within 6" of it. In the case of the Bone Warriors they cannot approach within 6" because they have no moral. This may have caused an issue for the Bone Warrior Army
The Terrain for the tabletop battle was then set up in alternating order.
Unfortunately for the Dwarfs of the Flaming Forge (and the game) the random set up caused a river with one bridge to be placed at one end of the table with a fence near it. It was a series of unfortunate die rolls that caused the Dwarfs to be in the exact same predicament as the Bone Warriors were on the previous Tabletop Battle. This called for a long discussion about the rules, is this just severe bad luck, bad terrain placement by the players (lack of strategic skill) or an actual flaw in the rules. It was decided that it may have been more of a combination of the first two then an actual rules flaw.
So a new campaign rule was written to cover the possibility of a player not wanting to actually fight a battle. This rule incorporated a larger than usual PP punishment (-100 extra). The Army that retreats also cannot do an Attack Order in the next turn and fight with a -1 modifier on their Morale. Once this occured the Dwarf player took his punishment (Well at least we get to play test the rule) and the game was packed up. However, the players worked through the set-up rules and actually made two turns of movement before the game was forfeit. So here are some pictures from the Tabletop Battle for your enjoyment.


The Initial Board set up for the Ambush at the Leiran River. Dwarfs on the right side of the river must set up within 12" of the fenced area. An error is made by the Dwarfs as this set-up would allow them to put at least one unit on the opposite side of the river, however, the opportunity is missed.


After two turns of movement things look bleak for the Dwarfs and they choose to concede the battle. According to the new rule this can be done anytime up until the first Melee is fought. There were no units engaged at the time of surrender.


The view of the Dwarf lines as they attempt to come across the bridge. Notice the Bumertruppen attempting to move to provide covering fire across the river on the Right Flank.


The Dwarf cavalry and Mammoths held in reserve.

[Mitchelxen]

No game this week due to very busy schedules. The time was used the time to paint some more miniatures. Here is the introduction, followed by the pics of the miniatures.

Somewhere deep in the Tantalean Wastes.

The wall crumbled in a gargle of rock as dust and chips of stone filled the air. Through the mist shrouded hole stepped Shem Dragontooth, Hero of the Necro-Drake Lord. He thrust the final rock away with a kick from his boot shod skeletal foot and stepped into the crypt.
He had finally found it. After spending the week scouring the halls and catacombs of the once great skeletal city of Magloth, he had finally found the tomb for which he searched. This was where his Gallant Men of Courage had been buried. This was where he needed to be to see them risen again.
In life they had been great warriors. Standing beside him in battle after battle. Their spears glistening in the brilliant sunshine of war. Their armor covered in the blood of their enemies. Now they lay in silent repose in the shadows of their tomb. They had been buried here, together, in memory of all the fields they had conquered. Now they would rise again to do battle at his side. To be his gallant soldiers once more.
Shem raised his hand and beckoned Vlad Xerxes through the now fallen wall and into the tomb.
Vlad stepped into the tomb, his robes rustling on the ground. He began to chant and immediately the stone slabs that covered the sarcophagi of the warriors began to tremble. It was as if the anticipation was too much. The slabs screeched to the side and Vlad raised his voice and swirled his hands. The undead bodies began to rise...


Shem Dragontooth's Gallant Men of Courage


A close up shot of Shem Dragontooth's Gallant Men of Courage


Shem Dragontooth's Dread Archers of Courage - These warriors were great bowmen when they were among the living. Now Shem has gone to great lengths to bring them into the unlife to support him in his mission to avenge his brother.


Dread Archers of Courage Closeup

Well there you go. We hope you like the story and painting. I do not consider myself a good painter. These figures actually came out better than I thought they would. I hope you enjoyed this little post.