I've been lax in keeping the blog current so I'm making up for it today with a graphic recounting of the annual Border Board Games horror fest. It's been our tradition to break out our monster themed games in October because, well, monster games are cool. We were pleased to have some travelers from away as well as a few new faces at the Derby Line Village Hall this month.
Thanks to Evil Brad and Lia for coming along as well as a big thanks to Lee, Monique, Josh and Alton for coming by. Alton has been a regular for the past few months but, due to my sloth, hadn't been mentioned yet. The regular gang of Beth, Rob, Mike, Dennis, Homer, Neil and myself made for three tables of mayhem.
The longest game of the evening pitted Beth, Monique, Rob, Josh and Neil against The Dark Goat of the Wood itself - Shub-Nigurrath. The gang battled bravely fending off repeated monster surges, travelling to the outer worlds and eventually sealing off the evil from Arkham. having watched a few how-to videos on Arkham Horror prior to Saturday night enabled the gang to formulate a plan to help dig out the tools and knowledge the group needed to accomplish their task.
Lee, Lia and Alton tackled Betrayal at House on the Hill in the first installment of the game played. Not sure how that went but it appeared that they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Meanwhile, Homer, Dennis , Mike and I tried to take on Evil Brad and his legions of undead in Last Night on Earth. By some bizarre twist, this game turned out to be the worst Bible camp experience any of our characters had ever experienced. With Father McFeely (or whatever his name was) leading the group of teens in Sally, Jenny and Billy, it was some old dude and a bunch of hormonal kids against ravenous hordes. The outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion as Brad unleashed endless waves of zombies while the teens picked through the wreckage of the high school in an attempt to dig up anything useful.
What they managed to find was a chainsaw in the garage, a pair of flares guns and not much else. father McFeely's flare gun lit up a zombie while Sally decided to use hers to send a signal for help. Unfortunately, the only help that arrived smelled bad, looked worse and only wanted to eat us all. No one is really sure what Billy did except to turn into a zombie and cost us the game.
In a strange twist, the transition from LNoE to Tammany Hall came as a great surprise to all of us. But politics is a horror show of its own I suppose. In the end, despite having trailed the pack for most of the game, Dennis pulled out the win based on the strength of his Irish votes. Dennis winning control of New York is probably what triggered the zombie apocalypse that followed.
From Tammany Hall, Brad and I took the hearse of defeat over to join Lia and Lee for a game of Zombicide. Our task was seemingly simple - gather some supplies, jack a car and get the heck out of Dodge. Amy, Ned, Phil and Wanda had to break into the old store, gather up water, canned goods and rice, find a car and then drive off into the post-apocalyptic sunset. easy-peasy you say. Well, it kind of was thanks to a couple of sawed off shotguns, an early Molotov cocktail, my second chainsaw of the night and some timely sniping. In the biggest surprise of the night, Evil Brad (or Brad the Beatific) declared that no one would get left behind. Constable Phil was stuck on the other side of the building by the Pimp Mobile and wouldn't be able to make it to the squad car for the quick getaway. Rather than abandon a fellow survivor, the gun toting maniacs decided to shoot Phil a path back across the Mega Mart. In the end, hot-foot Wanda raced the car around the corner and to safety, all four survivors and the goods intact.
Meanwhile, round two of Betrayal was breaking out as Beth, Monique, Josh, Rob and Neil braved that creaking old mansion on top of the hill. The haunt (Neil) turned out to be a pretty potent poltergeist. As the heroes rushed around, somewhat ineffectually, trying to find and light candles to perform an exorcism, Neil floated around choking them out one by one. In the end the poltergeist found the peace he sought, even if it was occasionally disturbed by the drip-drip-dripping of his victims' blood.
And that was how we spent our Almost-Halloween. How about you?
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
New faces, a record crowd and something completely inappropriate
Saturday, May 18 was perhaps the biggest turnout for Border Board Games. We had 16 folks come out including a new face and a few returning relative newcomers. First off we would like to thank Tina, Patrick and the kids for coming back. Glad to see that everyone enjoyed their first foray into Castle Ravenloft. We also drew a new player Geraldine who visited us from Quebec.
We managed to get in quite a few games between the three tables. Along with our six new faces we drew the usual crowd of Mike O and St. Jay Mike, Dennis, Kim and Homer, Rob, Sue and Tim and of course Beth and myself.
Having enjoyed it so much last time, Tina, Patrick and company requested another go at castle Ravenloft. Rob, being familiar with Wrath of Ashardalon and thus the game system, guided the group through the quest. Their efforts to prevent Kevan from turning into a vampire did not turn out quite so well but it sounded as if everyone had a good time.
Skyline, a pick-up from the silent auction at Mega-Meltdown, proved to be a quick, fun and popular addition to the game collection. It hit the table for a few go-throughs before the night was over. What the game lacks in depth of play it more than makes up for in its approachability and speedy resolution - unless you are waiting for Dennis to finish his skyscraper of course. Then you'll need to wait a long time. :)
While Beth led people through a game of Get Bit! and then a round of Carcassonne, Kim, Homer, Dennis and I visited medieval Europe and clawed and scraped our way to subsistence with Agricola. Dennis secured the win by a single well-fought point. Things started to go downhill shortly thereafter.
The Game of the Night title went squarely to Cards Against Humanity. Irreverent, offensive on some level to almost everyone and sometimes completely mystifying "the party game for horrible people" lived up to its name. If you don't believe me just ask Homer how World War IV will be fought. He has a pretty strong opinion on the subject. CAH hit the table a couple of times last night and each round was as wildly entertaining as the last. I suspect it will be some time before I laugh, cry and hurt as much afterward as the result of a game.
I leave you with this one question from CAH: "Why am I sticky?"
We managed to get in quite a few games between the three tables. Along with our six new faces we drew the usual crowd of Mike O and St. Jay Mike, Dennis, Kim and Homer, Rob, Sue and Tim and of course Beth and myself.
Having enjoyed it so much last time, Tina, Patrick and company requested another go at castle Ravenloft. Rob, being familiar with Wrath of Ashardalon and thus the game system, guided the group through the quest. Their efforts to prevent Kevan from turning into a vampire did not turn out quite so well but it sounded as if everyone had a good time.
Skyline, a pick-up from the silent auction at Mega-Meltdown, proved to be a quick, fun and popular addition to the game collection. It hit the table for a few go-throughs before the night was over. What the game lacks in depth of play it more than makes up for in its approachability and speedy resolution - unless you are waiting for Dennis to finish his skyscraper of course. Then you'll need to wait a long time. :)
While Beth led people through a game of Get Bit! and then a round of Carcassonne, Kim, Homer, Dennis and I visited medieval Europe and clawed and scraped our way to subsistence with Agricola. Dennis secured the win by a single well-fought point. Things started to go downhill shortly thereafter.
The Game of the Night title went squarely to Cards Against Humanity. Irreverent, offensive on some level to almost everyone and sometimes completely mystifying "the party game for horrible people" lived up to its name. If you don't believe me just ask Homer how World War IV will be fought. He has a pretty strong opinion on the subject. CAH hit the table a couple of times last night and each round was as wildly entertaining as the last. I suspect it will be some time before I laugh, cry and hurt as much afterward as the result of a game.
I leave you with this one question from CAH: "Why am I sticky?"
Sunday, March 17, 2013
All kinds of monkey business
One of our largest gatherings of recent memory brought a couple new, if familiar, faces to Border Board Games on Saturday night. We were pleased to have Lia travel from Burlington and Tim from up the road to join us for gaming mayhem.
The games started earlier in the day with twin tables of Battlestar Galactica. In both cases the cylons failed to destroy Galactica as the humans limped back to earth. There was no food, half the people had died en route to cylon attacks and fuel was running lower than the gas tank on a teenagers truck but for whatever reason people seemed happy. The fleet felt more spacious than it had before and a can of jellied meat seemed to last longer these days....
After a delicious meal of pub fare (it being St. Patrick's Day weekend it just felt right), we headed down to the Derby Line Village Hall for gaming. We had Beth running a table of Spin Monkeys, a new-to-our-collection product from Rio Grande Games that places monkeys in bumper cars running over fruit. It never having hit the table before it was a completely new experience for Rob, the Mikes, Lia, Andrew and Beth. It's a rather light game, as one might expect from the theme, but accommodated a lot of people and much hilarity ensued.
At the next table, and by special request, Dennis, Homer, Sue, Tim and I tackled Tammany Hall. As was the case in our previous experience, Dennis and Homer quickly struck a devil's bargain. Slippery Dennis was elected the first Mayor of New York only to face slander from every direction over the corruption of the worst police chief the city has ever seen (Homer). Tricky Dick served the next two terms as mayor despite a steadily eroding voter base, swinging a deal with Slandering Sue.
Once again, however, clean campaigning and skillful manipulation of immigrant populations helped the winner, Honest Tim, surge ahead at the polls and in the hearts of the Irish and Italians alike. Clearly the protestants were not his power base. despite having lingered in the back throughout much of the game both Tim and Sue rode waves of popularity to surge ahead of the embattled Tammany Hall veterans. Sue's surge fell just shy but did enable her to go from a distant fifth to second place behind Tim's impressive victory.
Afterwards Mike O, Rob and I tried Rob's game Sentinels of the Multiverse, a superhero themed co-op game. The game features a variety of different heroes each with their own respective power and equipment decks squaring off against a dastardly super villain and his minions. We may have inadvertently extended the length of the game at one point but our trio of masked avengers seemed largely incompetent in terms of dealing the villain a mortal blow. Next time Citizen whatsyourface...next time.
At the other table Andrew, St. Jay Mike, Beth and Dennis played Dominion. Apparently Mike and Dennis were slightly soured on he game based on their original introduction to the game. Having gone through the game with people willing to teach them instead of just beat them appears to have made new converts to the former Game of the Year.
Who knows what merrymaking will accompany the Border Board Games in April but I for one wouldn't mind tossing out a Uwe Rosenberg title onto the table.
The games started earlier in the day with twin tables of Battlestar Galactica. In both cases the cylons failed to destroy Galactica as the humans limped back to earth. There was no food, half the people had died en route to cylon attacks and fuel was running lower than the gas tank on a teenagers truck but for whatever reason people seemed happy. The fleet felt more spacious than it had before and a can of jellied meat seemed to last longer these days....
After a delicious meal of pub fare (it being St. Patrick's Day weekend it just felt right), we headed down to the Derby Line Village Hall for gaming. We had Beth running a table of Spin Monkeys, a new-to-our-collection product from Rio Grande Games that places monkeys in bumper cars running over fruit. It never having hit the table before it was a completely new experience for Rob, the Mikes, Lia, Andrew and Beth. It's a rather light game, as one might expect from the theme, but accommodated a lot of people and much hilarity ensued.
At the next table, and by special request, Dennis, Homer, Sue, Tim and I tackled Tammany Hall. As was the case in our previous experience, Dennis and Homer quickly struck a devil's bargain. Slippery Dennis was elected the first Mayor of New York only to face slander from every direction over the corruption of the worst police chief the city has ever seen (Homer). Tricky Dick served the next two terms as mayor despite a steadily eroding voter base, swinging a deal with Slandering Sue.
Once again, however, clean campaigning and skillful manipulation of immigrant populations helped the winner, Honest Tim, surge ahead at the polls and in the hearts of the Irish and Italians alike. Clearly the protestants were not his power base. despite having lingered in the back throughout much of the game both Tim and Sue rode waves of popularity to surge ahead of the embattled Tammany Hall veterans. Sue's surge fell just shy but did enable her to go from a distant fifth to second place behind Tim's impressive victory.
Afterwards Mike O, Rob and I tried Rob's game Sentinels of the Multiverse, a superhero themed co-op game. The game features a variety of different heroes each with their own respective power and equipment decks squaring off against a dastardly super villain and his minions. We may have inadvertently extended the length of the game at one point but our trio of masked avengers seemed largely incompetent in terms of dealing the villain a mortal blow. Next time Citizen whatsyourface...next time.
At the other table Andrew, St. Jay Mike, Beth and Dennis played Dominion. Apparently Mike and Dennis were slightly soured on he game based on their original introduction to the game. Having gone through the game with people willing to teach them instead of just beat them appears to have made new converts to the former Game of the Year.
Who knows what merrymaking will accompany the Border Board Games in April but I for one wouldn't mind tossing out a Uwe Rosenberg title onto the table.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
In the morass of 19th century politics, nice gals finish first
This month marked the unveiling of several new games from our collection. The first to hit the table was the Kickstarter gem Tammany Hall. History buffs and gamers alike will enjoy this rollicking romp through mid-19th century politics in New York City. Joining me for the ride were Dennis, Kim, Homer and Mike O. As this was our first play-through we had no idea what to expect and even less of an idea as to the best path to proceed.
What resulted was bizarre table-talk, double-dealing and treachery. For anyone familiar with Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, Tammany Hall maintains many of the same devices of wheeling and dealing. Indeed, this element is what makes the game shine both for its crisp mechanics as well as a solid social experience. Dennis and Homer jumped right in securing a deal that gave up wards to one another in exchange for considerations in other areas. They also were the first to make use of their slander tokens, driving my poor, beleaguered gang bosses out of the largely Italian dominated Lower East Side.
Several battlegrounds emerged throughout the game as the mixture of immigrant populations ebbed and flowed. As the German and English populations spread, the Italians became increasingly confined to only a few areas while the Irish presence remained hotly contested throughout. In the end, Kim's practice of keeping her deals and avoiding using slander to best opponents as well as a single, well-timed deception enabled her to pull ahead of her less virtuous rivals and snag the victory.
At the second table St. Jay Mike, Beth, Sue and Noah competed in a good old-fashioned Power Grid throwdown. Using the Germany map, Beth pulled ahead and St. Jay Mike admitted he saw the writing on the wall. Forty-five minutes before the game officially ended he said he could see that Beth's line placement and generation assets would propel her to the win.
After the first round of games we proceeded to break out At the Gates of Loyang where Beth once again displayed her vegetable mastery. Though three plays, two being two-player games, Beth's unapparent strategy continued to serve her well. Though Homer, kim and I managed respectable finsihes (all three of us tied for second place as it turned out), Beth's economic engine prevailed.
At the second table the Mikes, Noah and Dennis ran through a game of Navegador. I am uncertain how it played through but it appeared that everyone seemed much satisfied at game's end.
I suspect that Tammany Hall will again return at the March Border Board Games game night as well as a few other favorites and new titles such as Urbanization and Netrunner. I also suspect that if either Agricola or Ora et Labora were to be proposed it is highly likely that they too might hit the tables.
What resulted was bizarre table-talk, double-dealing and treachery. For anyone familiar with Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, Tammany Hall maintains many of the same devices of wheeling and dealing. Indeed, this element is what makes the game shine both for its crisp mechanics as well as a solid social experience. Dennis and Homer jumped right in securing a deal that gave up wards to one another in exchange for considerations in other areas. They also were the first to make use of their slander tokens, driving my poor, beleaguered gang bosses out of the largely Italian dominated Lower East Side.
Several battlegrounds emerged throughout the game as the mixture of immigrant populations ebbed and flowed. As the German and English populations spread, the Italians became increasingly confined to only a few areas while the Irish presence remained hotly contested throughout. In the end, Kim's practice of keeping her deals and avoiding using slander to best opponents as well as a single, well-timed deception enabled her to pull ahead of her less virtuous rivals and snag the victory.
At the second table St. Jay Mike, Beth, Sue and Noah competed in a good old-fashioned Power Grid throwdown. Using the Germany map, Beth pulled ahead and St. Jay Mike admitted he saw the writing on the wall. Forty-five minutes before the game officially ended he said he could see that Beth's line placement and generation assets would propel her to the win.
After the first round of games we proceeded to break out At the Gates of Loyang where Beth once again displayed her vegetable mastery. Though three plays, two being two-player games, Beth's unapparent strategy continued to serve her well. Though Homer, kim and I managed respectable finsihes (all three of us tied for second place as it turned out), Beth's economic engine prevailed.
At the second table the Mikes, Noah and Dennis ran through a game of Navegador. I am uncertain how it played through but it appeared that everyone seemed much satisfied at game's end.
I suspect that Tammany Hall will again return at the March Border Board Games game night as well as a few other favorites and new titles such as Urbanization and Netrunner. I also suspect that if either Agricola or Ora et Labora were to be proposed it is highly likely that they too might hit the tables.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Virtue of Being Rash
Strategic blundering has become a hallmark for our Heroes, enabling them to foil plots foul and sinister through a combination of dumb luck and bull-headed arrogance. When last we left our heroes the group had discovered the ancient dwarven ruins but appeared unable to reach the doors to that ancient vault. A mostly sheer cliff stood between our heroes and their prize. Undaunted, the Elf Lorenot sensing trepidation on part of his dwarven and halfling companions took it upon himself to climb up.
When the ridiculous bath towel caped elf made it to the top, the jailer Anika soon followed and eventually, by a reluctant Axel as well. Only dour Grim stood at the bottom unable or unwilling to trust his fortune to the dangling rope and dubious strength of his companions. "Nay," he declared, "A proper dwarf tackles such things with engineering and cunning!" Some half day later, with the assistance of a wandering elven scout, Grim had constructed himself a ramp of rubble enabling to clamber up to the ledge with body and dignity intact.
In the meantime the others had explored the great vault discovering first a gleaming bronze door replete with some symbol whose provenance turned out to be entirely unknown to any of the three members of the vanguard. Unable to read and not caring much for matters scholarly anyway, all three charged through only to discover a volcanic flood had claimed portions of the ancient stronghold. Slow moving rivulets of lava and crusts of cooled material created a zig-zag path that tested the heroes sorely. Indeed, so paralytically slow was their progress that grim and the scout managed to catch up by the time they had navigated their way to the far end.
Upon reaching the first of the main caverns the group saw the remnants of a surface market. Stalls with goods still very much in evidence lay abandoned as they had some millenia earlier when the ancient place had been abandoned after a particularly savage Greenskin raid. The market had truly once been a wondrous place serving as a trading spot for rare and precious metals as well as quality dwarf-make metal goods. The group plundered what few salvageable items were to be had with Grim making note of the remaining bits for later use in crafting.
Several caverns lead off of the market cave and, knowing that lava and dusty old tunnels inspire a powerful thirst, Lorenot charged down the tunnel ostensibly marked as a "tavern". He was sorely disappointed with the offerings through Anika seemed more than happy to drain cask after cask, double-fisting tankards in so doing. Further explorations revealed that some of the doomed dwarves had made their final stand here. Trestle tables lay up-ended and bones and debris lay scattered about. The heroes were especially pleased to discover that the defenders had held their position with the use of three blunderbusses. A small store of shot and powder remained enabling the party to make use of the hand canons at least a few more times.
The group continued to wend its way deeper into the tunnels locating a secret store of documents. The greater treasure, however, was found beneath secret panels. Unfortunately, the group's ability to disarm traps was perhaps not entire up to the task. Fortunately Grim was able to use his body shield to protect himself from the worst of the blasts on those rune-secured cabinets he was unable to efface. The treasures within yielded a few more choice goods while the party stumbled upon n even greater trove. A secret panel revealed an ancient armory, presumably belonging to the ancient ruler of the dwarven city.
Encouraged by their discoveries and armed to the teeth the band pressed onward. Another secret door led the party into a portion of the stronghold still swarming with the descendants of the Greenskin horde that had taken the city so many centuries earlier. The door was cleverly concealed as evidenced by the fact that the southern half of the stronghold had not been plundered quite so thoroughly as had the goblin infested areas. The band tracked the goblin raiders back to the old king's throne room and blanched at the goblin town that had grown up within its borders.
Rude huts scattered across the great cavern and bands of lazy goblin warriors lounged idly, evidently unaware of their approaching doom. Knowing that the Greenskins possessed superior numbers, Grim proposed that the goblins be lured into the tunnels where the narrow passages would impede and constrict their attack. The heroes would unleash the fury of their new blunderbusses on the packed horde, retreating when necessary to reload. Grim also boldly recommended that the fleet footed elves kick off the celebration by poking the goblin king full of elven arrows. That, he surmised, ought to get their attention.
By some mystery of circumstance and astonishing good fortune, the plan came together like a well-oiled halfling. The packed goblin ranks were decimated by concerted blunderbuss fire as the dwarves held the front lines chanting "It's Hammer Time - You Can't Touch This" even as the elves rained arrows on the mob and Axel steadily reloaded the blunderbusses.
By the time the smoke cleared and the last of the warriors had fallen Grim's blood-rage was up. he and Anika rushed forward putting the remaining survivors to the hammer though Anika spared a few by binding them with her trusty manacles. Appalled at the slaughter but powerless to stop it, Axel could only look on in dismay. the elf scout likewise stared on in horror at the savagery of the dwarven duo while Lorenot contented himself plundering the dead.
Just what new adventures, feats of barbarity or stunning incompetence the gang gets up to next, who knows?
When the ridiculous bath towel caped elf made it to the top, the jailer Anika soon followed and eventually, by a reluctant Axel as well. Only dour Grim stood at the bottom unable or unwilling to trust his fortune to the dangling rope and dubious strength of his companions. "Nay," he declared, "A proper dwarf tackles such things with engineering and cunning!" Some half day later, with the assistance of a wandering elven scout, Grim had constructed himself a ramp of rubble enabling to clamber up to the ledge with body and dignity intact.
In the meantime the others had explored the great vault discovering first a gleaming bronze door replete with some symbol whose provenance turned out to be entirely unknown to any of the three members of the vanguard. Unable to read and not caring much for matters scholarly anyway, all three charged through only to discover a volcanic flood had claimed portions of the ancient stronghold. Slow moving rivulets of lava and crusts of cooled material created a zig-zag path that tested the heroes sorely. Indeed, so paralytically slow was their progress that grim and the scout managed to catch up by the time they had navigated their way to the far end.
Upon reaching the first of the main caverns the group saw the remnants of a surface market. Stalls with goods still very much in evidence lay abandoned as they had some millenia earlier when the ancient place had been abandoned after a particularly savage Greenskin raid. The market had truly once been a wondrous place serving as a trading spot for rare and precious metals as well as quality dwarf-make metal goods. The group plundered what few salvageable items were to be had with Grim making note of the remaining bits for later use in crafting.
Several caverns lead off of the market cave and, knowing that lava and dusty old tunnels inspire a powerful thirst, Lorenot charged down the tunnel ostensibly marked as a "tavern". He was sorely disappointed with the offerings through Anika seemed more than happy to drain cask after cask, double-fisting tankards in so doing. Further explorations revealed that some of the doomed dwarves had made their final stand here. Trestle tables lay up-ended and bones and debris lay scattered about. The heroes were especially pleased to discover that the defenders had held their position with the use of three blunderbusses. A small store of shot and powder remained enabling the party to make use of the hand canons at least a few more times.
The group continued to wend its way deeper into the tunnels locating a secret store of documents. The greater treasure, however, was found beneath secret panels. Unfortunately, the group's ability to disarm traps was perhaps not entire up to the task. Fortunately Grim was able to use his body shield to protect himself from the worst of the blasts on those rune-secured cabinets he was unable to efface. The treasures within yielded a few more choice goods while the party stumbled upon n even greater trove. A secret panel revealed an ancient armory, presumably belonging to the ancient ruler of the dwarven city.
Encouraged by their discoveries and armed to the teeth the band pressed onward. Another secret door led the party into a portion of the stronghold still swarming with the descendants of the Greenskin horde that had taken the city so many centuries earlier. The door was cleverly concealed as evidenced by the fact that the southern half of the stronghold had not been plundered quite so thoroughly as had the goblin infested areas. The band tracked the goblin raiders back to the old king's throne room and blanched at the goblin town that had grown up within its borders.
Rude huts scattered across the great cavern and bands of lazy goblin warriors lounged idly, evidently unaware of their approaching doom. Knowing that the Greenskins possessed superior numbers, Grim proposed that the goblins be lured into the tunnels where the narrow passages would impede and constrict their attack. The heroes would unleash the fury of their new blunderbusses on the packed horde, retreating when necessary to reload. Grim also boldly recommended that the fleet footed elves kick off the celebration by poking the goblin king full of elven arrows. That, he surmised, ought to get their attention.
By some mystery of circumstance and astonishing good fortune, the plan came together like a well-oiled halfling. The packed goblin ranks were decimated by concerted blunderbuss fire as the dwarves held the front lines chanting "It's Hammer Time - You Can't Touch This" even as the elves rained arrows on the mob and Axel steadily reloaded the blunderbusses.
By the time the smoke cleared and the last of the warriors had fallen Grim's blood-rage was up. he and Anika rushed forward putting the remaining survivors to the hammer though Anika spared a few by binding them with her trusty manacles. Appalled at the slaughter but powerless to stop it, Axel could only look on in dismay. the elf scout likewise stared on in horror at the savagery of the dwarven duo while Lorenot contented himself plundering the dead.
Just what new adventures, feats of barbarity or stunning incompetence the gang gets up to next, who knows?
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The best things in life are worth killing for
Having freshly liberated Spookyton the heroes decided to go on a shopping spree. Naturally, Spookyton itself was a poor choice given that most of its inhabitants were either dead, dying or undead so the band made its way to the nearest settlement filled with living people. Lorenot the elf wandered off in his dingy bath towel cape doing whatever mysterious thing it is elves do in the forest by themselves while Axel, Anika and Grim did the actual shopping.
The band decided that getting a wagon might be a good idea ever since the soldier, the cook and the toll keeper absconded with the pony cart. Recognizing that none of the band was particularly adept at driving wagons of any size, they wisely decided to hire a pair of mercenaries who could manage the vehicle. After securing the necessary gear and supplies it was decided to venture back toward Evil Sausageburgh and its dreaded Black Keep.
En route, however, the band was assaulted by Greenskins as the company made camp for the night. The Greenskins were accompanied by a Chaos caster whose fell magic appears to have soured the mercenary Ullrich's stomach (or so he would claim). The pitched battle, fought mostly in darkness, left Axel once more teetering between life and death. As the bold halfling would later recall events 'The tanks went into the forest as a group leaving the paper mache guys all by themselves."
Fortunately Lorenot chose this very moment to reappear. Shouting the elven word of power "D'oh!" he caused the Greenskin menacing Axel to drop his great cleaver. The elf followed up with a rain of arrows that combined with Axel's flurry of daggers finally felled the creature. The Greenskins in the woods also came to a bad end but, as neither elf nor halfling witnessed the battle, the goblins may have just died of natural causes of their own accord. Natural causes for goblins consisting of various stabbing and slashing wounds.
The band faced a dilemma at this point. The Black Keep still lay a couple of days travel further along but the presence of Greenskins so deep in the territory bespoke of a different and perhaps more pressing need. Grim convinced the mercenaries to return to Spookyton and to return in a week's time. The Ill-Fated Brigade had decided to track down the goblins and exterminate them to the last monster. Which proved easier said than done.
One major obstacle facing the group was their decidedly urban inclinations. The group turned to Lorenot and trusted in his elven sense to lead them. little did they realize he was more a Bath elf than a wood elf. Still, heritage helped and he managed to guide the band toward some ancient dwarven ruins. The Brigade had heard tell of dwarven riches materializing in the nearby towns though none professed to know from whence these riches came.
It took very little time for the company to unravel the mystery - the goblins had been plundering a long-neglected dwarven tomb. This aroused much anger in both Anika and Grim and the thought of evil-slaying and gold gathering held distinct appeal to the mercenary hearted halfling and elf. Besides, what else was there to do in a spooky, ancient forest filled with blood-thirsty Greenskins, dwarven ghosts and not a decent massage available for two days travel in any direction?
The choice made, Lorenot discovered ancient magics at play and sensed that a greater evil than any they had yet encountered still lay ahead. This knowledge did not cause the band to quiver or quail but instead hardened their hearts to the task ahead. Would the Ill-Fated Brigade again triumph over evil or would their moss covered bones serve as a grim reminder to future adventurers?
Tune in next month to find out....
The band decided that getting a wagon might be a good idea ever since the soldier, the cook and the toll keeper absconded with the pony cart. Recognizing that none of the band was particularly adept at driving wagons of any size, they wisely decided to hire a pair of mercenaries who could manage the vehicle. After securing the necessary gear and supplies it was decided to venture back toward Evil Sausageburgh and its dreaded Black Keep.
En route, however, the band was assaulted by Greenskins as the company made camp for the night. The Greenskins were accompanied by a Chaos caster whose fell magic appears to have soured the mercenary Ullrich's stomach (or so he would claim). The pitched battle, fought mostly in darkness, left Axel once more teetering between life and death. As the bold halfling would later recall events 'The tanks went into the forest as a group leaving the paper mache guys all by themselves."
Fortunately Lorenot chose this very moment to reappear. Shouting the elven word of power "D'oh!" he caused the Greenskin menacing Axel to drop his great cleaver. The elf followed up with a rain of arrows that combined with Axel's flurry of daggers finally felled the creature. The Greenskins in the woods also came to a bad end but, as neither elf nor halfling witnessed the battle, the goblins may have just died of natural causes of their own accord. Natural causes for goblins consisting of various stabbing and slashing wounds.
The band faced a dilemma at this point. The Black Keep still lay a couple of days travel further along but the presence of Greenskins so deep in the territory bespoke of a different and perhaps more pressing need. Grim convinced the mercenaries to return to Spookyton and to return in a week's time. The Ill-Fated Brigade had decided to track down the goblins and exterminate them to the last monster. Which proved easier said than done.
One major obstacle facing the group was their decidedly urban inclinations. The group turned to Lorenot and trusted in his elven sense to lead them. little did they realize he was more a Bath elf than a wood elf. Still, heritage helped and he managed to guide the band toward some ancient dwarven ruins. The Brigade had heard tell of dwarven riches materializing in the nearby towns though none professed to know from whence these riches came.
It took very little time for the company to unravel the mystery - the goblins had been plundering a long-neglected dwarven tomb. This aroused much anger in both Anika and Grim and the thought of evil-slaying and gold gathering held distinct appeal to the mercenary hearted halfling and elf. Besides, what else was there to do in a spooky, ancient forest filled with blood-thirsty Greenskins, dwarven ghosts and not a decent massage available for two days travel in any direction?
The choice made, Lorenot discovered ancient magics at play and sensed that a greater evil than any they had yet encountered still lay ahead. This knowledge did not cause the band to quiver or quail but instead hardened their hearts to the task ahead. Would the Ill-Fated Brigade again triumph over evil or would their moss covered bones serve as a grim reminder to future adventurers?
Tune in next month to find out....
Put a little "AaaahhhHHH" in your life
October 20 marked the return of Border Board games' annual monster game fest. We were pleased to have Carlo and Kristin drive up from barre for the event. Also in attendance, beside Beth and myself, were regulars Mike O., Andrew, Dennis, St. Jay Mike and Karl.
We quickly split up into two groups as Beth, Carlo, Kristin, Mike O. and Andrew started up with Betrayal at House on the Hill. They played two scenarios with the first being the Ghost Bride and the second where Beth became a vampire. The Ghost bride failed to bring her beloved groom to the altar while the vampire succumbed to the strength of daylight as the heroes emerged victorious in both cases.
Meanwhile Karl, Dennis, St. Jay Mike and I tried our hand at A Touch of Evil, all for the first time. To anyone familiar with Arkham Horror and Last Night on Earth, the play of aToE appears to combine some of the best portions of both games. It is not scenario driven but, rather, dictated by the nature of the villain which gives the game a less structured feel. That is good if you want a game that has the potential for replayability. The heroes travel around the board visiting spooky colonial-era locations while seeking to gain information about the town elders, gather loot and weapons and try to figure out where the baddy lives.
Through a few missteps, mistakes which reminded me of my own lapses in running the Elder God in AH, we still managed to gleefully bumble our way through the game. It was definitely a game where learning through play might prove more effective than trying to digest the entire manual in one go. Dennis the hobo (he called himself a drifter but we saw through it easily enough), managed to track down the Headless Horseman and defeat him with good old fashioned musketry. My school marm was closing in on the Horseman's lair in the bog but the drifter snatched away the chance.
In the next round of gaming table one played a game of Zombicide while table two cracked open Betrayal. In Zombicide the heroes barely eked out the win despite a huge, ravenous horde of monsters rapidly closing in on them. In Betrayal St. Jay Mike turned into a giant, hideous spider only to fall before the mighty little girl with the really big spear. In Mike's defence it was sheer luck that the character who would have been easiest to fight, having sustained major damage prior to becoming the host for the spider eggs, was unassailable owing to those eggs. Using the mystic elevator to gain access to the basement was also a bit of a cheat for the good guys but, hey, no one likes spiders anyway, right?
The next Border Board Games event will take place on November 17th at 6 p.m. in the Derby Line Village Hall.
We quickly split up into two groups as Beth, Carlo, Kristin, Mike O. and Andrew started up with Betrayal at House on the Hill. They played two scenarios with the first being the Ghost Bride and the second where Beth became a vampire. The Ghost bride failed to bring her beloved groom to the altar while the vampire succumbed to the strength of daylight as the heroes emerged victorious in both cases.
Meanwhile Karl, Dennis, St. Jay Mike and I tried our hand at A Touch of Evil, all for the first time. To anyone familiar with Arkham Horror and Last Night on Earth, the play of aToE appears to combine some of the best portions of both games. It is not scenario driven but, rather, dictated by the nature of the villain which gives the game a less structured feel. That is good if you want a game that has the potential for replayability. The heroes travel around the board visiting spooky colonial-era locations while seeking to gain information about the town elders, gather loot and weapons and try to figure out where the baddy lives.
Through a few missteps, mistakes which reminded me of my own lapses in running the Elder God in AH, we still managed to gleefully bumble our way through the game. It was definitely a game where learning through play might prove more effective than trying to digest the entire manual in one go. Dennis the hobo (he called himself a drifter but we saw through it easily enough), managed to track down the Headless Horseman and defeat him with good old fashioned musketry. My school marm was closing in on the Horseman's lair in the bog but the drifter snatched away the chance.
In the next round of gaming table one played a game of Zombicide while table two cracked open Betrayal. In Zombicide the heroes barely eked out the win despite a huge, ravenous horde of monsters rapidly closing in on them. In Betrayal St. Jay Mike turned into a giant, hideous spider only to fall before the mighty little girl with the really big spear. In Mike's defence it was sheer luck that the character who would have been easiest to fight, having sustained major damage prior to becoming the host for the spider eggs, was unassailable owing to those eggs. Using the mystic elevator to gain access to the basement was also a bit of a cheat for the good guys but, hey, no one likes spiders anyway, right?
The next Border Board Games event will take place on November 17th at 6 p.m. in the Derby Line Village Hall.
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