SBG Magazine - Issue 10

Due to the lockdown, it took a lot longer for this magazine to be released than originally anticipated by the owners. This issue has been deemed a celebratory issue as the 10th edition milestone has been reached. Congratulations to the team! This time, SBG sees us return to the Pelennor Fields of Gondor, and the great battle held upon the plains outside the city of Minas Tirith.

SBG Magazine - Issue 10

 SBG - Issue 10 - Winter 2020

After the initial Editorial, Contents, SBG Towers news and Hobby Blog catch-up pages we are into the magazine proper...

The Dr's Corner - Celebrating 10 issues of SBG - A six page article summarising how and why the magazine came together and includes details of many of those involved in its birth and evolution

Painting Masterclass - The Witch-king. A quick one page article explaining how to paint The Witch-king in this season's latest fashion

Middle-earth's Most Valuable Profile - Carrying on from last issue's article that ran through The Hobbit film trilogy and works out who, in SBG terms, was the most cost-effective character from the films, this issue sees the turn of The Lord of the Rings Special Edition trilogy (4 pages)

The Mumak Man - A 3 page conversation with Dan Entwisle, one of the founding members of the Great British Hobbit League Facebook page, detailing his love for Mumaks and how to field them, including his experiences with using them in competitions

My Favourite Character - Aragorn (in this series, different authors explore their favourite characters - 4 pages)

Battle Report - The Battle of Pelennor Fields  (22 page report) - after a double-page spread showing a very impressive ten mumaks versus a massive mounted Rohan army, this battle report documents the battle outside the gates of Minas Tirith and the Docks of Harlond. It was a four player game that pitted on one side of the board (Pelennor Fields) Theoden's riders (147 miniatures) against a Grand Army of the South (ten mumaks plus their crew), and on the other side (Docks of Harlond) Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli alongside the Army of the Dead (174 miniatures) against the Army of Gothmog (266 miniatures). If Aragorn's forces penetrated Gothmog's army, then they were allowed to join with the Riders of Rohan against the mumak enemy. The points tallies were 6375 for Good and 6452 for Evil, so it was weighted slightly in favour of the evil side winning.

This issue was taken up primarily by a massive battle report and a lot of chit-chat, but there were few actual hobby-related articles. This was because it was a celebratory issue and they wanted to show the hobby off in style, and also, due to the effect the virus has had on being able to meet up for photoshoots and gaming opportunities, lots that was planned for this issue had to be pushed back to a future issue when people could get together.

So, when will we get the next issue of SBG Magazine? Apparently there are two in the offing for release over the course of the next few months; Issue 11 should be a lockdown inspired issue, and Issue 12 should be Rohan themed.

Dungeon Dwellers' Tactics

Actually, before we start, just a quick aside here - in the Labels section to the right of my main blog page I have listed DnD and D&D. In case anyone is interested, the former label is for older Dungeons and Dragons versions (AD&D, Basic, 3rd Edition and occasionally Pathfinder), and the latter is for 5th Edition onwards. Not sure why I differentiated them, but there you go, it probably meant something to me at the time. Sorry, back to the nuts and bolts of this post...

I didn't think that I would write another blog entry so soon on my old AD&D gaming days, but as I was writing the post on hirelings some of my old DMing moments kept coming back to me, so I made a note of them for future use. These thoughts all tended to be about dungeons and the monsters within them, so here is a post on just that as well as the tactics utilised by the denizens of those dungeons deep and caverns old.

I have always found large, rambling dungeon crawls to be a tad "unrealistic". As much as they are fun to play, in that you do not know what you will be encountering in the next room, they are also very brain in bucket style adventures. A few questions always used to pop into my mind when playing these types of scenarios; why don't the monsters next door ever peer round the doorway to ask the room inhabitants to pipe down when combat ensues as they are trying to get the kids off to bed? Why didn't the troll in room 3 not eat the goblins in room 4? How does a huge red dragon get into a room 50 feet underground with access by only 5 foot corridors? And so on.

So, to get around some of these anomolies I used to roll up mega dungeons in advance and part play them through in my minds eye prior to actual game play. I would check what was in each room and its adjacents to see how these beings would interact...

So, the aforementioned troll might allow the goblins scattered throughout the close by rooms to live because they can supply it with a constant stream of other food types. The troll would therefore become some kind of boss monster and I would rearrange the room contents accordingly. In other words the inhabitants could be worked into some kind of tribe/gang-type encounter.

That dragon may have been brought down as a youngling by a family of ogres as a plaything, but after a while it got too big to get out, so the ogres smashed out the roof to allow it to fly out in order to hunt.

These points then brought me onto local ecology issues. The dungeon obviously holds many small factions of hungry and dangerous beings. How would they eat, acquire weapons and armour and so forth? Why would they not just fight against each other until only one gang was left, or maybe two warring factions? This brought me to consider whether the goblins raided the local human farmers for their crops/livestock or did they trade with them? No point in killing the farmers if that meant the food source dried up in a couple of weeks is there? Better to keep them alive so supplies are available all year round would be my best interpretation. How would they pay for the food? Why, with adventurers' belongings hat have been killed in the dungeon seeking their own fortunes. Therefore, the dungeon ecology is directly linked to the local above ground economy.

Getting back to the tribe/gang point above, they would obviously set up some kind of hierarchy and certain troop types would be in certain rooms to aid in the defensive capabilities of the inhabitants. It would make sense to have the boss away from the edges of the mini kingdom so he can have a bit of peace and quiet and somewhere to store his treasure safely. The goblins would form the perimeter guards in a series of slightly tougher rooms as the boss troll is approached. These rooms might also be interspersed with the occasional one-off monster like a roper or mimic for a bit of fun, which leads me to my next couple of points...

Why do dungeon room occupants just charge pell-mell into combat at the first sight of a party of adventurers and not employ tactics?

Why don't they put together a reasoned out defence depending on who/what comes smashing through that dungeon door?

One of the first times I really thought this through was when I was running a small dungeon for a friend of mine to work his way through. In several rooms there were orcs, with the room inhabitants getting gradually tougher the deeper the player characters delved. Our usual style of play was along the lines of; characters listen at the door...they are told they can hear the guttural voices of orcs beyond the woodwork...the door is kicked down after PCs prepare spells etc... combat is joined with orcs just charging the party and getting wiped out in a few rounds.

This time round, things were different. The characters kick down the door and pour in. The orcs split with the larger brutes confronting the party in melee, the ranged weapon owners sniping from the rear and sides at the thieves and magic users, and the 1HP wonder running down the far corridor to warn their fellow guards. The party got the better of the brutes and ranged weapon orcs, but not without taking some damage, and headed to the corridor. At the end they could see a couple more orcs behind a make-shift barricade. The fighters duly charged the sorry sight, backed up by their lesser armoured compatriots. Combat was joined, but the party noted that there were a few more orcs behind the barricade to plug any gaps from their fallen brothers in arms. This didn't deter them until the large ballista showed up. They decided to about-face and run back down the corridor so as not to be hit by the powerful weapon, but stopped dead when they heard that the jeers from behind them were joined by roars of defiance ahead of them (the little 1HP scout had informed the orcs in the next few rooms what was occurring so their defence systems kicked into action). The party were trapped in the corridor and were cut to pieces - TPK.

Ordinarily, these three bands of orcs would have been pulled apart piecemeal by the party (we almost always played 6-8 PCs with several hirelings in tow, so a sizeable force) as they went room to room, but this time round, the orcs easily got the upper hand with a little thought. It also showed how powerful a 1HD monster actually is when used properly. They are as tough as most party members in a toe-to-toe fight.

This just goes to show that tactics can be employed for monsters to up the challenge ratings for the PCs. In future games I dialled back the number of critters in an encounter to take into account the tactical advantages that the residents of the dungeon would have. However, in addition to the tactics, I also included the noise factor - a combat will attract those in adjacent rooms to see what is going on or what advantage they can gain, as well as additional rolls on the wandering monster tables.

Dungeons are dangerous places and need to be prepared for every step of the way.

TToBB II - Camp Kobold

Two days after the encounter with the rabid dogs in the small hamlet of Canisby, Ben and Bill 2 returned breathlessly from a scouting mission. "Balthazar," huffed Ben, "There is a small set of ruins in a glade up ahead that appears to be an encampment of some kind. It is well placed in that it blocks our way, and to go around would add maybe two days to our journey to Felstad."

"It looks like there are guards set, not human guards," interjected Bill 2, "But small imp-like beings, heavily armed and alert."

Balthazar glanced across at his apprentice, Dave, and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" the wizard asked.

"Well, we can't really afford the time to go around, especially with the condition that Dom is in. I say we attack the camp with the element of surprise."

"Aye," muttered a few of the others, looking to their leader.

"OK, let's prepare to push our way through." said Balthazar with an air of doom in his voice. "Let's quickly scout the area and work out the best form of taking them by surprise."

A quick recce, taken from the vantage point of a couple of large trees in the forest, the warband surveyed the small encampment, complete with several hide tents and a small campfire that gave out only a little smoke to give away its position. Three small, well-armed creatures patrolled between the tents and the ruins. They would have to time their advance carefully to gain maximum advantage.

Leaving Dom with the supplies and packs in a safe place, the rest of the band moved forward in three small groups, hoping to gain as much ground as they could without being seen.

Balthazar advanced towards the camp and was just on the point of giving the call for a general advance when he was spotted by one of the sentries. With a "Yip, yip", the small creatures hoisted their shields and weapons, and ran to meet their foes in battle.

Balthazar called upon his elemental powers and launched a ball of fire at the closest imp. Unfortunately, the power of the elements was not on hand for him to call upon at that particular moment and the fireball fizzled to the floor just in front of him. Dave noticed that his master's spell had failed and with great trepidation tried to call forth his own. Again, the stars were not properly aligned and his ball of fire was also about to fizzle out. But, like against the wild dogs, he summoned the courage and doubled-down on his concentration just enough to launch the spell successfully. It hurt him dearly but it was worth the pain to see one of the imps burn to a charred mess. Unfortunately, the commotion had led to another imp leaving its tent, fully armed, to see what was occurring.

The rest of Balthazar's warband advanced to try to protect their masters and to search out for any treasures that might be available. A minor melee erupted and, taken by surprise by the ferocity of the little critter facing him, Ben suffered a hefty cut.

The noise of the conflict was now building up as weapons clashed with other weapons and the screams of the injured and dying filled the air. With a loud "Yip," a much larger creature emerged from what looked like the leader's tent and made towards Dave and his small squad of soldiers.

Luckily, this was now the time that the elements began to flow again. Balthazar summoned another Elemental Ball and blasted another of the imps from the face of the world. Dave, spotting Balthazar on his own against an imp, and not wanting to tackle the leader-type critter, made his way towards his master and attempted to cast another of his spells. Unfortunately, the movements must have made him lose concentration, so the spell fizzled out.

The leader of the pack of creatures charged into Dick and Ted, but the two soldiers were ready for the fight, and dispatched it with more ease than they thought possible (critical hit).

Meanwhile, unseen and unmolested, the three soldiers on the right flank had found a treasure in an upper part of the ruins and were rapidly scooting around the edge of the camp in order to avoid any more of the small creatures from spotting them.

With almost all of the creatures disposed of, Balthazar sounded the call for a rapid exit. This caught Dave by surprise as he was being sorely pressed by an imp. With the support of two of the soldiers he was able to kill his adversary bare-handed and make good his move to escape.

One or two more stragglers were left, but they managed to evade the last few imps that left their tents.

With the defeat of their leader and the deaths of many of their pack, the remainder of the small creatures fled from their camp and got away from the vicinity. This gave Balthazar's warband the chance to double-back in order to collect Dom and their belongings.

After everyone had been collected together and wounds checked over, Balthazar examined the two treasures that had been found in the village. The ledge in the ruins proved to be the resting place of a very nice sword; why the imps had not found this was anybody's guess - perhaps they had not been there that long or maybe they were just no good at climbing? The small sack which one of the imps was looking in at the entrance of his tent when teh party arrived contained a Grimoire, 20 Gold Crowns and a few trinkets. The trinkets and small coins were rapidly dealt out to the soldiers and the two wizards set about finding out what else they had found.

It took a short while before Balthazar and Dave worked out that they were now the proud owners of 20 GC, a magical sword (+3 Will), and a Grimoire that contained details of the spell Elemental Shield.

Experience:-

Wizard participation = 40 XP 

2 spells successfully cast = 20 XP

2 spells unsuccessfully cast = 10 XP

2 Treasure Tokens secured = 80 XP

9 kobolds killed = 45 XP

Total = 195 XP 

 

With this game, I wanted to try out a few new things rules-wise. Mostly, the opportunity for what I wanted to try did not arise, but I was able to check out the climbing rules and spawning a new enemy every turn. I found that rolling for extra adversaries last game meant that they came in small bands or none at all. However, I thought that one-at-a-time every turn would prove to be quite a challenge. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this time round this posed little challenge to the warband, even though they were down a man.

I had also beefed up the monsters in this scenario; in the first game, the wild dogs didn't pose too much of a problem individually but in numbers they did. I also wanted more on the board at the start (3 instead of 1). However, how could I represent the kobold miniatures, which I wanted to use for this scenario, when there aren't really that many humanoid stat lines available? I harked back to my AD&D game from several years ago and found that the description of imps in the Frostgrave rulebook matched almost exactly with how kobolds (and other beings) are summoned in my Doggerland universe - summoned from one of the planes by a magic user. The only differences between Frostgrave imps and my kobolds was that the kobolds I wanted to represent are not magical creatures (not that that would make any difference in this sceanrio). I also boosted the stats for the leader (and a second in command that was not rolled for) but an unexpected critical hit took care of him in one round. Again, I used a simple random encounter table; 1 = Leader, 2 = Second, 3-4 = two-handed weapon, 5-6 = hand weapon and shield. They each had allotted spawn points and if the leader and second were both rolled for then the table would just go fifty-fifty with the other troop types.

I tried to limit the game to 6 turns and it almost worked. It did actually reach a point where I could have stopped but, like last time, I decided to play the game through (it wound up being 8 turns in the end).

Next time I will need to figure out more of a challenge for the party. I have several XP advances to add to Balthazar's stats and he needs to work out what to do with the magic items that have been found. I also want to try out more of the rules, so will think further about board set up to enable to me to use more.

I have enjoyed the two games so far, but really wish that I had more scenery and adversary miniatures for the warband to fight against. I think I will sort through my lead and plastic piles next week, and perhaps a few orders to miniatures companies will be in order too.

First Frostgrave Game - Aftermath

After playing my first game of Frostrgave 2nd Edition on Sunday, I thought I would do a quick write-up on some of my findings and conclusions.

In the write-up, I did not include a blow-by-blow account of all that happened as that would have been quite an undertaking, so I summarised quite a few turns into one or two lines of text. In doing so, I missed out on reporting on a few little issues and nuances of the game...

When the wizards cast their Elemental Balls at the wild dogs early on in the game, I didn't mention that Dave's spell actually failed on the initial roll. I used some of his health to boost it so that it worked. This turned out to be a great little mechanism, but his poor damage roll meant that he didn't have the spectacular effect Balthazar did with his casting.

I found that a lot of combats did not roll high enough for the attacker to cause any damage on quite a few occasions, but there were around 3 or 4 critical hits that went through and changed the pace of the game - there were a lot of dogs on the board at one time and the adventuring band were being sorely pressed but two critical hits in one round for the humans sorted that dilemma. The use of a d20 means that the game can be a little "swingy" due to the large range given by the dice rolls, but it does make for a great narrative.

Movement distances are very important in this game as it can mean the difference between getting to an objective safely and getting bogged down in a fight. When unhindered by enemies, figures can move quite a long way, even if burdened with carrying their "dead" comrades (I decided in this game to make any downed soldier not automatically get away from the scenario but to have to be moved off the board - half move for anyone carrying them). This seemed to work OK, but I will decide on the spot in my next games as it may not be practicable.

I did initailly set the game length as 6 turns in which to find the treasure and possibly get it off the board. The treasures were found quickly enough but getting them off the board was difficult due to the distances involved on a 3' by 3' table, and the numbers of dogs spawned each turn: for the first 8 turns dog spawning was according to the house rules mentioned in the write-up and then it was automatically one dog per turn to spur the adventurers into action in trying to get off the board rather than being bogged down in a very long fight. This worked well, and I decided that if the soldiers cleared all the dogs off the board in any particular turn then no more would come - this is exactly what happened around turn 9 after 11 dogs had spawned.

A few lessons learned...

It seems that I took my wizards off the board far too quickly and that they should have stayed around a bit longer to magically snipe from a distance to aid their comrades. There was a treasure token on its way off that the soldier could have taken himself and thus leave Balthazar and Dave to blast the dogs. It would also have given me an opportunity to cast more spells to see how well they work.

Ganging up really works. It might only be +2 per extra man in the fight, but that can really make a difference in combat outcomes.

Splitting the warband is the best way of achieving objectives in time. Bunching everyone together would have meant less casualties, but more safety. In this sceario I didn't award XP for completing the tasks in a certain time - perhaps that would be more incentive to split a warband in future games if the secanrio looks too daunting?

Rolling for treasure...

I randomly rolled up the treasure after the game (see last report for full details of what was found) and got some lovely items that I now need to work out when best to use. The Gold Crowns found pose a conundrum. In normal game terms I can just spend the money and get new items etc. However, I am trying to play this as "realistically" as possible, so I will need to wait until the warband encounter a travelling merchant or population centre to be able to spend their gains. I have a very simple encounter table that I am using: each in-game day I will roll for an encounter on a d6. If a 6 is rolled then there is an encounter. I then roll a further d6; on a 1-2 the encounter will be positive (just make up something from the top of my head) and the party can benefit without loss, e.g. they encounter a merchant train in order to purchase supplies, new weapons, armour or a new member of the band if someone has died, and on a 3-6 it will be a scenario (again I will look at my figure availability and see where the muse takes me).

I also rolled, as per my after-game chances of finding some gear for all the soldiers to see if they can "improve". So far none of the soldiers rolled the 10% requirement to gain something (cold weather clothing, a better weapon etc.), so after the next scenario they will roll at 20% to see if they find anything useful. These improvements, as mentioned previously, provide no actual in-game advantages but builds the characters' stories - it will also allow me to choose new miniatures from my collection for the soldiers and, perhaps, point the way towards where they are heading as new troop-types (i.e. what will Balthazar pay for them to upgrade to? Some may become thieves, others men-at-arms).

I still have lots of thoughts rolling around my head on this but I will call a halt here. I am hoping to get another game in this coming weekend, and I have a few ideas of how I want this journey to Felstad campaign to go - I am hoping to tell an ongoing story with recurring villains that will harass the party along the way.

The Tale of Balthazar Blimp : Part I

Part 1 : Dog Day Sunday

The village of Standof is situated in a wide, luxurious valley to the south of the country. Safe from border incursions, a benign local baron, its fertile fields and plentiful wild game mean that it is a place that most people would want to live. However, it can be very boring; not a lot happens in Standof. So, when Balthazar breezed into The Star Inn and offered the choice of eternal boredom, conviction for a variety of petty crimes and misdemeanours, or a life of adventure on the open road, many took him up on the life of adventure (as well as the beers he had on offer).

The weather was warm and a brisk, but leisurely pace meant good ground was covered each day. The journey to Felstad, 500 miles to the north, would take maybe 5 or 6 weeks if the weather held and not too much happened to slow the party's progress.

Five days in, and just under one hundred miles had been covered. The party were feeling good, and this particular day started well, but it would soon take a turn for the worse. The adventuring band was due to stop for a meal at the next village marked on their map - Canisby.

Balthazar called a halt as the village hove into view. Where were the usual noises a small-holding produced? There were no signs of human life, no sounds emanating from any of the animal pens and barns, and no smoke rose from the chimneys of the hovels. The only sign of life was a small cur snuffling at a small bundle in the middle of the path.

 

With horror, Balthazar realised that the bundle was the remains of a small child, in a poor state of decay, being worried by a mangy cur. Upon hearing the approach of the party the small cur snarled and yelped a couple of times. With a series of growls and snarls, two wild dogs bounded over the wooden fence, hunger written all over their mangy, emaciated bodies and saliva slathering from their gaping maws, straight at the wizard and his party.

This spurred Balthazar and his henchmen into action. The wizard advanced upon the two larger dogs, blasting them with an Elemental Ball of flame. The one at the centre of the blast immediately turned to a charred mass but the other kept charging. Dave, following his master's example, launched his own fireball, injuring the second dog. The rest of the soldiers ran to either engage the remaining dogs or to search the buildings for survivors or any left behind trinkets. Bill 2 and Dom were caught by surprise at the ferocity of the wild dogs and were savaged for their carelessness. Dom was severely injured, Bill 2 less so.

 

 

Balthazar, upon seeing that his companions seemed to have everything under control, advanced to the hovel to the left of the path with Ben. They peered inside but found no survivors and nothing of value. The rest of the soldiers carried on attacking the dogs but they proved a bit more troublesome than anticipated. Ted and Bill 2 struck down their adversary, but the fire-injured cur fighting Bill and Dom managed to finish off the already badly injured Dom with a savage snap of its jaws. At the other side of the hamlet Dec, Ant and Dick checked out the barn but were unable to find signs of any survivors. However, they did manage to find a small sack that might contain something of value.

The two wizards thought that the fight was totally under control, so decided to leave the village as soon as possible to check the treasure that was found on the child's body. Unfortunately, behind them the old kennels spawned more ill-favoured canines. A real fight was now on the cards.

As the wizards left the village, the rest of the warband fought for their lives against an ever growing number of wild dogs. Bill tried to carry the limp form of Dom after his masters so that his body would not be ravaged by the incensed hounds.

 

The melee swirled, sometimes the men had the upper hand and at other times the dogs, but eventually steel (a couple of well-timed critical hits) played out tougher than jaws and the final dog was put to death, but not before Dick fell to the savage beasts.

The remaining adventurers picked up the limp forms of their two downed comrades and left the doomed village behind. They finally caught up with their masters in a glade half-a-mile further along the road. A fire had been lit, water gathered from a small stream was boiling in a pot, and sleeping pallets were put down for those in need of rest.

Balthazar and Dave attended to their comrades; Dick, although quite severely savaged, his blood loss made his injuries look a lot worse than they actually were, would feel much better after a hot meal and a good night's rest (rolled Full Recovery). Dom, on the other hand picked up a few more injuries that needed some basic field work. He would need to take things easy for a short while (rolled Badly Injured, so will miss the next scenario), but the problem was it would slow the party's progress.

After everyone had been checked over and placed at ease, Balthazar examined the two treasures that had been found in the village. On the body of the child was a small satchel which contained a Grimoire, 80 Gold Crowns and a few trinkets. The sack found in the barn contained two potions, 40 GCs and a handful of silver and copper coins. The trinkets and small change were rapidly dealt out to the adventurers with hearty thanks and the two wizards set about working out what else they had found.

It took several hours, but eventually Balthazar and Dave found that they were now the proud owners of 120 GC, a Potion of Invisibility, a Greater Potion of Shrinking and a Grimoire that contained details of architecture and methods of construction, and how to prematurely age buildings and stonework by using the arcane sigils of the Chronomancer spell Crumble that was written in archaic script within the hefty tome.

Experience:-

Wizard participation = 40 XP 

2 spells successfully cast = 20 XP

2 Treasure Tokens secured = 80 XP

11 dogs killed = 50 XP (maximum allowed is 50 XP no matter how many killed)

Total = 190 XP 

 

This was my first game of Frostgrave. You can see how I built the warband in previous posts but I thought I would also summarise how I came up with the scenario idea and how it panned out. I do not have much in the way of scenery or critters to fight against in my collection, so I went with what I already own - I will add to these as time goes on.

As a result of the lack of resources, the scenario was fought in a non-snowy environment - the warband are on their way to Felstad - so I could use the few items of scenery I have. The opponents needed to be something quite simple to control but also something I have in my painted miniatures collection; cue the wild dogs. As this was a test scenario, I thought I should reduce the number of treasures to two, the central one that was to be found on the body in the centre of the board and another one that would be found as a result of a dice roll (there were four areas to search; the first area would contain a treasure on the roll of a 6 on a d6, the second area would contain a treasure on the roll of a 5 or 6, the third on a 4,5 or 6 and the fourth and final area would contain it automatically if not already found).

For the adversaries, I started the scenario off with just the one cur in the middle of the board, basically guarding the main treasure. Each turn, in the Creature Phase, I rolled a d6 and consulted the following list - 1-3 = no dogs, 4-5 = 1 dog, 6 = 2 dogs. If a 6 is rolled, on a further roll of a 5 or 6 then an additional dog arrives; i.e. if a 6 is rolled, followed by a further 5 or 6 means 3 dogs arrive. Each subsequent 5 or 6 also adds an additonal dog, so the number arriving can be quite high if the dice rolls go against you - I rolled up on one occasion during this game and on a couple of occasions rolled for no dogs arriving.

As the journey progresses, Balthazar and his band will encounter more adversaries. To facilitate this, I just roll a d6 per campaign day to see if there is an encounter. On a 6, then there is a scenario to come. This will require some thought each time a 6 is rolled - what miniatures do I have, how can I proxy if I have certain minatures but those particular critters do not appear in the Bestiary?

I am going to make the journey 500 miles (as stated in the preamble blurb above). If the going is good, then Balthazar's band will cover 20 miles per day. If any Bad Injuries are in action, then this will slow the pace by 2 miles per day per person. So, the results of this encounter reduce the mileage by 2 miles for each day until the next encounter is out of the way (by that time, Dom is deeemed healed). Even though the warband lost half a day's travel due to the encounter, it is assumed that each subsequent day will be taking that into account.

Anyway, enough for one day's gaming. I will sort out how to spend the experience points and divvy up the treasures over the next day or two and update the spreadsheet. Hopefully I can get a few more games played over the next few weeks in order to familiarise myself with the rules more and to use my dusty miniatures collection.

Henchmen and Hirelings

This is the third, and possibly the last (for now) post on adventuring parties and their impacts on the local environment. This time I am going to discuss henchmen and hirelings. You will have to forgive me if I mis-remember the rules on henchmen etc. as I no longer have my 1st Edition AD&D manuals and it all comes from memory of playing as a kid.

In the previous posts, I mentioned that I used to hire men-at-arms and so on prior to mega-dungeon expeditions; mostly as treasure/supply bearers but also as additional cannon fodder. However, thinking back on what I wrote yesterday I seem to recall that there were four types of NPC character aides available to an AD&D character, namely Henchmen, Hirelings, Followers and Retainers. So, who and what are these types of underling?

Henchmen, followers and retainers, to my mind, are loyal to the character due to their force of character or esteem (usually based on the Charisma stat), but hirelings are only there for the money, and so may butt out when the going gets tough or the money runs out.

Henchmen - If I recall correctly, a character can hire a henchman X amount of levels lower than themselves at any time after the characters themselves attain a certain level depending upon the Charisma stat. They will be loyal and fight for the character even when the going gets tough. That said, they will not tolerate being abused too often, so a decent share of the treasure will always be welcomed. So, it is generally down to the player as to when the charcater should take one on, bearing in mind that there is also a limit to the numbers that can be hired. Where would these NPCs be found though? I cannot recall the exact rules, but I guess they would be encountered in cities etc. and will have tracked down the characters owing to their fame and good fortunes and ask to join the band in their service. Alternatively, this is my modern mind kicking in as I cannot remember if I did this or not, if an NPC is rescued or encountered on an adventure then there was a possibility she may join the list of those retained by that character.

Retainers and Followers - Upon reaching a certain level, fighters got castles, wizards got towers and other classes got whatever they aspired to according to their class; and it was filled with attendant NPCs. Again, these would be loyal followers at mostly '0' level but I recall that some could be higher level and act as sub-leaders (retainers?). Back in the day I always made sure my characters built their stronghold from their accrued treasure and, as a result, would spend hours poring over the DMG costing out all the relevant parts that made up the abode. I would then fill it with the correctly rolled amount of followers and organise them into patrols, units and so on. I saw these edifices as the place into which the retired character would return after their final adventure and begin to get involved in local politics. They would become future NPCs that hired new bands of heroes to do their bidding. But, where do their retainers come from? A dozen or so may be easy to pick up from the surrounding villages and towns but if a fighter needs 100+ men-at-arms then that would put a strain on any locale. In the past I just rolled the number and they were there. Nowadays, I would have to say that they arive in dribs and drabs until the final number is achieved in order to reduce the impact on the local populace.

Hirelings - These are the NPCs that are hired to carry out certain tasks on a short term basis: men-at-arms to fight alongside the PCs in dungeons, guard caravans or baggage trains whilst the PCs tackle the dungeon itself, or an apothecary to brew a potion, or a diviner to tell ones future and so on. When to hire these NPCs was determined by the skill sets that the party did not have, how much coin they had available and whether any were actually available for hire in that particular locale. Like with all people that can be hired, they are more fickle than the more loyal followers and henchmen; when the payments stop, so do they.

To hire a, ahem, hireling the cost is usually just a fee for their work or time; usually calculated by consulting the tables in the DMG and working it from there. The more loyal followers and henchmen will need to be looked after by the characters they are associated with otherwise dissention will breed (albeit no-where as quickly as with hirelings). This will be a more long-term cost as their upkeep will need to be met on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Henchmen, as they take a share of the treasure, are easier to accommodate; no treasure equals no pay, but if there is a large hoard, then they will get their fair share. These, to me, are your typical hearthguard-type warriors as opposed to those called up for military service by a lord due to land ties - local fyrd-type warriors and thanes would come into this class as followers and retainers.

Adventurer retirement, as mentioned above, would be a time for the characters to rest on their laurels (unless the threat is huge) and become patrons for the new generation of heroes. If a new threat is exposed, they will no longer ride out to meet it themselves but will provide aid in the form of supplies and manpower (at a cost). This brings me to the final point of this post - what effect does this have on the local population and economy?

If a party breeze into a village, hire on all the local manpower and then proceed to lose them all in their latest dungeon escapade, the widows, orphans and old folk left behind will not be able to keep the village functioning when it comes to harvest or sowing time. The villagers would either starve, abandon their homes to go live with relatives, or start new lives anywhere their local lord would, or could, accommodate them. The lord would be furious as he would then be seriously out of pocket. Likewise, when a character gets to that certain level and acquires her retainers and followers, where do they come from? As mentioned above, the local city would be better as there are more numbers and a more diverse bunch of trades available. However, kitting out a castle with 100+ men-at-arms, or filling a cloister with dozens of clerics might draw suspicious looks from other local land holders or religious orders. Rivalries could build and spill over into violence and raiding.

 

So, where does this leave me with today's gaming? In the Frostgrave campaign I am currently prepping for, what are the people who follow Balthazar classed as? Dave, the apprentice, must be classed as a henchman; he is loyal and will be rewarded richly by the transfer of knowledge and some major treasure items. The initial band of soldiers that follow Balthazar will be classed as followers or retainers; they are paid out of the imaginary extraneous loot, but follow out of friendship (or coersion, but that is another story) and will die for their leader. However, if any of the said adventurers do die and have to be replaced, then their replacements must be hirelings, as they are brought into the fold with a one-off stipend. That said, and this is not covered in the rules from what I could see on my initial trawl through, what happens if they are not treated well? Could this be the place to write that loyalty table that is rolled upon after every adventure?

Dungeon Ecology

Hard on the heels of the Dungeon Parties post, comes this one about Dungeon Ecologies. This one was not intended to be as long as the previous one, as a lot of what was to be said in this one has been said in that one, but as with all things gaming I tend to ramble on forever and find new things to add as I am writing.

The previous article was more along the lines of what is an adventuring party. This one is more about the effects an adventuring party has on the local environs and the actual dungeon itself. To represent this post, I have trawled the net to find one of my favourite pictures from the original AD&D 1st edition Monster Manual (?) - an ankheg bursting from the ground to startle a farmer. This is kind of apt, as this colourised version of the artwork has the farmer looking very similarly dressed as one of the farmers from my Frostgrave party - I may use this as a Frostgrave scenario idea...

Like with all the images on my blog that are not my own copyright, please tell me to take it down if you are the owner and object to me using it without permission.

When I started to play AD&D again at my local club several years back, I wanted my campaign world to be believable (in as far as a fantasy setting can be). I still put most of the emphasis on playability but world coherency was also a significant part of my thought process. As mentioned in yesterday's post, "I built a little consistency and randomness into it too, to show that life was carrying on at that place even if the adventurers weren't around to see it happening".

When building the campaign world of Doggerland, I had to work out a back story for the region - accomplished by playing a few play-by-email games to build a solid timeline, then adding in a few historical characters and creating a point in time to then work from. I then added to the timeline and the current power-plays of the local area; who were the main pro/antagonists and what was likely to still be around in the environs even after the area had settled down after the last PBeM game completed. So I asked myself a few questions and worked out a few stats before putting pen to paper and making the scenarios fit the world...

Who built the dungeon and why? - Each scenario, whether hand-written or taken and adapted from a published magazine article or offical supplement, had to fit with what was going on in the main narrative. For example, at the start of the camapign, the weather in the Loidis region was in turmoil; hazardous weather limited travel, destroyed crops and basically hindered any progress for anything but the second coming of the demoness. I had a table written up linked to the phases of the moon and a random factor that stated what the weather would be like each day. Once the adventurers had solved the riddle and got the authorities in to destroy the power orb that controlled the weather, then normal patterns began to emerge again. This was a long-winded way to say that the broch in which the Cthonic druid resided had a history - it was an ancient, vitrified tower from the age of the first PBeM game and was tied to the history of the land. When the demoness was first encountered in Doggerland (I based this on details from the Temple of Elemental Evil history set out in that supplement) she was defeated, but her legacy lived on through her worshippers who still inhabited the abandoned places in the landscape awaiting her return.

Wandering Monsters had to fit in with what is in the dungeon - I made up small randomly rollable tables for encounters in and around the dungeon settings (based on the random encounter tables given in the supplements, or made up to only include monsters from the adventures I made up to keep them coherent. In other words, if a dungeon was full of, say, orcs, goblins and the like, then only those creatures plus a few standard trope wandering monsters (gelatinous cubes and the like) would be encountered there - no chance of a red dragon, for instance, as that would change the entire feel and objectives of the scenario. I also tried to fit the wandering monsters into the narrative of what was actually happening in the area around the dungeon. So, if a patrol of bandits was encountered and wiped out by the party then they had to have come from somewhere. If the scenario stated that some of the bandits at encounter location X put out patrols, then if I rolled bandits, they would be from that location and the results of the random encounter would mean that location explanation would be amended. A prime example of this was when the party had half-cleared the moathouse dungeon in the boglands near Staneford - the resident bad guy decided the heat was too much and he high-tailed it out of there with most of his followers before the party got to him.

Treasure and why monsters hoard it rather than spend it - Where do they get it from? Where do they spend it? These are questions that have always puzzled me, and to be honest I do not really have any hard and fast answers. In my campaign, the humans encountered would have earned it in some way. That said, most encounters with humans (unless boss types) resulted in poor treasure hauls; a small pouch with a few coins or the occasional magic item. Monsters, on the other hand, would be the ones that held onto magical trinkets and caskets of precious metals and gems. This doesn't really make sense to me, but as players want their characters to grow and become rich to enable them to do more in the imagined world they inhabit, I guess this strange treasure placement becomes part of the reward structure (along with gaining levels due to experience). I kind of explained this away by making it that these treasures were tribute from their lackeys, or items purloined from other adventurers who had tried to defeat them in the not so distant past. As to where the monsters could spend it, I have no idea, except maybe to pay their henchmen or bribe other bands of adventurers to let them go if they are on the point of defeat?

Re-populating a dungeon after a party has plundered it - This ruling really put my players off their stroke. After half-clearing an encounter location they would often return to civilisation to divvy-up treasure, re-equip themselves and heal in safety. Upon returning to the previous location they found that some of the rooms that they had cleared were now re-inhabited by new denizens - they were so used to playing in games where they literally just carried on from where they left off. I saw this re-population as the natural way in which societies and the natural world would re-align itself to a new situation; nature, as it is said, abhors a vacuum. If there is an ecological niche that becomes empty, then something will come along and fill it. Again, these rooms and caverns would be filled from either the nearest inhabitants expanding their demesne (possibly with new recruits) or by a wandering monster using the newly vacated area as a new home (and a new source of food in some cases).

Effects on the local human population when adventurers hit the town (or village) - This is also another item that is very rarely covered in the rulebooks. A band of adventurers rock up in a small village after plundering a dungeon, loaded down with coinage, gems, looted weaponry, and boastful stories. Where can they spend their ill-gotten gains? A small village would hardly be able to provide what the adventurers require - there is no Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicke like in the main cities (not that I use those in my camapigns anyway). So, they may be able to spend some treasure on finer lodgings, gambling and getting outrageously drunk on alcohol and satiated on fine food. However, villages can really only offer a brief respite from the harsh realities of the adventuring world and a means of re-stocking basic requirements; weapon and armour repairs, bows and arrows, lower class armours, food supplies, beasts of burden, maybe a riding horse or cart and local hirelings, as well as the usual R&R services.

Towns would only be a marginal step up but there would still not be enough on which the adventurers could spend their coins. So, what to do? There was one occasion during my last campaign that a fighter set up a fortification within the remains of the moat house in the fens. This cost a lot to do, so was a good way of spending his money, but it was a rare event albeit in keeping with 9th level fighters establishing a fortress according to the rulebooks.

Next step up are the cities; these allowed for at leaset one extra thing to be accomplished - training. Provided there was an NPC of the same class and a couple of levels higher than what the PC required, gold could be spent on a one-for-one swap for XP.

So, in reality, there is not a lot a band of adventurers can spend their gains on except a re-stock of arms and armour, rest and recuperation, maybe a bit of training, and having fun, with the local denizens trying to find ways of relieving the party of their cash and trinkets where they can.

But, the effect on the local economy can be catastrophic after the adventurers leave. All that excess gold and silver in the economy would artificially hike prices so that the local populace can no longer afford basic supplies and amenities. All the items that the party purchase would leave the town or village short of certain goods that may not be replaceable, and if there are any deaths due to hirelings being killed whilst away on an adventure, or in bar-room brawls then there will be a lot of widows and orphans. Who will look after them?

Again, this tended towards a longer than expected post, but, like all of my posts, they are written off the cuff and tend to ramble to wherever my thoughts take me. There is a kind of an idea in my head of what I want to cover but it never comes out how I envision it. I hope it makes sense and is coherent enough for you to get something from it.

Dungeon Parties

This post is primarily aimed at those involved in dungeon crawling adventures of the Dungeons and Dragons type. There is a blog, Hobgoblinry (see December '20 and January '21 entries) that I am currently reading that spurred me to put finger to keyboard as the author is currently going through the same thought processes as I am (although much further along the path than I am at the moment).

As a kid, when AD&D had just been released, I was involved in many of these types of adventure and they played a perfect role in my development as both a player and Dungeon Master. I lost myself in many a mega-dungeon, creating characters, fantasy tribes, and all sorts of menageries to inhabit the sprawling underground warrens I had created from my imagination. At the time, internal consistency did not matter.

Even when I restarted DMing (still using AD&D rules, even though I had toyed with Version 3 and Pathfinder in the meantime) a few decades later at my then local club, play was still more important than world building. However, I did pay lip service to a kind of internal organisation where the monsters weren't just sitting in their rooms waiting for adventurers to poke their noses in before attacking them. I built a little consistency and randomness into it too, to show that life was carrying on at that place even if the adventurers weren't around to see it happening. So, as a result of a little bit of maturing as both a player and DM on my part, my games were a little more coherent and made a little more sense from a player's point of view; there was something tangible that they could get their teeth into - something with a living background.

Fast forward another couple of years and I began to play 5th Edition (only played so far, not DMd yet). There seemed to be a big difference in style of play. Gone were the games with anywhere up to 15 players with an interesting array of different character classes; now we were in the realms of a limited number of charcters (5 or 6) that were hard-hitting and skilled up to the nines. I like both styles of play, but they are very different. Often, though, after a 5th edition game, when I looked back on the adventures of that particular session, I felt something was missing.

Today, I no longer live near that RPG club, and lockdown has prevented me from finding new players in the new area in which I now live. I am blessed in my friendships, as I am able to partake of a play-by-email sci-fi RPG to keep my gaming pangs at bay, but I still want some tabletop action. As a result, I have been trying to get my gaming fix in the solo arena. Frostgrave has grabbed my attention lately as it involves a party of adventurers looking for treasure in a long abandoned city. It is a game that seems to involve a larger than 5th Edition party, so it has got my creative juices flowing.

Now, I want to try to recreate some of those lovely adventures I had as a kid, so my thoughts turned to AD&D again as a source of inspiration. Unfortunately I no longer own a copy, but the wraparound cover of my trusty Players' Handbook kept hoving into view in my mind's eye (see the picture below)...

 

 

This picture portrayed to me, as an early adventurer in mega-dungeons, what a party should look like. The characters have just beaten a gang of troglodytes (or whatever) and are now ransacking the temple they were set to guard. Each member of the party has his/her own tasks to perform. Fighters are standing guard and cleaning weapons after the melee, the wiser ones are discussing what to do next with what looks like the party leader, and the lackeys (thieves, hirelings and henchmen) are collecting and collating the treasure.

So, what do we have here in this simple, almost throw away picture? I see a few hardy combat type figures, a couple of thieves, with a wizard and wise priest/monk fellow that most likely comprise the main player characters. These are backed up by a small force of hirelings, or NPCs, who carry the party's gains and clean up after them. Eleven people (in sight anyway - how many others are in the temple room and beyond the left-hand door?) are involved in this escapade.

Back in the day (when I was not yet a teenager) we played several characters at a time to increase the size of the party. Each time I wanted to take the party down a mega-dungeon (randomly rolled and huge, sprawling affairs) I made sure that there were enough people to carry the purloined and plundered treasures held within. Not only did I hire men-at-arms on a handful of silver pieces per day, but I also bought sacks, caskets and mules with panniers to carry all of the imagined treasure in them. Many of the hirelings were just local toughs (cheaper than a man-at-arms) brought along to hold torches and guide the mules. Very rarely were they called into a melee, but if they were, it meant that the players' party itself had failed and a TPK (Total Party Kill) was on the cards. Often many were left outside the dungeon to guard the entrance and create a safe base to return to at each break of play to dump off hoarded treasure and to heal up, replenish spells and maybe even level up. These NPCs provided the pool of talent from which new 1st level characters would be recruited if current party members died.

This method of playing was not an intentional way of adhering to the encumbrance rules set out in the rulebooks, but it did kind of get around it. It also served the purpose of giving a more realistic approach to how a dungeon would be plundered - a multi-layered approach that included a supply base, support infrastructure and a safe place to return to if badly beaten up. In real life, a handful of people would not journey into the darkness below, it would be a large undertaking that would involve many from the local environs. A band of adventurers would be seen in some instances as a means to earn a few pieces of silver.

Belated Season's Greetings

This is just a quick post to wish everyone a very happy New Year, and hope that it brings a lot more happiness and good things than the last one did.

I had a very quiet Christmas and New Year holiday due to the lockdowns in place - Tier 4 for most of it. As a result, I couldn't see the kids (one daughter caught Covid-19 but was, thankfully, hardly affected, and my other daughter was sent home twice from school due to class mates having it but, luckily, she never caught it - the boys have been totally unaffected so far (fingers crossed)) for my allotted period of custody, but we were able to luckily squeeze in a quick present swap just before Christmas between different enforced isolation events.

I didn't get much in the way of gaming stuff as gifts this year, but lots of nice things none-the-less; I am very lucky to have a kind and generous family and bunch of friends. However, I did get this little poster that now has pride of place above the reading chair in the lounge (apologies for the poor photo - there seems to be lots of relection and shadow due to the way the lighting is in the room)...

I really like it and it will show visitors (when we are allowed them again) what I am interested in, and hopefully spark some interesting conversations (and conversions to gaming?).

I managed to blog a couple of times over the holiday period about my ideas for a new Frostgrave campaign. I have still been tinkering away with this in the background but I have come to yet another impasse of sorts; a couple of problems in the form of a lack of adversaries and scenery.

Due to the nature of most of my gaming in the past, I have plenty of historical miniatures and a great number of human adventurers for fantasy games but very few actual monsters. As a result, I will need to tailor my forays into Frostgrave with the beasties that I have, namely: a few giants and trolls, some hobgoblins (two types at the moment), some kobolds and a few blister packs of skeletons.

With regards my scenery, I have mentioned previously that one of my cats took a liking to my gaming storage boxes as a litter tray and spoiled most of it (as well as a huge number of my paints).

I think I can see a way out of these predicaments though. Firstly, Frostgrave is promoted as a game that can be played using whatever accessories one has available even though there is an official miniatures range to support the game - it even mentions in a few of the supplements and rulebooks to use grey blocks as buildings and to proxy miniatures if those required for a scenario are unavailable. So, taking those words to heart, I bought myself a can of grey primer spray from a local car spares shop on Saturday just gone (Halfords for those of you in the UK), in order to spray up whatever detritus I can find in the recycle bins.

Secondly, with regards miniatures, I will create a narrative that will utilise the miniatures I have - if a scenario calls for skeletons but I only have hobgoblins, then that is what the adversaries will be. I will also set myself a monthly gaming budget in order to add to these in an orderly way. I will also need lots of paint, but I will get these a few jars at a time.

So, not really a set of New Year's resolutions, but I aim to try to achieve the following...

• Play games where and when I can, and not rely on having to have the correct stuff for it - proxy things to enable gaming to actually take place
  
• Use/re-use/recycle to make scenery items - base and add to them in time as I see fit
  
• Only buy new, or scour eBay for second hand, miniatures when required and stick to my allotted monthly budget
• Only buy paints when required and only those colours actually needed
• Paint whatever miniatures I buy within a month of getting them home/delivered
• Begin painting more of the huge backlog of miniatures I already have (Lord of the Rings stuff, I am looking at you here) and perhaps catalogue them so I can get an idea of the scale of the task at hand?
  

With regards projects, I have been reading several blogs recently and many people seem to be using the Rule of Three - i.e. only ever have three projects on the go at any one time to stop the butterfly (ooh, shiny) effect and to put a stop to too much procrastination. My current projects are as follows (in order of current importance):

1. Frostgrave - play solo adventures with whatever miniatures and scenery I already own and immerse myself in the narrative/world building
2. Lord of the Rings - try to get those armies painted and maybe some solo gaming done (rules will need to be resolved, but I have some ideas on how to achieve this)
3. Dungeons and Dragons - work towards a new campaign for when lockdown expires
4. And, on the back-burner - try to create a new play-by-email game set in my world of Doggerland

So, this means concentrating on miniature painting and scenery making for Frostgrave and Lord of the Rings primarily, alongside written work for the other two projects. Lots to look forward to, I just hope I can keep up the enthusiam and not get distracted too much by real life.