Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Eight

The eighth week of the campaign represented the last regular campaign turn. It was a mad scramble to claim last minute shards and experience points. The players did not know what would be in store for them the following week, but knew with a desperate certainty that they would need all the help they could get!

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On the outskirts of the Hunter’s Wood, the Abyssal Dwarfs and Elves fought with reckless abandon. In the end, Ar’noth prevailed. He strode victorious into the heart of the Wood, where the Green Lady gifted him with a shard of the Fenulian Mirror for his bravery.

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Perhaps it was madness that drove him to it, but Istvaan once again led his Ogres into the harsh sands of the Hadross Desert. There, he was forced into brutal conflict with the Abyssals who, under the cruel leadership of Apollyon, proved too difficult to defeat. In the wake of the battle, however, Istvaan abandoned his kin and roamed the desert, spying the telltale glint of a shard of the Fenulian Mirror poking out from beneath the dunes.

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On the main crossroads of Valundar, the Undead waged war against the Rhordians. The fight was cagey, with each General making careful, calculated moves. The resultant draw left both Generals free to explore the territory, and each General discovered one of the precious few remaining shards of the Fenulian Mirror.

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Last, but certainly not least, the Forces of Nature stormed the Goblin Hills in the Northeastern corner of Valundar. The cunningly cruel Goblins put up a hasty yet vicious defense of their homeland. In the end, Lord Adular took their leader captive and forced him to lead the way through the tunnels to the fabled Goblin treasure hoard. In the end, Adular recovered an impressive three shards of the Fenulian Mirror, among other loot.

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When the dust settled, the standings were as follows:

Jon, Peyton, Keith – 5
Chris, Jim – 4
Scott – 3
Kevin – 0

Tomorrow marks the final campaign turn, in which the Generals will be forced into an epic struggle to determine the future of Valundar, and perhaps even Mantica itself! Stay tuned for updates!

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Seven

The seventh week of the campaign was perhaps the most exciting yet, with many Generals walking away from the turn with upgraded units and newly discovered (or stolen) shards of the Fenulian Mirror. This was also the first week that EVERYONE was in attendance!

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Lord Ar’noth and the Elves ventured into the Goblin Hills to challenge Duke Barnabus Mumblepeg and the Rhordians. The fighting was fierce, and the casualties were many. Much to his dismay, Ar’noth could not “win one for the Gipper.” As he prepared to swoop in on his mighty Dragon and claim an objective (thereby securing a draw), he was shot in the back by the Goblins, waivered, and lost the battle. In the aftermath, Lord Baranabus received a shard of the Fenulian Mirror from exploring the Goblin Hills. It seems an unlikely friendship may have formed between the two short-statured races.

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Istvaan and the Ogres headed up to the Northern Plains of Valundar to challenge Lord Adular and the Forces of Nature. The Unicorn commander put up a valiant fight, but in the end was forced to retreat as the Ogres relentlessly crashed into his defenses. Istvaan went on to explore the only known human settlement on the island, threatening the Stablemaster into giving him two shards of the Fenulian Mirror, and then promptly eating him.

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Further South, the Abyssals finally came to blows with the Abyssal Dwarves. Once thought to be coordinating their campaigns in Valundar, the two mighty armies clashed with the force of a hammer blow on a red hot forge. The battle was tense, with both sides gaining the advantage only to have it taken away time and again. In the end, Apollyon reigned victorious, stealing a shard of the Fenulian Mirror from Hazdra’khan for his impudence.

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To the East, Long Toof da Blood Drinka found his Undead army ambushed by the native Goblin tribes. Springing forth from the tunnels originally constructed by Halflings, the Goblins proved only a minor annoyance. The disciplined ranks of Undead responded with emotionless efficiency, spilling Goblin blood across the countryside. Long Toof himself slaughtered a pack of ravenous Maw Beasts and found a shard of the Fenulian Mirror that had been swallowed by one of the brutish creatures.

The current standings are:

Jon – 5
Peyton, Keith – 4
Jim – 3
Chris – 2
Kevin, Scott – 0

Tomorrow will be the last NORMAL day of the campaign!

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Six

I’ve been crazy busy this week, so I apologize in advance, but I’m not doing a write up. Instead, you get pictures. Things happened, dice were rolled, burritos were consumed, laughs were shared, and tears were spilt (on account of the acrid gamer funk).

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‘Til next time,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Five

The intensity was turned up as the campaign entered its fifth week. Lord Commander Adular and the Forces of Nature reemerged from the mists, striking at the Undead with newfound purpose. Inspired by their first victory, Ar’noth guided his Elves to set an ambush for the unsuspecting Rhordians. Meanwhile, both Hazdra’Khan and Istvaan attempted to lead their armies to the peninsula, and so were forced into conflict upon the hot sands of the Hadross Desert.

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The Forces of Nature quickly advanced across the battlefield, only to hastily retreat in the face of Long Toof’s might. What appeared to be indecision and foolishness on the part of the Forces of Nature turned out to be the tactical brilliance of Lord Commander Adular. The Forest Shamblers, Tree Herders, Griffon, and Owlbear launched coordinated strikes that ground the Undead bones to dust. Long Toof da Blood Drinka was forced to cut his losses and retreat to the safety of his warship, confident that his practitioners of the dark arts could rebuild his Undead legion over time.

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Elsewhere, the Elves cut down the Rhordians with cold efficiency. Arrows rained down across the battlefield, finding purchase in the exposed flesh of the heavily armoured Rhordians with unnerving accuracy. Early on, Duke Barnabus Mumblepeg was forced to abandon the battlefield after suffering a rather painful broken wrist. In the end, only Lord Reginald, the aged Rhordian wizard, was left standing. He slunk away with his head held high. In the wake of his second victory, Ar’noth was gifted with a shard of the Fenulian Mirror by the spirit of Elithanora herself. She must have seen purity within his soul.

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The harsh conditions of the desert took a severe toll on the Abyssal Dwarves, as their heavy armour burdened them and their automatons struggled to trek across the sand. The Ogres, meanwhile, were used to dealing with extreme climate and pressed their advantage. As the Abyssal Dwarves fled the desert, Istvaan became obsessed with finding the fabled oasis. He struck out on his own and wandered for days. He was eventually discovered by his fellow Ogres, huddled in the fetal position, running a terrible fever, and muttering incoherently to himself. Although he was nursed back to health, it is rumored that his mind simply “isn’t all there.”

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The current standings are:

Peyton – 3
Jon, Keith, Jim – 2
Kevin – 1
Chris, Scott – 0

Looking forward to Week Six!

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Four

The intensity of the fighting increased significantly in the fourth week of the campaign. As the Generals began to familiarize themselves with the layout of the terrain, they found all manner of ways to hunt down, trap, or evade their enemies. Battle broke out across the center of the island, with Apollyon and his Abyssals challenging Duke Baranabus Mumblepeg and the Rhordians, Hazdra’Khan and his Abyssal Dwarfs launching an attack on the Undead of Long Toof da Blood Drinka, and the Elves of Ar’noth stalking after Istvaan and his Ogre tribe.

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The fierce ranged attacks of the Abyssals proved devastating for the Rhordians. Halflings headed for the hills as bolts of lightning scorched across the battlefield with alarming speed. In the few melees which took place the Rhordians exacted revenge. In the end, despite winning the battle, Apollyon decided to pull his minions back and allow the humans and halflings to tend to their wounds. After the battle, Ba’su’su sneaked off to investigate the surrounding countryside. It is believed that he may have, indeed, come across a shard of the Fenulian Mirror. However, in his vanity he was consumed with gazing upon his reflection until he could feel Apollyon’s summons, at which point he tossed the shard and flew back to the monstrous daemon.

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Meanwhile, the Abyssal Dwarfs and Undead took to battle with grim determination. Neither side was willing to cede an inch of territory to their enemy, and the combats were dragged out with bloody consequences. As the dust settled on the battlefield, no clear winner could be determined. After the battle, Hazdra’khan realized his precious shard of the Fenulian Mirror had been stolen during the previous night. With an impressive fury, he smashed apart the nearby Armory until he discovered a replacement. Heading to the Gatehouse, Long Toof stumbled upon an ancient journal containing many descriptions (and pictures… he’s illiterate) of the trials and tribulations of Captain Grizzlebeard Brandywine, the famed halfling leader of Valundar’s highway patrol. Delighted, he felt better prepared to Inspire his troops to victory.

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After suffering many defeats, Ar’noth’s tactical prowess gave the Elves just the advantage they needed to achieve a victory against Istvaan and the Berserkers. To be fair, he was also aided by the local Goblin tribes, who popped out of their myriad tunnels at just the right moments to rain destruction on the Ogres with their arrows and war trombones. As the battle drew to a close, Ar’noth dismounted from his trusty Dragon and decided to enter the Goblin tunnels. After a few hours of wandering his was ambushed by a ravenous pack of mawbeasts. After a close brush with death he cut down the last of the mawbeasts and discovered a shard of the Fenulian Mirror among the bones in the lair of the vile creatures.

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The current standings are:

Peyton – 3
Jon, Keith, Jim – 2
Kevin – 1
Chris, Scott – 0

It’s still anyone’s campaign as we cross into the second half of the adventure!

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week One

Last week was our first meeting of the “Quest for the Fenulian Mirror” – a narrative map campaign for Kings of War. As we gear up for our second meeting tomorrow evening, I thought it would be worthwhile to write up some of the highlights.

The Player Pack for the Campaign can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eNW0fD5xzb6e_9zRDX1FIyMv_h7XGWpFJn0fyG7f3rM/edit?usp=sharing

First of all, the following Generals (and their armies) bravely set sail from their homelands and landed upon the shores of Valundar.

-Duke Barnabus Mumblepeg, League of Rhordia, played by Peyton
-Apollyon, Reaper of Despair, Abyssals, played by Jon
-Hazdra’Khan, Grand Forger of Zarak, Abyssal Dwarves, played by Kevin
-Lord Commander Adular, Forces of Nature, played by Scott
-Ar’noth, Elves, played by Jim
-Long Toof da Blood Drinka, Undead, played by Chris
-Istvaan, Ogres, played by Keith

Valundar is an island that was swallowed centuries ago by the Infant Sea and has recently resurfaced for reasons unknown. It is rumored to contain the broken shards of the Fenulian Mirror, a powerful artifact that split the Celestians in half and began an era of unprecedented horror when it was shattered. The Generals seek to gather the shard, reassemble the mirror, and use it to serve their own purposes.

During the first two campaign turns, the Generals explored a bit of the island. Some of them found a shard of the Fenulian Mirror, while Apollyon found a stash of Halfling weed that he is just crazy enough to smoke.

Duke Barnabus Mumblepeg was unexpectedly waylaid when attempting to ford a river. The water reached a roiling boil and he was forced to send his army back, delaying them for a turn. Fortunately, he wandered into the Hunter’s Wood where he was met by the Green Lady herself. Impressed by his courage, the Green Lady gifted him with the protection to safely cross the river.

Long Toof da Blood Drinka found the fortress of the famed Necromancer Nicholai. After several unsuccessful attempts to enter the Fortress, Long Toof found his way in and ransacked the library. Despite being illiterate, the Undead Orc gleaned a considerable amount of arcane knowledge from the experience.

The army of Hazdra’Khan led an attack against the Forces of Nature. Though the Abyssal Dwarves claimed a bloody victory, Hazdra’Khan sustained a brutal head trauma during the course of the battle, seriously shaking the resolve of his troops. In the end, the Abyssal Dwarfs and the Forces of Nature forged a temporary alliance, temporary being the operative word…

Ar’noth attempted to cross the treacherous Hadross desert, where he was ambushed by a nefarious gang of Elf mercenaries (played by Pat). The evil Elves proved too strong, and Ar’noth had the good sense to retreat.

The army of Istvaan has yet to make an appearance on the island. Rumor has it that the Ogre ship was besieged by the infamous Kraken of the Infant Sea.

The current standings are as follows:

Jon – 3
Kevin, Peyton, Scott, Jim – 1
Chris, Keith – 0

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Until next time,
Greg

Categories
Border Princes Campaign Warhammer

Border Princes Campaign – Introductions

This winter I will be running a Warhammer campaign and chronicling it on the blog.  The rules are for a basic map campaign.  Move your armies around the map each turn, and fight a Warhammer battle if your armies make contact.  Lose all your armies and territories and you have been wiped out!

The premise is fairly simple.  Each of our forces has led an expedition into the Border Princes for different reasons.  We didn’t all end up exactly where we wanted to be, but it was time to build some fortifications and start exploring anyway.  The starting tile for each player can be seen on the map.

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I am very much tinkering my way through the GIMP work on the map.  The format may change here and there as the campaign goes on.  By the way, this campaign format and what not is shamelessly stolen from Rob Hawkins.  Check out how his gaming group is getting along with their campaign at http://robhawkinshobby.blogspot.com/.

Now lets introduce the players!

Jon – Daemons of Chaos

First I was club dad, then I had a child and now I’m a real dad!  Oh, and supreme overlord of this campaign.

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Jeff – Dogs of War

Is that even a real army?  No, I don’t think it is.  I’m pretty sure Jeff is just going to make it up and play with whatever models he is painting at the time.

Unplugged GT Terrain In Use
Unplugged GT Terrain In Use

Peyton – High Elves

Well, kind of.  Halfling High Elves that is.  Go Alith Anar!

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Brian – Lizardmen

Mr. Army ADD himself played the High Elves for almost TWO WHOLE YEARS.  I guess it was legit time for a change.

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Scott C. – Wood Elves

Just look at that plaid!

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Greg – Orcs and Goblins

They might not have worked out so well for Bragging Rights, but they’re great for a map campaign.

March 12, 2011 at the Time Machine

March 12, 2011 at the Time Machine

 

Pat – Dark Elves

The newest Unplugged Gamer.  Out to prove his hobby prowess in his first map campaign.

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Scott W. – High Elves

One day Greg ran into this guy Scott, and he turned out to be Jon’s co-workers sister’s husband.  and now we play warhammer  :-p

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I’ll post some more information here and there as we work through the campaign.  It’ll be 20 turns long, and I’ll be doing a post for each turn so you can follow along with the progress.  Hope you enjoy and can maybe even get inspired to run your own campaign.

Cheers,
Jon

Categories
Mordheim Warhammer

Mordheim Campaign, September 2014

Lead Up:

I might be developing a reputation within our club for having a mild case of Hobby A.D.D. The charges for include a long list of projects that are currently…um, let’s call them “on hold”:

Goblin Spider Rider Army, Gorkamorka Mob, Necromunda Gang, Dogs of War Army (though my Giant is all done), Mordheim Witch Hunter Warband

But, then again, I have followed through on a lot of projects too:

Praetorian Imperial Guard Army, Vanilla Chapter Space Marine Army, Dwarf Warband (Mordheim), Marienburg Warband (Mordheim), Uncharted Seas Human Fleet, High Elves Army, Nuln Empire Army, High Elves Army (#2), Fully Painted Dreadfleet Set, Gorkamorka Terrain Set, Ogre Kingdoms Army

So, on balance, I think I have honored the majority of my hobby commitments through the years. If our club were plotted out on a spectrum I would fall right in the middle of Jon/Pat (painted every damn model they ever bought) and Peyton (if GW closed tomorrow, I would make my future purchases at his Bedroom Shop in Glastonbury, CT).

All of that is a long lead-up to an announcement that has been brewing in my mind for nearly three months now: MORDHEIM. Mordheim is one of my favorite games produced by Games Workshop. It came out during the late 1990s, soon after I joined this hobby. The appeal of the game is that it only requires 12-20 miniatures to play, and that many of those can be drawn from your existing warhammer army. I am now confident that this campaign will fall into the category of “hobby projects on which I have followed through.”

Background:

Mordheim takes place a few centuries back in the current warhammer timeline. The basic story is that a strange meteor has crashed into the Empire city of Mordheim. This collision leaves the city in ruins, with many of its residents either dead or seeking refuge in surrounding towns. But among the wreckage are scattered pieces of Wyrdstone, green-glowing fragments of rock that came from the crashed meteor. This Wyrdstone has strange, almost magical properties. Since the time of the crash, groups of warriors have been drawn to the city, some to strike it rich by acquiring shards of Wyrdstone, others to feed off the magical energy of the stones, and still others to bring religious order to this fallen city of burning streets and sinful rogues.

Gameplay:

Each player assembles a small warband of models, and brings them to the table to fight other warbands. Over time, some members of your warband will die, new members will be hired, and the survivors will gain experience, earn new equipment, and otherwise grow in power.

Warbands:

Human Mercenaries, Witch Hunters, Night Goblins, Possessed, Undead, and Skaven

Rules: 

Coreheim Version 8.9. This can be found through a simple Google search.

Campaign:

I would like to run a 4-5 week-long campaign wherein the group of players would each play about a dozen games of Mordheim. Since the Games only take about an hour (less if your warband flees like a bunch of cowards), players could easily play two games on some days. I have to look at my schedule, but I think that Tuesdays and Thursdays are best for me, once the Fall semester starts.

Conclusion:

So, what do you guys think? Do you want to get in on the games? I am looking for players who can commit to play for the majority of the campaign. Anyone might have to miss a day, I understand that, but I want players who will take this seriously. I would rather have four core players who make it every week than ten flaky players who will only show up two out of the five weeks.

Lastly, I insist on playing with fully-painted models after the official campaign starts. Factor that into your painting standard if need be. Perhaps you will only want to paint these to a tabletop standard instead of your normal level. A good idea is to think about where you want your warband to be by the end of the tournament and paint that number of models, rather than just drafting a starting warband list and painting up that number of models. It is only 12-20 models, people, put some paint on them.

As for terrain, I think we can get creative with our GT terrain (stone walls, some trees, statues, witchfate tor, ruins) and construct three tables out of that, so long as we supplement them with pieces from the Battle Standard tables (barrels, those short towers, cottage buildings, etc.), and the Jon Vanase OOP card Mordheim Buildings that I began to polish up a few years back.

I want to start to play practice games when I return to Connecticut next week. That will give me some familiarity with the rules. My undead warband will be finished before I come home (only five models left), so that will free me up to work on terrain while you guys get your warbands built and painted.

So, what do you say? Who is in? Which warband will you play? What will be the story behind the group? While you can just cull together models from your available army, you will likely have more fun if you build up a new band. That way you can equip them with WYSIWYG armaments and theme the models to the world of Mordheim (gold crowns and Wyrdstone bits, trophies from prior victories, etc)

Mordheim is a whole lot of fun. My last Mordheim campaign was the time when I met Peyton, actually. You guys will like it.

Jeff