A Mordheim Interlude

Happy St Patty's Day!

Players and Warbands
Andrew--Cathayan Reiklanders
Bob--Dwarf Treasure Hunters
Chris--Skaven
Jim L--Pit Fighters
Jim S--The Cult of the Possessed

We met on March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day in the USA. It was an odd gaming evening, as folks drifted in slowly. Chris, Bob and Andrew all had things to take care of before they could play, so the Arm Pits were forced to face the Unspeakables in consecutive games...

Wyrdstone Hunt

The game was a comedy of errors. First Horst rolled a 12 for his Tarot Cards. Miss a game. To counter the Pit Fighter ogre is possessed by a minor daemon for two turns...

There were two pieces of wyrdstone on the table, both in or near the center houses. The Cult had an evil plan to secure both, but lost the roll to move first.

By the second turn the Pits are close to the wyrdstone in the open...


Maneuvering... There's an ogre about 6" from the Dark Elf, the beasts are falling back.


The Pits close in...


We each have one shooter. The Pits are hiding from the Dark Elf.




At this point, it is discovered that the Pits have one too many Pursuers. One goes away. The three cultist who were stalking that Pursuer look for a different target...

Faceless the Warlock charges Kamish II.


Herman Boering rides down an Orc Style fighter.




Victar the Hater saves Kamish II from Faceless. Hansel and Garrgh II attack the Hater. (I forget that Hansel made a diving charge...)


At THIS point Kamal is removed since he is supposed to be missing the game...

DE III has wounded the ogre twice. It won't be enough. He rolls snake eyes this time...


Herman fails to wound the Troll Slayer. It all goes south from here.


Herman is taken out of action by Sir Edward, who's Old Battle Wound feels just fine now, thanks. Facing three heroes, Hansel decides to flee.

Fritzie the Chaos Steed dies in its first game. If only I had barding... Herman Boering must miss a game with a leg wound. The Cult has three heroes still standing at the end. Exploration yields five more gold, giving the Cult enough gold to pay off the Hired Swords, who all survived.

Arrgh!!!! becomes a hero! He gains +1 Strength!
Herman Boering gains a skill...
DE III gains +1 Leadership...

The Arm Pits lose both Orc Style Pursuers. KIA. Despite rolling 6 dice and gaining an extra wyrdstone from the scenario, the Pits claim to be broke, which just goes to show that fancy living doesn't pay. The Pits find a Mordheim Map which they sell in order to finally afford some luxury or other.

To be continued...

The St. Paddy's Ambush

Apparently last week's Wizard's Tower was harder on the RATZ than previously reported. Five henchmen died, taking the RATZ back down below 300. Unfortunately for the Greedy Gimps that left them as the highest warband despite missing the last several weeks of play...

The Gimps had 10 wyrdstone when they set forth through the ruins under threatening skies. Black hail began to fall. The the way was blocked by Cathayans to the east and RATZ to the west...

With fine Dwarfen logic, they attack the RATZ...


Which means they are all crammed into this narrow defile...


Most Cathayans attack from the east. Like, doh!, they are Cathayans.


Cathayans rush to cut off all exits...in this case the north. The Gimps are headed west.


Fewer RATZ, fewer Gimps. (There was a blunderbuss at the end of the alley.)


The Cathayan heroes attack.




The way north is sealed. (I ran out of step units...)


Certain that the Gimps can not escape, Meanie Black Skaven attacks the Cathayans.


The Dwarfs fought until the RATZ got a hold of some wyrdstone (which meant that they could stop taking break tests.) The Dwarfs save 3 or 4 heroes, a couple of henchmen AND their silver halfling (who survived the attentions of the Cathayans for the entire game.) Regrettably, at least four henchdwarfs and a hired Rune Smith die. The Dwarf heroes survive their injuries. The roll I remember is Survived Against the Odds, which was quite true. I believe at least one might miss a game though.

The RATZ took horrific casualties again. This time they pocket 5 wyrdstone plus exploration for their trouble.

The Cathayans may have lost a henchman or they may not. A LGT swordswoman loses an eye to Meanie... The Cathayans also pocket 5 wyrdstone plus exploration.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Standings after eleven weeks:
The Unspeakable Cult--16 Wins/6 Losses
The Ratz!--------------------10 Wins/9 Losses/1 Draw
The Arm Pits----------------10 Wins/10 Losses
Da Brusmashas------------4 Wins/7 Losses
The Cathayans------------5 Wins/ 9 Losses/1 Draw
Da Mob----------------------5 Wins/11 Losses
The Greedy Gimps---------3 Wins/8 Losses

At Three Months of Madness

Players and Warbands
Chad--Black Orcs (Nemesis Crown)
Chris--Skaven
Jim L--Pit Fighters
Jim S--The Cult of the Possessed
Kevin--Da Mob

The last four weeks have been a bit slow for the campaign. This week was no exception. Chad and Kevin returned, Bob and Andrew could not make it. Chad entertained us with improbable stories of why he missed the last three weeks, then we got down to games.

The Great Monster Hunt
Da Mob, Da Brusmashas and da Arm Pits fight over the corpse of a rare baby albino griffon. Shameful.

If you have read my scenario review thread, you know how I feel about the scenario Monster Hunt.
https://boringmordheimforum.forumieren.com/t2286p50-scenario-reviews-an-irregular-commentary#124958

You also know that my group does not share my disgust with the scenario. The three warbands cautiously approached the lair, with genuine fear of the beast. "Its toughness 4, with strength 5! It has 4 wounds!"

Da New Look Mob attacks from the west.


The Arm Pits sneak up from the south. In the distance you can see da Brusmashas skulking in the far north.




Despite this trepidation, the poor beast went down in one round when attacked by 2 ogres and the Pit King...




The beast is dead, no wounds to attackers. (Oh, it didn't get to attack...)


Da Brusamashas snipe.


With the Big Chicken gone, the warbands fall out over the treasure.


Da Mob is bedazzled by Pursuers.




In the end the Arm Pits fall to a pincer attack by da Troll and da Black Orcs. Guido the Tilean Marksman is killed. Ogres recover. Another Orc Style Pit Fighter dies. Bubbles II recovers. Sir Edward the Pit King gains +3 experience for killing Big Chicken. A Hired Sword returns a favor...

Da GREAT WAAGH (as the orc alliance is known) roll horribly for just about everything. Four orcs of various allegiances die, a black orc hero rolls multiple injuries (Chad rolled 3 ones in a row...followed by the six so that the orc didn't just die.) The WAAGH makes a little bit off the treasure: a suit of light armor, a couple swords, a shield, 2 jewels worth 10 gc each. No idea how it was divided up.

One spot of brightness: da Mob rolled Hired Sword returns a favor in exploration, which may mean the return of da Blue Ogre...as an ogre this time.

To be continued...

Another Surprise...Attack!
The RATZ of Doom! Doom! execute a fiendish ambush of the Unspeakable

The quiet ruins on a windy cloudy night. Under skies that threaten Black Hail, Unspeakable Cult searches for wyrdstone in pitch blackness...the fools.






The Old, Mutated Prospector Moonface and Green Hood search...


DE III is doing sentry duty. Suddenly, he hears something...chittering in the darkness.


There! Nearly at the base of his tower perch, a horde of dark furred, dark clad skaven appear!


The alarm is sounded. Horst and the beastman Blargh!!! react. (Horst slips and falls 2" to the next landing by the ladder...Lucky Charm gone already.)


Soon the ratmen are swarming over the ruins. Gretel is threatened.


But Super Hansel appears to save the day! (Horst manages to cast Eye of God AND roll a six for the result!)


Though not before foul Meanie and Li'l Mo stab poor Horst (repeatedly) and knock him OoA...


Gretel fails to save Horst (by failing to cast ANYTHING). But Hansel swoops in to take down the Eshin sorcerer, Meanie and Li'l Mo. DE III shoots the Crossbow/Blunderbus Rat OoA and the skaven flee with four heroes (and a giant rat that Jack trapped...) OoA.

Li'l Mo will miss a game. The Sorcerer and Crossbow/BlunderbussRat recover. Meanie takes the dread sucking CHEST WOUND! The RATZ are un-amused at the abject failure of their surprise. (Mostly caused by BAD dice rolling).

The Unspeakable Cult benefit from the RATZ fear of the Dark Elf in a tower and the Old Prospector's blunderbuss. Six rats tried to shoot the Dark Elf out of the tower and failed. The rest spread out rather than concentrate on picking off the isolated cultists. Horst and Blargh!!! fully recover.

Horst and Hansel both chose the Pit Fighter skill.
Jack Pumpkinhead chooses Strike to Injure.
Arrgh!!!! gains +1 WS.
Moonface becomes a Strongman.

The Cult free an experienced Brethren from captivity. Red Hood II joins the cult.

The Thirteenth

Players and Warbands
Chad--Black Orcs (Nemesis Crown)
Chris--Skaven
Jim L--Pit Fighters
Jim S--The Cult of the Possessed
Kevin--Da Mob

March 31st marked our thirteenth meeting.  We have settled into a group of five, so we played one three player game that lasted the night and two 2 player games between Kevin's Mob and The Arm Pits:

A Treasure Hunt in Ephemeral Fog

Four members of Da Mob and three Arm Pits became lost in the fog.  After clarifying the wording of the fog rule, a further confusion set in as Kevin's warband hired an ogre bodyguard which is being represented by Old Blue, the former ogre/troll.  Old Blue was separated from the warband in the mistaken belief that he was still a troll.  

This resulted in a Guido II going out of action...


The Pits ogre takes revenge!


Trapped pursuers.  (Counters represent a building that has not been searched.)


The Pits ogre bodyguard takes MORE revenge.


Despite the valiant attempts of the Pit's ogres, the Pit Fighters fled the field.  One Witch Elf style Pursuer, who's name escapes me, was killed.

No reports of orc casualties or triumphs have reached me.  But Da Mob records two victories in two weeks.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Surprise, Surprise!
The Pits ambush Da Mob. REVENGE!

There was a lot of revenge this week...  Only eight orcs were present when the Pits attacked.  The initial assault was apparently extremely successful, despite beginning on a far table edge.

The Pits own the center!




A trapped archer.  It was hell on archers this week.


Da Mob rolls poorly for reinforcements.  Too many boyz fall to Pit Fighters.  Da Mob flees!

Da Mob and The Armed Pits split the night with one victory each.  

Next: The Thirteenth Ambush!

The Thirteenth Ambush

The Unspeakable Cult had risen to a warband rating of 399. The Ratz of Doom!Doom! were close behind in rating. Da Brusmashas were somewhere in the 200s, counting the underdog experience they would collect (if they lived...)

The Cult rolled thirteen total treasures. Horst, Jack and Joseph each had three, Herman carried two and Hansel and Arrgh!!!! each had one. The day was clear. Gretel poured Hansel a potion of strength, granting the monster strength 5 for the battle ahead (plus the skill Mighty Blow for strength 6 in combat...)

The Cult set up in a central building. The Brethren, the Witch, the Warlock and DE III all started in the upper level in case the warband had to defend instead of flee. All of the warriors were at least Initiative 4, confidence was high.

The Skaven set up to the north, the orcs to the south. The rats blocked the easiest escape route, the orcs held a narrow bottle neck. This left two reasonably clear avenues to the east and west. The orcs gained the initiative and blocked the south completely. The Cult heroes fled west. DE III had a wonderful view of four orc warriors coming up a narrow alley. He elected to stay and snipe. The rest of the occupants of the upper level intended to jump down to join in the general rout withdrawal. Red Hood II jumped first, he landed poorly and went out of action. Green Hood jumped second, he was stunned. Gretel the Witch elected to wait a turn... She failed to cast Scrye on Horst...

Horst and Hansel had run nearly to the edge of the west table edge. Horst cast Eye of God on Hansel successfully and rolled a SIX for the result. SUPER HANSEL returns for another battle! Super Hansel is M6 WS7 S6(7 as long as the potion lasts) T5(with Resilient) W3 I6 A3(with Combat Master and Pit Fighter Ld 8.

The ardor of the attackers cooled somewhat...

End of the Cult's first turn. There is one less orc hero...


Ratz second turn. Blargh !!!! is caught by Meanie. Alas poor Blargh!!!!.


Cult third turn: Moonface unloads a blunderbuss into five Ratz...one is stunned.




I am so excited about the blunderbuss shot, I forget to move any heroes except Hansel, who is killing orcs off camera.


Hansel Killing Orcs (his new name).


Fewer and fewer Orcs left in the building with Hansel. They kept coming for a bit though, orcs got a high learning curve.


Later...things aren't going well for the Cult's minions...


The Brusmashas start attacking rats.


Hansel eliminates a random event Pit Fighter (not pictured, already gone).


Horst Killing Rats. There was a brave rat there, but its a bloody smear now...


The end is near for the Cult's minions. Green Hood and TwoSwords are the last to go.


Da Brusmashas fled first with three heroes and a few boyz down (failed a rout test or they had Meanie cold). An arra' boy dies. A Black Orc hero misplaces an eye thanks to meeting Hansel. Da Brusmashas gain +3 underdog bonus. All their gold goes to their new Pit Fighter.

The Ratz gave it up on turn nine with lots of verminkin and giant rats out of action. ONE verminkin dies...

Meanie gains Tail Fighting.

Only poor Blargh!!!! dies. The Cult gains thirteen wyrdstone shards plus exploration (for 18 total). They find Catacombs in exploration. The Cult pays off its hired swords and buys another Chaos Steed for Herman.

Hansel gains Lightning Reflexes.
Arrrgh!!!! gains Step Aside.
Jack Pumpkinhead gains Sprint.
Herman Boering gains Strike to Injure.
Joseph Gibbers gains Mighty Blow.

OH WOW! I missed some exciting & visually attractive games while away. GREAT STUFF!  


On the Monster Hunt: I think it would add a touch of excitement to have the chance each turn that Mom arrives & is rather upset that these hoodlums are trying to slaughter her Baby. The chance of Maternal vengeance gets greater each turn.

Thanks Al. We've dropped off in players again, which generally happens. But as the number of tables we have to put together drops, the time we can spend picking nice scenery to go on the ones we have increases.

(Considering that mostly we are using original cardboard scenery, the tables turn out all right.)

Quote :

On the Monster Hunt: I think it would add a touch of excitement to have the chance each turn that Mom arrives & is rather upset that these hoodlums are trying to slaughter her Baby. The chance of Maternal vengeance gets greater each turn.

I love that idea. Poor little Big Chicken...

The Fourteenth Ambush

Players and Warbands
Chris--Skaven
Jim L--Pit Fighters
Jim S--The Cult of the Possessed
John--Da Noob Mob
Kevin--Da Old Mob

So we played one big game this week.  I got to the store late and only Chris and Jim L were there already.  So Jim L had set up one table...  We were getting ready to play when John arrived. Since he had a brand new warband, we decided to just do a four player game: "so John won't get too beat up in his first game".

John rolled a '2', which meant he got to choose the scenario.  John chose Ambush... So the Cult rolled right over Da Noob Mob.

Of course it wasn't quite that simple.  The weather was Dead Air, which meant NO magic.  No lucky charms, no Rabbit's Feet. No Witch's potions, no Eye of God.  No SUPER HANSEL to save the day.  That was a bit grim.

BUT, the Cult found Catacombs last week!  So three wyrdstone laden heroes were going to escape no matter what...if I didn't end up going last on top of everything else.

About the battlefield.  The center area was a one foot by two foot raised platform two inches tall.  There was another one foot by two foot platform to the south that was only one inch tall.  To the north were two eight inch by one foot platforms two inches high.  There were no stairs to the east at all, which meant a defender would have to jump to get down, while attackers had to climb.  I did not intend to head east.  The Ratz of Doom!Doom! infested the east.

There was one ramp leading down in the northwest corner of the platform and one stair on the northeast.  The stair was on the wrong side of the height though so warriors would have to travel a winding route to find themselves trapped in a cul de sac that faced east.  The Arm Pits deployed in the north.

The south had no stairs but the elevation change was only an inch, which we don't require climbing and jumping to navigate (even though we should). However the south was broken up by large ruins, which would provide cover, but also prevented a simple direct exit.  There was no enemy to the south, but the Ratz loomed from the east...

The west is the best.  There were a ramp and a stair to the west.  At the bottom of the ramp and stair was da Noob Mob. Tons of experience for the taking...

After I moved for turn one (I went second), Kevin arrived.  It was decided he should join the battle rather than wait around and do nothing.  The south is open for Da Old Mob to set up in.  There is no path to the south...

Turn two.
The Arm Pits make an attempt to stop the Catacombs heroes from fleeing the table.




The fast heroes and beastman smash into da Noob Mob.






Only the beastman takes down his opponent.  Hansel whiffs the stupid troll. (The poor Noob troll was NEVER not stupid. Actually of the two trolls on the table, only two turns saw a troll NOT go stupid.)


The Cult's snipers.  I always deploy shooting henchmen and hired swords to cover my retreat in Ambush.  What's the term for doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?




Da Old Mob push straight forward.  Never mind that the only thing in front of most of them are the Ratz...


Turn 3.
I forget to move  Herman and the beastman... Hansel doesn't wound the troll... Horst takes a wound but defeats the orc hero, who falls stunned to the pavement below.


Faceless the warlock is not doing well without spells.


Da Noob shaman kills him...(body removed for decency's sake.)


Turn 4(?)
Horst breaks da Noob Mob's back by killing the hapless Big Un.  Its too late, the Arm Pit's ogre is looming to the north of Horst...

Da Old Mob gang up on a poor pit fighter random encounter...


Arm Pits and Ratz squabble over the bodies (not pictured) of the Cult's snipers.






Horst was taken out of action by a critical wound from the pesky Arm Pit ogre bodyguard.  However Hansel fought on, unscathed. ALL of the Cult's minions fell as usual.

Da Noob Mob fled from the carnage.  A Big Un was murdered by Horst. Other minions of no account may or may not have died or been fed to trolls.  Da Noobs gain +4 underdog consolation.

I might be wrong, but I believe that only Crazy Legs, Da Old Mob's frenzied boss was out of action. He died. (He charged Meanie...)

The Ratz suffered the most casualties of the attacking warbands.  Meanie was shot by Guido II then attacked by Garrrgh!! the beastman as he lay stunned.  Meanie suffers a Nervous Condition (-1 I!).  Meanie is a dangerous, but pale, shadow of his former self.  The Sorcerer fully recovered.  Other minions may or may not have died.  As usual it is of no matter.

The Arm Pits lost only one Skink Pursuer, forgot his name.  Killed by Hansel on the LAST Turn.

The Unspeakable Cult lost one wyrdstone to the Arm Pits, but recovered nine this week (for 13 total).  Horst survives against the odds(!) which is too true.  Faceless the Warlock dies. The Cult loot a corpse for +3 gc just because they can.

Arrgh!!!! gains +1A.
Horst Wissel gains +1T.
Joseph Gibbers gains Web of Steel.

That was a SPLENDID LOOKING adventure...lots of FINE terrain & miniatures to spread mayhem through it! GREAT STUFF!  

Thanks Al.

John and Kevin's orcs are really well painted. I am kind of sad that Kevin's orcs have fared so poorly. The models look great, but might not get another outing on the table after this campaign.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Standings after fourteen weeks:
The Unspeakable Cult--------19 Wins/6 Losses
The Arm Pits----------------11 Wins/12 Losses
The Ratz!-------------------10 Wins/12 Losses/1 Draw
Da Mob----------------------7 Wins/11 Losses
Da Brusmashas---------------5 Wins/8 Losses
The Cathayans---------------5 Wins/ 9 Losses/1 Draw
The Greedy Gimps------------3 Wins/8 Losses

Fifteen:  The Night of the Headless One

Players and Warbands
Bob--Dwarf Treasure Hunters
Chris--Skaven
Jim L--Pit Fighters
Jim S--The Cult of the Possessed
John--Da Noob Mob
Kevin--Da Old Mob

Thursday the 14th was our fifteenth and last meeting of the campaign.  As a final event we played a SIX player "Night of the Headless One" (from Town Cryer #12).

We used to use a mounted Headless One that my friend Dan kitbashed together for a Halloween event. But Dan is busy with his family now (and is notorious for selling figures on e-bay if he is not using them RIGHT NOW).So I came up with a version of the Headless One on foot (the way the scenario is written.  A mounted Headless One is loads of fun, though.)  

It has been a LONG time since we played the scenario as part of a campaign.  So first I had to find my model, which I had made part of a zombie horde a few years ago.  As of Wednesday the 13th, I had given it up for lost, but then I looked on my WIP table ONE MORE TIME.  And there it was inside an old, unfinished, Arabian project.  (It made sense at the time...)

It just so happens this scenario has been discussed on another Mordheim venue in the last month or so, so I thought I knew the scenario rules... I did, sort of.  Its not really intended as a multi-player game, or at least not as a six player game.  We added six more skulls to make a dozen on the 4x6 table.  Even though I had the scenario RIGHT THERE because of the random skulls, we all forgot the Headless One would appear on the second turn...

With six players the game was pretty slow, but only three or four skulls were encountered before our resident expert on bad luck rolled an eleven to find the Headless One's skull!

The Noob Mob set up first in the northwest.  They try to avoid the Cult by moving south...


The Greedy Gimps set up in the northeast.  There was only one stair in front of them...


The Unspeakable Cult set up in the north.  There was a nice ramp for Herman to charge up...


The Ratz of Doom!Doom! set up deep in the south.




The Cult charges straight in toward the center.  Jack discovered the first skull...


Snipers in an upper story.  They are shooting dwarfs.  Faceless II the Warlock has the spell Silver Arrows!


Kevin showed up after the Ratz first move (but before the end of the turn).  Da Old Mob take the last available space in the south east (next to the dwarfs...)


The Arm Pits went last.  They had the southwest.

Next to the Noob Mob.


Guido II is the king of all he surveys.  He spends the game shooting goblins.


The Dwarfs line up to climb the stair or just climb the wall.


Horst, Jack and DE III attack the Gimps.  This is intended as a quick strike...




Hansel and Herman attack the Noob Mob.  The troll is on the other side of a tower...




Khamal finds the Headless One's skull at the top of that stair.  The Headless One appears!  End of Turn 2.


Pit Fighters in a building waiting for orcs to charge them.


Da Old Mob try to avoid the Ratz...


With an eye to joining the fight against Horst.


The Headless One attacks Herman!




The melee by the tower.  The Troll Slayer takes the troll down.




The fight on the stair drags on...




Meanie and Mo attack the Headless One on the Last Turn.


We got in around four or five turns with six players in two and a half hours.  Mo and Meanie took the Headless One down, but sometimes he comes back...

Khamal escaped with the Headless One's skull.

The Noob Mob suffered the most casualties in the game (though the Cult was close behind). One goblin fled from the Horror in the House event as well.  Only one goblin actually dies.

Germ Gleeson, a Talented Beardling, was killed by Arrrgh!!!! in the fight on the stair.

Joseph Gibbers and Jack Pumpkinhead fully recovered from their wounds.  Herman Boering was robbed! (Fritzy II the Wonder Steed was killed by the Headless One before it could be stolen.)

Faceless II was killed by a shot from Jory Hamfoot the Gimps' indestructible Halfling. (Faceless II hit and wounded Jory four times in three turns, but only knocked the little git down.)

Horst Wissel, the leader of the Unspeakable Cult, was killed by a ricochet...the shame.

Thus ends the Unspeakable Chronicle...

Thanks for following our adventures.

The Campaign was as exciting as all the Indy Campaigns tend to be, In addition it was also one of THE MOST VISUALLY STRIKING of the various adventures you've narrated. There was some STUNNING scenery & OUTSTANDING miniatures. All in all, VERY WELL DONE again!