It was a small group that convened for Border Board games on Saturday night. We drew the usual crowd of Beth, myself, Homer, and Shannon and were glad that Rob could stop by as well. The night started with our second ever playing of Thurn & Taxis. T&T is a game I've been eying for a while so when the board game yard sale came to pass, Beth and I decided to bid on it. To our delight, we won it and picked it up at the Green Mountain gamers Game 'n Grill in Norwich.
We made some mistakes on our first play-through, mistakes we noted and vowed to not repeat. Luckily we managed to avoid the problems this time. Everyone earned the carriages in the right order and we negated points for having leftover bird houses errr, post offices. Beth seemed to have a pretty solid system in place from the get-go. Her houses popped up throughout the region in no time and her routes quickly earned her reams of bonus points. Homer went to big-route way and amassed a tidy sum of bonus chits himself.
Being his first time through, Shannon seemed a little lost leading to the dissolution of a promising 4 city route early in the game. While it didn't help his fortunes, it seemed to be the turning point at which he began to understand the subtle nuances of the game. I plugged away trying to fill up the big honking grey area and actually managed to trigger end game with my #7 carriage. Homer and I tied at 23 points apiece while Shannon had a dismal showing at only 4 points. The leftovers really damaged his score on his first time through. Beth won the game with an impressive score of 26, even without the #7 carriage in her possession.
Our next game involved breaking out 7 Wonders. The appeal is the game's ability to support a large number of players coupled with a relatively quick game play assuming everyone has played it before. This turned out to be a fairly tight match despite four wildly different strategies. Homer presented a surprisingly balanced point spread ranking 1st or 2nd in every category to score a 54 point win. Beth followed close behind mainly on the strength of her blue bonus points to finish with 47 points. Shannon and I ended up tied at 44 points each as Shannon went heavily on the military and I went the science route due to having Babylon B as my city.
Our last game of the night was a venture into Wrath of Ashardalon. While game play is similar to Castle Ravenloft, the monsters, challenges and some features are unique. Luckily the differences were so easily grasped that Rob and I being the only ones to have played both systems, still didn't need to explain much of anything. I believe Shannon may have been the only newcomer to the Wizards of the Coast D&D based game series.
With a full crew, we ventured into the subterranean lair of some evil Kobold dude (whose name I clearly cannot recall). As is often the case, we had barely stepped into the dungeon when things began to fall apart. Homer the Paladin and Beth the Fighter quickly went one way battling hordes while my Wizard, Shannon's Cleric and Rob's Rogue went the other. Before too long a cave in had reduced travel to a crawl on the north end of the dungeon while monsters streamed out in poison dealing masses to afflict Homer with curses and poison. The Blood-Raging Cleric continued to take damage owing to his inability to actually reach any monsters in time.
The environment cards are the biggest advantage the game has over the players (beyond always getting to attack first). As soon as the lava walls appeared, the Wizard was doomed. A curse would cause him to take damage for every tile he moved through while standing by a wall caused a single point. Standing still triggered yet another encounter that caused something to explode and the Wizard to tumble into a heap. Meanwhile the blood rage started to drain the Cleric of vitality, in spite of his starting with a Tome of Experience.
Over on the other side of the map, a giant boulder slammed into the Paladin and Fighter who, between them, seemed to be in a perpetual state of cursed, dazed and/or poisoned. When we finally came back together on the south side of the map, things continued to sour. The Legion Devils made their first (and second) appearance while Duergar and Kobold sentries opened more tiles and brought in more monsters. Oddly enough, we had only TWO tiles remaining when the trigger tile was finally pulled. This is a testament to the tile summoning monsters drawing everything from the bottom.
It was an error we caught late but we realized that we had not been activating like-named monsters as often as we should have. Given the difficulties we'd experienced to that point, it was probably for the best even though it did somewhat tarnish the end game. Knowing that he wasn't long for this world, the Paladin rushed ahead hoping to bring out the final encounter. It worked though it brought along a host of new monsters to go with it. Then with the Paladin down we used our last Healing Surge.
With hordes surrounding him and three of five party members in the eastern end of the dungeon, we had to orchestrate a complex and somewhat insane plan to somehow kill the Kobold Dude before the Paladin's turn came about again (for he had been swamped and died once more). As the Rogue and Wizard rushed to help the Paladin, the Fighter and Cleric orchestrated a careful fighting withdrawal from the Devil infested eastern caverns.
The Rogue and Fighter delivered some punishment to the Kobold Dude even as he slashed his way through our ranks leaving him down to 2 HPs with only the Wizard standing in the way of victory. Wielding an impressive arsenal of magic weapons (which, quite frankly could have better served someone else), the Wizard hypnotized the Orc Archer into attacking his commander allowing the coup de grace to be delivered via Flaming Sphere. The Kobold Dude fell to the ground as the Wizard's flaming balls tea-bagged him to death. Huzzah!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Ambush!
The dealings of the besieged House Drake continued as the band moved into the hinterlands, hoping to turn aside the Buckwell incursion at Amrath. With Ella taking a leading role, in part to keep her away from treachery at Castle Drake, but, more importantly to show face along the troubled border, the band made its way north. Garth leading his irregulars and Torrhen the untested cavalry, the band was not long in coming into trouble.
Amonmg the rugged hills of the northlands, the band encountered a suspect deadfall. Suspecting the blockage might be an ambush, Garth's scouts forged ahead to secure the area while Torrhen's troopers worked to remove the tree. Though no ambush proved forthcoming, evidence gathered at the scene pointed to a deliberate effort to stall the House Drake forces in their drive northward.
Not far off Torrhen's forces encountered a band of House Hayford knights as well as a group of poachers. The bold knight led his men into a savage charge that quickly obliterated the Hayford troops. Their presence, so deep in Drake territory, boded ill. After seizing a prisoner, slaying another, and securing the goods from the Hayford troops, the band headed north once again.
The most troubling part of the episode was that Hayford, the house to whom Celia and Anders are blood relatives, should suddenly appear at a time when Anders' and Celia's loyalties remain in doubt. Their possession of a sizable cache of gold also hints at treachery in the offing. Not only is Buckwell threatening the lands, but, evidently, Hayford may also have a hand in this business. Fortunately some of the crack irregulars were able to take down messenger ravens further revealing the role of Hayford in the debacle.
Sensing that the road ahead would be either patrolled or prepared in ambush, Maester Gyles proposed cutting cross country to reach Amrath from the east instead of along the northern road. With Gyles uncanny sense of direction, aided at times by Garth's woodlore, the band managed to circumvent trouble and arrive in town in a steady, pouring rain. Seeking the town's holdfast, the band entered only to learn that marauders had been plaguing the town for some time. the news troubled Ella as no word of repeated incursions had ever reached her ears, despite serving as acting head of the household.
The suspicious guard Jervis was found strung up in the village, the lone survivor of the latest raid against the town. His survival did not last long, however, as the villagers hung him for his bold treason. His presence, however, coupled with the close ties the young man bore to Anders, only confirmed that something ill was afoot. While Torrhen angered the villagers by seizing Jervis' horse, a fine specimen taken from Drake's own stables, Garth placated the townspeople by granting them the wolf pelts recovered from the Hayford poachers.
As Ella and Maester Gyles continued to probe the villagers for more information, Torrhen led the bulk of his cavalry south along the main road, hoping to catch the ambushers from behind. At the same time Garth and some of his irregulars finally located the missing Drake kinsman, the bastard Warrick, hiding in the ruins of the town's lone guard tower. As the day wound to a close, Torrhen's troops suddenly found themselves under attack....
Amonmg the rugged hills of the northlands, the band encountered a suspect deadfall. Suspecting the blockage might be an ambush, Garth's scouts forged ahead to secure the area while Torrhen's troopers worked to remove the tree. Though no ambush proved forthcoming, evidence gathered at the scene pointed to a deliberate effort to stall the House Drake forces in their drive northward.
Not far off Torrhen's forces encountered a band of House Hayford knights as well as a group of poachers. The bold knight led his men into a savage charge that quickly obliterated the Hayford troops. Their presence, so deep in Drake territory, boded ill. After seizing a prisoner, slaying another, and securing the goods from the Hayford troops, the band headed north once again.
The most troubling part of the episode was that Hayford, the house to whom Celia and Anders are blood relatives, should suddenly appear at a time when Anders' and Celia's loyalties remain in doubt. Their possession of a sizable cache of gold also hints at treachery in the offing. Not only is Buckwell threatening the lands, but, evidently, Hayford may also have a hand in this business. Fortunately some of the crack irregulars were able to take down messenger ravens further revealing the role of Hayford in the debacle.
Sensing that the road ahead would be either patrolled or prepared in ambush, Maester Gyles proposed cutting cross country to reach Amrath from the east instead of along the northern road. With Gyles uncanny sense of direction, aided at times by Garth's woodlore, the band managed to circumvent trouble and arrive in town in a steady, pouring rain. Seeking the town's holdfast, the band entered only to learn that marauders had been plaguing the town for some time. the news troubled Ella as no word of repeated incursions had ever reached her ears, despite serving as acting head of the household.
The suspicious guard Jervis was found strung up in the village, the lone survivor of the latest raid against the town. His survival did not last long, however, as the villagers hung him for his bold treason. His presence, however, coupled with the close ties the young man bore to Anders, only confirmed that something ill was afoot. While Torrhen angered the villagers by seizing Jervis' horse, a fine specimen taken from Drake's own stables, Garth placated the townspeople by granting them the wolf pelts recovered from the Hayford poachers.
As Ella and Maester Gyles continued to probe the villagers for more information, Torrhen led the bulk of his cavalry south along the main road, hoping to catch the ambushers from behind. At the same time Garth and some of his irregulars finally located the missing Drake kinsman, the bastard Warrick, hiding in the ruins of the town's lone guard tower. As the day wound to a close, Torrhen's troops suddenly found themselves under attack....
From the depths
The heroes have continued their investigations into the disappearance of House Lyrandar's Siren's Song. With the loss of the airship, one destined to resupply an archaeological expedition on the northeast coast of Xendrik, Lyrandar's officials are concerned about what manner of forces could take down one of their prized airships.
Following leads cultivated from the destruction of the Wharf Rats waterfront gang, the party proceed north along the coast to the fishing hamlet of Gull Rock. After securing transportation from a riverside vendor, not the least of which was a prized riding ratite Xerxes, the group headed out along the tidal causeway to the remote village. Once there they assumed the guise of messengers of the late, but unlamented, henrich and learned that the treasures from the Siren's Song came from a group of sahuagin marauders located among the channel islands.
Their attempts to meet with the sahuagin leader Zilzbek resulted in a battle along the waterfront that left Zilzbek's two lieutenants dead and Zizlbek begging for mercy. Only after providing the band with the information they sought was the sahuagin leader permitted to flee back into the watery depths. Armed with this new information, the party returned to the Bad Penny, there to meet their contact the gnome scoundrel Rumley. Rumley promised the band that he could secure passage to the islands on behalf of his employers. deciding that they would be likelier to encounter the marauders aboard a merchantman, they opted to follow that route instead of securing a smaller, faster, packet ship.
As the session wound down, the band prepared for an oceanic voyage, hoping to discover the mysterious giantish device Zilzbek asserted was behind the downing of the airship.
Following leads cultivated from the destruction of the Wharf Rats waterfront gang, the party proceed north along the coast to the fishing hamlet of Gull Rock. After securing transportation from a riverside vendor, not the least of which was a prized riding ratite Xerxes, the group headed out along the tidal causeway to the remote village. Once there they assumed the guise of messengers of the late, but unlamented, henrich and learned that the treasures from the Siren's Song came from a group of sahuagin marauders located among the channel islands.
Their attempts to meet with the sahuagin leader Zilzbek resulted in a battle along the waterfront that left Zilzbek's two lieutenants dead and Zizlbek begging for mercy. Only after providing the band with the information they sought was the sahuagin leader permitted to flee back into the watery depths. Armed with this new information, the party returned to the Bad Penny, there to meet their contact the gnome scoundrel Rumley. Rumley promised the band that he could secure passage to the islands on behalf of his employers. deciding that they would be likelier to encounter the marauders aboard a merchantman, they opted to follow that route instead of securing a smaller, faster, packet ship.
As the session wound down, the band prepared for an oceanic voyage, hoping to discover the mysterious giantish device Zilzbek asserted was behind the downing of the airship.
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