The March edition of Border Board Games saw the return of a lost son and a visit from the southern marches. We were pleased that Rob was able to rejoin us and Bradford Brad journeyed north to join our merry band. Also stopping by for the first time in ages was daniel, the chess guy. I'm sure Shannon remembers him well.
We started the evening with a round of base set Dominion that featured Brad, Beth, Rob and myself. It's been ages since we broke out Dominion and, not surprisingly, some of us had gotten fuzzy about what exactly each card did. Our card set up was also less than ideal lying sometwhere between a bastard and a punch in the face. We had only two 3 value cards and the awful thief made an early appearance. Needless to say, coin was scarce in the latter goings with Rob the only player to acquire more than a single Province. Despite being cash poor, my witches proved brutally effective clearing out the Curse deck as a way to spend a quick finish. As it turned out, despite his collection of Provinces, the big pile of purple cards dragged down Rob's final score allowing me to squeak in the victory.
Next up was a game of Black Gold, the newest addition to our collection. St. Jay Mike took one for the team replacing Dennis at the chess table. It's still a fairly new title for us but it is a surprisingly simple game to play. Hudson Oil appeared to fall on hard times throughout the game with its prices yo-yoing between average and terrible forcing most of the bid battles on Jet Oil and US Oil. In the end, a key win for Brad gave him the edge and the win. Despite a slow start including a noticeable lack of oil derricks, Dennis rebounded nicely to snag second place on the strength of a solid position of hi train in the final round.
Our final game of the evening proceeded after the departure of Brad and Daniel, one headed south, the other north of The Wall. Shadows Over Camelot, aka The Traitor Game, was the choice of the night, both because of its ability to accomodate a large number of players as well as not having hit the table in a long time. Not surprisingly, once again I was dealt the traitor card. For a game with so much randomness, it is positively uncanny how often I am selected to try and sabotage the efforts of the noble knights.
My efforts would be quickly foiled, however, since only a single lasting sepcial black card ever appeared, Morgan, and it was eliminated in a single round as the Saxons were routed from England's shores. The knights proved frightfully effective capturing both Excalibur and Lancelot's armor in addition to completing a few other quests. Though I remained undiscovered until the end, the loyal knights had banked sufficient white swords that even a sudden reversal of fortunes was unable to swing things my way.
The next edition of Border Board games will be the BBG Roadshow in Lyndonville. To everyone else it will be known as Spring Meltdown. We return to the Derby Line Village Hall for the May game night.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Howling Hag that got away and other timely misfortunes
It was a strange sort of Border Board games for February 18th. With the village hall seeing some other use, the action moved to the newly re-christened Creaserton Abbey. Mike and Dennis came up from St. Jay early to get their game on. The afternoon started with Age of Empires III. Beth and her Dutch legions staked an early lead that she would not relinquish over the ten turns of the game. Racking up many points in the colonization rounds coupled with some fortunate capital buildings allowed her to run off with a commanding victory. Dennis and his Portugese forces employed an interesting armed camp variation that effectively slashed into Beth's point total while bolstering his own. While the French under my leadership explored like mad, my lack of a presence in the colonies hampered my startegy. Though not sure what strategy Mike employed, his was at least as successful as my own despite a fourth place finish.
We then launched into a few rounds of Trans America at which point Mike O arrived. As Trans America goes, it tends to end quickly and a disasterous secound game saw Dennis plunge into the Pacific in near record time. I hink everyone saw the advantage ofusing the Screw You pieces and the second game saw frenzied placement in the rush to avoid a cliff-diving finale.
We then brought out Castle Ravenloft in a co-op frenzy to defeat the Howling hag. It was, in my estimation at least, one of the more difficult scenarios I have played to date. Having the party scattered to the four corners of the map forced us to rely on our own pitiful skills in the early going. My wizard and dennis' rogue teamed up in the one two-man group while the Mikes and Beth had to fight their way out of their respective corners. Dennis and I caught up to Mike O's ranger in short order while we blazed a path to the central summoning circle. Dennis, amazingly, managed to draw four of the five zero monster tiles in our push ahead.
Beth had poor luck as she almost instantly drew the howling hag figure. The tile placement was also working against her, locking her into a corner while Mike's fighter tried to cut his way down. Eventually we managed to open the circle and start whittling away at the time tokens. This is where things took a turn for the weird. Mike O had already taken heavy damage, often as the result of unfortunate Encounter draws. With two of the five time tokens off, the hag teleported Beth closer and herself further from the action. This is where we thought we had it won. Suddenly, my raggedy wizard was sucked off into a corner with two monsters including an Environment strengthrned ghoul. I used my fire blast but managed to slay only the rat swarm. The ghoul took one swipe and down I fell.
Meanwhile, the others battled an assortment of fiends near the circle as well as dealing the death blow to the hag herself. sadly, two of our companions dropped as well. All we needed to do to win was remove the final three time tiles by simply starting and ending our turns in the circle. unfortunately, two of the four characters in the circle were lying in pools of their own blood and we had but a single Healing Surge remaining. Thus, with the monster defeated, we still took the loss.
To cap off the night we rolled out an oldie but a goody: Settlers of Catan. It went as settlers often does. While most of us bickered amonst ourselves, the 8s were noticeably absent and the 4s and 10s obscenely prevalent. This was good for virtually everyone at the table except for Dennis and myself. Mike O pulled out the ninja victory by slowly but surely building up his roads and armies while everyone else concentrated on whomever built the latest city. In a stunning final move Mike O connected his two neighborhoods snatching away the longest road from Mike while simultaneously laying down his third knight to claim largest army for the win.
We then launched into a few rounds of Trans America at which point Mike O arrived. As Trans America goes, it tends to end quickly and a disasterous secound game saw Dennis plunge into the Pacific in near record time. I hink everyone saw the advantage ofusing the Screw You pieces and the second game saw frenzied placement in the rush to avoid a cliff-diving finale.
We then brought out Castle Ravenloft in a co-op frenzy to defeat the Howling hag. It was, in my estimation at least, one of the more difficult scenarios I have played to date. Having the party scattered to the four corners of the map forced us to rely on our own pitiful skills in the early going. My wizard and dennis' rogue teamed up in the one two-man group while the Mikes and Beth had to fight their way out of their respective corners. Dennis and I caught up to Mike O's ranger in short order while we blazed a path to the central summoning circle. Dennis, amazingly, managed to draw four of the five zero monster tiles in our push ahead.
Beth had poor luck as she almost instantly drew the howling hag figure. The tile placement was also working against her, locking her into a corner while Mike's fighter tried to cut his way down. Eventually we managed to open the circle and start whittling away at the time tokens. This is where things took a turn for the weird. Mike O had already taken heavy damage, often as the result of unfortunate Encounter draws. With two of the five time tokens off, the hag teleported Beth closer and herself further from the action. This is where we thought we had it won. Suddenly, my raggedy wizard was sucked off into a corner with two monsters including an Environment strengthrned ghoul. I used my fire blast but managed to slay only the rat swarm. The ghoul took one swipe and down I fell.
Meanwhile, the others battled an assortment of fiends near the circle as well as dealing the death blow to the hag herself. sadly, two of our companions dropped as well. All we needed to do to win was remove the final three time tiles by simply starting and ending our turns in the circle. unfortunately, two of the four characters in the circle were lying in pools of their own blood and we had but a single Healing Surge remaining. Thus, with the monster defeated, we still took the loss.
To cap off the night we rolled out an oldie but a goody: Settlers of Catan. It went as settlers often does. While most of us bickered amonst ourselves, the 8s were noticeably absent and the 4s and 10s obscenely prevalent. This was good for virtually everyone at the table except for Dennis and myself. Mike O pulled out the ninja victory by slowly but surely building up his roads and armies while everyone else concentrated on whomever built the latest city. In a stunning final move Mike O connected his two neighborhoods snatching away the longest road from Mike while simultaneously laying down his third knight to claim largest army for the win.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A Game of Pwns
It was nice to have Carlo and Kristin come back to BBG, even if it was only to disappear into the hate-filled turmoil of Westeros for the evening. Beth, Homer, Carlo and Kristin duked it out in a four player death match in A Game of Thrones. Despite Homer's mocking jab at Carlo and his tented board, it appears Homer's may also be heading the same way. In the first of the two games Carlo emerged victorious leading House Greyjoy to victory. He semi-repeated the feat in the second game as he led the incestuous Lannisters to victory. Apparently promises to wipe him out (even if it wasn't strategically necessary) failed to materialize. As Homer remarked later "I tried to get to him but ran out of time."
Meanwhile, the Mikes, Dennis and I cracked open Thurn & Taxis to enjoy a little mail delivery mayhem. Though it was the first time for everyone else, they caught on quickly and soon we had a heated race to capture victory points. Inexplicably, the city of Lodz materialized far more often than it seemed it should despite the fact that St. Jay Mike was the only one to ever place a post office there. Mike O had what would have been a first for T&T, if only he'd had the time to play it. he was poised to land a massive suite that would have enabled him to place post offices in EVERY province in a SINGLE round. In hindsight, on the heels of St. Jay Mike's rush to the seven carriage, splitting up that route might have been more prudent.
Next we decided to head across the ocean and plunder a bit of the Caribbean in Merchants & Marauders. Apparently it was an ampersand sorta weekend. For all of us it amounted to our second or third play ever so, in many respects, we were quite evenly balanced. Mike O was the only one to pursue a pirate role but, at game's end, wondered if perhaps starting with a bigger merchant ship may have proven more advantageous. Oddly enough, Dennis, SJ Mike and I all drew Dutch captains.
It was a bad season to be anything but Cap'n Dennis. An incessant series of storms coupled with a baggage train of pirates kept most of us from making effective use of our time. Dennis, however, enjoyed plenty of good fortune as he consistently drew three card sets of in-demand goods destined for nearby ports. The rest of us hauled ass halfway around the world to sell two of something for next to nothing. On a positive note, however, we were able to enjoy upgraded ships and avoided being hung as pirates or taken by same even as Dennis cruised easily to victory.
The next edition of BBG will be hosted at The Lair on February 18th due to a booking at the Derby Line Village Hall. Earlier than usual gaming is liable to occur so please stay tuned.
Meanwhile, the Mikes, Dennis and I cracked open Thurn & Taxis to enjoy a little mail delivery mayhem. Though it was the first time for everyone else, they caught on quickly and soon we had a heated race to capture victory points. Inexplicably, the city of Lodz materialized far more often than it seemed it should despite the fact that St. Jay Mike was the only one to ever place a post office there. Mike O had what would have been a first for T&T, if only he'd had the time to play it. he was poised to land a massive suite that would have enabled him to place post offices in EVERY province in a SINGLE round. In hindsight, on the heels of St. Jay Mike's rush to the seven carriage, splitting up that route might have been more prudent.
Next we decided to head across the ocean and plunder a bit of the Caribbean in Merchants & Marauders. Apparently it was an ampersand sorta weekend. For all of us it amounted to our second or third play ever so, in many respects, we were quite evenly balanced. Mike O was the only one to pursue a pirate role but, at game's end, wondered if perhaps starting with a bigger merchant ship may have proven more advantageous. Oddly enough, Dennis, SJ Mike and I all drew Dutch captains.
It was a bad season to be anything but Cap'n Dennis. An incessant series of storms coupled with a baggage train of pirates kept most of us from making effective use of our time. Dennis, however, enjoyed plenty of good fortune as he consistently drew three card sets of in-demand goods destined for nearby ports. The rest of us hauled ass halfway around the world to sell two of something for next to nothing. On a positive note, however, we were able to enjoy upgraded ships and avoided being hung as pirates or taken by same even as Dennis cruised easily to victory.
The next edition of BBG will be hosted at The Lair on February 18th due to a booking at the Derby Line Village Hall. Earlier than usual gaming is liable to occur so please stay tuned.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Gunfight at the Derby Line Village Hall
Border Board games was pleased to see the return of the Mikes and Dennis to the monthly board game night on December 17th. With the addition of Homer, Kim and Alexis to the mix, we boasted eight players on the evening.
First to hit the table was a favorite of St. Jay Mike and Dennis: Power Grid. Some savvy moves and the establishment of a reliable nuclear network enabled St. Jay Mike was able to overcome his rivals for control of the French power market. It was a closely contested game until the very end.
It is highly likely that either of Agricola or Le Havre will hit the tables next month. If we can again draw eight or more participants, that likelihood increases exponentially.
Next up were several rounds of the wild west themed Bang! It was the first time for several of the players but, given the inherent nature of the game, was quickly embraced by all players. In the first game Sheriff Homer came to a bad end as the outlaws efficiently eliminated his deputies and marched to victory. In the second game Sheriff Dennis fared little better. His deputies struggled to acquire the gear necessary to defend him while the renegades and outlaws launched savage attacks on he and his allies. Though close to a renegade win, the outlaws again triumphed on the evening.
The next Border Board Games game night is scheduled for January 21st at 6 p.m. The week prior a Border Board Games contingent will trek south to Winter Weirdness in Barre for a day filled with gaming mayhem.
First to hit the table was a favorite of St. Jay Mike and Dennis: Power Grid. Some savvy moves and the establishment of a reliable nuclear network enabled St. Jay Mike was able to overcome his rivals for control of the French power market. It was a closely contested game until the very end.
It is highly likely that either of Agricola or Le Havre will hit the tables next month. If we can again draw eight or more participants, that likelihood increases exponentially.
Next up were several rounds of the wild west themed Bang! It was the first time for several of the players but, given the inherent nature of the game, was quickly embraced by all players. In the first game Sheriff Homer came to a bad end as the outlaws efficiently eliminated his deputies and marched to victory. In the second game Sheriff Dennis fared little better. His deputies struggled to acquire the gear necessary to defend him while the renegades and outlaws launched savage attacks on he and his allies. Though close to a renegade win, the outlaws again triumphed on the evening.
The next Border Board Games game night is scheduled for January 21st at 6 p.m. The week prior a Border Board Games contingent will trek south to Winter Weirdness in Barre for a day filled with gaming mayhem.
The Profits of Disaster
When last we looked in on House Drake the prospects appeared dim. Lady Ella barely survived an assassination attempt, Torrhen was taken captive by the petulant Buckwells, the Drake army was defeated on the field and the Drake Household faced the onerous task of hosting a tourney commemorating the first official visit by Oberyn Martell.
the biggest challenges lay in completing the marriage pact with thedric and House Cafferen, freeing Torrhen from bondage and somehow gathering the resources to not only host the Martell tourney but, also to strengthen Drake's own forces. Fortunately Garth's plundering of the Buckwell baggage train alleviated some of the financial pressure facing the Drake household. Determined not to lose face, Lady Ella vowed to fulfill her obligations and restore the family honor.
Given her precarious state of health, the burden of managing the house during Ella's convalescence fell on Maester Gyles, the Drake house poisoner (though he denies his studies in that area with uncharacteristic vehemence). As expected, the house fortunes flagged despite the opening on the new marketplace. This was due in no small part to Gyles' insistence on continuing treatment of Ella leaving the running of the house to others during the mid-summer months.
Meanwhile, Torrhen began his captivity on a tour of the ravaged Buckwell lands. Though the Buckwells triumphed at Pembroke, it did not come at little cost. Indeed, Torrhen saw the untilled fields and the unharvested foods caused by excessive call on the region's peasant levies. Sensing a weakness, Torrhen began a series of subtle jabs at the worthiness of a Buckwell suitor to a Selmy bride. Though unskilled in the area of diplomacy, Torrhen's honorable behavior earned him the respect of his captors among the Boors and Selmy households. At the same time Buckwell continued to rant and rave, exposing the flaws in his character that prevented him from earning his knighthood.
Garth, meanwhile, decided to employ some of the tactics that made his guerrilla soldiers infamous. he encouraged banditry, working alongside some of the larger bands of brigands, hoping to further undermine Buckwell influence in the region. he continued to shadow the party holding his half-brother hostage, inciting rebellion at every turn. despite his best efforts, however, he found himself unable to make off with the ransom paid to Buckwell. Though the source of the ransom remained unclear, suspicions point toward the involvement of Highgarden.
In spite of some philandering and a mysterious death of his newly betrothed, the youngest of the Selmy ladies, Torrhen managed to not only extricate himself from his captors but also land numerous marriage proposals in so doing. Buckwell betrayed his base nature by becoming implicit in the death of Lady Selmy earning him a trial by combat against Torrhen. Torrhen's skill at arms outclassed his foe and the last of the Buckwell heirs was duly slain in the name of justice. he thereby earned his freedom on the eve of the Martell tourney.
Back at Castle Drake (colloquially referred to as castle Greyskull), Ella recovered and attended the marriage of her half-brother thedric. At the same time she won a considerable victory against Lady Buckwell earning her the respect of the illustrious guests at the wedding celebration. She was likewise popular among the visiting nobles of Dorne who attended the tournament held to celebrate Oberyn's assumption of his place on King Joffrey's small council. Torrhen's victory in the lists likewise earned House Drake no small measure of influence from among the visiting noble families.
Having gone from the brink of disaster to the darlings of Sunspear, House Drake appears poised once more as a force to be reckoned with. Lady Ella's dalliance with the Viper only enhanced her standing as a desirable match. Garth managed to cement a friendship with the Martell spymaster Otho providing new avenues of revenue for his growing smuggling network. With a stronger network of alliances brewing, House Drake continues to plot against their Buckwell rivals with their eyes set on taking Summerhall for their own.
the biggest challenges lay in completing the marriage pact with thedric and House Cafferen, freeing Torrhen from bondage and somehow gathering the resources to not only host the Martell tourney but, also to strengthen Drake's own forces. Fortunately Garth's plundering of the Buckwell baggage train alleviated some of the financial pressure facing the Drake household. Determined not to lose face, Lady Ella vowed to fulfill her obligations and restore the family honor.
Given her precarious state of health, the burden of managing the house during Ella's convalescence fell on Maester Gyles, the Drake house poisoner (though he denies his studies in that area with uncharacteristic vehemence). As expected, the house fortunes flagged despite the opening on the new marketplace. This was due in no small part to Gyles' insistence on continuing treatment of Ella leaving the running of the house to others during the mid-summer months.
Meanwhile, Torrhen began his captivity on a tour of the ravaged Buckwell lands. Though the Buckwells triumphed at Pembroke, it did not come at little cost. Indeed, Torrhen saw the untilled fields and the unharvested foods caused by excessive call on the region's peasant levies. Sensing a weakness, Torrhen began a series of subtle jabs at the worthiness of a Buckwell suitor to a Selmy bride. Though unskilled in the area of diplomacy, Torrhen's honorable behavior earned him the respect of his captors among the Boors and Selmy households. At the same time Buckwell continued to rant and rave, exposing the flaws in his character that prevented him from earning his knighthood.
Garth, meanwhile, decided to employ some of the tactics that made his guerrilla soldiers infamous. he encouraged banditry, working alongside some of the larger bands of brigands, hoping to further undermine Buckwell influence in the region. he continued to shadow the party holding his half-brother hostage, inciting rebellion at every turn. despite his best efforts, however, he found himself unable to make off with the ransom paid to Buckwell. Though the source of the ransom remained unclear, suspicions point toward the involvement of Highgarden.
In spite of some philandering and a mysterious death of his newly betrothed, the youngest of the Selmy ladies, Torrhen managed to not only extricate himself from his captors but also land numerous marriage proposals in so doing. Buckwell betrayed his base nature by becoming implicit in the death of Lady Selmy earning him a trial by combat against Torrhen. Torrhen's skill at arms outclassed his foe and the last of the Buckwell heirs was duly slain in the name of justice. he thereby earned his freedom on the eve of the Martell tourney.
Back at Castle Drake (colloquially referred to as castle Greyskull), Ella recovered and attended the marriage of her half-brother thedric. At the same time she won a considerable victory against Lady Buckwell earning her the respect of the illustrious guests at the wedding celebration. She was likewise popular among the visiting nobles of Dorne who attended the tournament held to celebrate Oberyn's assumption of his place on King Joffrey's small council. Torrhen's victory in the lists likewise earned House Drake no small measure of influence from among the visiting noble families.
Having gone from the brink of disaster to the darlings of Sunspear, House Drake appears poised once more as a force to be reckoned with. Lady Ella's dalliance with the Viper only enhanced her standing as a desirable match. Garth managed to cement a friendship with the Martell spymaster Otho providing new avenues of revenue for his growing smuggling network. With a stronger network of alliances brewing, House Drake continues to plot against their Buckwell rivals with their eyes set on taking Summerhall for their own.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The shit storm hits Shitville
The fortunes of House Drake were on the line as the forces Lady Ella Drake brought to Pembroke aligned on the hills west of town. Arrayed against them were the combined forces of Houses Buckwell, Selmy and Hightower as well as a mercenary force of pikemen.
Not only did Drake's enemies possess superior numbers, they sought to stave off the conflict by first sending an assassin against Ella Drake. Though Ella was able to fight off her attacker, she sustained grievous injuries in the process. Sensing that the fortunes of the Drake household were at stake, Maester Gyles intervened, offering Ella a gruesome ticket to freedom if she should so choose. Already things looked bad for the newfound house.
With Ella removed from the equation, Torrhen represented the house in a parlay with the attacking forces. Though both sides had come prepared for a prisoner exchange, Torrhen's implacable attitude and the confidence of their foemen precluded an amicable cessation of hostilities. The battle lines were drawn.
Drakes forces took the high ground but their lack of footmen would prove their undoing on this day. The enemy launched a wild assault against the wooded hill with the scum from Hightower's jails pitted against the newly formed foot of House Fitzdrake. The thin line broke and, despite terrible losses from the Drake archers, Torrhen's cavalry was forced to commit much earlier than anticipated.
Even as the cavalry routed the last of the convict brigade, they became enmeshed in vicious hand to hand with the mercenary pikemen. Torrhen roused his battered troopers and took a Selmy commander prisoner shortly before his own horse was forced to disengage.
Garth and his irregulars held the long, low slope to the north and broke the peasant levies thrown against them but not before their own forces were broken in the melee. As the ebnemy cavalry rode on Pembroke to take Ella and the unguarded Drake train, the Drake archers were forced to yield and the Drake cavalry broke to engage the new threat.
It was all down hill from there. The enemy forces were badly abused in the attack but the lack of field commanders hindered the Drakes' ability to rally their men. The irregulars disengaged and made for the woodlands where their superior stalking skills would have caused the enemy to pay dearly. The handful of battered troopers remaining in the Drake cavalry were soon outnumbered and disarmed, unable to prevent the enemy from seizing the undercroft where Ella convalesced.
Seeing only death and dishonor, Torrhen surrendered his person in exchange for the freedom of Lady Ella Drake. meanwhile, the irregulars circled back to sack the allied train, seizing the ransom which, hopefully, might help buy back Torrhen's freedom. Even as the guerrillas returned to castle Greyskull with their booty, Garth set off to follow the enemy and his captured half brother.
Though free and, much to her surprise, still in charge of an intact army, Ella headed back home to try and salvage the house's fortunes. With word having come that a retinue from House Martell was making a tour of the borderlands, Ella had to consider how best to position her house to restore its soiled honor. She not only vowed to go ahead with the marriage of Thedric to Lydia Cafferen but also to work to free Torrhen from her enemies.
It will take skill, courage and more than a little luck to prevent the house from falling into ruin. It would also take additional allies but would any house remain willing to hitch its fortunes to Drake's wobbling chariot?
Not only did Drake's enemies possess superior numbers, they sought to stave off the conflict by first sending an assassin against Ella Drake. Though Ella was able to fight off her attacker, she sustained grievous injuries in the process. Sensing that the fortunes of the Drake household were at stake, Maester Gyles intervened, offering Ella a gruesome ticket to freedom if she should so choose. Already things looked bad for the newfound house.
With Ella removed from the equation, Torrhen represented the house in a parlay with the attacking forces. Though both sides had come prepared for a prisoner exchange, Torrhen's implacable attitude and the confidence of their foemen precluded an amicable cessation of hostilities. The battle lines were drawn.
Drakes forces took the high ground but their lack of footmen would prove their undoing on this day. The enemy launched a wild assault against the wooded hill with the scum from Hightower's jails pitted against the newly formed foot of House Fitzdrake. The thin line broke and, despite terrible losses from the Drake archers, Torrhen's cavalry was forced to commit much earlier than anticipated.
Even as the cavalry routed the last of the convict brigade, they became enmeshed in vicious hand to hand with the mercenary pikemen. Torrhen roused his battered troopers and took a Selmy commander prisoner shortly before his own horse was forced to disengage.
Garth and his irregulars held the long, low slope to the north and broke the peasant levies thrown against them but not before their own forces were broken in the melee. As the ebnemy cavalry rode on Pembroke to take Ella and the unguarded Drake train, the Drake archers were forced to yield and the Drake cavalry broke to engage the new threat.
It was all down hill from there. The enemy forces were badly abused in the attack but the lack of field commanders hindered the Drakes' ability to rally their men. The irregulars disengaged and made for the woodlands where their superior stalking skills would have caused the enemy to pay dearly. The handful of battered troopers remaining in the Drake cavalry were soon outnumbered and disarmed, unable to prevent the enemy from seizing the undercroft where Ella convalesced.
Seeing only death and dishonor, Torrhen surrendered his person in exchange for the freedom of Lady Ella Drake. meanwhile, the irregulars circled back to sack the allied train, seizing the ransom which, hopefully, might help buy back Torrhen's freedom. Even as the guerrillas returned to castle Greyskull with their booty, Garth set off to follow the enemy and his captured half brother.
Though free and, much to her surprise, still in charge of an intact army, Ella headed back home to try and salvage the house's fortunes. With word having come that a retinue from House Martell was making a tour of the borderlands, Ella had to consider how best to position her house to restore its soiled honor. She not only vowed to go ahead with the marriage of Thedric to Lydia Cafferen but also to work to free Torrhen from her enemies.
It will take skill, courage and more than a little luck to prevent the house from falling into ruin. It would also take additional allies but would any house remain willing to hitch its fortunes to Drake's wobbling chariot?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Discovering exotic new lands and stealing all of the gold before anyone notices.....
Saturday (Nov. 19) was the annual Exploration and Colonization edition of Border Board Games. We were pleased to have ten attendees to the event including several newcomers, some returning guests and core gamers. Dennis and Mike traveled up from the Lower Kingdom while Orleans Mike made his second trip north. Also attending were Rob and Travis (nice to see you again Travis), Kim and Homer and, of course, Beth and myself.
Having so many players available, we divided up into two tables. Beth, Kim, Homer, St. Jay Mike and Travis sat down for an opening game of Age of Empires III. Though Kim was unable to get her traditional spam Monk combo going, she was able to pull out the victory for the Portugese. Like her nation of record, Kim's victory is largely attributable to an abundance of trade goods.
At the second table I guided Dennis, Shannon, Orleans Mike and Rob through one of our newest acquisitions: Merchants and Marauders. The guys got the hang of the trading and raiding game fairly quickly despite only Dennis having managed to play the game once before. Mike experienced some hard times as a merchant ship holed his sloop sending the S.S. Bassboat to the seabed. Shannon was the first to upgrade snagging a nifty galleon after a few successful demand good runs. Dennis likewise sported a pimped out flute boasting most of the available upgrades on what, by any definition, is not a very sexy sailing ship. Though Rob was the last to venture into big boat territory, his galleon came very close to preventing Shannon's eventual win.
Mauled after a scrape with a French warship and barely avoiding Dennis' galleon, Shannon hightailed it for the safety and rumored wedding of Nassau's governor's daughter. Rob's galleon lumbered out of the port to engage Shannon. despite a slight superiority of ship, Rob's superior seamanship enabled him to rake the Golden Hind-End from stem to stern. Only at the last minute was Shannon able to win the sailing contest and escape into port. Even then he required a desperate stab at a rumor to finalize the win. It all came up skulls and crossbones and Shannon walked away with the Pirate Cup.
By This time the gang at table one had shifted over to Puerto Rico. Though details are thin, apparently Mike was able to pull out the win, largely on the strength of capturing two major purple buildings. The Age of Empires III game then swung onto our table. The quick summary of events is that there was more bloodshed in the colonies than ever before (at least in games I've played in). The Dutch-allied Indians in Virginia (my Indian Allies) seemed content to massacre Shannon's Englishmen at Roanoke while Rob's French troops happily picked off Dutchmen in Brazil. In the end, the powerful Dutch economic engine was able to outpace the last minute exploration scramble and pull out the win.
The exact theme for the December game day is still somewhat up in the air though mention of Carson City and Betrayal at House on the Hill have both been mentioned as posibilities. Dennis also mentioned interest in breaking out the venerable Pax Britannica at some future date. Given the almost Diplomacy like length of PB, it may be better to schedule it on a separate, mutually agreed upon day.
Having so many players available, we divided up into two tables. Beth, Kim, Homer, St. Jay Mike and Travis sat down for an opening game of Age of Empires III. Though Kim was unable to get her traditional spam Monk combo going, she was able to pull out the victory for the Portugese. Like her nation of record, Kim's victory is largely attributable to an abundance of trade goods.
At the second table I guided Dennis, Shannon, Orleans Mike and Rob through one of our newest acquisitions: Merchants and Marauders. The guys got the hang of the trading and raiding game fairly quickly despite only Dennis having managed to play the game once before. Mike experienced some hard times as a merchant ship holed his sloop sending the S.S. Bassboat to the seabed. Shannon was the first to upgrade snagging a nifty galleon after a few successful demand good runs. Dennis likewise sported a pimped out flute boasting most of the available upgrades on what, by any definition, is not a very sexy sailing ship. Though Rob was the last to venture into big boat territory, his galleon came very close to preventing Shannon's eventual win.
Mauled after a scrape with a French warship and barely avoiding Dennis' galleon, Shannon hightailed it for the safety and rumored wedding of Nassau's governor's daughter. Rob's galleon lumbered out of the port to engage Shannon. despite a slight superiority of ship, Rob's superior seamanship enabled him to rake the Golden Hind-End from stem to stern. Only at the last minute was Shannon able to win the sailing contest and escape into port. Even then he required a desperate stab at a rumor to finalize the win. It all came up skulls and crossbones and Shannon walked away with the Pirate Cup.
By This time the gang at table one had shifted over to Puerto Rico. Though details are thin, apparently Mike was able to pull out the win, largely on the strength of capturing two major purple buildings. The Age of Empires III game then swung onto our table. The quick summary of events is that there was more bloodshed in the colonies than ever before (at least in games I've played in). The Dutch-allied Indians in Virginia (my Indian Allies) seemed content to massacre Shannon's Englishmen at Roanoke while Rob's French troops happily picked off Dutchmen in Brazil. In the end, the powerful Dutch economic engine was able to outpace the last minute exploration scramble and pull out the win.
The exact theme for the December game day is still somewhat up in the air though mention of Carson City and Betrayal at House on the Hill have both been mentioned as posibilities. Dennis also mentioned interest in breaking out the venerable Pax Britannica at some future date. Given the almost Diplomacy like length of PB, it may be better to schedule it on a separate, mutually agreed upon day.
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