Ideas for Estalian Sun

I have a similar thread in the Batlle Reports and Fluff section which explains the background of the campaign. I intend to use this thread as a sounding board for scenarios and special rules.

Campaign organization: I like to use the Relics of the Crusades model to structure a campaign. Scenarios are organized around a set of locations. Each location has special rules that affect the scenarios played there.

For an Estalian campaign I see a number of possible locations:

The Estalian Plains
The Irenna and Abasko Mountain Chains or just a generic Mountains table
The Gambaro River or just a generic River, Coastal Islands and Ocean table.
The Towns of Estalia
The pillaged and ruined towns of Estallia (as the war drags on).

Then there is the Underground campaign map which adds the possibility of all kinds of adventure in the underways.

Once locations are chosen then scenarios can be assigned to location tables, although some scenarios like The Frenzied Mob fit into several.

Well, if Wiki is right, Spain also has some very arid areas in the South-East (scrub grass and heat rules), and some thick 'cloud forests' in the mountains.

Oh, and don't forget the bull-fighting. Might make a cool scenario. If the Estalians enjoy bull fighting and arenas, then perhaps they are a Pit-fighting-loving nation too. A prominent Pit / Bull Fighter NPC perhaps?

Spain has pretty arid areas (especially the south west ) and large plains, while the north coast has a climate more like Ireland (though not so cold and not as rainy), and a lot of mountains.

Regarding bullfights, even more would be a scenario like the San Fermin festival, where they chase bulls through the streets into the arena and people run in front of the bulls.

Maybe instead of sold to the Pits, the warrior is featured in the local Bullfights.

I like the running with bulls scenario too.

Von Kurst wrote:

Maybe instead of sold to the Pits, the warrior is featured in the local Bullfights.

Nice idea!

Bull-Squigs... hmmmm.

Anyway, before I get too distracted there are loads of location descriptions in the A5 Map Room - if you click on the map locations it links you to a page with a control chart and a paragraph or two of fluff.

Should be some inspiration for terrain choices for the local areas.

WarbossKurgan wrote:

Anyway, before I get too distracted there are loads of location descriptions in the A5 Map Room - if you click on the map locations it links you to a page with a control chart and a paragraph or two of fluff.

Should be some inspiration for terrain choices for the local areas.

Or scenarios! The map is a huge resource. I spent a couple of hours reading various location descriptions the other night. Some of those locations have LOTS of fluff. Or else I was just wool gathering. Same thing really.

One of my favorites:

fauthsie wrote:

Campos de Los Muertos

Known simply as the Fields of the Dead, this region is a blot on the beauty of Estalia. The armies of Estalia first meant the armies of Sultan Jaffar here and many savage battles were waged. The sorcerers of the Sultan used unseen fire magic to rout the brave Estalians, the lands were trampled under the weight of man and beast and fires burned away large swathes of land. The dead on both sides were so numerous that in places bodies are buried five deep. Monuments to the dead are everywhere, from simple stone markers to elaborate markers, many of them so worn with time as to be unreadable. An air of fear hangs over the region like a pall and tales of unquiet spirits and phantom armies are told over winter fires and on hot summer nights.

The interior of the region is dotted with ruined fortifications and watchtowers, many of which have had much of their stones hauled away to be used peasant cottages and the like, their defenses now useful only for small comfort to downbeaten farmers! The low hills that cover the interior of the region are full of gullies and washes that, when flooded, still uncover a body or a suit of rusted armor or sometimes even a few brass buttons!

Rumors abound that these ruined bastions and towers are still manned by the specters of soldiers that don’t realize the war with the Jaffar is over and they are dead! Or perhaps they sense war is once more coming and are rising up to defend their posts…

Brainstorming a bull fight. What if there was a player trying to control the bulls? At the end of each of his turns, he would have to secretly not (using the clock system or a scatter dice under a cup). Which direction the bull would run next turn. So the Matador would have to sort of guess where he wanted to go to to avoid the bull, being hit by the bull could cause something like a S5 or 6 Hit, but having it run by within 1" would cause a S4 hit on it?

Would be fun constantly having to dance around the bull making sure not to get caught in too tight passage ways where it can easily run you down.

Having a separate player control the bulls would work for a one-off kind of scenario or a between games mini-game.

Running with the bulls could also work as an event in a Town.

Some Locations and scenario lists.

Campos de Los Muertos, Miramar Hills, etc.
Type: Wilderness
Day: Apply the following rules: Unwanted Company
Night: Darkness, Trecherous Ground, Unwanted Company
Bestiary: 1-Nothing. 2-D6 Wolves. 3-D6 Goblins. 4-A Bear. 5-D6 Ghouls
6-Restless Spirits

Die roll (2d6) Wilderness scenario list
2 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11.
3 The Ancient Battlefield*/**
4 X Marks the Spot (Hidden Treasure)
5 The Hermit
6 Wolf Hunt**
7 Skirmish
8 The Frenzied Mob**
9 Brigands in the Pasturelands**
10 The Necromancer's Tower (NC)
11 Upon the Eerie Downs
12 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11
*The scenario must be played with the Darkness rules.
**Do not roll for Unwanted Company for these scenarios.

Miramar, Los Almos, etc.
Type: Settled lands
Day: Apply the following rules: Unwanted Company
Night: Darkness, Treacherous Ground, Unwanted Company
Bestiary: 1-Nothing. 2-D6 Wolves. 3-D6 Bandits. 4-D6 Estalian men-at-arms. 5-D6 Orcs
6-A Bear

Die roll (2d6) Settled Lands scenario list
2 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11.
3 Chance Encounter
4 Wolf Hunt**
5 Stagecoach Ambush
6 Breakthrough
7 Skirmish
8 Battle for the Farm
9 Blood on the Pasturelands**
10 The Watchtower
11 The Mule Train
12 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11
*The scenario must be played with the Darkness rules.
**Do not roll for Unwanted Company for these scenarios.

Sounds good. What's the unwanted company rule? Or where can I find it?

The original rule is from the Relics of the Crusades campaign.

Is there a weather conditions table for EiF? I just noticed that the Estalian Sun campaign is being played in seasons and summer is ending....

More Locations and scenario lists.

The Pina Wood, the Sombra Wood, Sangre Mesa Viento, Serpicio, etc.
Type: Forests and Mountains
Day: Apply the following rules: Unwanted Company
Night: Darkness, Trecherous Ground, Unwanted Company
Bestiary: 1-Nothing. 2-D6 Wolves. 3-D3 Orcs+D3+1 Goblins. 4-A Bear. 5-D6 Skaven
6-D3 Gors and D3+1 Ungors

Die roll (2d6) Wilderness scenario list
2 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11.
3 Avalanche! (BTB)
4 Through Blackfire Pass**
5 The Mountain Trail (Street Fight variant)
6 Wolf Hunt**
7 Skirmish
8 Chance Encounter
9 Destroy the Monolith
10 The Wild Wood (NC)
11 The Shifting Paths (NC)
12 Your choice of scenarios 3 through 11
*The scenario must be played with the Darkness rules.
**Do not roll for Unwanted Company for these scenarios.

With your love of pirates & ships the East coast Principality of Tobaro & the Isles of the Sirens sounds like your baby.

BTW until the 20th Century, bull fighting was done from horseback like a true Spanish Knight.

Aye, I haven't decided whether my warband will ride the plains of Estalia as Turjuk tribesmen or sail the seas as an Arabian Corsair (Araby Smugglers). Decisions, decisions.

@Von Kurst, the Raining Fishe article has weather effects for the Empire in Flames supplement. The rules only seem to be for summer and winter though.

Oh, I thought those rules were for Mordheim. Thanks RL.

I could modify the Khemri table for the Southwest. Just add more rain for spring and a random snow for fall...

@Von Kurst... I believe that the first half of the article (the two 2D6 lists) is for Empire in Flames and the second half (the 3D6 list) is for the City of the Damned itself.

Bull Fight: Yeah, I like your Pit Fight scenario Idea:

BULL FIGHTING

A warrior may choose to fight the bull on foot, or mounted.

Bull Stats
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
6 3 0 4* 5 1 2 2 6
Weapons: Horns & Hooves
Special Rules:
Horns: The Bull receives +1 Strength in the first round of combat if it charged.

On Foot: The only weapons the warrior may use in the fight are a single hand weapon and a muleta (a cape.) The muleta takes up one hand, and provides the warrior with a 6+ save against any wounds (if the warrior has the skill Step Aside, the muleta instead adds +1 to Step Aside rolls, for a total of a 4+ Step Aside.)

Mounted: The warrior may use any hand weapons he is equipped with. However, the Bull starts with 2 wounds instead of 1.

Thank you for writing that out.

Still not sure if the warrior can keep the muleta if he wins... your thoughts?

Loser gets robbed, of course.

Might be too useful, especially if some elf git shows up.

What if the muleta only worked on animals, frenzied and stupid models? Then it wouldn't be too good IMO.

Well, it's better than a buckler, but not by too much. Maybe just add "can't increase this past 4+", for those beardy elves with step aside.