Author Archive
Six player BSG. Bruce, Darryl, James, Phil, Andy and Mike.
Daybreak.
The Fleet was off to a bad start and got hit by multiple Basestar Cylon Attack Cards right from the start. Also they never even seemed to pass the easiest of tasks. The pilots were not the most effective (Andy and James) and were heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Andy had a knack of destroying the Assault Viper and then the Vipers (reckless PC). This almost destroyed the carrier fleet by the end! Admiral Phil eventually exec ordered Bruce the Engineer into jumping with the FTL (was broken). He had it tactically planned but Bruce’s die rolls are legendary (one) setting the scene for every crucial human die roll to follow. Leaving 3 population behind they managed to jump straight into another Cylon Fleet. That kept happening.
So before they knew it the humans were in the red in every category and they were playing mutineer (Bruce) not sympathiser so that was no use! Mike was the new Baltar and Darryl was President Elena Tighe (treachery). Things went from bad to worse. Then James worked out Andy was a Cylon (honest) and put him in the Brig. However Andy refused to die in the brig and become a Cylon so that nobody trusted James. The humans still kept losing resources and getting battered by Cylons. They eventually jumped and the sleeper phase began. More Cylons?
The humans did manage to permanently destroy one base star and get 8 distance but fuel was really low with no scouts left to send out. Andy was still protesting his innocence and Darryl was a very ineffective President. So the Admiral declared Marshall law and with his trusty allies James and Bruce tried to make progress. Mike was trusty too but they just weren’t sure who the Cylon was. Could Andy have been truly innocent? Then James was a traitor? No! It was James, Phil and Bruce who just about saved Galactica from that Centurion who made it to the penultimate space on the track. James got him in the end just before he would have moved again! So surely these were the good guys? Or were they?
Any way the tests just got harder and harder and the resources kept dropping until the humans drew a card that meant at least one resource would definitely go to zero and it was all over.
It turned out Andy was indeed a Cylon and was using a new tactic to confuse everyone. The other Cylon then of course was Darryl and Elena Tighe. So well done to them for a truly masterful victory and playing cat and mouse with the poor hapless humans.
Mike, Phil, Andy and Bruce played this old favourite.
Mike was first out unexpectedly despite starting with Spain and Argentina. Phil got Germany through to the final against Bruce’s South Korea. Andy’s Netherlands only made it to the 3rd place play off against another of Bruce’s teams.
In the final round Bruce was not phased by having two teams to play for as he drew mainly 2 goal and 1 goal cards. Phil only drew attack and defence cards. So South. Korea won the World Cup beating Germany 4-2 in the final.
Well done Bruce who grabbed 3rd place too!
We played the Firefly pirate expansion with the Pirate PvP quest. Phil took an early lead by picking on Andy to grab Goal tokens but not as much money as he needed. Bruce and Darryl carefully built up their forces, biding their time. Mike then picked on Phil and stole his hard won tokens to claim Victory.
Not sure about the Pirate expansion. Certainly this scenario was all about being mean which is kind of hard in a building game. It feels like kicking down people’s sand castles. Perhaps a different scenario will make it less of a problem.
Mike, Phil, Bruce, Andy and James the Younger.
We played Phil’s Waterdeep game with the Undermountain expansion. Phil had been practicing on his ipad but only narrowly avoided coming in last place. James beat Bruce in a winning tie to claim Victory. Well done.
We also played sharks and swimmers game called Get Bit which Phil won and a Tides and Sheep game and finally a game of Bluff both of which Mike won.
Mike and Phil played two games and won one each.
Flashing Steel Scenario
The Village of Muchputup-on-the-Wold
A pleasant rural village in the Gloucestershire countryside has been raided by a rough group of Parliamentarian soldiers, mainly Dragoons out on patrol. Tasked with gathering supplies they have settled in the tavern and appropriated the villager’s resources in exchange for promissory notes. These are obviously considered worthless by the poor villagers who have been soundly beaten into submission should they voice any objection.
Worse still the Dragoons have with them the fiery Protestant preacher Bernard Bostlethwaite who senses the taint of Popery about the Church (far too high Anglican for his tastes) and is threatening the locals with hellfire and damnation in the village square. He has even placed the poor vicar in the stocks!
Sojourning in the Tavern is the famous Parliamentarian Grandee the Earl of Stilton with his Red Guards. The former is rightly respected as a fearsome soldier but the latter appear to have a reputation for poltroonery and wearing clean uniforms whilst defending the baggage train.
The local physician is setting some broken bones whilst the Dragoons sample the Tavern’s wares at the Inn and Stilton beats them at cards. Meanwhile some brave lads have alerted the King’s soldiers to come to their aid. Seeing an opportunity to strike at the Parliamentarians and perhaps earn some much needed supplies in return Captain Reynolds has graciously agreed to intervene. On the way he happens upon a stroke of luck! No less than the King’s own three most loyal Cavaliers from his very ownLifeguard are out “on patrol” and agree to assist in his endeavours. Somehow the mere mention of an Inn-keeper being distressed by the dastardly Parliamentarian Dragoons being enough to convince Sir Richard to join forces (and Sir Adam has unfinished business with Stilton).
The Forces
Parliamentarians
Dragoons (Highwaymen) and the Earl of Stilton (Guards)
Royalists
The Royalist Soldiers (Military) and the Cavaliers
Aims
First Scenario
The Dragoons wish to hold the village. The Royalists wish to capture it. Stilton will stop at nothing to see Sir Adam dead and the feeling is mutual. Sir Richard is very thirsty.
The Physician will move and heal injured combatants within a short move.
Second Scenario (time permitting)
A group of Dragoons have managed to get away with a second cartload of supplies that was hidden in a barn. Worse still they have taken the farmer’s daughter hostage!
Can the Dragoons get the slow moving cart off the road edge before the Royalists can stop them?
Have started painting the command group for my Mirkwood Rangers having justwatched Desolation of Smaug.
Songs of Blades and Heroes using the Dungeon supplement with a The Hobbit flavour. Thorin and his Company (Darryl) against Bolg’s Hunters (Mike) with GM Phil running the Denizens.
The scenario was set in a lost Dwarven Hold high in a mountain range. Once a proud dwarven citadel now lair to foul creatures and near forgotten. Thorin and his company enter through the Northern Portculis Gate set on looting the treasure and securing in particular an heirloom in a certain treasure chest deep within the citadel. Meanwhile Bolg and his Hunter Orcs have been sent to thwart their plans, climbing through the windows in kitchens to the South; a climb long thought impossible. Bolg and his Orcs with the aid of dark magic are ready to kill Thorin and stop the dwarves succeeding in their quest.
Bolg’s Hunters to the South
Thorin’s Company to the North.
To the South Bolg sends his archers to the western corridor only to find it held by undead skeleton guards (once humans in service of the dwarf lord now turned to darker purposes by the evil within the citadel). Realising their arrows are useless against such foes Bolg sends in the Shaman to use magic and shatter their bones.
Skeleton Guards defend the corridor
To the Northwest the dwarves take a leisurely approach and smoke their pipes whilst Kili their thief picks the locks on the strong dwarven door.
The Orc Shaman is dumbfounded by the skeleton guards who resist his magic and shatter his staff (3 fails). They advance towards the hapless magic user. The Dwarves open the door to find a Cave Troll blocking the narrow passage. Oin casts chains of iron about the Troll (transfix). Who is held in place whilst the dwarves gather for the kill.
Things do not go so well for the Orcs who repeatedly fail their activations whilst the skeletons attack the shaman and the Fimbul the Savage Orc Warrior for several turns.
The dwarves having made short work of the Troll burst into the feasting hall and slay two hapless Dunlending warriors in short order. They then send Kili over the debris strewn narrow corridor and barricades to investigate the main treasure room, discoloured by a strange red coppery-iron ore. Meanwhile Bolg has taken charge personally and is advancing towards the skeletons who are still holding off his slow witted orcs.
Kili advances slowly towards the red door only to find it eerily open itself in a gust of wind to reveal a Copper Dragon standing wide awake on a vast horde within. Of course Kili is well hidden but the clumsy Bofur clambering over the debris is easily targeted by his fiery breath attack.
It’s a Dragon and it’s awake!
Meanwhile Bolg is fighting skeletons…
Bolg decides to deal with the skeletons himself…
Kili sneaks into the room and secures the treasure chest bearing the sigil of Thorin’s family. The other dwarves rush the Dragon led by Dwalin the Dragon Slayer who is quickly knocked over and at a disadvantage against he firsome foe! Fortunately Thorin and his comrades drive the dragon back to the rear of the chamber (free disengage with flying). Kili now spots a secret door at the rear of the chamber providing an alternative exit point. This is especially useful as Bolg and the Orcs have now finally dispatched the skeletons and entered the feasting hall.
The Dragon proves difficult to kill because whenever he is surrounded he uses free disengage to fly across the chamber and the dwarves short legs make the distances too difficult to move and attack (this actually spoils the game a bit to be fair ruining the momentum and wasting time). Bofur opens the secret door with his usual clumsiness and alerts the sentry Troll in the Guard Chamber who proceeds to stab wildly through the narrow gap with his spear thus blocking the escape route. Kili sighs.
Bolg and his Orcs begin clambering over the debris towards the Dwarves and the Dragon, but are in no great haste to “help” in the fight. Oin rushes into the chamber and soon has the Dragon in chains (Transfix) when it can finally be killed by Dwalin once surrounded, trapped and wounded.
Bolg rushes into the chamber but is in turn transfixed by the cunning curses of Oin. At this point victory is awarded to the Dwarves who have amassed 16 victory points against the Orc’s 3. Well done Darryl.
BSG: Daybreak Expansion
Phil (Cylon Leader), Bruce, Darryl and Mike.
The players were all human at the start with Phil’s Cylon Leader (Athena) also drawing only human allegiance motives. The players did well on Demetrius and ended up with a pro-Human Basestar and a bonus distance mission card to speed them on their way. Admiral Darryl even managed to save lots of Fuel!
After the sleeper phase Phil drew two Cylon Cards and Mike’s President a You are Cylon Card. At this point the CL became anxious about the speed of the human’s progress as he needed to damage certain parts of Galactica and get the population into the red if the humans were to win. If the Cylons were to win he’d be victorious. So the CL searched and stacked the deck to create some action. This resulted in the President putting Bruce’s Doc into the Brig. Mike then declared as a Cylon, saving his super crisis cylon attack card for after the penultimate Jump. Phil let Bruce out of the Brig and then declared, missing a go. This turned out to be a crucial mistake as the humans then drew and passed a crisis card which gave them 1 extra distance. This meant that the Cylons were caught planning for the next jump whilst the humans jumped safely to earth having reached 10 because of the crisis card. Phil’s CL was left cursing as ironically every resource except population was in red and he had achieved his Cylon objectives; so he was on the losing side but not the winning!
Well done Darryl and Bruce. Bad luck Mike; so close!
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